r---- ---------------- --- ---- ----------~---------- MINERAL RESOURCES Of THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA BY VERNON J. HURST THOMAS J. CRAWFORD JOHN SANDY Geology Department University of Georgia in Cooperation with Central Savannah River Area Planning and Development Commission Augusta, Georgia Georgia Department of Industry and Trade Atlanta, Georgia Economic Development Administration United States Department of Commerce . Washington, D. C. July, 1966 VOLUME I Reprinted 1981 by the Georgia Geologic Survey Branch of the Environmental Protection Division, Department of Natural Resources ABSTRACT This report is based on a mineral resource survey of 5,222 square miles in east-central Georgia, an area known as the Central Savannah River Area and comprised of the following counties: Burke, Columbia, Emanuel, Glascock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Screven, Taliaferro, Warren, and Wilkes. The status of mineral resource development in the Central Savannah River Area is summarized in the following tabulation. Economic Minerals in the CSRA Reported agate amethyst andalusite asbestos barite carnelian chalcedony chalcocite chalcopyrite chromite corundum diamond feldspar gahnite galena gibbsite goethite gold hematite ilmenite Previously Mined chalcocite chalcopyrite galena goethite gold Being Mined in 1965 gold Potentially Minable amethyst chalcocite chalcopyrite chromite ? feldspar ? galena gold Reported kaolinite kyanite magnetite muscovite opal pyrite psilomelane pyrolusite pyrophyllite quartz rhodochrosite rhodonite rutile sapphire scheelite sericite sillimanite sphalerite talc vermiculite Previously Mined kaolinite kyanite magnetite pyrolusite rutile sphalerite Being Mined in 1965 kaolinite kyanite Potentially Minable kaolinite kyanite magnetite? pyrite pyrolusite pyrophy llite quartz rutile sericite sphalerite talc Industrial Rocks in CSRA Reported Previously Mined Being Mined 1965 Potentially Minable buhrstone clays (miscellaneous) fuller's earth granite gravel kaolin limestone (marl) peat phyllite (sericite) 11 quartzite" sand serpentine clays fuller's earth granite gravel kaolin limestone (marl) peat phyllite (sericite) "quartzite" sand serpentine clays fuller's earth granite gravel kaolin peat phyllite (sericite) "quartzite" sand clays fuller's earth granite gravel kaolin limestone (marl) phyllite (sericite) "quartzite" sand serpentine ii A tabulation of the industrial rocks and minerals by county is on page 78. The principal proven rock and mineral resources are clays (kaolin, miscellaneous clays, and fuller's earth), stone (granite, "quartzite," syenite, serpentine), limestone (marl), sand and gravel, kyanite, and sericite. Other minable raw materials include massive silica, peat, magnetite, gold; and manganese. Major developments of nickel, base metal sulfides, and phosphate are possibilities that require further evaluation, The total value of minerals and mineral products produced in the area during 1965 exceeded $6,000,000. Kaolin occurs within the Tuscaloosa Formation which crops out in Columbia, Richmond, McDuffie, Warren and Glascock Counties. Extensions and outliers of the Tuscaloosa formation in Columbia and McDuffie Counties contain numerous small exposures of bedded kaolin, kaolinitic sand, and balls and boulders of kaolin embedded in sand. Most of the larger deposits are downdip, covered by the overlying Barnwell Formation. Massive lenses extend from the vicinity of Hephzibah in Richmond County to the tri-corner area of Warren, Glascock and Jefferson Counties where extensive deposits recently have been discovered. Thicknesses locally exceed 50 feet under 30-100 feet of overburden. The kaolin now produced is used for various fillers and in the manufacture of a variety of ceramic products. The $4.5 million plant under construction by the J. M. Huber Corporation in northern Jefferson County will produce water-wash clay for paper coating. Additional kaolin reserves are in the Fort Gordon area and southward between Hephzibah and Keysville. The Anaconda Aluminum Company has considered plans for the construction of a $40 million plant in the tri-corner area to produce alumina from kaolinitic clays. Flint kaolin, a term long used for an indurated siliceous kaolinitic clay derived from the weathering of a volcanic flow or ash deposit, is persistent across the central part of Glascock County, where it has been mined for the manufacture of refractories. It also crops out intermittently to the east, near Harlem in Columbia County and in northern Jefferson County. The maximum thickness is 20 feet. Stratigraphically, the flint kaolin is in the Tuscaloosa Formation, near the Tuscaloosa-Barnwell unconformity. Extensive deposits of fuller's earth are in the Upper Coastal Plain. The best deposits are in the Upper Barnwell Formation in northern Jeffer son County where thick lenses are under thin overburden. The largest deposit extends from Wrens about 6 miles to Matthews. Another is 5.5 miles south of Wrens in the Fenns Bridge Road area. Additional deposits are in the Twiggs Clay, the basal member of the Barnwell Formation. The fuller's earth being mined is used principally for pet litter and industrial absorbent, but could be used for a variety of other purposes. Alluvial clays which supply the Augusta brick industry underlie the Savannah River terrace just south of Augusta. The terrace is several miles long and up to two miles wide. Saprolitic phyllite also used in the manufacture of structural clay products crops out extensively in Richmond, Columbia; McDuffie, Warren, and Glascock Counties. iii Rocks suitable for dimension stone and crushed stone products underlie large areas in the northernmost six counties. Granite and "quartzite" are quarried for crushed stone, riprap and roofing granules. Dimension stone quarries recently have been opened in porphyritic granite. Other rocks that might be utilized as structural and decorative stones are pink granite, diabase, syenite, serpentine and hornblende gabbro~ Massive silica can be crushed for the cast stone trade. Marl up to 125 feet thick underlies much of Burke County. Nine areas have been outlined for further prospecting, mostly where the marl is not exposed but where the overburden is not excessive. Additional limestone deposits are: (1) in Jefferson County 2.5 miles northeast of Louisville, 3 miles south-southwest of Avera, and south of Louisville where U. S. Highway 1 crosses the Ogeechee River; (2) in Jenkins County 5 miles north of Millen; (3) in Screven County, 7 miles northeast of Sylvania, 1~ miles northeast of Reddick's Store, and along the Brier Creek floodplain near U. s. Highway 301. A market exists for industrial lime and for agricul- tural lime if a deposit high in magnesia can be proven, or if a cheap auxiliary source of magnesia can be found, as the serpentine in Columbia County. The marl can be used in the manufacture of portland cement, which is consumed in the Augusta area at the rate of 400,000 barrels annually. Factors that deter the construction of a portland cement plant are the modest size of the local market, competition from existing plants, and the unproven quality of marl. All the lime used in the area now is shipped in. Sand and gravel deposits are widespread, particularly in the southern counties. While a few of the sands are pure enough for glass making, as the sand rims on some of the Carolina Bays, most would require beneficiation. All of the sand now produced is used for fill or construction. The gravels are used locally, but could be shipped farther south where good gravels are scarce. Kyanite is produced at a new mine on Graves Mountain. Similar deposits have been found at 3 other localities in Lincoln and Wilkes Counties. Sericite suitable for mineral filler can be mined in Lincoln and Warren Counties. Peat is produced from one Carolina Bay in Screven County. Similar bays are in Burke and Jenkins Counties and are particularly numerous in eastern Screven County. Peat production can be expanded, because the Georgia peat holds water better and is easier to handle than many of the imported peats. Nickeliferous laterite blankets four large bodies of serpentine in Columbia County. Geochemical surveys show anomalously high nickel over all four bodies. The largest "high" a half mile long and 600 feet wide, is over the Burte Mountain mass. Nickel values in the laterite commonly range from 0.2-0.4% nickel, but may exceed 1%. The size and grade of the "highs" suggest marginal deposits, but further testing, including drilling, iv will be required for their evaluation. Chromium anomalies are associated with the serpentine; the largest is on the northeast side of Butte Mountain. Eight base metal sulfide shows have been found along a line extending northeast from Union Point, Green County, to the Magruder Mine in Lincoln County. Geochemical surveys reveal significant copper anomalies at four localities. The largest is near the old Magruder Mine in Lincoln County, northeast of the old workings. Exploration of the anomalies by diamond drilling is recommended. Although no surface outcrops of phosphate have been found in the CSRA, well iogs of the Miocene Formations show phosphatic unit~ at shallow depth. Shallow borings have revealed an unusual occurrence of phosphate in the al luvial sediments of the Ogeechee River floodplain, where the phosphate is in small streaks and lenses in clay. The clays of this type cover a knowri area of 60,000 acres extending from Oliver Crossing at the southernmost corner of Screven County to the confluence of Williamson Swamp Creek in southern Jefferson County. The tests made so far are inadequate for the appraisal of the Ogeechee deposit. Extensive drilling will be required. Although the Central Savannah River Area is still largely rural; it is developing rapidly as a major industrial center. Mineral industries employing more than 2500 persons already contribute significantly to the area's economy. The abundance and variety of certain mineral raw materials, as demonstrated by this study, plus advances in minerals technology, the expanding ceramic and chemical industries, particularly in the vicinity of Augusta, and the urbanization and growth of the population, insure more extensive development of the area's mineral resources. ~--------------------- ---- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - v C0 NT E NT S VOLUME 1 ABSTRACT Spectrographic Analysis of the INTRODUCTION - - - - - - - - - - "G" Fractions (continued) - 44 ACKNO~EDGENffiNTS 2 Introduction- - - - - - 44 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES 8 Procedure - - - - - - - - 44 CLIMATE- - - 8 ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT EXAMINATIONS- 46 PHYSIOGRAPHY 9 EXAMINATION OF PROSPECTS 48 SOILS - - - - 11 GEOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATIONS 48 VEGETATION - 17 Sampling- - - - 48 WATER RESOURCES 19 Sample Processing 49 Piedmont Province - 19 Data Plotting - - - - 49 Upper Coastal Plain 21 FIELD WORK - - - - 49 Lower Coastal Plain - - - - 22 LABORATORY WORK - so Water Quality and Availability GEOLOGY 51 in the Savannah River Basin 24 NATURE AND EXTENT OF EXPOSURES- 51 Water Quality and Availability GENERAL GEOLOGY- - - - - - - - 51 in the Ogeechee River Basin 26 Metamorphic and Igneous Rocks 52 Water Quality and Availability Kiokee Series - - - 52 in the Altamaha River Basin 28 Little River Series - - - - 53 Municipal Water Systems- METADACITE- - - - - .53 Supply and Quality- 31 Interlayered Hornblende Gneiss, ENERGY RESOURCES 31 Biotite Gneiss and Amphibolite- 54 Natural Gas - - - - - 31 Hornblende Gneiss - - - - 54 Electric Power - - - -.J'RANSPORTATION FACILITIES 31 Epidote-hornblende-Gnels$ - 55 33 Epidote-bomb] "'clc-c::h:id~:r.. STUDY PROCEDURES - - - - INTRODUCTION - - - - - - 34 Gneiss---------- 55 34 Interlayered Biotite Gneiss and INVENTORY OF AVAILABLE Hornblende Gneiss - - 55 INFORMATION 34 Quartz-muscovite-sericite PUBLIC ENLIGHTENMENT 35 GEOLOGIC MAPPING AND VEIN SAMPLING------- 35 Quartz Sample Processing - - 37 Pegmatite Sample Processing 37 ALLUVIUM STUDY - 37 Introduction- - - - - 37 Sampling - - - - - - - - - 38 Processing of Samples - 40 Choice of Size Fractions for Detailed Study- - - - - 41 Examination of the "A" Fraction 43 Gossan- - - - - - - - - 43 Examination of the "E" Fraction in Ultraviolet Light - - - - - - 44 Schists------ 55 Muscovite Schist and "Knotty" Sericite Schist - - - - - - 55 Kyanite-quartz-sericite Schists- - 56 Staurolite-muscovite Schist- 56 Sillimanite-quartz-sericite Schist-------- 56 Quartzite- - - - - - - - 57 Quartz-feldspar-sericite-muscovite rock - - 57 Phyllite - - 57 Basic Dikes - 58 Ultrabasics - 58 Porphyritic or Porphyroblastic Granite and Granite Gneiss - - 58 vi Metamorphic and Igneous Rocks (cont1d) Granite Gneiss, Primarily Fine- to Medium-Grained, Locally Porphyritic - .;. - - - - - - 59 Biotite and/or Muscovite Granite, Fine- to Medium- to Coarse- grained - - - - - - - 60 Danburg Porphyritic Granite- 61 Syenite - - - 62 Rhyolite - - ---- 62 Pegmatites - ---- 62 Quartz Veins ----- 63 Diabase Dik~s- - - - - - - - 63 Structure- - - - - - .. - 64 Sedimentary Rocks - - - - - 64 Distribution of Sediments- - 66 Stratigraphy- - - - - - - 69 UPPER CRETACEOUS - - 69 Tuscaloosa Formation - 69 EOCENE - - - - - - - 70 McBean Formation (Claiborne Group) 70 Barnwell Formation (Jackson Group) - 71 Ocala Limestone - 72 OLIGOCENE- - - - - - - - 72 Cooper Marl - - 72 Suwannee Limestone 73 MIOCENE - - - - - .. 73 Hawthorn Fol;'lllation- - 73 RECENT SEDIMENTS - - 74 MINERAL RESOURCES - 77 AMETHYST - - - - - - - - - - - 77 Mining- - 80 Prices - - - - - - - 81 BARITE - - 81 Oc;:currence in CSRA - - - - 82 CHROMITE - - - - - 82 Mineralogy and Geologic Occurrence- - - - - 84 Past Production - - - - - - - - 84 Mining Methods and Treatment- 84 Utilization - - - - - - 85 Specifications and Markets - - - - 86 Prices - - - - - - - - 87 General Oqtlook - - - - 88 Substitutions and Competition - - 88 Outlook for Chromite Mining in the U. S. - - - - - - ... - 89 cHROMITE (continued) Subsidies - - - - - - 89 Taxes - - - - - - 89 Chromite in the CSRA '" 89 POLLARDS CORNER, COLUMBIA COUNTY - - 89 YOUNGS CHAPEL AREA, WILKES COUNTY - 91 RECOMMENDATIONS - 91 CLAYS- - - - - - - - .. 93 Introduction- - - - - - 93 Definition and Composition - - 93 Clay Mineralogy - - - - 94 Industrial Classification - - - 94 Kaolin- - - - - - - - - - 95 Utilization and Specifications "' "' 96 Mining------ 96 Processing - - - 97 DRY PROCESS r:n WET PROCESS - - - - 98 ULTRAFLOTA TION- 99 ATTRITION GRINDING - 100 U. s. Kaolin Production, Consumption and Foreign Trade - - - - - - - - 101 Kaolin Producers in Georgia 103 Major Kaolin Consumers in Georgia - - - - - - - 104 Economic Considerations - - 104 Prices and Production Costs - 105 AIRFLOAT KAOLIN- - - 105 WA TERWASHED KAOLIN 107 General Outlook - - - - - 108 Fuller's Earth - - - - - - - 109 Utilization and Specifications 109 Mining and Processing - - - 109 Prices - - - - - - - - - 110 History of Production in Georgia - 110 Current Production in Georgia - - 110 Miscellaneous Clays- - - - - lll Utilization and Specifications lll Mining and Processing - - - 112 Clay Resources in the CSRA- 112 History of Production 112 Current Production - - - - 114 Kaolin Deposits - - - - - 115 GEOLOGIC RELATIONS - 115 ALBION KAOLIN MINE 116 ]. M. HUBER MINE- - - 118 Clay Resources in the CSRA (cont' d) Kaolin Deposits (cont' d) GEORGIA KAOLIN COMPANY PROSPECTS- - 118 THIELE KAOLIN COMPANY PROSPECTS - - - - ll8 Prospecting for Kaolin- - - 120 Individual Kaolin Prospects - 122 BURKE COUNTY - - - 122 COLUl'viBIA COUNTY - - 123 Miscellaneous Exposures- - 123 FoiTest Prather Property - - 123 Recommendations - 131 Exposures Reported Previously - - - - 131 Railroad Cut East of Grovetown - 131 Harlem - - - - - - - 131 Boggy Gut Creek - - - 131 w. s. Lazenby Property- 131 Willie Camac Property - 131 T, E. Norvill Property - 131 Outcrops at Grovetown - 131 GLASCOCK COUNTY- - - - 133 Miscellaneous Exposures- - 133 Snider and Moats Properties - - - 133 Walden Property 133 Exposures Reported Previously- - - 133 J. N. Todd Property - - 133 ], C. Kelley Sons' Old Braddy Property- - - 134 W. T. Underwood Property 134 Ellis Daniel Property - - 134 W. B. Wilcher Property- 134 Mrs. Emma Hanis Property - - - 134 ]. L. Thompson's Hannah Place - 134 Tom Chalker Property - 134 A. E. Usry Property - - 134 Harbison-Walker Mining Company - - - 134 J, L. Thompson's Harding Place - 134 Mrs. Laura McCool Property - - - 134 W. T. Kitchen Property- 135 T. E. Rhodes Property - 135 vii GLASCOCK COUNTY (continued) Exposures Reported Previously (continued) ]. L. Thompson's Lower Mill Place - - - - - 135 F. F. Thompson Property 135 John Mays Place- - - - 135 Greenleafs Old Freeman Thompson Place - - 135 Old Polly Dickson Place- 135 W. T. Williams Property - - - - - 135 Old Mathis Place - - - 135 T. A. Walden Property - 135 Mrs. W. ]. Snider Property - - 135 ]. F. Thompkins Property - - - 136 JEFFERSON COUNTY - - 136 McDUFFIE COUNTY - - 136 Miscellaneous Exposures- - 136 Exposures Reported Previously - - - - - - 138 Brinkley and Harrison Properties - - - - 138 ], A. Ansley Property- 138 FaiT and Rayburn Properties - - 138 RICHMOND COUNTY- - - - 138 Auger Hole Test Area, Blythe-Keysville vicinity - - - - - 138 Miscellaneous Exposures - - 145 WPA Prospects (1940) - 152 L. T. Anderson - - 153 ]. D. Barton - - - 153 Owner Unknown- - 153 C. L. Davis - 153 Ellen Deas- - 154 R. B. Wells - 154 H. M. Wall - 154 ]. E, Wylds 154 Exposures Reported Previously - - - 154 Blackstone Property - 154 C. A. Blanchard Property - - - - 154 A. C. Fowler Property 155 Carswell and Wilkinson Property - - - - 155 vm R):CHMOND COUNTY (cont' d) E~sures Reported Previously (continued) Mrs. M. Blackstone Property - - - - - 155 Old Morgan Estate - - 155 Albion Kaolin Company 155 G. s. Murphy Property- 155 Lamar's Old Murphey - 155 s. rL Jones Estate 155 Palmer and Davis Properties - - 155 H. W. Sewell Property- 156 E. C. Whidby Property- 156 M. H. Morris Property- 156 ]. S. Cartledge Property - - - 156 Robert Baldouski Property - - - - - 156 Edward Bryson Property- 156 ]. Miller Walker Property - - - - - 156 WARREN COUNTY - - - - 157 Miscellaneous E~sures - 157 Flint Kaolin Deposits and Prospects - - - - - - 157 GLASCOCK COUNTY - 157 Pit No. 1 159 PitNo.2 ---- 159 Pit No. 3 - - - - - - 159 Pit No. 4 160 Pit No. 5 160 p 1 - 161 P3- 161 P7- 162 PlO - 162 Pll - 162 COLUMBIA COUNTY - 162 ~FFERSON COUNTY - 163 Craig Hendersons Property - - - - 163 H. I. Lewis Property 163 RICHMOND COUNTY - 163 Fuller's Earth - - - - - 164 EXTENT AND GEOLOGIC RELATIONS- - - - - - 164 GEORGIA- TENNESSEE MINING AND CHEMICAL COMPANY - - - - - - 164 FUller's Earth (continued) ABANDONED FULLER'S EARTII MINES - - - 167 ]. C. Bell Estate - - 167 Floyd L. Norton Property - 167 individual Fuller's Earth Prospects - - - - - - - .. 167 BURKE COUNTY - - 167 COLUMBIA COUNTY- 167 Miscellaneous Exposures - 167 JEFFERSON COUNTY - - - 168 Wrens Area - - - - - - i68 Fenn's Bridge Road Area -. 168 Miscellaneous Exposures - 171 Stapleton Property- - 171 Marshall Property - - I7i Purdue Property- - - 171 McDUFFIE COUNTY - - 171 Miscellaneous Exposures - 171 RICHMOND COUNTY - - - 172 Miscellaneous Exposures - 172 WARREN COUNTY - - - - 112 Miscellaneous Exposures "' 172 Miscellaneous Clays - - - - - 173 RECENT ALLUVIAL CLAYS - 173 Geologic Relations - - - 173 Merry Brothers Brick and Tile Company- - - - 173 Georgia-Carolina Brick and Tile Company i74 Recent Alluvial Clay Prospects - - - - 176 Hagler Brick Co. , Plant No. 3 - - 176 Hagler Brick Co. , Plant No. 8 - - 116 Augusta Clay Products Company- - - - - 176 Dunbar Brick Company - 176 McKenzie Plant - 176 Electric City Brick Company- .- - 177 PHYLLITE- - - - - - 171 Geologic Relations - 177 Georgia Vitrified Brick and Clay Company "" - 177 Phyllite Prospects - - - - i78 W. R. Reeves Property- 178 HIGH LEVEL SEDIMENTARY CLAYS- - - - - - - - 178 ix Miscellaneous Clays (continued) HIGH LEVEL SEDIMENTARY CLAYS (continued) Prospects - - - 179 Columbia County - 179 Campania- - 179 Appling Place - 179 Emanuel Count}':- 179 Glascock County - - - - 181 Gibson - - - - - - - 182 Agricola - - 182 Jenkins County - - 182 McDuffie County - - - - - - 183 Tilomson - - - - - - - - 183 Brinkley Plantation - - - - 183 Chalk Hill - - - 183 Southeastern Part of the County- - - 184 Richmond County - 184 Screven County- - 184 Wilkes County - - - - 185 Ceramic Manufacturing Opportunities in the Survey Area - - - - 186 FLOOR AND WALL TILE - 186 SANITARY WARE 187 COPPER- 187 Mineralogy - - - - - - 187 Geologic Occurrence - - - - 188 Copper Mining in the CSRA 189 Other Copper Prospects in CSRA- - 189 Mining----------- 190 Ore Concentration - 190 Smelting - - 191 Utilization- - 191 Prices - - - 192 Markets- - - 192 Exploration Subsidy 192 Copper Outlook - - 193 Outlook for Copper Mining in Georgia- 193 CORUNDUM- - 193 DIAMOND- - - 195 GOLD- - - - - 195 Mineralogy - - - - - - 195 Geologic Occurrence- 195 Mining and Milling Methods - 196 Mining and Milling Costs - - - - 197 Domestic Production - - - - 197 Page GOLD (continued) Uses - - - - - - - - ... - 197 Markets- - - - 198 General Outlook - - - - 198 History of Gold Mining in Georgia - - - - - - 198 Gold Mining in the CSRA - - 199 Lincoln County- - - 199 McDuffie County - - 199 Taliaferro County- 200 Warren County - - - - 200 Wilkes County - - - 200 Geologic Occurrence of Gold in the CSRA - - - - - - - - 200 VEINS------- 200 SAPROLITE DEPOSITS - 201 PLACERS- - - - - - 201 Areal Distribution of Fine Alluvial Gold - - - - 203 Occurrence of Gold in Columbia County- - - - - - - 205 QUARTZ VEINS - - 207 Mines and rmspects in Lincoln County:.. - - 207 QUARTZ VEINS.. - 207 INDIVIDUAL DESCRIPTIONS 211 Pl- Magruder Mine - 211 P2 - L. C. Groves Heirs------ 222 P3 - Claude Rhodes - 229 P4- West Virginia Pulp and Paper - - 229 P5 - U. s. Government, Clark Hill Reserva- tion - - - - - - 230 P6 - Aubry Mathis- - 230 P7 - Mrs. Grace H. Davis- - - - - - 231 P8 - Thomson Boat Club and U. s. Government, Clark Hill Reservation - - 231 P9- U. S. Government, Clark Hill Reserva- tion------ 233 PlO - U. S. Govern- ment, Clark Hill Reservation - - - 234 X INDIVIDUAL DESCRIPTIONS (cont1d) Pll- u. s. Government, Clark Hill Reserva- ' tion - - - - - - - 236 Pi2 - Lon Edmunds, and U. s. Government - 236 Pl3 - u. s. Government, Clark Hill Reserva- tion - - - - - - - 238 Evaluation of P91 Pl01 and P13- - - - - - 238 Reported but Unverified Localities- - - 239 Graves Mountain - - - 23 9 Bepson Property- - 239 The JUlia Mines- - 23 9 Mines and Prospects in McDuffie COunty - - - - - - 240 QUARTZ VEINS- - 241 INDIVIDUAL DESCRIPTIONS- 24i Columbia Mine- - 241 Hamilton Mine - 249 Motes Tract - - 250 Henrich Property 253 The Parks Gold Mine - - 253 Landers Prospect 255 Porter Mine - - 256 Tatham Mine - - - - 256 Woodall Mine 256 MISCELLANEOUS PROSPECTS - - 2S9 Edwards, Balbach and Gerald Mines - - - 259 Griffin Mine- - - - - 259 Raysville Bridge Vein 2S9 Shields Prospect- - - - 261 Mines and PrOspects in Taliaferro County - - - - - 261 QUARTZ VEINS- - - 261 INDIVIDUAL DESCRIPTIONS- - 263 Pi - Mattie B. Hackriey ani! others - - - - 263 2A - - - - - - - - 264 P2 - Ralph Golucke- - 264 P3 - Willingham Wood and Mrs. Tom Moore- 264 Mines and Prospects in Warren Ccmnty - - - - - 265 QUARTZ VEINS - - 265 INDIVIDUAL DESCRIPTIONS 265 Warren Mine - - 266 s~iler5 Property 266 Gallaher Property- 266 Taylor Property - 266 The Wilson and Watson Property - - - - - 267 Mines and Prospects in Wilkes County------- 267 QUARTZ VEINS - - 267 INDIVIDUAL DESCRIPTIONS 269 PI- Stony Ridge- 269 P2- Youngs Chapel, Wilkes County- - - P3 - Lon Edmunds - - P4 - u. s. Govern- ment; Clark Hill Reservation- - - - 273 P5- MrS. E. T. Ander- son- - - - - - - 274 P6 - Champion Paper Company- - - - - 275 P7 - Athens Industrlal Electric Company - 276 P8- Champion Paper Company- - - - .., 278 Futlire of Gold Mining in the CSRA - - 279 GRAVEL- - - - - 280 HEAVY MINERALS - 280 APSHIELDS POND STATION 191- 280 281 ILMENITE - - - - - 281 Miri~ralogy and Occurrence- - 281 Utilization - - - - - - 281 Production and Value - - 281 Occurrence in the CSRA- - - 282 Lincoln COunty - - - 282 LESiffi HOLLOWAY PROPERTY - - 282 GRAVES MOUNTAIN- - 282 Taliaferro County - - - - 285 RALPH A. McAVOY PROPERTY - 285 Alluvial Ilmenite - - - - 285 -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - xi IRON OXIDE- - - - - - - 285 Manner of Occurrence and General Distribution - - 285 Burke County - - - 287 Previous Reports of the Iron Ores - 287 Burke County - - - - - - - - 287 John E. McElmurry Property - 287 T. J. ~cElmurry Property- - 288 Norton Property - - - - - 288 Columbia County-:<- ._ - - - - 288 Mrs. L. A. Paschal Property- 288 Lee Ward Property - - - - 288 R. R. Valton Property - 289 Jenkins County - - - - - - - 289 Jefferson County - - - - - - 289 McDuffie County - - 289 Richmond County- - - - - - 289 Screven County - - - - - - - 290 Taliaferro County- - 290 Outlook- - - - - - - - - - - 290 KYANITE - - - - - - - - - - - 290 Mineralogy and Uses - - - - - - 290 Prices - - - - - - 291 Occurrence in the CSRA 291 Graves Mountain - - - 291 GENERAL GEOLOGY- 293 DEVELOPMENT OF TiiE DEPOSIT- - - - - 294 Christine Freeman Property (Wingfield Plantation) - 295 Dorn Property - - - - - 296 Claude Rhodes Property- 297 Economic Considerations 297 LIMESTONE (MARL) - - - - - 298 Marl in Burke County- - - 298 Previous Investigations - - 298 Description of the Marl- - 299, OUTCROPS - - - - 299 DISTRffiUTION AND TIIICKNESS- - - 299 DEPTII OF TiiE MARL - - - 299 LITIIOLOGIC CHARACTER - 303 QUALITY- - - - - - - ':" 305 OVERBURDEN- - - - - - 305 PAST PROSPECTING AND CONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM IT- - - - - - - 305 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE PROSPECTING - 310 Description of the Marl (continued) RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE PROSPECTING (cont1d) Area I- - 310 Area 2 - - - - - - 310 Area 3 - - - - - - - 310 Area4-- 310 Area 5- - - 312 Area 6- - 312 Area 7- - 312 Area 8- - 312 Area 9- 312 Exploration Outline - 313 POSSffiLE USES - - - 313 Manufacture of Portland Cement :313 Agricultural Lime- 317 Marl in Jefferson County- - - - 318 KELLY'S POND- - - - - - 318 CLEARANCE HENDERSON PROPERTY - - - - - - 318 OGEECHEE RIVER- - - - - 319 JOE PADGETT PROPERTY- 319 Marl in Jenkins County - - - 319 MAGNOLIA SPRING - - - - 319 Limestone and Marl in Screven County-------- 320 MRS. TALMADGE REDDICK PROPERTY - - - - - - - 320 HADDOCKS LANDING - - - - 322 BRIER CREEK FLOODPLAIN - - 323 Economic Considerations 323 Portland Cement - - - - 323 Lime- - - - - - - - - 323 Agricultural Limestone - -' 323 Industrial Chemical Uses - - 323 MAGNETITE - - - - - - - - - - - 325 Mineralogy and Occurrences - 325 Uses - - - - - - - - - - 325 -Prices - - - - - - - - - 325 Taliaferro Magnetite Deposit - 325 Economic Considerations - 326 Distribution of Alluvial Magnetite - 326 MANGANESE Mineralogy ----- 328 328- Mining - 328 Milling- - 329 Prices - - 330 Utilization- 330 Outlook- - 330 xii MANGANESE (continued) M;~nganese Occun'ences in the CSRA - - - - - - - - - 331 Taliaferro Magnetite Mine - - 334 W. H. Murden Property - - - 335 Float Northeast of the Taliaferro Magnetite Mine - 336 Cherokee Mining Company Mine- - - - - - - - - 338 Float Northeast of the Colley Mine- - - - - - - - - 339 T, Aubrey Johnson Property - 340 Conclusions and Recommendations - 340 Study of alluvial manganiferous nodules - - - - - - 341 NICKEL - - - - - - - - 341 Mineralogy and Geologic Occurrence- - - - - - 344 Occurrence in the CSRA - - - 346 Pollards Corner Area - - 346 ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS 346 Youngs Chapel Area - - - - - 349 PEAT - - - - - - - - - - - - - 349 Occurrence, Compo~ition and Properties - - - - - - 349 Uses - - - - - - - 349 Mining 11.nd Processing - 350 Marketing Georgia Peat 351 Occurrence of Peat in the CSRA 351 Mining - - 351 Prospecting - - - - - - 353 Prices - - - - - - - - 354 Economic Considerations- - 354 PEGMATITES - - - - - - - 354 Definition and General Character- - 354 Occurrence in the CSRA - - 355 Conclusions- - - - - - 358 PHOSPHATE ROCK - - - - - 358 Definition and Occurrence - - - - 358 Florida - - - - 359 Tennessee - - - 359 Western States- - 359 History of Production 360 Mining and Beneficiation- - 360 I'rocessing - - - - 360 Utilization - - - - 361 Agricultural Uses- 361 Chemical Uses - - - - 362 Prices - - - - - - - - - - 362 PHOSPHATE ROCK (continued) Occurrence in the CSRA - 363 PYRITE AND PYRRHOTITE- 364 General Description- 364 Utilization and Price 364 O.ccurrence in CSRA 365 PYROPHYLLITE - - - 366 Definition and Occurrence - 366 Utilization and Specifications - 366 Insecticides - .., 366 Other Uses - - - 366 Mining and Milling - - - - - 367 Production and Prices - - 367 Occurrence in the CSRA- - 367 RUTILE - - - - - - - - 368 Occurrence in the CSRA - - - 368 Alluvial Distribution - 368 Graves Mountain 368 SAND AND GRAVEL - - - 370 Geologic Relations - - - - - - - 370 Mining and Processing- - 371 Prices - - - - - - - - 371 Sand and Gravel Mines 372 Burke County - - - - - - 372 Emanuel County- 373 Glascock County- 378 Jefferson County- 379 Jenkins County - 379 Richmond County - 380 A & M SAND & GRAVEL COMPANY PIT - - - 380 RICH1viOND COUNTY SAND PIT - - - - - - .., - - 381 SPEER SAND AND GRAVEL COMPANY - - 381 Screven County - - - 383 Sand and Gravel Prospects 385 Burke County - - - - 385 PREVIOUSLY REPORTED DEPOSITS- 386 Columbia County - - - - 386 Emanuel County- - - - - 386 PREVIOUSLY REPORTED DEPOSITS- - - - - 388 Glascock County- - - - - 389 PREVIOUSLY REPORTED DEPOSITS- - - - - - - 389 Jefferson County- - - - 389 PREVIOUSLY REPORTED DEPOSITS- - - - - 390 xiii SAND AND GRAVEL (continued) Sand and Gravel Prospects (cont1d) Jenkins County - - - - - - PREVIOUSLY REPORTED DEPOSITS - - - McDuffie County - - STRATIGRAPHIC OCCURRENCES - SPECIALITY GRAVELS Richmond County- - - - - PREVIOUSLY REPORTED DEPOSITS - - - - - Screven County .... - - - - PREVIOUSLY REPORTED DEPOSITS Warren County - - - SAPPHIRE - - - - - SERICITE - - - - - - General Description, Uses and Prices - - - - - - - OccUlTence in the CSRA - Map Station 71, Lincoln County - - Map Station 135, Warren County----- Map Station 38, Wilkes County Other Are as Conclusions - - - - SERPENTINE- SILLAMANITE - - - - OccUlTence in the CSRA - - - SILICA, Massive - - - - - - - Mining and Processing Uses and Prices- - - OccUlTence in CSRA- - Columbia County Lincoln County- - Taliaferro CountyWilkes County - Economic Considerations STONE - - - - - Coit!mbia COunty - - GRANITE - - - - - Between Benton Branch and Little Kiokee Creek Anderson Quarry - - - Orrin Anderson and Holcombe Verdery Properties - - - - - 390 391 391 391 392 393 394 394 394 396 397 398 398 399 399 399 400 400 400 400 401 401 402 402 402 402 403 405 406 406 408 409 409 409 409 409 409 GRANITE (continued) Between Benton Branch and Little Kiokee Creek (cont' d) . Holcombe Verdery: " 7.:~, Property - - - - - 409 East of Little Kiokee Creek - 410 Jackson E. Eubank Property - - - - - - 410 Mrs, Virginia Mathews Property - - - - - - 410 Between Kiokee Creek, Benton Branch and Little Creek- - - - 410 Weston and Brooker Company Property - 410 Holcombe Verdery Property - - - 410 Clark Hill Dam - Georgia Quarry 410 Morris Quarry - - 411 Hugh A. Rhodes Property- 411 SERPENTINE- ----- 411 Lincoln County - - - 411 GRANITE- - 411 GABBRO - - 411 McDuffie County 412 GRANITE- - 412 H. T. Matthews Property - - 412 J, R. Farr and Mrs, H. G, Lane Property - - - - - 412 Chester Johnson, '. ] .. R. Farr, and Mrs. H. G. Lane Properties - - - - '412 Ned Harrison Property - 412 Ralph Dosier Property - 412 Mrs, Lloyd Cason Property- - 413 Richmond County - - - - - 413 METAMORPHIC ROCKS 413 GRANITE - - - - 415 Taliaferro County - - - - - 415 GRANITE- - - - - - - 415 Cox Woodlands Company Property - - - - - 415 Albert Drinkard Property 416 Warren County - - - - 416 GRANITE- - - - - - - 416 <::edar Rock Quarry - - 416 W. A. Knox and Lois F. Moore Properties 416 xiv WaiTen County (continued) SULFIDES (continued) GRANITE (continued) Geochem. Locality 3 - 432 Collins Quarry- - - 416 Magruder-Chambers Area, Charles Kitchens Property- - 417 Lincoln- Wilkes County - 432 English Quarry - - - - - - 417 Geochem, Locality 4- - - - 433 Roy T. Reese and MeiTell Boyce Guin Place, Wilkes County - 433 Cartledge Properties- 417 Geochem. Locality 5 - - - - - 439 R. L. Haywood, F. S, Bensons Place, Wilkes County - - 439 Moore, and J, J, Ceochem. Locality 6 - - - - - - - 439 Johnson Properties- - 418 GaiTard Property, Wilkes County - 439 Wilkes County - - - - - - 418 Geochem, Locality 7 - - - - - - - 443 GRANITE- - - - - - - 418 Columbia-Parks- Landers Mine C. C. Granade Property 418 Area, McDuffie County- - 443 J, l. McAvoy, E. D. Amason, Geochem, Locality 8- - - - - 443 and E. B. Ward Properties- 418 Armour Property, TaliafeiTo R. A; Cason Property 418 County- - - - - - - - 443 Danburg Granite - - - 418 Geochem, Locality 9 - - - - - - - 446 Wheless Quarry 419 Bryant Property, Lincoln County- - 446 Hogan-Barnett Quarry - 419 Rocky Creek Gossan, Wilkes County - 446 W. F. McGill Property - - - 419 Copper Anomalies in the Alluvium - - 448 Marion Barnett Property 419 Conclusions - - - - - - - - - 448 Peripheral Granite - - 419 Miscellaneous Mineral Shows - 450 E. C, Saggus Property - 420 Agate - - - 450 Cherokee Timber Corp. , Andalusite- - 450 Willie Cofer, Rosa Fortson, Asbestos- - - 450 and Grady Bowers Carnelian - - 451 Properties - - - - - - 420 Chalcedony- - 451 Cherokee Timber Corpora- Gahnite- - - 451 tion and Jack Satterfield Opal - - - - 451 Properties - - - - - - 420 Quartz Crystals ---- 451 Harry Bradford, Champion Vermiculite - ----- 452 Paper Corporation, and Miscellaneous Stores - 452 R. E. Roehr Properties- - 420 BUhrstone ---- 452 SYENITE - - - - - - - - - 420 Geodes - - - - - ----- 452 Dressing for Secondary Roads- - - 421 Bibliography - 453 Top Soil in Columbia County- - 421 Top SC>il in Lincoln County - - 421 Top Soil in McDuffie County- - 422 Top Soil in TaliafeiTO County - 422 Top Soil in WaiTen County 422 Top Soil in Wilkes County- 422 QuaiTying and Processing 423 Crushed Stone - - - 423 Dimension Stone - - 424 Production and Prices- 424 SULFIDES - - - - - - - 425 Geochem, Locality 1 - 425 Geochem. Locality 2- - 427 Recomm1,ndation - - 429 -----------------------------XV FIGURES I - Index iv!:l,c of the Central Savannah 23 - Sketch Map, Flint Kaolin Mining River Area (CSRA) - - - 3 Area - - - - - - - - - - 165 2 - Physiographic divisions of the 24 - Sketch Map of Fuller's Earth Pit, CSRA- - - - - - - - 10 Georgia-Tennessee Mining 3 - Major Soil provinces of the CSRA - 13 Company - - - - - - 165 4 - Natural Gas Distribution Lines 25 - Diagrammatic Flow Sheet of and Electrical Transmission Fuller's Earth Processing, System, CSRA - - - - 32 Georgia-Tennessee Mining 5 - Index to Topographic Mapping Company - - - - - - 166 (as of July, 1965)- - - - 36 26 - Fuller's Earth Deposit in the 6 - D_rainage and the Location of Wrens Area, Jefferson Alluvial Samples in the County - - - - - - - 169 Survey Area - - - - 39 27 - Fuller's Earth Deposit in the 7 - Stratigraphic Correlations of Fenns Bridge Road Area, the Coastal Plain, CSRA- 65 Jefferson County 170 8 - Oistribution of Alluvial Barite 83 28 - Map of Merry Brothers Brick 9 - Geologic Map of the Pollards and Tile Company Mine, Comer Area, Columbia Richmond County - - - 173 County - - - - - - - 90 29 - Map of Georgia- Carolina Brick 10 - Chromium Anomalies in the and Tile Company Mine, Pollards Corner Area, Richmond County - - - - - 175 Columbia County - - - - - 92 30 - Pistribution of Alluvial Corundum, ll - Albion Kaolin Mine, Richmond northern CSRA - - - - 194 County--------- ll7 31 - Distribution of Fine Alluvial 12 - Columnar Section, Albion Mine ll7 Gold, northern CSRA- - 204 13 - Kaolin Pits and Plant Sites, 32 - Location of Auriferous Veins in Glascock-Warren- Jefferson the CSRA - - - - - - 206 Counties ll9 33 - Distribution of Fine Alluvial 14 - Pre- Tuscaloosa Erosion Stirface - - 121 Gold along Broom Creek, 15 - Location of Auger Test Holes, McDuffie County, Stephens Burke-Jefferson- Richmond and Lick Creeks, Taliaf~rro Counties- - - - - - 124 County, and a tributary to 16 - Location of Map Stations in Dry Creek and Fishing Creek, Columbia County 125 Wilkes County - - - 208 17 - Clay Exposed on the Forrest 34 - Quartz Sample Locations, Prather Property - - - - - - 126 northern CSRA - - - 210 18 - Location of Auger Test Holes on 35 - Thickness of Quartz Veins, the Forrest Prather Property, Lincoln County - - - - 211 Columbia County 128 36 - Map of Magruder Mine Area, 19 - Sketch Map of Soft Kaolin after Peyton and. Cofer - 213 Prospect, Glascock County 132 37 - Idealized Views of the Magruder 20 - Location of Map Stations in "Veins" according to W. H. McDuffie County- - - 137 Fluker, 1923 - - - - - - - 213 21 - Location of Map Stations in 38 - Surface and Underground Features Richmond County - - 146 of Magruder Mine - - - - - 216 22 - Location of Map Stations in 39 - Plan View of the Main Magruder Warren County 158 Workings, 1939- - - - - - 217 xvi 40 - Location of Holes Drilled by ., the Bureau of Mines, 1943, and the Tennessee Copper Company, 1956 - - - - 219 41 - Geology of the 145-level- - - - 220 42 - Geology of the 185-level - - ... 22i 43 - Magruder Mine, section through BMl - - - - - - - - - - 223 44 - Magruder Mine, section through BM2 - - - - - - - - - - 224 45 - Magrudet Mine, section through BM3 & BM7 - - - - - - - 225 46 - Magruder Mine, section through BM4 - - - - - - - - 226 47 - Magruder Mine, X-sections through holes drilled by Tennessee Copper Co. - 227 48 - MapS of the Columbia Mine Area, McDuffie County- 242 49 - Columbia Mine, 40-acre Lot, .. Hamilton Mine Area, McDuffie County - - - .. - 243 50 - Index Map of the Principal Gold Mines in McDuffie County - - 244 51 - Hamilton Mine Area, "SugarHill"f McDuffie County - - - - - 251 52 - Hamilton Mine Area (southern part), McDuffie County- - - 252 53 - Motes and Henrich Mine Area; McDuffie County - - - 253 54 - Parks Mine Area, McDuffie Couil.ty------- 55 - Landers Mine Area, McDuffie County------- 256 56 - Porter Mine Area, McDuffie County------- 257 57 - Tatham Mine Area, McDuffie County--------- 258 58 - Woodall Mine Area, McDuffie County - - - - - - - 260 59 - Thickness of Quartz Veins in Taliaferro County - - - 261 60 - Distribution of Auriferous Veins in northern CSRA - - 262 61 - Map of old workings at Pl, Taliafcno County - - 263 62 - Superficial Evidence of Mining and Prospecting in Warren County- 268 63 - Thickness of Quartz Veins in Wilkes County - - - - - - 269 64 - Sketch Map of the Stony Ridge Gold Mine, Wilkes County - - 65 - Sketch Map of the Hilly Mine, Wilkes County - - - - - 66 - Sketch of Quartz Vein at Athens Industrial Electric Company Gold Mine, Wilkes County (old Latimer Mine) - - - - - .,. 67 - Distribution of alluvial ilmenite; northern CSRA - - - - - - 68. - Ilmenite on the Leslie Holloway Property, Lincolri County - - 69 - Ilmenite on the Ralph A. McAvoy_ Property, Taliaferro County 70 - Distribution of alluvial kyanite, northern CSRA - - - - - .. 71 - Structural Contour Map of the Burke County Marl - - - .. .. 72 - McBean- Shell Bluff Area- - - 73 - isopach Map, Overburden above Marl; Burke County - - - .. 74 - Percentages of CaO and Sio2, Burke County Marl - - - - 75 Diamond drilling in the McBean- Sheil Bluff Area - - - - - .. 76 - Columnar Sections from Drill Cores - - - - - - - - - - 77 - Areas Recommended for Marl Exploration, Portion of Northeast Burke County - - 78 - Land Ownership of Areas 1 and 2 79 - Land Ownership of Areas 3 and 4., 80 - Land Ownership of Areas 5-9 - 81 - Sinkholes over Cooper Marl, NW Jenkins County - - - - - .. 82 - Limestone on Mrs. Talmadge Reddick's Property, Screven County - - - - - - - - 83 - Sinkholes on the Ralph E. Dixon Property, Screven County - 84 - Distribution of Alluvial Magnetite, northern CSRA - - - 85 - Piedmont Manganese Belt - - 86 - Manganese and Magnetite Occurrences in the reported Manganese Belt - - - - - 87 - Disti'ibution of Manganiferous nodules in the alluvium, northern CSRA - - - - 271 274 283 284 286 292 300 301 304 306 307 308 . 311 314 315 316 321 320 324 327 332 333 342 xvii T ABLE S ;.. I, t '- Ch:!ratteristic.s of Major Soils and 20 Industrial Rocks and Minerals 'Soil M:1teri.als of the Survey in CSRA, by Counties - - 7B Area... '' - - - - - ~.:. - of 2 - A!tal'ysis Wa.ter 'Ty'pical of the 14 21 - Kaolin Sold or Used by Producers in the U. S, 102 Pit!dmo!lt Pro\lince - - :'"' - '- 20 22 - Kaolin Sold or Used by Producers 3 - Analylds of Water Typical of the in Georgia, by Counties - - - 103 Upper Coastal Plain, Excluding "23 - Average Price per Short Ton of "the A'l'ea Dratited by Buckhead Georgia Kaolin Sold or Used, Creek; . .;,- .. - - ... '- - - 21 by Uses - - - - - - - 106 4 - Analysis of w'atezi Typical of the 24 - Costs for Producing Airfloat Area :b.:ained by Buckhead. Kaolins - - - - - - - 106 cr~k . '" ~ - '" -. - - - 22 25 - Carload Bulk Prices of Airfloat 5 Analysis of Water Typical of the 'lowe1" co~tal Plahi Province - Clays - - - - - - - - - 107 26 Selling Prices and Production 6 - Chemical Analysis of Water from Costs for Waterwashed Clays- .., 108 the Principal Artesian Aquifer 27 - Logs of Test Holes Drilled on at Sylvania, Screven County - 24 the Forrest Prather Property - - 127 7 - Chemical Analyses of Selected 28 - Same as Table 29 - - - - - - 139 Surface Waters of the 29 - Logs of Auger Tests in Burke- Savannah River Basin- - - - 25 Jefferson-Richmond Counties - 139 8 - Stream Flows in the Savannah 30 - Sales and Capacities of Tile RiverBasin - - - - - - - 26 9 - Chemical Analyses of Selected Manufacturing Plants in the Southeastern Region- - - 187 Surface Waters of the Ogeechee 31 - Quartz vein Sampling Stations River Basin - - - - - - - 27 and Gold Assay~ - - - - 202 10 - Stre<1m Flows in the Ogeechee 32 - Collection of the Ore-grade River Basin - - - - - - - 27 Auriferous Samples - - - 203 11 - Summary of Municipal Water 33 - Exposed thicknesses of the Marl Supply Systems in the CSRA 29 1n Norr.hern Burke County- - 302 12 - Analyses of Water from Munic- 34 - Chemical Report' on Cores from ipal Water Systems- - - - - 30 Well No. 3 - - - - - - - - 309 13 - Status of Geologic Mapping in 35 ~ Chemical Report on Cores from the CSRA in 1963 - - - - - 37 Well No. 5 - - - - - - - 309 14 - Spectrographic Apparatus and 36 - Chemical Analysis of Marl from Operating Conditions - - - - 45 Kelly's Pond, Jefferson County- 318 15 - Elements Determined Spectro- 37 - Chemical Analysis of Marl from graphically in the Alluvial the Joe Padgett Property south "G" Fractions- - - - - - - 46 of Avera, Jefferson County - 319 16 - Daylight and Fluorescent Colors 38 - Chemical Analysis of Limestone of Certain Heavy Minerals in from the Quarry Opened in Short Wave Ultraviolet 1940 on the Talmadge Reddick Radiation 47 Property, Screven County- - .. 322 ' 17 - Coastal Plain Formations of the 19 - Bureau of l'vlines Manganese Ore ! Central Savannah River Area - 67 Classification - - - - - - 328 18 - Economic l'vlinerals in the CSRA - 76 40 - Pegmatite Sampling Stations 355' 19 - Industrial Rocks in the CSRA - - 77 41 - Thidmess of the Pegmatites and Thickness Frequency, by counties 357 I I xviii 88 - Distribution of ferrugineous nodules in the alluvium, northern CSRA - - - 343 89 - Nickel anomalies in the Pollards Corner Area, Columbia County - 90 - Land Ownership along the ., 347 . Serpentine Belt, Columbia County - - - - - - - - - 348 91 - Distl'ibution of Carolina Bays in Screven County - - - - - - 352 92 - Pegmatite Sample Locations, northernCSRA---- ~- 356 93 - Distribution of Alluvial Rutile in northern CS RA - - - - 369 94 - Sketch Map of Gravel Pit - M3 - - - - - - - - 375 95 - Sketch Map of Gravel Pit-- . M4 - - - - - - - - 37.5 96 - Location of large quartz masses in northern CSRA - - - - - 404 ~Y'/ - Dan Quarry Columbia- Richmond Counties - - - - - - - - 414 98 - Sampling Grid, Youngs Chapel Prospect, Wilkes County- 428 99 - Copper ;l.nomalies a~ Youngs Chapel, Wilkes County - 430 100 - Location of Holes Drilled by the U, S. Bureau of Mines at the Chambers Prospect, Wilkes County - - - - - - .. .. 433. 10~ - Geochemical Sampling Grid, Magruder-Chambers Area, Lincoln- Wilkes Counties- - - 434 102 .. Copper anomalies in the Magl,'llder- Chambers Area - - - - - - 4.~~ 103 - Zinc anomalies in the Magruder- Chambers Area - - - - - .. 436 1()4, - Location of Geochem, 4:, Wilkes County - - - - - - - - 437 lQS - Sampling Grid and Copper Anomalies on the Boyce Guin Place, Wilkes County- - - - 438 106 - Sampling Grid and Copper Anom . alies on the Benson Place, Wilkes County - - - - - ... 4;40 107 - Sampling Grid and Zine Anomalies on the Benson Place, Wilkes County - - - - - - - - - 441 108 - Gepchemical RecolUlaissance of the Garra~d Property, Wilkes County .. - . - - ...... ., .. 442 109 - Sampling Grid and ~opper Anom alies in the Columbia-Parl<$- Landers Mine Area, Mc))pfle Cppnty--- ,.... -.,."',. 444 llQ ,. Geoch~mical Reconnaissance of the A~mour Property1 Tali;Uerro C:ounty - - "' "" 44& Ill Sampling Grid on the Bryan~ Property, U)lco}n CQunty ., 447 112 , ~~ation of the Rocky Creek Gpss an,. Wilkes county - .. 446 113 .. Alluvial Copper Anomalles ~n northern CSRA - .. .. ,. 449 - 42 Residual Sands, McDuffie - - - County - - 43 Partial List of Uses for - Massive Silica - 44 - Chemical Analyses - Dan - - - Quarry Rocks - xix Pase rase - 45 General Information Summary 392 403 for the 9 areas investigated - - - - - geochemically .46 Logs of the Drilling at the 426 Youngs Chapel Copper 415 - Prospect, Wilkes County .., 431 J I p ' ' / I ~. INTRODl:CT ION The study on which this report is based was conducted by the Geology Department at the University of Georgia under contract with the Area Redevelopment Administration of the Cnited States Department of Commerce (Contract no. Cc-6102), the Georgia Board of Industry and Trade, and the Central Savannah River Area Planning and Development Commission. The report is an inventory of mineral resources of the Central Savannah River Area; it outlines their distribution, quality, current and potential uses. The Central Savannah River Area includes the following counties, designated in the contracts: Burke, Columbia, Emanuel, Glascock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Screven, Taliaferro, Warren and Wilkes (Figure 1). During the study 5,222 square miles, 13 counties, were mapped geologically. Half the counties had not been mapped previously, The geologic maps show the distribution of major rock types, general structural data, stratigraphic relations and facies changes. More detailed outcrop maps were made in some areas to help delineate exposed deposits and po::;sible extensions, and to provide information on possible controlling structural or lithologic features. More than 8,000 samples were collected and tested. Most samples were taken from surficial exposures as road cuts, streams or other natural exposures, and open pits, or shallow auger holes. Several hundred samples were taken from deeper test borings. In an area as little known as the CSRA, all mineralization would not be expected to have been exposed nor prospected. An appraisal of total mineral potential would have to involve more than reported shows. Therefore, a systematic study of alluvium was undertaken, it being one of the most effective ways to delineate areas of known mineralization and to search for new mineralization, when broad coverage is required. By the investigation of trace element anomalies, extensions of known ore bodies were traced and a search made for new deposits in certain favorable covered areas. Shallow drilling provided samples and interpretational checks. All known prospects and mines were re-examined. The aims of the study have been to find out what mineral deposits exist in the region and to obtain as much information about their location, size and grade as could be gathered by regular geologic and geochemical procedures during the allotted time. Private capital and knowhow are available fur the testing and development of worthy prospects. This report directs attention to worthy undeveloped prospects and provides reliable background information. It presents a reconnaissance evaluation of CSRA's total mineral development potential. 2 Tpe principal aim of the report is to stimulate interest in minerals and mining and to encourage effective exploration programs by industry. The mineral resources that are treated include: Amethyst Barite Chromite Clays Diamond Gold Gravel (alluvial) Heavy minerals Ilmenite Iron oxide Kyanite Limestone (marl) Magnetite Manganese Nickel Peat Pegmatites Phosphate Pyrite Pyrophyllite Rutile Sand Sapphire Sericite Serpentine Silica, massive Sillimanite Stone Sulfides Talc The amount of information provided on different mineral resources varies somewhat with their relative importance but more importantly with the accessibility of data. Detailed information on mining and production methods and costs is unavailable for several mineral commodities. Actual production figures are commonly concealed or held confidential by producer~. The information that is given on prices and marketing is taken mainly from Bureau of Mines Publications and Trade Journals. Detailed analyses of production costs and market conditions are beyond the scope of this study, though economic considerations are outlined and general figures given where available. Each mineral resource is considered in terms of its occurrence, quality, reserves, mining and production methods, utilization, and value. Several new mineral deposits are delineated. Suggestions are given for the exploration and development of worthy prospects. The study is concentrated on undeveloped resources and on new or expanded titilization of partly developed resources. All mineral deposits and prospects are plotted on a base map showing the location and availability of energy resources, water and transportation. Sections on climate, vegetation, soils., water resources, energy resources and available transportation facilities are included as supplemental background information. The appendices contain useful data not incorporated in the body of the report. ACIf rain may fall in limited areas within a few days, causing floods.. During extended droughr:s little or no rain may fall for periods up to several months wir:hin large. parts of the state (Thomas et al, 1956). An occasional tornado may be expected, They have struck during every month of the year, but generally during March and April, Local mild windstorms are frequent in the spring and early summer, usually in connection with thunderstorms, PHYSIOGRAPHY The area of study is almost equally divided between two major physiographic provinces: the Piedmont Province and the Coastal Plain Province. They are separated by the Fall Line, an irregular line along which the granites, gneisses, and schists of the Piedmont are overlapped by the sands, clays, and limestones of the Atlantic Coastal Plain (Figure 2). Differences in the composition, structure, and time of exposure of the Piedmont and Coastal Plain provinces have yielded somewhat different topographic features, but in passing from one to the other along the Fall Line the contrast is subdued. That portion of the study area which is within the Piedmont Province has been called the Washington Plateau, after Washington in Wilkes County which the character of the Plateau is especially well developed. The Washington Plateau, with its thick mantle of disintegrated rock waste and residual clay, is closely dissected by numerous small gullies and ravines. These features are. more numerous on the Plateau than on the Coastal Plain. The general elevation north of Washington does not exceed 650 feet; it slopes to 450-500 feet near the Fall Line, with nearly the same topographic character throughout, Graves Mountain, near Lincolnton, and Burte and Dixie Mountains in eastern Columbia County, are the only prominent ridges, with elevations of 900 feet, 540 and 460 feet, respectively. The CSRA portion of the Atlantic Coastal Plain has been subdivided into 4 sub-provinces: the Fall Li.ne Hills, the. Louisville Plateau, the Tifton Upland, and the Coastal Terraces. The F'all Line hills comprise a rather narrow strip less than 10 miles wide with very irregular boundaries, lying between the crystalline rocks to the northwest and plateaus of sedimentary rocks to the southeast. Along this strip the southeastward-flowing streams have cut deeply into soft sands and clays, creating long sinuous sediment-capped ridges which extend into the 10 Physi()9raphic divisi011s of the CSRA 0 10 ~0 JD <10 SO Wllrl c:=::c:..:..:=.r.:.:..:=-..::J::.::....:-~~-=::::~ N r-- 1 \ -' .1..... -i . 1~ \ J UIKI NIS _I ./ \ .' /r\ wAH u [ ~').-,...'- .-:~..... /,.. ...... .... ,1 I i.....__ ) / 11 Piedmont, with small disconnected remnants, or outliers, of sands and clays common over much of the area. Irregularities on the buried Piedmont erosion surface are in places exposed by recent erosion, forming inliers of granite and phyllite within the Fall Line Hills. Over much of this area interstitial clay has been removed from the surface sands, leaving a light-co~ored sandy soil less productive than the average soils of Georgia. Southeast of the Fall Line Hills is the Louisville Plateau, characterized by broad, flat areas that slope gently southward. Red sands of the Barnwell Formation dominate the surface exposures and contrast with the lighter colored, gray or yellowish, sands of the Tifton Upland to the southeast. Stream-cutting is generally moderate, but Brier Creek near Waynesboro and Rocky Comfort Creek near Louisville have cut valleys 100 feet below the upland. The Tifton Upland, a broad strip about 45 miles wide, occupies that portion of the area underlain by Miocene sediments. Gently rolling hills with broad smooth summits are characteristic; relief rarely exceeds 50 feet. Steep precipitous slopes are restricted to the immediate vicinity of the larger rivers; sharp gullies and ravines are uncommon. The light sandy soil with clay subsoil is well adapted to cultivation and tree farming. Shallow sinkholes are developed in portions underlain by near-surface limestone, as in the vicinity of Millen in Jenkins County. Circular, elliptical, or elongate depressions, varying from less than an acre to many acres in extent are common in the southeastern part, particularly in Screven County. These depressions, termed Carolina Bays, are sand-rimmed, poorly drained, and generally occupied by dense vegetation, particularly cypress, gum, and grass. On the southeast the Tifton Upland is bounded by the Coastal Terraces. The highest terrace, termed the Hazelhurst, is separated from the gently rolling hills of the Tifton Upland by a low scarp, with elevations of about 215 and 260 feet, respectively. The southeastern half of Screven County is in this division, where gray sands and sandy loams dominate the nearly flat surface. SOILS Soil is the product of weathering acting upon geological materials. The soil characteristics depend upon (1) the climate, (2) topography, (3) mineralogical composition, texture and structure of the parent rock, (4) plant and animal life in and on the soil, and (5) the ratio rate of weathering/rate of erosion, or the length of time the soil has been forming. All the factors are interrelated. For example, the influence of climate on soils and plants depends not only upon temperature, humidity, and rainfall but also upon the physical characteristics of the soil and underlying rocks, and on the topography which, in turn, strongly affects drainage, aeration, runoff, erosion, and exposure. 12 The soils of CSRA belong to four major provinces (Figure 3): Southern Piedmont in which the soils are deveJ.oped primarily from residuum of igneous and metamorphic rocks; Sand Hills in which the soils are developed from unconsolidated s~nds and sandy loams; the Southern Coastal Plain and the Atlantic Coastal Flatwoods in which the soils are developed from unconsolidated sands, clays and minor marls. Alluvial soils occur in each province. Information on each of the important soil series of the area is presented in Table 1. The soils of the Southern Piedmont consist primarily of slightly to severly eroded sandy lorun and clay loam soils that range in color from dark gray to brown to red. Subsurface horizons are predominantly sandy clay loams to clays having red to yellow to gray colors, often mottled. Most of the soils are well drained and all are acid. The parent materials are primarily the residuum of granites, granite gneisses, schists, metavolcanics and mixed basic rocks. The Cecil, Appling, Durham, Colfax, and Worsham drainage catena is representative of soils derived from granites, granite gneisses and schists. The Cecil series is the most prevalent soil of the area--comprising more than 50% of the upland soils. Davidson, Mecklenburg, and Iredell soils are derived from residuum of mixed basic rock formations. The Davidson series is one of the most highly weathered and has the deepest solum of soils in the Southern Piedmont. Wickham and Altavista soils are found on alluvial terraces and are classified primarily on their drainage characteristics. Georgeville, Herndon, and Alamance are soils containing relatively high silt content throughout the solum and are derived from metavolcanics and associated metasediments of the Little River series. The principal alluvial soils occurring along streams and drainage ways are represented by the drainage catena Congaree, Chewacla and Wehadkee series. Wilkes and Louisburg soils are thin soils over bedlock and are found primarily on ridges and steep slopes. Sand Hills soils are markedly influenced by the deep beds of sand and sandy loam material from which they are derived. Surface layers have extremely sandy textures and are gray to dark gray in color. Lakeland and Eustis have little, if any, illuvial clay in the subsurface horizons. Gilead, being derived from parent material having less sand than that of the. Lakeland and Eustis series, has bee.n subjected to greater soil development and conta.ins much illuvial clay in a well developed B horizon. Alluvial soils of the Sand Hills resemble those of the Southern Piedmont from which most of the sediments were derived. Well drained upland soils of the Southern Coastal Plain may be divided roughly into two groups based on the state of oxidation and hydration of the iron oxide coatings on the clays. Red and dark red soils such as the Red Bay, Greenville, Magnolia, and Orangeburg series are representative of those soils in which the iron oxides are primarily in an oxidized and dehydrated state. Greenville soils which are deep (solum often exceeds 100 inches) and highly weathered, also contain relative high total manganese content. Faceville, Tifton, Marlboro, and 13 Major soil provinces of the CSRA N SOUTHERN SOUTHERN COASTAL PLAIN Figure 3 S0il Series Georgeville Herndon Alamance Iredell Mecklenburg Davidson Wilkes Louisburg Cecil Appling Durham Coliax WoiSham TABLE J - Characteristics of Major Soils and Soil Materials of the Survey Area Characteristics of diagnostic subs~rface layer* Red silty clay, good drainage Yellowish red silty clay loam, good to fair drainage Brownish yellow silty clay loam, good to fair drainage Olive gray clay, fair to poor drainage Yellowish brown clay, good to fair drainage Reddish brown clay, good drainage Dark yellowish brown sandy loam, good to excessive drainage Light yellowish brown sandy loam, good to excessive drainage Red clay, good drainage Strong brown sandy clay loam, good drainage Yellowish brown sandy clay loam, good to fair drainage Bro'\ll"llish yellow sandy clay loam, fair to poor drainage Gray sandy clay, poor drainage Parent material residuum Metavolcanics and metasediments of the Little River series Dark colored basic rocks, mainly amphibolites Physiographic association Gently to strongly sloping surfaces in the Piedmont province Gently sloping areas of the Piedmont province, especially the Washington Plateau Mixed acidic and basic rocks Granites and gneisses Granites and gneisses Granites and gneisses Granites and gneisses Granites and gneisses Colluvium- alluvium from granites and gneisses Ridges & steep slopes in the Piedmont province Upland areas of the Piedmont province Gently to moderately sloping surfaces in Piedmont province Low upland areas of th~ "Piedmont province Depressions & stream heads in Piedmont province Soil Series Wickham Altavista Augusta Roanoke Wehadkee Chewacla Congaree Buncombe Lakeland Eustis Gilead Red Bay Greenville Magnolia Faceville Grady TABLE 1 - Continued Characteristics of diagnostic subsurface layer* Parent material residuum Yellowish red sandy clay loam, good drainage Grayish brown sandy clay, good to fair drainage Grayish brown silty clay loam, fair to poor drainage Gray clay, poor drainage Dark gray sandy clay loam, poor drainage Yellowish brown silt loam, fair drainage Dark brown silt loam, good drainage Brown sand, excessive drainage Old alluvium Old alluvium Old alluvium Old alluvium Recent alluvium Recent alluvium Recent alluvium Recent alluvium Sand Hills Light yellowish brown sand, excessive drainage Yellowish red loamy sand, good to excessive drainage Brownish yellow sandy clay, good drainage sand sand sandy clay Southern Coastal Plain Dark red sandy clay loam, good drainage Dark red sandy clay, good drainage Red sandy clay, good drainage Yellowish red clay loam, good drainage Gray clay loam, poor drainage Marine sandy loam Marine sandy clay loam Marine sandy clay loam Marine sandy clay loam Marine sandy clay Physiographic association Alluvial terraces in the Piedmont .province II II II Modern stream courses, Piedmont province II II Level to rolling areas of the Coastal Plain pro,.ince II Level to gently sloping areas of the Coastal Plain province II II II Depressions in Coastal Plain province TABLE 1 - Continued Soil Series Characteristics of diagnostic subsurface layer* Parent material residuum Orangeburg Red sandy clay loam, good drainage Marine sandy clay Tifton Marlboro Lynchburg Norfolk Plummer Portsmouth Yellowish brown sandy clay loam, good drainage Yellowish brown sandy clay, good drainage Pale yellow sandy loam, fair to poor drainage Yellowish brown sandy clay loam,. good drainage Gray sand, fair drainage Dark gray clay loam, poor drainage Marine sandy clay Marine sandy clay loam Marine sandy clay loam Marine sandy loam Marine sand Marine sand Susquehanna Boswell Myatt Kalmia Ochlocknee Red to gray clay, poor drainage Red clay, fair drainage Gray to brownish yellow clay loam, poor drainage Light yellowish brown sandy clay loam, good to fair drainage Brown sandy loam, good drainage Marine clay Marine clay Old alluvium Old alluvium Recent alluvium Alluvial swamp Gray to black sand to clay, poor drainage Recent alluvium Atlantic Coastal Flatwoods Klej Rains Goldsboro Light yellowish brown loamy sand, fair drainage Gray sandy clay loam, fair drainage Yellow sandy clay loam, good drainage Alluvial swamp Gr:i)' to black sand to clay, poor drainage *This horizon is immediately below the A horizon or plow layer. Marine sandy loam Marine sandy clay loam Sandy clay loam, good drainage Recent alluvium Physiographic association Level to gently sloping areas of the Coastal Plain province II II II II II. Low areas of Coastal Plain province Upland areas of Coastal Plain province II Stream terrace II Modern stream courses of the Coastal Plain province Nearly level areas of the Coastal Plain province 11 II Modern stream courses 17 Norfolk soils contain appreciable quantities of the hydrated iron oxide coatings and clay bridges. Poorly drained to intermediately drained soils found. in this area are the Grady, Plummer, Portsmouth and Lynchburg series which are derived from unconsolidated marine deposits and occupy low elevations in the landscape. Susquehanna and Boswell are upland soils derivedfrom plastic marine clays and occur in small, isolated areas. The Kalmia and Myatt series are representative soils derived from old alluvium on stream terraces. A vast majority of the alluvial soils are poorly drained and are classified as alluvial swamps. The Ochlocknee series is typical of the well drained alluvial soils. A part of Screven county is included in the Atlantic Coastal Flatwoods soil province. The upland soils are sandy in texture and have a high water table. The Klej, Rains, and Goldsboro series have gray to dark gray surface layers and yellow to gray subsurface layers. Virtually all alluvial soils are in poorly drained alluvial swamps. Soils have both a direct and indirect bearing on a study of the distribution artd occurrence of mineral resources. Many soils reflect the general nature and composition of underlying geologic formations. Quite commonly soil-forming processes have resulted directly in the formation of economic mineral deposits. For example, the leaching of decomposable minerals during the development of Lakeland soils commonly has produced. silica sand of commercial quality. Other examples are the manganes~ concentrations in Taliaferro, Wilkes and Lincoln counties, the iron nodules in Burke county, and perhaps many of the clay deposits. Certainly many of the clay deposits have been significantly modified by soil-forming processes. The brightening of kaolin by weathering is one important example. "Bluish-tinted, pyrite-bearing kaolin under thick cover invariably grades into whiter kaolin with random yellow stains in the direction of thin cover. The yellow stains are rare and scanty where the protecting cover is as much as 50 feet thick, are confined mostly to the upper part of the kaolin lens where the cover averages 25 feet thick and occur throughout the lens where the cover thins to a few feet or has been eroded away. The bleaching or brightening of the unstained kaolin has resulted from the leaching of the disseminated pyrite that imparted a bluish-gray tint before weathering" (Kessler, 1963, p. 9). Aside from the recent modification of clay deposits by soil-forming processes, most of the clays in the CSRA originated through soil-forming p:iocesses that operated about 80 million years ago. VEGETATION The Southern Coastal Plain covers about 64% of the Central Savannah River Area, while the Atlantic Coast Flatwoods comprises approximately 4%. The major vegetation cover types in both regions are longleaf, loblolly and slash pine, as well as mixed oak-pine, and oak-gum-cypress. 