MICA    DEPOSITS    OF    WESTERN    NORTH    CAROLINA.  409 
Other  mines  have  been  opened  to  the  southeast  and  east  of  the 
Milton  English,  apparently  in  the  same  formation.  At  the  Johnson 
mine,  nearly  2  miles  to  the  southeast,  the  pegmatite  is  included  in  a 
hornblende  gneiss,  lying  nearly  flat,  biotitic  near  the  contact  and 
conformable  with  it.  It  is  sheetlike  in  form,  pinching  down  to  a  few 
inches  and  beyond  swelling  to  several  feet. 
Mc KINNEY    OR    POWDEEMILL    CREEK    MINE. 
The  McKinney  is  a  new  mine,  about  3  miles  northwest  of  Plum- 
tree,  on  the  north  slope  of  a  mountain  south  of  Powdermill  Creek. 
The  work  consists  of  an  open  cut  nearly  100  feet  along  the  strike  of 
the  "vein"  and  not  over  15  feet  deep  in  any  part.  Only  the  width 
of  the  pegmatite  has  been  removed.  This  rock  lies  in  a  biotite-gneiss 
streak,  a  few  yards  north  of  its  contact  with  the  hornblende-gneiss 
formation,  which  is  the  country  rock  of  the  region.  The  pegmatite 
is  conformable  with  the  gneiss  and  strikes  due  east  at  the  west  end  of 
the  cut  and  about  N.  80°  R.  in  the  eastern  part.  The  dip  is  about 
80°  S.  The  average  width  is  about  6  feet,  though  it  increases  to  8 
feet  or  more  near  the  middle  of  the  cut.  At  one  point,  near  the  west 
end,  the  south  wall  elbows  out,  causing  the  pegmatite  to  pinch 
abruptly  from  6  feet  down  to  4  feet.  In  general,  however,  the  varia- 
tions in  size  are  more  gradual.  The  pegmatite  has  been  traced  by 
prospect  pits  for  some  distance  farther  east. 
The  texture  of  the  pegmatite  is  that  of  coarse  granite,  except  for 
a  width  of  a  few  inches  along  the  contact,  where  it  is  very  fine  grained 
and  of  dark  color,  thus  being  in  marked  contrast  with  the  rest  of  the 
mass.  The  feldspar  is  chiefly  a  plagioclase.  The  mica  is  generally 
disposed  near  one  wall  or  the  other,  though  some  large  blocks  occur 
nearer  the  middle  of  the  "vein."  It  has  a  rather  dark  brown  color 
and  part  of  it  is  somewhat  "specked."  It  is  fairly  plentiful,  how- 
ever, and  blocks  of  good  size  are  frequently  obtained. 
BIG    RIDGE    MINE. 
The  Big  Ridge  mine  is  about  6  miles  east  of  south  of  Waynes ville, 
Haywood  County,  high  up  on  the  southwest  side  of  Lickstone  Bald, 
at  an  elevation  of  about  4,500  feet.  The  mine  is  equipped  with  air 
drills  and  a  steam  pump.  The  mica-bearing  pegmatite  is  conform- 
able with  the  mica-gneiss  country  rock,  and  is  folded  with  it  into  an 
anticline,  the  axis  of  which  strikes  about  N.  80°  E.  and  pitches  20°  or 
more  into  the  mountain  side.  The  angle  of  the  fold  is  not  sharp,  yet 
the  legs  dip  about  45°  a  few  rods  from  the  axis.  The  workings  con- 
sist of  tunnels  and  drifts  along  the  pegmatite,  with  stopes  and  raises 
between.  On  the  north  leg  of  the  fold  the  "vein"  has  been  removed 
for  a  depth  of  about  300  feet,  but  on  the  south  it  has  been  worked 
