IRON    ORES    OF    THE    WEST.  195 
The  ores  are  soft  and  hard  hematite  somewhat  similar  to  those  of  the  Chandler  mine,  in 
the  Vermilion  district  of  Minnesota.  There  is  present  also  a  considerable  amount  of  massive 
blue  ore  like  that  of  the  Soudan  mine,  in  Minnesota.  An  abundance  of  botryoidal  quartz, 
stringers  of  malachite  and  azurite,  yellowish  chert  phases,  and  ferrous  aluminum-silicate 
rocks  appear  as  minor  constituents  of  the  ore.  The  iron  content  grades  from  45  to  65  per- 
cent. According  to  Mr.  Ahbe,  superintendent,  there  is  some  difficulty  in  close  grading  of 
the  ores  for  shipment.  The  phosphorus  is  for  the  most  part  near  (he  Bessemer  limit. 
Some  of  it  will  run  above  0.1  per  cent. 
Smith  describes  the  ores  as  in  the  form  of  lenses  in  the  Whalen  beds.  Several  phases  of 
the  ore  and  rock  possess  striking  similarity  to  altered  carbonates  in  exhibiting  irregular  and 
spotted  areas  of  limonite.  These  facts,  together  with  the  nature  of  the  foot  wall  and  hang- 
ing wall  observed  at  the  mine,  and  the  presence  of  ferruginous  cherts,  suggest  that  the  ore 
has  developed  by  either  the  replacement  or  alteration  of  lenses  of  a  carbonate  formation 
within  the  Whalen  beds.  In  this  connection  Smith  says  that  the  limestone  of  the  belt  to 
the  southwest  contains  a  considerable  amount  of  ferrous  iron.  Detailed  studies  should  be 
made  of  the  relations  of  the  ore  to  the  limestones  and  so-called  schistose  quartzites  and  the 
true  nature  and  structure  of  the  series  determined.  For  purposes  of  folio  mapping  Smith 
was  obliged  to  treat  the  Whalen  beds  as  essentially  a  structural  unit,  though  its  pedo- 
graph ic.  phases  were  described  and  their  approximate  distribution  outlined. 
This  deposit  is  the  only  one  the  writer  has  seen  in  the  West  which  suggests  possible  simi- 
larity in  lithology,  origin,  and  relations  of  adjacent  rocks  to  certain  of  the  Lake  Superior 
ores. 
WASHINGTON. 
Visits  were  made  in  1904  to  ore  deposits  in  Stevens  County,  northeastern  Washington. 
Southeast  of  Northport,  near  Deep  Creek  Lake,  both  northeast  and  southwest  of  the  lake, 
yellow  porous  limonite  occurs  associated  with  limestone,  resting  on  the  flank  of  the  moun- 
tains. The  ore  is  exposed  in  a  considerable  number  of  pits  and  drifts.  On  the  way  to  the 
area  the  cores  of  the  mountains  were  observed  to  be  granite  flanked  by  limestone.  No 
igneous  rock  was  observed  near  the  ore,  but  presumably,  from  the  general  structure  of  the 
region  and  analogy  with  other  districts,  it  occurs  not  far  away. 
About  14  miles  west  of  Valley  is  a  shaft  75  feet  deep  from  which  have  been  thrown  out 
fine  dense  hematite,  coarse  amphibofitic  martite  ore,  and  gradations  between  the  two; 
also  green  schistose  rocks  whose  relations  to  the  ore  were  not  determined.  To  the  east 
sericitic  slates  may  be  seen  dipping  under  the  shaft  and  to  the  west  are  limestones,  pre- 
sumably forming  the  hanging  wall. 
To  the  southwest,  on  the  Rogers's  claim,  several  drifts  were  observed  penetrating  lime- 
stone with  a  small  amount  of  hematite  near  the  surface,  suggesting  a  surface  replacement 
of  the  limestone.  Higher  up  the  hill  ferruginous  slate  and  magnetitic  slate,  locally  called 
jasper  and  indeed  somewhat  resembling  jasper,  are  exposed.  The  relations  to  the  lime- 
stone are  unknown.  Diorite  was  observed  along  the  road  in  such  relations  as  to  indicate 
its  lower  stratigraphic  position.  From  what  the  writer  observed  and  from  discussion  with 
local  prospectors,  there  is  apparently  in  this  region  more  or  less  ferruginous  alteration  of  the 
limestone  near  its  base,  where  it  rests  on  slate.  The  occurrence  of  diorite  intrusives  in  the 
vicinity  suggests  a  possible  genetic  relation. 
About  6  miles  east  of  Valley  limonite  occurs  between  andesite  forming  the  core  of  the 
large  hill  and  limestone  resting  upon  its  flank.  The  ore  is  in  general  soft,  hydrated  hema- 
tite and  limonite  of  red  and  brown  colors,  and  very  porous.  Locally  the  ore  seems  to  dip 
toward  and  under  the  andesite,  which  is  spoken  of  as  the  hanging  wall.  There  is  evidence 
here  also  of  some  brecciation,  faulting,  and  folding,  some  of  it  later  than  the  formation  of 
the  ore.  Near  the  contact  with  the  ore  both  the  andesite  and  the  limestone  are  much 
altered  and  are  represented  by  clay  showing  the  texture  and  structure  of  the  original  rock. 
Stringers  of  the  ore  run  both  into  the  limestone  and  into  the  andesite.  For  the  most  part 
the  contacts  are  very  sharp.  The  extent  and  shape  of  the  deposit  has  not  been  determined. 
A  thickness  of  20  feet  was  observed  in  one  place  and  less  in  others. 