18 Because of repeated forest fires, the harvesting of commercial trees, and the reversion of abandoned cultivated and pasture lands to woodlands, herbaceous plants have become established on a wide range of sites. The major timber species on upland sites are longleaf, slash and loblolly pine. Hardwood associates include blackjack oak, bluejack oak, turkey oak, and post oak on the drier sites, while southern red oak, white oak, hickory, dogwood and magnolia occupy moister sites. Many hardwoods__as maple, elm, ash, beech, willow, white oak, water oak, overcup oak, tupelo, sycamore, holly, loblolly-bay, persea and cypressare the dominant flora along streams and shallow swamps. Forage plants and other low vegetation within the forest stands are found in amounts varying with depth of sand and soil-moisture relations; these consist largely of specis of Gaylussacia, Ceanothus, Chrysobalanus, Asimina, Myrica, Serenoa, Cracca, Eriogonum, Veronica, Stillingia, Baptisia, Pteridium, Helianthus, Dolicholus and Aster on the moderately dry to dry sites. Low woody plants, herbaceous plants, and associates on the moist sites include species of Hypericum, Myrica, Azalea, Pieris, Sarracenia, Eriocaulon, Oxypolis, Baldwin, Chondrophora, Juncus, Pinckneya, Viburnum, and Sabbatia. Grazing is confined primarily to improved pastures which are usually seeded to common and coastal bermuda grass, bahia, crimson clover, rye grass, and oats. The main crops are corn, cotton, soybeans, small grains and peanuts in the southern portion of the region. Common weeds which have migrated from cultivated areas to roadsides and woodlands are species of Helenium, Acanthospermm, Diodia, Stenophyllus, Lespedeza, Eragrostis, Euphorbia, and Syntherisma. The Sand Hills Region occupies approximately 6% of the study area lying between the Southern Piedmont and the Southern Coastal Plain (see Figure 3). Although soils of the Sand Hills are among the least productive in the state, many acres have been cleared for pasture and cultivation. Woody plants and herbaceous vegetation from the two adjoining areas are intermingled in the Sand Hills. Originally, the overstory on the driest sites consisted of longleaf pine, turkey oak, blackjack oak, blue-jack oak, and dwarf post oak. Understory vegetation was sparse, consisting of scattered clumps or tussocks of Aristida, Gaylussacia, Selaginella, Epigaea and Quercus pumila. Other plants are present only when conditions change, resulting in improvement of soilwater relations. Loblolly and shortleaf pine seeded-in naturally over much of the Sand Hills, and slash pine has been planted on many abandoned fields. Both Piedmont and Coastal Plain hardwoods are found along the lower slopes and stream bottoms. Forage and associated vegetation include species of Lupines, Lespedeza, Alaine, Andropogon, Galactia, Tradescantia, and Tephrosia. Approximately 26% of the survey area lies within the Southern Piedmont. Loblolly and shortleaf pine, with scattered red cedar are the ~ ------~----- 19 principal coniferous species, Oaks, (white, post, southern red, black, black-jack and turkey), hi.ckory, black gum, sweet gum, dogwood, sourwood, and yellow poplar, are the dominant hardwoods on upland sites. Maple, elm, ash, willow, alder, cherry bark oak, water oak, and beech are part of the dominant flora on lower slopes and along streams. Common .forage plants, h~rhs and brush include species of Andropogon, Arundina.ria, Panicum, Paspa.lum, Rhus, Campsis, Lonicera, Ambrosia, Aster, Erigeron, Pieris, Ascyrum, Lespedeza., Smilax, Plantago, Ceanothus, Crataegus, and Vaccinium. Japanese honeysuckle is fast becoming a major problem on good bottom land and upland sites. In some Piedmont counties more than 90% of the land was once cleared for agriculture. Because of soil loss by erosion and depleted fertility, much of the cultivated land has been reforested--either by natural seeding or planting. The principal crops are cotton, corn and small grains. Pecan orchards are common on level uplands. Timber is a principal resource in the Central Savannah River Area. Approximately 60% of the total land area is forested. Much of the forest land is associated with farms and is not fully stocked with the most desirable species. Much of the value of wood products is represented by pulpwood. In 1964 pulpwood production exceeded 300,000 cords. One pulp mill in Richmond County has been in operation for several years. A second mill will become operational in 1966, and a third mill is scheduled for the area. Other wood using industries include sawmills, planing mills, and naval stores plants. More intensive forest practices__ which will improve quality and quantity of timber growth--will insure an increasing source of raw materials for an expanding wood using industry. WATER RESOURCES Piedmont Province The average annual rainfall of the Piedmont Province ranges between 44 and 59 inches, the average annual runoff between 10 and 39 inches. The average stream flow in million gallons per day per square mile for the 18-year period, 1937-55, was 0.49 (Thomson et al, 1956, p. 69 and 128). The streams of this province generally are interrupted by occasional rapids and waterfalls and flow in well-defined channels within valleys of varying widths. The small streams and rivers are the principal sources of water for the larger cities and industries; wells are used by many small towns. The province has many waterpower and reservoir sites (Thomson et al, 1956, p. 69). The surface waters of the Piedmont province are siliceous in type and soft. Generally the mineral content is low__within the range of 25-50 ppm, of which about 20-35% is silica, Silica is comparatively high in the Little River (near Washington) and in the headwaters of the Ogeechee River. Of the anion equivalents per million, bicarbonate is predominant (65-85% of the total), Of the cations, clacium and sodium 20 are found in nearly equal amounts; magnesium is slightly less than calcium. Little, if any, color is present in the water of the streams__. usually less than 10 units, but the streams are often turbid and give the impression of high color during periods of high rainfall due to suspension of finely divided clay particles (Cherry, 1961, p. 27). TABLE 2 - Analysis of Water Typical of the Piedmont Province (Cherry, 1961, p. 28) Constituent or property Specific conductance (micromhos) pH Color Sum Dissolved solids Silica Iron Calcium M11gnesium Sodium Potassium Bicarbonate as carbonate Sulfate Chloride Fluoride Nitrate Units .PE!E.. 45.5 6.9 B. 40 43 IS .66 3, 2 I. 2 3.7 1. 6 HC03 (22) 11 . 8 2. 5 .o 9 Equivalents per million .16 .10 .16 .04 .36 .02 .07 ,00 .01 The ground water is largely under water-table conditions, although it is under artesian conditions at a few places. Rejected recharge, water in excess of the amount that can be stored in the soil, flows off at the surface or through wet-water springs, which are common throughout the province. Wells drilled for municipal and industrial supplies yield from less than 1 gallon per minute (gpm) to 400 gpm, with an average yield of about 20 gpm. The majority of rural needs are supplied by dug wells which yield 1-10 gpm. In 1956, 1.3 mgd of ground water were utilized for rural domestic and stock use; 6.6 mgd, for urban domestic and industrial use. The groundwater is somewhat variable in chemical quality. It is low in dissolved solids if from light-colored or "acid" rocks; but is more highly mineralized if from dark-colored or "basic" rocks. Water from the Little River series is high in calcium and sulfate and very hard. The iron content of the water in the provtnce ~ay be 2 ppm or more; calcium and magneisum content may be high with hardness varying between 18 and 1,000 ppm. Sodium and potassium rarely exceed 10 ppm. Sulfate, chloride, and nitrate are present in minor amounts (Thomson et al, 1956, p. 253-62). 21 Upper Coastal Plain The average annual rainfall in the upper Coastal Plain ranges between 43 and 55 inches; the average annual runoff ranges between 12 and 28 inches (Thomson et al, 1956, p. 69). The Fall Line is commonly the head of navigation of large rivers and the site of water-power dams. The flow of larger streams is relatively uniform with high yield due to ground water inflow. The very small streams commonly have little runoff because the pervious soil absorbs rainwater rapidly and the channels do not cut deeply enough to intercept ground-water flow. The larger streams are generally sluggish, flowing in deep, meandering, low-banked, tree-choked channels. There are some low-head water-power sites on the larger streams and a few reservoir sites. River water is used for steam-power plants and some manufacturing, but artesian wells supply all but one of the towns and many of the industries (Thomson et al, 1956, p. 69). The waters of the upper Coastal Plain, excluding the area drained by Buckhead Creek, are siliceous and soft. The mineral content of stream water usually falls within the range of 25-45 ppm. Silica makes up about 25-40% of the mineral matter. Bicarbonate is the predominant anion, constituting 55-80%. Calcium usually is more than 50% of the cations. Color of the stream water is usually less than 40 units, the pH is within the range 6.4-7.0 (Cherry, 1961, p. 28-30). TABLE 3 - Analysis of Water Typical of the Upper Coastal Plain Province, Excluding the Area Drained by Buckhead Creek (Cherry, 1961, p. 30) Constituent or property Specific conductance (micromhos) pH Color Sum Dissolved solids Silica Iron Calcium Magnesium Sodium Potassium Bicarbonate as carbonate Sulfate Chloride Fluoride Nitrate Units .PP!!2.. 45.2 6.6 22. 28. 42. 9. 9 1.2 3.0 9 2. 2 . 6 HC03 (15) 7.4 1.0 3.0 .o .4 Equivalents per million .15 .06 .10 .02 25 .02 0 08 .00 01 22 . The waters in the Buckhead Creek drainage are carbonate in type, moderately hard, and have a relatively high mineral content, concen~ trations as high as 112 ppm being present during periods of lower than average flow. Most of the mineral matter is calcium and bicarbonate. About 85-95% of the anionic equivalents is bicarbonate. Calcium makes up 85-95% of the cations. Magnesium is less than 2 ppm. Color exceeding 50 units is common and the pH is relatively high, usually about 7.0 (Cherry, 1961, p. 30). TABLE 4 - Analysis of Water Typical of the Area Drained by Buckhead Creek (Cherry, 1961, p. 31) Constituent or property Specific conductance (micromhos) pH Color Sum Dissolved solids Silica Iron Calcium Magnesium Sodium Potassium Bicarbonate as carbonate Sulfate Chloride Fluoride Nitrate Units .PE!!. 147. 7.2 45. 86. 97. 5. 7 06 28. 5 1.9 .4 HC03 (87) 43. 3.0 3. 0 1 2 Equivalents per million 1. 40 .04 .08 .01 1. 43 06 .08 .01 .oo Lower Coastal Plain The lower Coastal Plain has an average annual rainfall between 45 and 53 inches and an average annual runoff of 9 to 14 inches. River water is used for steam-power plants and for waste disposal. Practically all the cities and industries other than large steam-power plants obtain water supplies from artesian wells. Some large water users take water from the rivers. There are few reservoir and low-head waterpower sites (Thomson et al, 1956, p. 70). The waters of this province are more chloride in type, generally soft, and have a high iron content. They are highly colored, often exceeding 300 units. The pH value is usually below 6.0 and in many streams less than 5.0. The lower pH values are found in the more highly colored 23 streams. Organic material often is greater than inorganic matter. The equivalents per million of chloride and sodium are either equal or nearly equal in most of the streams. Generally the equivalents -per million of chloride are greater than the equivalents of bicarbonate. Sodium is generally the predominant cation. Magnesium often exceeds calcium ,(Cherry, 1961, p. 31-32). TABLE 5 - Analysis of Water Typical of the Lower Coastal Plain Province (Cherry, 1961, p. 32) Constituent or property Specific conductance (micromhos) pH Color Sum Dissolved Solids Silica Iron Calcium Magnesium Sodium Potassium Bicarbonate as carbonate Sulfate Chloride Fluoride Nitrate Units .EE!!!. 31.7 5.4 55. 23. 67. 7. 4 1. 7 2. 0 .2 3.4 1. 0 HC03 (5) 2. 5 2. 0 4. 2 .2 5 Equivalents per million .10 02 .15 03 .08 .04 '12 Ol ,01 The Coastal Plain portion of the survey area may be divided into two sections on the basis of the most important aquifers: the Cretaceous aquifer underlying the section from the Fall Line south for a distance of 30-60 miles; and the principal artesian aquifer, which underlies most of the remaining part of the survey area. The Cretaceous aquifer consists chiefly of sand and gravel. Watertable conditions exist in the outcrop area of the sands; artesian conditions occur everywhere except right at the Fall Line where there are no impervious beds above the sands. Most flowing wells are in the valleys of the larger streams: the Savannah, Ogeechee, and Canoochee Rivers and their principal tributaries. The wells are from about 100 to more than 1,500 feet deep and yields vary from 20 gpm to 1,100 gpm. A few large springs are used for small town and individual supplies. The waters from the Cretaceous aquifer are generally soft and low in dissolved solids. Hardness and dissolved solids increase in a southeastward direction from the Fall Line, and with depth. Iron is present in object- 24 ionable quantities at some places. Fluoride is as high as 0.4 ppm (Thomson et al, 1956, p. 270-78 and 287-94). The principal artesian aquifer furnishes nearly 70% of the ground water used in Georgia and is the source of most of the industrial ground water used in the state. It is one of the most extensive and productive aquifers in the United States. The waters are generally of good quality, low in silica, low in iron and dissolved solids, and range from soft to very hard. Drilled wells supply most of the water used in the area. Water-table conditions are in the overlying sediments throughout the area of the aquifer. These sediments furnish water to dug wells and are the principal source of water in rural areas. The water-table aquifers yield water that is softer than the water from the limestone and more suitable for use in boilers and for other industrial use. These sediments are also an important source of soft domestic water (Thomson et al, 1956, p. 277-90). TABLE 6 - Chemical Analysis of Water from the Principal Artesian Aquifer at Sylvania, Screven County (Chemical constituents in parts per million), From Thomson, et al, 1956, p. 295. Amount of casing (feet) Total depth (feet) Temperature (degrees F) Dissolved Solids Silica (Si02) Iron (Fe) Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) Sodium (Na) Potassium (K) Bicarbonate (HC03) Carbonate (C03) Sulfate (S04) Chloride (Cl) Fluoride (F) Nitrate (N03) Hardness as Caco3 150 301 70 193 36 0.06 49 5.1 4,4 1.1 166 0 8. 6 2. 8 0.2 0.0 143 Water Quality and Availability in the Savannah River Basin At the gaging station near Clyo, the drainage area of the Savannah River baain is 9,850 square miles and the average discharge for 19 years of record (1937-56) was 10,830 cubic feet per second (cfs) (Cherry, 1961, p. 34). The Clark Hill Dam in the Piedmont province creates a great multi-purpose storage reservoir for flood control and hydroelectric power and in conjunction with Stevens Creek Dam below it has almost com- 25 plete control over the flow to provide a relatively uniform flow for navigation in the Coastal Plain below Augusta (Thomson et al, 1956, p. 218-19). The waters of the basin are of excellent chemical quality-soft, siliceous in type, and low in mineral content. There is a trend of gradual increase in mineral content from the headwaters to the mouth of the river. Mineral content above the survey area never exceeds 30 ppm. The greatest percentage increase occurs in the upper two-thirds of the river; in the lower section the impoundment of the waters in large reservoirs tends to smooth out fluctuations in chemical concentrations. In the headwater streams about 50% of the dissolved mineral matter is silica; below the Fall Line, proportionate increases of other minerals are greater so that silica concentrations are reduced to about 25-35% of the total. Bicarbonate is the predominant anion. Several cities dispose of their wastes in either the Savannah River or its tributaries, but these disposals had, in 1958, little effect on the mineral concentrations; the effects of these disposals on the chemical quality of the water during low flow was not investigated (Cherry, 1961, p. 34-40). TABLE 7 - Chemical Analyses of Selected Surface Waters of the Savannah River Basin (Chemical constituents in parts per million) (from Cherry, 1961, p. 88) Little River near Washington Silica {Si02) Iron (Fe) Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) Sodium (Na) Potassium (K Bicarbonate (HC03) Sulfate (S04) Chloride (Cl) Fluoride (F) Nitrate (N03) Dissolved Solids Hardness as CaC03: Ca, Mg Non-carbonate Specific con.ductance (Micromhos at 25C) H Color 21 --,.., .., 4. 8 1.9 5.4 1.0 32 4.0 3.5 .1 .4 58 20 0 64.6 6.7 so Sav. River Sav. River near at Augusta Burton Ferry 11 21 2. 8 1.3 4.5 1.4 21 3. 5 4.5 1 . 6 40 11 so 3,0 1. 2 3.8 l. 2 20 2. 5 3.0 .1 . 5 36 12 12 0 0 47.2 6. 9 17 46.5 6.6 12 Brier Creek near Waynesboro Brier Creek near Millhaven 10 .46 5.4 l. 0 2.3 . 7 21 .0 4.0 .2 .6 34 10 1. 8 7.0 1.3 2. 4 5 27 . 8 4.0 . 1 5 40 18 23 0 l 45,6 6.7 23 55.6 6. 7 47 26 : '~ l Broad River and its tributaries (31-50 ppm) and Little River (58-70 ppm) have siliceous-type waters that are low in mineral content and soft, Silica constitutes about 35% of the mineral matter. The cations, calcium and sodium, are present in nearly equivalent quantities; bicarbonate is the principal anion. These waters are often turbid from suspended clay particles. Brier Creek (24-40 ppm) usually is carbonate in type. Silica is usually less than 30 percent of the mineral matter. Calcium and bicarbonate are present in nearly equivalent quantities; their presence as the predominant ions occurs usually during lower flow periods (Cherry, 1961). TABLE 8 - Streamflows in the Savannah River Basin Gaging station Average flow, 1937-55 (Thornson et al, 1956) (mgd) (cfs) converted Maximum known flood flow (Thornson et al, 1956) (cfs) Absolute minimum flow during 1954 drought (Thomson and Carter, 1963) (cfs) Little River near Washington (1949-1955) 118 :!:79 13100 Savannah River at Augusta 5 ,849 3,899 360,000 Savannah River at Burton's Ferry Bridge 6,476 4, 317 141,000 Brier Creek at Millhaven 403 269 64 000 * Flow regulated by power plant above station. .32 4, 360* 4,770* 62.0 Practically all of the Elow from the area above Clark Hill Dam is used for hydroelectric power. Navigation below Augusta requires 60% of the average flow. Below Augusta, the estimated future annual irrigation use under dry-year conditions should average about 8% of the average excess flow. The largest urban use in proportion to the minimum flow at Augusta is only 2% of the minimum flow. The largest industrial use--the Savannah River Plant of the Atomic Energy Commission--is 720 mgd or 20% of the re- gulated minimum flow. The 20-year, 1-day minimum flow is 10-15% of the average flow above Clark Hill Dam and 21-25% of the average flow below Au- gusta (Thomson et al, 1956, p. 219). The 1954 drought was the most severe . in 61 years for the Savannah River basin above Augusta; below Augusta, it was the most severe since 1925 (Thomson and Carter, 1963, p. 28). Water Quality and Availability in the Ogeechee River Basin At the gaging station near Eden the drainage area of the Ogeechee River basin is 2,650 square miles, and the average discharge for 19 years of record (1937-56) was 2,077 cfs. Above the Fall Line, water from the Ogee~hee River is siliceous in type with little or no color. Mineral content ranges from 24-68 ppm, with silica constituting as much as 40 percent. The percen- 27 TABLE 9 - Chemical A:>:J.al;;ses of Selecter:l S'.lrface Waters of the Ogeechee River Basin (Chemical cor.stituents i.-1 pa..'1:5 per milHon ) from Cherry, 1961 (pp. 88-89). ,,1-: ~~. P2 ],) '5(l) 0;3; "'nJ ,_0), ~~ ..~.. ..0.., I '8'" r. 0 ~ 8 /...' u '~ u ~" 0 ~ Ol :~;::: er:; ~:-- Silica {Si02} Iron {Fe} Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg} Sodium (Na) Potassium (K} Bicarbonate (HC03) Sulfate (S04} Chl!:!Iidf: (Cl) Fluoride (F) Nitrate (N03) Dissolved solids Calcium, magnesium 26. 1.0 4.8 1.8 7.8 1.4 37. 2.5 Q,Q I , I 68. 20. 9. 9 3.0 .7 2. 2 .6 15. I. 0 3.0 .0 .4 28. 10. .... Ol ~ P2 ~;,: OJ ..u0.~) '5"' 0 ~ '" 0) C1) ~I t>J 0 'U I'! 5.8 2.8 6 3,6 . 5 15. .o 3.2 I . 2 24. 10. sp.. "' ,, ~ I'! 0 t/.1 "-' "' 1'1 0 P'l 8 "'"-' ,..;.:.!, ..>:: C1) -~ u.0..). 1.6 5.0 7 2.4 .4 20. .0 3. s 2 .0 24. 16. ... OJ ;"- P2 ~ C1) (!) .r: () -~ ~ C1) 'l.~ ,'<.;::<; /J-;; 13. 3. 6 1. 0 3.2 . 7 18. 1.0 1:.Q I .0 36. 13. ..>: u"'0) "0 ;:! "' ~ C1) :Q. u ;J ~... P'l "' 6.2 10. .7 3.0 .4 36. 1.5 ~.s 2 .4 45. 28. ... >~-' P2 .0.. 'fl ~ C1) 0) 0 (!) u 0) Vl CO-;; 12. 7. 2 .4 3. 5 8 24. 1.8 S.Q .1 .0 43. 20. Non-carbonate 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Specific conductance (micromhos at 25q 77.0 EH 6.7 Color 7. 45.2 6.6 22. 38.0 6. 4 17. 43.7 6. 9 3. 42.3 6. 8 55. 72.0 7.0 8. 54.5 6.7 42. TABLE 10 - Streamflows in the Ogeechee River Basin Gaging Station Average flow, 1937-55 (Thomson et al, 1956) Ogeechee River near Louisville Ogeechee River at Scarboro {mgd) (cfs) con.ve~ted 483 I 039 ~332 ~693 Maximum kuown flood flow (Thornson -et al, 1956) (cfs) 46 000 24 600 Absolute minimum flow during 1954 drought (Thomson & Carter, 1963) (cfs) 21 120 28 tage equivalents of bicarbonate in the river are nearly constant above and below the Fall Line. The Ogeechee River above and below the confluence with Rocky Comfort Creek has a lower mineral content than above the Fall Line, probably caused by inflow of ground and surface waters of lower concentration. An increase in concentration occurs from just below Louisville down to Scarboro due to increases of calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate. The calcium and magnesium increase from about 50 to 75% of the total cations, and the sodium and potassium decrease proportionately. Rocky Comfort Creek is generally siliceous in type, although sometimes carbonate, and frequently has appreciable color. For the most part, it possesses the characteristics of water from streams above the Fall Line, but is mineralized (28-37 ppm). Buckhead Creek near Millen has the highest mineral content (45-84 ppm) in the basin. The waters are carbonate in type and soft to moderately hard. The waters of Williamson Swamp Creek are soft, carbonate in type, and similar to those of Buckhead Creek, but less mineralized (24-46 ppm). Canoochee River, the main tributary of the Ogeechee River, is different from the other streams of the basin. These waters are siliceous in type, generally have a high color, are soft, and have a low mineral content (17-29 ppm) (Cherry, 1961, p. 40-41). A few small mills use water from the Ogeechee River, but there is no other water utilization from the river for urban, industrial, power, or navigation purposes. The estimated future annual irrigation use under dry-year conditions averages less than one percent of the average flow. In the Coastal Plain portion of the river the 20-year 1-day minimum flow is about 7% of the average flow (Thomson et al, 1956, p. 219). The 1954 drought was the most severe for at leDst 29 years (during time of record) (Thomson and Carter, 1963, p. 28). Water Quality and Availability in the Altamaha River Basin Only the Ohoopee River lies within the boundaries of the survey area. The waters of the Ohoopee River are soft, siliceous in type, colored, and low in mineral content (21-44 ppm). About one-fourth of the dissolved mineral matter is silica. Even though the river lies in the lower Coastal Plain, the water sometimes has characteristics similar to those of streams in the Piedmont province. Chloride is often equivalent to or greater than bicarbonate. Chemical analysis of water from the Ohoopee River near Oak Park shows, in parts per million, silica (Si02), 13; iron (Fe), 0.15; calcium (Ca), 8.0; magnesium (Mg), 0.9; Hodlum (Na), 2.9; potassium (K), 0.4; bicarbonate (HC03), 29; sulfate (S04), 0.2; chloride (Cl), 4.0; fluor:l.de (F), 0.3; nitrate (NOJ), 0.2; dissolved solids (Sum), 44; hardness as CaCOJ: calcium and magnesium 24/non-carbonate 0; specific conductance (micromhos at 25C), 62.7; pll, 7.0; and color, 37 (Cherry, 1961, p. 90). At the gaging station at Oak Park during the 1954 drought the absolute minimum one-day average flow was 5.3 cfs (Thomson and Carter, 1963, p. 56) TABLE 11 - Summary of Municipal Water Supply Systems in the CSRA (From CSRA Economic Summaries, 1963-65) Water supply system Taliaferro Co. , Crawfordville Wilkes Co. , Washington Lincoln Co. , Lincolnton Columbia Co. , Harlem Columbia Co. , EvansMartinez McDuffie Co. , Thomson Warren Co., Warrenton Jefferson Co., Louisville Jefferson Co., Wadley Richmond Co. Richmond Co. , Augusta Burke Co. , Midville Screven Co., Sylvania Jenkins Co., Millen Emanuel Co. , Swainsboro Source Wells (2) Beaverdam Creek Wells (7) Wells (7) Well Usry's Pond Creek and Wells (2) Wells (3) Wells (3) Wells (7) Savannah River Artesian Wells (26) Wells (3) Wells (2) Wells (5) Total pump capacity gpm-gals. per minute gpd-gals. per day llO gpm I, 000, OOOgpd 239gpm IOS,OOOgpd 300gpm 2,000,000gpd 306,000gpd 54,000gpd l,OOOgpm BOOgpm 2,500,000gpd 288,000gpd 1, 330gpm 1, 300gpm 6,000,000gpd Total filtering capacity-gals. Storage-gals. (t)-total (el )-elevated Maximum daily consumption-gals. I, 000,000 875, OOO(t) 675, OOO{el) 195, OOO(t) 75, OOO{el) 1,000, 000 ISO, 000 I, 500,000 250, OOO(el) 400, OOO(t) 150, OOO{el) 600,000 360,000 30,000,000 175, OOO(el) 250, OOO(t) 180, OOO(t) 60, OOO(el) 725,000(t) 12 5 poo, OOO(t) 24,000,000 250, OOO(t) 450, OOO(t) 560, OOO(t) 360, OOO{el) 375, OOO(t) 300, OOO(el) 75,000 I ,000, 000 500,000 4 ,320, 000 Minimum monthly rates range from $1. 67 for the first 2000 gallons to $4. 00 for the first 3000 gallons. The cost of additional 1000-gallon units ranges from $0.10 to $0. 80, varying from one system to another, but based largely on the quantity of water used. Industrial rates are considerably lower. N \0 TABLE 12 - Analyses of Water From Municipal Water Systems (in parts per million) from CSRA Economic Summaries, 1963-65. Silica (SiOz) Iron (Fe) Alumina (Alz03) Lime {CaO} Magnesia {IvfgO) Magnesium (~fg} Chloride {Cl) Soda (Na20) Manganese (nIn) Fluoride (F) Sulfate {S04) Bicarbonate (HC03) Calcium (Ca) Sodium (Na) .:.. Potassium (K) 28.8 0.10 o.o 71.1 26.6 49.2 31,1 0.16 0. 0 13. 9 Carbonate (C03) Total Soli~ Organic Soli~ Mineral Solids Alkalinity as CaC03 {with methyl orange) Free carbon dioxide (C02) Total hardness as Caco3 pH Color F=filte.-ed 332. 0 24.0 308.0 145.0 45.0 193.3 6.8 12.0 1. 5 3, 0 7.0 0.1 15.0 35.0 11.0 5. 0 0.1 57.8 3.5 2.45 0.0 9. 9 4.6 0.0 2.6 0.3 o.o o.o 75.0 108.0 104.0 21. 6. 9 42.5 26.0 29. 3 6. 5 5 5 2 0.4 o. 5 2 4 12 0.1 0.5 13 1. 6 5 0.2 0.3 8 12 8 3 0.2 14 64 13.5 25.8 o. 3 o. 2 0.0 15. 8 1. 7 0.0 37. 6 2.3 11.0 2. 0 5.4 o.o 0.2 2.3 7.0 76.0 143,0 18.0 70.0 125.0 17.5 25 3.0 0.1 0.1 31.5 2.1 3 6. 5 3 4.2 0.0 0.1 0.1 5.2 8 150 45 (Na)6 Tr Absent 142.0 188. 40.0 102.0 13 37.0 42 0. OS 19.0 0.4 1. 4 3.2 4. 0 1. 8 3 2.0 10.0 o.o 0,0 2 Tr 1. 7 11.0 8 4.0 16 130. 0 158 140. 0 2. 8 40.0 4.3 s. 3 44.0 1.0 08 0.5 0 40. 165. 6 28 6.2 6.1 22.0 2.2 32.4 7.3 62,0 20,0 73.0 6. 8 54,0 10.0 61. 5 7.0 122. 13 7. 6 115.0 113.0 123 7.4 7.5 31 Municipal Water Systems -- Supply and Quality A summary of the municipal water systems is presented in Table 11. Analyses of water from the municipal systems are presented in Table 12. ENERGY RESOURCES The availability and cost of energy is a prime factor in the location of industry, particularly those industries concerned with the mining and processing of industrial rocks and minerals. Natural Gas The Southern Natural Gas Company supplies the area by 16-inch transmission lines under 12,000 lbs. of pressure. The main lines run from Macon through Augusta and from Wrens to Savannah. The Atlanta Gas Light Company serves the Augusta area and is currently extending their service lines. Other towns and communities in the CSRA have municipal distribution systems (Figure 4). Average Btu content ranges from 1,040 to 1,050 per cubic foot. Industrial rates, based on minimum consumption, are offered for light industrial and heavy industrial users. The individual distribution systems will negotiate rates for large industrial users. Electric Power The CSRA is served by an extensive network of power transmission lines, distributing electricity from hydroelectric and steam generating plants of the Georgia Power Company (Figure 4). The augusta area is served by six transmission lines, each rated at 110 kv; total substation capacity is 211,300 kva, while peak demand is 151,506 kw. The Georgia Power Company serves communities throughout the area with 12 kv to 110 kv transmission lines; rural areas are served by several electric membership corporations. Rates are established for Small Industrial Consumers: Demand charge: $1.10 per kw of maximum demand per month, plus First 20,000 kwh per month@ 1.50 per kwh Next 30,000 kwh per month @ 1.00 per kwh Over 50,000 kwh per month@ 0.75 per kwh GAS&POWER CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA Power Lln11 --IIOIIV GasPiptllnu ..... ~ ....... - 1 ... N r 1965 Figure 4 33 Large Industrial Consumers: Demand charge: $0.90 per kva cf maximum demand per month, plus First 20,000 kwh per month@ 1.50 per kwh Next 30,000 kwh per month @ 1.00 per kwh Next 150,000 kwh per month@ 0.75 per kwh Next 200,000 kwh per month@ 0.58 per kwh Rates for Extra Large Industrial Consumers are available on request. TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES A network of heavy-duty hard surfaced federal and state highways crisscrosses the CSRA. Connecting medium-duty hard surfaced roads that are state- and county-maintained complete and extensive pattern. Main arterial routes are U. S. Highways l, 25, 78, 80, 278, 301, and 378. Inter-state highway 20 passes through the area connecting Atlanta and Columbia, South Carolina. Fourteen trucking lines maintain terminals in the Augusta area. An additional sixteen lines have routes in and through the area. Oneday truckload service from Augusta extends over much of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, and reaches into Florida, Alabama, and Tennessee. Twelve of the thirteen CSRA counties are served by one or more of seven railroads: Atlantic Coastline Railroad, Central of Ge~rgia Railway, Georgia Railroad; Georgia and Florida Railroad, Louisville and Wadley Railroad; Savannah and Atlanta Railway, and the Wadley Southern Railway. These offer mainline service to points in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Missouri, and Louisiana. Pick-up delivery is generally available. Four of the railroads have piggy-back service. Industrial departments will provide detailed rate quotations. The Augusta Port on the Savannah River provides storage served by truck and rail. A 9-foot channel in the Savannah River is maintained between Augusta and Savannah. Merry Shipping Company, of Augusta, operates barge service to Savannah, Charleston, Jacksonville, Miami, and Sandford, Florida. Possible shipping time to New York and New Orleans is 10 days. Three major airlines, Delta, Eastern, and Piedmont, serve the area on a regularly scheduled basis. Augusta maintains an intercontinental 34 class airport. Cities in eight states, South Carolina, North Carollina, Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama, maintain direct airline service to and from Augusta. There are eight other municipal or private airports suitable for small planes in the CSRA. The rail and highway networks are a part of the base map on which mineral resource locations are plotted. STUDY PROCEDURES INTRODUCTION A study aimed at total mineral resource appraisal begins logically with an inventory of available information. Starting with an inventory assures full use of earlier efforts, even those intended for other purposes. An inventory reveals the informational gaps and inadequacies that need attention, and serves as the first rough survey of mineral resource potentials. The second step toward total mineral resource appraisal is the application of large scale procedures for the evaluation of known mineralization and the discovery of any new mineralization. These include (a) geologic mapping, (b) sampling of veins, (c) systematic study of alluvium, (d) re-examination of known mines and prospects, (e) geochemical and/or geophysical investigations, and (f) composite data analysis. The third step is assembly, interpretation and distribution of the data. INVENTORY OF AVAILABLE INFORMATION Several published and unpublished reports deal with mineral resources in Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie, and Richmond Counties. A few reports deal with deposits in Burke, Glascock, Jefferson, Screven and Taliaferro Counties. Very little published information is available on the minerals of Emanuel, Jenkins, Warren, and Wilkes Counties. All the published information has been assembled. It has been augmented by available unpublished reports and by interviews with mineral producers and local residents. The available information is sunnnarized on pages 1~ and 1...... Twiggs Clay member 0'-20' o-2o o-~s+ McBean 0'-100'+ Cretaceous Upper Cretaceous Tuscaloosa 0'-800'+ Jefferson County, s. Glascock, and W. Burke County Burke County Glascock, McDuffie, Cohunbia, Richmond, Warren, Jefferson, and Burke Counties Glascock, Columbia, Richmond, Jefferson, and Burke Counties Savannah River bluffs in Burke Co., from McBean Creek to Griffins Landing; also, as isolated inliers in W. Burke County and S. central Jefferson Countv. Glascock, s. Warren, s. McD.llfie, s~ Columbia, Richmond, N. Jefferson, and N. W. Burke Counties Sandy sparsely fossiliferous limestone; cream-colored and soft. Bright red argillaceous sands, showing little stratification. Locally cross-bedded, mottled, and leached. Hardpan layers are common. Extensive fuller's earth in N. Jefferson. Dense yellow vitreous fossiliferous chert. Often leached to a light tan or white. Commonly has limonite hardpan layer on irregular upper surface. Laminated tan and yellow sands interbedded with thin, light-colored plastic clays. Greenish to tan fuller's earth, locally containing Ostrea geo!giana. Interbedded calcareous sands, semi-consolidated gray limestone, shell beds (Ostrea georgiana and others), and thin calcareous clays. Arkosic sands and gravels interbedded with streaks, lenses and beds of kaolinitic sands and kaolin. Hardpan and quartzite layerS are common. 69 a limited area along the Savannah River in Burke County and as a few isolated inliers along major stream valleys to the west. Unconformably overlying the McBean Formation and the Tuscaloosa Formation are the red sands of the Barnwell Formation. These sands form a blanket that covers most of the other sediments in Richmond and Glascock Counties, and the northern portions of Burke and Jefferson Counties. The Barnwell overlaps onto the crystalline rocks in Columbia, McDuffie and Warren Counties, and forms extensive outliers north of the Fall Line. The Cooper Marl, of Oligocene age, is exposed at a single location in northern Jenkins County at Magnolia Springs, where it is a soft relatively pure limestone, and not a true marl. It underlies an area of several square miles as evidenced by the presence of estensive sinkholes. The Suwanee Limestone, also of Oligocene age, is exposed in southeastern Burke County and northern Screven County as a fossiliferous chert and limestone. Most of the formation has been removed by erosion, however, and outcrops are sparse. The chert is found as isolated outcrops over a wide area: on the Savannah River from Stony Bluff Landing in Burke County to northern Screven County; and along Brier Creek in Burke and Screven Counties. The limestone, which appears to underlie the chert, crops out in a bluff at the junction of Brier Creek and Beaverdam Creek in Screven County. Numerous sink holes are present along the Brier Creek floodplain, for several miles north of the bluff exposure, indicating the presence of the limestone below creek level. Miocene sediments blanket the southern part of the CSRA, covering all of Emanual, Jenkins, and Screven Counties, and extending well up into Jefferson and Burke Counties. Outliers are scattered northward from Jefferson County into Glascock County. These sediments, massive yellow, tan, and orange mottled argillaceous sands, have been placed in the Hawthorn Formation. Recent deposits of sand and gravel occur in all of the major stream valleys near the Fall Line, and sand with progressively less gravel occurs in the most of the major stream valleys in a coastal direction. Alluvial clay has also been deposited in the floodplain of the Savannah River, in addition to interbedded sands, gravels and conglomerate channel sands. Most of the coastal plain area has relatively pure stream sands containing varying amounts of organic matter and little or no clay. There are also gravels which have been let down through erosion of overlying sediments, or carried by ancient streams, and now lie at sporadic intervals over all of the coastal plain; the most extensive development is Emanuel County. Stratigraphy UPPER CRETACEOUS Tuscaloosa Formation The Tuscaloosa Formation rests unconformably on the deeply eroded 70 crystalline rocks of the Piedmont. The formation is predominantly arkosic sands and conglomerates, interbedded with lenses of clay and argillaceous sands. The sands and gravels usually are un-consolidated or semiconsolidated. The sands are angular to sub-angular, medium- to coarsep grained, and contain disseminated mica and clay. Lenses of clay are usually kaolinitic and contain varying proportions of sand and mica. The clay varies widely in color; white, tan, and gray are most common. Kaolin occurs in balls and boulders, especially in outcrops close to the crystalline contact, and in lenses, streaks and thin beds. Lenses of kaolin containing little or no sand or mica are found throughout the Tuscaloosa Formation but appear to be larger and more numerous several miles south of the Fall Line, usually under cover of younger sediments. Some of the larger lenses, or beds, are known to occur from cen tral Richmond County to the border area of McDuffie, Glascock, Warren and Jefferson Counties, where extensive deposits of kaolin have been discovered recently. Kaolin long has been mined at the Albion Kaolin Mine near Hephzibah in Richmond County. In surface exposures the Tuscaloosa Formation is usually thin, under 50 feet, and no greater than 150 feet. It crops out along the Fall Line and along incised stream valleys where it extends for several miles into the younger coastal plain sediments. The formation thickens to more than 800 feet in the subsurface, as shown by well logs from the southern part of the CSRA. EOCENE McBean Formation (Claiborne Group) The McBean Formation unconformably overlies the Tuscaloosa Formation and is in turn unconformably overlain and extensively overlapped by the Barnwell Formation. Because of this overlap, the McBean is well exposed only in bluffs along the Savannah River, and a few of its major tributaries, in Burke County. It is present in the subsurface across Burke and Jefferson Counties, however, and does appear as_small isolated inliers at a few places to the west of the Savannah River. In outcrop the McBean Formation consists of fine- to medium-grained calcareous sands, interbedded with semi-indurated grey limestone and shell beds in a matrix of marl, or calcareous fuller's earth. The formation is only partially exposed at any single outcrop and correlation of individual beds is questionable. The best outcrop of the McBean Formation is at Shell Bluff Landing on the Savannah River, in Burke County, where more than 50 feet is exposed. Other bluff exposures are down river to Griffins Landing, Burke County. Several creek valleys in Burke County extend the bluff exposures westward for distances of several miles. However, the erosional unconformity at the top of the formation, followed by large scale solutioning through overlying sediments has resulted in the absence of the unit over extensive 71 areas to the west across Burke and Jefferson Counties. Little of the McBean Formation is found to the west of the Savannah River at projected elevations where the unit is expected. Small inliers are found along McBean Creek in Burke County and at Keys Mill, three miles to the south of Keysville in northwestern Burke County. Other inliers are exposed at Kellys Pond, a few miles east of Louisville, and on the south bank of the Ogeechee River, just south of Louisville, Jefferson County. The upper Ostrea georgiana zone of the McBean Formation has been placed in the basal portion of the Barnwell Formation on the basis of a Jackson age bryozoan found associated with the oysters. The Claiborne age McBean Formation must therefore be restricted to the lower 50 feet of the calcareous exposure at Shell Bluff Landing, and the upper 30 feet considered as the basal member of the Barnwell Formation. Elsewhere, at Griffins Landing on the Savannah River, at Keys Mill, and near Louisville, the in liers of the McBean Formation, all of which contain Ostrea georgiana, may actually be the basal member of the Barnwell Formation also. This is sup ported by the fact that at Griffins Landing and Keys Mill the oysters are imbedded in a matrix of greenish fuller's earth which is characteristic of the Twiggs Clay (the basal member of the Barnwell Formation). Barnwell Formation (Jackson Group) The Barnwell Formation rests unconformably on the eroded surface of the McBean Formation and the Tuscaloosa Formation, and on the Piedmont rocks where it overlaps the older sediments. Both the underlying Tusca loosa Formation and the overlying Hawthorn Formation are often difficult to differentiate because of leaching and slumping along the formational contacts. However, the typical red, argillaceous Barnwell sands are unmistakable when undisturbed. The Barnwell Formation is undifferentiated except for chert beds found in its upper part, and the Irwinton Sand and the Twiggs Clay members near the base. Most of the massive portions of the formation show little or no stratification and only local cross-bedding. There are varicolored streaks and thin lenses of clay throughout the unit, but these features are sporadic and follow no pattern. The cherts in the upper part of the Barnwell Formation are composed of a silicified limestone containing abundant macro fossils and coquina zones. The cherts are usually vitreous and yellow, but leach out to white or tan and are often capped with a few feet of limonite. Extensive slumping and solutioning has taken place within the chert horizons because of which they are discontinuous and difficult to follow over large areas. Two chert layers are in western Burke County. The lower chert pinches out in western Burke County. The upper chert continues along strike into Jefferson County, and up-dip into Glascock, Warren, and Richmond Counties. The up-dip facies of this shell horizon thins gradually to a few feet and grades into a fossiliferous sandstone. The relatively thick cherts in central Burke and Richmond Counties (up to 20 feet thick) appear to be the seaward facies of thin beach zones that were spread over large areas between deposition cycles of the massive sands and clays of the Barnwell Formation. 72 The Twiggs Clay member at the base of the Barnwell Formation contains Ostrea georgiana at Shell Bluff Landing in Burke County and also at inliers in western Burke County and central Jefferson County. Usually the exposed clay is a green hackly fuller's earth sparsely interbedded with thin layers and lenses that contain varying amounts of sand. The greatest thickness is attained at Wrens, in Jefferson County, where 35 feet is mined by the Georgia-Tennessee Mining and Chemical Company. The clay is present as large lenses and beds that thin gradually into Glascock and Richmond Counties. The clay was apparently removed, or never deposited, over large areas just south of the Fall Line. It is absent at expected elevations over large areas of McDuffie, Warren, Columbia, and Richmond Counties. Elongate oval lenses, delineated by shallow auger holes in the Wrens area, suggest shallow lagoonal deposition. The long axes of the ovals are oriented parallel to the regional and the ends of the lenses show a gradual thinning of the clay which suggests that the lagoonal deposits were discontinuous. Another member of the Barnwell Formation is the Irwinton Sand that commonly overlies the Twiggs Clay. The Irwinton Sand is typically composed of light-colored, fine- to medium-grained sand, interbedded with thin layers of light tan, or grey clay. This unit is persistent over several counties from Glascock to Richmond and extends as far down-dip as central Jefferson County, but is difficult to recognize in Burke County. The Irwinton Sand is not present over large areas suggesting that it was also deposited in discontinuous lenses. It was not deposited anywhere in the southern part of the CSRA. Ocala Limestone The Barnwell Formation grades down-dip into the Ocala Limestone. This seaward facies of the red sands does not crop out anywhere within the CSRA, but is penetrated by numerous shallow wells in the southern counties. Well samples show that the limestone is relatively pure and contains macro and micro fossils identified as Jackson age. OLIGOCENE Cooper Marl The Cooper Marl, long thought to be a seaward facies of the lower Barnwell Formation, has been placed in the basal Oligocene on the basis of an Oligocene pelecypod and associated fauna. The formation is exposed at Magnolia Springs in northern Jenkins County; this is the only outcrop of the Cooper Marl in eastern Georgia. The unit consists of a cream-colored sandy limestone containing sparse macro fossils, mainly small pelecypods and gastropods. It has been suggested that the lower Jackson sediments underwent extensive erosion and most of the Cooper Marl was removed .. This seems to be the case since the outcrop and the surrounding sinkhole terrain appears as an anomalous feature in this part of the coastal plain. The same stratigraphic position is occupied by younger sediments in all directions from Magnolia Springs. 73 Suwannee Limestone The only Suwannee Limestone exposed in the CSRA is in southeastern Burke County and the north-central part of Screven County, where it crops out along Brier Creek and the Savannah River. The up-dip exposures along ~rier Creek in Burke County consist of dense, vitreous, fossiliferous chert. It grades southward into semiconsolidated, rather pure, fossiliferous limestone in Screven County. The Suwannee Limestone unconformably overlies the Barnwell Formation, but the contact is nowhere distinct due to solutioning and slumping. The chert portions of the upper part of the unit seldom reach 10 feet in thickness and are found only as scattered outcrops along a general elevation. In Screven County, at the intersection of ::?. :'.:21:' 'Creek and Beaverdam Creek, a bluff identified as Suwannee Limestone shows over 25 feet of limestone above creek level. An extensive sink hole area extends for several miles to the north along the Brier Creek floodplain. Some of the sediments at the same general elevation, and immediately adjacent to the sink hole area, appear to be part of the overlying Miocene. This suggests that the upper surface of the Suwannee Limestone underwent erosion before deposition of the younger sediments. This would account for the presence of isolated remnants of the limestone in the same manner as in the Cooper Marl. Water wells within the sink hole area show that the total thickness of the Suwannee Limestone can exceed 50 feet. The lower part of this thickness is a series of interbedded loose shells and calcareous sands, unlike the upper massive part which is exposed in the bluff on Beaverdam Creek. MIOCENE Hawthorne Formation The Hawthorn Formation is the most widespread surface unit. It covers all of the southern counties, Emanuel, Jenkins, and Screven, extends half way up into Burke County to the East, and forms outliers as far north as Glascock County to the west. The formation consists largely of mottled, compact, yellow, tan, and orange, argillaceous sands that are remarkably uniform over long distances. Much of this "sameness" is the consequence of saprolitization, in situ weathering in a subtropical climate. Minor differences in sand content, color, and general appearance are noticeable over distances of several miles but follow no systematic pattern. In most of the Hawthorn Formation bedding is not distinct. Notable exceptions are the indurated sandy clay horizons that persist across Emanuel, Jenkins, and western Screven Counties, and local thin lenses and beds of grey friable clay and green and tan sandy fuller's earth. These clays are sporadic in distribution. The formation thins northward from a thickness of about 150 feet in the southern counties to a featheredge in central Burke and northern Jefferson Counties. 74 RECENT SEDIMENTS The recent sediments are gravels, sands, and clays which have been deposited on the modern landscape. Recent gravels are common in the Fall Line area, both as stream deposits and as high-level terraces resting directly on the Piedmont rocks. These gravels are derived from the weathering Piedmont surface and from pre-existing coarse sediments of the Tuscaloosa Formation. They are composed of rounded to sub-angular pebbles, and rounded cobbles several inches in diameter, usually in a matrix of unconsolidated coarse angular sand. Other gravels occur as thin sporadic deposits that have been let down from overlying units by erosion, or washed downstream and superimposed on the modern landscape by earlier streams. These gravels are found mostly south of Glascock and Richmond Counties, and are best developed in central Emanuel County where they are traceable over distances of several miles and attain thicknesses of more than 20 feet. 'The gravels are well rounded and range in size from a quarter inch to more than 3 inches. They are sometimes consolidated in a matrix of reworked sand and clay and appear to be part of the underlying Miocene deposits. The coarse sands near the Fall Line become progressively finer in a coastal direction and also more extensive. All major stream valleys are lined with varying qualities and thicknesses of alluvial sand. Some floodplains contain local beds of relatively pure sand with little or no organic material. Other flood-plains widen into swampy areas where the sands are masked by decaying organic matter. Much of the upper surface of the Hawthorne Formation has leached to a find-grained, grey to tan sand that thinly mantles large areas. In Emanuel County these sands are exceptionally well developed and have been concentrated in massive ''drifts" along the eastern sides of the major streams. The drifts are often more than 15 feet thick and a mile wide. They extend along the entire eastern banks of the larger streams. They show little or no stratification or cross-bedding; possibly they have lost these features through postdepositional reworking and slumping. The position of the drifts with respect to the streams suggests that strong prevailing southwesterly to westerly winds moved the fine sands from the stream beds during dry periods. Extensive gravel deposits are in the same area. Much residual sand and gravel from the weathering surface of the Hawthorn Formation and other units upslope could have been carried into the streams during wet periods; the sand might have been winnowed from the stream beds during dry periods. The sand rims of the Carolina Bays are a particularly interesting type of recent sand depo'sit. The bays are well developed in Burke, Jenkins and Screven Counties. They are most extensive along the eastern side of Screven County, Over 60 major depressions, as much as a mile in length, are in thfu area (see Figure 91.). All are oval or elliptical, filled with shallow water, usually have cypress growth, and usually have partial rims 2' -8' high on the southeast side composed of unconsolidated tan to white angular sand, 75 medium- to coarse-grained. Two different origins have been postulated for the bays and their partial sand rims. One postulate is a meteor shower striking the surface at a moderate angle from the NW, throwing up a sand rim on the SE side. The other is artesian water flowing upward out of sink holes in the underlying calcareous units, and depositing the sand rims on the downslope side of the sinks as water and sand flowed over the edge. The only recent clay deposits of size are in the floodplain terrace of the Savannah River near Augusta in Richmond County. The clay is part of a continuous terrace deposit up to 80 feet thick and is composed of interbedded plastic clays, channel sands and gravel. The terrace averages 2 miles in width and extends for several miles along the S~vannah River floodplain in Richmond County. 79 Previously Reported agate amethyst andalusite asbestos barite carnelian chalcocite chalcopyrite chromite diamond feldspar galena gibbsite goethite gold hematite ilmenite kaolinite kyanite magnetite muscovite opal pyrite psilomelane pyrolusite pyrophyllite quartz rhodochrosite rhodonite rutile scheelite sericite sphalerite talc TABLE 18 - Economic Minerals in the CSRA Previously Mined Being Mined in 1965 Potentially Minable amethyst chalcocite chalcopyrite galena gold kaolinite kyanite magnetite gold kaolinite kyanite pyrolusite rutile sphalerite chalcocite chalcopyrite chromite feldspar galena gold kaolinite kyanite pyrite pyrolusite pyrophyllite quartz rutile sericite sphalerite talc 77 MINERAL RESOURCES SUMMARY Thirty-four economic minerals previously have been reported in CSRA (Table 18). Ten of them have been mined. Twelve industrial rocks have been reported (Table 19) of which ten have been mined. TABLE 19 - Industrial Rocks in CSRA Previously Reported buhrstone clays (miscellaneous) fuller's earth granite gravel kaolin limestone (marl) peat phyllite (sericite) "quartzite" sand serpentine Previously Mined ' Being Mined in 1965 Potentially Minable clays fuller's earth granite gravel kaolin limestone (marl) peat phyllite (sericite) "quartzite" sand serpentine clays fuller's earth granite gravel kaolin peat phyllite (sericite) "quartzite" sand clays fuller's earth granite gravel kaolin limestone (marl) peat phyllite (sericite) "quartzite" sand serpentine The industrial rocks and minerals are listed by county in Table 20. The locations of mines and prospects are shown on Plate 2. AMETHYST Amethystine quartz has been found at six localities. Locality 1 Warren County-- J. B. Ivey Property, five miles southwest of Warrenton, between Ga. Hwy. 16 and the Mayfield Road. A hundred yards west of Mr. Ivey's house a shallow wash cuts across a cultivated field. There quartz crystals are abundant in the residual soil overlying granite saprolite. Their size varies from a fraction of an inch to greater than two inches in diameter; they are colorless, white, 78 TABLE 20 - Industrial Rocks and Minerals in CSRA, by Counties. (An asterisk marks those being mined in 1965). Bur.ke agate chalcedony diamond goethite kaolin limestone opal peat *sand & gravel Columbia amethyst asbestos chalcedony chromite *clay (brick) clay (refractory) feldspar fuller's earth goethite granite kaolin *"quartzite" sand & gravel serpentine talc Emanuel goethite peat sand & gravel Glascock clay (refractory) fuller's earth goethite kaoiin phyllitt' sand {; gravel Jefferson buhrstone carnelian *fuller's earth kaolin limestone limonite sand & gravel Jenkins limestone limonite peat phosphate l.incoli1 amethyst andalusite barite chalcocite chalcopyrite galena gibbsite goethite gold hematite ilmenite kaolin *kyanite pyrite pyrolusite pyrophyllite quartz crystai rhodochrosite rhodonite rutile sphalerite McDuffie chalcopyrite fulleri s earth galena goethite gold *kaolin pyrite pyromorphite sand & gravel scheelite Richmond *clay (brick) *clay (refractory) *crushed stone glass sand goethite *kaolin opal *Phyllite *sand & gravel -Wa-rre-n *crushed stone gold *granite *kaolin phyllite *sand & gravel sericite Wilkes chalcocite chalcopyrite galena *gold *granite kyanite muscovite quartz crystal sericite sphalerite vermiculite Screven glass sand limestone limonite opal *peat phosphate sand & gravel Taliaferro gold magnetite pyrolusite vermiculite 79 pale-gray, and amethystine; light-purple to pink crystals are abundant. Most of the crystals are fractured or contain translucent portions. The best specimen collected is a broken but unfractured pale purple crystal measuring 4" x 2" x 1". These are all residual crystals; no effort has been made to expose the underlying veins (?). In-place crystals would probably be less fractured and deeper in color. Locality 2 McDuffie County - In pastureland and gullies about 1500 feet northeast of the junction of Little Germany Creek with Germany Creek in northeastern McDuffie County are amethystine quartz crystals. They are mostly fractured, partly translucent, light- to medium-purple. The underlying country rock is a medium-grained biotite-muscovite granite. No vein is exposed. Locality 3 McDuffie County -- A vein of amethystine quartz crystals is exposed along a recently constructed by-pass road southeast of the Ga. Hwy. 150-I20 overpass about five miles northeast of Thomson. The vein is on the south bank of a newly cut road. It is 6"-14" thick and is expused for 5 feet. Feldspar and massive white to pale amethystine quartz constitute the central portion. The crystals are rarely fully developed, are 1"-4" long and ~"-2'' thick. Some have a single termination; others are attached along the prism and are doubly terminated. The color is pale purple to white, generally cloudy; a few specimens are transparent and lighter in color. The country rock is a granitic layer in biotite gneiss. Locality 4 In southwestern Wilkes County, 0.6 mile southeast of Tyrone, residuum from a small body of coarse-grained granite has been used for road surfacing. Amethystine quartz, mostly pale purple vein material, is widely scattered over the borrow area. Several thin veins were found in place; these contained small light-colored crystals, mostly less than an inch long. Locality 5 In northwestern Wilkes County near Jackson's Crossroads, a few hundred yards north of Clifford Grove Church, amethyst occurs in a mediumgrained granite. Exposures along a gullied woods road show definite vein walls from which small amethyst crystals project. The crystals are of 80 fair quality, with good terminations. Locality 6 In west-central Wilkes County, 2.5 miles northwest of New Town, amethyst is found in medium- to coarse-grained granite saprolite. Residual crystals are scattered about a shallow borrow pit. Several crystals have been obtained from small pockets several inches across in the saprolite. The crystals are bluish violet to deep purple, mostly unevenly colored, the terminations most intensely colored. Many of the crystals are doubly terminated. Tinywire-like inclusions of hematite (?) oriented normal to the crystal faces are common. Several deep purple, unflawed gem stones have been cut from amethyst collected at this locality. Other Localities White (1849, p. 383) mentioned amethysts on the Hogan Plantation 6 miles from Limestone. Stephenson (1878) reported amethysts on the south side of Little River above Raysville. Neither reported occurrence was verified. Mr. David Edwards of Crawfordville in Taliaferro County submitted a pale amethyst crystal from the property of Mr. Fred Lundsford, Route 1, Crawfordville. Miss Gwendolyn McLendon, 220 Lexington Ave., Washington, Wilkes County, submitted several pieces of deep purple amethyst from near Tignall (exact locality not remembered). !1,ining Gemstone mLnLng is usually a speculative venture. Erratic distribution and variable quality make prospecting difficult. Usually, mining is begun where there are exposures of good material and is continued until the gem quality material plays out and the optimism of the miner is exhausted. Occasionally, pockets of high-grade material are found, in which case a small operation can be very profitable. In all the occurrences reported above the amethysts are found as residual crystals in granite saprolite. They originated in open fractures and vugs where they grew from the walls into the open spaces. Subsequent deep weathering transformed the granite to saprolite and freed the crystals. Where erosion has exposed amethyst crystals at the surface they are commonly bleached to pale purple or pink. 81 A simple way to process the amethyst-bearing saprolite would be to mine it hydraulically and flush it through a set of shaking screens: a coarse screen to scalp off the oversize rock fragments and a finer screen with a mesh opening of about one quarter inch to retain the gem size fraction. One water giant could be used to flush the saprolite to the screen; a smaller jet of water could help to wash the material through the screens. Material retained by the screens would be hand picked. Operators of small gem mines usually separate the newly mined material into three catagories: gem material from which unflawed gems might be cut, specimen material not adaptable to cutting but attractive enough to be valued by collectors; and pound material of low commercial value. Prices Crude gem stone prices vary widely and are determined by the size and quality of the individual specimens as well as the popularity of the material at the time of the sale. Much of the gem trade is handled on the basis of barter between hobbyists or part-time lapidarists and is outside ordinary commercial channels. Professional gem and mineral dealers ordinarily are interested only in the highest quality material. The price of amethyst is determined by its size, color, freedom from defects and the usual rules of supply and demand. High-quality uncut amethyst might bring $2.00 a carat ($2268.00 per pound) or more. Ordinary amethyst sells for much less. Gemstone mining offers a possibility of rich returns on a small investment if successful, but a low probability of success. BARITE Barite is usually light colored but may be gray or brown. It is heavy, with a specific gravity of 4.3-4.6, and has the formula Baso4 . The principal industrial uses stem from its high specific gravity. The principal use is oil well drilling mud. Barite is also used as an inert mineral filler in paper, rubber, cloth, linoleum, and oil cloth, as a filler and pigment in paint, and in the manufacture of glass and various chemicals. The average price per short ton of primary barite in 1963 was $12.51. Commercial deposits are found (1) in beds or masses, as replacements in limestones, dolomites, shales, or other sedimentary rocks; (2) as a gangue mineral in veins; or (3) as residual deposits derived from the weathering of barite-bearing rocks. 