INVESTIGATIONS  OF  IRON  ORES,  STRUCTURA 
MATERIALS,  ETC. 
By  Edwin  <     E<  kei  .  Geologist  in  Chargi 
INTRODUCTION. 
During  the  last  year  the  Survey  has  carried  on  extensive  investigi 
lions  in  the  field  included  in  the  work  of  this  section.     Some  of  thes 
investigations  are  summarized  in  this  bulletin,  hut  a  large  amount  oil 
economic  work  of  this  kind  lias  been  done  in  connection  with  the  ordi- 
nary areal  work  of  the  Survey,  and   its  results  appear  only  in  texts 
accompanying  geological  folios. 
IRON,   MANGANESE,  AND  ALUMINUM   ORES. 
[RON. 
Soviht  rn  States.  The  Survey's  work  on  southern  iron  ores  was  car- 
ried out  in  1906,  as  in  previous  years,  under  the  direct  charge  of  the 
writer.  With  E.  F.  Burchard,  a  detailed  study  of  the  Clinton  or 
red  ores  of  the  Birmingham  district  was  taken  up  and  practically  com- 
pleted within  the  field  season.  The  large  amount  of  data  generously 
placed  at  our  disposal  by  the  iron  companies  of  the  district  will  give 
the  final  report  on  this  subject  peculiar  value  and  will  enable  us  to 
make  a  fairly  complete  report  on  the  iron  ores  and  iron  industry  of  the 
most  important  iron  district,  aside  from  Pittsburg,  in  the  United 
States.  In  the  present  bulletin  Mr.  Burchard  has  discussed,  briefly, 
the  more  important  facts  relative  to  the  Birmingham  red  ores. 
The  present  status  of  Survey  work  on  the  iron  ores  of  Alabama  may 
therefore  be  summarized  as  follows: 
Commercial,  geographical,  and  geological  differences  permit  the  sep- 
aration of  the  iron  ores  of  Alabama  into  six  groups — 
1.  The  Clinton,  red,  or  fossil  ores  of  the  Birmingham  district,  includ- 
ing ores  occurring  in  the  territory  tributary  to  Birmingham    from 
Springville  south  through  Birmingham  to  the  southernmost  outcrop 
of  red  ore. 
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