64 GOLD AND TIN DEPOSITS OF SOUTHEKN APPALACHIANS. 
of biotite. Tiny fragments, a few of which show prismatic outline, are found in the replace- 
ment bodies at the Haile and Ferguson mines. This material is probably apatite and 
affords an interesting connection with the Dahlonega mines, where it occurs in the same 
habit in the midst of the veins. Rutile is found in minute yellow prisms in ore from the 
Haile mine. Fluorite in narrow veinlets cuts the quartz at the Schlegelmilch mine and 
appears to be of later formation than the gold vein. Its mode of occurrence at the Kings 
Mountain mine is not known to the writer. The association of fluorite with gold — par- 
ticularly with tellurides such as occur at the Kings Mountain mine — is now well established 
by the deposits at Cripple Creek, Colo. 
The concentrates from the Blackmon mine contain a "black sand" which proves to be a 
dark garnet. Whether it has any close relation to the gold is not known. Garnet has also 
been found at the Jones tin mine, where it occurs with biotite, tourmaline, and magnetite 
in amphibolite close to the quartz vein which carries a small amount of gold. The resem- 
blance in this case to the occurrence of garnet at the Lockhart mine in Dahlonega is marked. 
It is reported that the tourmaline-bearing quartz veins at the Faires tin mine carry gold. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE ORE MINERALS. 
Gold occurs in all the deposits, both free in the quartz and inclosed in pyrite. At the 
Haile mine it also occurs closely associated with molybdenite in heavily pyritized bands, 
and at the Haile and Colossus mines as thin flakes on joint planes, probably from secondary 
deposition. Crystalline faces have not been seen. Grains of large size are not now abun- 
dant, but the size of nuggets which have been found in the placers indicates that they have 
been present in portions of the deposits now eroded away. 
Pyrite is the most abundant of the ore minerals. It occurs as large and small masses, 
both well crystallized and of irregular form. It is. about equally important in the quartz 
veins and in the altered wall rock; in some places it constitutes a considerable proportion 
of each. When crystallized it occurs most commonly as cubes; pyritohedrons are fre- 
quently seen, and in many cases minute octahedrons are abundant. Limonite is a common 
decomposition product of the pyrite, and a yellowish-green powder which results in some 
cases may be ferric sulphate. In a few places the pyrite on decomposition leaves cavities 
partly filled with crystalline native sulphur." Mr. Buddell, foreman of the Brown mine, 
informed the writer that he has broken open large solid masses of unstained quartz and 
found cubical cavities containing nothing but sulphur. These always came from above 
the water level. Below the water level many of the cavities contained a yellow liquid 
(ferric salt ?) and a small amount of bright pyrite in fine grains, but no sulphur. The con- 
ditions under which these processes of oxidation took place were apparently unusual. At 
the Colossus mine much of the pyrite is decomposed below water level, presumably by 
ferric solutions or by sulphuric acid, and not by direct oxidation. 
Pyrrhotite is not plentiful. It occurs both in the vein filling and in the replacement 
bodies, much of it intergrown with pyrite and chalcopyrite. Chalcopyrite is likewise 
rather uncommon, and occurs in the veins and in the wall rocks. At the Mary mine it is' 
fully as abundant as pyrite. Covellite and chalcanthite are decomposition products ofj 
the chalcopyrite, and at the Mary mine red coatings, which are probably cuprite, result 
where the sulphide is partially decomposed. Enargite, present in small crystals in the 
ore of the Brewer mine, also decomposes to chalcanthite. 
Galena, sphalerite, and arsenopyritc are not unusual associates of gold. The arsenic, 
antimony, bismuth, and tellurium compounds found with gold at the Asbury and Kings 
Mountain mines, however, are interesting and uncommon in such relations. Molybdenite 
in close association with gold is now commonly recognized. Ilmenite occurs in tiny striated 
laths in the vein quartz of the Ferguson mine. Large flattened crystals of this mineral are 
rather common in quartz veins, not known to contain gold, in the vicinity of Home, Chero- 
kee ComnVy, S. C. Irregular grains of ilmenite found in the wall rock of the Brown and.; 
a Cobb, Collier, Sulphur from pyrite in nature's laboratory: Jour. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc., vol. 11, pt. 
1, pp. 30-31. Tuomey, M., Geology of South Carolina, 1848, pp. 89, 93. Lieber, op. cit., vol. 1, p. 62. ■ 