82 Occurrence in CSRA Barite appears in the alluvium in west central Lincoln County, mainly along Soap Creek which drains the old Magruder Mine area but also along Florence Creek, Dry Branch Creek, which is southeast of Lincolnton, and in the headwaters of Gray's Creek. It appears in Wilkes County, 4 miles southeast of Washington on Rocky Creek, and in McDuffie County, about 7 miles north of Thomson on a tributary of Big Creek. Barite was not detected in the alluvium anywhere else in the CSRA (Figure 8). Barite was noted long ago as a minor gangue mineral at the old Magruder Mine. An examination of the dump suggests that it might have been a common, and locally even prominent, gangue mineral. More recently barite has been reported from Graves Mountain. As Figure 8 shows, alluvial barite is restricted essentially to one small area, where it is associated with sulfide mineralization. Both copper and zi~c anomalies have been delineated in the same area by geochemical work. While the discovery of a commercial barite deposit is unlikely, the barite is clearly associated with the sulfide mineralization. A more detailed investigation of its distribution might assist the lay out of a drilling program to test the copper-zinc anomalies. Further information on the metal anomalies and their relation to barite is in the section on SULFIDES. CHROMITE Since 1961 no chromite has been produced in the U.S., but annual U.S. consumption has averaged 1.2 million short tons, or roughly 35% of the Free World's output. U.S. chromite production has consistently fallen short of domestic requirements since 1860. Imports have come principally from Turkey, Africa, the Philippines, New Caledonia and Cuba. In 1963 the Republic of South Africa supplied 43% of imports, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland 24%, Philippines 13%, and the USSR 10% (Commodity Data Summaries, U.S. Bureau of Mines). Chromite is a stratigic mineral essential to the country's defense program and important to the peacetime industrial economy. In the CSRA chromite has been found as small black nodules and grains in the residuum overlying serpentine masses near Pollards Corner in Columbia County and south of Youngs Chapel in Wilkes County. Commercial deposits are not known in either area. Figure I 84 Mineralo~ and Geologic Occurrence Chromite is the only ore mineral of chromium. It is a heavy, black mineral with a submetallic luster and a hardness of about 5 (generally can be scratched by a knife). the composition varies. Pure averages less than 53% Cr 2o3 . cThhroemtihteeowroeutildcahlavfoerm68u%laCirs20F3e. CrM2oo4s,t but ore All primary deposits of chromite are in ultrabasic rocks, as peridotite and dunite, or in serpentine masses derived from them. The chromite may occur as small grains, nodules, stringers, or thin layers dispersed in the host rock (disseminated ore), or it may occur in tabular, lenticular, or irregularly shaped masses of great size (massive ore). As many as 100,000 tons of chromite have been mined from a single mass. Some chromite deposits are stratified: layers of massive or disseminated ore alternate with layers of barren rock. Some chromite deposits are vertical pipe-like masses. Because of its high specific gravity and resistance to chemical weathering, chromite that has shelled out of the decaying parent rock near the surface may accumulate in residual deposits or be concentrated in stream or beach deposits. A few residual and placer concentrations are rich enough to be mined. Past Production Until 1830 Russia produced most of the chromite that was used. After the discovery of chromite deposits in Pennsylvania and especially in Mary~ land in 1828, the U.S. became the principal producer. The U.S. remained the world's chief source of chromite until 1860, when the rich deposits in Turkey and Asia Minor were developed, after which U.S. production dropped rapidly. New Caledonia was the leading producer from 1900 to 1920. Rhodesia dominated the world markets through the 1920's. After 1930 Russia was again the leading producer (Lovering, 1943, p. 226-27). Chromite has been mined commercially in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Oregon, Alaska, California and Montana. The largest known U.S. deposit is the Mouat deposit in the Stillwater complex in Montana. Mining Methods and Treatment Massive or lump ore is mined by open-cut or underground methods depending on the position, size and shape of the ore body. The ore is hand-sorted from the gangue minerals and shipped without further treatment. Disseminated ores are usually mined by open-cut methods. The beneficiation of disseminated ores usually is simple because chromite is the principal heavy mineral and the gangue minerals are all 85 lighter. The usual concentration procedure involves primary and secondary crushing, ball milling, classification, and gravity concentration on tables. Sometimes jigs, heavy media, magnetic separators, Humphrey spirals, flotation cells, and electrostatic separators are used (Rice, 1957; Mcinnis, 1960). Magnetite is a troublesome mineral in some ores because it settles with chromite and may lower the value of the concentrate both by dilution and by increasing the iron content. As some chromite ores contain too much iron to be marketable, even after mechanical concentration, research was .conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Mines during and right after World War II on procedures for separating magnetite and chromite. One process involved beneficiation of concentrates by roasting and acid leaching of the reduced iron (Lloyd, R. R., et al., 1946). Another investigation developed a process for electro-winning chromium from domestic low-grade ores and involved the production of chromium sulfate electrolyte. The chromium was recovered by electrodeposition from the electrolyte (Lloyd et al., 1946; Gully, 1954, p. 31-36). Utilization The metallurgical industry consumes about 52% of the total. The refractory industry consumes 32%, the chemical industry 16% {1963). The largest metallurgical use is the manufacture of alloy steels. Chromium increases steel's hardness, toughness, magnetic susceptibility, and strength at high temperatures; it enhances resistance to corrosion, oxidation, wear friction, creep and impact. Therefore, chromium steels are used in the manufacture of armor plate, projectiles, high-speed cutting tools, transmission parts and machinery subject to abrasive action and high temperatures such as jet engines and gas turbines. Stainless steels which are practically immune to rusting and ordinary corrosion and contain from 11.5% to 38% chromium (Gay, 1957), are used for cutlery, appliances and as construction materials. Chromium is also used in the production of high-temperature, electrical resistance, and other special purpose alloys, and in chromium plating. Chromite is used extensively in the manufacture of refractory bricks, plastic ceml~nts, and ramming mixtures for the lining and repairing of metallurgical, glass-making and cement furnaces. A major use is along the slag line of basic open-hearth furnaces to separate the basic magnesite brick bottom from the acid silica brick side. Other uses include the roofs of some furnaces, and ports and other areas of flame impingement (Mcinnis, 1960). Most chromite refractories are formed into bricks. Unformed products such as new ground ore, cements and mortars are used widely for furnace patching and in furnace construction where shapes are unsuitable. In 1963, 86 358,000 tons of chromite containing 84,209 tons of chromium were used in the manufacture of refractories. An additional 10,000 tons of chromite containing 2,900 tons of chromium was used in the repair of furnace linings (Holliday, 1964). Interest has recently been focused on the use of low-silica lowlime. chrotnite in combination with high purity refractory magnesia for the manufacture of an improved refractory brick for open-hearth service (Warde, 1965). Chromite is used by the chemicals industry in the manufacture of sodium bichromate, the basic chemical from which most other chromium compounds are derived. Chromium chemicals are used primarily for leather tanning and for the production of certain pigments, for which no satisfactory substitutes are known (Rice, 1957). These chemicals are also used in the manufacture of pyrotechnics, matches, mordants, photographic supplies, wood preservatives, dry cell batteries, corrosion-inhibiting muds for oil well. drilling and textiles. Chromium chemicals are also used in the surface treatment and corrosion control of metals and in electroplating. In 1963, 187,000 tons of chromite containing 58,000 tons of chromium were converted to 130,000 tons of chemicals (sodium bichromate equivalent) by the chemicals industry (Holliday, 1964). Specifications and Markets The three principal grades of chromite are metallurgical, refractory and chemical. Metallurgical grade chromite should contain at least 48% Cr 2o3; have a weight ratio of chromium to iron of at least 3:1; be in lump form; have a combined alumina and magnesia content of less than 25%; and have low silica content (Rice, 1957). However, there is wide variation in speci- fications for actual use, and lower grades have been utilized with increas- ing frequency in recent years. Though hard lump ore is best, fines and concentrates may be used for low-carbon ferrochromium. Of the chromite used for ferroalloys in 1963 only 81% was of metallurgical grade (averaged 4o9f.2r%efrCarc2too3r)y, chromite used about grade had a 12% was of chemical grade (47.3% Cr203), about 7% was c( 4h4r.o2m%iuCm~r i2oro3n) ; r and atio 78% of of the metallurgical grade less than 3:1, 18% had a ratio between 2:1 and 3~1, and 4% had a ratio of less than 2:1 (Holliday, 1964). The principal companies purchasing chromite for metallurgical purposes are east of the Mississippi River in and near the great manufactur:l:ng centers of tho country. The principal companies located near Georgia are in Chattanooga, Rockwood, and Woodstock, Tennessee; Charleston, South Carolina; Alloy and Graham, West Virginia; and Baltimore, Maryland (Mcinnis, 1960). Domestic producers of chromium ferroalloys and chromium metal pur- 87 chase chromite ore and concentrates through American importing firms or obtain it from subsidiaries of their own abroad; for example, Union Carbide obtains most of its ore from its own mining companies in South Africa (Mcinnis, 1960). In 1963, Turkey, Rhodesia and Nyasaland, the Republic of South Africa, the Philippines, and the USSR were the sources of the United States metallurgical chromite imports (Holliday, 1964). Refractory grade chromite should be in lump form; contain not less at(hStai0nle2a)31;s%t an6C0dr%2ho; a3bv, eunt aoit more than 12% tcsomubsieneddeCpern2ods3 iron nor more than 6% silicon dioxide and aluminum greatly on p oxide hysical (Aprlo2op3e)rtcieosntdenetteromf ined from performance tests (Mcinnis, 1960). The principal companies purchasing chromite for refractory purposes are in the eastern and northern manufacturing centers and in California; there are two such companies in Baltimore, Maryland (Mcinnis, 1960). In 1963, the bulk of the chromite ore imported for the refractory industry was from the Republic of South Africa and the Philippines (Holliday, 1964). Chemical grade chromite should contain over 44% Cr 2o3 and less than 8% silica; but iron content can be much higher than for metallurgical or refractory purposes: the chromium/iron ratio is commonly as low as 1:5:1. Fines or concentrates are used in order to facilitate disintegration during the processing of the ore (Rice, 1957). The principal companies purchasing chromite for chemical purposes are in the northeastern manufacturing section of the United States; one company is in Baltimore, Maryland (Mcinnis, 1960). In 1963, chromite ore imported for the chemical industry was from the Republic of South Africa (Holliday, 1964). Prices Prices of chromite ore are determined through negotiation and often vary widely depending on the source, chemical composition and physical properties of the ore. For example, hard lumpy ores averaging 48% Cr2o3 with a chromium:iron ratio of 3:1 from Turkey have commanded premium prices compared with crumbly ores averaging iron ratio of about 1.6:1 from South Africa 4(8M%ciCnrn21os; but with 1960). a chromium: E &MJ quoted the following prices in November, 1965: Rhodesian: 48-50% 53% Cr 20C3r 2, o43-,1 3 or 3.5-1 ratio, lump ratio, concentrate $31-35* $28-29 Transvaal: 44% Cr 2o3 , no ratio $20-21.50 88 Turkish: 48% Cr 2o3 , 3-1 ratio Russian: 54-56% cr 2o3 , 4-1 ratio $29.50-31.50 $30.50-33 General Outlook The general outlook for the future utilization of chromium is excellent, especially as quality steel production continues to increase. Other countries as well as the United States will use more chromium. The U.S. Bureau of Mines in 1963 estimated that the consumption of chromite in this country in 1975 will be 2,7000,000 short tons (See Table below). Consumption of Chromite, in Short Tons Grade Metallurgical Refractory Chemical Consumption in 1964 (Warde, 1965) 725,000 410,000 180,000 Estimated consumption in 1975 (Wang & Johnson, 1964) 1, 850,000 650,000 200,000 Reserves of high-grade ore are being depleted. There is a trend toward the use of beneficiated chromite ores and the blending or substitution of one grade for another, but these trends and the research to speed them are slowing as large tonnages of quality chromite are available from the USSR (Holliday, 1964). Inasmuch as the U.S. now has no chromite pro~uction, any pinch on foreign supplies will institute a search for domestic deposits and the utilization of the low grade or marginal ores that are already known. Substitutions and Competition Magnesite can be substituted for about 25% of the chromite used in the manufacture of some refractory products. Aluminum has been used in place of chromium-plated steel for automobile trim. Titanium can be substituted for stainless steel, where titanium's strength and resistance to corrosion are sufficient, but so far the cost favors the use of the steel (Mcinnis, 1960). * per long tnn, dry basis, f.o.b. cars Atlantic ports 89 Outlook for Chromite Mining in the U.S. The low grade of most known U.S. deposits, their occurrence in small pot-type deposits or thin-layered zones, and the refractory response of some to beneficiation are obstacles to an adequate and dependable domestic supply (Mcinnis, 1960). Before domestic mining will be renewed, low-cost beneficiation and extractive processes will have to be developed, as well as economic methods for mining small pod-type deposits, low-grade disseminated ores and high-iron massive deposits unless better ores are discovered, or foreign supplies cut off. Subsidies Under the Office of Minerals Exploration of the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Government will participate in the exploration for domestic chromite by advancing 50% of the approved estimated cost with the money to be repaid from royalties on production (Holliday, 1964). Taxes As of 1959i domestic producers of chromite ore and concentrate have been granted a ~epletion allowance of 23%. Chromite in the CSRA Small nodules and grains of chromite are in the residuum overlying serpentine masses in the Pollards Corner area, Columbia County, and the Youngs Chapel area, Wilkes County. POLLARDS CORNER, COLUMBIA COUNTY Between Pollards Corner and the Savannah River are 3 large serpentine masses: Burte Mountain, Dixie Mountain, and a smaller mass southeast of and parallel to Dixie Mountain. Several smaller bodies are along a narrow east-west-trending belt just south of Pollards Corner (Figure 9). Most of the serpentine belt from Pollards Corner to the Savannah River has been covered by a sampling grid. The sampling procedure ancl the method of analysis are described under GEOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATIONS. A total of 2299 samples define several chromium anomalies, all of them overlying one of the serpentine masses. Inasmuch as the analyses were made on 200 mesh soil or saprolite, coarse chromite nodules and grains as those which litter the surface locally have not caused erratic values. Chromite occurs as disseminated particles, concentrations of small 91 particles, and as veins and pods. The individual particles are generally less than 1/8" across. In the large mass south of Dixie Mountain, along a woods road, are veins 1"-2" thick and pods as thick as 3". The dissemh nated chromite may be found wherever the serpentine crops out. Coarse pieces are most abundant in the residuum along the south side of Dixie Mountain and along the large mass southeast of Dixie Mountain. The manner of occurrence and the large size of the anomalies (Figure 10) suggests that the chromite is largely disseminated. Still, there are marked heterogeneities within the anomalous ''highs" and the "highs" in the Dixie Mountain mass are roughly aligned, as though in a layer. Any one of the 36 "highs" is large enough to cover a workable deposit. The highest concentration of chromium, in the soil, is on the northeast side of Burte Mountain. YOUNGS CHAPEL AREA, WILKES COUNTY In the wooded area about 2500 feet south of the copper show at Youngs Chapel (Figure 98), abundant loose pieces and boulders of fuchsite, chromi~ um muscovite, litter an area approximately 400 feet square. Near the center of the residual fuchsite are cobbles and boulders, as large as 2011 across, of magnetite and chromite (?) in a quartz matrix; this material extends over an area 10 x 30'. A few hundred feet to the north are abundant blocks of fuchsite at a prospect pit. Geochemical samples having been collected throughout this area during the search for copper, they were analysed for chromium as well. A plot of the chromium reveals no significant anomalies. RECOMMENDATIONS Ordinarily chromite ore bodies are erratically distributed through the host rock, variable in size, and not associated with zones of alteration. Consequently they are hard to prospect. With few exceptions the deposits that have been found either cropped out at the surface or were accidentally encountered in excavations. Chromite float and residual accumulations are only rarely rich enough to be mined. The value of chromite float lies in the evidence it affords that a particular mass is chromiferous and in the opportunity it offers the prospector to trace the float back to its source. Most of the known deposits have been found by tracing float. Because of chromite's higher than ordinary magnetic susceptibility, magnetic methods of geophysical prospecting would appear to be the appropriate means for scientific search. Actually, their application has been discouraging (Hawkes, 1951), and gravimetric methods have met with more success (Hammer et al, 1945; Flint et al, 1948). ~' ' ;' ,, .-\---!'-'. Rl 'c !' .,I, I), / 93 Gravimetric surveys might be made of the 36 chromium "highs 11 that have been delineated in the Pollards Corner area (Figure 10). A handicap to gra- vimetry would be the lack of topographic maps. Ownership of the land is shown by Figure 90. Further search for chromite is not recommended for the Youngs Chapel area~ CLAYS Introduction Clay is a major constituent of the earth's crust and as such plays an important role in agriculture. It is also one of the most widely utilized earth materials. It may be used essentially in place as in road building, used in bulk as in brick making, or refined for highly specialized purposes as paper coating. It is produced and usedin everyregion of the world by many methods and for many purposes. The literature of clay and its products is extensive. Although the production and utilization of clays already are important industries in CSRA, recently there has been an upsurge of interest. Major new deposits have been discovered; several new clay processing plants are being constructed or projected. A several fold expansion of the industry in the CSRA is expected. Definition and Composition Clay is a fine-grained earthy material that is plastic when wet, rigid when dry, and permanently hard when fired. The essential constituents are very fine particles of one or more clay minerals in the micron to submicron size range. Some clays are composed of a single clay mineral, but most clays are a mixture of clay minerals and varying proportions of non-clay minerals. Clays also commonly contain (a) organic materials, and (b) inorganic salts. The latter may be tightly adsorbed or bound to the clay,or may be loosely held and therefore readily dissolvable in water as exchange,. able ions. The type and extent of impurities largely control the clay's end use and economic value. Clays vary widely in mineralogical and chemical composition. In general, those with different mineralogical compositions have different physical properties. The clay mineral composition of a clay is the most important single property determinant. The identity and percentage of each clay mineral component must be known before the physical properties of the clay can be 94 clearly related to mineralogy; even a trace of certain clay minerals may strongly influence overall properties. A small percentage of montmortllo~ nite in kaolin, for example, cart greatly affect viscosity. The particle shape, particle size, and crystallinity of the clay minerals may strongly modify their behavior. The identity and percentage of each nonclay mineral is another property-controlling factor. Non-clay minerals generally must be present in more than trace amounts to significantly modify a clay's properties, though this is not always the case. The most important eJfectp of non-clay mineral impurities are on color and firing behavior. As with the clay minerals themselves, variations in particle size distribution and particle shape of the constituent non-clay minerals may greatly influence their effects. Clay properties are influenced by the kind and amount of organic mat~ ter and the like, or as submicroscopic organic molecules adsorbed on the surfaces of clay particles, or reacted with them. Some types of organic matter enhance plasticity, whereas others tend to reduce it. Certain organic molecules may greatly change the optical and plastic properties of clay. Clay materials may sorb certain anions and cations (negatively and positively charged atoms or groups of atoms) and retain them in such a state that they can be exchanged for other anions and cations by simple treatment in a water solution. A clay carrying the sodium ion in this fashion is likely to have entirely different plastic properties from a clay which is the same in every way except that it holds calcium in the exchange position. The readily exchangeable nature of the ions and their great influence on properties, which very with their nature and relative abundance, provide an additional method of altering or controlling clay properties to suit particular conditions. All the constituents of cia~ influence its behavior and utility in one way or another, and their effects may be noticeable even when onl,y small amounts are present. Clay Mineralogy There are three important groups of clay minerals: kaolinites, montniorillonites and illites. The kaolinites are essentially pure hydrous alu~ minum siLicates. Montmorillonites are hydrous silicates of aluminum, magnesium and iron and commonly contain calcium and sodium as exchangeable ions. Illites are complex hydrous silicates of potassium and aluminum with mor~ pr less iron and magnesium. Additional information on the Mineralogy of the clay minerals is in Appendix A. Industrial Classification Clays can be classified according to their geologic occurrence, cheJnical composition, crystal structure, or uae. The statistical classification 95 of the Bureau of Mines, as published in the Minerals Yearbook, can serve as a simple industrial classification based on use (Klinefelder and Hamlin, 1957, p. 5): Classification Mineral Type Kaolin Kaolin Ball Clay Fire Clay Bentonite Kaolin +Montmorillonite Diverse Mixtures Montmorillonite Fuller's Earth Miscellaneous Clays Montmorillonite Diverse Mixtures Coating, filler, refractories, pigment, ceramics, alumina, cement Ceramics, refractories Refractories, ceramics Drilling muds, foundary molding clay, filler, and miscellaneous uses Absorbents and miscellaneous uses Ceramics, cement, light-weight aggregate Kaolin Kaolin is a white, slightly plastic, nearly pure commercial clay composed of the mineral kaolinite. It is refractory, chemically inert, has a soapy appearance and a smooth, grit-free, slightly slippery feel. When dry it is soft and readily crumbles to a powder. When mixed with several times its volume of water it forms a clay-water suspension that with gentle shaking remains fluid almost indefinitely. The dominant properties are (1) whiteness, (2) fine particle size, (3) platy mineral habit, (4) high purity, and (5) ready dispersion in water to high solids slurries. This unique combination of properties differentiates kaolin from all other clays and accounts -- with low price and availability -- for its wide use in a variety of modern industries. All the major end uses of kaolin are critically dependent on one or more of these properties. The largest outlet for kaolin, paper coating, depends upon all the above properties. The kaolin produced for this outlet is carefully refined to rigid standards of whiteness, particle size and viscosity, during which the purity of the kaolin is usually raised to 98-99%. The end use of the kaolin from a given deposit is controlled largely by the purity and particle size of the kaolin in the natural state. Only crude clays which meet certain minimum standards can be economically refined and treated; highly refined products require higher purity crudes than less refined products. Good grades of kaolin have a relatively uniform chemical composition. They contain 37-40% alumina, 45-55% silica, up to 1% ferric oxide, 0.5-1.5% titanium dioxide, traces of the alkalies and alkaline earths (lime, magnesia, soda, and potash), and 8-15% loss on ignition or chemically combined water (Agnello, 1960). A typical high grade kaolin has about 39% alumina, 45% silica, 13% water and 3% impurities. 96 The properties of kaolins with similar chemical compositions may vary markedly with slight differences in impurities and variations in particle size and crystal perfection. While kaolins are characteristically white, they may be light gray, cream or yellow due to organic, ferruginous or titaniferous impurities. Organic matter imparts a gray or darker color to the raw clay, but it fires white as the organic matter burns out. Titanium minerals give the raw clay a yellowish tint, and the fired clay a bluish-gray tint. In orderto burn white, a raw kaolin must contain less than 1% ferric oxide (Smith, 1929; Cleveland, 1957). The interaction of kaolin with water is one of its most unique and useful properties. Refined grades can be formed into flowable water suspensions containing up to 75% kaolin by weight. This property is of paramount importance in the paper coating outlets; smaller percentages of water (30% or less) render kaolin plastic when worked. The percentage of water necessary to develop optimum plasticity during working is referred to as water of plasticity. Green strength and drying strength are directly related to the amount of water present. The fusion temperature or refractoriness of kaolin is generally high, The vitrification range -- the temperature interval between the beginning of development of a vitric bond and gross fus:Lon- is long. Utilization and Specifications Of the 3,163,573 short tons of kaolin consumed in the United States in 1963, 33% were used in paper coating, 19% in paper filler, 21% in all other fillers, and 9% in the manufacture of refractories (Cooper, 1964). Thus the paper industry consumed 52% of all the kaolin used. During the last decade the paper industry has consumed more than half of the kaolin used in this country. Uses and potential uses of kaolin are discussed in greater detail in Appendix B Mining Prior to mining, a deposit is prospected, usually with rotary drills which take 3-inch diameter cores. The initial prospecting typically involves one hole per 600 feet along a square grid. The driller fish-tails through the unconsolidated overburden and cores only when clay is encountered. After the initial grid drilling, closer-spaced holes are drilled to more accurately delineate the deposit and obtain samples for tests. The prospecting fixes the size, shape and attitude of the clay body, the thickness of overburden, and the quality of the crude clay. The attitude is particularly useful in selecting the mine opening to insure satisfactory drain~g~ of the workings. Rotary drills are used to outline both the mining reserves and sites for the disposal of stripped waste. 97 Clay thickness ranges from a few feet to about 50 feet, in Georgia. The overburden ranges from about 10 feet to more than 100 feet in exceptional cases. Open pit mLnLng is used almost exclusively. The overburden is stripped by mechanical shovels, drag lines, elevating graders, tractor and pan, or bulldozer. The kaolin is mined from the open pits by pan scraper, drag line, or power shovel, and transported either by trucks, large semi-trailers or, in some cases, narrow gauge railroads to the plant where it is dumped into large covered storage sheds. Some producers prepare the crudes intended for water washing into slurry form at the mine and pump the slurries through pipe lines to the processing plant. The kaolin as mined is dropped directly from the drag line into a blunger which chews the kaolin into small lumps and mixes it with water and dispersing chemical to form a slurry. From the blunger the slurry is pumped to settling boxes and screens which remove the "grit", material coarser than 44 microns. The degritted slurry is pumped up to several miles to large storage tanks at the processing plant. Processing Two basically different processes are used: a dry process, Air Flotation, and a wet process, Waterwash. The dry process is simpler. It yields a lower cost, lower quality, and generally lower priced product than the wet process. DRY PROCESS This is primarily a drying and pulverizing operation and results in little beneficiation of crude clay other than elimination of most of the oversize particles. An air-flotation plant consists essentially of rotary type dryer, a high side Raymond Roller Mill with whizzer separator, a cyclone collector and vin, and a conveyor to move the finished product to storage or car. The crude clay containing 20-25% moisture is crushed to gravel size and fed continuously into a rotary dryer from which it emerges with a moisture content of 1-2%. The dried clay is elevated to a storage vin which feeds directly to the Raymond Mill. Pulverization is accomplished by the centrifugal pressure of the mill rollers exerted against a bull ring. The particles of desired fineness are lifted from the grinding chambers by air currents, while the coarse particles are rejected from the upward stream by whizzer type separators. The air classification removes all but a small percentage of the particles coarser than 325 mesh (44 microns), which consist mostly of coarse kaolin particles, quartz grains and flakes of mica. Two types of airfloat clays are produced: hard and soft. The hardness or softness is determined by the fineness or surface area of the crude clay prior to processing. Hard clays have a surface area greater than 20 square 98 meters per gram. They impart high green strength to rubber moldings; they cure slower but give higher abrasion resistance. Soft clays have a surface area less than 20 square meters per gram. The inherent fineness and grit content determine the suitability of a clay for dry processing; the whiteness of the crude must be satisfactory because dry processing does not allow a chemical bleach. Airfloat clays are used primarily as fillers for rubber and paper, but also in certain ceramic applications, as an ingredient in fiberglas and as an insecticide carrier. WET PROCESS The suitability of kaolin for premium outlets and its economic value are largely determined by the level of impurities in the crude and their ease of removal. Deleterious impurities commonly found in crude clays are quartz, iron, and titanium minerals, and other clay minerals such as montmorillonite and illite. Wet processing methods are capable of beneficiating crude kaolins which contain up to several per cent of each of these impurities. In addition, the wet process allows control over particle size and rheological properties (Feld et al, 1960), allows chemical bleaching to the desired brightness. Crude kaolins of variable quality can be wet processed to a uniform product with predetermined physical and chemical properties. The principal steps of wet processing are crushing and blunging to a dispersed state, size classification, bleaching, flocculation, and drying, Additional steps are added to produce special products. Where the kaolin is blunged at the mine, it is pumped to the plant and held in the dispersed state in large terminal tanks. When the kaolin is delivered to the plant as a solid, it is fed to screw-type crushers and mill feeders which break the clay down and yield a uniform feed to which water and a chemical dispersant are added at the blunger. The common dispersants are sodium polyphosphate, sodium silicate, and calgon. The freeflowing dispersion or slip from the blunger, possibly after screening and blending, is fed by centrifugal pumps through a network of wet cyclones. The underflow rejects from the wet cyclones --a 45% solids mixture of clay, q~artz sand, coarse mica and small agglomerated masses -- is watered down to 20-30% solids and passed through a second battery of wet cyclones, which boost the initial recovery of usable fine clay particles. The waste underflow from the secondary wet cyclones is funneled off to holding ponds for classification of the water by settling, after which the water is recycled into the mill stream (Agnello, 1960). The overflow-- about 60% below 2 microns --.from the first battery of wet cyclones passes through 2 stages of smaller wet cyclones, which remove about 97% of all material coarser than 200 mesh. The slip then flows through 250-mesh vibrating screens whi.cp filter out virtually all the fine mica and other 1esidue above 250-mesh. The bulk of the slip is then pumped to an outdoor open tank farm for further particle-size classification. In the large tanks, the slip is allowed to fractionate, or differentially settle, to the desired particle size range, after which slip is drawn off the top and flocced or bleached. The fractionation procedure outlined above is but one variant of the general size 99 classification step, Fractionation can be accomplished by a variety of combinations of large settling tanks, hydroseparators and centrifuges. In the bleaching operation, the purpose of which is to improve whiteness, the kaolin slip is acidified with sulphuric acid to a pH of about 3 and either zinc or sodium hydrosulfite added. By this treatment insoluble iron oxide in the crude clay is reduced to soluble ferrous compounds which are removed from the kaolin during dewatering. Additional chemical treatment may be given during or subsequent to bleaching to produce the desired pH and a satisfactory coagulation of the bleached slurry. The flocculated slurry is dewatered by filter presses, high speed centrifuges, or rotary vacuum filters to about 40% water. Through rotary, apron, drum or spray drier the moisture content is further reduced to a value ranging from 8% to less than 1% to conform to various product specifications. The lump type washed clays are shipped either in bulk or in bags. Their apparent density is about 65 pounds per cubic foot. Some of the lump clay is pulverized by hammermiling to an apparent density of 35-40 pounds per cubic foot or Raymond Milling to an apparent density of 25-30 pounds per cubic foot and shipped either in bulk or in paper bags. Paper coating clays and certain other special products may be slurried and shipped in tank cars at 70% solids. Within the last five years most companies in the kaolin industry have installed spray dryers. These units are giant conical towers 60 feet high and up to 36 feet diameter, Dispersed clay slurry is atomized into small droplets at the top of the tower and dried in a stream of combustion gases to furnish minute clay beads which are free-flowing and consist of dispersed clay. The droplets from the atomizer are immediately exposed to an 80010000V airstream; they dry quickly as they fall through decreasing temperatures to the base; their residence time in the heated air column is but a few seconds. The temperature and the airflow are carefully counterbalanced to prevent calcination. The spherical particles from the spray dryer all pass 60 mesh; the average size is 150 mesh. The bulk density is about 50 pounds per cubic foot. The moisture content is 0.5-1.5%, depending on the customer's specifications. Though predispersed clays may cost a little more, initially, they save money in processing at the customer's plant (Ceramic Age, 1962) and production is rising. Most spray dryers are direct-fired, but if the products of combustion are harmful to the dried product, they can be heated indirectly. When the inlet temperature can be obtained from steam coils at available pressure the capital costs are no greater than for direct-fired equipment, but for higher inlet temperatures there is a substantial increase in capital and operating costs (Quinn, 1965). ULTRAFLOTATION The whiteness of kaolin is of prime importance for the major uses, as paper coating, paint pigment, etc. The principal discoloring impurities 100 are lec t Tio ive 2m, Fe"~o 3 iniRg; bleaching; but , and organic matt the Fe the Ti0 22o3(acnoantatseen)t er. is do e The organic matter controlled by select s not bleach. It is is avoided ive mining in particl by and es s e - which are not removed by the ordinary kaolin processing methods. Many Georgia kaolins contain about 2% titaniferous impurities which impart a light yellowish brown cast to the finished clays. A new flotation process, "Ultraflotation," developed by the Minerals and Chemicals Phillip Corporation of Menlo Park, New Jersey, is able to remove very fine anatase particles that heretofore resisted treatment (~ Sill. Engineering, 1961). In conventional dotation processes the feed ore is treated with suitable surfactants that selectively oil the grains of one or more mineral components to be recovered and cause them to stick to air bubbles, which are then floated out in a froth from the top of a flotation cell, leaving a tailing of the undesired components. When the grains to be floated are very small, as in the case of kaolin, the bubbles do not seem to have enough surface area to float the particles out efficiently (Chemical and Engineering News, 1961). Previous attempts at kaolin flotation were very wasteful as not all the kaolin was picked up by the air bubbles; often the anatase was floated as well (Ceramic~' 1963). Ultraflotation differs in 2 important ways from conventional flotation. First, the process is reversed in that the anatase particles are floated, leaving the kaolin as a tailing which can be drawn off. Second, a finely ground mineral "carrier" (around 325 mesh) is addd to the feed going to the flotation cells. The larger carrier grains collect the tiny anatase particles that ordinarily would not be collected and the air bubbles easily pick up the loaded carrier particles and float them out. The choice of a carrier depends on such factors as local availability, cost, and the pH of the system, and the optimum amount of carrier varies for each separation. The carrier can be reused a number of times without separating it from the froth. The amount of surfactant must be enough to oil both the anatase particles and the carrier. Production advantages are that the process uses conventional equipment, and ordinary flotation reagents, and can be fitted into systems on either a full or part-time basis. The first commercial application of Ultraflotation began early in 1962 in the new Minerals and Chemicals Philipp Corporation plant at Mcintyre, Georgia. Crude kaolin feed with a brightness of 83.4 after Ultraflotation has a brightness of 88.6 (unbleached). The fine kaolin fraction has a brightness of 84.1 before Ultraflotation, a brightness of 88.2 (unbleached), with 90% recovery of the kaolin, after Ultraflotation. Bleaching them raises the brightness over 90 (Chemical and Engineering News, 1961). ATTRITION GRINDING When kaolin is fractionated, the finer fractions can be processed as coating grade clay, the coarser fractions as filler grade clay. The production of filler clay frequently exceeds the production of higher priced coating clay. The demand for coating clay is increasing at a higher rate 101 than the demand for filler clay. Each 55# ream of machine-made magazine paper contains about 16.3% of coating clay, but only 4.3% of filler clay. The limited market for filler clay and fluctuations in the demand at times have caused large quantities of filler to be dumped as waste. These facts long ago indicated the need for a process by which to convert coarser filler clay to finer, higher priced coating grades. Some of the particles in the coarser kaolin fractions are firmly bonded aggregates of finer kaolin flakes. It was reasoned that grinding might break up these aggregated and thereby produce a clay more suitable for coating purposes. Experimentation has shown that attrition grinding can significantly reduce the average particle size and that the power consumption is reasonable, inview of the increased value of gound clay. The grinding process uses intense agitation of a slurry composed of the material to be ground, a fine granular grinding medium and the suspending fluid. The United State Bureau of Mines hopes to adapt the attrition grinding process to a continuous operation that can be incorporated into clay beneficiation plants with a minimum of equipment change and only minor modification of the plant's flowsheet. U. S. Bureau of Mines publications include the results of batch grinding tests (Feld et al, 1960), continuous open-circuit grinding tests, and continuous closed-circuit grinding tests (Standcryk and Feld, 1963). A process similar to that of the Bureau of Mines has been commercialized by Freeport Kaoliu. The paper industry is continually demanding new and better coating and drilling pitments. These demands have led and doubtless will continue to lead, to process modification and improvement. The patents that are issued clearly reflect the constant search for product improvement. In 1960, for example, patents were issued on a more efficient spray dryer; and a pellitizer for making spherical masses of activated kaolin. In 1961, patents were issued on ultraflotation; a process for separating clays into size fractions by subjecting an aqueous solution of clay and deflocculant to a sedimentation force several hundred times the force of gravity; methods and equipment for bleaching, flocculating, filtering, and treating coating grade kaolin to obtain phosphate or phosphate-sulfate pigments. In 1962, patents were issued on a method of producing coating grade kaolin with minus 2 micron particle sizes by sonic energy; apparatus for continuous dewatering of kaolin using a combination of orbital vibrations and rocking movements; apparatus for and methods of beneficiation involving deairing, bleaching, fractionation, and delamination (dePolo and Brett, 1961, 1962, and 1963). U. S. Kaolin Production, Consumption and Foreign Trade The United States, the United Kingdom and the USSR continued in 1963 as the leading kaolin-producing countries with outputs of 3,163,573 1,904,000, and 1,650,000 short tons, respectively (Cooper, 1964). In the United States there were about 37 kaolin producers in 11 states, but only California, Pennsylvania, and the southeastern states yielded appreciable tonnages (Reeves, 1963). Georgia was the leading producer. "' .-.!. ~-- ,., ...J..:.- ,,. ,,.,.,; .u.,.o .... J.,, l. '' : ,, . ,,., ' ,.,, ""' .,~.I, u, >' "'" , _ _,,., I -~' '.. . "''' . , ,, ''''' '' '"' '' " '"'' I ' '' ,,.1 ''~'' ' ''" ''' -C '' '"'-"'""': ~ .,.L,,..,,, 102 Kaolin production in the United States increased 6% in volume and 12% in value in 1963, setting a new production high for the fifth consecutive year. The total value of U. S. kaolin has increased each year since 1952. The average unit value for all kaolin produced in 1963 was $18.89 per short ton. The highest valued clay is from Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina; that from all other states is valued at a considerably lower rate (Cooper, 1964). Though the Unites States produces sufficient kaolin, cost and consumer preference still provide a small market for imports. In 1963 kaolin imports totaled 107,203 short tons, a drop of 4% from 1962. More than 90% of the im;.. ported kaolin (106,698 tons) was from the United Kingdom; the rest from Canada, Mexico, and West Germany. Prices paid for imported china clay in December 1963 (Cooper, 1964) '..rere: White, lump, bulk, carlots, ex dock (Phila., Pa. & Portland, Main) $23-35 per long ton. White, powdered, bags, carlots, ex dock $50 per long ton. Under the Tariff Act of 1930, kaolin is dutiable. United States' import du~ ties per long ton have ranged as follows (de Polo, 1960): Act 1930-33 $2.50 Effective Jan. 1, 1939 $1. 75 Effective Jan, 1, 1948 $1.25 Effective June 30, 1956 $1.18 Effective June 30 1957 ~1.12 Effective 8/31/65* June 30, 1958 $1.06 ~0.67 In 1963, 156,892 short tons of kaolin valued at $3.3-million were exported. Sixty-eight percent went to Canada; 8% to Mexico; 5% to Italy; Japan, Venezuela, and the Netherlands each took 3%; Argentina and Columbia each took 2%; the balance went to many other countries (Cooper, 1964). TABLE 21 - Kaolin Sold or Used by Producers in the United States (Cooper, 1964) 1962 Total short tons Value 17, 196 $ 294,202 32,326 704,145 2, 278, 284 44,655,269 527,993 6, 279, 131 142,358 1, 562,040 2, 998, 157 53,494,787 STATES California Fla. & North Car. Georgia South Carolina Other States** Total 1963 Total short tons Value 18, 941 297,989 33,178 707,123 2,489,997 50,293,883 484,757 6,622,756 2,489,997 I, 848, 523 3, 163, 573 59,770,274 Value per short ton 15.68 21.42 20.20 13.65 13~50 18.89 * Commodity Data Summaries, Bureau of Mines ** Includes Alabama, Connecticut (1963), Idaho, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Vermont, 103 TABLE 22 - Kaolin Sold or Used by Producers in Georgia, By Counties (Vallely and Peyton, 1964) Total short tons 77,806 (1) 769,036 1, 431, 442 2,278,284 1962 Vahe $ 608,060 (1) 16,142,840 27, 904,369 4't, 655, 269 Value Per short ton COUNTY $ 7. 81 20.99 19.49 19.60 Richmond Twiggs Washington Other (2) Total Total short tons (1) I, 232, 389 832,774 424,834 2,489,997 1963 Value (1) $26, 682, 124 17, 807, 996 5,803, 763 so, 293,883 Value Per short ton $21. 65 21. 39 13.66 20.20 (1) Figure withheld to avoid disclosing individual company confidential data; included with other. (2) Includes Baldwin, Floyd, Macon, Sumter, Wilkinson Counties; plus counties withheld (1). Kaolin Producers in Georgia Eighteen companies mined kaolin from eight counties in 1963. The leading producers were the American Industrial Clay Company, the Freeport Kaolin Company (formerly Southern Clays, Inc.), the Georgia Kaolin Company, J. M. Huber Corporation, Minerals and Chemicals Philipp Corporation, and the Thiele Kaolin Company (Vallely and Peyton, 1964). In Baldwin County the General Refractories Company mined kaolin for fire brick and block. In Floyd County the American Cyanamid Company mined bauxite and kaolin. In Macon County the American Cyanamid Company mined refractory-grade kaolin. In Richmond County the Albion Kaolin Division of Interchemical Corporation mined kaolin for filler and the manufacture of refractories, chemicals, and other products. In Sumter County the American Cyanamid Company mined bauxite and kaolin. In Twiggs County the Freeport Kaolin Company; the Georgia Coating Clay Company, and the Georgia Kaolin Company mined kaolin for paper, plastics, paint, rubber, and ceramics; the J. M. Huber Corporation for paper, ceramic, rubber, and other uses; and the Stephens Fire Brick Company mined refractory kaolin for fire brick and block. In Washington County the American Industrial Clay Company, the Anglo-American Clays Corporation, the Champion Paper and Fibre Company, Minerals and Chemicals Philipp Corporation, the Thiele Kaolin Company, and the United Clay Mines Corpoaation mined kaolin for paper coating and filling; whiteware, tile, refractories, plastics, paint, rubber, fertilizers, and catalysts. In Wilkinson County kaolin was mined by the Evans Clay Com- pany, M & M Clays Company, Minerals and Chemicals Philipp Corporation mostly for paper coating and filler, paint, and rubber; the H. D. Hardie Company and the Oconee Clay Products Company for fire brick, block, and other refractories (Vallaly and Peyton, 1964). 104 Major Kaolin Consumers in Georgia The Babcock and Wilcox Company in Augusta uses kaolin to produce a large variety of refractory products such as insulating fire brick, glass wool., ramming and casting compositions, and mullite refl actories. The company's kaolin is supplied by the Albion Kaolin Division of the Interchemical Corporation~ within the CSRA. The A. P. Green Company of Macon and the General Refractories Company of Stevens Pottery produce refractory brick and other refractory materials from kaolin. The Georgia Sanitary Pottery Company in Atlanta uses kaolin in the manufacture of bathroom units. The Southern Porcelain Company in Marietta uses kaolin to produce gas heater radiants (Georgia Mineral Newsletter, 1963). The following companies within the CSRA may use some kaolin in the manufacture of their products~ the Georgia Vitrified Brick and Clay Company of Harlem, Columbia County (producing brick and clay products); the Harbison-Walker Mining Company (which has a mine in Glascock County and mak~s refractories); the Georgia-Carolina Brick and Tile Company, Richmond County (producing bri.ck and hollow tile); the Georgia Vitrified Bri.ck and Tile Company, Richmond County (producing fire brick); and the M.erry Brothe:rs Brick and Tile Company, Richmond County (making a variety of structural clay products), Economic Considerations In assessing the commercial possibilities of a kaolin deposit, the first factors that have to be evaluated are the deposit's extent, thickness, quality, and uniformity. A deposit is rarely regular or uniform. It may vary both laterally and vertically. Prior to any large capital outlay, the deposit should be systematically drilled and tested. After the deposit's size, grade and position have been established, mining and processing costs can be considered. The availability and cost of power, water, and sites for waste disposal can be critical factors. Othe:r factors that relate even more specifically to the deposit likewise can be critical. For example, the overburden thickness that can be economically stripped depends on the type of overburden, the thickness of the clay, and its value, which depends partly on other mining and processing costs. Mining costs decrease as the thickness of the kaolin increases, but interlayered low grade materials add to the costs as they must be removed as waste or carefully blended. Clayey overburden is more expensive to remove than sand; an indurated overburden is even nore expensive. A sandy overburden may allow water to seep through and ~ollect on top of the kaolin to interfere with mining. If the water does n)t drain naturally from themineopening, pumping equipment has to be installel at additional cost. The transport of overburden any distance before dumping increases costs. The distance from mine to plant site should be as short as possible to miimize the haulage of waste. lOS The transportation costs that accrue to the clay before it reaches the consumer -- both the transportation of the crude clay and the transportation of the refined product -- can be more than twice the initial value of the clay. Georgia airfloat kaolin, for example, .worth $15.00 per ton might cost $20.00 per ton to ship by rail to West Coast markets. Federal and local codes and taxes are another consideration. No special taxes are imposed on the kaolin industry in the United States. Producers of kaolin are granted a depletion allowance of 15% on domestic production. There are no special laws on the mining and processing of minerals or mineral products in the state of Georgia, except those allowing for the protection of the rights of both miner and property-owner. Out-of-state concerns are under the same regulations and taxes as state-based concerns. The mineral industry is regarded as any other industry and subject to the same taxes and laws. The taxes on mining property are the same as taxes on any other land (Georgia Codes, 1965). The independent owner of a clay deposit has the choice of leasing or selling his property or mining and marketing the clay himself. Unless the clay has unique properties or is extremely high quality, it will ordinarily be difficult for an individual to develop and market. When leasing or selling the price is negotiated on the basis of nearness to transportation and market; mining cost; quality, amount, and type of clay; uniformity of the deposit; and on the immediate and future needs of the purchasing company. When a property is leased, the contract often calls for a set yearly payment aside from a royalty on each ton produced (Cleveland, 1957). Prices and Production Costs Table 23 gives the average price of Georgia kaolin sold in 1962-63, by use. AIRFLOAT KAOLIN Direct and indirect costs for producing hard and soft airfloat kaolins are estimated in Table 24. Considerable variation in costs may result from particular circumstances. These cost estimates represent reasonably efficient operation. Factors such as prevailing wage scales and the depreciation level of the production facilities can play a decisive role in the profitability of an airfloat operation. In general, kaolin airfloat operations, if independent of other operations, must be regarded as only marginally profitable. In some instances the profit margin lies within the depletion allowance, which is 15% based on the lowest selling price of the finished kaolin product. The selling prices of typical airfloat clays sold in bulk are summarized in Table 25. 106 TABLE 23 - Average Price per Short Ton of Georgia Kaolin Sold or Used, by Uses (Vallely and Peyton, 1964) Pottery and stoneware: Whiteware Art pottery, etc. 1962 $19.84 17.69 1963 $22.80 withheld Refractories: Fire brick and block Fire-clay mortar 7.69 withheld 7.65 Fillers: Paper filling Paper coating Rubber Paint Fertilizers Insecticides and fungicides 19.76 22.43 13.28 21.07 18.03 12.41 20.48 22.87 14.92 22.51 withheld 13.13 Chemicals: 15.71 withheld Exports: 22.86 24.34 Other Uses (includes those withheld): 17.37 17.98 TABLE 24 - Costs for Producing Airfloat Kaolins Cost item Cost per ton of Mining and overburden removal Royalty Hauling to plant Fuel for rotary dryer Electricity Depreciation* Labor product 1. 50 25 .so 50 .40 25 1. 25 Maintenance 75 Mis cell alieous .25 Administration, laboratory, control, etc, Selling 2.00 1.00 8. 65 * Computed on the basis of a $250,000 plant investment capable of producing 100,000 tons of product per year. 107 TABLE 25 - Carload Bulk Prices of Airfloat Clays No. 1 Hard kaolin No. 2 Hard kaolin Soft kaolin $10. so 8.50 12. 00-14. 00 Total production costs for No. 1 hard kaolin and for soft kaolin are somewhat higher than the total figure in Table The precise cost depends on the amount of crude selection needed to meet specifications, the volume of clay produced, and the amount of quality control and technical service re- quired for specific grades. In calculating profits, it is necessary 1.0 add these special costs as well as exploration costs and local, state, and federal taxes to the cost total of Table 24. The profit picture in airfloat kaolin production is relatively austere and these difficulties have been compounded by price cutting in the industry. There has been relatively little new investment in this industry during the past decade. WATERWASHED KAOLIN The production of waterwashed kaolin is a highly sophisticated refining process geared to exacting specifications. It requires careful quality control at every stage of the process from selection of crudes to the shipping of the finished product. As might be expected, plant investment for the waterwash process is higher than for an airfloat process producing the same tonnage of product. The investment necessary for a waterwash plant capable of producing 100,000 tons of finished clay per year is currently estimated at $3,000,000 to $4,000,000. Operating costs per ton vary considerably for different grades. The purpose of the waterwashing operation is production of fine fraction coating grade clays. A by-product of the operation is coarse clay which is not suited for paper coating outlets. This coarse clay residue remains when the desirable fine coating fractions are extracted from crude kaolin. This coarse by-product is sold in non premium filler outlets where it must compete in price against airfloat clays. In some instances, coarse waterwashed clay can not be marketed at all but is impounded as tailings in settling ponds. Bulk prices (1965 prices for carload lots, dry basis) and production costs for typical grades of waterwashed clays are summarized in Table 26. To these costs must be added sizeable outlays for exploration, research, technical service as well as selling costs and taxes. Nevertheless, sale of coating fraction clays is by far the most profitable item in kaolin production. 108 TABLE 26 - Selling Prices and Production Costs for Waterwashed Clays No. 1 coating kaolin No. 2 coating kaolin 92-94% minus 2r 80-82% minuS 2/t G.E.=86-88 G. E.=85-86 $3 2. 50 per ton $24, 50 per ton No. 3 coating kaolin Waterwashed filler 71-73% minus 2./1 25-35% minus 2/1 G. E.=84-85 G. E.=S0-83 $23. 50 per ton $13. 00 per ton Mining and overburden removal Royalty Conveyance to plant Blunging Centrifuging Filtering Administration, control, research and indirect expenses Drying 1. 50 25 50 50 1. 50 2.00 5.00 3. 00 1. 50 25 50 50 1. 50 1. 50 4.00 3.00 1. 50 .25 50 50 1.50 1.00 4.00 3.00 1. 50 .25 50 50 1. 50 1.00 3.00 2.00 General Outlook The demand for kaolin, especially as filler for paper and rubber, should continue to increase w~th the growth of the ceramic, paper, plastic, and rubber industries; there will be a continuing and increasing demand for better refractory materials to meet higher metallurgical, industrial, and military requirements (de Polo, 196C). Technological' improvements and new processes (as treating clays hydrothermally) will be developed to change characteristics and might open up entirely ne.w fields of use~ The inteusive research being done in surface chemistry and physics should also lead to improvements, new products, and market expansions. But even as kaolin consumption continues to increase, domestic producers will face added competition because higher do" mestic transportation costs will make imports of English kaolin more competitive with Georgia clays, especially in the northeastern part of the nation. The St. Lawrence Seaway may facilitate the marketing of English clays in the Midwest, including Ohio, where much of the whiteware industry is still concentrate (de Polo, 1960). The increased demand for kaolin already has started a large scale search for new deposits. Prospecting can be expected to continue in new areas, where discoveries might appreciably alter the present supply pattern. The high cost in money and time of evaluating clays and clay products is a major problem for both producers and consumers. Another and related problem fs the lack of widely accepted standard tests for properties such as workability and plasticity. Increased attention will be given to these problems, and to other problems, as the development of new ways to (1) economi- 109 cally reduce the grain size of the coarse fractions of Georgia and South Carolina kaolins so that a higher proportion of the clay can be marketed as coating grade, (2) recover the coarse-grained kaolin now rejected as waste, (3) recover marketable kaolin from some of the over-burden being stripped from productivE~ deposits, (4) utilize lower grade crudes. There should be expanded use of beneficiation techniques to up-grade clays and to more closely tailor them for special uses. Fuller's Earth Fuller's earth is a rock name for clays composed chiefly of the clay minerals montmorillonite or attapulgite. Small amounts of many other minerals may appear as impurities. Zeolites are occasionally important constituents. Fuller's earth is characterized by a marked natural ability to adsorb coloring materials from oils of animal, vegetable, and mineral origin. Fuller's earth varies greatly in color. It is commonly a pale greenish color, greenish-gray or olive when unweathered and brown, buff, or cream after prolonged exposure. Occasionally it is nearly white. Fuller's earth varies from non-plastic to semi-plastic and usually disintegrates easily in water. While the true specific gravity of fuller's earth is about the same as that of the constituent minerals, its apparent specific gravity is often lower due to high porosity. A cubic foot of dry ground fuller's earth from Georgia weighs little more than half as much as the same volume of English fuller 1s earth. The fuller's earth in the CSRA is composed principally of montmorillonite, with smaller and variable percentages of illite, kaolinite, and locally cristobalite. Utilization and Specifications The principal use of fuller's earth during the early half of this century was the clarification or bleaching of oils, Much of the oil filtering market was lost to activated bauxite during the 1930's. The increased use or hydrogenation processes has further reduced the demand. In recent years less than a tenth of the total production is still used for oil clarification. Of the 450,000 tons produced in the United States in 1963, 58% were used for absorbent and filtering uses, 22% as insecticide dispersants, and 20% for other purposes (Commodity Data Summaries, 1964). Most fuller's earth is now used as some type of absorbent. Uses are discussed further in Appendix C. Mining and Processing Most fuller's earth is mined by open pit methods. The over-burden is stripped by bulldozer, drag line, or other earth moving equipment. Mining 110 is done with power shovel, or bulldozer, and front-end loader. The clay is trucked to the plant sotrage shed, where the fuller's earth is in the form of hard friable lumps and contains about 50% volatile matter, principally free and combined water. In general the processing is relatively simple and consists mainly of grinding, drying, sizing, and packaging. More complex processing is involved in the production of activated and chemically treated clays. An example of the mining and processing of fuller's earth in the CSRA is given in the description of the Georgia-Tennessee Mining and Chemical Company. Prices The average price of fuller's earth sold or used in 1963 was $23.27 per ton. The average value in 1962 was $22.87 per ton. History of Production in Georgia In 1907, the mining of fuller's earth began in Decatur,County, Georgia, as well as in Gadsden County, Florida. Until 1924 Florida led the nation, but from 1924 until 1935, Georgia was the leading producer. Since 1935 the production figures for the two states have been combined to conceal the total production from each (Calver, 1956). By 1942, Georgia and Florida alone produced 40% of the total U. S. tonnage; in 1952-53 the 2 states produced over 60% of the total national tonnage and over 70% of its value (Calver, 1956). By 1961 Georgia and Florida together supplied 86% of the U; S. production and 89% of its value (Buie and Gremillion, 1963). Current Production in Georgia The production of fuller's earth in Georgia is presently restricted to 2 areas: (1) the Upper Coastal Plain area, particularly Jefferson and Twiggs Counties and (2) the Southwest Coastal Plain area, particularly Thomas , Grady and Decatur Counties. In the Upper Coastal Plain the fuller's earth deposits are in nearly flat-lying strata, Eocene in age, which overlie the Upper Cretaceous kaolinbearing formation. Fuller!s earth is produced by the Georgia-Tennessee Mining and Chemical Company in Jefferson County, near Wrens, and by the Diversey Corporation in Twiggs County, at Pikes Peak, between Jeffersonville and Dry Branch. The deposits are mostly in the Twiggs Clay Member of the Barnwell Formation. The fuller's earth consists principally of montmorillonite, with lesser illite, kaolinite, quartz, and locally cristobalite. In the Southwest Coastal Plain area, the deposits consist mainly of attapulgite and are in the Hawthorn Formation of Miocene age (Buie and Gremillion, 1963, p. 21-22). lll Miscellaneous Clays Any buff- or red-burning clay used in the manufacture of heavy clay products can be classed under the broad term of miscellaneous clays. Many fire clays are grouped here. These are mined principally from shales and alluvium; in the CSRA they are mined also from weathered crystalline rocks. They are composed of varying proportions of clay minerals, sand, silt, weathered rock and mineral fragments, organic matter, and soluble salts. Utilization and Specifications Miscellaneous clays are used in the manufacture of brick, drain tile, sewer tile, conduit tile, glazed tile, and terra cotta; also in the manufacture of portland cement, pottery, and lightweight aggregate. The properties of the raw clay vary in importance with the type of processing and the type of desired end product. Important properties for most structural clay products are plasticity or workability, green strength, dry strength, drying and firing shrinkage, vitrification range, and fired color. Specifications are determined largely by the individual consumer in view of his particular end products and his method of manufacture, as his forming procedures, firing facilities, etc. Ceramic tests to determine all the possible uses of a clay can be time-consuming; cumbersome and expensive. Trial-and-error often is used to determine the suitability of a miscellaneous clay for a particular purpose. Water of plasticity refers to the percentage of water necessary for the clay to develop optimum plasticity. It is influenced by particle size, exchangeable cations, crystallinity of the clay minerals, nonclay mineral components, soluble salts, and organic compounds. Green strength refers to how well the clay in the plastic state can withstand handling after being formed. Small particle size favors high green strength; a high proportion of nonclay minerals may reduce it. Drying shrinkage is in general directly related to water of plasticity. The vitrification range is the temperature interval between the beginning of development of a vitric bond and sufficient fusion to destroy the shape of the body. A brick clay must be easily molded, burn at a low temperature (180019000F) and develop hardness and strength with minimum cracking and warping. A highly plastic clay might require the addition of sand to reduce plasticity and shrinkage. Linear shrinkage may range from 0 to 13%. Modulus of rupture may range from 50 to 1500 p.s.i. and the tensile strength from 60 to 500 p.s.i. Maximum particle size is generally not less than 4 mesh (Cleveland, 1957, p. 146). 112. Face brick requires a higher grade of clay than common brick to assure a uniform fired color, lack of warping, low adsorption, and low content of soluble salts. A higher grade also is required for sewer pipe, to produce a vitreous pipe of high strength and low porosity. Brick clay is commonly mixed with refractory clay to obtain the requisite properties. Miscellaneous clays used in cement should contain less than one percent magnesia and one percent total alkalies. Fired color is important in many structural clay products. Similar color lines are maintained by mixing clays and also by the addition of mineral pigments. Mining and Processing :' Most clays are mined from open pits. The overburden is removed by bulldozer, dragline, or scraper. The clay is commonly dug by shovel and front-end loader. Bench mining facilitat~s blending to assist with quality control. The clay is usually transported to the plant by truck. The principal processing steps are crushing, grinding, blending, forming, drying, and firing. Primary crushing is accomplished with jaw or gyratory crushers, rollers, or hammermills. Intermediate grinding is commonly by dry pan. When fine grinding is necessary, it is done in Raymond Mills. Clays need to be ground finer than 4 mesh for common brick, between 4 & 20 mesh for hollow wares, as sewer pipe, and between 24 and 40 mesh for quarry tile. Special clay products m:ay require grinding to minus 200 mesh. Grinding costs may vary from 25 cents to several dollars per ton. After grinding, grading is accomplished by vibrating screens, centrifugal and air separators. Batching is accomplished by conveyor belt feeders. Most structural clay products are formed by stiff mud extrusion. Water is added to make the clay plastic, and the clay-water mixture processed in a pub mill or wet pan, then deaired by vacuum, forced through a die, and cut into blanks by a wire cutter. Clay Resources in the CSRA History of Production In 1876 the Riverside Mills of Augusta leased the Morgan Property in Richmond County and for 10 years mined kaolin. They carted it 9 miles to Augusta, used a part in their product, and shipped the rest to northern and eastern markets (Smith, 1929; Blackshear, 1931). 