QUARTZ  VEINS  IN  MAINE  AND  VERMONT. 
By  George  Otis  Smitii. 
INTRODUCTION. 
During1  the  past  field  season  two  localities  in  northern  New  England 
were  visited  where  there  is  some  slight  activity  in  the  exploration  of 
quartz  veins  containing  precious  metals.  While  separated  by  approx- 
imately 135  miles,  these  two  districts,  the  one  in  western  Maine  and 
the  other  in  southern  Vermont,  possess  some  points  of  similarity. 
Furthermore,  the  veins  occurring  here  are  believed  to  be  typical  of 
ore  deposits  throughout  this  general  region,  and  since  they  are  the 
most  promising  deposits  being  prospected  within  this  area  they  may 
properly  be  discussed  together.  It  is  believed  that  the  results  of 
reconnaissance  observation  as  here  presented  may  be  taken  as  fairly 
representative  for  this  class  of  veins  as  they  occur  in  northern  New 
England.  In  the  one  case  development  work  has  not  been  carried  to 
sufficient  depth  to  warrant  very  definite  conclusions,  yet  in  the  other 
locality  the  explorations  have  continued  for  scores  of  years  with  little 
change  in  the  character  of  the  veins  as  exposed. 
MAINE. 
The  mining  property  in  Maine  upon  which  the  most  development 
work  has  been  done  the  past  year  is  situated  in  Milton  Plantation,  in 
Oxford  County.  The  region  is  one  of  considerable  topographic 
diversit}'  and  borders  upon  what  might  be  termed  the  mountainous 
portion  of  western  Maine.  A  group  of  high  hills  which  here  encroaches 
upon  the  valley  of  Androscoggin  River  includes  Mount  Zircon,  the  most 
prominent  height  of  the  vicinity,  and  Mount  Glines,  a  somewhat  lower 
knob,  on  the  slopes  of  which  the  mining  work  has  been  done.  The 
country  rock  appears  usually  to  be  granitic.  This  granite  as  observed 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  quartz  veins  is  characterized  by  shear  structures 
and  banding  of  the  constituent  minerals.  The  resultant  gneissoid 
texture  trends  about  30u  west  of  north.  This  granite  appears  alto- 
gether distinct  in  its  textural  characters  from  the  granite  quarried  on 
the  Maine  coast.  The  latter  rock  is  known  to  be  of  Paleozoic  age  and 
it  seems  probable  that  the  gneissoid  granite  here  discussed  is  older. 
Bull.  225—04 6  81 
