THE  ORISKANY  AND  CLINTON  IRON  ORES  OF  VIRGINIA. 
By  Edwin  C.  Eckel. 
INTRODUCTION. 
During  the  year  1905  work  was  carried  on  by  the  United  States  and  Virginia  Geological 
Surveys,  acting  in  cooperation,  on  the  iron  ores  of  Virginia.  This  work  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  writer,  who  also  did  most  of  the  actual  field  work  on  the  Oriskany  and  Clinton 
ores,  while  Mr.  R.  J.  Holden,  of  the  Virginia  Survey,  did  all  the  work  on  the  New  River- 
Cripple  Creek  brown  ores  and  spent  some  time  in  the  Oriskany  district.  Mr.  J.  S.  Grasty 
carried  out  areal  mapping  in  the  Oriskany  district,  covering  a  few  small  areas  left  unmapped 
by  Prof.  II.  D.  Campbell,  who  in  previous  years,  and  largely  at  his  own  expense,  had  made 
detailed  maps  of  most  of  this  region.  Professor  Campbell  kindly  placed  these  earlier  results 
at  my  disposal,  and  exercised  general  supervision  over  Mr.  Grasty's  field  work. 
Detailed  reports  on  the  work  above  mentioned  are  now  in  preparation  and  bulletins  on  the 
iron  ores  of  Virginia  will  be  issued  independently  by  the  Federal  and  State  Geological 
Surveys  as  the  field  work  in  the  different  districts  is  completed  .  In  the  following  pages  brief 
notes  are  given  on  the  work  so  far  accomplished  in  certain  important  districts.  The  rela- 
tions of  these  various  pieces  of  field  work  to  one  another  can  be  best  understood  if  the 
reports  are  prefaced  by  an  introductory  statement  as  to  the  ore  districts  of  Virginia. 
IRON   ORES  OF  VIRGINIA. 
Considered  from  either  an  industrial  or  geologic  view  point,  the  iron  ores  of  Virginia  fall 
into  6  groups: 
I.  Magnetites  and  specular  hematites  of  the  Blue  Ridge  and  Piedmont  districts. 
II.  Red  hematites  (Clinton  ores,  "  fossil  ores,"  "oolitic  ores")  of  the  foothills  of  the  Allegheny 
Mountains. 
III.  Brown  hematites  (Oriskany  ores)  of  the  Goshen-Longdale-Lowmoor-Oriskany  district,  mostly 
in  Augusta,  Bath,  Botetourt,  Alleghany,  and  Craig  counties. 
IV.  Brown  hematites  of  the  New  River-Cripple  Creek  district,  mostly  in  Wythe  and  Pulaski  counties. 
V.  Brown  hematites  of  the  Roanoke,  Shenandoah,  and  Page  valleys. 
VI.  Brown  hematites  ("gossan  ores")  of  Carroll  and  Floyd  counties. 
During  last  season  detailed  field  work  was  done  on  the  ores  of  classes  III  and  IV,  the  ores 
of  class  II  were  examined  in  less  detail  at  several  localities,  while  on  those  of  classes  I,  V,  and 
VI  no  field  work  was  done.  It  is  planned  to  complete  the  work  during  1906  by  examination 
of  the  ore  deposits  not  visited  during  1905. 
ORE  RESERVES  AND   IRON   PRODUCTION. 
The  most  striking  fact  brought  out  by  the  work  of  last  year  is  the  small  amount  of  work- 
able ore  now  in  sight.  Few  of  the  furnaces  are  in  an  entirely  satisfactory  position  as 
regards  ore  reserves,  while  several  have  only  a  few  years'  supply  available.  Most  of  the 
brown-ore  districts  worked  ten  years  ago  are  now  within  measurable  distance  of  exhaus- 
tion and  new  deposits  are  not  being  developed  rapidly  enough  to  offset  the  drain  on  the 
older  beds.  Several  rich  deposits  of  the  Oriskany  brown  ore  have  been  opened  within 
the  last  year  ;r  two,  but  elsewhere  little  of  promise  has  been  uncovered. 
183 