113 In 1900 Mr. Cal Lamar formed a stock company and purchased the mineral rights on 1,350 acres of land 1.4 miles west of Hephzibah, Richmond County. A mine was started (Albion Mine) in 1900 and has been in continuous operation since then under the ownership first of the Albion Kaolin Company, then the Standard Textile Products Corporation, the Interchemical Corporation, and finally the Babcock and Wilcox Company, which purchased the mine in 1964. The mine produces kaolin which is processed near the mine and sandy kaolin which is trucked to a plant in Augusta for the manufacture of fire brick and other products. In 1963 Babcock and Wilcox transferred its Refractories Division headquarters from New York City to Augusta, Georgia, and completed the expansion of its facilitLes for making special oxide refractories. They now produce electrically fused and sintered mullite from various alumina and silica mixtures using such raw materials as bauxite, Bayer process alumina, silica sand, and clay. In 1898 three Merry brothers founded the Merry Brothers Brick and Tile Company and started mining alluvial clay near Augusta. By 1904 they were producing 5 million brick equivalents annually, as part of a holding company, the Georgia-Carolina Brick Company. They withdrew from this company in 1920 and by 1925 they were producing 57 million brick equivalents annually. Eleven other brick companies were in the Augusta area at that time. The only brick companies to survive the depression of the early thirties were Merry Brothers Brick and Tile and Georgia-Carolina Brick Company. The Merry Brothers plant was expanded in 1935, again in 1945. By 1955 production was over 130 million brick equivalents per year; by 1964 production had increased to 240 million brick equivalents per year. The Georgia-Carolina Brick Company in Augusta was organized around 1900 and has operated continuously since then. For long periods it has functioned as a holding company and sales organization. At present the company mines and processes alluvial clay. The Georgia Vitrified Brick and Clay Company began manufacturing vitrified paving brick and sewer pipe at Campania in Columbia County about 1903. The plant obtains its clay from pits near Belair in Richmond County. The company has operated continuously since then. The Harbison-Walker Refractories Company of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, began to mine flint kaolin in Glascock County south of Gibson in 1910. The clay was shipped to pla.:"ts near Birmingham, Alabama for the manufacture of refractories, Mining continued intermittently until the early 1940's. Anniston Refractories during 1922-23 and General Refractories in 1938 mined flint kaolin in the same general area. The Georgia-Tennessee Mining and Chemical Company started producing fuller's earth from a pit near Wrens, Georgia, in 1955. Their plant is in Wrens, 3 miles from the pit. The company has experienced steady expansion. A fuller's earth mine opened in the Fall of 1955 by the Georgia-Tennessee Mining and Chemical Company 1,7 miles west of Matthews, Jefferson County, was purchased by the National Kaolin Products Company of Aiken, South Caro- 114 lina, early in 1956, but soon abandoned in favor of a new mine which the National Kaolin Products Comapny opened 1.2 miles west of Matthews. The new mine was abandoned in 1960. In 1964 the J. M. Huber Corporation opened a kaolin mine in the panhandle of Warren County. The output has been hauled to the plant at Huber, Georgia, for processing, but a new $4.5 million waterwash plant for coati~g grade clay is under construction in northern Jefferson County where the future output will be processed. During the last 3 years, considerable leasing and prospecting has been conducted in Glascock, Warren, McDuffie, Jefferson, Richmond, and Burke Counties by the J. M. Huber Corporation, Thiele Kaolin Company, Georgia Kaolin Company, Anglo-American, Cyprus Mines, and others. The Thiele Kaolin Company has opened prospect pits in the panhandle of Warren County an9 in northeastern Glascock County. Georgia Kaolin Company has opened prospect pits in southern_McDuffie County. There was speculation a year ago that the Ananconda Aluminum Company, subsidiary of Ananconda Company, and Thiele Kaolin Company would build in the area where McDuffie, Warren, Glascock, and Jefferson Counties meet a $40 million plant to produce alumina from high-alumina clays. No official in either company has yet confirmed this speculation. Current Production Kaolin sold or used by producers in Richmond County in 1962 amounted to 77,806 short tons valued at $608,060. Consumption has increased during the last 3 years, though exact figures are not available. Kaolin is-being mined also in the panhandle of Warren County. Mining is expected to start soon in Jefferson and McDuffie Counties. Fuller's earth is mined and processed at Wrens, Jefferson County. Miscellaneous clays are mined in Richmond County: alluvial clays from a Savannah River terrace near Augusta, and saprolitic phyllite from the vicinity of Belair. The 1963 production of miscellaneous clays was 604,923 tons valued at $227,300. Complete production statistics for clays and clay products in the CSRA cannot begiven without disclosing confidential information, because the num.. ber of producers is small. Some companies reveal limited operational statistics. Others disclose nothing. What can be released is in this section and in the succeeding individual plant descriptions. Merry Brothers Brick and Tile Company of Augusta employs 870 workers and uses 80,000 tons of clay in the production of about 300 million brick equlvalents per year. About 8,000 tons is fire clay shipped by rail from Cordova, Alabama. Shale clay is shipped by rail from Edgefield, S. C., kaolinitic sand from Hephzibah in Richmond County. Some of their clay is ~hipped from a firm in El Paso, Texas. Most of the clay they use in standard brick production is mined in Richmond County. 115 The Georgia Vitrified Brick and Clay Company at Campania, Columbia County, mines the clay for its own operations. The company employs about 115 persons. The Babcock and Wilcox Company supplies its kaolin from the Albion Mine at Hephzibah. About 70 percent of the mine output is used in t~e manufacture of refractories. The company employs 676 persons. The Georgia-Carolina Brick Company employs about a hundred persons. The Georgia-Tennessee Mining and Chemical Company produces more than 30,000 tons of fuller's earth, annually, from a pit 3 miles east of Wrens, Jefferson County. The company employs about 75 persons. The J. M. Huber Corporation operates a kaolin mine in the panhandle of Warren County. Kaolin Deposits GEOLOGIC RELATIONS The Tuscaloosa formation consisting of unconsolidated arkosic sands and conglomerates interbedded with clays and argillaceous sands contains the commercial kaolin deposits of the Coastal Plain portion of the CSRA. The formation is well exposed in Richmond County and is progressively overlapped by younger sediments to the west. In Glascock County, it is overlapped almost completely by the Barnwell Formation sothat it is exposed only in stream valleys. The formation extends northward into Columbia, McDuffie and Warren Counties, where it forms extensions and outliers resting unconformably on truncated and weathered igneous and metamorphic rocks. The pre-Tuscaloosa erosion surface is highly irregular. It was noticeably influenced by the crystalline rock structures. In turn, it strongly influenced the deposition of the overlying Tuscaloosa sediments. Lenses and beds of kaolin occur throughout the Tuscaloosa Formation. They vary widely in color and quality. Most of the kaolin is a cream to white color, but may be tan, gray, red, purple, and orange. The sand and mica content vary widely also, with marked changes within a given area, or even within the same lense or bed. There are many lenses of kaolin, within the Tuscaloosa Formation, particularly near the Fall Line. The extensions and outliers that extend northward into Columbia and McDuffie Counties contain numerous surface exposures of kaolin, kaolinitic sand, and balls and boulders of kaolin imbedded in sand. 116 The larger lenses and beds appear to be down-dip, usually under cover pf the overlying Barnwell Formation. More massive beds or lenses extend from the vicinity of Hephzibah in central Richmond County to the tri-corner area of Warren, Glascock, and Jefferson Counties, where extensive deposits of kaolin recently have been discovered. Thicknesses in excess of 50 feet have been reported. The lenses appear to thin generally toward the west, where reported thicknesses are 14 feet or less. Overburden varies between 30 and 100 feet. Large areas that are considered commercially workable are under lease. ALBION KAOLIN MINE Owned by Babcock and Wilcox Company of Augusta; located in Richmond County 1.4 miles west of Hephzibah. The company owns leases on 1350 acres of land. The mined area (Figure 11) covers a 1 x ~ mile area. The Albion Mine has been in continuous operation since 1900. It was owned first by the Albion Kaolin Company, then by the Standard Textile Products Corporation, the Interchemical Corporation, and last was purchased by Babcock and Wilcox Company in November 1964. The mine pit is in light-colored Tuscaloosa sands and clays unconformably overlain by the red sa.nds and gray clays of the Barnwell Formation. The west end of the working area reveals the following section: Barnwell formation Twiggs Clay Tuscaloosa formation 3' 7' 3' 91 0'-141 151-22 1 0'-16' 251 141 Sand, light brown, fine-grained, unconsolidated, weathered. Sand, red and/ or mottled, argillaceous, indurated with iron oxides. Clay, red to grey, thinly laminated, weathered. Sand, yellow to white, coarse-grained, uniform, abundant clay stringers, quartz pebbles in lower part. Clay, grey to grey-green, sandy, hackly, stringers of quartzose sand, marine borings (?). Sand, white and yellow, scattered pebbles, som<' shell fragments. Spiculites, grey to white, blocl\y, cemented with opal. Kaolin (flint kaolin), white, sandy, contains blebs of opal and silica gel. Kaolin, white (commercial bed). ------------------- "!-~~?---~ ~~~,~~~~ ,:-.:. Figure II Atl~'> MrnltllldquoriiQIOIOI 1 bo+no ol mo""' orgon01m1 to 16' 25' r- I_ 14' j ~ 2~ -Ii I SpoculoiiCSO<>dslonrwlfho;oalc...,anl Spleulile HQrd, wllilc, 1andy kaCIUn,ltlll'l blbs ot QpCII Gnd slllco Ql !F~nl l(oohn) Figure 12 118 The kaolin, and the 20-foot clay heeL above it (flint kaolin) are the only beds mined for commercial use. The other sands and clays are discard ed by backfilling. Any kaolin containing excessive sand is discarded because the plant has no equipment for water washing. The kaolin is strip mined. A dragline clears the overburden from one strip and uses it to backfill the strip just mined. The kaolin is trucked half a mile to the processing plant which is at the eastern end of the pit area. Some of the sandy kaolin and the fire clay is trucked directly to Augusta for brick manufacture. At the mine plant the kaolin is dumped into a Gleason Clay Slicer after which four grades are stockpiled for further processing. The grades depend on sand content, plasticity and other characteristics. The clays are processed by two Raymond Impact Mills, and Raymond Roller Pulverizers with overhead cyclone separator and oil-fired dryer, which forces hot air into the mills during grinding. The clays can be blended. before packaging or bulk-loading for transport. At the Augusta plant, firebricks, mortars, ceramic fibers and other products are manufactured. J. M. HUBER MINE In 1964 the J. M. Huber Corporation opened a kaolin mine in the panhandle of Warren County, east of Georgia Highway 17 and half a mile north of its junction with Georgia Highway 16 connector (Figure 13). The kaolin already mined has been hauled to the plant at Huber, Georgia, for processing. The corporation is constructing a $4.5 million plant on Gibson Road south of Reedy Creek, one mile east of Georgia Highway 17, in northern Jefferson County. After the plant has been completed in 1966, kaolin from the Warren panhandle mine and probably from others to be opened in the same general area will be processed at the new plant. The Warren panhandle mine is 4.4 miles (airline) from the new plant. GEORGIA KAOLIN COMPANY PROSPECTS Two prospect pits were opened in southern McDuffie County in the fall of 1965. They are on the Poss property about two miles east of Georgia Highway 17 at Hobbs Pond (Figure 13). The kaolin lense is more than 20 feet thick but contains some sandy streaks. Material has been removed for testing, but mining has not started. THIELE KAOLIN COMPANY PROSPECTS Thiele has opened three test pits in the panhandle of Warren County and one in northeast Glascock: (1) on the southwest side of Reedy Creek, 1.6 miles northwest of Newsomes Pond; (2) on the north side of Thomson KAOLIN PITS a PLANT SITES \ '" .~...~ GLASCOCK, WARREN a JEFFERSON COUNTIES, GA. / 119 ' ! Figure 13 T Thiele H Hubar 120 Ford Branch, 0.6 mile west-southwest of Newsome Pond; (3) 1,000 feet west of the junction of Thomson Ford Branch with Reedy Creek; (4) 1. 5 miles west of the junction of Thompson Branch with Brier Creek (Figure 13). Each test pit encountered thick kaolin in the Tuscaloosa formation a few feet below the Tuscaloosa-Barnwell contact. No mining has started. Prospecting for Kaolin The field work in Columbia, Glascock, McDuffie, Jefferson, Richmond, and Warren Counties, in particular, has located outcrops of kaolin and other clays most of which have been described before but some of which are new. The outcrops generally are poor or limited in size. Attempts to correlate the exposures and to estimate the changes in thickness and grade in the covered areas between outcrops are usually unsatisfactory. The method of prospecting generally followed in the past has been to locate areas topographically where the kaolinitic horizon is not covered by excessive overburden and to probe the kaolinitic horizon by more or less blind drilling. The field work along the Fall Line has revealed a possible relationship which might significantly reduce the uncertainty in kaolin prospecting. Along the Fall Line the crystalline rocks are shallowly overlaLn by the kaolinitic Tuscaloosa Formation. At many places the streams ha,re cut through the Tuscaloosa cover, revealing the Tuscaloosa-crystalline ;~ock contact. The elevations of the contact have been plotted at hundret!s of points. A contour map of the elevations discloses the topography oi the pre-Tuscaloosa erosion surface with a relief of 150 feet, and shows in considerable detail the courses of the streams which flowed over this old surface (Figure 14). Several lines of evidence point to the Piedmont to the northwest as the source of the Tuscaloosa sediments. The drainage during Tuscaloosa time probably supplied the sediments from which the kaolin deposits formed, and the drainage at that time probably remained largely as it had been during pre-Tuscaloosa time, though considerably different from the present. The thicker kaolin deposits at the western edge of the Coastal Plain appear to coincide with valleys or other depressions in the pre-Tuscaloosa erosion surface. The mapping shows this to be true in one major case. The new kaolin deposits being opened in northern Jefferson County and southern War~ ren County coincide with a prominent pre-Tuscaloosa valley. Other hidden "lows" on this ancient surface can be located by careful field work. Are they, too, the loci of kaolin deposits? The pre-Tuscaloosa troJLon sur[ac~~ has been mnpped 1.n southern Colulllbia nnd McDuffie Counties a1d in the extreme northern part of Rlchmc nd County. The erosion surfac~ in Warren County is largely pre-BarnweJl and post-Tuscaloosa. A dashed line in Figure 14 shows the approximate ~epara tion of the pre-Tuscaloosa erosion surface on the east from the pre-Barnwell 121 122 erosion surface on the west. In much of Warren County and on to the west it appears that most of the Tuscaloosa Formation was removed by erosion prior to deposition of the Barnwell sediments. A marked difference in the topography of the two ancient surfaces is to be noted. The pre-Barnwell surface shows considerably less relief than the pre-Tuscaloosa surface, on which the streams were moderately incised. A part of this difference in topography might relate to the underlying bedrock which consists of fairly homogeneous granites over large parts of Warren County. The tributaries in McDuffie County converge and define a major valley which extends south across the Warren County panhandle and on into northern Jefferson County . . The major commercial kaolin deposits found recently appear to relate to this ancient valley. Prominent valleys in southern Columbia County reveal a converging drainage pattern that indicates a major pre-Tuscaloosa valley somewhere between Keysville and Hephzibah. This pre-Tuscaloosa valley has not been as extensively ~respected as the one which extends across the Warren County panhandle. Reference has been made several times to the elongate and curved or sinous shape of commercial kaolin lenses and to their location at "points of lowest elevation" during Tuscaloosa time (for example see Kesler, 1963, p. 10), but the pre-Tuscaloosa surface has not been mapped previously in the kaolin belt and therefore its relationship to the kaolin deposits heretofore has not been so clear. The work represented by Figure 14 reveals one major Tuscaloosa-filled valley that has been drilled and found to contain commercial kaolin deposit~. and shows another major Tuscaloosa-filled valley where there are good exposures of kaolin and where additional commercial deposits of kaolin might be expected, in fact, might already have been proven by drilling. The data in Figure 14 were bbtained from present exposures. Tracing the surface south- ward will require drill date, but the number of holes required for a countysize area is fewer than would be required to prospect a single modest sized tract. Though much drilling has been done in Richmond, Columbia, Jefferson, Glascock and Warren Counties (more than a half million dollars spent on drilling during the last 2 years), the area is too large to be completely covered by unguided drilling. The southward extension of this old drainage surface is strongly recommended as a regional approach to kaolin prospecting in East-Central Georgia. Individual Kaolin Prospects BURKE COUNTY (See Blythe-Keysville Auger Hole Test Area under the heading RICHMOND COUNTY). Hard, light gray kaolin has been reported as outcropping at a small spring on the property of C. C. Griswold 2. 4 miles northwest of Key:wille (Smith, 1929, p. 408). 123 F<>ur auger test holes were drilled in th< general area in 1965 (Figure 15), but no kaolin was encountered. For the Logs see Table 28 . COLUMBIA COUNTY Miscellaneous Exposures Several exposures of kaolin were observed during the field work. For the location of the numbered stations see Figure 16 . Station 101 - Kaolinitic clay; gray, very silty and micaceous; exposed thickness 2 feet. Station 107 - Kaolinitic clay; gray, very sandy, silty, and micaceous; exposed thickness 4 feet. Station 113 - Kaolinitic clay; cream and purple mottled, soft; two exposures about 300 feet apart are in a railroad cut; exposed thicknesses are 7 and 3 feet. Station 140 - Kaolinitic clay; gray, stained; silty and micaceous; exposed thickness 6 feet. Station 157 - Kaolinitic clay; light-gray, massive, slightly plastic; 8' of kaolinitic clay overlain by 29' of fuller's earth. Forrest Prather Property Clay is exposed on both sides of a small pond west of a house on the Prather property. On the west side of the lake 18 feet of clay crop out in the spillway and bank; 16 feet crop out on the east side. Neither the top nor the bottom of the clay unit is exposed at either outcrop. Intermittent exposures around a small pond about 300 feet SE of the house show more than 10 feet of clay, with neither top nor bottom exposed. Flat surface exposures can be seen at the rear of the house. About 200 yards west of the house, on adjoining property, exposures measure 27 feet thick and indicate a probable thickness greater than 40 feet. The clay is gray, brittle, hackly, with thin discontinuous scattered laminae of very fine white quartz sand; there is an apparent increase in fine sand and silt toward the top of most exposures. Fossil molds and casts-- plants, gastropods, pelecypods-- are abundant in the sandy portions. The field data indicate a thick, fairly consistent clay unit of considerable areal extent; a very large tonnage with favorable thickness/overburden ration. Fort Gordon Military Ruervorion LOCATION OF AUGER TEST HOLES N BURKE ~J EFFERSON~RICHMOND COUNTIES ~~~~~~~=====~ IIIL5 1966 1 125 COLUMBIA COUNTY MAP STATION LOCATIONS 0c=:I : r:2:: : :,: r=4:: S :::J MILf:S N 1966 0 ... :. Figure 16 6 ~ z ---- Figure 17 127 Figure 17, an overlay of a portion of the Harlem 7.5- minute map, shows the location of clay outcrops and the exposed thicknesses. To test the thickness, quality and continuity of this clay body eleven reconnais- . sance ho~es ,, ~'er.e.... ,dril;l~.d. . ' during-med~-september, - 1965. The drill rig was a jeep-mounted. auger with a maximum drill depth of 40 feet. In order to sample the deeper parts of the section it was neces- sary to drill holes in a down-slope pattern. This increased the possibility of drilling slumped near-surface material. Contamination of samples as they were "wormed" up the hole on the auger also lowered the quality of the results. However, the auger holes did demonstrate: (1) A thick section of fuller's earth under thin overburden. Although at one time continuous, the fuller's earth horizon. is now cut and indented by sand-filled drainage channels. (2) The presence of kaolin with an economic thickness/overburden ratio. Further drilling and testing will be required to determine whether the kaolin is of commercial grade. Logs of the drilled holes are given in Table 27 . No. 8 hole is the most interesting; it shows 17 feet of kaolin with minor silt, 4 feet with some sand and silt, and 10 feet with mica and coarse sand. Holes 9, 10, and ll were plagued by water, which prevented proper sample return. TABLE 27 - Logs of test holes drilled on the Forrest Prather Property, SW of Harlem and NE of Boggy Gut Creek in Columbia County, Georgia. Hole No. (Drill collar elevation 475'). Depth Thickness Description 0-4 4-19 ., . 4 feet 15 feet Sandy loam, with clay; light-brown, Sandy, clayey, yellow-brown, very coarse-grained, with water. 19-23 ,, .. 4' feet Same; with clay, dark-gray, slightly silty, indicated near bottom of hole. T. D. 23 feet.. Comments.: The topography indicates an old drainage channel. Water and sand .prevented return of samples and hole was abandoned at 23 feet. Hole No. 2 (Drill collar elevation 470'). Depth Thickness Description 0-3 3 feet Loam, tan, clayey, sandy. 3-6 3 feet Clay, tan and reddish-brown. 6-10 4 feet Clay, light-tan, very silty. 10-13 3 feet Clay, light-gray, silty. 13-27 14 feet Clay, darl{-gray, slightly silty, somewhat plastic. 27-29 2 feet Clay, buff-gray, silty, slightly plastic, with fine mica and scattered coarse quartz grains. 29-34 5 feet Same, with increase in silt and sand; scattered quartz pebbles, sub-rounded, as large as 0. 5-inch diam. T. D. 34 feet Comments: Kaolinitic clay, tan and cream, sandy, silty, and micaceous, adhering to lower two feet of auger indicates penetration of kaolinitic zone near the bottom of the hole. LOCATIO~ OF HOLES DRILLED ON THE FORREST PRATHER PROPERTY COLUMBIA COUNTY, GEORGIA N K10 100 100 400 1965 r ..... ThOIN!IS J.Ctowford John Sond1 Gtoloqj Deportmlnl U_nivet~Jiy of OOt'tlo aW;n- lhnoltt1 2 _1 lJM.oo.., H"M15-.Ioldt ..,.,,.,_,, .uo ... e:=== t,Q~p,,tto.fCIMHen '\ ' lttlu-tll..-t J, ,, .....w.. ,.......~,, tIOUUINl ELEVATIONS Elevation of nuNer I holt astumtd from Harltm 7.15 mlnult topo,roph1c rM.-.19&0 E~Uion. EltveltOIIa of tueetdli'IQ holts bt hand ltnl fr'om holt numlstr I. Holt no. I Drill oollar elevation 475 470 3 443 4 .413 .4,7494 7 408 465 486 10 460 II 444 Figure 18 129 Hole No. 3 (Drill collar elevation 443'). fl<:~ 0-4 4-7 7-ll ll-13 13-14 14-33 T. D. 33 feet Thickness 4 fot"'f 3 feet 4 feet 2 feet 1 foot 19 feet Description S:liJd, t'td, mrd. !(t':.lintd, atgillaceom, licmt-co!Uiolldt.!t('d, Sand, brown, med. -grained, arp,illaceous, soft. Clay, brown-gray, soft, with fine grit; plastic. Clay, as above, but brown. Clay, buff and light-gray, earthy, semi-plastic. Clay, gray, earthy, slightly silty and micaceous. Hole No. 4 (Drill collar elevation 413'). Depth Thickness Description 0-3 3 feet Sand, tan, fine-grained, argillaceous, soft. 3-12 9 feet Clay, light-tan, silty, slightly micaceous, with clay balls con- taining no grit. 12-16 4 feet Clay, gray, earthy, slightly silty and micaceous. 16-24 8 feet. Same, but very dark-gray, with organic material. 24-25 1 foot Sand, coarse-grained, clayey, with water. 25-27 2 feet Kaolinitic clay and sand; water sand prevented sample return. T, D. 2'ild'eet Hole No. 5 (Drill collar elevation 479'). Depth Thickness Description 0-3 3 feet Sand and loamy soil, tan. 3-6 3 feet Same, with clay, red. 6-11 5 feet Clayey sand, very micaceous, light-gray and brown. Thin zones of iron-oxide cemented med. -grained sand. ll-17 6 feet Sand, red and brown, med. -grained, clayey. 17-20 3 feet Sand, coarse-grained, with water. No sample return. T. D. 20feet Hole No. 6 (Drill collar elevation 444'). Depth Thickness Description 0-3 3 feet Sand, light-brown, fine-grained. 3-10 7 feet Clay, light-tan and buff, slightly plastic. 10-13 3 feet Clay, kaolinitic, cream, hard, with sand. 13-17 4 feet Same, but softer and slightly plastic. 17-36 19 fee-t Clay, pale blue-gray, very light colored, silty. 36-4lii , I' , 5 ifeet Clay, kaolinitic, light-buff, sandy, very micaceous. T. D. 41 feet Hole No. 7 (Drill collar elevation 408'). Depth Thickness Description "0-2 2 feet Sand, gray, fine-grained, with organic material. 2-10 8 feet Sand, yellow-tan, coarse-grained, argillaceous, soft. 10-15 5 feet Sand, same, with water. T. D. IS feet 130 Hole No. B (Drill collar elevation 465'). Depth Thickness Description 0-2 2 feet Sand, brown, very fine-grained, silty, semi-consolidated, 2-4 2 feet Sand, red, as above. 4-5 1 foot Sand, with l-inch diam. iron oxide pebbles, 5-B 3 feet Clay, pink and white, no grit, B-9 1 foot Clay, red and purple, hard, very silty. 9-10 1 foot Kaolin, white, cream, and pink, no grit. 10-18 8 feet Kaolin, cream, with fine grit from 10' to 13 1, 18-26 8 feet Kaolin, cream and pink. 26-30 4 feet Kaolin, as above, with some sand and silt. 30-38 8 feet Kaolin, cream and yellow, micaceous, with coarse sand. 38-40 2 feet Same, with water, T. D. 40 feet Hole No. 9 (Drill collar elevation 485'). Depth Thickness Description 0-12 12 feet Sand, red, medium-grained, argillaceous. 12-23 ll feet Clay, tan, plastic, with some silt. 23-26 3 feet Clay, kaolinitic, light-tan, 26-32 6 feet Kaolin, cream, with some silt, Water at 26 feet prevented return of good sample. T. D. 32 feet Hole No. 10 (Drui collar elevation 4601). Depth Thickness Description 0-7 7 feet Clay, reddish-brown, sandy and silty, 7-11 4 feet Clay, light-tan and buff, earthy, some silt, 11-13 2 feet Clay, bluish-gray, earthy, with minor silt. 13-14 1 foot Clay, tan, earthy, sandy. 14.,-22 8 feet Clay, kaolinitic, light-tan and cream, with scattered coarse quartz grains. 22-26 4 feet Same, with coarse sand, water. 26-40 14 feet Kaolinitic sand; micaceous. T. D. 40 feet Hole No. 11 (Drill collar elevation 444' ). Depth Thickness Description 0-5 5 feet Sand, red-brown, clayey, medium-grained, semi-induratea, 5-9 4 feet Sand, tan and brown, medium-grained, and red-brown, with iron oxide cement. 4 feet Sand, kaolinitic, yellow and dark cream, with quartz sand and silt dominant, 13-18 5 feet Same, with abundant coarse quartz and mica. 18-22 4feet Same, with varying percentages of kaolin, Color change every 6" to 8" - tan, buff, white, yellow. 22-26 4 feet Same, with water 26-28 2 feet Kaolin, pale-pink, sandy. 28-30 2 feet Water, no sample return. T. D. 30 feet l3l Note: Elevation of Hole No" 1 ta.ken from Harlem 7. 5-min. topo. map, 1950 edition. The elevations of succeeding holes are by hand level from Hole No. l. Figure 18 shows the location of the holes by pace and compass. The nearest reported kaolin bodies are those on the Poss Property recently opened by Georgia Kaolin Company about 7 miles to the west, in McDuffie County; and that of the Babcock and Wilcox Corporation at Hephzibah, 13 miles to the southeast, in Richmond County. Recommendations. Further drilling should be carried out to evaluate the deposit. Coring should begin at Hole No. 8 to determine the kaolin's true thickness and quality. The first off-set hole should be to the west where, if the body continues under thicker overburden, staining should be reduced. If thehorizon continues to the east and south, it underlies a large area where the overburden is thin. Exposures Reported Previously Veatch (1909) and Smith (1929) reported kaolin at the following places in Columbia County: Railroad Cut East of Grovetown. About one mile east of the station at Grovetown, 5' of stained kaolin is exposed. Harlem~ At Phillips Falls, 1~ miles southwest of Harlem, 10' of massive gray itlo blui.!sh gray hard clay are overlain by 3' of interstratified sand and clay which, in turn, are overlain by 20-30 1 of blue to gray thin bedded clay-shale. The upper 20-30' of clay are in the same geological position as the fuller's earth deposit at Gravetown. Boggy Gut Creek: Kaolin crops out at several places along Boggy Gut Creek, the dividing line between Columbia and McDuffie Counties. W. S. Lazenby Property. One mile southwest of Harlem, a narrow ridge shows outcrops of very much weathered soft white kaolin. Willie Camac Property. An outcrop on a hillside on the Willie Camac property near the Georgia Railroad, 1~ miles south of Grovetown shows 1-2' of hard white kaolin. T. E. Norvill Property. One mile southwest of Grovetown on the Juniper Fork road is a bed of soft white kaolin showing in the bottom of a ditch beside the road. Outcrops at Grovetown. An outcrop on the western skirts of Grovetown shows a few feet of soft sandy micaceous iron stained kaolin. A dug well at the planing mill of the Grovetown Lumber Company is said to have struck similar kaolin a few feet under the surface, and to have passed through 16' of it. SKETCH MAP OF N SOFT KAOLIN PROSPECT 5wdmp CK COUNTY GLASCO f Glbon G~orglo 20 MIIU West o Loco:;: HIQhwoy 102 Figure 19 133 GLASCOCK COUNTY Miscellaneous Exposures The most promising area of kaolin prospects extends from the newly discovered deposits in the eastern corner of the county across the center of the county in a southwesterly direction. Most of the massive beds are covered by more than 50 feet of overburden, and outcrops are infrequent. The only good outcrops are west of Gibson "1here the following observations were recorded: Snider and Moats Properties. 0.3 mile south of Highway 102, on a dirt road that leads off of the main road at the Roadside Park, 2.0 miles west of Gibson. The exposure is on both sides of the creek; the west side is owned by George E. Snider, the east side is owned by Ralph Moats. Snider has leased his property (375 acres) to Carl Matthews of Wrens, Georgia, for 20 years at $1/acre/year, and $0.25 per cu. yard royalty on any clay mined. (Figure 19). The clay is cream-colored, massive, and contains a little coarse sand. The kaolin crops out as a single bed on both sides of the creek, but is best exposed on the western side. Overburden ranges from 5' to more than SO' along the moderately steep hillsides. Three test holes were drilled on this property, but no record is available of what was encountered. Walden Property. The exposure is at the west end of the dam on the pond of L. Gus Walden, upstream from the preceding location, on the north side of Highway 102.. ThLS property is also under lease to Carl Matthews under the same terms mentioned for G. E. Snider. The clay crops out as a single 14' bed of massive sandy kaolin with overburden ranging from 0' to more than 50'. Large tracts of land paralleling the creek would have less than 20' of overburden. A few feet of this bed is exposed 0.3 mile to the north on the east branch of the creek that feeds the pond. The property was drilled at one location 100 yards to the east of the exposure, but the log is unavailable. Exposures Reported Previously Smith (1929) reported kaolin at the following places (though many of the descriptions refer to flint kaolin, which is treated separately, they are included here for convenience). J. N. Todd Property. East of Pilcher Creek and south of Wilson Branch, half a mile east of Agricola and 2 3/4 miles south of Mitchell, the land slopes gently from a flat-topped plateau to the branch. On this slope 1012 feet above the branch is an outcrop of soft kaolin containing some grit and mica. Similar outcrops are said to show at times in the bed of the branch. Half a mile to the southeast are outcrops of a similar soft white kaolin. 134 J. C. Kelley Sons' Old Braddy Property. South of Mitchell and 3 miles southeast of Agricola in a branch flowing into the Ogeechee River is an outcrop showing 6-10 feet of hard white kaolin. W. T. Underwood Property. This property is west of the J. C. Kelley Sons' property mentioned above, but is on the same branch. Several outcrops on the slope above the branch show weathered kaolin. 1 Ellis Daniel Property. Two miles southeast of Mitchell between the Mitchell-Louisville Road and the lower Gibson Road is the Ellis Daniel property. It slopes from highland down to a small tributary branch of Joe's Creek. At the foot of the slope near the branch is a small outcrop of soft stained kaolin. On the R. L. Beckworth property 3/4 mile to the south a similar outcrop was reported. W. B. Wilcher Property. Three miles west of Gibson at the foot of the slope near Jumping Gulley Creek are several outcrops of soft white kaolin. The Davis property across Jumping Gulley Creek and the Dawson property adjoining them to the east are said to show outcrops of the same soft kaolin. Mrs. Emma Harris Property. Northeast of Gibson 1~ miles on the GibsonJewell Road soft white kaolin shows at several places on the slopes cut by two branches that flow east to Rocky Comfort Creek. J. L. Thompson's Hannah Place. One and a half miles east of Gibson and about 10 feet above the level of Beechfr,~e Creek is an outcrop of 4 feet of soft cream-colored kaolin. Tom Chalker Property. Three and a half miles east of Gibson on the Tom Chalker property, an outcrop beside the road near a creek shows 1-2 feet of soft kaolin containing considerable mica and fine sand. A.. E. Usry Property. Soft kaolin containing considerable mica and fine sand crops out at several places on the slopes above Deep Creek, 5 miles northeast of Gibson and 1~ miles west of the Savannah and Atlanta Railroad. Harbison-Walker Mining Company. On the east side of Rocky Comfort Creek and on both sides of the Railroad is a large deposit of hard kaolin and flint kaolin. J. L. Thompson's Harding Place. On the east side of Rocky Comfort Creek north of and adjoining the property of the Harbison-Walker Mining Company, 1~ miles southeast of Gibson are numerous outcrops of flint kaolin, a continuation of the Harbison-Walker Mine property. The greatest thickness is 10-12 feet. Mrs. Laura McCool Property. On the east side of Rocky Comfort Creek just qorth of'and adjoining J. L. Thompson's Harding Place flint kao~in ~raps out at several places on the slope of a bluff above the creek. 135 W. T. Kitchen Property. Between Rocky Comfort Creek and Beechtree Creek, north of the Gibson-Wrens Highway, 1~ miles east of Gibson is the Kitchen property which is said to be underlain by flint kaolin similar to that farther down Rocky Comfort Creek. The kaolin does not outcrop but was struck at a depth of 13 feet in a well at the house. The well is said to have gono through lJ feet of flint kaolin. An auger hole further down the slope from the house struck flint kaolin at 6 feet. T. E. Rhodes Property. Between the Gibson-Wrens Highway and Deep Creek, 2~ miles southeast of Gibson, adjoining the property of the HarbisonWalker Mining Company is the T. E. Rhodes property. Nearly all of the property is said to be underlain by flint kaolin. . . .J. L. Thompson's Lower Mill Place. This property lies on both sides of Deep Creek north of and adjoining the T. E. Rhodes property mentioned above, 2-2~ miles southeast of Gibson. A bluff on the west bank of Deep Creek exposes 6-8 feet of flint kaolin containing quartz sand. F. F. Thompson Property. On the east side of Deep Creek, north of and adjoining the J. L. Thompson's Lower Mill Place is an outcrop about 14 feet above the branch showing 2-3 feet of white flint kaolin. John Mays Place. On the east side of Rocky Comfort Creek, south of and adjoining the property of the Harbison-Walker Mining Company, 2~ miles southeast of Gibson are deposits which are a continuation of those on the Harbison-Walker Company property. Greenleafs Old Freeman Thompson Place. On the west side of Rocky Confort Creek, 1~ miles southeast of Gibson, flint kaolin was mined in 192223 by the Anniston Refractories Company. Old Polly Dickson Place. This property adjoins the Greenleafs Old Freeman.Thompson Place. Flint kaolin is said to crop out at several places on the edge of the bluff above Rocky Comfort Creek. W. T. Williams Property. On the west side of Rocky Comfort Creek, 2~ miles southeast of Gibson and 1~ miles east of Fellowship Church, flint kaolin crops out at a number of places on a slope about 20 feet above the swamp of the creek. Old Mathis Place. On Jumping Gulley Creek, 1 3/4 miles southwest of Gibson is the old Mathis place which is underlain by flint kaolin. Outcrops on both sides of Jumping Gulley Creek and on the low knoll between the creek and the small spring branch show 10-12 feet of flint kaolin. T. A. Walden Property. North of and adjoining the Old Mathis Place is the T. A. Walden property on which flint kaolin is said to crop out along the creek. Mrs. W. J. Snider Property. Flint kaolin is said to crop out along the creek on theW. J. Snider property which is on Jumping Gulley Creek 136 north of and adjoining the Old Mathis Place and the T. A. Walden property mentioned above. J. F. Thompkins Property. This property is south of Joe's Creek on the Edgehill Road, 4 miles south of Gibson. Exposures along the road show 7 feet of hard white kaolin. JEFFERSON COUNTY (See Blythe-Keysville Auger Hole Test Area under the heading RICHMOND COUNTY) A white, slightly micaceous kaolinitic clay is exposed 2.8 miles south- west of Avera on the C. H. Harden property, at a small mill on the west side of a county road. It crops out 10 feet above creek level. According to Mr. Harden the clay is 40-50 feet thick at this point. Another exposure is 300 yards to the west and 12 feet above creek level, where the clay is gray. Overburden increases rapidly to the south. Kaolin samples have been submitted to the Georgia Department of Mines from the Mrs. J. W. Marshall Property, Keysville. X-ray and petrographic analyses show kaolinite 95%, quartz less than 2%, mica less than 3%, volcanic glass 1-3%. McDUFFIE COUNTY Miscellaneous Exposures For the location of the numbered stations see Figure 20. 133 - Kaolinitic clay; white and pink mottled, slight sand and silt content; exposed thickness 2 feet. Property owner reported 12 feet in a dug well. 144 - Kaolinitic clay; stained, silty; exposed thickness 2 feet; thin overburden. 145 - Kaolinitic clay; stained, silty; exposed thickness 5 feet; thin overburden. 146 - Kaolinitic clay; stained, silty, exposed thickness 2 1/2 feet. 147 - Kaolinitic clay; stained, silty, exposed thickness 3 feet. Exposed for 250 feet along a road cut. 151 - Kaolinitic clay; white and tan, slightly silty; exposed thickness 4-8 feet, with 6-12 feet of sand overburden. 153 - Kaolinitic clay; stained, silty; exposed thickness 3 feet. 154 - Kaolinitic clay; slightly stained, silty exposed thickness 3 feet, with 3-6 feet of sand over- burden. 176 - Kaolinitic clay; light-gray, stained; silty; exposed thickness 3 feet. 180- Kaolinitic clay; gray to white; exposed thickness 5 1/2 feet. 185 - Kaolinitic clay; gray to white, stained; exposed thickness 5 feet, with 4-8 feet of overburden, 190 - Kaolinitic clay; white to gray, stained, silty; exposed thickness 8 feet. 193 - Kaolinitic clay; white to gray, stained, very silty and sandy; 2 lenses; exposed thicknesses 6 and 7 feet. 195 - Kaolinitic clay; white to gray, stained, very silty and sandy; exposed thickness 3 feet. 197 - Kaolinitic clay; stained, very silty; exposed thickness 8 feet. 201 - Kaolinitic clay; heavily stained; exposed thickness 2-4 feet, with less than 5 feet of over- burden. 203 - Kaolinitic clay; stained, very silty and sandy in lower portion; exposed thiclmess 5 feet. 204 - Kaolinitic clay; stained, very silty and sandy; exposed thickness 4 feet. 137 MCDUFFIE COUNTY MAP STATION LOCATIOIIIS N I l '"" Figure 20 138 205 - Kaolinitic clay; stained very silty and sandy; exposed thickness 4 feet. 206 - Kaolinitic clay; stained, very sandy; exposed thickness 2 1/2 feet. 207 '- Kaolinitic clay; white, slightly stained, minor silt; exposed thickness 2 feet. 208 '- Kaolinitic clay; gray, slightly stained, minor silt; two lenses, each with an exposed thickness of 1 1/2 feet. 211 - Kaolinitic clay; white to gray, stained; exposed thickness 4 l/2 feet. . 213 :- Kaolinitic clay; white, minor stain, minor silt and sand; exposed thickness 11/2 feet. 215 - Kaolinitic clay; white to gray, stained; exposed thickness 2 feet. 216 - Kaolinitic clay; white, slightly stained; exposed thickness 11/2 feet. The overlying quartz sand is fine-grained and crossbedded and contains small kaolin balls. 219 - Kaolinitic clay; white to gray, heavily stained, very sandy and silty; exposed thickness 8 feet. 222 .- Kaolinitic clay; white, exposed thickness 1 1/2 feet. 223 - Kaolinitic clay; white to gray, very sandy and silty; exposed thickness 3 feet. 226 - Kaolinitic clay; white to light-gray, stained; exposed thickness 3 feet. 236 - Kaolinitic clay; gray, very sandy and silty; exposed thickness 3 feet. 240 - Kaolinitic clay; white, stained, slightly silty; exposed thickness 18 feet. Underlain by 10+ feet of very sandy kaolinitic clay and overlain by 6-10 feet of fine- to medium-grained sand. 243 - Kaolinitic clay; white, stained in part, minor silt and sand; exposed thickness 8 feet. 244- Kaolinitic clay; light-gray, minor stain, very silty and sandy; maximum exposed thickness 7 feet over a lateral distance of 400 feet; 2-5 feet of overburden. 254- Kaolinitic clay; cream-colored, slightly stained, minor silt and sand; exposed thickness 5 l/2 feet; 3+ feet of overburden. Exposures Reported Previously Smith (1929) reported kaolin at the following places; Brinkley and Harrison Properties. The Brinkley property is 3 miles southwest of Dearing near Mount Gilead School on the Hobbs Mill Road. Stained kaolin about 16 feet thick was reported in a well on the property. The Harrison property is north of and adjoining the Brinkley property. An outcrop in the bank of a public road showed 5 feet of hard sandy ironstained kaolin under about 5 feet of sand overburden. J. A. Ansley Property. On the old Milledgeville road, 1 mile south of Boneville and 3 miles-west of Dearing is a road outcrop showing 5 feet of semihard to hard white kaolin, somewhat stained. Farr and Rayburn Properties. These properties are in the southern part of McDuffie County on the Shoals road 2~ miles west of Budd Hobbs Mills and a mile west of Jones Grove Church, 8 miles south of Thomson. Outcropping on the side of a hill is a 6-foot thickness of very hard cream-colored kaolin. RICHMOND COUNTY Blythe-Keysville Auger Hole Test Area A te~t area 10 miles long and 5 miles wide mainly in Richmond County, but including a portion of Burke and Jefferson Counties, was drawn around the focus of lines extended southward along the main drainage valleys of the 139 Columbia County pre-Tuscaloosa erosion surface of Figure L4. The lines merge to the west of Hephzibah in the Blythe-Keysville area. The Albion Kaolin Mine is at the northeast corner of the test area. Most of this area is covered by a thick mantle of red Barnwell sand, below which the Tuscaloosa Formation is exposed only in stream valleys. Drilling was accomplished with a 3" power auger mounted on a jeep. Drilling was limited to 40 feet, the maximum depth possible with the equipment. It was necessary to drill mainly in the large stream valleys where the Tuscaloosa is exposed or under thin cover. These stream valleys contain considerable thicknesses of recent alluvium, and the Tuscaloosa was not penetrated at. many elevations where it was expected. Because of the limited drilling depth of the auger it was not possible to satisfactorily prospect the kaolin in this area. Nine holes out of 30 penetrated kaolin. Kaolin was penetrated in the last few feet of some holes, leaving an unknown thickness below the limit of the drill. Other drill holes penetrated small lenses, the lateral extensions of which may be thicker or thinner. Significantly, the top of the Tuscaloosa underwent extensive erosion and reworking prior to and during deposition of the overlying Barnwell Formation. The Tuscaloosa-Barnwell contact is therefore quite erratic and exhibits as much as SO' relief in a 2-3 mile distance. Detailed drilling at a much closer spacing, and to greater depth, will be necessary to evaluate this area. The logs of the 30 auger holes drilled in.this area are listed in Table 29. They are numbered Kl through K30. For the location of the holes see Figure 15. TABLE 29 - Logs of Auger Tests in Burke, Jefferson and Richmond Counties. Burke County K5 - 0. 6 mile SW of Pleasant Grove Church. Drill collar elevation about 350'. 0-3' 3-12' 12-351 351 Sand, medium-grained, brick-red, argillaceous, indurated. Same, brown. Sands, fine-medium grained, grey and brown, soft, watery, interbedded. T. D. No cuttings. K6 - l. 0 mile S of Spring Grove Church. Elev. approx. 305'. 0-2' 2-5' 5-8' 8-261 26-38' 38-40' 40' Sand, coarse-grained, red to yellow, soft, unconsolidated. Clay, yellow, soft, plastic, with fine grit. Sand, very coarse-grained, yellow, soft, unconsolidated. Sand, yellow to white, very pure, soft, fine mica, pebbles as large as 1/4" in very coarse sand. Sand, very coarse-grained, yellow, water, soft. Clay, fine, white (not enough to sample). T. D. No cuttings. 140 K7 - 0. 2 mile NW of Marks Mill Pond, 2. 3 miles E of Keysville. Drill Collar elevation about 2651 0-5' 5-7' 7-10' 10-20' 20-381 38-401 40' Sand, fine-grained, brown, soft, argillaceous. Sand, coarse-grained to very coarse-grained, red-orange, slightly argillaceous. Sand, coarse-grained, tan, argillaceous, contains rounded quartz pebbles as large as 1/ 4". Sand, coarse-grained, watery, tan, very soft, interbedded with gray clay. Water sand, few cuttings. Clay, tan, plastic, uniform, with fine grit. T. D. No cuttings. K8 - 0. 7 mile SW of Keysville. Drill collar elevation about 2651 0-2' 2-12 1 12-13 1 13-35' 35-38 1 38-401 40' S;md, medium-grained, black, organic material, soft. Sand, medium-grained, tan, soft. Sand, medium-grained, gray, soft, very argillaceous, uniform. Sand, medium-graineo !, orange-tan, watery, soft. Sand, fine-grained, black, organic, soft, uniform. Sa11d, fine-grained, orange, uniform, soft. T. D. K9 - At Spring Hill Church. Drill collar elevation about 3101 0-151 15-221 22-261 26-40.1 40' Sand, fine-medium grained, red to tan, soft, unconsolidated. Sand,. coarse-grained, light-orange, watery, soft, unconsolidated. Clay, white-gray, plastic, soft, fuller's earth(?), with fine grit. Clay, gray, plastic, soft, fuller's earth(?), with fine sand. T. D. KlO - 0.1 mile N of Palmer Branch on Hephzibah-Keysville Road. Drill collar elevation about 2951 o:..6' 6-12' 12-20' 20-40' 40' Sand, medium-grained, red, slightly argillaceous, soft, unconsolidated. Sand, medium-grained, dark-brown, soft, unconsolidated. Sand, m~dium-grained, red-brown, soft, unconsolidated. Sand, very coarse-grained, red-orange, watery, soft, unconsolidated. T. D. Kll - About 0. 8 mile west of Brown Grove Church. Drill collar elevation about 200'. 0-8' 8-23' 23-30' 30-40' 40' Sand, coarse-grained, dark-brown, soft, unconsolidated, organic material. Sand, medium- to coarse-grained, brown, unconsolidated. Sand, medium-coarse grained, yellow, silty, soft, .watery, unconsolidated. Sand, very coarse-grained, brown, unconsolidated, soft, silty, watery. T. D. Kl2 - 12001 SW of Kll. Drill collar elevation about 2651 0-5' 5-8' 8-13 1 13-221 22-301 Sand, fine- to very coarse-grained, brick-red, slightly indurated. Sand, coarse-grained, red, soft, argillaceous, watery. Sand, coarse-grained, red to yellow, silty, soft, watery. Sand, coarse-grained, yellow, watery, almost no cuttings. Sand, coarse-grained, yellow, very watery, silty, little cuttings. 141 30-34' 34-40' 40' Clay, gray, plast'c, uniform, with fine sand. Sand, white, vel) fine, watery, uniform, micaceous. T. D. K16 - 0. 7 mile SE of county corner, NW Burke County. Drill collar elevation about 2851 0--20' 20-23' 23-27' 27-40' 40' \.tnd, llJedded white kaolinitic sand. A boring at this point penetrated 20 Eeet of interbedded kaolin and kaolinitic sands, and some beds of good kaolin are said to be 6-8' thick. 157 One half mile southeast of Deans Bridge Road, near Brittle's Pond, a pit exposes micaceous white kaolin. WARREN COUNTY Miscellaneous Exposures For the location of the map stations see Figure 22. 207 - Kaolinitic clay gray, stained, silty; exposed thickness 2 1/2 feet. 2JO- Kaolinitic clay; white with small lenses of sand; exposed thickness 3 feet. 212 - Kaolinitic clay; gray, silty; exposed thickness 4 feet. 214 - Kaolinitic clay; white to gray; exposed thickness 4 feet. 224- Kaolinitic clay; white to gray, minor silt; exposed thick- ness 5 feet. 225 - Kaolinitic clay; gray; exposed thickness 2 feet. 226 - Kaolinitic clay; white to gray, stained, slightly silty; exposed thickness 5 feet. 227 - Kaolinitic clay; white to gray, silty; exposed thickness 3 feet. Flint Kaolin Deposits and Prospects Flint kaolin, a term long used for an indurated kaolinitic clay in the Upper Coastal Plain, occurs in the western part of the CSRA along the Fall Line. One bed of flint kaolin, which is persistent across the central part of Glascock County, has been mined for the manufacture of refractories since 1900. Flint kaolin also crops out intermittently to the east, near Harlem in Columbia County, in northern Jefferson County, and at several places in Richmond County. Most of the flint kaolin is cream to gray and hard. It breaks with a sharp, or conchoidal fracture, and contains sharp, angular fragments of quartz. This unit is a weathered volcanic flow, or ash deposit in which the feldspar and glass have altered to kaolinite. The bed is quite uniform in thickness and stratigraphic position, as would be expected for such a deposit. It crops out along the major creeks south and southeast of Gibson, and reaches a maximum thickness of 20 feet. The average thickness is 10 feet. Stratigraphically the flint kaolin is in the Tuscaloosa Formation near the Barnwell-Tuscaloosa unconformity. Parts of the bed apparently were eroded prior to Barnwell deposition. GLASCOCK COUNTY The flint kaolin mines southeast of Gibson all lie within a single bed that extends from Deep Creek, one mile east of the mines, to Joe's Creek, WILI\5 ~OUNT'I \ /..,1 I ~ \ , r., "'-./.\.) l\ /'-~ ~~\-:, (__/'(f >:- ., ~ /~?, ,,.. ' /.11 i ~;i-~\10 .t . \ ./.!.~'1)-~.~..\.,.,~b .!!. ' t,J'y/: oJ 14 ., I I \ I!>'U~--t'~..i).. ~~':"~;\-\" ) -\H \ 1-~ \ ji'v.i/~.l-J/~.;~\~0:\.:,;~~~!',21i~-~ 0 "~-\;~\ / ~~~ ,l.-~2 1'.-~,.-',..:.,_...-...,_.,..;~"'--1 ),~ ) ~-:,:;:,,~'7"':~,',,,? .. , U ...~'~.b~'t";'A~, ... , } \ ' \:. \ .. \:' .:1;~!.1~::t-,l(~.(iJ\,,;.I'."~,'',~;.;:c.:;~(~,._.,~l\Ali~;~, ,~, /i -:::~;~-~::.'.!. :'.,>:~~:.::'.~~:: , ~/':,~~ (' ' o \ ~" " - '~<{. H ,.\, ' I i 00 )( \. o I ~~ ~~ ~/"'~ > /o\' " "' u \ ol4, \ , ".; i: 1~ ~ ~ 0 811 ';:i1 , El lo,~-fl 12 ',~,\ ,~ ..... "...~ . !{,:.:,' ~ lo N\ oi(,:Y. ~.;.--~4 '\.r\.. '\ i (,('::. '~ I.', WARREN COUNTY MAP STATION LOCATIONS ....... :~' ,. '"y~:>T ';;_' ...__,~~Fl.:.""' } ? .. ./1 . ~ ~: \ C. 0 U N Figura 22 159 three miles southwest of the mines. The unit is approximately 15 feet thick to the east and less than 19 feet thick to the southwest. Flint kaolin has been extensively mined along the east bank of Rocky Comfort Creek about two miles southeast of Gibson (see sketch map, Figure 23). Mining began in 1910 by the Harbison-Walker Refractories Company of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. They shipped the flint kaolin to plants near Birmingham, Alabama, for the manufacture of refractories. In 1922-23 the Anniston Refractories Company mined in the same general area. The General Refractories Company mined briefly in 1938. The Harbison-Walker Refractories Company continued mining until 1956. Since that time no flint kaolin has been mined. Below are descriptions of the old flint kaolin pits. Pit No. 1 About 0.4 mile west of Georgia Highway 80, 2 miles due southeast of Gibson. Elevation at top of pit is 342'. A series of small exploratory pits are along the bluff. The largest is about 30-40' above the creek level and measures 10'x20'x6'deep. The flint kaolin crops out as a ledge for more than 100'. The t:hickness of the overburden is 0-8- feet. A section of the ledge is as follows: 6' Flint kaolin, cream-colored, hard, breaks with a conchoidal fracture; contains a small amount of coarse angular quartz. 41 Softer than quartzose cream-colored flint kaolin. Pit No. 2 About 500 yards south of Pit No. 1. 12' Flint kaolin, cream-colored, hard (conchoidal fracture), contains a little quartz. This pit extends for 150' along the bluff and is 50' wide. This is the same layer as that which is about 30 feet above creek level at Pit No. 1. Overburden increases sharply into the bluff to a maximum of about 70. Pit No. 3 About 800 yards south of Pit No. 2. This is the largest of the pits, 900 feet long, 200 feet wide, and 65 feet deep. It is in a hillside, 30 feet above creek level. Overburden increases rapidly to a miximum of approximately 45'. The following section shows the character and thickness of what is exposed. Thickness Feet 20 + Description Red and red-brown, fine- to coarse-grained, argillaceous sand and light-gray, white, red, plastic clay. The clay is intermixed with the massive sands and also forms dis- 160 tinctly laminated horizons with interlaminae of fine sand. Mottling in the upper part is due to weathering. 10 - 14 Fuller's earth, gray when fresh, pale-tan after exposure; upper portion laminated, lower portion massive and hackly. Anastomosing "burrows" near the top of the unit, as much as 4 inches in diameter, have been filled by quartz sand, clayl and fossil fragments. 0- 6 Coarse quartz sand in a light-tan to cream clay matrix, with scattered fossil fragments; contains lenses and large masses of silicified fossil hash, pelecypods, gastropods, and corals. 0- 6 Clay, gray, hackly, dense; very silty. 0- 5 Flint kaolin, dark-gray, mottled with cream-colored 11 particles" of flint kaolin, angular to subrounded in outline and less than 1/8 to more than 2 inches across; fine angular quart-z particles are disseminated throughout. 0- 3 Spiculitic opaline sandstone, buff to white, fine-grained, with fine to coarse muscovite; very dense, locally crossbedded; plant fossils, silicified and carbonaceous, are abundant, Carbonaceous laminae, with a total thickness up to 8 inches, fill local depressions in underlying flint kaolin. Lower 2-6 inches contains small cylindrical or spherical sand-filled burrows. 9 + Flint kaolin, cream to light-gray, dense, with disseminated angular quartz particles and minor heavy minerals. The weathered rock has a blocky appearance and spalls readily. Pipe structures of mottled gray and cream colored flint kaolin, 4- 12 inches across anti roughly circular in cross Section, extend more than 6 feet vertically downward from the upper surface of the massive kaolin. The upper surface is eroded and very irregular; small sand-filled burrows are abundant in the upper few inches. Pit No. 4. 'About 0.4 mile west of Georgia 80, at the end of a dirt road, 0.9 mile south of Pit No. 1. Elevation at top of pit is 335'. This is a large pit, curved to form an "1" and measures 400' on each leg by 75' wide. The maximum overburden is 15'-20'; the kaolin is 8' thick. It is cream to white in color, hard, and contains little or no quartz. Pit No. 5, Apout 0.3 mile east of Georgia 80, 9.4 mile south of Gibson's Mill on the west bank of Deep Creek. 161 This is a small exploratory pit about 30' in diameter and 8' deep. There is only a few feet of overburden on a very gentle hillside; the clay is 8' thick. It is gray, hard, and contains angular quartz. The following locations and descriptions arc additional surface expo sures of the mined bed where it crops out to the east and southwest. PI Stream Bank along Deep Creek, 0. 5 mile east of Highway 80 at Gibson's Mill. 0'-20' 12' Sand, tan and orange, mottled, unconsolidated, fine-grained. Kaolin (flint), tan to greenish-gray, very fine-grained matrix, contains a medium- to coarse-grained quartz. The bed is massive and hard with very faint cross-bedding in the upper few feet, P3 Roadcut 0. 4 mile south of Joe's Creek on Georgia Highway 171, about 0. 4 mile south of Gibson. Barnwell Formation 6' ll' 10' 3' 2 1/21 8' 11/2' 12' Covered with loose gray sand, residual and perhaps partly windblown. Dark-red argillaceous "pimply" sand, full of small ironstone pebbles. Brownish-red argillaceous sand, somewhat mottled in places. Mottled gray and red sticky gumbo clay. Covered. Dark-brown indurated rock consisting oJ shell fragments and coarse sharp quartz grains, cementr!d by iron and perhaps some lime. Dark reddish-brown argillaceous sand, fairly fine and loamy at bottom, coarser and more compact at top. Coarse brown indurated sandstone with occasional thin sandy ironstone pebbles. Fairly coarse reddish-brown compacted sand, with some white streaks and lenses sometimes containing fragile white shell fragments; somewhat cross-bedded near top. 28' Twiggs Clay Member 2' Cream to greenish cream-colored fuller's earth, somewhat browni:;h stained near top. Some layers massive, breaking with a blocky fracture, and looking like comm~,~Y\1'0 ,y_:_----)\c--,,"T,C~ ...-- ( l 0 0 ' 3 t S I 0 ' ' / I I >s,/ / '",,__'-...<:4 ,. ~--9 \- I ( I \ I / Figure 26 SUBSURFACE MAP FULLERS EARTH iN THE FENNS BRIDGE ROAD AREA JEFFERSON COUNTY, GEORGIA \ . .,. ~~!...- \ r.:.....,,, .... / ellolttr.ilpiMt-.Jo4t"Moe 's Creek there is a.nother natural exposu1;e showing 15 feet of btq.ish white or drab semi-indurated clay. The cl~y bed is overlain by 30 feet of gl;'eenish Tertiary clay. Agricola: On the property of J. T. BJ;ady 2 miles south of Agricola, 12 feet of white Cretaceous clay was note.d. A similar clay with an expo~;~ure of 10 feet was noted on Big Creek, 4 miles woutheast of Agricola. Jenkins County Most of the clays expose<;l in Jenkins County are within the Hawthot'n Formation and are sandy (over 30%). They appear to have been deposited as lenses on the irregular surfaces of sands and clays. They might have formed in shallow pockets on erosion surfaces. No outcrops were found more than 10 feet thick,. but many len$es and thin st;rata that were observed could thicken under cover. 183 Location-- Roadcut, 5.5 miles east of Perkins on 82143. Elevation 295 I 6' Sand, tan, fine-grained, leached. 8' Sand, orange, fine- to medium-grained, semi-consolidated, mottled. 10'+ *Clay, dark-grey and purple, massive, little or no sand, plastic; little overburden to the west (downhill). A roadcut 3.5 miles north of Ga. 17 on a dirt road which parrallels 81320: 0'-20' 4'+ Sand, orange, fine- to medium-grained, mottled. *Clay, grey, mottled with purple, contains a fine grit, and some very fine mica; crops out in the road for 100 yds. A roadcut on U. S. 25 one mile south of Ga. 121: 3 1-41 8' 6' 4'+ Sand, tan to orange, fine-grained, contains hardpan pebbles. Sand, orange, coarse-grained, cross-bedded; interbedded with grey clay and pebble bands near the base. *Clay, purple and grey, laminations as much as 4" thick, interbedded with coarse orange sand. *Clay, purple, massive, contains a fine grit. McDuffie County Veatch (1909, p. 200-203) reported clay at the following places. Thomson: On the Shields property 1 mile east of the station at Thomson is a bed of white sandy fire clay, reported to be 10 feet thick. Brinkley Plantation: Three miles southwest of Dearing, on the plantation of Ira Brankley, 16 feet of stained kaolin is reported to have been found in a well. There are no exposures, and the extent of the clay is unknown. Chalk Hill: Three miles west of Dearing on the Milledgeville public road at a point locally known as Chalk Hill, a bed of soft plastic white clay is exposed. It is about 6 feet thick. Nothing is known of its extent, but the overburden is not excessive. About ~mile to the west, 30 feet of "chalk" or white clay was reported as having been found in a well on the property of C. C. Ansley. The bed was 30 feet down from the surface. 184 Southeastern part of the County: Throughout the southeastetrt pl:i_rt of the County alop.g Boggy Gut, Headstall arid Brier Creeks, there ~re numerous exposures of white clay in the Cretaceous strata. Both hard or flint and soft clays are found. Most of them are sta:ines. Good exposures of Cretaceous strata and some thin clay' beds mfiY be seen in the cuts of the Georgia Railroad near Boneville and Dearing. Richmond County A roadcut on Interstate 20 at its intersection with Wheeler 'Qad, west of Augusta: Above 1/2' 3' 8' 6' 151 10' Sand, red, massive, semi-consolidated, with thin clay laminae (Barnweli formation). Gravel, quartz cobbles as large as 3", Sand, pink to red, fine- to medium- grained, pebbly, with thin laminae of grey clay. *Clay, yellow to tan, finely laminated and sandy, plastic to semi-plastic (Tuscaloosa formation). Sand, yellow, fine- to medium-grained~ Clay (kaolin), white to yellow, massive, sandy. Clay (kaolin), white, massive; weathering rings in clay. At the Albion Kaolin Mine, 1.4 miles west of Hephzibah: 30'+ 151 Beiow sa:nd; overburden. :+:ciay, grey, massive, hackly, slightly plastic, some sand, Sand and kaolin. ThiS clay may be an up-dip facies of the Twiggs Clay member of th~ Barnwell Formation. Screven County Most of the clay cropping out in Screven County is either disseminated in the typical mottled Hawthorn sands or forms small lenss which are usually no more thart 3-5 feet thick and a few tens of feet long. Three larger le11se~ (or beds?) are described below: A railway cut, 2.3 miles northwest of the intersection of the abandoned Savannah and Atlanta Railroad and U. s. 301 in Sylvania. 185 3'-5' 6' 12' Sand, tan (residual), fine-grained, grades downward into: Sand, orange and grey, mottled, fine-grained, about 40% clay; contains a small amount of angular pea gravel. *Clay, grey (mottled purple in places), contains a fine quartz grit, massive, becomes greenish in lower 41 A roadcut 1.2 miles north of Ga. 17 on a dirt road that runs northsouth, 2.9 miles east of U. S. 301: 201 Sand, orange and tan, mottled, fine- to coarse-grained, and pebbles; contains thin layers of sandy clay, hardpan, and clay pebbles. 8' *Clay, purple with 1" wide, grey dessication cracks, contains a fine quartz grit. ~dcut two miles north of Black Creek on Ga. 24, about 9 miles southeast of Sylvania: 6' Sand, tan, fine-grained. 12' Sand, mottled red and orange, medi- um-grained. 1' Hardpan, brick-red, sandy (medium- grained). 6' *Clay, and sand, finely laminated, yellow and white, silty. 5' Sand, bright yellow, mottled with grey, medium-grained, massive, silty. Wilkes County Veatch (1909, p. 282-283) reported that Mr. 0. S. Barnet operated two small brick yards, one at Washington and one at Little River, 7 miles south of Washington on the Georgia Railroad. The brick at Washington was made from a mixture ot residual clay derived from a granitic schist and a bluish plastic clay of alluvial orLgLn. The brick was of poor quality. At Little River a small deposit of alluvial clay was used and the brick was of fair quality. 186 'l Ceramic Manufacturing Opportunities in the Survey Areg The excellent supply and relatively low cost of natural raw materials make central Georgia and the CSRA an ideal location for the manufacture of refractory and ceramic products of all kinds -- floor and wall tile, electrical porcelain, sanitary ware, missile ceramics, etc. (Kennon and Currett~ 1958-59). The manufacture of these products in this area would not enter into extensive competition with extablished lines of kaolin supply, but with kaolin products that are not now being produced in great quantity in this section of the country, and for which a potential market exists. Fuel for firing the kiln!) is one of the major operating costs in the manufacture of ceramics. Gas is favored for fuel because it is easiest to control and usually the cheapest. Natural gas is cheaper in Georgia than in any other location east of Mississippi and the Fall Line area has the most favorable rate. The rate depends on the volume used; for the large quantities required for ceramics, even lower rates can be negotiated. Not only is this the kaolin center of the nation, but all other necessary raw materials are readily available in Georgia or from adjoining states with minimum freight rates: high-purity silica sand ground to potters' flint from Thomas County, Georgia; talc from Georgia's Murray County on the Tennessee border and ceramic-grade feldspar from Jasper County in the central part of the state; ball clay from Tennessee and Kentucky. The area has a good supply of unskilled and semi-skilled workers. Columbus, Macon, and Augusta along the Fall Line are centers of transportation and distribution, with adequate rail and trucking facilities for the shipment of raw materials and the distribution of finished products. FLOOR AND WALL TILE There is an expanding $13-million ceramic floor and wall tile market in Georgia and the surrounding states. Ceramic floor and wall tile profits are attractive; a 20% return on capital investment is typical. A capital investment of between $800,000 and $2,000,000 would be necessary to realize the full potential of long term sales; but a one-kiln operation could be started with $460,000 and additions made as sales and production increase. The estimated market for wall and floor tile in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee is $14.5-million (1965), Over 3/4 of the tile used comes from other parts of the country --. mostly from Ohio and Pennsylvania. New York supplies the region with as much tile as does Alabama; other tile is shipped in from New Jersey and Texas. Approximately 86% of the tile used in the area is shipped long distances, with the cost of freight accounting for 3-15% of the total cost of the tile. In 1958, there were 7 ceramic wall and floor tile plants in the 6 southeastern states supplying only 9% of the area's tile: 2 in Mississippi, 1 in Alabama, 3 in Florida, and 1 in North Carolina. Two of the plants are branches of national firms; the others are medium-sized independent operations (Kennon and Durrett, 1958). 