438 CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, ]902. [bull. 213. 
however, and the value of the talc is liable to be much lessened by the 
presence of the other silicates. It is impossible to say in advance 
when the quality of the talc will be thus depreciated. 
The talc is almost entirely white, sometimes translucent, but usu- 
ally opaque. It is probable that if work were pushed into the solid 
rock the translucent material would predominate. Thus far mining- 
has been confined to pits in the clay and decomposed rock. Stains 
of earth and iron oxide are common in this material, as they were in 
the weathered talc of the Cherokee marble. The talc now produced 
varies from massive to fibrous, the latter being the most common It 
is fitted only for grinding into powder. Although the amount of talc 
of this class is considerable, very little is now produced, and the 
industry is nearly at a standstill. Practically all the talc mined in 
the State comes from the Cherokee marble. 
