MICA    DEPOSITS    OF    WESTERN    NORTH    CAROLINA.  415 
Where  seen  near  the  surface,  it  is  nearly  or  quite  conformable  with 
the  inclosing  rock.  Quartz  is  the  predominant  mineral  and  occurs  in 
veins  and  streaks  parallel  to  the  wall  rock.  These  streaks  range  from 
1  or  2  inches  up  to  a  couple  of  feet  in  thickness.  Feldspar  is  nowhere 
very  abundant  in  the  pegmatite  and  is  confined  chiefly  to  a  streak  2 
or  3  feet  thick  near  the  hanging  wall,  where  with  quartz  and  mica  it 
forms  the  ' '  vein."  Horses  or  sheets  of  schistose  wall  rock  are  included 
in  the  pegmatite  in  several  places.  They  range  from  2  or  3  to  several 
inches  in  thickness.  These  horses,  together  with  the  quartz  bands 
and  mica  streak,  all  parallel  to  the  walls,  give  a  marked  banded 
structure.  Such  inclusions  of  sheetlike  horses  of  wall  rock  and  veins 
of  quartz  in  parallel  position  are  not  uncommon  in  this  region. 
This  mine  has  not  been  worked  in  recent  years.  The  developments 
consist  of  a  shaft  on  the  "vein"  reported  to  be  100  feet  deep,  with 
sufficient  open-cut  work  at  the  surface  to  give  working  room  on  the 
mountain  side.  The  mica  is  of  a  clear  "rum"  color,  and  to  judge 
from  smaller  pieces  seen,  of  good  quality.  Some  biotite  is  found  with 
the  clear  mica.  A  little  sulphide  of  iron  is  scattered  through  the 
"vein"  and  wall  rock. 
COX    &    DA  VIES    MINE. 
The  Cox  &  Davies  mine  is  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  south  of 
Cullowhee,  Jackson  County,  on  the  point  of  a  ridge,  200  or  300  feet 
above  the  road.  The  developments  consist  of  open  cuts,  shafts,  and 
tunnels,  mostly  in  bad  repair.  There  are  two  parallel  "veins"  about 
70  feet  apart,  and  both  have  been  worked  for  about  100  yards  across 
the  top  of  the  ridge.  The  mica-gneiss  country  rock  strikes  about 
N.  80°  E.,  with  a  southerly  dip.  The  pegmatite  masses  conform 
with  this  in  a  general  way,  though  they  cut  the  gneiss  in  places. 
A  tunnel  on  the  north  "vein"  was  examined  for  about  150  feet  into 
the  hillside.  The  thickness  of  the  "vein"  was  in  the  main  from  2  to 
4  feet,  but  in  places  it  swelled  to  6  or  8  feet.  At  one  point  the  peg- 
matite was  warped,  the  strike  shifting  from  N.  70°  E.  to  S.  80°  E. 
and  back  again,  with  a  varying  southerly  dip.  It  cut  across  the  mica 
gneiss,  which  at  this  point  had  a  strike  of  N.  45°  E.,  and  a  vertical 
dip.  Quartz  was  exposed  only  in  smaller  masses  and  ledges  in  this 
tunnel.  The  feldspar  was  partly  kaolinized  and  easily  removed  in 
mining.  Quartz  was  found  to  be  more  plentiful  in  the  south  "vein." 
In  one  of  the  tunnels  still  open  a  quartz  streak  nearly  2  feet  thick 
was  exposed  in  the  roof  and  extended  some  distance  back.  Both 
veins  have  been  more  or  less  "ground-hogged"  through  their  whole 
length.  This  has  been  done  mostly  by  petty  leasers,  who  did  not 
care  what  happened  to  the  mine  after  their  leases  expired.  Mica  of 
excellent  quality  and  in  large  quantity  has  been  removed  from  each 
vein.  The  color  is  a  fine  clear  light  "rum"  or  "wine,"  and  the  mica 
is  said  to  have  brought  always  the  highest  prices. 