187 TABLE 30 - Sales and Capacities of Tile Manufacturing Plants in the Southeastern Region Location of Plant Annual Sales Annual Capacitv (sq._&) Alabama Florida Florida Florida Mississippi Mississippi North Carolina $2,900,000 600,000 2,250,000 Not available 750,000 3,000,000 500,000 6,050,000 I, 500,000 5,000,000 Not available 7,500,000 13,000,000 1, 100,000 A one-kiln operation can produce about 1,400,000 square feet of tile each year for $600,000 in annual sales. The total production personnel of a one-kiln operation is 25-35 employees. SANITARY WARE Georgia is centered in a growing $16 million market for vitreous china sanitary ware. Although manufacturers already in Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina in 1959 had a combined annual sales of about $10 million, 80% of the sanitary ware purchased in the southeastern region in that year was manufactured outside the region: 48% was from large, full-line manufacturers in New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania which serve the national market. An additional 10% was supplied from plants in Louisiana, Texas, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, and Kentucky each supplied the 6-state market with as much sanitary ware as did Georgia. There would be considerable savings in freight costs alone in having a branch located in Georgia. These costs, in the range of 3-8% of the total cost, are about 5 times as much on the finished product as on the raw materials (Kennon and Durrett, 1959). COPPER Mineralogy Though more than a hundred copper minerals are known, only 16 are abundant enough to be regarded as ore minerals. These are divided into four main groups: sulphide ores, oxidized ores, complex ores and native copper ores. The sulphide ores supply 80-90% of all copper production in the United States. Chalcopyrite (CuFeSz) and chalcocite (CuzS) are the most abundant. Chalcopyrite is brass-yellow, has a greenish-black streak and is softer than 188 pyrite. It has been called "copper pyrite" and "fool's gold. ir It cont~ins 34.5% copper when pure. Chalcocite is a dark lead-gray mineral which cart be cut smoothly with a knife and has a dull black or bluish tarnish. It has been called "sooty copper" and "copper glance." Chalcocite contains 79,8% copper when pure and is the most abundant copper mineral in some of the huge open pit mines. Bornite (cu5Fes4 ) is brown to copper-red when fresh, but it Speedily tarnishes on exposure to an appearance which has given it the name "peacock ore." It contains 63.3% copper when pure. Other culphide copper minerals are covellite (CuS) which is indigo blue when dry and purple when wet, enargite (cu3As 5s 4 ) a grayish-black mineral, and tetrahedrite (CugSbzS7) a dark iron-gray mineral. The oxidized copper minerals include green malachite, blue azurite, and red, brownish red or ruby red cuprite. These may extensively stain the weathered rocks overlying copper deposits and have been referred to as icoppet bloom." tn the Georgia Piedmont, however, they are unstable in the weathering environment, and generally have been leached from the A and B soil hod.zons. As a consequence, copper ores in this state are not marked by the conspicuous stains that are so characteristic in some other regions. The only surficial evidence of copper mineralization here is apt to be fragments of gossan, which can form by the weathering of any ferruginous sulfide, traces of rock alteration, or trace metal anomalies in the soil. The complex ores contain copper intimately admixed with lead, zinc, gold and silver. Until selective flotation was developed to the degree that the metals could be separated, some of the complex ores were unprofitable to mine. Each type of copper ore requires a different metallurgical treatment, and a different tenor to form economic deposits. The principal known copper mineral in Georgia is chalcopyrite. Geologic Occurrence Though copper deposits have originated by diverse processes, most of them appear to be either the direct result of igneous activity or of weathering. Many of the large deposits are hydrothermal. About 75% of all the . copper mined in the United States comes from the so called "porphyry copper'i deposits which consist of copper minerals disseminated in extensive alteration zones in granitic rocks. These deposits characteristically contain Jz-2% copper in bodies which are measurable in millions to hundreds of millions of tons. They can be mined profitably only by large scale open pit methods. The ore is concentrated in flotation plants and further refined in smelters. The known copper ores in Georgia form vein-like structures that pinch and swell both along strike and down dip. As in other parts of the country, the deposits near the surface have undergone supergene enrichment. From the zone of oxidation the copper minerals have been leached, tarried downward in solution and partially redeposited below the water table, thus locally enriching the primary ores below the water table. The uppermost weathered zone may 189 reach to a depth of 80 feet or more and contain so little copper that it is of no commercial interest. The zone of secondary enrichment near the water table may vary in thickness from a few inches to several feet. Below the zone of secondary enrichment is the primary ore. Copper Mining in the CSRA Although copper has been mined spasmodically in Georgia since the middle of the 1800's, total production has been small, and no mines are now active. The only deposit worked for copper in the Central Savannah River Area is the Magruder Mine, originally a gold mine, in Lincoln County. It was mined essentially for copper by the Seminole Mining Company from 1897 to around 1913. Mining reached a depth of 220 feet. The copper ore was converted into matte on the premises. Matte, concentrates and ore were shipped (Resources of the U. S., 1905). In 1910 the mine suspended operations. In 1916 the Georgia Copper Company was organized and began to reopen the mine. By 1920 the Company was producing copper-lead concentrates containing considerable gold and silver. In 1922, the main shaft was deepened to 285 feet and new mill equipment added. For the next two years the mine continuedto operate profitably. In 1925 operations ceased and by 1928 the mine was closed, the workings underwater, and the mill burned to the ground. No production has been reported from the Mine since 1954. Other Copper Prospects in CSRA Shows of copper mineralization have been found in two other counties of the Central Savannah River Area: Columbia and Wilkes. In the vicinity of Pollards Corner, Columbia County, specimens of high grade copper ore (mostly chalcopyrite) were taken from a drill hole which, according to Mr. Robert Pollard, was drilled by the J. M. Huber Corporation. The rocks around the drill hole show strong alteration and traces of secondary copper minerals. A geochemical survey reveals no strong copper anomaly in the vicinity of the drill hole. Another show of copper mineralization is near Youngs Chapel about 3.5 miles west of Washington. The mineralization is along a ridge between Youngs Chapel and Beaverdam Creek. A shallow prospect pit exposes epido- site, amphibolite, and quartz which are highly fractured. A dark copper mineral is disseminated in the epidosite and amphibolite; the secondary minerals malachite and azurite coat fractures. The copper mineralization is exposed at three places over a distance of 250 feet. On the east side of Wilkes County near the Lincoln County line and only a short distance from the old Magruder Mine is the Chambers prospect. 190 The Bureau of Mines drilled four h9les at the Chambers pt;'ospect in 1949.' Low-grade copper mineralization was encountered in thr~e of the holes. A zone 15 feet thick rich in zinc ore was encountered in one hole. The Chambers prospect lies along a line between the M.;tgruder Mine in L.incoln County and the Youngs Chapel prospect southwest <;>f Washington in Wilkes County. Along an extension of the line to the southw,est are three other copper prospects, the southwestern-most in the city limits of Union Point, Greene County. Conspicuous exposures of gossan (weathered sulphide) have. been foun4 at three other pla.ces in Wilkes County. For further inf<;>l(!llation on copper occurrences in the CSRA see the section on SULPHIDES. Mining The cost of developing a copper prospect into an opera,ting m:i;ne is usually beyond the financial capacity of an individual or a. small company, because few copper deposits a,re rich enough for the ore to be shippe<;l directly to the smelters without concentra,tion, i.e., without reducing the p~oportion of waste material. Concentration requires expensive mill equipment. A year or more may be required to develop enough ore to justi-. fy the construction of a mill. Ores containing 5% or more copper generally are smelted di:t;:ectly to avoid concentration losses, unlesa they contain excessive impurities as zinc or arsenic, or unless the distance to. the smelter is too grea,t. The geologic cha,racteristics of the copper deposit and the percentage of copper it contains determine the method of mining: open-pit or under_; ground. Large-scale open-pit methods make use of power shovels and bulldozers to dig and loosen the ore; s.crapers to collect it; and dum,p trucks, belt-conveyors, or locomotives with large-capacity cars t() transmit the ore to the mill. Underground methods develop a mine by glory-hole or blockcaving methods using heavy haulage and hoisting facilities. In 1963, 74% of the new copper came from open-:pit m,ining. Most ore mined in the United. States. is low-grade ore. The l46 .45 million short tons of copper ore mined in 1963 averaged only 0.74% copper. Even high-grade sulphide ores in veins now. being mined by underground. methods may contain as little a,s 3.,.4% copper. The sulphide ores being mined by large-scale underground methods may contain as little as 0.75% copper. Ore Concentration Flotation is a method of wet, concentration wherein finely ground sulphide ore is mixed with water, agitated and aerated with sma,ll qmounts of certain oils or organic compounds which are cposen so that they will 191 adhere to the mineral particles and float them to the surface. The ore minerals are skimmed off as a concentrate. The waste minerals remain submerged. The copper in oxide ores is usually concentrated by leaching. The ore is crushed and placed in leaching tanks which hold up to 10,000 tons of ore. Leaching fluid --water with added chemicals-- is percolated through the ore several times until the leaching fluid is rich in copper sulphate. Sulphuric acid is usually added to the leaching fluid, but some ores contain enough sulphate to make this unnecessary. From the leaching tank the copper sulphate solution is sent to iron launders (troughs containing sponge iron or iron scrap). There the iron reacts with the copper sulphate solution, precipitating a black sand, called "cement copper" (about 90% copper). The iron sulphate solution remaining is transferred to an evaporation pit where the water is evaporated and iron sulphate precipitated. If, in addition to the oxides of copper, the sulphide occu~s in the ore in amounts too small to make recovery by flotation profitable, some recovery of the sulphides may be made by using both ferric sulphate and sulphuric acid in the leaching solution. Most domestic ore is treated by flotation at or near the mine, and the concentrate shipped for smelting. Smelting Copper concentrates containing 20-35% copper, are roasted to burn off excess sulphur together with arsenic and other impurities. The resulting calcine (22-40% copper) is smelted in a reverberatory furnace to produce an artificial sulphide of copper and iron called matte. Gold, silver, and other metals contained in the ore are collected in the matte. Gangue minerals float to the top of the matte and are skimmed off. The matte is transferred to a convertor, where compressed air is added and impurities in the matte are oxidized and converted either into gases which are passed off or into slag which can be removed before the copper itself is oxidized. In the process of oxidization, copper sulphide separates from the matte and is converted into blister copper. The blister copper is poured into refining furnaces where remaining impurities are burned out by blowing air through the molten mass. The oxidized copper is reduced to metal by plunging wooden poles into it -- the oxygen combines with the carbon of the wood and passes off as gas. The copper metal is then refined electrolytically. In 1963 four smelters were accessible to Georgia: in New Jersey, Texas, New York, and Tennessee. Most of the copper refineries are in northeastern United States. Utilization Copper is the second most important metal to modern civilization. Its electrical and thermal conductivity is second only to silver. Because 192 it is highly ductile, malleable, and resistant to corrosion it has m:any d~ mestic and industrial uses. Even though aluminum, galvanized iron, stainless steel, silver, and certain plastics can be substituted for copper in some applications, the overall demand for copper continues to increase. The electrical industry uses great quantities of copper each year for wires, cables, bars and various fittings. Copper is used in heat transfer units such as cooling fins, and copper tubing in radiators, fireboxes of locomotive boilers, steam pipes, and radiant heating panels. Large quantities of copper tubing for water pipes are used in buildings and in the man~, facture of household appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioning units. Thousands of tons of copper are used annually in the production of alloys as brass (copper-zinc), bronze (copper-tin). The gold and silver used for coins, jewelry, and silverware are alloyed with copper to increas.e their hardness, toughness, and wearing qualities. Copper oxide and variou.s salts are used as coloring agents in paints, glasses, and ceramic glazes. Other copper salts are used for chemicals, antiseptics, and insecticides. Copper sulphate is the most important copper compound. It is used as a fungicide, a source of mineral in fertilizers, in dyes, galvanic cells, photography, antiseptics, and in the manufacture of crayons. Other copper compounds such as copper oxides, chlorides, carbonate, nitrate, and acetate are used in lesser amounts in chemical, paint, electroplating, and other industries. Of the 41,200 tons of copper sulphate produced in 1963, about 42.5% was used for agricultural purposes, about 53.5% for industrial purposes, and 4.0% for other purposes. Wire mills are the chief consumers of refined copper. !hey accounted for S9% of the total production in 1963. Brass mills accounted for about 39%. The remainder was used in foundries, secondary smelters, chemical plants, and other industries" Prices In 1964 the average price for domestically refined copper was 31.960 cents per pound, for foreign refined copper 30.985 cents .per pound. Markets The principal markets for refined copper in the United State.s are in and near New York City. Market quotations generally refer to the price individual buyers are willing to pay for the metal in desirable shapes at refineries near New York. Exploration Subsigy Copper is one of the mineral commodities for which exploration assistance is provided by the Department of Interior's Office of Mineral Exploration. The government may supply half the cost of exploration. When exploration is successful, the government is repaid by a royalty as the deposit is mined. 193 Cooper Outlook During 1963 the rate of consumption of refined copper continued to rise. U. S. production decreased slightly, but world production increased, and so did this country's importation of copper. In 1964 strikes in the U.S., Africa and Chile created a tight copper supply which lead to all-time high prices. Though the producers held the price in check to less than 35 cents per pound, the merchant's price fluctuated from over 60 cents per pound down to plus or minus 45 cents per pound at the end of the year. In spite of the strikes, total production rose in 1964, and importations of copper into the U. S. increased. The copper shortage in 1964 resulted from the strikes and from the steady increase in copper use which has taken place in spite of industry's best efforts at copper economization and the use of substitute materials. Prices likely will vary for several years and continue high. An adequate supply of copper might not be achieved for several years. Outlook for Copper Mining in Georgia The development of a copper mine in the Central Savannah River Area depends primarily, of course, on the discovery of a large deposit. How large the deposit must be and what the tenor of the ore must be for the deposit to be workable depends on several factors. Advantages this area has over some others are (1) relatively low development costs, (2) abundant supplies of water needed in all stages of copper mining and concentration, (3) readily available power supplies, (4) possible transportation advantages to smelters and refineries. Further information on copper occurrences in the CSRA is in the section on SULPHIDES. CORUNDUM Corundum, Alz03, is the second hardest mineral known. It is found in barrel-shaped crystals and in compact granular and lamellar masses. The transparent colored varieties are very valuable as gem stones. Common corundum, once of considerable importance for abrasives, now has been largely replaced by artificial silicon carbide and electrically fused alumina. Traces of corundum are found in all the counties underlain by metamorphic and igneous rocks (Figure 30). Most of the alluvial occurrences are isolated. The maximum percentage in the heavy portion of the alluvium is about one percent. No significant deposits of common corundum were found. Fi~1.1re 30 195 For additional information on the colored varieties, see the section on SAPPHIRE. DIAMOND Mr. P. L. McNorrill carried to the State Department of Mines, Mining and Geology in October, 1958, a stone which had been given to him by his grandmother a number of years before. His grandmother (Eula Hatcher McNorill) had found the stone in her back yard at the old Shell Bluff post office. The stone was a 7.11 carat rough diamond, hexoctahedral and rounded. It bore no percussion marks. Mr. McNorrill wanted $5,000 for the stone. No other diamonds have been reported from CSRA, though they have been reported in the Upper Coastal Plain in Twiggs County. GOLD Mineralogy Gold is usually found in the metallic state alloyed with a variable proportion of silver. When silver exceeds 20%, the alloy is called electrum. The silver content of Georgia gold ranges from about 10 to 20 percent. The purity of gold is expressed in fineness, pure gold being 1000 fine. Georgia gold ranges from 750 to 950 fine. Geologic Occurrence Gold is disseminated in microscopic trains thiDugh the host rock, ordinarily. In some ores it forms visible threads, scales or irregularly shaped masses, but these ores are exceptional. Compounds of gold, as the tellurides and natural amalgam, have not been found in Georgia, though mercury spilled at some of the early workings has formed a little amalgam. The three principal types of deposits in Georgia are veins (lodes), saprolite deposits, and placers. The veins vary in width from a fraction of an inch to 20 feet, occasionally more. In length they range from a few inches to about 2,000 feet. The principal vein mineral is quartz. One or more of the following minerals commonly also are present, and maybe prominent: pyrite, galena or other sulphides, carbonates, chlorite, albite, tourmaline, fluorite, and garnet. The gold may be distributed irregularly within the veins, and may be found in the country rocks as well. Usually it is not visible. Because of gold's high specific gravity and resistance to weathering it is easily concentrated on slopes or along streams, where other minerals are preferentially removed by weathering and by the winnowing action of 196 water. Gold released by the decomposition of the host rock, during weathering, and still essentially in place may constitute a s,aprqlite deposit. Gold freed from the host rock by weathering and erosion and concentrated by running water, or wind, is called placer gold. Mining &Milling Methods The recovery of gold from placer deposits is accomplished by agitating the alluvium in flowing water (or air) in which the freed gold, being heav'"' ier, Sinks and is separated from the lighter waste, which is washed (or blown) away. Panning is the simplest recovery method, but only a small quantity of alluvium can be panned by one man during a day (12 cubic yards). For this reason panning is usually limited either to the working of small, very high grade deposits or to prospecting. TheJamount of material that one man can handle can be increased by the use of a cradle, rocker, or sluice box. The auriferous material is fed to the rocker or the sluice by wheelbarrow, shovel, or similar means, or by moving water. Hydraulic mining refers to the practice of using large directed jets of water to erode gold-bearing gravels and to flush them through sluices, where the gold is separated. Large volumes of gravel can be handled by dredging. The floating bucket'"' line dredge passes the excavated gravels through a tronunel or revolving screen to separate the oversize gravels, which are moved by conveyor belt to a boom at the rear of the dredge and sumped. The undersize material is passed to inclined tables with riffles, jigs, or both, and perhaps over amalgam plates that recover the gold before the undersize is dumped from the rear of the dredge. Lode or hardrock ores are usually mined by underground methods. Vertical or inclined shafts are sunk to provide access and ventilation. Drifts from the shafts open up masses of ore which can be stoped, first near the surface and later at deeper levels. The treatment of lode ore involves crushing and fine grinding, the latter usually by stamp mills or ball mills. The gold may be recovered from the finely ground ore by flotation, jigging, amalgamation, table concentra tion, or by dyanidation. In jigging, the ground ore is agitated in water and the gold separated from the lighter material by a vertical pulsating mo-' tion. Concentrating tables separate the gold by a horizontal shaking motion. In amalgamation the gold-bearing material is brought into contact with mercury which combines, or amalgamates, with the gold. By subsequent distillation of the mercury, the gold is recovered. In cyanidation, a sodium cyanide solution added to the gold-bearing material dissolves the gold which is subsequently recovered by precipitation. The gold concentrate from the mill is usually shipped to a smelter. 197 Mining &Milling Costs Auriferous gravels containing as little as 35-50 cents/cubic yard may be handled economically by hydraulic methods. Large-volume gravels containing as little as 10-20 cents/cubic yard may be mined profitably by dredging, when conditions are satisfactory. The gravels mined in Alaska at a profit in 1963, where mining costs are high, averaged 55 cents/ cubic yard. Milling costs can vary greatly, depending upon the process or combination of processes required by the ore. The average grade of ores that have been worked profitably, or are being mined, afford some notion of mining and milling costs. Most of the Mother Lode ore shoots in California have averaged $10-20/ton (Clarke, 1957, p. 215). In the early 1940's, Canadian ores ranged from $3.50 to $22.00/ ton; the South African ores averaged about $10.50/ton; the lowest grade ores that have been profitably mined were those of the Alaska Juneau, which averaged $1.40/ton (Bateman, 1942, p.420). Costs have risen considerably since then. In 1963, the lode ore being mined in South Dakota averaged $10.62/ton. Large-volume ores assaying $10.00 to $15.00/ ton might be regarded as minable. In general, the tenor of smaller ore bodies should be higher. Domestic Production In 1963 total U. S. production was 1.5 million ounces valued at $50.9 million, a decline of 6% from the preceding year, and the lowest peace-time output since 1859. (About 2.9 million ounces were consumed by industries and the arts during 1963). Most of the domestic production was from South Dakota, Utah, Alaska, California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, and Arizona. South Dakota and Utah accounted for 60% of the total output. Georgia's production was negligible. About 51% of total output was recovered from gold lode ores, 13% from gold placers, and 36% as a by-prod~ct from base-metal ores. A total of 5,200 persons were engaged in gold and gold-silver mining at 1,063 lode and placer operations. In sharp contrast to the domestic scene, world output of gold was at an all time high, for the eleventh consecutive year. Uses Gold is used chiefly as a foundation for the monetary system, as bullion in reserve for issued notes. The next most important use is ornamentation: jewelry, watches, gold leaf, interior decoration, etc. Other uses are gilding and gold plating, glass and china inlays, artificial teeth and crowns, laboratory ware, 198 alloys for electrical and electronic components, and medicine. The use of gold plating for protective and decorative coatings has increased greatly in recent years. Markets All newly mined gold not in its natural state must be sold either to the U. S. Mint or to a licensed buyer. The U. S. Mint (Treasury Department) buys gold at $35/troy ounce of fine gold less ~ of 1%. The alloyed silver brings 85\ cents/fine ounce. Gold is sold by the government to licensed buyers for industrial uses; Gold has been in demand ih foreign countries at prices higher than $35/ounce, but U. S. producers are prevented by law from seiling abroad. General Outlook The price of gold has remained at $35.00/ounce (iess \ of 1%) since 1933, while labor, mactiinery and other operating costs have risen. During the same time, technological improvements have increased efficiency and tended to lower operating costs. For example, significant improvements in cyanidatiori conditions have been achieved by modern techniques of cya~ nide solution analysis, as use of the oxygen meter for monitoring oxygen content, the gold leaf test for assessing gold leaching efficiency; and the use of organic amine fot determining total cyanide of solutions. Research by the U. S. Bureau of Mines, Universities, and other groups has been steadily directed toward optimization of ore processing and the disC:9very of better mineral ahd metai extraction techniques. Still, overall operational costs have risen and iliariy of the mines which were profitable 3o years ago would not be able to bperate ptofitably now. Changes throughout the world in recent years have brought renewed speculation about the interriatiori.al currency structure and the possibility of a riSe in the established price of gold. A rise in price would cause several closed mines to reopen, and would spur prospecting. The ~ossibility of a rise is reai~ but speculative. Without a rise in price, the initiation of significant new goid min:l..n'g tnu'st depend upon either a breakthrough in the reduction of processing costs or the discovery o new ores. History of Gold Mining in Georgia Gold was one of the first minerals to be mined extensively in Georgia ~nd still is mined on a small scale. 199 The first discovery came in 1823 in McDuffie County, 11 miles northwest of Thomson. Other discoveries soon followed in other parts of the state. Many of the new placer deposits were rich and easily worked. By 1830 some 6, 000-10, ooo persons were engaged in gold mining, and Georgia became the foremost producer in the Union, a position that was maintained until 1849, the year of the famous gold rush to California. Many placer deposits were prospected and worked and a few lodes mined during the 15 years that followed initial discovery. Peak production was attained in 1833-34, when the annual reported yield was 20,077 fine ounces. In 1838 the U. S. government opened its first branch mint in Dahlonega. Output was already declining. As the better placers were worked out, some of the miners moved west. Others gave increasing attention to the development of lode deposits, but total production continued to decline. The Dahlonega mint closed in 1861 after having coined $6,115,569. During the Civil War most of the mines closed down. There was a resurgence of activity after the war, when the hydraulic mining of low grade saprolite predominated, but gold mining did not regain its former importance. From 1823 to 1907 a total gold production of $17,519,390 was reported. In 1908 annual output was a little over $56,000. From 1908 to the beginning of World tva'L I annual output ranged from $14,000 to $35,000. Very little mining was carried on from the end of World War I to the 1930's, when activity increased for a few years. During and since World War II output has been negligible. Gold Mining in the CSRA Five counties have a history of some gold mining: Lincoln, McDuffie, Taliaferro, Warren, and Wilkes. Lincoln County Activity was reported from many mines before the Civil War and near the turn of the century. The first ~ines were placers. Later, lodes were developed and stamp mills built. Rich returns were reported. The most important mine was ;th~ Magnide.r Mine on the western edge of the county. McDuffie County Many properties were worked before the Civil War, both placer and lode. Mining continued after the war. The Columbia Mine was one of the most extensively worked in Georgia. A stamp mill, probably the first in the U.S., was built at the Columbia Mine in 1833. After 1846 Cornish pumps were used and the shafts extended 200 below the water level. Two million dollars in gold were recovef~d prior to the Civil War. Since then mining has been :intermittent. In 1925 considerable bullion was recovered at a 50-ton cyanide plant. The deepest .shaft wli~ 400 feet. Several other sizable lode mines operated in nortpern ~cDuffie County. T~liaferro County There was a little prospecting before the Civil War. Some gold was planned from placer deposits. Warren County After 1885 there was some underground and open-cut work. $4,597.51 worth of gold was produceq in 1886. Small production was reported in 1889-90 from placers. Wilkes County Both placer and lode deposits have been worked. One s~all vein wa,s reported to have yielded oreworth $3,~27.30/ton, One &mall placer oper.,. ;9.ted in 1915, the last to operate until 1964 when sap~olibe mining 'Pegan 3.8 miles northwest of Rayle. . Geologic Occurrence of Gold in the CSRA VEINS Quartz veins occur in Colu~Pta, Lincoln, McDuffie, Taliaferro, War- ren and Wilkes Counties. All the veins encountered during field work were descri'Ped (Appendices F, G, H, I, & J). . '' .. More than 1500 veins were sampled; 1410 samples (single or composite) were assayed; 448 samples were found to be auriferous, though most of them contclined only traces of gotd ~ S~venty-two of the sal1lples assayed $1. 00$5.00/ton in gold; 11 assayed $4;.00-$10.00/ton; 17 assayed more than $10. 00/ton. The highest val,ue is. $164 .15/ton, For the distribution of auriferous veins see Figure 60. The veins range in width from a fraction o:f an inch to 10 feet. The longest vein is about 1,700 feet. COJ:!IIllOl;lly the veins contai1;1 pyr:f.te, feldspar and magnetite -.- less commonly chlorite, hornblende,' epidote, il~enite, ga,lens, sphalerite and chalcopyr:itfil ..,....., ra1;ely shceelite, pyromorphite. No r~la,tionship is apparent be.tween '{ein size and gold content; mo;r:e small veins are auri:l;erous ' apparentty;, o.nly 'Pecause t'here are more smaH veip.s. 201 Within a given area, most of the auriferous veins have a common orientation, but this orientation varies from one area to another. For example, the auriferous veins in Columbia County mostly strike northeast while those in northern Lincoln County mostly strike northwest. In general, the higher gold values are not in veins which crop out conspicuously. Rather, they are in broken and sheared veins which have disintegrated to quartz rubble near the surface, and also in small pods and thin stringers occupying poorly defined zones. Several old shafts which encountered numerous small: pods, lenses and stringers of auriferous quartz intersected no prominent vein (see Table 32). The gold assays in Tables 31 and 32 should be regarded only as typical of the values that can be obtained. Considering the usual erratic distribution of gold, other samples from the same areas might show lower or higher values, though most of the higher values reported here are from composite samples. The data that have been gathered demonstrate two important points: (1) high grade auriferous quartz does occur at several places; (2) the high values usually are in small pods or stringers within zones or masses the boundaries of which are poorly defined, even in the country rocks. Where larger veins are high grade, they are usually broken and sheared. Near the surface they have disintegrated to fine, stained quartz rubble and rarely crop out as clear-cut veins. When the source of alluvial gold is being sought, veins are apt to attract attention first. Still, gold does not always originate in veins. The country rocks themselves may be mineralized in the vicinity of veins or even where there are no veins. Mineralized schist, amphibolite and quartzite appear to be common in the northern part of CSRA because the super-position of maps showing the distribution of auriferous veins with those showing counts of alluvial gold generally show little or no correlation. One sample of amphibolite collected at P7 in western Wilkes County assays $1.75/ton. Mineralized zones of country rock in northern CSRA are worthy of closer examination as potential large-volume lowgrade ore. SAPROLITE DEPOSITS Where mineralized rock or rock containing auriferous pods or veinlets has decomposed to soil the gold may have been sufficiently freed for gravity separation. Such weathered material, essentially in place, constitutes a saprolite deposit. The saprolite has been worked at several places in northern CSRA by sluicing. One example is the gold mine started in 1964 in western Wilkes County. PLACERS Many of the stream gravels in northern CSRA are auriferous, though they are rarely extensive enough for large scale mining. The gravels worked in the past generally were only a few feet thick and were along the smaller creeks. TABLE 31 - Quartz Vein Sampling and Gold Assays N 0 N No.. of Sample Stations No. of Samples Assayed No. of Auriferous Samples <: $1.00 per ton ::> $1. 00/ton < $5.00/ton Auriferous Samples > $5.00/ton ? < $10. 00/ton $10.00/ton Sample Station Columbia Co. 34 Lincoln Co. 305 McDuffie Co. 194 35 28 27 324 97 85 197 167 107 Taliaferro CO. 275 319 23 20 Warren Co. 58 60 34 21 Wilkes Co. 438 475 99 88 Total 1304 1410 448 348 1 0 0 9 1 15.75 PlO 89.25 Pl3 41 10 24.85 26 114.10 4(A9) 40.95 4(Cl-Cll) 27, 30. S(B32) 15. 75 S(BS2) 13.30 5(B57) ll. 20 5(C1-::C4) 164.15 6(A6-A7) 21. 70' 6(A26-A27) 1 1 11.20 Pl(B) 16.10 Pl{C) 12 0 10.15 51 8 0 33.25 P7(-C) 19.95 P7{5J 16.45 P7(10) n n 17 203 County Lincoln McDuffie Taliaferro Warren Wilkes TABLE 32 - Collection of the Ore-grade Auriferous Samples Locality FlO Pl3 5 (B32) 5 (BS2) 5 (BS7) 5 (Cl-C4) Assayed value $15. 75 89.25 27.30 15. 75 13.30 11. 20 Material collected Grab sample of Ore from mine dump Grab sample of Ore from mine dump Rubble from shaft Rubble from prospect pits and trenches Rubble from prospect pits Composite, rubble from prospect pits 6(A6-A7) 6 (A26-A27) 26 4(A9) 4 (Cl-C11) Pl (B) 164.15 21.70 24.85 114.10 40.95 11.20 Composite, rubble from pit and shaft Quartz pod, greater than 10" thick Selected ore sample from mine dump - Galena, pyrite, chalcopyrite Stringers less than 6" thick Grab sample from pile of boulders taken from prospect workings Pl{C) so P7C P7 (5) P7 (10) 16.10 10.15 33.25 19. 95 16.45 Composite sample, 5 veins 2"-13" thick and 4 stringers about 1" thick Composite, quartz pods and stringers, each less than a foot across. Composite of residual material from recent excavations {pods and stringers) Taken from prospect trench, pods 2"-4" thick Chip sample across a 4"-5" thick vein at two places, 8 feet apart. Areal Distribution of Fine Alluvial Gold Figure 31 shows the areal distribution of fine alluvial gold in the 6 northernmost CSRA counties as obtained by counting the number of gold particles in 50 milligrams of the heavy portion of the -115 mesh size fraction of 680 alluvial samples. In all six counties traces of gold are widespread. Hardly any alluvial sample cound be collected that would not contain a few microscopic specks. Anomalous concentrations are in ten areas. Only two of the 83 alluvial samples from Columbia County contain no gold, but the gold content is everywhere low. In Lincoln County only six of the 74 alluvial samples contain no gold. As in Columbia County, the gold content is everywhere low. In McDuffie County 6 of the 120 samples that were collected contain no gold. The highest concentrations are in the lower part of Brier Creek, t ~ z c ~ . 0 c Figure 31 205 south of Happy Valley, and along Headstall Creek. In Taliaferro County only four of the 117 alluvial samples contain no gold. The highest concentrations are in a belt running NE-SW across the county west of Crawfordville, particularly along Lick Creek, a small tributary of the Ogeechee River flowing south from Crawfordville, and the upper part of Powell Creek. In Warren County all of the 65 alluvial samples that were collected contain fine gold. Anomalous concentrations are along Brier Creek 4 miles east of Warrenton and along Storm Branch 6~ miles southeast of Warrenton. In Wilkes County only two of the 221 samples contain no gold. The major concentrations are in the central and southwestern parts of the county, in the headwaters of Clark, Rock, Rocky, Beaverdam, and Kettle Creeks. The superposition of Figure 31 and 32 shows, as expected, that all streams draining the areas where auriferous veins have been located bear fine alluvial gold. Many streams, however, along which no auriferous veins have been located also bear gold, indicating that other auriferous veins are to be found or that fine gold is common in the country rocks. The comparison of Figure 31 and 32 brings out that the fine gold in the alluvium does not necessarily reflect the richer veins, i.e., the fine alluvial gold might relate more to the country rocks than to the veins. Stated another way, the distribution of -115 mesh gold might not assist the search for gold lodes, or might assist only in the most general way. To elucidate the latter possibility"a special series of alluvial samples were collected in 3 areas. In each, a small creek originates in auriferous rocks. Regularly spaced samples were collected to find out (1) whether known auriferous rocks yield a detectable trail of fine gold in the alluvium, and (2) whether the composited alluvial samples yield erratic or regular gold counts. Figure 33 demonstrates that the fine alluvial gold does not offer a sensitive means of detecting auriferous veins, at least not in this area. Either the distribution in the alluvium is too erratic for the sampling procedure that was used, or the fine gold does not originate mostly in veins. Occurrence of Gold in Columbia County Whi.te (1849) mentioned a mine in the upper part of Columbia County near Little River. Stephenson (1871) referred to the Broomhead Mine, formerly called the Columbia Mine. Both of these references are to localities which formerly were a part of Columbia County but are now in McDuffie County. Thus Columbia, as now bounded, has no record of gold mining. Figure 32 207 QUARTZ VEINS The vein locations are shown in Figure 34. Appendix F gives their size, shape, attitude, gold content, etc. A total of 35 samples were assayed from 34 localities, representing 29 veins, 36 pods, 19 stringers, 1 "bull" quartz mass, 1 silicified zone, 1 quartzite layer, and 2 masses of indeterminate shape. The veins range in thickness from a fraction of an inch up to 6 feet. Frequency increases with decreasing vein thickness. The veins at 28 localities contain gold, but only in traces. The highest assay is less than $5.00/ton. Mines and Prospects in Lincoln County There are two classes of gold deposits in Lincoln County, according to S. P. Jones (unpublished report, Ga. Dept. of Mines file): (1) those which are confined to a belt about 3 miles wide trending NE-SW across the southern part of the County and (2) isolated deposits in the western and northern parts of the County. The deposits of the first class are in fairly well defined quartz veins, and mostly in fine-grained schists. They generally strike either northeast or northwest. Clean cut vein walls are common, yet the gold is not always confined to the vein material. Some of the veins are 4-5 feet thick. Pyrite, galena and chalcopyrite are the minerals most commonly associated with the gold. The deposits of the second class are not referable to a well-defined belt. They differ also from the deposits of the first class in that clean cut vein walls are not common. Though true vein quartz is to be found, the boundaries between the veins and the country rocks are generally indistinct. The deposits of the second class appear to have formed by deposition along shattered zones or areas within which both vein material and wall rocks may be impregnated with ore. The Seminole Mine is a good example. Ore minerals associated with the gold are pyrite~ galena, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and pyromorphite. QUARTZ VEINS Figure 34 shows the vein locations; Appendix G gives their size, shape, etc. A total of 324 samples were collected from 305 localities. These represent 152 veins, 486 pods, 119 stringers, 10 large quartz masses generally lensoid in shape, 7 siliceous or silicified layers, and 15 bodies of unknown shape. These are exposed along or near the roads. Others might be Figure 33a. 209 DISTRIBUTION OF FINE ALLWIAL GOLD ALONG SELECTED STREAMS Wlke County Trlbutary of Dry Creek Wlllooo C-1~ TrlbuiCO"~ Ill Fiohlnt Cr!llk A / B I _/ / I J TollaferrO Countr St.,... a Ucll Croolul Me DuffiO County Broom Creek Figure 33b Z-.::----0 z ~""' Figure34 211 found in the intervening areas. The veins range in thickness from a fraction of an inch to 7 feet. Their frequency increases regularly with decreasing thickness (Figure 35). The quartz at 89 localities contains traces of gold. No relationship is apparent between vein size and gold content. While the quartz veins in general may have any orientation, those which are auriferous mostly strike northeast. At only 2 of the sampled localities does the quartz contain enough gold to be workable: PlO arid Pl3 (assays of $15.75 and $85.20/ton). At neither locality is the vein exposed well enough for an estimate to be made of thickness or length. For further information see the prospect descriptions below. INDIVIDUAL DESCRIPTIONS Pl---- Copper and Gold ----Magruder Mine (now owned by J. T. Hanvey, Box 1375, Coral Gables, Florida) Location: Lincoln County, central-west part, near county line, approximately one mile Sl8E from Lovelace; approximately 1.7 miles north of latitude 33 45' and 1.05 miles east of longitude 82 35'. Figure 35 THICKNESS OF QUARTZ VEINS LINCOLN COUNTY VEIN THICKNESS IN IHCH[S Figure 35 212 The Magruder Mine has been worked, drilled, and studied several times since discovery about 1850. The area is now thickly overgrown, shafts are inaccessible, and many of the prospect pits and trenches are slumped atid partially filled. The records of past activities include maps of the workings and drill hole locations that are more complete than could be made now. The Magruder Mine is at the extreme western edge of Lincoln County, about 2~ miles east of Metasville. It is in a big bend of Soap Creek about a mile due south of Lovelace, a stop on the Washington and Lincolnton Rail~ road. Gold was first discovered on the prope:t:"ty along a branch close to the mine sometime prior to 1850 (Peyton and Cofer, 1950~ p. 3). About 1855, Thomas Seay, a wealthy planter, bought the property consisting of approximately 900 acres and operated the mine with slave labor during slack pe.,. riods on the farm. Seay sold an interest in the mine to George Magruder of Columbia County, Georgia. The greater portion of the work dope before the Civil War was on the Magruder vein by Mr. Magruder and his associates. Operations were stopped by the Civil War. About 1874, a Mr. Jackson acquired the property and made the first attempt to mine the deposit by underground methods. He sank the Jackson shaft to a depth of 125 feet and took out a large tonnage of O:t:'e along the Magruder vein. Water proved to be too much for the pumping facilities on hand, so Jackson started a drainage tunnel f:t:"om. the Creek just below the mill site to connect with the Jackson shaft .. This work was stopped after 600 feet had been driven. Several mineralized ~ones were cut through the tunnel, one of which is probably the Wardlow. In 1897, Carl Henrich, a mining engineer, bought the property at pub lie sale. Under his ownership the Seminole Mining Company was prganized and a mill, small roasting oven, and blast furnace were built. The main shaft was sunk to a depth of ~40 feet and some drifting and cross-cutting were done on the 90-foot level. The company shipped several cars of concentrates, matte, and bullion, all of which had to be hauled by team,s 15 miles to Washington, Georgia, the nearest railhead. The Seminole Mining Company was disorganized about 1910 and, with the exception of 27 acres in the vicinity of the mine, the property was divided into smal+ farms and sold, Henrich retraining the mineral rights on the total acreage. During the Seminole M.ining Company operation, a 3-compartment shaft was sunk to a depth of over 200 feet. The drift of the 125-foot level was considerably extended. A drift at the 145-foot level was run for about 100'. Considerable wo:t:'k was done at several points in the way of drifting along different veins from the cross-cut running northwest from, the main drift of the 145-foot level (Figure 36). The veins which are fairly well-defined show eyidepce of intense pressure which has crushed and in some instances granulated the quartz (unpublished report by W. H. Fluker, May 1923). Five veins have been named: the Wardlow, the Finley, the Seminole, the Murdock, and the Magruder (Figure 37). MAGRUDER MINE LJncoln Co. , Go. Surface Map IP.,to~ Col,l~) 213 MAGRUDER LINCOLN CO., MINE GA. PLAN X-SECTION Figure 37 214 The Wardlow vein >?as worke!i for gold when the mine was first disC:::overed. It is well-defined quartz vein striking N40E ~nd dipping 72Nw but, owing to the frequent horizonta~ faulting, the ore is 11 stoped back" to a vertical position behind the shaft. The ~re is rich in gold, silver, cop~ per, lead, and zinc. In some places almost solid masses qf galena and chalcopyrite weigh several hundred pounds. The entire y.~in ~s strongly miner~lized and can all be classed as high grade ore. Fl'l,lker noted in his report in 1923 that most of the Wardlow workings were in~ccessible. He collected a sample where the vein was 8 feet thick averaging ~ tqtal value of $17.70 per ton. . At the time of Fluker 1 s. work in 1923 there were no accessible expo- ~ures of the Finley vein. rt was visible in the Eiir ~haft from the 145foot level where it appeared to be well defined and abou,t: lf 1 thick. The Seminole vein is a mi~e+alized zone of finely ~rushed and sac~ chroidal quartz, 19 1 thick, with rather poorly defined walls. The Murdo.ck vein is a strongly mineralized zone of schist 32 1 thick. The foot wall is definite but the hanging wall is indistinct:. The Magruder vein is the most important in the mine. Surface work., ings along this vein extend over a length of nearly 1200 feet ~long the strike on the south, side of Soap Creek and the float can be traced a. quarter of a mile or more on the 1;1orth side of ~h,~ cree.k in the qirect:l,on of the strike. It is a quartz vein with a well-defineq hanging wall with a rich streak 5 1 thick next to the wall. Watson (1904) described 01;1ly three well-defined veins --the Wardlow, the Finley and the Magruder - which are approximately parallel having a general direction of N25-40E. He stated that th~y vary in width and represent the more completely sil~cified portions of the sheared and crushed schists. He described them as. being composed of fine granular saccharoidal quartz interlaced with stringers of broken massive quartz. The ore he de scribed as distributed through the veins in the form of stringers, irregu~ lar bunches or nests and as large and small disseminated grains and particles. Considerable ore was distributed through the adjacent country rocks. The ore minerals were chiefly chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite and pyrite. 'Native copper was ~ound in the Wardlow and Finley veins and in plc:tces teno .... rite (black oxide of copper). The country rock in the vicinity of the mine is mainly biotitic, sericitic, or quartzitic schist. Dikes varying in width from ~ few feet to several hundred feet are common. Where exposed in the underground workings, they are completely schistose and broken at close intervals by joints. In the stream bed about 700 1 west of the shaft is exposed a moderately dark fine to. medium textured rock containing numerous conspicuously deve~oped roun,ded quartz grains of opalescent appearance (Watson, 1904). 215 The Seminole Mine was developed by two vertical shafts 220' and 150' deep. The mine was equipped with a 40-ton concentrating mill, roasting furnace, and a 15-ton blast furnace. Matte, concentrates and ore were shipped (Resources of the U.S., 1905). See Figure 38. Production of copper was reported for 1906. Before 1910 the mine suspended operations. In 1916 the Washington-Lincolnton Railroad was built and ran within 1 mile of the Magruder Mine. About this time the Georgia Copper Company was organized. They began to reopen the mine in 1917 (Mineral Resources of the u.s., 1917, p.58). By 1920 the Georgia Copper Company was producing copper-lead concentrates containing considerable gold and silver. The mine operated about 3 months during 1920 (Mineral Resources of the U. S., 1920, p. 10). In 1922, the shaft was deepened to 285 feet and more concentrates were shipped. This is about the time that Mr. Rundle took charge of the mine (his report of 1942). Mr. Rundle stated that "the plans were to repair the mill and get it in operation as soon as possible. Mill equipment consisted of one, 40-50 H. P. steam driven engine (purchased and placed after I took charge); one, No. 4 Gyratory crusher, closed to make 3/4" product; 2 Batteries -- 10, 750# M.I.W. stamps; one, 3 cell Burchard Flotation machine and 4 or 5 Deister concentrator tables. The mill repairs took something like four weeks; active mining then commenced. "On the Wardlow vein, and at the 145.0' level, I noticed a small quartz vein which had not been investigated, decided it had possibilities although, at this point, scantily mineralized. Commenced an upraise, and although the vein was but 16" wide where the upraise commenced it soon increased in width as well as mineralization, within a short distance we uncovered an ore body from 2.5' to 3.0' side, and in many places over 50 percent consisted of lead and chalcopyrite, the lead predominating. This body was stoped to within a short distance of the 90.0' level and with the exception of a small amount of ore taken from the Finley vein, furnished the ore milled during my connection. "At the same time, and at the same level (145.0') I extended crosscut, the purpose of which was to cut the Magruder vein. A quartz vein was cut, but at the intersection, if it was the Magruder it looked far from encouraging. "At the 145' level and on the Wardlow vein the face of the drift was wet and I had a hole drilled in the bottom for the purpose of concentrating the water in this hole (drilled 10 to 12 feet deep) and have the water tested; this, however, was not done, but before leaving I noticed the collar of the hole encrusted with copper carbonate. "The work during the time I was in charge of the property was both successful and profitable. Value of the concentrates $65.00 to $70.00 per ton. Figure 38 \) '""" ,fl" #...... 71 ~IJ . . . ,it.c:(:::;. I'll I u ~IH2 =.. ..Sl!afl ...O.Shou MAGRUDER MINE Lincoln County, Georvia a Surface Underground Features b~ Pate P. 8Jo.latmo, ShuJ 13-WPA e374 217 This left an encouraging profit after operating cost had been paid, including, cost of crosscut and other equipment. "Had I remained, it was my intention to rework the tailings below the mill, no question but what the gold content would have paid all expenses, leaving a profitable amount in galena and copper. "Accidentally meeting the owner (Mr. Whittaker) in Atlanta, he stated the profits shown from the mine during the time I had charge had enabled him to sell $42,000.00 in stock. With this, he had paid back obligations and left capital for further development. "From the first, I tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade Mr. Whittaker to drill the property, two or three diamond drill holes on each of the three veins, however, he would not consent; he did, however, ask me to return and again take chH.S"', but I was otherwise employed." Only developmental work was done at the mines during 1925; crosscuts of 480' and 90' were driven on the 200-foot level. Mr. W. H. Simons reported in 1928 that operations had been suspended in 1925. When he visited the mine in 1928 it was closed, the workings were under water, and a 10 stamp mill with which the ore had been concentrated had been burned to the ground. In 1938 the mine was reopened by J. D. McCall who is reported to have shipped two small carloads of massive galena from the Magruder vein (Warriner, 1954). Figure 39 is a plan view pre.pared in 1939 of the main work~ ings. Fi ure 39 I .. _L .. I I i .... +---tw==='lti 11M1CMX.11 Vtlll f ,,... on '".~ -t--.;;;::--t--#--t---1---+---1---1---'~ ~~--- -- Figt,tre 39 218 The U. S. Bureau of Mines put down seven drill holes during 1943. The results of the drilling are covered in Report of Investiga~ions 4665 dated March, 1950. Figure 40 shows the location of their drill holes, J. T. Hanvey and associates began unwatering and rehabilitating the shaft in January 1954 in order to check on reported streaks of sericite in the underg~ound workings confirmed by the U. S. Bureau of Mines drilling. New work under the direction of Mr. Hanvey consisted of a few drifts and crosscut rounds on, and in search of, the reported sericite. Since the sericite streaks were found to be of low quality, Mr. Hanvey suspended operations in early June but kept the mine unwatered until 1954. Figure 41 is a plan view of the 145 level; Figure 42 is a plan view of the 185 level. Mr. Warriner gave the following Assessment of Ore Chances after studying old records, studying the Bureau of Mines cores, and exploring the portion of the mine accessible in 1954: "With the exception of the Magruder vein and the Wardlow vein in the floor of the 185 1 level, no ore is presently accessible for sampling under ground, Both these shoots are short and narrow, but presumably of good grade. Old production reports are so sketchy that no positive values can be assigned. Judging from the exposures, the Magruder shoot yielded about 20 tons of vein material per vertical foot and the Wardlow about the same. The Wardlow shoot is reported to have been stoped back down dip by sli'?e faulting so that the workings stand vertical while the vein dips about 70 NW. The shoots in these two ~ones represent very small targets and were missed completely by the Bureau of Mines drilling. Whether a series of such shoots exists can only be determined by close drilling, preferably both surface and underground. "The Finley zone appears only on the 145 level and had apparently been stoped to surface through raises now too dangerous to enter. Hop~ins reports high gold values near surface, probably saprolitic --the outcrop area has been extensively worked. This zone, of which the core is a quartz stringer a couple of inches wide, pees not seem to continue downward. to the 185 level. "The Murdock zone of pyritized, bleached quartz-sericite schist appears to hold the largest ore potential on the property. While the work done on it on the 145 level by Hanvey indicates some copper-zinc mineralization, the principal values seem to be in gold. The shearing and pyritization, with quartz stringer, has the appearance of a fairly strong structure that could be easily followed. The altered zone 250' from the shaft in the main crosscut on the 185 level is probably the Murdock. It was not sampled by the writer. The low gold values obtained by Hanvey in his work on it on the 145 level indicate assay walls and perhaps erratic gold distribution. The excellent gold values in Hole EM 2 at the 270-foot horizon suggest the possibility of a good gold ore body, perhaps extending up to the level of mine workings and perhaps south of the Murdock drift on the 145 level. MAGRUDER MINE 1956 0 200 feet Tennessee Copper Company 219 N O Surface pits and cuts / />" / / / / __.--:;,/ / 145 feet level 185 feet level G-__ - Diamond Drill Hole by Bureau of Mines ( B.M.) or by Tennessee Copper Company CT.C.) --- (). BM 6 -- G-T_C 2 ()B. M_ _I ~ ----- _ __ JACKSON,i -- __ ---- -S-H-A-FT- - - - - -a-------- Figure 40 MAGRUDER MINE HANVEY MINING CORPORATION LINCOLN COUNTY, GEORGIA GEOLOGY 145 LEVEL LEGEND Bolicdlkn,hornbltndic',Qretnl'h Quortt-blotlte rock,moulvt,QrDJ Som,bleoch!d,sericlllc,whill ; Qlotile~urh:ile schist, dark Silh:ifltd,p~rilized,locol bgu metal 1ulphl~n ....___<4~ '"''-,.. ; No I 17 0.~Z II 015 - PI> o\u Af :.. OIZ 078 - 01~ O.to - o.o7o.t5 Nu HI~""" C"U~tu~ Holt ...,, ftOI Mot ;~M d u p .~ ... ~~ ., ,!!.,!2000 figur~ 41 ...""-~ ''" "'' 1<2 6001fii'N -O.o&M Ill 15 uso.n - 042 ol'S 221 .~ Agure 42 MAGRUDER MINE HANVEY WINING CORPORATION LINCOLN COUNTY, GEORGIA GEOLOGY 185 LEVEL LEGEND Boaic dl-.a, houtbleftGic, tfMftilh Sa-. O~~Ctrtzlolite rDCII, MOIII"-tnrr bleiiCtled, hricitic, white ; atlte-urlclte ldlitt, dark Slllcltt.d, "rltiatul, loco! boN Mtol lltlpifHa 222 "Dump material at the Jackson shaft suggests fair ~inc mineraliz~ tion in the Magruder structure. A sample of the best looking mineralized siliceous schist from the dump gave the following assay: Cu 0.63%, Pb 0.38%, Au 0.11 oz., and Ag 0.65 oz. The similarity of this material to that in the NW drift, Magruder section, 185 level, suggests the presence of another ore shoot. A. N. Hopkins reports that bits of massive galena were found while rehabilitating the Jackson shaft in 1940. For some reason this activity was abandoned before the shaft was. cleaned and unwatered to the bottom. In Hole BM 1, 7.7' of 3.04% An, with low Pb, Cu, and Au values were cut at the proper strike projection of the Magruder at the 185 level." tn 1955-56 the Tennessee Copper Company carried out a diamond drill ing program. The location of their holes is shown by Figure 40. Figures 43, 44, 45, 46, and 47 are cross-sections through drill holes. A geochemical survey of the Magruder area is in the section SULPHIDES. P2-- GOLD-- L. C. Groves Heirs (was Sales Mine and Ward Property) Location: Northwestern Lincoln County, near Fishing Creek; approx imately 2.6 miles S87W from Goshen; approximately 1.6 miles north of latitude 33 50 1 and 1.5 miles east of longitude 82 35'. Numerous shallow prospect shafts, pits, and trenches are near the crest of a ridge underlain by pyritiferous quartz-sericite schist, One shaft is still open to a depth of about 45 feet (water level); this, and 3 or 4 others appear to have been mine shafts; the remainder are shallow, some with short adits, and were probably for prospect purposes. Pits and trenches are scattered along and near the ridge crest to the west-southwest, almost to Fishing Creek. A ditch used to bring water from Fishing Creek is still open and extends west-southwest along the contour of the ridge. The pyritiferous quartz-sericite schist comprises a definite zone, which can be traced along the ridge by prominent outcrops and abundant float. Exposures in the prospect pits and mine shafts are poor. Northeast of the shaft area, a large hydraulic cut, 20 to 50 feet deep and 25 to 100 feet wide, extends generally N60E fo~ more than 800 feet, Quartz-sericite schist, with occasional thin stringers and pods of quartz, and impregnated with minute cubes of pyrite, is exposed at variou~ places along the cut. Sample P2(A), from an exposure of quartz-sericite schist (strike N80E, dip 87NW) at the southwest end of the cut, includes a 2 inch quartz stringer. Sample P2(B) is a grab sample from dump material at a short ad:i.t on the southeast side of the cut, near the south-southwest end. P2(4) assays $1.40/T in gold. P2(B) assays trace. The gold mineralization, which is very low grade, is in a pyritiferous quartz-sericite schist containing occasional thin stringers and pods of 223 I ' ' ' ',.:, ,:'O"e.N,:'I 'I,=~.~,' 900 '.g', :;:1!1 ~' '_LJ~.:~:i~;,l-_r!_P~;!~- 145 , .,., GOO .. .. 100 700 700 600 600 MAGRUDER MINE HANVEY MINING CORPORATION LINCOLN COUNTY, GEORGIA SECTION THROUGH DRILLHOLE BM I FoclnQ NE 40 LEGEND 80 Feet July 1954 ~ Basic dikes, hornblendic, Qreenish Quartz biotite rock, massive, Qroy ~ Same, bleached, sericitic, white Biotite-sericite schist, dark Silicified, pyritized, with base metal sulphides Figure 43 BL MAGRUDER MINE HANVEY MINING CORPORATION LINCOLN COUNTY, GEORGIA SECTION THROUGH DRILLHOLE BM 2 Facing NE k~--.d!4Ji.O..___-:::.. ,::;:~0 Feel July 1954 LEGEND ~ Basic dikes, hornblendic, greenish Qubrtt~biotite rock, massive, gray Sorile, bleached, sericilic, white Biotile-sericile schist, dark Sthclf1ed, pynlized, with bose metal sulphtdes Figure 44 Poo 1415 levil BOO 700 600 900 800 700 MAGRUDER MINE HANVEY MINING CORPORATION LINCOLN COUNTY, GEORGIA SECTION THROUGH DRILLHOLES BM 3 8 BM 7 Facing NE 0::,-~,..;40;::(,=--..:80:= Fool Jul~ 1954 LEGEND Basic dike$, homblendic, treenish Quartr-biotite rock. massive, oror Same, bleached, nricitic, white Biolita-oericita schist, dark Silicified, pyrilired, wilb bale metal sulphijlel Figure 45 BL BOO .a ~;:- Mooruder -Main South Drift 700 900 000 700 6oo eoo MAGRUDER MINE HANVEY MINING CORPORATION LINCOLN COUNTY, GEORGIA SECTION THROUGH DRILLHOLE 8 M 4 FotinQ NE 40 LEGEND eo Feel July 1954 ~ Basic dikes, hornblendic, greenish Ql,lortz-blotlle rock, manlve, gray Some, bleached, sericilic, while Bio,lte-urlcile schist, dark SHicifl~d, pyrilired, with bo&e metal sulphides Figure 46 -- SURFACE " ~ "-~ ~ -- ....~- - - ,',' ..,., ' oo 'fT cu ZN AU AG ~s41occ! 01 00 Lk. .,f,o9 ~6503 ~ FT CU ZN Ac AG' ~ ~ 38 006 Q,2,_ ;..-._ ~~'7l'czco 0 016 700 105 . 16 025 0 ,zi C61056j 500 165 - -1-i-i 45 018 o~o" ioi 0 200 feet ~ 300 "-..,_ s 75 ::- SURFACE S 75 E 800 400 ---~ ~ 0 IOOfut L_______j S SO E I I I I I I ~I ~'! I ~I o'l "'! I I o/ 'lo/ I I I MAGRUDER MINE X- sections 1956 Tennessee Copper Company Figure 47 228 qu~rtz. Neither previou13 reports nor current sampling encour9-ges further prospecting. The history of these properties is as follows: Sales Mine: The Sales Mine, or the Sales and Lamar Mine, is in the northwestern part of the county near Fishing Creek, 2\ miles west of Goshen. Gold was discovered along the branch on which the mine was located be" fore the Civil War. Placer mining was undertaken and in addition a company composed of the owners of the property erected a stamp mill and did some milling. No information is available as to the amount of gold obtained. About 1879 the mine was worked by a company which paid the owners a royalty. After their lease expired another company worked the mine for a short time and then was succeeded by the Sales and Lamar Mining Company. This company t;ook out ore from a vein designated as the ''Mother Lode" for a distance of approximately 30' along its strike and to a depth of about 30'. The vein varies in thickness from 1 to 2 or more feet, but the thinner portions afforded the better grade of ore. According to report, the richer portions of the vein yielded about $100.00 per ton. In addition to the vein work an area about 200 yards long by 40 yards wide was washed out with a hydraulic giant to a depth of 40-60'. In this area small stringer$ of quartz were : found which afforded thin chimneys or chutes of rich ore. The Sales and Lamar Mining Company erected a 20 stamp mill of 450 pound stamps and milled the material taken out as free milling ore. When ~ rich chute was struck the ore wa13 first beaten by hand in mortars and after all the gold was secured that could be obtained by this method the crushed rock was fed to the mill. A news item in The New South (Elberton paper, Nov. 28, 1883) reported that "Capt. D. B. Cade working the Sale Gold Mine exhibited one of 3 bars of gold bullion which had the weight of $1100. This is the 7th bar since August 1. We believe the Sale Mine is the richest in the south." Only development work was done at the Sales Mines during 1905 OMineral Resources of the U.S., 1905, p. 300). After the Sales and Lamar Mining Company suspended operations, the mine was worked several times in a small way by different parties (Jones, 1909, p. 254-256). The Lincoln Journal reported in 1924 (Oct. 16, p.2) that the shaft had been deepened to 250' before it caved in. Ward Property: The Ward property adjoins the Sales Mine. About 1880 Mr. B. R. Ward sank several shafts on the supposed continuation of the veins of the Sales Mine. The ore taken out was worked in sluice boxes and some milling was carried on. It is reported that from a very limited operation about $600 worth of gold was secured (Jones, 1909, p. 256). 229 P3 -- GOLD -- Claude Rhodes (was John Tatum) Location: Lincoln County; southeastern part; approximately 0.9 mile S57E from Kenna, 250 feet northeast of Georgia Highway 220 spur; approximately 1.0 mile north of latitude 33 45' and 1.5 miles west of longitude 82 20'. Two shafts about 15 feet apart have been sunk to a depth of 40 (+) feet, Both are now partially filled with trash but walls are clean. The shafts are in a quartzite which is hard, massive, somewhat sericitic and contains disseminated pyrite. Kyanite is common throughout the exposed portion. Float boulders indicate vein-like masses of kyanite and py rophyllite. Vein quartz is not abundant on the dump, but, along with kyanite and pyrophyllite, is thickly scattered for several hundred yards along a low ridge starting at the shafts and trending east-northeast. Pyritic quartz-sericite schist, exposed in a roadcut to the southwest, strikes N69E, dips 75NW. Material on the dump is primarily pyritic quartzite, with kyanite; boulders of unstained pyrophyllite; masses of kyanite; and minor vein quartz. Assay of a grab sample of the quartzite and vein quartz from the dump shows only a trace of gold. This is possibly the mine designated the "Samuels Mine" by Pardee and Parks (1948, p. 126). They give the location as being 1~ miles northeast of Double Branches. Hopkins (1914) lists this as the Thomas Leroy property and states that a prospect shaft was sunk about 1860, in search for copper, with no success. No copper mineralization was noted during this examination and the sample assayed for gold showed only a trace. No further prospecting at this site for copper or gold is recommended. Occurrences of kyanite and pyrophyllite are described in the KYANITE section. P4 -- GOLD -- West Virginia Pulp and Paper (was the Bussey Mine) Location: Lincoln County, southeastern part, approximately 2.8 miles S87E from Double Branches; approximately on latitude 33 45 1 and 2.05 miles west of longitude 82 15'. S. P. Jones (1902) briefly described the Bussey Mine: Several shafts were sunk and considerable prospect work done for gold years ago at a point about 1 3/4 miles from the Savannah River and about a half mile from the Petersburg Road, 2 1/2 miles east of Double Branches. The shafts are on the line between Mr. M. A. Bussey's and James S. Bussey's properties. 230 A small cluster of prospect pits and trenches now largely filled .