18 GOLD AND TIN DEPOSITS OF SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS. 
The quartz pebbles are now a granular aggregate of quartz grains, but whether they are 
portions of clastic rocks or have been derived from the breaking down of quartz veins, in 
which the rocks "abound, and have been given their granular structure by crushing, it is 
impossible to decide, although the latter view is perhaps move plausible. 
These quartz-rich metamorphic rocks are particularly abundant along the Kings Mountain 
Range, but also occur in places, isolated so far as known, farther east. They are more resist- 
ant than the surrounding rocks and hence outcrop conspicuously, forming the ridges of w hich 
Paysour, Crowders, Kings, Dfaytonville, Whitaker, and Thickety mountains are the honest 
portions, many smaller near-by ridges or mounds, and the elevations Henry Knob and 
Nannies Mountain. Notwithstanding this apparent resistance, these quartzitic rocks are in 
many places so rich in minerals like mica and magnetite, which are more susceptible to 
atmospheric decomposition than the quartz, that they crumble to soil with considerable 
readiness and do not form conspicuous outcrops. This variation in composition from place 
to place undoubtedly has had much to do with the unsymmetrical and irregular shape and 
distribution of the quartzite ridges. Conglomerate occurs along Kings Creek and makes up 
the greater part of Draytonville Mountain in Cherokee County. At the latter locality the 
surface of the rock is strewn with unevenly rounded pieces of quartz — the conglomerate 
pebbles which have been released by the decomposition or solution of their matrix. On the 
summit of this hill the conglomerate is exceedingly well exposed. This occurrence was noted 
by both Tuomej^ « and Lieber.b 
QUARTZ-SERICITE SCIUST. 
Closely related in composition to the quartzitic rocks described in the preceding section are 
certain schists which, when unaltered, are gray, glistening, micaceous, and much foliated. 
As generally seen, they are colored various shades of red by the oxidation of the magnetite 
which they contain. Some specimens hold an abundance of small red garnets. On disinte- 
gration they form a soil which gives little indication of the amount of mica which they held. 
The microscope reveals in the thin sect ion abundant quartz in rudely polygonal grains sur- 
rounded and enmeshed by shreds of fibrous muscovite or sericite. In places it appears as if 
numbers of these fibers had been so rearranged as to crystallize into an irregular flake of 
muscovite. Octahedrons and irregular grains of magnetite are rather common, and furnish, 
on decomposition, most of the coloring matter of the stained rocks. In a few cases turbid 
decomposed remnants of feldspar grains are being replaced by sericite. It seems probable 
that these rocks represent arkoses richer in feldspar than those from which the quartz schists 
were derived. 
Quartz-sericite schists of this kind were not seen at many places in the area, probably 
owing in large part to the ready disintegration which they undergo. An occurrence of 
unknown extent was found in the northeastern part of Gaston County. 
QUARTZ-BIOTITE SCHrST. 
Dark-brown fine- and even-grained micaceous rocks are found at numerous places along 
the Kings Mountain belt. They consist of small grains of quartz, a little rather turbid 
feldspar, mostly oligoelase, and abundant brown biotite in small scales. Muscovite is 
present in some eases, and grains of carbonate are not unusual. Schistosity is well devel- 
oped. They have probably been derived from impure feldspathic sandstones. 
These rocks are found generally in close association with the limestone beds, though it is 
of course possible that they have a more extended development. They have been encoun- 
tered in the limestone quarries at Gaffney and Blaeksburg, S. C, and a similar rock is found 
at the Thompson mine, near West Springs, Union County, S. C. 
SERICrTE SCHIST. 
Compact grayish or bluish-gray rocks, with a characteristic lustrous sheen on their 
parting planes, are known at various places along the Kings Mountain Range. They are 
made up almost wholly of sericite, and have probably resulted from the metamorphism of 
a Rept. Geol. and Agr. Survey South Carolina, 1844, p. 18; Geology of South Carolina, 1848, p. 77. 
b Survey of South Carolina, vol. 2, 1858, pp. 40-42. 