~nd obscured by soil and humus mark the mine. The shafts mentio}1ed by Jones (1902) are no longer discernible. On the wall of the trench is still exposed a quartz v.ein, appro:dmately 28 inches thick with apparent attitude of N77W, 78N~. The quartz is pale gray to white, tran:;;lucent, vitreous, with minor ir.on oxide along fractures, no sulfides were noted. A small pile of rubble, of tqe same type quartz, is still visible on the dump. A sample of the quartz vein was taken for gold assay; it: shows a trace pf gold. The workings are on the northeast side of, and adjacent to, a woods road which leads southeast from the road between Double ~ranches Baptist Church and Camp Daniel Marshall (old Petersburg Road), approximately 1.4 miles northeast of the church and 0.2 mile southeast of the road. Further prospecting is not recommended. P5 --GOLD-- U. S. Government, Clark Hill Reservation (was Seaborn Mosley estate) Location: Lincoln County, central part, near southern bounqary; approximately 2.85 miles S7E from Double Branches, approximately 3.1 miles north of latitude 33 40' and 0.3 mile east of longitude 82 20'. S. P. Jones (1902) states that gold had been reported on a portion of the original Seaborn Mosley estate, which lies just west of Cherokee Creek in the 183rd militia district. Mr. Sam Mosley claimed to have panned coarse gold at a point aboqt 200 yards from the old homestead. Several pannings made by Mr~ Jones failed to yield any gold. Much of this property is now covered by the Clark Uill Reservoir, the old homestead is within a few feet of the shoreline. There is no evidence that it was ever worked for gold. Exposures are poor and the exact location of early workings in doubt. The meager information that can be obtained does not encourage further prospecting. P6 - GOLD -- Aubry Mathis. (wa,s Mrs. Susan Bohler) Locat'lon.: Ll..ncoln County, central part, near 1:1outhcrn boundary,. approximately 3.0 miles Sl8W from Double Branches, approximately 3.05 miles north of latitude 33 40' and 1.0 mile west of longitude 82 20'. 231 Jones (1902) reported a minor amount of prospecting on this property. No evidence could be found of the shaft being sunk by Henry Bohler in 1902, nor could the older residents in the area recall mining activity on the property. The location of the property is given here for purpose of record, even though site of the shallow shaft was not pinpointed. Jones described the Bohler property as follows: This property consisting of 400 acres in the southeastern part of the 183rd militia district is owned by Mrs. Susan Bohler of Lincoln County (S. P. Jones Report). Mr. Henry Bohler of Grovetown, Ga. showed Mr. Jones two gold nuggets about the size of turkey shot which he stated he had found while panning in a ditch or dry run about 300 yards southeast of the dwelling house. In 1902 Mr. Bohler was sinking a shaft on a quartz vein close to the locality where the n~ggets had been obtained. The vein however seemed to disappear at a depth of about 5 feet. P7 --GOLD-- Mrs. Grace H. Davis, 1913 East Macon Street, Savannah, Georgia (was Mrs. G. A. Bently) Location: Lincoln County, south-central part, approximately 2.4 miles S75E from Woodlawn, approximately 2.05 miles north of latitude 33 40' and 0.65 mile east of lingitude 82 25'. This property consists of about two hundred acres in the 183rd militia district and lies north of the S. K. Dill tract. It is owned by Mrs. G. A. Bentley (S. P. Jones, 1902). A quartz vein showing iron sulphides is a short distance southwest of the dwelling house but no development work had been done when the property was visited in 1902. About 75 yards north of the house is one of the largest quartz veins on the gold belt in Lincoln County. It crops out prominently above the general level of the ground for several yards and has an average width of about 5'. No sulphides show. The quartz body mentioned by Jones has an apparent thickness of 10 feet (+) and is exposed for approximately 75 feet along the trend N65E. The quartz is massive, white to pale-gray, translucent, vitreous. Iron oxide stain is negligible. No sulfides were noted. The quartz vein showing iron sulfides a short distance southwest of the dwelling house (Jones, .1902) was not located. The property has long been abandoned, dwelling and outbuildings have burned, and the area is thickly overgrown. P8-- GOLD-- Thomson Boat Club and U. S. Government, Clark Hill Reservation (was Mrs. Lucy B. Rivers) 232 Location: Lincoln County, southwest corner, approximately 2.35 miles Sl6E from Amity, approximately 1.65 miles south of latitude 33 40 1 and 1.2 miles east of longitude 82 30 1 , also approximately 2.1 miles S32E from Amith, approximately 1.2 miles south of latitude 33 40 1 and 1.65 miles east of longitude 82 30 1 According to Mr. Tom Byrd, brother of Mrs. Lucy B. Rivers, gold was mined or prospected at three places on the Rivers property: (1) On the east side, near the Rivers-Ramsey boundary. (2) A quartz vein in Little River. (3) At a Negro cemetery on a knoll near Little River. The shafts mentioned by Jones (1909) are on the Thomson Boat Club property and have been filled. The quartz vein crossing Little River (Jones, 1909) is covered by Clark Hill Reservoir. The prospect work near the cemetery is on a small island west of the Raysville Bridge, near the north side of the lake. The old workings could not be evaluated. Jones (1902 and 1909) gave a history of prospect work on the Rivers Property. The property consisted of a tract of about 950 acres awned by Mrs. Lucy B. Rivers of Raysville, Ga. A small portion of the estate lies in Wilkes County. The bulk of the property is in Lincoln County in the southwest corner of the 184th militia district and on the public road from Raysville.to Amity (S. P. Jones report). A quartz vein was to be seen on the property about 1/4 mile east of the public road and 1/4 mile east of Raysville (S. P. Jones, 1909, p. 97). A shaft was sunk on it in 1880 to a depth of 70 feet by Dr. Rape. The shaft was at the line between the Rivers property and an adjoining tract known as the Ramsey property and at the time of Jones 1 :last visit was filled up with debris to within about 30 feet of the surface. No information can be obtained as to what returns the ore taken out yielded. A little distance across the line on the Ramsey side was another old shaft known as the Jennings shaft. Southwest of the Rape shaft was a shaft on the Rivers side that was sunk some years earlier. The vein as seen in the latter shaft was about a foot wide but considerably shattered and pinched at several points. The quartz carried considerable amounts of iron sulphide. A sample from the vein at different points in this shaft assayed .04 ozs. ($0.80) of gold per ton. Further southwest on the property the outcrop of what appeared to be the same vein showed boulders of quartz 2-3 feet in diameter. The strike of the vein Jones gave as 40NE; the dip he could not determine from the exposures in the old shaft. Jones reported a large quartz vein crossing the Little River a hundred yards or so above the iron bridge on the Raysville road. Some sulphides of iron were noticed in the quartz of this vein and Mr. T. W. Rivers told Jones that a mill test showed it was auriferous. 233 P9 --GOLD-- U, S. Government, Clark Hill Reservation (was I. N. Ramsey property) Location: Lincoln County, southwest corner, approximately 2.2 miles S39E from Amith, approximately 1.1 miles south of latitude 33 40' and 1.95 miles east of longitude 82 30'. S. P. Jones (1902) described the I. N. Ramsey property as consisting of about 1,000 acres in the 184th militia district east of the Rivers property, one mile east of Raysville. It is bounded by Little River on the south. Several auriferous quartz veins are on this property. One striking about 40NE is probably a continuation of the vein described on the Rivers property. Between 1/8 and 1/4 of a mile from the river line an inclined shaft was sunk a few years ago on this vein and a drift run for a short distqnce. The ore taken out was milled at a small stamp mill then on the property. No record was kept of the amount of gold obtained. Some of the ore was said to have been rich in free gold. The vein as seen in this shaft is 2~ or 3 feet wide but a large amount of wall rock is interlaminated with the quartz. Mr. Bob Ramsey and his brother sank a shaft a few yards northwest of this shaft with the expectation of striking the vein, the dip being in that direction. Another shaft was sunk on this vein a short distance to the northeast. About 50 yards north of the above described vein a shaft 20 feet in depth is to be found on another vein. At the bottom of the shaft this vein is about 2' wide and composed of solid white quartz carrying rather large amounts of iron pyrite, some chalcopyrite and a little galena. Several particles of free gold about the size of an ordinary pin's head were observed in ore taken from this shaft. The poor exposure of the vein at the shaft does not reveal the dip and strike. A sample for assay taken from the vein at the shaft yielded .24 ozs. ($4.80) of gold per ton. The mine shafts and prospect pits which Jones described are now largely obscured; some are covered by the Clark Hill Reservoir. Adjacent to the Lake, on the east side of a small inlet and south of the old Kelley homestead, some irregular ground and quartz rubble mark a mining or prospect site. The quartz is white and pale-gray, translucent, vitreous, with minor iron oxide stain and some intercalated country rock. It matches Jones' description, carrying rather large amounts of pyrite, some chalcopyrite, and a little galena. A grab sample assayed $1.05/ton in gold. An evaluation of this property follows the description of Pl3. 234 PlO - GOLD - U. S. Government, Clark Hill Reservation (was 'the Paschal Mine) Location: Lincoln County, southwest corner, approximately 0.6 mile S7E from Clay Hill, approximately 0.7 mile south of latitude 33 40' and 1.7 miles west of longitude 82 25'. This mine is in the northeast corner of the Paschal property which is in the 184th militia district between the Ramsey property on the west l'l.nd the Philip Dill property on the east. The mine is located on Hickory N'ut Hill about a mile southwest of Mr. Philip Dill's house, 1/4 mile south of Clay Hill Post Office. It may be reached by settlement road from either Raysville or Amity by a 40 or 50 minute drive. The land is owned by Mrs. D. E. Paschal of Augusta, Ga. In the latter part of 1902 Mr. F. H. Hyatt of Columbia, S. c. took an option on the mine (S. P. Jones, 1902). In 1901 the mine was being worked by the Clay Hill Mining and Milling Company with Mr. L. 0. Weatherford in charge. The company milled the ore taken out with a small stamp mill with a 5 stamp battery of 225 lbs. to the stamp. This mill was located about a mile from the mine On Loyd's Creek close to Mr. Philip Dill's house. An effort was made to save the sulphides by conducting the tailings into a wooden box about 5 feet square with a. hole in one side for the escape of the water. Milling operations were begun about May 1901. No record was kept of the amount of ore stamped but one clean up from 10 hours run, Mr. Weatherford stated, yielded 212 pennyweights of amalgam. As the stamping capacity of the mill was very stnall this would indicate good returns from the ore. A mint return for 1901 showed $107.81; one for October 1901 showed $373.77. In October 1901 the underground workings consisted of a shaft about 24' deep on the southeast side of the hill near the top connected by a level at a depth of 23 1 and 35' long with another shaft further down on the hill side known as the Bell shaft. The Bell shaft was about 40' deep, and beginning 10' back from the mouth of the 23' level the vein had been stoped out in such a manner as to leave a gradually sloping exposure to the bottom of the shaft. Also, from the side of the 24' shaft opposite to the 23' level and a foot or two lower, a drift had been run on the vein for a- bout 14'. As seen at the surface the vein of the Paschal mine is somewhat less than a foot wide but at the bottom of the Bell shaft it was as much as 4' wide. A little below the 23' level the vein shows in this shaft a decided narrowing or pinching and from there down a gradual widening to the: bottom of the shaft. Very few sulphides were noticed in the vein quartz to a depth of about 20', below this level the ore carried pyrite, chalcopyrite and galena. At the bottom of the Bell shaft large amounts of sulphides were found in the quartz, galena being especially abundant. It is stated that free gold in considerable quantities was obtained rom the ore taken out cif the slope below the 23' level. 235 At the mine the vein strikes N450W and dips at the surface about 55 NE. The wall rock is a fine-grained laminated schist, apparently an alteration product and is impregnated for some distance from the vein with small crystals of pyrite. A sample taken from the bottom of the .Bell shaft where there is a horizontal exposure of the vein for about 16' assayed 1.69 ozs. ($33.80 of gold per ton). A sample taken from numerous points along the 23' level and from the drift of 14' on the opposite side of the 24' shaft assayed .38 ozs. ($7.60 of gold per ton). A little work had been done at different times at the Paschal mine be- fore the Clay Hill Mining & Milling Company began operations. The 24' shaft near the top of the Hill had been sunk to a depth of about 12' before the Civil War. During the greater part of 1902 the mine was worked under an option by Mr. D. C. Stainback of Thomson, Ga., with Mr. T. B. Wiley as Superintendent. Under the new management considerable developments and improvements were affected. A new shaft was sur:k at a point about 30' northwest of the Bell shaft. This shaft was carried down to a depth of about 85' and connected by a winze with the Bell shaft. At a stamp mill with a 5 stamp battery of 450 lb. stamps was put up at the mine. This mine was operated with a 6 horse power engine and a 25 horse power hoisting engine. During the fall of 1902 the vein could be seen to exhibit horizontal enlargements and contractions at different depths. At the bottom of the 85' shaft an enlargement similar to the enlargement at the bottom of the Bell shaft was apparent. It is possible however that fuller exposures of the vein will show that these enlargements occupy inclined positions and present the usual characteristics of ore shoots or chimneys. The following mint returns were shown by Mr. Wiley to Mr. S. P. Jones. April 3rd 1902 April 22nd 1902 July 12th 1902 Aug. 13th 1902 Gold $617.90 212,50 162.03 188.93 Silver $4.45 .64 .99 1.25 In addition to these Mr. Stainback showed Mr. Jones mint returns representing not only work done under his option but also work done previous to that time the aggregate of which amounted to $1,568.51 for gold, and $10.88 for silver. A little prospect work has been done on the Paschal property in addition to the work done at the mine proper. 236 The mine was idle during 1905 (Mineral Resources of the U.S., 1905, p. 300). Barie noted in 1942 that the last mining q.t the Pas.chal Mine wa.s in 1926. This mine is adjacent to the shoreline of Clark Hill Reservoir. The shafts have been filled. Nothing can be added to the s. P. Jones Report (1902). Material on the dump is still fresh. The wall rocks, phyllite and a fine- to medium-grained feldspathic metavolcanic, are fractured, and in part, sheared. Small-scale movement is indicated by slickensides. Mos.t of the fractures are filled by quartz, although calcite is not uncommon. 'rhe quartz-filled fractures carry abundant galena, lesser amounts of chalcopyrite and pyrite, and some malachite and azurite; minute particles of sulfide are disseminated in the wall rock. A grab sample of ore picked from the dump assays $15.75/T. An evaluation follows the description of Pl3. Pll - GOLD - U. S. Government, Clark Hill Reservation (was the Philip Dill property) Location: Lincoln County, southwest corner, approximately 0.55 mile east of Clay Hill, approximately 0.05 mile south of latitude 33 40' and 1.2 miles west of longitude 82 25'. The waters of Clark Hill Res.ervoir have covered much of the Philip Dill property, gold prospects could not be located. The above is an approximate location of the homef'!tead. The history of prospecting on the property was given by S. P. Jones (1902): The property consisted of about 500 acres owned by Mr. fhilip Dill, The Paschal tract joined it on the west and the lands of James Frank and son and of John Dill on the east. A shaft was sunk several years ago on a quartz vein within about 50 yards of Mr. Dill's house. The shaft followed the incline of the vein. In the Fall of 1902 when Mr. Jones visited the property, two shafts had been sunk in the southwest part of the tract -- pne close to the Paschal mine and one about 3/4ths .of a mile northeast of the mine. The work h~d not progressed far enough to allow much to be seen and no judgment could be formed as to the prospects for the future. P12- GOLD- Lon Edmunds, and U. S. Government, Clark Hill Reservation (was the Edmunds Mine, and G. A. Green Property) Location: Lincoln County, southwest corner, and Wilkes County, 237 southeast corner; approximately 1.3 miles S4W from Amity; approximately 0.7 mile south of latitude 33 40' and 0.45 mile east of longitude 82 30'. Jones reported in 1902 that the workings consisted of a main shaft 90' deep with a drift at the bottom, some smaller shafts, and some open cut work. The drift at the bottom was reported to extend 120' toward the east and 115' toward the west. At the time of Jones visit, the vein on which the shaft had been sunk could not be seen, as it had been removed at the surface by open cut work. Jones judged that the strike of the vein is nearly E-W. About 100! of the vein had been worked down to water level, shafts having been sunk at intervals and the ore stoped out between them. The first work of any importance done on this mine was in 1880 when a shaft was sunk on the west end of the workings. Shortly afterwards, the mine was worked by Cowen and Company. This company sank 4 shafts on the vein at different points and stoped out the ore between them to water level. Mr. Sam Edmunds estimated that this company took out at least $5,000 worth of gold. After Cowen and Company suspended operations, some work was done on the mine by the Edmunds Brothers from 1896-1899. The next work of importance was done by W. P. Andrews and others who worked about 6 months in 1900. They sank the main shaft about 44 feet north of the vein and struck it, according to Mr. Edmunds, at about 65 1 from the surface, at which point the dip was toward the north. In 1902 the mine was worked for a short time by Mr. D. C. Stainback and T. B. Wiley. About 100 yards north of the Edmunds Mine, is a vein on which a shaft has been sunk and some open cut work done by Cowen and Company. An additional vein is to be found on the Edmunds Brothers property close to Mr. Sam Edmunds' house on the Raysville road. Its outcrop is S-6' wide and some prospect pits are to be seen on either side of it that were sunk before the Civil War. The quartz is relatively free from sulphides. According to Mineral Resources of the U. S. (1913, p. 182) a small quantity of gold was produced in 1913 from milling surface ore in a Shead 250 pound stamp mill at the Edmunds property. Mineral Resources of the U. s., 1913, p. 182, mentions a nominal out- put of gold from prospecting the Green Mine which joins the Edmunds property on the north. The gold workings on these properties have slumped and been filled to such an extent that neither veins nor fresh country rock can be seen. Nothing can be added to Jones' report (1902). The quartz vein close to Mr. Sam Edmunds' house, reported by Jones, is 5 to 6 feet thick, strikes N60W, is vertical, and crops out intermittently for about 150 feet. The quartz is White, light-gray, and buff, translucent, vitreous. Iron oxide stain has permeated much of the outcrop; no sulfides were noted. The vein i.s somewhat vugular, with quartz crystals abundant but poorly developed. 238 Prospect pits on either side of the vein are sJ:ill visible. A .cl].ip sample across the width of the vein, near the center of the out.crop assays only a trace of gold, Exposures are poor, the exact locations of the early workings in doubt. The meager information that can be obtained does not encourage further prospecting. Pl3-- GOLD-- U. S. Government, Clark Hill Reservation (was the Phillips property) Location: LL1coln County, south-central part; approximately 2. 6 miles S50E from Woodlawn, approximately 1.05 miles north of latitude 30 40', and 0.3 mile east of longitude 82 25'. A small cluster of shallow prospect trenches and pits is c.entered around a shaft. approximately 15 feet in diameter and 10 feet deep, slumped and partially filled with water. The country rock is phyllite and a fine- to medium-grained feldspathic metavolcanic, li~e that at the Paschal Mine. The wall rock on the dump shows fracturing and brecciation; small-scale movement is indicated by slickensides. Quartz fills most of the fractures, although calcite is not uncommon. Scattered pieces of ore on the dump carry pyrite, galena, and chalcopyrite. A grab sample of ore picked from the dump assayed $89.25/ton. Jones (1902) made brief mention of thie; property: ''On a tract of a- bout 257 acres east of the Frank property a shaft was sunk on a quartz vein some years ago by Mr. Bob Ramsey." Evaluation of P9, PlO and Pl3 Three properties yield the pest gold values in southern Lincoln County. Although vein thicknesses cannot be determined from present exposures, Jane~ (1909) reported veins 2-3 feet thick in the Ramsey Mine (P9) and 1-4 feet in the Paschal Mine (PlO). Ore from the dump on the old Phillips Property (Pl3) assays $89.25/ton. The ore from these properties shows considerable sulphides, chiefly of lead and copper. The high gold values and the presence of lead and copper sulphides encourages further sampling along this trend. Drilling could be justified to determine the thickness and downward extent of the mineralized zones near the old mines. These properties are on the U. S. Government Clark Hill Reservation, near the lake shore. 239 Reported But Unverified Localities Graves Mountain: Shepard(l$59) reported gold in the kyanite-quartz. rock "especially near the southern extremity of the formation, where it becomes more schistose and embraces minute crystals of pyrite. It had here been worked to some extent for the precious metal." A sample of pyritic concentrate from the kyanite mined in 1963 was assayed at the Geology Dept., University of Georgia, and showed not even a trace of gold. Benson Property: Barie (Notes on Gold, 9 Oct. 1849) noted that gold had been reported on Mr. John Benson's place on Fishing Creek, 2~ miles from Danburg. This property was not relocated. The Julia Mines: These mines are located on a tract of 43 acres in the southwest corner of the 183rd militia district and about half a mile north of Little River. They are owned by James Frank & Son of Augusta, Ga. The Amith or Raysville post offices in the southwestern part of the county can be reached by a few hours drive from Thomson on the Georgia Railroad and from either of the above named post offices the mines are accessible by settlement roads in about an hour's drive (S. P. Jones, 1902). The veins of the Julia Mines were located by Mr. Edward Frank and the systematic and accurate manner in which he accomplished the work with little surface outcrops to guide him must be gratifying to those interested in mining developments in Lincoln County (S. P. Jones, 1902). The veins so far located have been designated by Mr. Frank by numbers and will be so referred to in the description below: Vein No. 1 is in the northeast part of the property and while it shows little outcrop its direction has been determined by several shafts and pits sunk along its course at different points for a distance of about 500 feet. The first or South shaft is about 15' deep and follows the incline of the vein which is dipping 15 degrees towards the east at this point. As seen in this shaft the strike of the vein is a iew degrees west of north, but this is probably a local turn as the general strike as indicated by the line of workings is 10 degrees northeast. As seen near the surface to the 1st or South shaft the vein is a foot in width and widens gradually to about double that width at the bottom of the shaft. Considerable amounts of iron sulphide are to be seen in the vein at this point, some galena. Going north along the strike of the vein another shaft has been sunk known as the North shaft. This shaft has a depth of about 25 feet and follows the incline of the vein which has here the same dip as at the South shaft. The vein is here about 10" wide near the surface and widens gradually with increasing depth to about 2' at the bottom of the shaft. The vein is quite solid with clean cut walls. The vein quartz shows large amounts of iron sulphide and considerable quantities of galena. Near, and at the bottom of the shaft the ore shows free gold in fine particles, in some cases associated with the iron and lead sulphides and in other cases isolated in the milky quartz. 240 In the vein at this point free gold could be seen scattered quite uniformly throughout the quartz in a number of pieces of the ore. Still further north several pits have been sunk, principally in order to determine the exact location of the vein. Vein No. 2 is in the southern part of the property, and like vein No. 1 shows little or no outcrop. Two shafts have been sunk on it and some cross-cutting has been done. Shaft No. 1 or the South shaft is about 15' deep and follows the incline of the vein, which striked N350W and dips 15NE. The vein is about 15" wide at the bottom of the shaft and somewhat narrower near the surface. The quartz shows some iron sulphide, decomposed as a rule. Small particles of free gold were visible in several pieces of ore taken from the shaft. Shaft No. 2 or the North shaft is about 20 ': deep. According to Mr. Frank the dip of the vein in the North shaft is tm-1ards the southwest instead of northeast, but as a good size vein shows in a small pit to the west of the shaft it is probaQle that this shaft is on a portion of the vein separated from the main vein by a horse and dipping towards it or on a branch of the main vein. Vein No. 3 is in the southern part of the property. It strikes N350W like vein No. 2 and has a low dip towards the northeast. A half dozen pits have been sunk on this vein. In the pits towards the south the vein shows a width of 7" and in one of the pits towards the north it is about 2' wide but badly shattered. The ore in the pits towards the south showed large amounts of iron pyrite and considerable chalcopyrite. In the north pits the amounts of sulphides in the quartz is less than in the south pits. Free gold in small particles was visible in the quartz at some points on the vein. In addition to the veins above described, Mr. Frank located 3 or 4 other veins on the property and did some prospect work on them. Two samples were taken from vein No. 1: Sample No. 1 from the North shaft assayed .92 ozs. ($18.40 of gold per ton). Sample No. 2 from the South shaft assayed .07 ozs. ($1.40 of gold per ton). One sample from vein No. 2, South shaft assayed .06 ozs. ($1.20 of gold per ton). One sample composited from several pits along vein No. 3 assayed 1.10 ozs. ($22.00 of gold per ton). These descriptions and assays by Jones indicate gold veins comparable to those at the Paschal Mine (PlO) and the Philips Property (Pl3), and in the same belt. An effort to locate the Julia Mines was unsuccessful. Jones states that the mine is half a mile north of Little River; probably they are covered by the waters of Clark Hill Reservoir. Mines and Prospects in McDuffie County Mines and prospects in McDuffie County are restricted to a rock unit dominated by phyllite and fine- to medium-grained metavolcanics, porphy- 241 ritic in part, which traverses the northern part of the county in a belt 1-2 miles wide. Weathering of these rocks is intense; relatively fresh rock was observed only in a few deep drainages and on dumps of some of the deeper shafts. Intense fracturing of the rocks is common. Small faults were noted at Map Station KT-5BB-109-8Fl3 in a trench of the Tatham Mine area. Thin (1/2"-3") quartz zones with minor pyrite along these faults assayed $4.09/ton gold. The highest gold values are associated with quartz-filled fracture zones and quartz veins containing a high percentage of galena and pyrite; copper sulfides are commonly present. Fracture-filling calcite was noted where the country rocks are fresh, and is probably more abundant than present exposures indicate. QUARTZ VEINS The vein locations are shown in Figure 34. Appendix H gives their size, shape, attitude, gold content, etc. A total of 197 samples were assayed from 194 localities. Eighty-five of the sample are from roadcut exposures where thickness and shape could usually be determined. They represent 21 veins, 144 pods, 53 stringers, 5 layer (either silicified zones or quartzites), and 8 masses of indeterminate shape, from 82 localities. The other 112 samples are from 112 localities in the northern part of the county where thickness and shape could be only estimated. The thickest vein measured is only 3\ feet wide, though some of the poorly exposed veins must be several times this thick. The quartz at 9 localities is ore grade. INDIVIDUAL DESCRIPTIONS Columbia Mine. The Columbia Mine is on a tract of land known as the "Forty-acre Lot", about 11 miles northwest of Thomson, and immediately northeast of the Hamilton Mine. A paved highway passes just south of the mine, and Little River is about 2 miles to the north. Figure 48A is a map of the Columbia Mine area published by Pardee and Parks in 1948 from plans obtained by Fluker and Thompson in 1935. Figure 48B is a smaller scale map of the same area prepared in 1942. Figure 49 prepared in 1965 shows the surficial traces of the old workings, For the areal relationships of the Columbia Mine and other gold mines in McDuffie County see Figure 50. The Columbia Mine is the site of the first discovery of gold in Geor: gia. Two Cornish miners traveling as peddlers in 1823 discovered quartz rich in gold on what is now known as the "Forty-acre Lot". The miners eventually interested Jeremiah Griffin, a wealthy farmer, in doing some prospecting. In 1826 they located several rich veins. Mr. Griffin be- Figure 48 ------~-------.,- ... t1J \ Clark Hill ' RUIW!ir \ \ ' \ PORTER MINE AREA .INDEX MAP Principal 'Gold Mine Areas in McDuffie Ccunf.y Oc:====~====:::::;;2 MILES 'N I 1965 245 came enthusiastic and bought about 3,000 acres of the supposed gold-lands lying along Little River (Fluker, 1902, p. 119). In 1833, Jeremiah Griffin purchased the rights of his associates, who up to this time had confined their work to placer mining on a small scale. He erected a stamp mill driven by an under-shot water wheel. The mortars were "rectangular in shape, 10 inches wide by 14 inches deep and 30 inches long. No dies were used and there was no discharge (from Fluker, 1903). The stamps, of which there were 3, consisted each of a square cast iron shoe with a square tapering neck about 8 inches long. The neck was driven into a hole mortised into the end of a wooden stem 6 inches square and 7 feet long around which was placed a heavy iron band to prevent splitting. The camshaft was a solid piece of wood 26 inches in diameter with blocks which served as cams mortised into it. These, in revolving, came into contact with other blocks serving as tappets, which were fastened to the wooden stem by means of iron bands and wooden pegs or dowels. The mortars were soon replaced by wooden mortars provided with a discharge and screen and having a single cast iron die which extended the entire length of the mortar. This was probably the first stamp-mill erected in America. With it Jeremiah Griffin in the year of 1837 cleared $80,000.00. The ore that he milled was nearly all taken from what is now called the "Columbia vein". In 1842, Mr. Griffin who was still actively engaged in mining was accidentally killed, leaving his fortune to numerous heirs. They continued to work the mine until 1851, when it was sold to the Columbia Mining Company which worked it with great success until the beginning of the Civil War. During the Civil War, the confederate government confiscated the equipment and moved it away. Yeates (1902) gave a somewhat different account of early work at the mine. According to him, gold was discovered on the "Forty-acre Lot" in 1823 by two Cornish miners, but gold was first worked on the property by Mr. Pasco and Billings. This was prior to the purchase of the lot in 1833 by Jeremiah Griffin who worked it continuously until he sold it to Mr. Daniel McCormick and Henry D. Leitner in the Spring of 1846. McCormick and Leitner decided to buy a number of contiguous gold bearing properties and consolidate them into one property. In each of the lots purchased and consolidated by them, Jeremiah Griffin held an interest. Griffin had worked parts of the veins to water level (about 50 feet on the average) hauling his ore 4 miles to the stamp-mill on Little River. He followed the vein down by inclined shafts. McCormick and Leitner worked the mine below water level, using a eornish pump to keep the shafts free from water. They worked to a depth of 150 feet and it is likely that their operations extended beyond the shafts with drifts and stapes. In 1856 McCormick and Leitner began to sell parts of the consolidated properties. In 1857 Mr. Josdph Belknap Smith, Benjamin H. Broomhead, and Daniel McCormick purchased a half interest in the consolidated properties and with Mr. Gardner and Lamar organized the Columbia Mining Company with Mr. McCormick as manager. This company sank two shafts 450 feet apart on what is now known as the Columbia vein. The most westerly of these, known as the Upper Water shaft, was sunk to a depth of 150 feet and drifts at that depth were 246 run 30 feet in each direction on the vein. Finding that the ore was strongly of a sulphide character and being unable to extract much of the gold from that kind of ore, the level was abandoned (Yeates, 1902). At 80 feet, a level had been established and a drift 300 feet long was run in a westerly direction and one 275 feet long was run toward the east. The other shaft known as the Lower Water shaft was first sunk to a depth of 100 feet. A level was established and a drift run in a westerly direction for 265 feet when a raise was made to the 80-foot level to connect with the east drift from the Upper Water shaft. From the top of the raise, a short distance east of where the Vivian shaft is now located, to the west end of the shaft on the 80-foot level they stoped out the ore above that level to the surface and, from the bottom of the raise they stoped out in an easterly direction ore above the 100-foot level to the tower Water shaft. This shaft was then sunk from 100-200 feet deep and drifts were run both east and west at the bottom and at what is now known as the 140-foot level. All the vein between the Lower Water shaft and what is now the Fluker incline was taken out above the 200-foot level except about 20 feet in the form of pillows ieft for support between the 140-foot and the 200-foot levels. Work was continued by this Company until the beginning of the Civil War in 1861 when the confederate government took the machinery. It is claimed that the entire consolidated property had produced $2,000,000.00 up to the time operations were closed by the Civil War and that of thiS amount not less than 1.5 million dollars were taken from the Forty-acre Lot. About 1872, a former superintendent, Captain Carlyon, and two others formed a partnership as Lane, Keith and Carlyon and began to work the Fortyacre Lot under lease. They sank a shaft on an outcrop of the vein which had ' not before been worked namingit the Bell vein. The nearest points between this and the Columbia vein are on the western boundary line of the Fortyacre Lot, where the veins are about 440 feet apart. From these pointS; the. veins diverge on this lot, with the Bell vein trending N57E for some distance and the Columbia vein S78E. The shaft was sunk to a depth of about 80 feet. A drift was run northeast for 50 feet and southwest for 200 feet, and all the ore above was stoped out to the surface. Parallel to this work, the firm worked a shaft on the Motes lot. According to report, Keith -secured a considerable amount of gold and absconded with it, leaving but few of the expenses of the operation paid, whereupon work was immediately stopped. The next work on the property was about 1892 when the Georgia Mining company was organized. They began by sinking the shaft known as the Bell shaft. At a depth of 90 feet, a cross-cut was run toward the vein which was cut 38 feet from the shaft. For 22 feet the vein was followed in an easterly direction, the trend constantly bending toward the southeast. At the end of the drift the vein had become so insignificant that it was abandoned. Westward from the cross-cut the vein began to bend toward the southwest. The Georgia Mining Company drifted in this direction 100 feet 247 from the cross-cut. The work of extending the cross-cut was resumed and at a point 25 feet from where the vein was first cut it was again encountered; a drift was started westward following the vein for about 35 feet in its erratic course which gradually changed from southwest to northwest. On the other side of the cross-cut, the trend of the vein was northeast, its former direction. A drift 100 feet long was run in this direction. About 30 feet from the cross-cut the junction between the two parts of the vein was found at r:he northeast end of the horse. Only the ore in the drifts was taken out. The cross-cut was ext~nded about 20 feet further and the shaft was sunk 40 feet deeper giving it a total depth of 130 feet. The object in doing this work had been to find the vein and make tests of it. Satisfactory tests having been made, the machinery was moved to a point about 125 feet north of the former line of outcrops of the Columbia vein and a new vertical shaft was sunk since known as the Vi~ vian shaft. It was sunk to its present depth of 165 feet and a level established. In search of the vein, a cross-cut was run toward the south which was discontinued when the cross-cut had been carried 140 feet from the shaft and the vein had not been found. The vein, however, was crossed at a point 60 feet from the shaft where it is said to have been faulted. At this point the vein appeared on one side of the cross-cut but it was only 8-10 inches thick and was not believed to be the Columbia vein. It was therefore ignored and work was pressed further south until, as before stated, the cross-cut was 140 feet long. An upraise from the cross-cut was then begun and after going 12 feet without encouragement, search for the Columbia vein was discontinued and the shaft abandoned, a 2-years option on the property having expired. In 1887 Col. Belknap Smith bought the l/6th interest of Benjamin H. Broomhead in the property from his widow and children so that he then became the owner of an undivided l/3rd interest in the entire property. Shortly after acquiring the Broomhead interest, Col. Smith died, leaving his estate to his widow and 5 children. After his death Mrs. Smith worked the adjoining property, the Parks mine (also known as the Walker mine), with much success for several years having her son-inlaw, Mr. W. H. Fluker, as superintendent during part of the time. In 1896 Mr. Fluker made some investigations on the Forty-acre Lot and began mining it for Mrs. Smith. He sank a new shaft on the Bell vein about 100 feet north of the Georgia Mining Company's shaft beginning his shaft, on an outcrop at the surface. Going down 50 feet to water level, he drifted on the vein 60 feet in each direction and stoped out the vein to the surface. According to Mr. Fluker, the average width of the vein taken out was about 3 feet and the ore averaged $22.00 per ton on the plates, the auriferous sulphides not being saved. Mr. Fluker located another shaft for Mrs, Smith known as shaft No. 7. He carried it down about 40 feet. Drifting northeast 50 feet and southwest about 125 feet, he stoped out the ore to the surface. Guided hy information from Mrs. Smith and the old miners living in the neighborhood as to the location of a rich ore shute on the east side of the lot, which had been worked by the old Columbia Mining Company, Mr. Fluker selected a spot about 50 feet north of the mouth of the Fluker inclined shaft and began sinking a vertical shaft which struck the vein at about 40 248 feet. From that point the shaft was changed to an incline following gownward on the vein at about 45 degrees, its angle dips to the northeast. In locating his shaft at this point, Mr. Fluker was looking for a rich shute which had been discovered by ~ Cornish miner in 1874 and subsequently lost after it had been worked to water level. Mr. Fluker found a rich shute in the vein but it was only a few inches thick. He took out one ton of ore which yielded $96.00 on the plates in free gold. Not having suitable min~ ing equipment for keeping the shaft free of water, he suspended operations at the close of 1896. The new Columbia Mining Company was organized in 1899. Th~ old shaft of the Georgia Mining Company on the Bell vein was opened and retimbereq and work on the vein was done at the end of the former company's no.rthe~st 100-foot drift at the 90-foot level. This was extended until it was 240 feet long. The vein was taken out to the su~face. It is said to have ayeraged 3 feet thick and $15.00 per ton. The old 100-foot southwest drift of the Georgia Mining Company was extended until it was 325 feet long, where the vein averaged about 14 inches thick. Work by the new Columbia Mining Company was begun on Shaft No. 7 in 1900 at th~ point where Mr. Fluker had ceased operations fpr Mrs. S.mith in 1896. The shaft was sunk to a depth of 70 feet and 15-foot drifts run northeast and southwest. The southwest drift was then extended to about 70 feet and the ore stoped out to water level, the ore above that point having been stoped to the surface by Mr. Fluker in 1896. In 1899, M;r. Fluker began the work of cleaning out and retimbering the Vivian shaft. At the bottom of the shaft, a drift was run eastward for 60 feet. In September 1900, Mr. Fluker began a large_ double compartment incline shaft on the Columbia vein about 50 feet south of his vertical shaft. It was sunk along the v~in dipping 45 degrees to the northeast to a depth of 310 feet along the incline. The Vivian shaft was then abandoned and used only as an air shaft. (The statements above are from Yeates, 1902). By 1908 when Jones visited the mine in preparation for Bulletin 19, it was closed. In 1910 considerable development work was done at the Co- lumbia mine (Mineral Resources of the U. s., 1910, p. 540). In 1911 the Columbia mine produced gold and silver from siliceous sulphide ore (Min- eral Resources of the U. s., 1911, p. 444). In 1915 the Columbia mine was being developed by American Venture and Mines Corporation (Mineral Resources of the U.s.~ 1918, p. 213). In 1919, no ore was milled though some work was done on the property (Mineral Resources of the U. S., 1919, p. 44). In 1920 the Columbia mine did not operate (Mineral Resources of the U.S., 1920, p. 10). In 1922, no ore was mined, but a small quantity of gold was recovered from the clean-up from former operations (Mineral Resources of the U. s., 1922, p. 9-10). The Eastern Mines Corporation worked the Columbia mine in 1925 (U. S. Bureau of Mines) and recovered cons.iderable bullion at a 50-ton cyanide plant. The inclined shaft was then 400 feet deep; 600 feet of drifts were run in 1925. 249 The Columbia vein has been traced on the surface for nearly 3/4 of a mile. It has a maximum width of about 8 feet, but it pinches and swells, and locally it is made up of alternating ribbons of quartz and country rock (Fluker, 1922, p. 93-94). An ore shute near the incline shaft has been followed to the deepest level. This ore shute pitches about 50E and nccording to Mr. Fluker it has a maximum length of 300 feet, is 1~-4 feet in average thickness, and assays about 0. 5 ounce of gold to the ton. SevE,ral veins and lodes strike north-south and at least one strikes northeast with the trend of the country rock; all of them are near vertical. These north south veins and lodes are not as strongly developed as those that strike east-west. Mr. Fluker says that faulting is not rare in the area (Pardee and Park, 1948, p. 141). Galena, pyrite, a little chalcopyrite, and a small amount of scheelite are associated with the gold. In the upper oxidized parts of the veins which contain galena, pyromorphite has been found. A specimen in the State Museum in Atlanta collected from the Columbia mine in 1897 shows pyromorphite deposited on a fracture plane in vein quartz in the form of lortg yellow green prisms, many of which show parallel crystal growth. A note in the United States Bureau of Mines Minerals Yearbook for 1932 33 stated that the Columbia mine was being reopened, but no gold was pro.;; duces in 1_ t:l 34. In 1935 the mine was operated (U. S. Bureau of Mines Minerals Yearbook, 1935, p. 242). In 1934 a geophysical survey was made of the Columbia property (Kelly). None of the shafts are accessible. The relation of the Columbia mine to neighboring mines is shown by Figure 50, the surface projection of the Columbia workings by Figure 48. All surface evidences of mining and prospecting are shown in Figure 49; descriptions and comments are presented in Appendix L. Assay results are given in Appendix H. The Columbia mine was one of the most extensively worked gold mines in Georgia. Hamilton Mine. Eleven miles northwest of Thomson, a few hundred yards southwest of the Columbia Mine, near State Highway 10 between Augusta and Atlanta, is the Hamilton mine. Before the Civil War James Hamilton sank several shallow shafts on the property, using slave farm labor. No further work was done on the property until 1900, after the mine had been sold by the Hamilton heirs to Constant and Morgan of New York. The Hamilton Mining Company was then organized. During 1901-1902 the company sank a shaft 200 feet deep and started drifting on the Hamilton vein, (Jones, 1909, p. 83). No work had been done for a number of years prior to Jones' visit in 1908. In 1911 another shaft, known as the Chamberlain shaft, was sunk to a depth of 140 feet (Fluker, 1934, p. 3). Subsequently, the property was leased to Mr. Fluker, who afterwards bought it. 250 Drifting was done in 1906 at the 120-foot level of the Hamilton shaft on the Johnson vein, which is almost parallel to the Hamilton vein but lies about 12 feet from it in its footwall. The ore was stoped out for about 30 feet above this level. Drifting was also done (Fluker, 1934) at the 200foot level in 1901-02 by Constant and Morgan. The level was approximately 400 feet long. The vein at this level averaged 56 inches thick and the ore milled $26.60 per ton. Drifts were run 80 feet east of the shaft and 315 feet west of the shaft. Mr. Chamberlain stoped out 500 tons of ore above the 100-foot levei of the Chamberlain shaft after 1911. The ore yielded about $19.00 per ton. Several other veins on the Hamilton property are reported by Fluker (1934, p. 16-17). The Orchard vein is a narrow vein striking north-south between highway No. 10 and the lot of the Columbia Mine. A small prospect shaft was sunk to water level on this vein and about 10 tons of ore taken out and milled, yielding about $30.00 per ton in free gold. The No. 4 vein was about 200 feet north of the Bell vein at the Chamberlain shaft. A prospect shaft was sunk to water level on a shute of ore that is about 40 feet long and 2 feet thick. It yielded $6.00 per ton in free gold. The No. 5 vein, formerly known as the Johnson vein, lies about 600 feet north of the No. 4 vein~ A prospect shaft was sunk to water level. The vein averaged $4.00 per ton. The No. 6 vein lies between No. 4 and No. 5. No. 7 vein lies on what is known locally as "Sugar Hill". An incline shaft was sunk about 80 feet deep on this vein. , The No. 8 vein, which is 260 feet north of the Betl vein, was worked to water level by James Hamilton;. In 1933 a small prospect shaft was sunk 'on it. Eight tons of ore mined from this shaft yielded $8.00 per ton. According to the United States Bureau of Mlnes Minerals Yearbooks there was a small production from the Hamilton mine in 1932, 1934, 1935, 1939, and 1940. A geophysical survey of the Hamilton mine area was made in 1934 (Kelly). None of the shafts are accessible. All surface evidences of mining and prospecting are shown in Figures 51 and 52. Descriptions and comments are presented in Appendix 1. Assay results are given in Appendix H. M.otes Tract. About a half mile northwest of the Columbia mine, some mining operations have been conducted on auriferous quartz veins (Jones, 1909, 'f! 89). The work consisted principally of prospect work. 251 Aloio KT -588-182 i Ho"!illon Mini Area Swoar Hill McDuHie Counlr too rut ""tf'Pio Figure 51 .. - - 2A Photo KT-5BB-164 B 3 g "'D ' -~,11 A .. c Hamilton Mine Area (SOUthern part) McDuffie County 100 E N ~ Shall d Pit r Figure 52 253 Henrich Property. Immediately east of the Motes Tract, about 3/4 of a mile north of the Columbia Mine, some work was done on a quartz vein by Mr. Carl Henrich of New York City. The work was of limited character. All evidences of mining and prospecting on these two properties are shown in Figure 53; descriptions and comments are presented in Appendix L. Assay results are given in Appendix H. The Parks Gold Mine. The mine is 12 miles northwest of Thomson, a little less than a mile northeast of the Columbia Mine. The mine was first opened in 1852. A shaft was sunk to a depth of 150 feet in 1853 by Col. J. Belknap Smith and was worked until the Civil War. No records are available on the results of the early work. After the war Co. Smith again successfully operated the mine until his death in 1888. For about 10 years thereafter, his widow, Mrs. J. Sep Smith, carried on mining ~rk on a quartz vein at this locality (Jones, 1909, p. 89). Mrs. Smith sank the Water Shaft to a depth of 150 feet and from it drove drifts at several levels. The longest drift ran from the bottom of the shaft along the vein for about 250 feet. The vein was massive quartz, heavily impregnated with pyrite and galena. It varied from 28 feet in thickness and yielded $10-200 in gold per ton (Fluker, 1907, p. 4). Mrs. Smith hauled the ore 3 miles from the mine in wagons to her stamp mill on Little River. }/ l c /J' '' Photo 7-KT-588-166 Motes and Henrich Mine Area McDuffie County 200 Fetl Figure 53 0 Q(/U IS' OS4 o" " 0 \ " 6A )/ 1 Parks Mine Area j McDuffie County ---....--- :u:Gr.., ("]'"P"il" Photo KT-5BB-166 . . 'o .., . , 5D ,g 5c )0 0 ~ . .. oo..li ..... . IS: o .~ ... .0.. 0 oo ' ' '0 4F 0 ..... lA Photo KT -588-164 Figure 54 255 In 1893 Mrs. Smith began sinking what later came to be known as the Bartlett Shaft. After the shaft had reached the unoxidized ores below water level, she found that she was loosing a large percentage of the values in the sulphides. In 1899 she granted a lease to Mr. J. H. Bartlett who extended the shaft to a depth of 80 feet and drove various short levels. There is no reocrd of the work he did or the value of the ore he took out. In 1901, one of the oldest shafts was reopened by the Georgia-Montana Gold Mining Company, operating under the Bartlett lease. The company built a plant including air compressor and drills, a modern 10-stamp mill and cyanide plant and did considerable development work before it became involved in litigation with the former lesses and suspended work. The vein on which this shaft was sunk is about 300 feet east of the Wilshire shaft. It strikes N500W cutting the formation almost at right angles. Ninety-five feet down in the shaft there is a level which extends 140 feet southeast and 80 feet northwest from the shaft. At a depth of 135 feet, there is another level running 150 feet southeast from the shaft. According to Fluker (1907), there are numerous other veins on the property, many of which have been worked to some extent. The "Chas Just" vein was worked to a depth of 150 feet by Mrs. Smith. The "South" vein was worked to a depth of 120 feet. The ''Whim Shaft" vein is another. The "Long" vein is 4-6 feet thick but assays only $3.00 per ton, and therefore was not extensively worked. The "Old Jordan" vein was rich, but. pinched down to only a few inches thickness at water level and was not followed further. In 1906, Fluker sank an inclined shaft 360 feet deep. At the 95- foot level, a drift running southeast from the old Parks shaft was opened and a body of ore taken out. Some drifting was done at the 160-foot level. In 1909 further development work was done and a cyanide plant installed. In 1911, Fluker began to sink a new double compartment vertical shaft on the site of the old Bartlett shaft. The U. S. Bureau of Mines Minerals Yearbook reports development work during 1923 and 1924. None of the shafts are accessible. All surface evidences of mining and prospecting are shown in Figure 54; descriptions and comments are presented in Appendix L. Assay results are given in Appendix H. Landers Prospect. About 1/4 mile north of the Parks mine, 2 prospect shafts a few yards apart were sunk in 1907 on an auriferous quartz vein (Jones, 1909, p. 93). The veins contained pyrite and galena in considerablt quantities, together with chalcopyrite in less amounts. Free gold was visible in the ore. The shaft is not accessible. All surface evidences of mining and prospecting are shown in Figure 55; descriptions and comments are presented in Appendix L. Assay results are given in Appendix H. 256 .. ~ .. , .... :.. 6C 6A Ga Photo KT-588-166 .~- ,; ', Figure 55 Porter Mine. The Potter mine is 3/4 mile north of the Parks mine. There are several auriferous quartz veins at this locality. Two, known respectively as the Brock and the Egypt, have attracted the most attention. A limited amount of work has been done on another vein, the Island vein (Jones, 1909). J:ilone of the shafts are accessible. All surfaces evidences of minipg and prospecting are shown in Figure 56; descriptions and comments are presented in Appendix L. Assay results are given in Appendix H. Tatham Mine. About 1~ miles northeast of the Parks mine, close to a road that branches to the north from the Washington-Augusta public road near Raysville is the Tatham mine. Considerable underground mining has been done here, but no work of importance has been done for the last 15 years (Jones, 1909, p. 94). A mill equipped with 10-stamps and a Wilfley concentrating table was once located near the shaft, and it is reported that some rich ore was secured while the mine was in operation. None of the shafts are accessible. All surface evidences of mining and prospecting are shown in .Figure 57; descriptions and comments are in Appendix L. Assay results are in Appendix H. Woodall Mine. This mine is a half mile northeast of the Tatha111 mine and close to Flint Hill Church. The shaft is said to have extended to the depth of about 210 feet. The vein is reported to have had an.av:erage 257 2 3C .. 38 .- !I 1 Porter Mine Areo McDuffie Covnt)' - ... ~. -uon- lil .... B ~ .3E. . ,., : .~ ~ #'o, Photo KT-588-166 .. 3A 0. Figure 56 .. I D .... B' Photo 8-KT-588-109 Photo KT-588-111 . ~. 3a ~. Co~t: Ta,tho~ Mine Are McDuffie N 196~ [J Pi! r fi~IJre 57 259 width of 18 inches and to have afforded ore of good grade (Jones, 1909). The shaft is no longer accessible. All surface evidences of mining and prospecting are shown in Figure 58; descriptions and comments are in Appendix L. Assay results are in Appendix H. MISCELLANEOUS PROSPECTS Six prospect openings were located east of the main mining area. These are grouped as "miscellaneous prospects". Descriptions and comments are in Appendix L. Assay results are in Appendix H. Edwards, Balbach and Gerald Mines. These are in the southwest part of the Gold Belt near the Warren County line. A limited amount of vein mining, principally prospect work, has been done at the 3 localities (Jones, 1909, p. 82-83). Mineral Resources of the U. S. reports a small production of gold from the Edwards Mine in 1914 (p. 151). In western McDuffie County, near the Warren County line, a prospect trench was located at Map Station 1 on photo LZ-2BB-120. This trench is 23xl0x7' deep. An exposed quartz vein is 38" thick, strikes N88E, dips 69N, The quartz is white and light-gray, translucent, vitreous, with minor iron ixide along fractures. No gold was detected in a sample taken for assay. At Map Station 1 on photo LZ-2BB-122 a small prospect pit was noted in 1964. When the site was revisited in April 1965, all evidence of prospecting had been obliterated by removal of residuum for use as road metal, The pit was in cherty silicified material, thoroughly fractured, with abundant comb-structure quartz. Several pits were noted on the T. S. Moore property in northwestern McDuffie County byt could not be examined. Griffin Mine. 1~ miles northeast of the Woodall mine and close to Little River, considerable mining has been carried on in the past (Jones, 1909, p. 95). This mine was not located; possibly the old workings are covered by waters of the Clark Hill Reservoir. Raysville Bridge Vein, 1-200 yards above the public bridge across Little River at Raysville, a large quartz vein crops out in the bed of the river, forming a slight shoal. Jones (1909, p. 85) sampled this vein. The assay yielded no gold, but the entire vein was not sampled. The vein is now covered by the Clark Hill Reservoi~. Photo 5-KT -588-109 ' Photo B , 6;..KT -588-109 w.oodall Mine Area McDuffie County ~ 1965 ,. Photo 4;..KT - 5 9 8 - 1 0 9 Figure'58 Z61 Shields Prospect. A nominal output of gold from prospecting the Shields property was reported in 1913 (Mineral Resources of the U. S., 1913, p. 182). No location was given. This property could not be relocated. Mines and Prospects in Taliaferro County QUARTZ VEINS The location of quartz veins is shown by Figure 34. Appendix I gives their size, shape, attitude, gold content, etc. A total of 319 samples have been collected from 275 localities. Thea~ represent 428 veins, 360 pods, 19 stringers (thin veins), 17 layers (quartz ite, silicified zones), and 10 quartz masses of less regular shape. The veins vary from less than one inch wide to 10 feet wide. Their frequency decreases regularly with increasing vein size, as expected (Fig ure 59). Twenty-two of the veins are auriferous; one contains enough gold to be workable: Pl (assays of $11.20 and $16.10 per ton). At locality 24, float fragments in a field yield an assay of $8.40/ ton. THICKNESS OF QUARTZ VEINS TALIAFERRO COUNTY VEIN THICKNESS IN INCHES (L.o~orJ1hmlc Sc:ole) Figure 59 Hgure 60 263 The distribution of the auriferous veins is shown by Figure 60. The richest veins in Taliaferro County are in a belt about 6 miles wide running NE-SW across the county, west of Crawfordville, corresponding to the belt of highest alluvial gold concentration apparent in Figure 31. No relationship i.s apparent between vein size and gold content. While the quartz veins in general may have almost any orientation, those which are auriferous mostly strike E-W and are near vertical. INDIVIDUAL DESCRIPTIONS Pl--. GOLD --Mattie B. Hackney and Others (was Lucas Property) Location: Taliaferro County, west-central part, approximately 3.2 miles from the Crawfordville city limits along U. S. Hwy. 278, and 200 yards NE of the Georgia Railroad. The property was prospected about 1945 by Dr. Alex Beasley of Crawfordville. Figure 61 shows the trenches and pits dug to expose the veins. The veins are exposed at "A" and "C". These were sampled for gold assay. A third sample, "B" is a composite representing material on the dump. The vein in the shaft at "A" is 16"-28" thick; it strikes N28E, vertical. The quartz is white to colorless, vitreous, with pyrite. Iron oxide is abundant, particularly near the walls and adjacent thin veins, where the pyrite is most abundant. Sample Pl(A) represents this vein. GOLD PROSPECT, PI TALIAFERRO COUNTY Figure 61 264 Pyrite cubes as large as 1/2" across are common in th~ dump material .at "B" - Sample Pl(B). The grade of the veins at Pl is high enough for mining if adequate tonnage can be developed. The expo~ures and the assays justify further prospecting. Jones (1909, p. 263) made a brief mention of this property: "A little prospect work appears to have been done for gold before the Civil War about. four miles northwest of Crawfordville along the Georgia Railroad, J)n the Lucas property. Little is known about the extent o;r the results of the work.'' 2A - GOLD -This is a new locality about 3~ miles northeast of Crawfor.c:lville in the vicinity of Level H:Ul Church and schoql. A 2~ !:\Cre field directly across from and west of the Greene-Taliaferro Forestry Headquarters Unit is littered by fragments of vein quartz bearing limonite pseudomorphs after pyrite. A repre~entative sample of this quartz assays $8.40/ton in gold. The underlying veins from which the q~artz rubble is derived have not been prospected. The grade is satisfactory for mining if adequate tonnage can be proven. P2 -. GOLD - Ralph Golucks (was Sam Rhodes) Location~ Taliaferro Cqunty; appro~imately 1 mile SW of Crawfordville city limits, 0.5 mile west of Georgia Highway 22, approxi- mately 250' east of North ]fork Ogeechee River, adjacent to (north side) dirt road. A small prospect pit was dug here about 1900 in search of gold. The pit, approximately 12 feet in diameter, is now nearly filled; no roc].< is e~posed. However, a quartz veir and stringers with intercalated country rock are exposed in the ditch aojacent to the pit. The width of the zone is 40", of which about 60% is quartz. The quartz b white, buff, ap.d colorless, vitreous .and contains scattered pyrite a~d iron oxide. A represen~ative sample assayed $0.35/ton in gold. A few hundred feet to the east, along the road, are other outcrops of quartz. These were sampled and found to contain rto gold. P3 -GOLD -Willingham Wood and Mrs. Tom Moore (was Rev. A. B. Hillman). Locatiop.~ Taliaferro County; northeastern part, approximately 3 miles north of Sharon, in the vicinity of Hillman, between the Georgia Railroad and Harden Creek. In the latter part of the 19th Century, Rev. A. B. Hillman pro~pected his property, consisting of several thousap.d acres, for gold and alum. In the course of his prospecting he discovered what was termed the "Rocks that Shock"; or the "Gr~!:lt Electrical Wonder'!, reportedly a rock which produced electrical shoe].< on contact, and had curative power for 265 ailments such as arthritis. Development of this, along with several springs-- the Magic Well, Nausea-Cure Spring, and Sulfur Spring-appears to have taken precedent over his prospecting for gold and alum. Treatment rooms were constructed; a 44-room hotel was erected on the hilltop; a small village grew up; a railway station and post office were built and the village designated "Hillman". The history of this enterprise is presented in a paper-bound volume entitled "Rocks that Shock or Great Electrical Wonder of Hillman, Georgia" by A. B. Hillman. This 54 page booklet was printed by the J. L. Hill Printing Co., Richmond, Virginia, in 1891. The dominant rock cropping out in the area is a very pyritic, micaceous, feldspathic quartzite. It is this rock unit that was prospected for gold and alum, and reputed to have electrical properties. The quartzite crops out at Map Stations 160 and 161, where it contains quartz pods and veins which were sampled and assayed. Gold was not detect~ ed in the samples. Jones (1909) states, "Reportedly gold has been panned near Hillman's station on the Washington branch of the Georgia Railroad." Mines and Prospects in Warren County QUARTZ VEINS The vein locations are shown in Figure 34. Appendix J gives their size, shape, attitude,.gold content, etc. A total of 60 samples have been assayed from 58 localities, representing 25 veins, 95 pods, 4 stringers, 2 silicified zones, 1 lense of quartzite, and 1 mass of indeterminate shape. The veins range in thickness from a fraction of an inch to slightly less than four feet. The thin stringers are a little more frequent than the thicker veins. The veins at 34 localities contain traces of gold. The auriferous veins mostly strike northeast. At only one of the sampled localities is the quartz of ore grade: Station 51 (assays $10.15/ton). For further information see the Individual Prospect Descriptions. INDIVIDUAL DESCRIPTIONS The gold deposits of Warren County are on the southwest continuation of the Gold Belt which runs through Lincoln and McDuffie Counties. Jones 266 (1902) reported that all work of importance was confined to the extreme northeast corner of the county. He described five mines or prospects. Warren Mine. The Warren mine is immediately west of the WarrenMcDuffie County line in the 155th militia district on the A, L. Sellers property. The mine was opened about 1885 and worked for a couple of ye~rs by a company with Mr. Ben Uall of Atlanta, Georgia, as superi~tendent. A main shaft was sunk to a depth of 60 feet and some drifting was done. A few yards northwest of this shaft another was sunk in 1889; in addition ~orne qpen cut work was done. The outcrop of a large quartz vein running in a northeast direction is seen not far from the Warren mine, and it is possible that the main shaft was sunk on the intersection of this v~in with one exposed in the open cut work. However, the only vein which crops out at the mine is the one in the open cut work. It strikes NlOOW, and is near vertical. This vein is about a yard thick with clean cut walls. At the time the mine was visited (1902) little of the ore could b~ seen (Jones, 1909). Mr. B. M. Hall has in his possession a statement from the U. S. Assay office at Charlotte, N. C. which shows that the mine produced $4,597.51 in 1886. Sellers Property. About ~/3 mile northeast of the Warren mine, on the Sellers property, is a sh~ft known as the Allen shaft. It was sunk to a depth of 50 feet in 1889 by Mr. Sim Lane and others. The vein it was sunk on is 4 feet side at the surface and strikes N75E. The dip is to~ wards the south. The vein was reported to be 9 feet wide at the bottom of the shaft. No record is available of the amount of gold taken from the shaft. The country rock exposed at this locality and also at the Warren mine is weathered mica-schist. GallaherProperty. In addition to the workings described above, a shaft and several pits were sunk about the same time as the Allen shaft on a vein on a portion of the tract formerly owned by Mi. John Gallaher. These openings were made by the same parties who sank the Allen shaft and are about an eighth of a mile northeast of the Warren mine. Both here, and at the Allen shaft, work has been done at several different times. From the first workings, Mr. Gallaher estimates that about $1200 were taken from the two localities. In 1889 or 1890 Mr. W. S. Lane did some placer mining in a gulley on the Galtaher place and found sever~l pieces of gold. Assays of the ore showed high silver and copper (Barie, 1849). Taylor Property. About a half mile northwest of the Warren mine, on a portion of the tract formerly known as the Taylor property, several 267 shafts and pits were sunk a number of years ago. Little information is available, and no distinct quartz veins are exposed at the shafts. The Wilson and Watson Property. This property consists of 243 acres in the 155th militia district northeast of. the Sellers Property. It is owned jointly by Thomas E. Watson and E. R. Wilson of Thomson, Georgia. Some prospect work has been done on the property but nothing is known of the results. Southwest of the Wilson-Watson property a little prospect work has been done on the gold belt, and it has been traced nearly to the Georgia railroad. This activity was centered around Fountain Camp Ground, a section of the county now devoted to tree farming. Some of the shafts and pits have been filled and no record kept of their location. Evidences of old workings are shown in Figure 62; descriptions and comments are presented in Appendix M. Assay results are given in Appendix J. There is no firm basis for correlation of the located workings with the properties and descriptions given by Jones (1902). The information available indicates that shafts and open cuts of the Warren Mine and those on the Gallaher Property have been filled. Map Stations 2El and 2E2 may correspond to the Sellers Property; 2Gl through 2G9, and 2H, to the Taylor Property. Other prospect openings are not assignable to previously desscribed workings. Mines and Prospects in Wilkes County QUARTZ VEINS Figure 34 shows the vein locations. Appendix K gives their size, shape, attitude, gold content, etc. A total of 475 quartz samples have been collected from 430 locations representing 218 quartz veins, 130 quartz stringers, 895 small quartz pods, 14 masses of "bull" quartz, 18 siliceous layers (quartzite, silicified zones, etc.) and 18 chert-like veins. The veins range in thickness from a fraction of an inch to 10 feet. The thickness of the "bull" quartz masses ranges from 4 feet to 50 feet. The veins are generally smaller than those in Taliferro County. Their frequency increases regularly with decreasing thickness (Figure 63), as expected. The veins at 85 localities contain traces of gold. No relationship is apparent between vein size and gold content. While the quartz veins in general may have any orientation, those which are auriferous mostly strike northeast to east and are near vertical. At only one of the sampled Photo 2-Ll-288-122 c ' >H .~\.. ,,\;,,~; ~ ,,,!,,,; ---------- 269 THICKNESS OF QUARTZ VEINS WILKES COUNTY . VEIN THICKNESS IN INCHES ( l.o~a"thmot Scol I Figure 63 localities is the quartz of ore grade: P7. Mining began there during July. For its description see P7 below. INDIVIDUAL DESCRIPTIONS Jones (1902) states that '~ith the exception of some deposits in the extreme southern part of the county which belong to the gold belt traversing Lincoln, McDuffie and Warren counties, the auriferous veins so far found in Wilkes are not assignable with certainty to any definite belt. The two deposits which do belong to the McDuffie Gold Belt are the Edmunds Mine and the Hilly Mine. '~he rocks of the county are principally granites, schists and gneisses. No veins carrying gold have been found in the granite areas, though the 'Latimer Mine' may be along a granite contact." Pl - GOLD - Stony Ridge. Location: Wilkes County, approximately 5 miles (airline) southwest of the Washington town square; 0.6 mile north of Georgia Highway 44, on the east side and adjacent to the dirt road along the divide between Little Kettle Creek and Beaverdam Creek. 270 s. P. Jones (1902) gives the following description of'the Stony Ridge Mine: This mine is on a ridge of tough, resistant mica schist or ~chistose gneiss 6 miles southwest of Washington in the 169th militia district on a cross road from the Greensboro to the Skull Shoals road. The workings consist of considerable open cut work, seve:ral shafts and some drifting. There are three properties on which work has been done: one a tract owned by the Marlow estate, of which Mr. H. A. Marlow is administrator, a tract owned by Mr. G. B. Smith and another owned by J. S. Crosby. Mr. Tom Garrett is credited with having discovered gold at this locality about 1879 at which time some work was done by him. The first work of importance however, was carr:l:ed on under a lease by Mr. C. E. Smith of 'Washington in 1881. Most of the work was on the Marlow portion of 'the r'idge where the greater part of the gold was obtained. No vein could be seen in the old open cuts at the time of Jones viSit (1902), but it was stated by parties who worked the mine that the work was done on a vein striking about Nl5E along the crest of the ridge. It is claimed that prospectors have found gold in small quantities along this ridge in both directions from the Stony Ridge mine for several miles. The u. s. Bureau of Mines Yearbook reported production from the Stony Ridge Mine in 1928 and 1929. The abandoned mine was visited in January 1964; a sketch map (Figure 64) shows the old workings: A - Trench, 100' x 10' x 20' deep B - Trench, 70' x 6'- 8' x 20' deep, inclined to the S. E. From the N. E. end underground workings extend for about 12 feet N20E and 12 feet N60W,' The country rock here is very feldspathic. A composite sample of a 4-inch zone rich in iron oxide and a thin (1/2") quartz stringer was assayed for gold and showed only a trace. From the S. W. end underground workings connect with the shaft at "C" and continue for a short distance. C - Shaft, circular; filled D - Trench, 12' x 6' x 3' deep E - Pit, circular, 81 diameter, filled F - Pit, circular, 8' diameter, 3' deep G - Trench, 6' x 2' x 2' deep H - Trench, 351 x 31-51 x 4' deep I - Trench, 20' x 6' x 4' deep. Country rockquartzite and muscovite- sericite schist, strikes N25E, vertical. The quartzite is feldspathic, micaceous, and pyritic; pink to light-red in color, due to oxidation of the pyrite. Ari assay of the quartzite shoWed only a trace of gold. J - Trench, 151 x 4' x 31 deep K - Trench, 15' x 6' x 3' deep L - Trench, 12' x 51 x 3' deep !l~ o,mp "'u 1J eR Oo D "'T :~(52) J'- s P I Sl) 271 WILKES COUNTY STONEY RIDGE GOLD MINE ""' OLD WORKINGS 1964 N (/ Trench () Circular Pit t ,:.4,,' Quartzite And Quartzose '/" Feldspothic Mica Schist (Shown Only Where Sampled) 0c:-_-:-..-.: !00 fee! ::::J Figure 64 Thomas J. Crawford 272 M - Trench, 101 x 3' x 31 deep. N - 'Trench, 100' x 6'-101 x 501 deep; mostly filled except for a shaft-like opening at the southern end and another approximately 401 to the north. 0 - Trench 901 x 81-101 x 301+ deep. P - Trench, 101 x 31 x 31 deep. Q - Trenching, intermittent for 75 1, 61-81 wide, filled to within 61 of surface. Country' rock strikes N22E, dips 700SE. R - Trench, 81 x 3' x 21 deep. S - Quartzite exposure; coarse colorless quartz grains in a m~atrix of finely granulated quartz stained pink by oxidation of sulfides. Tiny particles of fresh sulfide are abundant in the clear quartz grains. Vugular zones are the result of oxidation and removal of coarsely crystalline sulfides. At "51" an 8-foot thickness was sampled for gold assay. At 11 S211 , 751 to the NE another sample was taken. Each assayed only $0. 35/ton gold. T - Trench, 121 x 61 x 51 deep. U - Shaft, 3' x 101 x 20' deep; drifts trend NNE and SSW from the bottom of the shaft. The NNE drift probably connects with the trench at "V''. V - Trench, 401 x 10'-181 x 151-201 deep, partially filled. A drift at the SSW end is blocked. Quartzite, very pyritic, micaceous, and feldspathic, on the dump near this trench was sampled for gold assay and showed only a trace. W - Trench, 15' x 3' x 3' deep. X - Quartzite exposure, same as at S 11 11 ; minimum thickness of 50; some zones dense, ve1y pyritic, others feldspathic and micaceous, A chip sample at intervals across the entire thickness was composited and assayed for gold; no gold was detected. The rock mined was a very feldspathic micaceous quartzite. Mining appears to have followed a zone rich in iron oxide derived from sulfide minerals, primarily pyrite. Assay results on samples taken from the old trenches, and from outcrops, are not encouraging. P2 --Young's Chapel, Wilkes County Location: About 5 miles west of Washington, east and southeast of the Chapel, along the west side of Beaverdam Creek. A prospect pit here is approximately 10'x6'x6' deep. Exposed hornblende gneiss and amphibolite contain numerous small quartz stringers and discontinuous veins as much as 12"-18" thick. This siliceous zone is characterized by coarse euhedral epidote crystals; fractures are coated by malachite and azurite. Horizontal channel samples were taken along the sides of the pit. Each of the 4 samples was assayed for gold and showed only a trace. This prospect is described further under SULPHIDES. P3 -- GOLD -- Lon Edmunds (The Hilly Mine) Location: Wilkes County, southeastern corner; approximately 0.7 miles S37E from Pierce's Chapel; approximately 0.6 mile north of 273 latitude 33 40 1 and 0.9 mile west of longitude 82 30'. S. P. Jones (1902) gives the following report of the Hilly Mine: This mine is about 1~ miles south of the Augusta-Washington public road, in the 177th militia district, on a tract of a couple of a hundred acres owned by Mrs. Mattie Brown with the mineral rights reserved to Mr. R. K. Reaves of Athens, Georgia. (Jones Report). A zone or area of what appears to be a talcose schist impregnated with iron pyrite and having small quartz veins, or stringers of quartz, has been worked for gold to a limited extent several times by different parites. Some work was done before the Civil War; about 1880 Mr. R. K. Reaves and others sank a shaft to a depth of 60 feet and did some open cut work. In 1901 work was prosecuted for about six months by Mr. D. C. Stainback and others. According to Mr. John Edmunds, the gold was not found in a quartz vein, observed in the workings, but was obtained from the schist. Mr. R. K. Reaves seems to think that considerable quantities of gold might be secured, but Mr. Stainback states that the results of his work were not at all satisfactory. The mine is in quartzose sericite schist, N53E, 54NW, locally impregnated with pyrite. The old workings consist of several shallow trenches and open cuts (Figure 65). There are two shafts. Shaft "A" was sunk vertically for about 15 feet, then inclined 15 to 18 feet, after which a drift was extended S20E. Water is in the drift. A grab sample was taken from the dump for assay. Shaft "B" is vertical and filled with water to within 45 feet of the surface. Vein quartz, some showing brecciation with iron oxide cement, is in. the dump and is also found in bouldery outcrops. A grab sample was collected for gold assay. Both samples assay a trace of gold. P4-- GOLD-- U. S. Government Clark Hill Reservation (was G. A. Green) Location: Wilkes County, extreme southeastern corner; approximately 1.3 miles Sl8W from Amith (Lincoln County); approximately 0.6 mile south of latitude 33 40' and 0.1 mile east of longitude 82 30 1 There is a small prospect pit about 15 feet in diameter and 6 feet deep. A trench 4 feet wide and 3 feet deep extends 25 feet S75W from the pit. No vein is exposed. Piles of boulders, apparently taken from the pit, are white and gray, translucent to transparent, vitreous vein quartz. Pyrite in cubes as large as 0.5 inch square are disseminated in the quartz and in thin stringers along fractures. A grab sample assays $3.50/ton in gold. 274 Figure 65 Sketch M~p HILLY MINE (now LON EDMONDS) Wilkes County, Georoia N " Tllomo J Cro.lorf ~ .... r This is. a part of the G. A. Green property mentioned by Jones (1902): On a tract of 300 acres in the 177th militia district west of, and adjoining, the Edmunds property, a little prospect work has been done on a vein which is a continuation of the vein on the Edmunds property. It is described as being a hundred yards north of the main mine. Mr. John Edmunds states that gold has been obtained from this vein. P5 -GOLD -Mrs. E. T. Anderson (was G. W. Gooker). Location: Wilkes County, east-central part, north of Fishing Creek. Approximately 3.75 miles N22W from crossroads at Metasville; approximately 1.1 miles south of latitude 3350' and 2.4 miles west of longitude 8235 I, According to report, a narrow adit was driven into the hill at this locality, but the entrance slumped and was obliterated. The only visible signs of prospecting are several small trenches and shallow open cuts. Material taken fromth~ pits consists of quartz, mica, and sericite; sot'!(e !:hi,n zones are impregnated with iron oxide from the decomposition of pyrite. A grab sample assays a trace of gold. 275 Jones (1902) describes the Booker property as follows: Ten miles northeast of Washington on the French Mill's road is the G. W. Booker property. Gold was discovered here in small quantities prior to 1900, and a little prospect work was done on it at different times. Near a branch about one-fourth of a mile from the house, from the earth that has been taken out of a small crosscut, Mr. Booker panned a little coarse gold. On the opposite side of this branch and nearer the house, a little very fine gold was panned from saprolite in a prospect pit. At neither of these places were any quartz veins noticed other than extremely thin stringers. P6 -- GOLD --Champion Paper Co. (The old Kendall Mine) Location: Wilkes County, east-central part, north of Fishing Creek. Approximately 4.2 miles due north of the cross-roads at Metasville; approximately 0.4 miles south of latitude 33 50' and 1.0 mile west of longitude 82 35'. Two shafts are visible on the property. A vertical shaft, about 20'x 15' is now filled to within 40 feet of the surface (probably the 70-foot shaft mentioned by Jones); much material has slumped from the shaft walls. An inclined open cut and shaft is partially filled to within about 18 feet of the surface. In addition, there are two shallow prospect trenches. The quartz-sericite unit exposed here is very similar to that pros- pected on the old Booker property (P5) to the west. Iron oxide after py- rite is common, but not abundant. The foliation in the open-cut strikes N33E, dips 84~. A grab sample assays $3.50/ton in gold. Jones (1902) described the Kendall Mine as follows: This mine is 11 miles northeast of Washington, on the French Mills road in the 178th militia district. Work was done at the locality in 1881 by Mr. C. E. Smith of Washington, Georgia. A shaft was sunk to a depth of 70 feet and 40 or 50' of drifting was done. A stamp-mill was erected and about 25 tons of ore milled as a test. Mr. Smith obtained $415.23 from the test. Jones (1902) also mentioned the Wolf property, in this same general area: On the Jasper Wolf property 10~ miles northeast of Washington on the French Mills road gold was found in the sands in a branch 1/2 mile east of the house. The gold was rather fine. Some gold is said to have been obtained at an old prospect shaft a short distance from the branch. This prospect was not located. 216 P7 --GOLD ~Athens Industrial Electric Company, Mining Division (old Latimer Mine, 1901) Location: Wilkes County, west-central part, southeast of Dry Fork Creek. Approximately 3.8 miles N34W of Rayle; approximately 0.2 mile north of latitude 330 SO' and 1.2 miles west of longitude 80 55 1 Jones (1902) lists this as the Latimer Mine: This property is about a mile from the Oglethorpe County line on the Danielsville road in north- west Wilkes County. Some sluicing was done on a branch in front of the house before the Civil War. After the war several parties did some placer mining on a small scale on this branch. The property came into prominence in 1901 when Mr. W. D. Story discovered a small vein very rich in free gold. A thousand pounds of ore milled at the Columbia Mining Company's mill in McDuffie County yielded $1,763.65. In July 1901, Mr. Story who was working the property under an option sold one-half of his interest in the mine to Mr. M. L. Bickart and Mr. I. H. Oppenheim of Atlanta, Georgia and Mr. W. H. Fluker of Tatham, Ga. These gentlemen formed a company incorporated under the title of the Latimer Mining Company. This company milled about 1460 lbs. of ore which yielded $1,895.44. According to Mr. Story the vein that afforded such rich ore was about 4 or S' long, about 4" thick, and pinched out at a depth of 35'. Mr. Latimer saved a small piece of the vein quartz which he showed to Mr. Jones who reported that the gold was in the form of small particles and shreds thickly distributed through the quartz. On the side of the hill on which the shaft is located, gold can be panned at a number of points from the soil. Gold can also be panned from a field in front of Mr. Latimer's house on the opposite side of the road from the hill. According to Mr. Jortes, about a hundred acres of the property on the hillside where the shaft is located could be worked. According to Mineral Resources of the U. S. (1915, p. 13) some gold was recovered in 1915 by sluicing hillside gravels near Dry Fork Creek. This is the only active gold mine in Wilkes County. The equipment consists of: Small Roll Crusher Rogers Trundle Washer (14 feet x 36 inches) Denver Jig Craig Table The maximum capacity of the plant is 150 tons/1p .hours. Mining began in July 1964. The saprolite is hauled less than a hundred yards to the plant. Boulders are removed from the feed by-a log 277 grizzly. Pebble-size quartz in the saprolite is passed through a roll crusher, but not ground. This quartz conunonly assays $30.00/ton or more in gold. Because it is not ground, the recovery of gold from it is probably low. The plant :i..s now producing a concentrate. The operator estimates that 80 yards of saprolite yield 1 ton of concentrates. In early August we collected 3 samples from the plant: P7A, P7B, and P7C. P7A representing the concentrates from the first 6 riffles on the Craig table assays $1137.50/ton. P7C representing pieces of quartz in the feed, disintegrated quartz stringers, assays $33.25/ton. During two previous visits to the Mine, composite samples were collected of the thin quartz veinlets exposed by the workings. They consistently assayed $30.00-$33.00/ton in gold. The grade of the ore is high enough for a profitable operation, but present recovery of gold is too low. Recovery can be improved by modifying the plant. The saprolite should be washed more and the effluent from the washer diluted with water. Amalgam plates should be added. The vein quartz should be taken from the roll crusher and ground in a ball mill; most of the gold in it is free-milling. The mine area is underlain by rocks of the Little River series, principally amphibolite, hornblende gneiss and biotite gneiss, all very finegrained and containing small concordant pods of epidosite. The foliation generally strikes east-north-east and dips steeply to the south or north. A large granite mass is less than one mile south of the mine and half .a mile east of it. Quartz stringers and pods are scattered through the rocks in the mine area. Pyrite as euhedral cubes and subhedral to anhedral crystal aggregates is conunon in the quartz, particularly along fractures, and is found in the country rocks, though less frequently. Much of the quartz, particularly the concordant masses, contains abundant epidote, hornblende and pyrite. The discordant veins, which strike northwest and dip steeply to the northeast or southwest, are megascopically barren; they show only minor iron oxide stain. The concordant veins striking N65-80E and dipping vertically or near vertically commonly bear gold. A vein recently uncovered 2~-7" wide (Figure 66) assayed $1.05 to $16.45 per ton in gold. The amphibolite near the vein (sample P7 (10) D) assayed $1.75/ton. According to a local resident familiar with early operations (Henry Bankston), rich veins were found at 7 localities over an area measuring 4800' by 2000'. All the veins were quartz and were thin (maximum width 8 inches) except one, described as an auriferous zone in quartz-sericite schist and amphibolite. The 7 localities have been examined and samples collected where possible. The auriferous zone in quartz-sericite schist described by Bankston (PB), who helped work the property in 1935, is not exposed. Mr. Groover of Athens Industrial Electric has provided assay records of 145 samples which show gold values ranging from nil to $836.18/yard. He has not provided the sample locations, nor the exact sampling method. 278 Figure 66 Sample P7 (10} C SKETCH OF QUARTZ VEl N AT ATHEN 1S INDUSTRIAL ELECT. CO. MINE, (old Latimer Mi~n~) WILKES CO. GA., uncovered II/ 10/64 The Athens Industrial Electric Company is continuing tci work the soil and residual vein material on a hit-or-miss basis. When gold ceases to show on the plant tabie, they shift the digging to another spot. Satisfactory records have not been kept of their prospecting and de- velopment work. The mine area i~ so blanketed by soil and saprolite that few geologic relationships can be observed at the surface. Probably the gold is concentrated in the quartz veins and veinlets; probably weathering has affected little lateral movem~nt of the gold which has been concentrated near the surface. A systematic sampling will be necessary to delineate the rich areas. Future work should ceriter on processing the saprolite, as it offers the only prospect of a large ore volume. During the saprolite processing the included broken vein quartz should be ground finely. Though its volume is small, it is rich in gold and can be processed easily. An accurate map of the ore-grade saprolite would enable the mining to shift from the present hit-or-miss type of operation to a systematic development. This change and the plant modifications recommended above might make the mine a ptofitabie venture. P8---- GOLD---- Champion Paper Company (was Paul S. Colley) Location: Wilkes County, central-west part, southeast of Dty Fork Creek. Approximately 3.4 miles N32W of Rayle; approximately 0.1 mile south of latitude 33 50j and 0.8 mile west of 279 longitude 82 55'. According to local report, gold was discovered at this locality in 1914 by Henry Bankston. In 1935 a Dr. Bedenfield, Augusta, Georgia, sank two shafts to a depth of approximately 40 feet and erected a small stamp mill on the property. Reportedly, rich ore was removed and milled. The only visible shaft has caved to a width of about 30 feet and is now 18 or 20 feet deep; an open-cut extends east and west for about 50 feet on each side of the shaft. Several shallow prospect pits and trenches are in the immediate vicinity. The concrete mill foundation is near the north edge of the shaft. The country rock is quartz-sericite schist and ampibolite; schistosity strikes N78W, dips 73SSW. No ore is exposed. The lack of exposure and the caving of the old workings hinder evaluation of this property. Proximity to the Athens Industrial Electric Mine (P7), which is less than 0.5 mile to the northwest, might encourage a closer look here. The ruins of a small stamp mill support statements that rich ore once was mined on the property. Why the mine shut down is not known. The general assumption that old mines were closed down because they gave out of ore is not always valid. Many well known mines have been closed for various reasons and reopened profitably several times during their history. A cautious approach to evaluation of the Colley Mine would be to clean out the workings and extend them enough to reveal whether mining stopped with ore in sight. If so, further prospecting could be done-- either transverse trenching or shallow shaft-- in accord with the character of the ore zone. A start with drilling is not recommended, because the auriferous veins on the adjoining property are thin, lenticular and discontinuous, and part of the gold is in the country rock. If the ore zone at the Colley Mine is similar, it would be hard to evaluate with the drill. Future of Gold Mining in the CSRA Gold mining was once an important activity in the northern half of the CSRA. The old mines and prospects cluster along a narrow belt extending from northern McDuffie County into southern Lincoln County. A few old mines and prospects are scattered in Taliaferro, Wilkes, Warren and Columbia, During this study the quartz veins have been sampled extensively in these counties. A total of 1410 samples have been collected and assayed. The distribution of fine alluvial gold has been checked in 680 stream samples. All of the known mines and prospects have been re-examined. Several new prospects have been found. The new data are more comprehensive than are available for many districts. Even so, they are inadequate for the appraisal of most of the ~80 pr9spects. Exposures are too poor, and there are limits to what can be deducted indirectly. Fifteen veins of workable grade have been located. The size of thirteen of them is uncertain. The ne~t step is exploration by drill or by shaft to determine quantity. The likelihood of significant gold mining depends on how vigorous~y prospecting is undertaken. The large numb~r of poss~bilities, the extent of gold mine~alization, the fact that workable deposits did develop within the district ---- at least two mines already have produced more than ~ million dollars each ---- all these fac~s encourage prospecting. The prospecting can be concentrated on the favorable sites demonst~ated by this study. Saprolite and vein deposits offer the best possibilities. Mineralized zones of country rock, mass~s containing numerous pods, lens.es, and thin contorted stringers - stockworks - are worthy of closer 13crutiny as potential large-volume, low-grade ore. As others have pointed out, the auriferou~ deposits in northern CSRA resemble in several ways those in the famous gold districts of Ontario. GRAVEL See the section on SANP MID GRAVEL. HE.(\VY MIN~RJU,S Minor concentration~ of coar~e heavy mi~erals are ab~ndant and wide- spread in the Tuscaloosa Formation in McDuffie County. The mo!'lt frequent;: mode of occurrence is as thin concentrations 1"-3" thick as13ociated with gravel lenses 12"-14" thick and only a few feet long in the.Tuscaloqsa near the Piedmont-Coast~+ Plain cq~tact. At o~ly two localities were there indications of a sufficient quantity of heavy minerals to warrant further attention. SHIELDS POND In the headwaters qf l<;:fp1\ree Creek, at Shi.eld~? Pond, creek sediments contain an unusually high percentage of very coarse rutile and brown epidote. This is probably a reconcentration o~ heavies from eroded Coastal Plain sediments. If so, the alluvial plain of Kiokee Creek might ~ontain a small wor~able concentration. MAP STATION 191 A roadcut on U. S. Highway 221, about 0.2 mile south of Boggy Gut Creek (Figure 20) shows 4'-10' of quartz sand, quartz pebbles, heavy minerals, muscovite, and kaolin balls, all in a kaolin matrix. The quartz pebbles are only weakly coherent and disintegrate readily into sand-size particles. This is atypical of the Tuscaloosa pebbles and suggests an alluvial deposit of reworked Tuscaloosa. To evaluate these localities the following determinations must be made: (1) whether the occurrence is stratigraphic, or alluvial (2) areal extent (3) thickness (4) identity of the heavy minerals (5) percentage of heavy minerals in various size fractions. Drilling is required. ILMENITE Mineralogy and Occurrence Ilmenite is an opaque brownish black to iron black mineral of moderate hardness and submetallic to metallic luster. Its composition is FeTi03 (47.33% FeO; 52.67% Ti02). Ilmenite typically occurs as small crystals disseminated through meta~ morphic and igneous rocks, constituting less than one percent of the rock, and in alluvial or beach sands derived from the disintegration of the primary rocks. Also it occurs in veins and in large segregated masses within or near the borders of igneous rocks. Alteration, particularly weathering, may transform black ilmenite to a dull white, opaque, titanium-rich material called leucoxene. Utilization The most important use is in making pigments for paint, paper, rubber, enamel, plastic, coated fabric, leather and many other products. Welding rod coatings is a minor use. In 1963 fine titanium pigment producers in the eastern U. S. used 95% of what was consumed. Production and Value In 1963 six firms from eight mines in New York, Florida, Virginia, and New Jersey mined about 800,000 short tons were imported, mainly from Canada and Australia. In 1965 a new mine opened near Folkston, Georgia. '282 The price has been relatively stable since World War II. In November 1965, load loimtsp;ordteodmeilsmticeniiltme e5n4i%teT6i00%2 & MJ Metal and Mineral Markets). was quoted at $21.-24./long ton in ship Ti02 was quoted at $30.-35./short ton (E Occurrence in the CSRA Veins containing several p~rcent of coarse ilmenite have been found at two places in Lincoln County. A muscovitic rock containing several percent of fine disseminated ilmenite has been found in Taliaferro County. Figure 67 shows the distribution of alluvial ilmenite; which was found in nearly all the alluvial samples. Apparently it has been derived from many different rock types. Neither of the deposits in Lincoln and Taliaferro counties is revealed as an anomaly. The map does show a markedly higher concentration of ilmenite in the alluvium along the east side of the Piedmont. As noted in the section on HEAVY MINERALS, the highest concentrations of ilmenite in the Coastal Plain sediments are in the Tuscaloosa formation along the Fall Line. Figure 67 suggests that the Upper Coastal Plain, from the Fall Line a few miles eastward, is a belt to prospect for alluvial ilmenite deposits. , Lincoln County LESLIE HOLLOWAY PROPERTY Seven miles southeast of Lincolnton on the Leslie Holloway property (see Figure 68) is a small area where residual fragments and blocks of fractured vein quartz containing 15-60% ilmenite litter the surface. The l!:l.rgest fragments are 12" across. The ilmenite-rich residum extends over an area ahout 250 feet by 150 feet t:re.nding N60~. Ilmenite occurs irt coarse plate.s and platy aggregates both in the vein quartz and disseminated as tiny particles through the quartz-sericite schist. Four shallow prospect pits have been dug but they are slumped and reveal little. Though the poox exposures preclude evaluation, the evidence of mineralization is sufficient to warrant additional prospecting. A ground mag. netometer survey can give the extent and shape of the ilmenite-rich zone and indicate whether its size increases or decreases with depth. A magnetometer survey would be inexpensive and would yield sufficient information to show whether additional exploration is justified. GRAVES MOUNTAIN Large tabular ilmenite crystals have been found iri specimens of vein quartz float on the north side of Graves Mountain (Johnston, 1935; p. 28). This occurrence has not been veritied. 283 Figure 67 z 285 Taliaferro County RALPH A. McAVOY PROPERTY In northern Taliaferro County, 3 miles northwest of Hillman (Figure 6q} '' medium to coarse muscovitic rock containing up to several percent of fine disseminated ilmenite is along the contact of granite with biotite gneiss and hornblende gneiss. The ilmcnitic zone is 300 feet across at its widest point and can be traced for 1600 feet along strike (northeast). Near the western end of the zone, it is cut by a pyritic rhyolite dike. Two more dikes are about 300 feet to the south. Alluvial Ilmenite For a description of two alluvial concentrations see SHIELDS POND and MAP STATION 191 under the heading HEAVY MINERALS. IRON OXIDE Manner of Occurrence and General Distribution Limonite, an aggregate of iron ore minerals, principally goethite, which is hydrous iron oxide, is widespread within the CSRA. Some limonite was mined during the Civil War on a small scale. Limonitic sandstones and nodular or tabular replacements of limestone are common over all the Coastal Plain counties of the CSRA. The most common deposits are on the upper surface of the fossiliferous limestones (now cherts) in the upper part of the Barnwell Formation. The iron, leached out of the overlying sands by ground water, has replaced the upper surface of the relatively impervious limestone. The replacements are highly irregular in shape and variable in thickness. The layer seldom has attained a thickness greater than two feet. Hardpan layers (iron-oxide cem.ented sands and crenulated layers of relatively pure limonite) are quite c~mmon in the southern counties of the CSRA, Most of the layers average o~ly a few inches in thickness and cannot be traced laterally for more than a few tens of feet. Ferruginous sandstones in the Fall Line area have been reported as more than 20 feet thick, but these have not been verified. Boulders and fragments of high grade limonite were encountered occasionally. All of the ferruginous sandstones that were seen are too low grade for commercial consideration. Figure 69 McAvoy 8 Johnson Properties, Taliaferro County 287 Burke County Most of the better iron ore exposures in CSRA are in Burke County. They occur as limonite replacements of the upper surface of fossiliferous limestones, now chert, and as sandstone cement. The best exposures are near Waynesboro. Quaker Road, northwest of Waynesboro, at several places exposes the Barnwell chert with 2-3 feet of limonite along the irregular upper surface. The limonite is a cavitous massive unit usually without trace of the fossils that are prominent in the unreplaced material beneath. The replaced portion is generally soft and crushes easily to a brown powder. Randomly distributed concretions are too hard to be easily broken with a hammer. Another relatively thick zone of similar limonite is in the road and railroad cuts that cross Mcintosh Creek two miles east of Waynesboro. Again, the replacement zone follows the irregular top of the fossiliferous chert in the upper Barnwell Formation. The bluffs of Sandy Run Creek and Fitz Branch, about 8 miles southeast of Waynesboro have thick exposures of the southern continuation of these cherts as fossiliferous sandstones. They are fairly well cemented with limonite, but are not as high grade as the previous localities, even though they supplied a small Civil War forge, located 2.3 miles south of Alexander. In south central Burke County, near Alexander, are large areas of residual hardpan pebbles. They occur as angular fragments, averaging ~~~ in length, concentrated (30% or less) in the surficial sands of the Hawthorn Formation. The pebbles are dark brown to reddish brown and contain finegrained quartz sand. The pebbles are usually soft and crumble easily, but less weathered pieces are hard enough to be broken only with a hammer. Previous Reports of the Iron Ores Burke County In 1849 brown iron ore was reported (White, p. 125) 16 miles northwest of Waynesboro. It was next mentioned in 1876 in the Progress of the Mineralogical, Geological and Physical Survey of the State of Georgia, 2nd report, and then by Haseltine in 1924. According to Haseltine (1924, p. 163-165) there are several exposures of the brown ore in the vicinity of Waynesboro. The ore is associated with the sands of the Clairborne formation, which underlie a large part of the county. John E. McElmurry Property: This property is 8 miles southeast of Waynesboro along Sandy Run Creek. During the Civil War ore was mined here to supply a small forge which was in operation 2 miles south of Alexander. 288 .... Another forge is said to have been operated abput 2 m~l.es~: nort::ll"W.e~t of Waynesboro. Only a small amount of ore appears to have be~~ ~ihed, judging from the amount of slag which remained at the time of i j a s e l :. t . i ~ n e ' s vi~ it. . The best exposure of ore is on the right bank of Sanely ':aun 'Creek where . the ore forms a little bluff 150' or more in length and 25' high. I~ con sists of large masses or boulders often of huge s:I,.ze with:conc~tionary structure. The ore consists chiefly of sand grains cetnen~e.d toge.ther by iron oxide. Small fragments and masses often 6 inches ;~n ;,dtajneter a.;re in the cultivated fields along the creek. , T. J. McElmurry Property: On the property which;,adjoins.,the J. E. McElmurry property is an exposure of the same type of ore, Iris about 3/4 mile northwest of the John E. McElmurry property desc~tbe9 aboveI , on the south side of Fitz Branch. :";. ) ~ : , ~ ' . ~ : . , Norton Property: Immediately south of the J .. F .. M?Elmti!'ry . :propert;,y on what used to be known as the Norton property, ore was;~also',.m:i,.ned for the old forge at Alexander. The ore was taken from an open cut,~bout 50' long and 5' deep near Sandy Run Creek. Haseltine mentions other localities where iron or~.has .~~P. found .. One of these is along the south bank of Mcintosh Creek on 'the I Pauper FaJ'tn, 1 mile south of Waynesboro, where there are:a t:ew scatte;;ed fragmenf.l.s of high grade limonite. Another is in a Central of Georgia Railroad cut 1 mile north of Waynesboro where there are limonite fra8ments of hi.Sh grade . At several points north and northeast of Waynesboro smalt amounts.,of linio- riite have been found. ~ . ..... Columbia Co4nty Haseltine (1924, p. 167-169) reported iron o!e iri-Cd'lumbia COunty at the following places: Mrs. 1. A. Paschal Property: This .property is about 2~ miles ~outhwest of Grovetown in a hilly section. The ore is found -on wqat ..is known locally as Iron Knob. The slopes and broad summit of' this h1U are thickly mantled with ferruginous sandstone fragments and boulder~:, sotne 2 feet in diameter. The boulders are frequently hollow, containinga pqr~.lfbite clay and crusted with black iron oxide. The greater part of. ore...i.~ fow grade. ~ ~ A 22-foot prospect well sunk on the summit of the qill was reported to have been dug in solid ore. It is apparent that th~ oepo&it is a large . one, however, the quality of the ore seems in general t:oo,.low,in metallic iron to be profitably worked. . -~ Lee Ward Property: The Ward property joins the :P4pch.a;l froperty on the east. Surface ore in considerable abund.ance is found on,several acres in a broad open field about the Ward residence. The ore~Js fltmilar to that found on the Paschal property, but much of it is ,of :.,bette.r grad~ . ..,. i 289 Large "pots" with needle ore encrustations are commonly seen, together with small fragments with highly colored glazed surfaces. There has been no prospecting. R. R. Valton Property: This property lies about half a mile northeast of the Ward property, and on the opposite side of the broad valley. An outcrop of ferruginous sandstone and fair grade ore is seen here near the public road on the side of a hill at an altitude of about 150 feet above the general level of the valley. Large masses, often 3 feet or more in diameter and evidently once a part of a much larger body of ore, are exposed on the hillslope. Jenkins County A sample of nodular limonite has been collected by Mr. C. C. Parker, Route 1, Millen, from 7 miles southeast of Millen. Jefferson County Five miles southwest of Wrens nodular limonite has been collected by Mr. Leon Davis. McDuffie County According to Haseltine (1924, p. 170) a large amount of iron ore float is found nearly all the way across the County along the line between the Coastal Plain formations and the older crystalline rocks to the north. Some of this ore is reported to have been used during the Civil War in a forge at Sweetwater near Thomson. About 3 miles south of Dearing, a station on the Georgia Railroad, is a hill known locally as Iron Hill. Iron ore fragments are scattered over its surface. Several tons may be picked from the ground. Much of it is low grade. On the I. E. Farmer property, 1 mile south of Thomson, several acres are characterized by iron ore float and by underlying iron-stained clays. Several prospect wells have been dug in it, but little ore found beneath the surface. Richmond County In the southern part of the county is a deposit which appears to b~ of considerable extent and of fair quality, according to Haseltine (1924, p. 165-166). It is on the Merton Property 13 miles south of Augusta, near, and on the west side of the Augusta-Savannah highway. The topography is somewhat hilly at this point. The iron ore is most prominent on a small 290 hill or knob 200-300 feet in circumference and about 40 feet high, which seems to be made up of a mass of limonite. The ore outcrops as large boulders at the top of the hill, and the slopes are mantled with small fragments of ore. The extent of the deposit is not known. Screven County A sample of brown iron ore was collected by Mr. D. H. Mobley, Route 5, Sylvania, and supmitted to the Georgia Department of Mines for andysis. No location was given. Taliaferro County According to Haseltine (1924, p~ 191) a carload of ,ore was shipped from a small open cut on the Murden property, about 1 mile north of Robinson. For a fuller description of this property see the section on MANGANESE. Outlook No iron mines are active in the CSRA. Though high grade goethite nodules are widespread, and locally are conspicuous, no deposits have been found that are thick enough and extensive enough ~o warrant further pros~ pecting. KYANITE Mineralogy and Uses Kyanite is Al2SiOs; 63.2% alumina, 36.8% silica. When fired between ll00C and 1480C, kyanite transforms to a mixture of mullite (3Al 2o3 . 2Si02) anq silica glass, which are staple up to ~810C. Refractories made from kyanite have a higher content of mullite than refractories made from ordinary clays and can withstand more sever.e temperatures. They maintain their strength to high temperatures, have low thermal expansion, and can withstand the effects of rapid temperature changes. Also, they are resistant to the corro~ive action of certain types of fluxes. The specific gravity of unfired kyanite ranges from about 3.56 to 3.67. The specific gravity of mullite ranges between 3.06 and 3.16. The large volume expansion which kyanite undergoes when it converta to mullite causes fine-grained kyanite flotation concentrates to disintegrate to finer mullite particles during calcination. This fine-grained material can be used satisfactorily in refractory cements, mortars, plastics, and ramming mixtures, b~t is not as satisfactory for m,aking refractory bricks because it does not 291 bond well. Massive kyanite converts to mullite without disintegration and thus can be used in making refractory bricks. None of the kyanite in the CSRA is the massive variety. In recent years processes have been developed for making from fine-grained kyanite (as well as from other forms of alumina and silica) a synthetic mullite which is satisfactory for the manufacture of refractory bricks and other shapes. The major use of kyanite and mullite is in refractories for the glass and metallurigal industries. Small quantities are used in manufacturing kiln furniture and heavy-duty porcelain ware. Kyanite has been replaced by alumina in the manufacture of spark plugs. The use of kyanite as a refractory began as a result of research conducted by the U. S. Bureau of Standards during and after World War I. The clay porcelain bodies of the spark plugs used in aircraft of that time were prcne to frequent and unpredictable failure under the stresses of combat flying. A crash research program was initiated and numerous natural minerals were tested for improved spark plug performance. The minerals of the sillimanite group, i.e. , sillimanite, andalusite, and kyanite showed great promise. A post was result of this war-time research was the widespread adoption of these minerals by the spark plug industry. Although domestic kyanite did not possess all the desirable physical properties of the Indian kyanite originally tested, interest in kyanite was aroused and development of American kyanite began in the early twenties. Prices Bulk kyanite, 35 mesh, in carload lots sells for $47.00/short ton; $50.00/short ton in bags; bagged 200 mesh kyanite brings $58.00/short ton (E & MJ Metal and Mineral Markets, October 1965). Occurrence in the CSRA Figure 70 shows the distribution of alluvial kyanite in northern CSRA. Though kyanite is a widespread accessory mineral, the principal sources clearly are in Lincoln County and in the southeastern part of Wilkes County. Ore-grade kyanite crops out at 4 localities. The largest and best exposure is at Graves Mountain, 4~ miles southwest of Lincolnton. A second deposit is 6.2 miles southeast of Washington; this is the old Wingfield Plantation property mentioned by Johnston in 1935. A third deposit is along the Wilkes-Lincoln county line 2 miles northeast of Metasville on the Dorn property. The fourth deposit is 7 miles southeast of Lincolnton on the Claude Rhodes property. Graves Mountain Coarse kyanite is restricted to a northeast-southwest trending ridge Figure 70 293 (Graves Mountain) which is on the south side of U. S. Highway 378, 4~ miles southwest of Lincolnton in Li.:1~oln County. Associated with the kyanite are rutile and lazulite which long have attracted collectors from all parts of the world. The earliest published account of Graves Mountain is a paper by Shepard in 1859. Following his paper, mineral specimens from the locality were eagerly sought by German mineralogists who made several crystallographic studies during the period 1860-1897 (Haidinger, 1860; Rose, 1862, Lasulx, 1883; Rath, 1881; Mugge, 1884, 1886, 1897). Between 1912 and 1921 Watson published 3 papers on Graves Mo~ntain. In 1935 Johnston published a 5-page summary. In 1939 Zodac published an account of a trip to the mountain plus descriptive excerpts from earlier papers. A good recent summary of the geology and mineralogy of Graves Mountain was published by Espenshade and Potter (1960, p. 96-99). The most comprehensive study was made by Hurst in 1958-59 whose d~ta were published as Georgia Geological Survey Bulletin 68, 1959. GENERAL GEOLOGY The Graves Mountain area is underlain by metamorphosed volcanic and sedimentary rocks equivalent to the Slate Belt rocks in North and South Carolina. The three main rock types are quartz-sericite schist, sericitekyanite-quartz rock, formerly called quartzite, and quartz conglomerate. The sericite-kyanite-quartz rock and the quartz conglomerate occupy a belt trending NE-SW along the axis of the mountain and are flanked on both sides by quartz-~ericite schist. In a zone 200 feet wide by 600 feet long trending N40E across the top of the mountain is a coarse kyanite-quartz rock. It differs from the sericite-kyanite-quartz rock by the absence or scarcity of sericite and by coarser grain size, particularly coarser kyanite. The zone dips steeply SE and is exposed for a vertical distance of nearly 200 feet. The coarse kyanite is concentrated mainly along fracture planes and foliation planes, and it constitutes 15-20 percent of the rock. Rock masses up to 10 feet thick contain as much as 50 percent kyanite. The zone averages 15-35 percent and contains at least 1/2 million tons of kyanite down to the base of the mountain (a vertical distance ~f nearly 200 feet). Thin sections show that most of the kyanite blades have quartz inclusions 0.08-0.2 mm. in diameter, and that the blades are irregularly interlocking with the quartz matrix. Thus fine grinding is required for complete separation. Much of the kyanite is incipiently altered to pyrophyllite. Scattered through the kyanite-bearing rock are varying amounts of fine mica (muscovite and paragonite), pyrite, lazulite, and rutile. 294 DEVELOPMENT OF THE DEPOSIT Mr. Joel Watkins, a geologist of Charlotte Court House, Virginia, acquired the Graves Mountain deposit in 1940. He drove an adit into the southeast slope of Graves Mountain for about 75 feet to obtain unweathered kyanite-quartz rock for flotation tests. A 300 pound sample was sent to the Stamford Ore-Testing Laboratory of the American Cyanamid Company. Their tests showed that the quartz, pyrophyllite, and kyanite can be readily and cheaply separated to yield a minus 40 mesh concentrate containing 96-97 percent kyanite with low iron content((Watkins, 1942). The kyanite market at that time was very small, amounting to only a few thousand tons per year. This, coupled with the outbreak of World War II, stopped development of the deposit. Mr. Watkins sold the deposit to a group of Virginia businessmen in 1947 who planned to establish a ky~nite production plant at Graves Mountain. The plans were not realized, however, and in 1961 the deposit was acquired by Aluminum Silicates, Inc., and independent small mining company incorporated in Pennsylvania. The deposit was placed into production in 1963. Combustion Engineering Inc. of New York Ci.ty acquired the property and plant in 1965 and are presently enlarging and improving the facilities. Graves Mountain consists largely of kyanite ore containing an average of 32% kyanite. Quartz is the principal guange mineral, along with minor quantities of pyrophyllite, limonite, pyrite, lazulite, and rutile. The ore is a hard quartzite-like rock which is mined by conventional open pit methods. The ore is drilled and blasted, loaded by power shovel into trucks and hauled to the crusher. The ore is reduced by the jaw crusher to minus 1~ inches and deposited in a stockpile by conveyor belt. The quarry and crusher operate eight hours a day, five to six days per week. The crushed ore is drawn from the stockpile via a tunnel enclosed conveyor and fed to a rod mill where it is reduced to -28 mesh sand. The mill discharge is deslimed and fed to a .desliming cyclone which discharges into a two-cell flotation cell which removes pyrite. The sands are passed through a second desliming cone which discharges into a two-stage conditioner. Here the reagents necessary for the separation of kyanite are added. After conditioning, the sands are passed through a six-cell Fagregen flotation machine which produces a rougher kyanite concentrate containing 80-85% kyanite, and a tailing containing 2-3% kyanite. The rougher concentrate is fed to a three-stage six-cell Denver flotation machine which upgrades the concentrate to 95-98% kyanit.e. The final concentrate is passed through a scrubber and dewatering rake which removes the reagent film from the kyanite. The concentrate is stored on a concrete drainage pad before drying to reduce the water content . The kyanite is then dried in a brick-lined rotary dryer at a temperature of 900F. The hot kyanite is discharged into a rotary cooler in which a reducing atmosphere is maintained to convert the iron oxide contaminants to a magnetiC' state. The cooled concentrate is then passed over three high intensity magnetic separators which remove iron particles and iron bearing minerals. The beneficiation plant operates twenty- 295 four hours per day, five to six days per week. The product thus produced is known as 35 Mesh Kyanite and accounts for about 25% of the sales of kyanite. The balance of the kyanite is reduced to 48 or 100 Mesh in a pebble mill as the demand dictates. A calcining facility to produce mullite soon will be constructed. Christine Freeman Property (Wingfield Plantation) Kyanite is quartz-sericite schist is exposed along Georgia Highway 80, 6.2 miles S33E from Washington. This is the old Wingfield Plantation mentioned by Johnston in 1935. From a point 500 feet northeast of the highway the kyanite-bearing zone extends to a point 4700 feet southwest of the highway, an intermittent outcrop length of about 1 mile. The kyanite-bearing zone is composed of fine- to medium-grained quartz and sericite with more or less kyanite. The rock ranges from almost a pure quartzite or kyanite-quartzite to kyanitic quartz-sericite schist. The zone strikes N60-65E and dips steeply to the northwest, concordant with the enclosing quartz-sericite schists and fine-grained hornblende and biotite gneisses. The width of the kyanitic zone is 20-80 feet. Many of the outcrops are medium-grained, with abundant quartz veins 8-40 inches thick. The percentages of kyanite ranges from 2-90. The higher percentages are adjacent to quartz veins and are in the form of very coarse bladed aggregates of few inches to more than 2 feet across. Rutile is a common but minor accessory, typically in euhedral to subhedral crystals less than 1/16 inches across. It is most abundant where the kyanite- is coarsest. Pyrite is a common accessory mineral. In weathered outcrops, its former presence is shown by the small disseminated cubic iron oxide pseudomorphs and molds. Pyrophyllite is intimately associated with kyanite. Its relative abundance coincides with that of the kyanite but nowhere is it a major constituent. No discrete veins of pyrophyllite are exposed. Two old shafts which are 600 feet west of the highway were sunk in the late 1800's in search of gold, according to local residents. The shafts are less than 10 feet apart. One measures 6 feet square, the other 8 x 12 feet; both are about 25 feet deep. Quartz-sericite schist exposed in the shafts is kyanitic and contains disseminated pyrite. The dumps consist of pyritic sericite-quartzite, masses of coarsely bladed kyanite, unstained pyrophyllite and minor vein quartz. Northeast of the shafts along the strike of the zone a highway cut exposes a quartz lense and pyritic kyanite-quartz-sericite schist. Samples of the quartz and the silicerous schist (numbers 554A and 554B, Wilkes County) 296 assay no gold. The kyanitic zone is 5200 feet long and 20-80 feet wide. Residual boulders within the zone commonly contain 15-30% kyanite. A sizeable concentration of kyanite is indicated. In mode of occurrence this kyanite is very similar to that at Graves Mountain and probably can be processed in a similar manner. Detailed exploration of the zone is feasible by diamond drilling. Though the dip of the coarse layering is generally steep, it is sufficiently variable in attitude that vertical drilling can satisfactorily sample the mass. A workable deposit of kyanite probably can be developed on the Freeman property. Dorn Property Two miles N70E from Metasville on theM. G. and J. J. Dorn property, which is astride the Wilkes-Lincdln County line, are outcrops of fine-to medium-grained kyanite-quartz rock. Intermittent bouldery exposures begin 200 feet southwest of the county line and continue to the northeast for 1600 feet defining a zone which extends in a N50E direction parallel to and about 300 feet southeast of Mine branch. This zone is 200 feet north- west of the old Magruder Mine in Lincoln County. A projection of the zone to the southwest would pass within 400 feet of the Chambers prospect in Wilkes County. The host rock for the kyanite is light grey, granular, fine- to mediumgrained quartzite with some sericite, minor iron oxide and fine pyrite. This rock grades into fine-grained pyritic quartz-sericite schist to the northeast. Coarse rounded grains of bluish quartz found sparingly in the kyanite zone are more abundant in the quartz-sericite schist. The thickness of the kyanitic zone ranges from 30 to 160 feet. The largest outcrop is 30 feet wide, 15-18 feet high, and about 40 feet long. The alteration of the kyanite to pyrophyllite, a general masking due to weathering and the small grain size makes an overall estimate of grade difficult. Individual boulders of the coarsest rock contain 20-40% kyanite, but most of the rock contains less than 10%. Quartz veins cutting the kyanitic zone are intensely fractured. The fractures are coated with iron oxide of apparent s~condary origin. No coarsening of the kyanite was observed adjacent to the veins. The relative scarcity of staining indicates less accessory iron (pyrite) than in the other kyanite occurrences, a favorable aspect, but the low kyanite content of many exposures. and the common fine-grained testure decrease the likelihood of a workable deposit at this locality. Claude Rhodes Property A low ridge about 7 miles southeast of Lincolnton on the Claude Rhodes property is littered with cobbles and boulders of kyanite, pyrophyllite and vein quartz. The Rhodes property is 1 mile southeast of the community of Kenna, adjacent to and east of Georgia Highway 220 spur (Figure 68). The kyanite is found in a quartzose zone at least 150 feet wide and 1200-1400 feet long which strikes north 60 east. The bounding country rocks are quartz-sericite schist. Outcrops of pyritic, kyanitic sericitequartzite are few and scattered. Coarse bladed masses of kyanite and coarsely crystalline pyrophyllite dominate the residuum. Pyrophyllite is nearly as abundant as kyanite. In the late 1800's two shafts about 150 feet apart and more than 40 feet deep were sunk near the southwestern end of the kyanitic zone. According to local reports, the prospecting was in search of gold. The material on the dump is pyritic sericite-quartzite, masses of coarsely bladed kyanite, unstained pyrophyllite, and minor vein quartz. Assay of the vein quartz and quartzite shows only a trace of gold. No record of the prospecting was found. The only printed description of this kyanite occurrence is a brief statement by Hopkins in 1914 (p. 298). Economic Considerations Although synthetic mullite made from alumina or bauxite mixed with clay or silica sand has replaced imported kyanite to a considerable extent, the domestic kyanite industry has not been adversely affected. The price of domestic kyanite has remained generally stable since 1937, with the exception of a major price increase of about 45% at the end of 1958 (Commodity Data Summaries, 1964, p. 79). Cooperative research between private industry and the Bureau of Mines has aided kyanite producers in improving product quality and yield. A steadily expanding market for kyanite can be anticipated. The company developing the kyanite deposit at Graves Mountain has adequate reserves for several decades of operation at the present rate. Additional deposits can be developed in the same area. 298 LIMESTONE (MARL) Subsurface limestone is widespread in the Coastal Plain portion of the CSRA, but surface exposures are small and generally scarce. Some of the best exposures are afforded by the McBean Formation which crops out for several miles along the bluffs of the Savannah River and tributary creeks in Burke County. Inliers of the McBean Formation are found at Keys Mill just south of Keysville in Burke County, and at Kelly's Pond and along the Ogeechee River near Louisville in Jefferson County. Although these are the largest exposures, they are still limited: the first two are less than an .acre in area; the exposure on the Ogeechee River is a narrow interrupted strip along the river. Other outcrops of limestone are even more limited. Oligocene limestone crops out at Magnolia Springs in Jenkins County (Cooper Marl) and at Beaverdam Creek in Screven County (Suwannee Limestone). The Cooper Marl outcrop is less than 100 yards long although karst topography shows that the marl underlies several square miles of the surrounding terrain. The Suwannee Limestone is exposed for about 300 yards along the bluff of Beaverdam Creek in Screven County. Near the surface many of the thin limestones consist entirely of chert. The aforementioned localities are the only major outcrops where the essentially calcareous character has been maintained. Even at these localities the outcropping stone differs from the less weathered stone which tan be penetrated at depth. Marl in Burke County The marl in Burke County rartges from 0 to 125 feet thick, and is extensive, though outcrops are limited, The marl is a part of the McBean Forma- tion as named by Veatch and Stephenson (1911, p. 237) and is the McBean Formation as redefined by Cooke ahd Shearer (1918). It is underlain by the Tuscaloosa Formation and overlain by the Barnwell Formation. The McBean Formation is closet to Augusta than any other sizeable "limestone," and it is a potential source of contmercial lime. Previous Investigations The first description of the marl is by Veatch and Stephenson (1911, p. 243-351) who included the marl in the McBean Formation which they named after the village of McBean in Richmond County and after McBean Creek, the boundary between Richmond and Burke Counties. Brantly (1916, p. 44-54) described several of the marl outcrops in greater detail and presented 8 chemical analyses. In 1918 Cooke and Shearer restricted the name McBean to deposits of early Caliborne age, i.e., to the marl itself. Cushman and Herrick (1945) described foraminf..fera from a marl outcrop on the south side of McBean Creek a quarter of a mile southeast of McBean. Legrand (1956, p. 32-34, 49-50) reviewed the formation and discussed its water-bearing properties. The Miron Company, a Belgian firm seeking limestone for a new 299 portland cement plant, started exploration of the marl in the Shell Bluff area in 1960. Four test holes had been drilled when the company invested heavily at Quebec, Canada, and terminated all their exploration interests in southeastern United States. Description of the Marl OUTCROPS Most of Burke County is characterized by slightly rolling hills and southeast-trending valleys. The steepest hills and the greatest relief are in the northern portion of the county. Marl crops out along McBean Creek to the north, where dissection of the overlying sediments is deepest and where the marl is highest above sea level. It also crops out to the east along the bluffs of the Savannah River. DISTRIBUTION AND THICKNESS Marl underlies all of the county except the.extreme northwestern portion near Keysville. It is a layer up to 125 feet thick dipping southeastward at the rate of 7-10 feet per mile. The dip is steeper near the northwest limit of the formation and more gentle to the southeast (Figure 71). The thickness varies greatly and somewhat erratically. One cause is the unconformity at the top: part was removed by erosion before deposition of the overlying Barnwell Formation. Another cause is ground water leaching and the formation of sink holes. Table 33 gives the observed thickness of the unit at several places. For the location of the map stations refer to Figure 72. The thickness figures are minimal. The elevations are by hand level from assumed datum points on the Green's Cut Ga.-S. C. 15 1 quadrangle, which is the base for Figure 72. Wells in the southern part of the county generally penetrate more than 100 feet of marl. Wells in the northeastern part may show up to 120 feet. Up-dip from McBean Creek drills have encountered no marl, only sands and clays. This might indicate a facies change from oyster shells and marl in the southeast to beach sands toward the northwest. Another possible explanation is that erosion has removed the marl as far south as McBean Creek, on the south side of which there are thick outcrops. Whatever the explanation, the marl ,does .not appear to extend north of the outcrops along McBean Creek. DEPTH OF THE MARL The approximate up-dip limit of the marl and the thickness of the overburden, i.e., how deep a well must be drilled from the surface to 300 I I / I I \._ The contours show the approxmato top of the first oyster bed in tho upper part of the McBean Formation (approximate top of tho Marl in lhe ~ubsurfaco ). The dots indlcat'o control palnla. Data are tram verbal roporh of l~cal water well the Marl j.n Northern Burke County Map Sta, No, 012 013 014 015 017 018 019 020 023 024 027 030 033 034 036 037 038 039 041 042 043 044 045 046 Elevation Bottom Top (of exposure) Exposed Thickness 169 114 158 44 118 168 so 107 122 15 150 153 Float boulders 110 135 25 132 155 23 125 142 17 135 163 28 150 175 25 125 127 2 114 121 7 100 140 40 100 143 43 103 158 55 125 145 20 138 160 22 Float boulders Float boulders Float. pebbles & cobbles 118 143 25 120 163 43 303 reach the top of the marl, are shown in Figure 73. The structural contours. of Figure 71 are superposed. The top of the marl in Figure 73 was taken as the first occurrence (down from the surface) of large oyster shells, as reported by local wate+ well drillers. There being more than one shell horizon and part of the marl having been removed by erosion before deposition of the overlying sands, the contoured surface might not represent a single stratigraphic level. Likely, the oyster beds are discontinuous laterally and ~t varying stratigraphic levels in the marly sequence. The main purpose of the map is to show the varying thickness of the overburden so that an optimum drilling program to test the thickness and quality of the marl can be planned without dependence on surface exposure. By use of the map large areas can be selected for cqre~ drill testing where the presence of the marl is not indicated by outcrop and where the thickness of the overburden still does not prohibit quarrying~ LITHOLOGIC CHARACTER Th'c= marl unit (McBean Formation) is composed of alternating layers of calcareous sand, marl, and oyster shells. The layers are light in color (yellm,7, white, tan, and grey) in contrast to the red color of the overlying formations. The proportion of calcareous sand to marl to oyster shells varies within short distances . From outcrops along the Savannah River, the litho.. logic character may be generalized as follows: Barnwell Formation 0-1501 Red sands McBean Formation 3-5' 30-50' 4-6' 20-30' 20-30' Oyster bed (Ostrea gigantissima); 30% sand Calcareous sands and marls, 20% sand Oyster bed (Ostrea gigantissima); 30% sand Calcareous sands and marls; less than 20% sand Oyster beds and coquina marls and sands; less than 20% sand In most outcrops the marl has an irregular upper surface. Locally, knobs of marl as much as 20 feet high project up into the overlying red sands. In some areas the irregular surface appears to be more the result of solution and sink formation than erosion. Thus the thickness may be expected to vary laterally in a somewhat erratic fashion. The quality of the marl likewise can be expected to vary laterally, depending upon how continuous the oyster shell layers were, how deep the erosional unconformity cut into the unit and how much the unit has been affected by intrastratal solutioning. At many places the top of the marl has been limonitized. The greatest limonitized thickness is about 3 feet. - f J n .. ;Figure ISOPACH MAP OVERBURDEN ABOVE MARL BURKE COUNTY, .GEORGIA I The heavy east- wut Jinu are structural contours showinv the approximate lvction of thl top of the Marl abo.....a lnol . 6.....= ,.GIRARD -.:;=- 305 QUALITY Chemical analyses of composite samples, or averaged analyses of indi- vidual beds at various outcrops are shown in Figure 74. The numbers repre- :->ent percent CaO There appears to and be aSmi0a2rke(dor other acid increase in insoluble residu-es), respectively. the sand content, accompanied by a decrease in the lime content, toward the southeast along the Savannah River bluff. OVERBURDEN The overburden consists of red sands of the Barnwell and Hawthorn Formations which are highly permeable and permit ready solution of the marl. A fossiliferous chert bed in the upper Barnwell Formation can be mapped by outcrop over the northern half of the county. Local drillers generally make no distinction between this "limestone" and the limestone (marl) of the McBean Formation. As a result, verbal information on wells they have drilled is difficult to decipher as to the "depth to limestone". The chert varies in thickness from 0'-25', but is a persistent unit that crops out in numerous streams and road cuts. Generally it is 50'-150' higher in the section than the top of the McBean Formation. PAST PROSPECTING AND CONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM IT Exploration of the marl by core drilling was started in 1960 in the Shell Bluff area. Four holes were drilled (Figure 75). Hole 1 is in a depression (sink hole?) on. the ridge just south of Shell Bluff Landing. Hole 2 is just north of Boggy Gut Creek bridge. Hole 3 is on tap of a small hill just northeast of the Kennedy home. Hole 5 is on top of the first hill east of hole number 3. Brief lithologic logs. of the four dri 11 holes are shown in Figure 76. Hole 3 penetrated 53 feet of marl; Hole 5 penetrated 56 feet. Chemical analyses of cores from these holes are in Tables 34 and 35. Hole.s l and 2 appear to have hit solution cavities; these holes penetrated only a few feet of marl, yet outcrops nearby indicate marl thicknesses of 65 and 51 feet, respectively. The two wells drilled on hill tops penetrated a greater thiekness of marl than the two drilled in low areas. This is compatible with large scale dissolution of the marl having taken place along the valleys and river bluffs, as indicated by other evidence. The information obtained from the drill holes is compatible with the view that there was once a continuous layer of marl underlying the whole area south of McBean Creek. The quality of the marl was variable both ve~~ tically and horizontally. The original variation has been augmented by 306 PERCENTAGES OF CoO AND Si02 BURKE COUNTY MAR~ 0r=====2r===='4 m1les. 19.64 Figure 74. Bluff McBEAN- SHELL BLUFF AREA LEGEND Streams Improved Roods Well No.3 {53) Thickness of marl in feet, from dnll core. Thickness of marl in feet, observed in outcrops near well k====~====::2 Miles 1964 I / / Figure 75 ---- 308 Hole NO.3 .::: COLUMNAR SECTIONS FROM DRILL CORES Hole N0.5 Q!!!,l collar ulavotianp No. 3 - 292' Np. 5 - 270' ~ "2 184' No. I 236' Sitlfto....,.,.t, Dllf' IU4~t~ talo Figure 76 ilo . ;: "' "' 120 140 . 'l;~i::J. ;-..:.:.:.:::.::c.-= c..,.,,. ~, u, ,q,.l llu,tdlnhft l~t-oJh~nl 309 - TABLE 34 Chemical Report* on Cores from Hole Number 3 Depth 104-105' 105-107' 107-112' 112-115' ll5-ll8' 118-121' 121-124' 124-127' 127-130' 130-134' 134-135' 135-136' 137-141' 141-1461 146-1521 152-156' Acid insoluble residue 4. 73 29.93 58.77 40.11 39.51 30.30 24.76 31. 33 29.49 12.57 58.43 65.28 32,72 Total carbonates (as CaC03) 93.30 61.25 38.70 56,30 57.30 65,40 72.75 65,90 66,65 85.25 28,35 27.15 56.75 Calcium oxide (CaO) 37.07 41.12 29.25 Magnesium oxide (MgO) o. 51 1, 63 0.65 Depth 86-92' 92-95' 95-100' 100-102' 102-1051 105-1091 109-113' 113-116' 116-118' 118-121' 121-126' 126-130' 130-136; 136-141' TABLE 35 - Chemical Report* on Cores from Hole Number 5 Acid insoluble residue Total carbonates (as CaC03) Iron oxide (Fe 2o3 ) Alumina (AI 2o3 ) Silica (Si02) Calcium oxide (CaO) Magnesium oxide (MgO) 44.08 32.99 33.80 32.98 25.05 17.00 28.83 14. 13 20.94 11.98 34.71 39.95 60.80 50.75 61.85 72.10 77.05 69.10 83.05 77.75 86.25 57.55 l, 21 2,16 25.97 34,43 1. 03 2. 93 36.56 44.47 2.13 o. 51 0,69 15.16 45.10 0.29 2.23 33.76 42.54 0.58 0.97 1,03 10.25 9.52 11.59 47.50 12.96 0.39 1. 95 * Analyses by Law and Company, Chemists, Atlanta, Georgia 310 local erosion which preceded the deposition of the overlying Barnwell sands, arid by considerable underground solutioning which has all but removed the marl at some places. The wells and the outcrops indicate an original thickness of marl in excess of 60 feet. The original thickness can be approached in wells located on hill tops; little marl might be encountered by wells located in closed depressions (sink holes). Underground solutioning has reduced the original thickness at many places along the sides of the valleys and the river bluffs. At these locations the top of the marl is considerably lower than in the hilltop wells. Because of variable composition and thickness, detailed exploration of the marl will require close-spaced drilling. The total area underlain by the marl is too great for exploration by drilling alone. By geologic study which is more general and less expensive than drilling, the search for mineable deposits has been narrowed to a number of small areas, where detailed exploration by drilling is feasible. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE PROSPECTING Although the upper surface of the marl is highly irregular and some areas have little or no marl, stili there are sizeable areas where the marl is 50 feet thick, or more, ana covered by less than 50 feet of overburden. The areas which are most promising for detailed exploration are outlined in Figure 77. Area 1* Along the bluffs on the southwest side of McBean Creek, beginning about 0.5 mile west of its mouth, the marl crops out intermittently for a distance of about 0.75 mile (map stations 013, 014, 015 in Fig. 72). The thickness is 40-60 feet; overburden is 70-100 feet except along narrow benches near the river. The 2 holes drilled in this area penetrated 53-56 feet of marl with total carbonate content ranging from 28 to 93 percent (see Tables 34 and 35). Area 2: Along the Savannah River, from the mouth of Boggy .Gut Creek to Shell Bluff Landing, a steep bluff exposes 20-55 feet of calcareous material (map stations 033, 034, 036, 037, 038). The overburden is 60-90 feet. The 2 holes drilled immediately to the north of area 2 unfortunately were located in sink holes and thus are not representative. They do verify the. expected large scale solutioning along the lower course of Boggy Gut Creek and along the Savannah River. The better marl should be to the southwest where the overburden is thicker. Area 3: Between Newberry Creek and Hancock Landing is a broad area underlain by marl. Exposures are poor. Overburden is generally less than 60 feet. Area 4: The elevation of the marl is 130-150 feet in the Beaverdam Greek drainage basin. The topography ranges from less than 100 feet to 311 "'(;; a: w 0 ",': 1z - c 0 ~ ~ ::> u 0 ~ E w "a: ::> III z w 2 i: 2e! ~ u. 0 z ;0:: a: 0 0 1! 0 0 0. J~" ::),>/~z:}(~;, ........... ~~.N. \ \; ... \ 1 ' .. v}.Y'~.,.. .... .. , ) .:'''' ::-.'',j7 ... '~'.'...':.-.,."!.r.~ .... \;, .) ;: .. r . \ . ; ~ '\ \ "' ,, ' I . [' k -:~/:~-f: ~v,rt. }1~~I~~l/~~~u.~~' ~~~r ' )!~ I,.:!. :~ :.J~~~ ~):.i/ ~ ~::~.-~"~ ,. :t' .. .... .. . .: ~ ,~,/' ." ' .,,....',,.,,..... ~ .'. ' ;,.,.,... ..;_ . ' i i ,j ,. ! .. ...: "' <" '" ?I' ....... 312 250 feet. Thus the marl crops out at several places, and is covered by less than 100 feet of overburden over a large area. Figure 74 shows that the marl might be generally of lower grade in area 4 than in areas 1 and 7. Still, the quality of the marl is variable. Within such a large area where the overburden is not excessive a minable deposit might be found. Area 5: Along the Savannah and Augusta road on the south side of Boggy Gut Creek is an area about a mile across where the marl i.s under less than a hundred feet of overburden. The marl is not well exposed, but its 1\0sition with respect to the drainage pattern suggests that less under.. ground solutioning might have taken place in this area than in some of the others, as 2 and Lt-. Area 6: Northwest of area 5, on the north side of Boggy Gut Creek, marl underlies a large area at a depth of 50-100 feet, though no outcrop~ have been found. Area 7: West of McBean Church the marl occupies the divide between McBean Creek and Boggy Gut Creek. Though considerable solutioning might be expected along the margins of the area, the central portion should be underlain by the maximum thickness of marl. Figure 74 indicates that total carbonates might be generally higher here than in the areas to the southeast. Area .8: Due north of Gr.eens Cut on the east side of a tributary to McBean Creek is an elongate area where overburden is not excessive . The drainage protection of the divide to the east should have preserved the marl from excessive underground solutioning. A!;'ea 9: South of Green Branch Church and east of St. Antioch Church, on the north side of Brier Creek, is a large area underlain by marl at moderate depth. Numerous lime sinks, indicative of extensive underground solutioning, are east, north and northwest of the area. The quality of the marl is uncertain, there being no exposures, but this is still a favov~ able area for prospecting because (1) it is underlain by marl at moderate depth, (2) good marl crops out 2% miles to the north, and (3) there is an indication that this might be an area of slight underground solutioning. The 9 areas outlined for further prospecting have these features in cortnnon: (a) Their marl i.s covered by less than 100 feet of overburden. Over most of the areas the overburden thickness averages about 60 feet. Tracts large enough for quarries can be selected where the overburden thickness is less than 20 feet. (b) Surficial Pvidence of underground soluti.onlng is scarce. (c) The area is large enough that initial reconnaissance drilling may reveal facies relationships to guide further drilling. 313 Areas 1, 7, 6, 8 and 9 near the updip limit of the marl are more favorable than the areas to the southeast because the proportion of sand to lime generally increases to the southeast. They are likewise the areas where less underground solutioning is expected. Tt should he emphasized that the data in this report on the extent, lilicJuws:; UHti (jll
  • VAti\ER \ AREA 315 -::'_..- II AREA 4 Figure 79 AREA 5 AREA 6 AREA 8 .Figu:rr:e 80 317 cement and concrete products. Among these are the Augusta Concrete Block Company, Augusta Concrete Products Company, Claussen Concrete Products Company, Augusta Building Supply Company, Southern Roadbuilders, and the De Laigle Concrete Company. The total consumption is shipped in, principally from 3 suppliers: The Marquette Cement Company at Rockmart, Georgia, 180 miles northwest of Augusta; the Penn-Dixie Cement Company at Clinchfield, Georgia, 120 miles southwest of Augusta; and the Giant Portland Cement Company at Harleyville, S.C., 95 miles east of Augusta. The Atlantic Terminal at Savannah is 110 miles to the southeast. A new plant which might become a fifth supplier is under construction near the Giant Portland Cement Company's plant at Harleyville, S. C. Southern Cement owned by the Martin-Marietta Corporation has started production in Atlanta, and might compete as a sixth supplier. Annual consumption in the Augusta area is 400,000 barrels, and is rapidly increasing. While there are a number of suppliers within a radius of 200 miles, transportation is a major part of the cost of portland cement. An efficient plant at Augusta might outcompete all the present suppliers and also might compete for markets in other areas. Cement could be barged from Burke County down the Savannah River to the Coast for transhipment to distant points along the Atlantic Coast. Further information on the cement market in the Augusta area is in Interim Report No. 1, Marl in Burke County, Georgia. The Burke County marl is low in magnesia and alkalis. Its principal impurity is silica in the form of sand. If all of the marl were like that which has been sampled, it could be cheaply beneficiated to provide lime for the manufacture of portland cement. Probably a deposit not requiring beneficiation can be delineated by detailed drilling. A variety of aluminous clays are available locally to supply the needed alumina and iron. If additional iron should be needed, it can be obtained locally from nodular iron ore. Agricultural Lime The present consumption of agricultural lime and the anticipated con- sumption in 1970 are shown below: Consumption tons/year 1965 Anticipated consumption 1970 Burke County Richmond County Screven County s,ooo 1,000 20,000 25,000 1, 000 30,000 County agents estimate that .the agricultural lime consumption will rise during the next 5 years to an annual rate of 65,000 for the 3 counties above. Emanuel, Jenkins and Jefferson Counties which are also contiguous to Burke County consume agricultural lime at the same rate as Burke, Richmond and Screven Counties. Thus, Burke and contiguous coun- 318 ties now offer a market for about 60,000 tons per year, which is expected to increase to 100,000 tons during the next 5 years. The current price is $8.00/ton, spread on the ground. All the agricultural lime now used is shipped in, most of it from .. Knoxville, Tennessee, and Whitestone, Georgia. Agricultural lime can be produced readily by washing the sand out of the Burke County Marl and crushing. Further information on t~e agricultural lime. markets in Burke, Richmond and Screven Counties is in Interim Report No.1,~ i~ County, Georgia. Marl in Jefferson Cou~ty KELLY Is POND The exposure is 2.5 miles northeast of Louisville, Jefferson County, on the property of Mr. Ben Kelly, just below the dam. Grey, slightly indurated marl crops out across Big Creek i~ediately b~-low the KeUy!s Fond dam . The .marLis finely bedded and_ contains cq~or less flakes of mica and fine-grained quartz. The area back of the dam is a swampy lowland with the overburden thickness increasing more rapidly to the west than to the east of Big Creek. Water wells below the dam penetrated the marl for 50 feet. Table 36 is an ana+ysis of the marl. l TABLE 36 - Chemical Analysis of Marl from Kelly's Pond, Jefferson County Moisture CaO MgO Al 0 PF2eo.22o533 0. 89% 43,36% 0.78% 1. 09% o. 71% 0.02% C02 Si02 CaC03 MgCO Total t:arb, Calc, Car. Equiv, 34,94% 18,04% 77.28% 1. 63% 78. 91% 79.24% CLEARANCE HENDERSON PROPERTY About 4.8 miles northwest of Louisville, Jefferson Co., 1.2 miles down the dirt road to the south of Oak Grove Church on Ga. 171 is the Clearance Henderson property. The limestone crops out on the west side of the dam across a small tributary a half mile north of Ogeechee River. The outcrop consists mostly of large oyster (Ostrea georgiana) shell fragments cemented by white, 319 fine-grained marl. The outcrop probably is part of the fossiliferous section of the Twiggs Clay member of the Barnwell Formation. Only a one foot thickness of the marl is exposed. It is overlain by 10 feet of pale-red, mc,dium-grained sandy clay. Above the clay are massive sands; thickness of t IH :;awls increases rapidly on both sides of the creek. OGEECHEE RIVER South of Louisville where U. S. Highway 1 crosses the Ogeechee River are outcrops on the south bank of the river, both east and west of the highway bridge. A massive bed of Ostrea georgiana imbedded in grey calcareous marl extends along the south river bank for at least a half mile. Most of the outcrops are best seen from a boat when the river is low. Calcareous green and tan marls and sands are apparently interbedded with the oyster beds. All of the units effervesce freely with dilute HCl. They probably belong to the fossiliferous part of the Twiggs Clay member of the Barnwell Formation. Shells are encountered at a shallow depth over most of the river floodplain, though they show only rarely at the surface. JOE PADGETT PROPERTY Three miles south-southwest of Avera is a fossiliferous greenish marl which appears to have a rather high phosphate content. Table 37 is an analysis made by the Georgia Dept. of Mines, Mining, and Geology in 1958. TABLE 37 - Chemical Analysis of Marl from the Joe Padgett Property south of Avera, Jefferson County Moisture CaO MgO Al 0 2 3 Fe 203 P205 2. 50% 30.56% 1.14% 2.11% 2. 77% 0.14% C02 Si02 Caco3 MgC03 Total Carbonates Calcium Carbonate Equivalent 25.05% 35.48% 53.54% 2. 38% 55. 92% 56.87% Marl in Jenkins County MAGNOLIA SPRING Five miles north of Millen on U. S. 25, a quarter-mile southwest of Magnolia Springs, on the west side of the highway, in the bank of the stream that drains the spring, is an 8' outcrop of cream-colored, massive marl containing sparse macro fossils. The surrounding area, about 2 miles 320 by 5 miles, contains many steep-sided sink holes (Figure 81). This marl has been reported as the Cooper Marl of Oligocene age. It is reportedly over 90' thick at Magnolia Springs with the top of the unit being approx imately 165' above sea level. Overburden consisting of semi-consolidated sands should average less than 40'. Limestone and Marl in Screven County MRS. TALMADGE REDDICK PROPERTY The best exposure of limestone in Screven County is on the Reddick property, about 7 miles northeast of Sylvania and a mile southwest of the junction of Beaver Dam and Brier Creeks. The exposures are in the face of a rather steep escarpment which rises abruptly from the swamps of Beaverdam Creek. The entire deposit is less than 100 feet above sea level. The elevation of the creek is about 70 feet, while the escarpment rises to a maximum of 150 feet (Figure 82). The deposit consists of a soft to semi-hard marl or limestone bed exposed by several quarries a little above the creek level (Blakemore and Beckstrom, 1941). The outcrop is 300-400 yards along the face of the escarpment. The marl is in several distinct layers; the harder layers are highly fossiliferous and may properly be called a limestone. The upper surface of the deposit is highly irregular. W. C. Hawkins Mrs. H. Talmadge I "-, Reddick 225 acres lim~oto" ~-""-. 20 above creek '"......_ 140' bluff) Figure 82 LIMESTONE MRS. TAlMADGE REDDICK PROPERTY SCREVEN COUNTY N ~2 mile 1965 r 321 Figure 81 - __....._.-- .. _..,.. . I I TOPOGRAPHIC DEPRESSIONS \ \ N.W. JENKINS COUNTY N Carolina Bays and Sink Holes \ over Cooper Marl I 2 1 ...: :._.=:J r MILES 1965 32.2. The harder portion of the bed is cavernous. Several large springs flow from the limestone at the creek level. One of these, Blue Spring, northwest of the deposit; is noted as a mineral spring. The deposit is covered by 20-25 feet of overburden. Auger drillin.gs made several hundred feet back from the face of the cliff indicate that the deposit may be of considerable extent. The thickness of the deposit was measured in two holes in the floor of the largest quarry. The auger penetrated 27 feet of limestone apparently much harder than that portion of the deposit already worked. The quarry floor was about 8 feet below the top of the limestone. The auger holes bottomed in limestone; this indicates a minimum thickness of the bed in two holes of 32 and 35 feet respectively. Table 38 is a chemical analysis of stone from the quarry made by the Georgia Dept. of Mines, Mining and Geology. TABLE 38 - Chemical Analysis of Limestone from the Quarry opened in 1940 on the Talmadge Reddick Property, Screven County Mois"::Ure CaO MgO Al 0 Fe 2 o 2 3 3 P205~ ~ ~,~- 0.03% 54.16% 1. 30% 0. 27::-~~<- 0.43%~ 0.05% co2 Si02 CaCO MgC03 3 Total Carbonates Calcium Caroonate~ -- Equivalent 42.50% 1. 30% 96. 6'7% 2. 72% 99.39% 99.92% The property was operated prior to the Civil War for the manufacture of quicklime. The last operation in 1940-41 was unsuccessful, apparently due to insufficient operating funds, poor management, and improper mining methods (Blakemore and Beckstrom, 1941). A large quarry at this site would be self-draining for the upper 20-25 feet of stone. Reserves of a few hundred thousand tons already have been proven by drilling. HADDOCKS LANDING On Brier Creek 1~ miles northeast of Reddicks store is an exposure of limestone several feet thick at the base of the bluff, at waters edge. The limestone is medium-hard, pinkish, and fossiliferous. This is the Suwannee Limestone, the S&lle horizon which crops out along Beaverdam Creek. An old kiln on top of the hill is said to have been used in burning small quantities of stone from the bluff (Brantly, 1916, p. 57). 323 BRIER CREEK FLOODPLAIN Mr. Ralph E. Dixon owns a large portion of the Brier Creek floodplain in the vicinity of U. S. Highway 301. His property is north of the highway and east of the creek. The area has no outcrops, but limestone, marl, and shell beds, totalfng 60-70' in thickness, have been penetrated under 20-30 1 of overburden. Figure 83 shows the distribution of sink holes in the immediate area. This limestone is probably the lower part of the Suwannee Limestone that crops out along Brier Creek and Beaverdam Creek a few miles to the south. The overburden is unconsolidated recent alluvium. Economic Considerations The marl and limestone in the CSRA is generally too soft to be used for aggregate, ballast, or dimension stone. It could, however, be used as a raw material for Portland cement and lime, as a soil conditioner, and as a raw material for various chemical industries. Portland Cement. See POSSIBLE USES under the heading Marl in Burke County. Lime. When heated, calcium carbonate, the principal constituent of high grade marl and limestone, liberates carbon dioxide and becomes calcium oxide, lime. Lime is made by calcining the crushed stone in a shaft or rotary kiln between l000C and ll00C. The product is quicklime which may be marketed as such or may be slaked with water and sold as hydrated lime or calcium hydroxide. To produce high quality lime from the marls and limestones in the CSRA, washing to remove quartz clay generally will be required prior to calcination. Azricultural Limestone: See POSSIBLE USES under the heading Marl in Burke County. Industrial Chemical Uses: High quality marl and limestone can be used either directly (after crushing and grinding) or after conversion to lime in several important chemical and industrial processes, as the processing of caustics, alkalies, calcium cyanimide, calcium carbide, acid neutralization, catalytic agents, saponification of fats and oils, the manufacture of soap, glue, bleaching powder, glass and paper, and for other purposes. Specifications may vary with use. Generally the limestone must be more than 85% calcium carbonate, the lime more than 95% CaO. The marls and limestones in the CSRA could, through washing, yield a sufficiently pure material for industrial chemical uses. The expanding chemical industries in the Augusta area offer a market for locally produced stone. LIMESTONE SINKHOLES SCREVEN CO. Property of Mr. Ralph E. Dixon scale 660 1220 1880 '"' \ \ \ l \ \ () I D s ... omp {1163 b~rul 0 0 .. 'fiOWIIlt;l Wtll 0 a 20' o~trb<~fCI~n 0 Ot~e \hell~ be1o'H (// 0 '~cf) Pigure 83 325 MAGNETITE Mineralogy and Occurrence Magnetite is a hard black mineral with a specific gravity of 5.5-6.5. ? Compositionally it may o MchnrFoem2~u4m, , ovranZandF~:u2m,4 I or vary from t_may.con t~tan~um. nea tain rly ap pure preci aFbele3on4 i (iron ckel, 72.4%) ~o MgFe 2o4 , lead, aluminum, Typically magnetite occurs as a minor accessory mineral in metamorphic and igneous rocks and in sands derived from these rocks through weathering. It is a major constituent of many "black sands". Large masses of nearly pure magnetite have formed by magmatic segregation. A sill-like body in the Kiruna district of Sweden averages about 250 feet thick and extends laterally more than three miles. Irregularly shaped and lensoid masses associated with pyroxene and garnet have formed by contact metamorphism. Bedded metamorphic deposits are found, as well as magnetite-bearing veins. Uses Magnetite is one of the few black minerals that grind to a black pow- der. It has not been used significantly as a pigment only because it is unstable in air, being subject to oxidation with color change. When heated in oxygen with many above 550C, it characteristics changes to desirable i nheampatigitme,enFte: 2og3o, oda stable red oxide covering power, light fastness, stability, and high index of refraction. The compounds of iron are the most important natural pigments. The principal use of magnetite is iron ore. Prices Finished and bagged mineral pigments sell for cents per pound, 1-15 depending upon the particle size, color, and composition. The price of magnetite to be used as iron ore is not quoted in Metal and Mineral Markets of E&MJ, but is between 10 and 15 dollars per long ton. Taliaferro Magnetite Deposit This deposit is in the northwestern part of Taliaferro county, 6.5 miles northwest of Crawfordville, 3.2 miles northeast of Robinson, and 1.2 miles west of the crossroads at Springfield Church. The deposit consists of a single vein or veins with an average 326 overall length of 3800 feet and an average conbined width of 2 feet (Hudson, Regional File No. E-627). The veins strike northeast and dip about 65 northwest along a gneiss-schist contact. The veins are in an altered zone 20-30 feet wide. The principal ore mineral is magnetite. Hematite and psilomelane (?) probably the products of near surface weathering, are associated with it. The principal gangue minerals are quartz and garnet. This mine is more fully described in the section on MANGANESE. The only past prospecting of any significance was the sinking of three shafts (at stations 14 and 3 in Figure 86), from each of which a small amount of ore was produced, and the trenching done by Hudson in 1944. Economic Considerations A magnetite vein 2 feet thick would yield about 3000 tons of ore per 100 feet of vein length, when mined to a depth of 100 feet. Thus the reported width of 2-3 feet is too small to justify the development of a mine. A magnetite body 10 feet wide and 700 feet long would yield about 100,000 tons of ore per 100 feet of depth. The possibility of there being thicker segments along the Taliaferro vein is indicated by the long length (1~ miles), continuity, and variable width. A magnetometer can be tised to rapidly. survey the vein Ul -!!, .')_ R:. W. Pollord LAND OWNERSHIP SERPENTINE BELT, COLUMBIA COUNTY N 0---===---==,;1 MILES r Figure 90 349 content of the. laterite and underlying serpentine~ the thickness of the laterite, and how the nickel content varies with depth. The initial drilling might be undertaken at Dixie Mountain with a hole spacing of 300 feet. Youngs Chapel Area :Because of the chromium shows just south of Youngs Chapel, Wilkes County, and the conrrnon association of chromium and nickel, the Youngs Chapel samples collected for a geochemical investigation of copper were analyzed also for nickel. No significant anomaly was detected. PEAT Occurrence, Composition and Properties Peat is an accumulation of partially decomposed and disintegrated vegetal matter which forms in undrained or poorly drained areas, as bogs and swamps, as well as on plains and river deltas where conditions favor the luxuriant growth of peat~formin.g plants. The plants range from marsh grasses to sedges, reeds, mosses, shrubs ~nd even trees. The essential condition is poor drainage; standing water largely excludes oxygen. and allows the carbonaceous matter to be preserved. The formation of peat is an early stage of the transformation of vegetal debris to coal. Fresh peat is brown to black and spongy. After it has been dried for marketing~ it still contains 10-15% moisture. Volatiles comprise 50% or more of the organic matter, and ash makes up another 1-20%. The ash is largely clay, silt or sand. Peat weighs 7-65 lbs. per cubic foot, depending upon the moisture content. Sink holes, Carolina Bays~ and alluvial swamps are the general types of depressions in which Georgia peat accumulates. These topographic features are abundant over much of the Coastal Plain, but few are large enough and stable enough to have accumulated commercial deposits. Most of the Georgia peat is a mixture of leaves, rootlets, and pond weeds. Aguatic trees, as cypress are closely associated with the majority of the deposits, and are a hindrance to the mining of some. All of the CSRA peat deposits have some cypress, either growing or burned. Uses Nearly all of the peat mined in the United States is used as soil conditioner. Only 5% is used for other purposes: fertilizer, filler, packaging, 350 filtering, dye stuffs, absorbents, tanning, etc. Peat promotes plant development by making soils less plastic and more permeable. It also increases the retention of water and minerals and in some cases adds plant nutrients of its own. It is mosL'5!,ommonly~.~sed in. nurseries, on golf courses and lawns. The Georgia peat is superior to imported peats for some uses. Usually it is not as dry and difficult to handle, and has a higher water absorbing capacity. Min:lng and Process~ The principal steps are (1) mining, (2) dewatering, (3) shredding or pulverizing, and (4) packaging. In Europe, after several decades of development, peat is mined and processed by specially designed equipment. Large deposits are worked by 40- to 50-ton bucket-chain excavators which move on caterpillar treads digging, macerating, shaping, and spreading the peat sods on the ground to dry. Another machine collects the sod for shipment. The production of milled peat from large deposits is accomplished by dragging spike-studded cylinders across properly drained peat surfaces. The half inch long spikes dig the upper surface of the peat and throw it to the rear in fine particles. After drying, the peat is mechanically loaded by machines that are similar to earth-moving equipment. Smaller deposits are woritea b~y sinatier 1llac:J:ti:n'es which excavate, macerate, form and spread peat. Some deposits are worked by high-pressure jets of water which wash the peat into ditches from which the peat-water slurry is pumped to settling ponds. A concentrate is pumped from the settling ponds and spread to dry in the sun. Few specialized pieces of equipment are used in min]ng the Georgia deposits. In dry-mining, regular ditch digging equipment or explosives cut the drainage ditches, which usually have to be pumped dry. After drying the peat is handled with bulldozers, front-end loaders, or by dragline. In wet-mining, the peat is dug with a dragline and loaded directly onto barges or onto trucks on a board road. Because of the high water content, peat must be air-dried prior to shredding or pulverizing. It may be dried further after shredding, either in open air or in kilns. Open air drying is preferred because kiln drying destroys the bacteria and greatly reduces the peat 1 s water-holding capacity. Peat is shredded with hammer mills or shredders depending on the desired texture. It may be sold in bulk, bagged or baled. Usually it is packaged in vinyl to prevent water loss and deterioration of the container or the peat. Though packaged peat brings a much higher price, most Georgia peat is shipped in bulk directly to nurseries, golf courses, and other large volume consumers. 351 Mining and stock-piling should take place during the winter because the spring and summer are the best marketing seasons. Marketi.ng Georgia Peat The potential market area covers all of the southern states and could extend to more distant parts of the country. Limited shipments have been made to Virginia, Tennessee, Louisiana, and even California. The Georgia peat is superior to foreign and domestic "peat moss" for many uses. It holds water better, may contain trace elements and plant nutrients that are not available from the other products, and is easier to handle. Many nursecymen show a decided preference for Georgia peat even though it sells for more than the imported products. Though the imported peats often have a lower ash content, this advantage may be more than offset by the other characteristics. Occurrence of Peat in the CSRA There are two types of depressions in which peat has accumulated: (1) low-lying swrunp areas, flood plains, and cut-off meanders associated with streams and rivers, and (2) closed shallow depressions known as "Carolina Bays"~ The deposits of the first type generally are less accessible than the Carolina Bay deposits, are often thin and irregular so that wet mining would be difficult, more covered by living trees, and would be more difficult to drain. Some of the Carolina Bays are large, relatively easy to drain, and contain thick deposits. The distribution and size of most of the Carolina Bays in the CSRA are shown in Figure 91. The bays are most numerous along the east side of Screven County, where there are 60 bays. About ten of these satisfy the requirements for commercial mining. Only one bay has been mined out, and one other is being mined. The peat in the Carolina Bays is composed largely of cypress leaves and roots and is light brown to reddish brown. Apparently the only bays that contain commercial thicknesses either have cypress growing in them now or had a growth of cypress which was cut in recent times. The treeless bay usually have no peat because of fire loss. The bays that were drained or cut prior to the Civil War are mostly barren for the same reason. All of the Carolina Bays are readily accessible because they are on high dry land. They are relatively easy to drain by cutting a ditch through the sand rim on the down-slope side of the depression. The area is well served with paved and unpaved roads. Most bays are within a mile of an existing road. Mining The Atlantic Peat Company, A. E. Cannon owner, is the only commercial N l 0 c:. \ -'- / ,_ I ., i .:> / J. ."..'/J -I I I ., i ( ~"'/r...) i . i .i : ~ \ {_,.\ ~ .... \ , \. .s ~ "' (/ ( ( Figure91 353 producer. From 1947 to 1964, the Atlantic Peat Company mined an elliptical Carolina Bay covering about 100 acres a quarter mile northeast of McBride Church on Georgia Highway 24, 4.8 miles east of u. s. Highway 301. The bay is known as the "Old Mercer Pond", This pond was first drained by the WPA in 1940, when the peat was discovered, but mining was not started until 1947. The average thickness of the deposit was 6-7 feet. It thinned considerably toward the edges. The dry pond was strip mined with a front-end loader. The peat was hauled by truck to the nearby processing plant where it was air-dried, pulverized, screened, and either packaged in vinyl or shipped in bulk. The best production was obtained in 1963 when 17,000 cu. yds., were mined. Mining and packaging costs average about $3.00 per cubic yard; the product wholesales for approximately $4.50 per cubic yard. The standard royalty fee of $0.10 per cubic yard was paid on about half of the acreage mined. The Atlantic Peat Company is now opening another bay. It is located 2.5 miles southeast of U. s. Highway 301, and 3.0 miles northeast of Brier Creek, in Screven County. A dirt road has been scraped for 0.5 mile to the east from a county-maintained dirt road. The property, cormnonly called the "Mills Pond" is leased by A. E. Cannon from Mr. J. A. Mills. The pond is being drained by ditching and pumping. Only the southern half of the depression will be mined because cypress growth is moderate to heavy over the northern half. About 40 acres, .with a 4 1-5 1 thickness of peat, will be mined. This peat is similar to the peat in the Old Mercer Pond, but contains more roots and will be slightly more difficult to mine and process. Chemical analyses of the peat from the two mines were made by the Geor gia Department of Mines, Mining, and Geology in 1961: De~sit "Old Mercer Pond" "Mills Pond" .I?!!. Moisture% 3. 7 7. 77 4.1 8. 58 Volatile% 45.27 54.43 Fixed Carbon% 21.90 27.16 Ash% 32.83 18.41 Prospecting The best prospects are the Carolina Bays. Figures 81 and 91 show their location, size and general outline in Screven and Jenkins Counties. They are notably less frequent in Jenkins than in Screven County, but many of the bays contain commercial deposits. Sampling is best accomplished from a boat with a coring auger. Continuous cores at several points should be taken to determine thickness and grade. Then samples should be composited and sent to a qualified laboratory for testing. 354 l'r;l:ces The average'price per ton of peat sold in the u. s. in 1962 was $9.15, a decrease from previous years. The highest prices were paid in 1957 when the average price was close to $11.00/ton. Because of its variable moisture content, most Georgia peat is sold by volume rather than by weight. A cubic yard sells for $5.006.00 in bulk, considerably more when packaged. These prices are somewhat higher than for imported peat (mostly from Michigan) which sells for about $5.50 per cubic yard in vinyl bales. Economic Considerations Whether a deposit can be commercially developed depends upon its (a) thickness, (b) lateral extent, (c) grade, (d) variability, (e) type ~d amount of vegetative cover, (f) relative ease of drainage, and (g) accessibility. The minimum practical size in the CSRA is a lateral extent of sev eral acres of a thickness of about 4 feet. The usual royalty is $0.10/cubic yard. The local demand far exceeds current local output. Peat production in the CSRA can be expanded several fold. PEGMATITES Definition and General Character Pegmatites are 11 rocks with coarsely and unevenly crystallized and segregated minerals occurring.as dikes, veins, or metamorphic masses 11 (Hess, 1933, p. 447). Most pegmatites are composed principally of feldspar, quartz, and mica, and are coarser-grained than granite. They of ten contain tourmaline, beryl, cassiterite, orthite, topaz, and a host of other rare minerals. The minerals in pegmatites often have a strong tend ency to idiomorphic development. Pegmatites may contain many of the common minerals in excepti9nal size and purity. Quarries have been opened in single crystals of feldspar in the Ural Mountains. Muscovite books up to 10 feet in diameter have been found in India. At the Etta Mine in South Dakota spodumene crystals up to 42 feet long have been m:i.il.ed. Quartz crystals several feet long are not uncommon . The single crystals that have been mined from Georgia pegmatites are muscovite and beryl. Pegmatites are characteristically the storehouse for a great number 6 -rqre minerals, many of whi~h are not found elsewhere. Pegmatite deposits may therefore be of considerable economic importance. The pegmatites in the CSRA have been investigated as potential deposits 355 of economic minerals and also as a guide to prospecting for other types of deposits. Lithium, tin and tantalum specifically have been sought. Compositional variations, particularly variations i.n rare element composition, have been determined to find out whether there are systematic differences related to areal distribution. Occurrence in the CSRA A total of 300 pegmatites have been sampled in 6 counties (Table 40). TABLE 40 - Pegmatite Sampling Stations Columbia County Lincoln County McDuffie County Taliaferro County Warren County Wilkes Coun!l:: Total No. of Stations 16 16 31 65 6 43 177 No. of Pegmatites 30 23 69 98 6 74 300 Max. Width of Pegmatites 6' 20' 40' 40' 8' 45 1 The locations of the pegmatites are shown in Figure 92. A rough measure of their thickness and the frequency of various thicknesses are in Table 41. Their mineralogical composition and size are tabulated in Appendix 0. The pegmatites range in size from tabular dikes a few inches thick, commonly contorted, to stubby le.nticular masses up to 45 feet thick. They are medium- to coarse-grained, typically unzoned, and composed primarily of feldspar and quartz, with only minor amounts of muscovite and/or biotite. The largest books of muscovite are about 4" across. Megascopic accessory minerals include magnetite, ilmenite, epidote, pyrite, garnet, hornblende, chlorite, and vermiculite. No tin, tantalum or lithium minerals were recognized. Spodumene, one of the principal ore minerals of lithium, is not always easy to recognize because of its similarity to feldspar, the most abundant constituent of the pegmatites. Cassiterite, tantalite, and several other important ore minerals are easily overlooked when fine~grained. To insure that these minerals, if present, would not be overlooked, samples were collected from all the pegmatites that were encountered and examined according to the following schedule~ (1) Visual examination for mineralogy and texture. (2) Rough crushing. (3) Examination in ultraviolet light and separation of any fluorescent grains for identification. 357 TABLE 41 - Thickness of the Pegmatites, and Thickness Frequency, by Counties. Thickness of Pegmatite in feet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 24 30 40 45 Columbia County 9 5 2 1 Number of Individual Pegmatites* Lincoln County McDuffie County Taliaferro County Warren County 11 44 23 6 4 26 20 4 7 10 4 4 2 1 5 4 1 2 1 1 2 * Pegmatites in zones not included. Wilkes County 25 12 9 6 5 2 3 3 (4) Scanning with a scintillometer for radioactive minerals. (5) Examination with a binocular microscope; separation of accessory minerals for identification. (6) Qualitative spectrographic analysis. The last step is the most time consuming, as it entails sample splitting, pulverizing, the mixture of weighed portions of sample and carbon, packing and firing of electrodes, and the scrutiny of plates for lines belonging to the rare earths, beryllium, copper, .8allium, lead, lithium, niobium, tantalum, and tin. The apparatus and operating conditions are summarized in Table 14. The examinations revealed the presence of the rare earths thorium, ytterbium, lanthanum, samarium, and dysprosium in pegmatites scattered through Taliaferro County and on to the northeast through central Wilkes County and into northern Lincoln County. Traces of Gallium and lead are similarly distributed. Traces of tin show in several pegmatites in Taliaferro, but no tin minerals were noted. Copper is widespread but is concentrated in two belts; 358 (1) through Taliaferro northeastward through central Wilkes and on through northern and central Lincoln County, and (2) through the middle of Warren, McDuffie and Columbia Counties. Niobium was detected (?) in a single pegmatite in east central McDuffie County. Lithium was not detected. Beryl lium was detected in two pegmatites, one in McDuffie and one in Columbia County. Conclusions The rare earth-bearing pegmatites in Taliaferro and Wilkes Counties probably relate to the rare earth-bearing, fine- to medium-grained biotite gneisses in the same counties. The other granites, characterized by abun dant accessory magnetite, are associated with pegmatites lacking the rare earths, or containing much lower percentages. No explanation is apparent for the restriction of tin to the Taliaferro pegmatites. No workable deposits were discovered in the pegmatites. PHOSPHATE ROCK Definition and Occurrence Phosphate rock is the commercial name of a rock containing sufficient phosphorus to be used either directly or after processing as a fertilizer or in the manufacture of phosphatic products. The term includes phosphatic limestones, sandstones, shales and igneous rocks, also vein phosphates and concentrations developed by weathering. The major phosphorus-bearing min- eral in phosphate rock is apatite, which can be represented by the formula AcriasOn1~0 ,(P0S4i0c4o3a)n6d (F, CO or hydroxyl i Cl, OH) The 2{F , The Cl, POoH4) radical radical can may be partly replaced by VO!J.; consist of fluorine, chl6 n any proportion; small quantities of bromine and iodine aiso may be present. Some of the calcium may be replaced by magnesium, strontium, manganese, sodium, uranium, cerium and yttrium. The major impu- rities in phosphate rock are iron oxides, clay minerals, quartz and other rockaformtng minerals. The phosphorus content of phosphate rock usually is given in terms of phosphorus known also pasenbtoonxeidpeh, oPs2poh5a,teoor folfimtreic, aolcriuB.nPi Lph-o1s%phBaPtLe, ca0.34(5P80%4)P22, ow5hich is Phosphate rock is widely distribut~d over the earth. The United States is the largest producer and has the largest known reserves. Within the United States commercial production has been reported in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South.Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and 359 Wyoming. Production has not been continuous in most areas (Ladoo and Myers, 1951 and Ruhlman, 1960). Florida is the leading producer. Florida The Florida phosphate is classed as hard-rock, land-pebble, and softrock. The commercial hard-rock phosphate occurs in deposits a few inches to more than a hundred feet thick overlain by 10-80 feet of overburden. Their size ranges from a thousand square feet to many acres. The phosphate is usually light colored and dense and comprises 25-30% of the rock. content is up to 38% (up to 82 BPL). The P2o5 The commercial land-pebble phosphate deposits average 30 feet in thick- ness, with overburden up to 30 feet thick. Their grade averages about 15% Pco2on5ta inTs h3e0-r3e2c%ovPe2reod5 , phosphate or 65-68 ranges in size from +14 BPL (Ruhlman, 1960). mesh to 200 mesh and The soft phosphate rock, commonly associated with both the hard-rock and land-pebble phosphates, contains highly variable quantities of P2o5: Tennessee The three types of Tennessee Phosphate are blue, brown and white. The blue phosphate rock is an unaltered phosphatic shale or sandstone a few inches to four feet thick with an average 29% P205 or 62 BPL. Due to its mode of occurrence and limited quantity the blue phosphate is not extensively mined. The brown phosphate is the product of weathering of the blue phosphate. The deposits are bedded, covered by 0-20 feet of clay or soil, and average 32i22t%%oPPc22coou55rs,, or or in 47 BPL. The grade of the workable material ranges from 16 to 34-69 BPL. The white phosphate also is of secondary origin; scattered pockets with yariable P2o5 (Ruhlman, 1960). Western States The western phosphate rocks (in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming) are of two geological horizons: Mississippian and Permian. Most production to date has been from Permian beds. The region has been folded, faulted, and then eroded, exposing the higher grade, phosphate-bearing strata in narrow bands along the flanks of the folds or along the borders of the faulted areas. The phosphatic beds dip from horizontal to vertical, are 75 to 180 feet thick, and consist of yellowish to brown shales, brown to black limestones, and gray, brown, or black oolitic rocks. The fertilizer-grade phosphate beds are 3 to more than 7 feet thick and contain 26 to 36% P2o5 ; 360 the furnacegrade 1960). rocks contain 20... 26% P2o5 and.are 10-50 feet thick (Ruhlman, History of Production The phosphate rock industry began in the United States in 1867 with South Carolina's to about 450,000 of in F182o954; in 1958. and the pl oFrnol godruticodtnai osbneogofafFna2ocbo5onuittni n2u1ol9ou0ns0g, p rttooondnsuecoat ifrol ynF2o5i n5mc1i8ol8lni8to;ennTtl,eonnenxgepsatsonendees, d western fields, in 1906. In 1960, there were about 1,400 fertilizer plants dispersed throughout the United States; elemental phospho.. rus was produced by 7 companies and the TVA in 12 plants in 7 states (Ruhlman, 1960). In 1962 a total of 25 firms produced 19.4 million long tons of phos- phate valued at $134,300,000. Florida furnished 72% of the marketable pro- duction, the western states 16%, and Tennessee 12% (Bureau of Mines Commodity Data Summaries, 1964). Minins_ and Beneficiation Phosphate rock is mined by open-pit methods in all three producing areas and by underground me.thods in the western states. Negrly al,1Flo~ic1a at14T~nnessee phosphate-rock ore must be treated be fore utilization. A large part of the western phosphaterock ls of cmimer- cial grade as it comes from the mine. Proc'es's inJl Only a small proportion o the phosphate rock that is mined is consumed directly in the unprocessed state. Most of it is converted to ingredients for fertilizers or processed to obtain elemental phosphorus or phosphoric acid. Elemental phosphorus is manufactured in huge electric furnaces similar to those used in pig-iron manufacture. The availability of low-cost hydroelectric power in southern and western states favors the use of electric furnaces. In either type of furnace the principal is the same: decomposition at high temperatures of calcium phosphate in the presence of silica and c"arbon to produce elemental phosphorus, carbon monoxide, and a molten silicate slag. Under average operating conditions, about 90% o the phosphorus in the charge is volatilized, about 67% is contained in the. :fer!'! rophosphorus produced, and 3% remains in the slag. Of the phosphorus volatilized, 97% is recovered. Ferrophosphorus has a limited market in the .manufacture of special types of steel. The carbon monoxide gas is used as a supplementary fuel in preparing the phosphorus charge for furnace treatment. The calcium silicate slag may be crushed and sized for railroad ballast, ground finely for agricultural liming material, or converted to light weight concrete aggregate by treating the molten material with steam as it is tapped from the furnace. Fluorine, uranium, chromium, and seleni~ are other possible byproducts. In 1960, there were 3 plants in Florida, 3 'plants in Tennessee, and one plant each in Alabama and South Carolina which -----~~---~--- 361 produced elemental phosphorus; most of the plants then converted the phosphorus to phosphoric acid. Even when plants are far from consuming centers, the shipment of elemental phosphorus and concentrated phosphoric acid to distant markets is economically feasible (Waggaman and Ruhlmart, 1960). Orthophosphoric acid (H3P04) is the most important acid of phosphorus and has to some extent displaced sulfuric acid in numerous industrial applications. It is produced by (1) the oxidation of elemental phosphorus and hydration of the resultant P2o5 , and (2) the decomposition of phosphate rock with sulfuric acid and the filtration of phosphoric acid from the insoluble residue. Because the acid derived from elemental phosphorus is the purest and most expensive, most of this acid is used in relatively pure phosphorus products by the food, chemical, and drug industries, but limited quantities are now being used in liquid fertilizers; the bulk of the sulfuric acid or "wet process" acid is used in the manufacture of phosphatic fertilizers (Ruhlman, 1960 and Waggaman and Ruhlman, 1960). The wet process uses medium grade phosphate rock (30-32% P205). In 1963, the Davison Chemical Division of W. R. Grace and Co. studied a new 50% P205 phosphoric acid process: Phosphate rock was reacted with 98% sulfuric acid and then heated at 400 to 5000F to form a clinker which subsequently was leached with hot water to give the 50% P205 acid. In the same year, the Dow Chemical Co. patented a new process for the production of phosphoric acid involving hydrochloric acid to digest the phosphate rock followed by solvent extraction to separate the phosphoric acid from the calcium chloride (Lewis, 1964). The Monsanto Chemical Co. opened a new plant at Augusta, Georgia, early in 1963 to produce fertilizer-grade phosphoric acid and sodium tripolyphosphate (Lewis, 1964). Utilization United States consumption of phosphate rock has steadily risen during the past few years to a new high of 16,017,000 long tons in 1963. In that year, 6,187,000 tons (P205 content). of phosphate rock were sold or used, an increase of 4% over 1962. Agricultural uses consumed 60% of the total; the chemical industry, 19%; and 21% exported (Lewis, 1964, p. 881). Agricultural Uses Although industrial uses have expanded greatly during the last 25 years, the bulk of the phosphate still is consumed in fertilizers. The U. s. De- partment of Agriculture reported a preliminary total of 3,092,070 short tons available P205 consumed as fertilizer during the year ending June 30, 1963. This was 10% more than in the preceding fiscal year (Lewis, 1964). Future agricultural requirements for phosphatic fertilizers will greatly exceed the present output. 362 Chemical Uses Elemental phosphorus has few industrial applications, but is widely used for military purposes: tracer bullets, incendiaries, and smoke screens. Substantial quantities of white phosphorus are added to molten metals ~uch as tin and copper to produce special alloys. The main use for red phosphorus is matches; the striking surface of safety-match packages is red phosphorus, powdered glass, and glue. Most elemental phosphorus is converted to phosphoric acid, but some is used to make chemicals such as phosphorus chloride, phosphorus copper, zinc phosphide, phosphorus sulfide, and phosphorus oxide which are used for organic synthesis, insecticides, plasticizers, matches, lubricants, and dehydrating agents CWaggaman and Ruhlman, 1960). Phosphoric acid is used principally as an intermediate in the manufacture of phosphate compounds, but it also has many direct uses. Substantial tonnages are added directly to irrigating water for fertilizer use, and to ensilage and prepared stockfeeds to improve their nutrient qualities; appre... ciable tonnages of chemical~grade acid are used instead of citric and tartar ic acids to tmpart tartness and palatability to soft drinks, jams, jellies, and as a defecating agent in refining sugar; smaller qua:ntiti.es are used itt the synthesis of certain dyes, in the manufacture of special types of glass, and as an ingredient of dental cement; a substantial quantity of less pure acid is consumed in pickling metals and depositing rust-resisting coatings thereon. It has also been found to be an effective catalyst, promoting cer tain chemical reactions when absorbed by a porous medium such as diatomaceous earth. Pyrophosphoric and metaphosphoric acids are little used in the free or uncombined state, but their salts (Pyrophosphates and metaphosphates) have considerable commercial importance. Polymetaphosphates are used in fertilizers, detergents, lubricants, and drilling muds. Phosphoric acid is used in the manufacture of relatively pure inorganic phosphate salts; new industrial uses for these salts, especially in the field of detergents, promises to be a large market. Calcium phosphates are used in salt conditioning, stock feed, leavening agents, water conditioning, silk weighting, soap builders, and photography CWaggaman and Ruhlman, 1960). The University of Wisconsin has perfected a process developed several years ago by the Department of Agriculture for making a milk concentrate which resembles the flavor and color of fresh milk more closely than does conventional evaporated milk. The early process was not recommended be cause the milk tended to gel in storage, but the addition of polyphosphates before sterilization corrects this fault (Lewis, 1964). Prices Prices for phosphate rock are based upon the percentage of tricalcium phosphate, ca3 are specified; (Pb0o4n)u2se, s or BPL. and pe n Maximum allowable alties are assessed iron for and aluminum oxides variations above and below the base grade. Prices are quoted usually in dollars per long ton for 363 all marketable phosphate rock. The trade journals do not publish quotations for Tennessee or western phosphate rock. Price changes largely reflect the cost of fuel oil used in drying the rock (Ruhlman, 1960). Below is a price list for Florida land-pebble phosphate rock, unground, washed, and dried, in bulk, carlots, at mine, all through 1963, after an in crease at the beginning of the year. A rise in labor costs during the year was not reflected in a price rise (Lewis, 1964): GRADE (% BPL) 60-68 68-70 70-72 74-75 76-77 30 DECEMBER 1963 $5.38 per short ton 6,24 6. 82 7.72 B. 61 The following is a price for Florida p.ebble phosphate per long ton, f.o.b. Florida in December 1965 (EMJ, 1965): 66-77% $7. 70-$11.28 Occurrence in the CSRA No surface outcrops of phosphate have been found in the CSRA. However, many well logs of the Miocene formations include phosphatic units at ra~her shallow depths (Herrick, 1961). Some of these units might prove to be commercial. An unusual occurrence of phosphate is found in the alluvial sediments of the Ogeechee River floodplain, where the phosphate occurs as small streaks, and lenses within the alluvial clay. Manganese pellets, and limestone nodules and pebbles also are in these clays. The clays are brown, mottled, plastic, and contain a small amount of fine quartz sand. The phosphate is light tan and occurs as small grains 5-20 millimeters across, concentrated in streaks and lenses within the clay. The manganese nodules are light brown to purple, porous, and from 4 to 10 mm across. Some limestone occurs as irregularly shaped pebbles or nodules up to 1" across; some occurs as thin streaks, averaging less than t" thick composed of brittle tan, very fine-grained calcite. Clays of this type cover a known area of 60,000 acres extending from Oliver Crossing at the southernmost corner of Screven County to the confluence of Williamson Swamp Creek in the southern part of Jefferson County, a distance of about 50 miles. The U.S.D.A. Soil Conservation Office at Statesboro, Georgia, has run three transects across the Ogeechee River flood plain. Auger borings were made on 300-foot centers to a depth of 4 feet. Number 1 transect was 3 miles east of Herndon in Jenkins County; Number 2 was along the east side 364 of the u. s. Highway 25 bridge, just south of Millen in Jenkins County; and Number 3 was at Scarboro in Jenkins County. overburden on the phosphatic clay consists of f~ne-grained, organic, silty sand. In Jefferson County it is 1-2 feet thick. At Oliver Ctos~ihg in Screven County it is up to 4 feet thick. All of the floodplain is covered with dense aquatic vegetation and the meandering river channel contains considerable amounts of loose sand and organic material. The age of the clay is unknown, but it ranges in elevation from 100 feet at Oliver Crossing to more than 199 ~eet in Jefferson County, and may have been deposited during the Pleistocene. No phosphate, manganese, or limestone crops out of the Miocene sediments bordering the Ogeechee River. This suggests also that the clay was deposited in embayments by Pleistocene seas and was not derived from formations adjacent to the river. The tests made so far are inadequate for the appraisal of the Ogeechee deposit. Because it is along a floodplain and almost completely covered, extensive drilling will be required to determine its lateral extent and thickness and to provide samples for analysis. PYRITE AND PYRRHOTITE General Description Pyrite is a hard brass-colored mineral with the sulfur). It is the commonest natural sulfide and is wcoidmeplyosidtiiostnriFbeust2ed(5. 3.3I%n schists and gneisses it is disseminated in small crystals, and may comprise several percent of the rock. In veins and massive ore bodies it is commonly associated with sulfides of the other metals, as copper, lead, and zinc sul- fides. Pyrrhotite is a little darker colored than pyrite and is slightly magnetic. Its composition is Fe1_xs Pyrite and pyrrhotite are commonly associated, though pyrrhotite is not as widespread. Utilization and Price Pyrite and pyrrhotite are the only sulfides mined directly and intentionally for the production of sulfur. World reserves of these minerals (mainly pyrite) are large and widely distributed. The ability of pyrite to compete with elemental sulfur depends on the cost of production, location with respect to.,markets, size of the deposits and the value of the metals recoverable from the pyrite ore (Industrial Minerals and Rocks, 1960, p. 824). 365 Many base metal mines are able to sell pyrite or use the smelter gas successfully. Virginia and California have important primary production of pyrrhotite and high-grade pyrite, respectively. In addition to base metal ores and primary ores, there are very large reserves of pyrite in the socalled "coal brasses." There has been some production of pyrite as a byproduct of coal mining. The chief use of pyrites is in the manufacture of sulfuric acid, which is used in oil refining, various chemical industries, and the manufacture of fertilizer. Specifications for pyrite are usually by contractual agreement between the producer and the consumer. In 1958 about 71 percent of the new acid produced came from elemental sulfur and 12 percent from pyrite. Of the 510,000 tons of sulfur equivalent in pyrite (excluding smelter gases) consumed in the United States in 1958, some 30 percent was imported, nearly all from Canada. The pyrite producing states, in order of decreasing importance, are Tennessee, Virginia, Montana, California, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and New York (Industrial Minerals and Rocks, 1960, p. 826). The price of pyrite, U.S. and Canadian, in October, 1965, was $9-11 per long ton delivered (E &MJ Metal and Mineral Markets). Occurrence in CSRA Pyrite is a common accessory mineral in the gneisses and schists throughout the northern part of CSRA, and is a minor accessory mineral in the sands and clays of the Coastal Plain. Some of the crystalline rocks contain several percent pyrite. The kyanite-quartz rock being mined at Graves Mountain, for example, may contain 10% or more. This pyrite is separated from the kyanite, and is being discarded as tailings. Pyrite is a prominent mineral in the massive sulfides of veins and mineralized zones in northern CSRA. While no pyrite masses are known large enough to be mined principally for sulfur, pyrite will continue to be produced as a by-product of the kyanite mining, and additional output can be expected when base metal ores are developed. Transportation costs are too high for the sulfide to be shipped to existing smelters. If a smelter should be built in CSRA in connection with a base metal mine, the output from all local sources could be processed. 366 PYROPHYLLITE Definition and Occurrence Pyrophyllite is a very soft, white, yellowish, light-pink, or gray hydrous alumirt)f~ silicate with a theoretical formula of 66.7% silica, 28.3% alumina, and .5% water. Pyrophyllite is similar to talc in most properties and applications, and usually occurs in either crumbly or compact form like talc; less often it occurs as clusters of radiating needles~ Commercial pyrophyllite nearly always contains considerable amounts of sericite or quartz, or both. For some uses these are objectionable impurities. For other uses, as certain ceramics, they are advantageous. Pyrite, chlorite, feldspar, hematite, and magnetite are common but minor constituents (Ladoo and Myers, 1951). The commercial deposits range from irregular bands and small lenses (Newfoundland) to large masses 50-150 feet wide by 700-1500 feet long (North Carolina). Small lenses and veins are known in the CSRA. Utilization and Specifications In 1963, almost 26% of the pyrophyllite produced ---- 34,294 short tons ---was used by the ceramic industry, predominantly for wall tile and whiteware bodies. Almost 19% was used as insecticide carrier (Cooper, 1964). A little more than 3% was used as paint extender. Insecticides As an insecticide carrier, pyrophyllite competed with clays and talc. It is particularly compatible with DDT poisons and may be more suitable as a carrier for organic insecticides because it is more neutral, but talc or soapstone, fuller's earth, kaolin, or diatomite may be used in areas where pyrophyllite costs much more (Ladoo and Myers, 1951; Wright, 1957; and Irving, 1960). Other Uses Pyrophyllite is used in the manufacture of roofing and rubber. The use of pyrophyllite as a dielectric filter for insulating rubber was fo~nd to be satisfactory when used with 50-60% rubber (Drake and Brett, 1963). It is also used as an asphalt filler, in refractories, in the manufacture of battery boxes, joint cements, plaster products, and stucco (Cooper, 1964). One company blends feldspar and pyrophyllite and sells it to the glass industry as a aO\lrce Qf alumina (Ladoo and Myers, 1951). Small quantities of pyrephyllite are used as a pressure-transmitting media or as insulation in high pressure experimentation and crystal synthesis (Cooper, 1964). 367 Mining and Milling Pyrophyllite is so soft, particularly in the upper weathered zones, that it drills and breaks easily. Deposits are worked by open-pit, glory-hole, and regular underground mining methods. Selective mining and hand sorting usually are necessary to minimize quartz and sericite content and reject iron-stained and other impure material (Ladoo and Myers, 1951, and Irving, 1956). California pyrophyllite is mined from open pits. Bulldozers, small power shovels, and loaders dig and load the ore which is shipped to nearby mills. North Carolina pyrophyllite is partly mined by underground methods. Pyrophyllite is milled after drying in indirect-heat rotary dryers or simple air-drying. After crushing, California ore is ground in Raymond roller mills in closed circuit with air separators. The ground product is shipped in bulk in box cars or packed in bags. Production and Prices The production of pyrophyllite, talc and soapstone in 1963 was about 767,000 short tons. The price was $5.00-$100.00/ton, depending on grade and degree of preparation (U. S. Bureau of Mines, Commodity Data Summaries, 1964). Occurrence in the CSRA At Graves Mountain stellated clusters \"-1" in diameter of pearly gray pyrophyllite, iron-stained to yellow or red-brown in weathered outcrops, form veins up to a foot thick, occasionally more, cross-cutting the kyanite-quartz rock. Nearly all the veins strike N60-700W and dip steeply (Hurst, 1959, p. 18-19). Coarse pyrophyllite clusters are also in and along many of the quartz veins. In addition, pyrop]:lyllite is found as a fine-grained alteration product along the margins of kyanite blades. Economic quantities of the slaty variety so extensively mined in North Carolina have been reported a short distance west of Lincolnton (Georgia Mineral Newsletter, vol. 1, No. 1) but this occurrence has not been verified. Pyrophyllite float is common at all of the kyanite occurrences (see the section on KYANITE). No commercial deposit of pyrophyllite is known in the CSRA, but the abundance of the mineral at several localities offers hope for the discovery of workable deposits. / 368 RUriLE Rutile is a black, red, brown, or yellowish mineral with an adamantine luster and prismatic habit. It has a hardness of 6-6.5 and a specific gravity of 4.2-5.6. It is a common minor constituent of schists, gneisses, an~ granitic rocks. Large deposits of commercial importance are rare. Rutile is a resistant mineral and commonly is concentrated, along with other heavy minerals, in beach sands and river placer deposits. The main commercial sources at present are the beach and dune ~ands of Australia and Florida. About 35 percent of the rutile consumed in 1958 was used for titanium metal production, 51 percent went into welding rod coatings, 3 percent was used for non-titanium base alloys and carbide. The remaining 10 percent was used for ceramics, fiber glass, welding fluxes and chemicals (Economic Minerals and Rocks, 1960, p. 869). The price of rutile in November, 1965, (E &MJ Metal and Minerals Mar kets) was $107-111 per short ton f.o.b. cars, Atlantic ports. Occurrence in the CSRA Alluvial Distribution Figure 93 shows the distribution of alluvial rutile. Over most of the area rutile is a common but minor accessory. About a dozen small anomalous "highs" show up. The most striking feature is.the.sharp increase next to the Fall Line. The abundance of alluvial rutile along the Fall Line might relate less to the metamorphic and igneous rocks than to the Cretaceous sands. Much of the rutile might be a second concentration from the reworking of the Cretaceous sands. High local concentrations of black sands along this belt already have been described in the section ILMENITE and HEAVY MINERALS. Graves Mountain Rutile long has been a prime collectors item at Graves Mountain, where crystals up to 5 inches long and weighing as much as a pound have been collected. Some of the world's finest museum specimens have come from this locality (Hurst, 1959, p. 19). The zone wherein the crystals can be collected, i~ place, cuts northeast across the mountain just east of the present kyanite mines. Loose crystals ma,y be found in the colluvium in the saddle and on the slopes north of the saddle, particularly after heavy rains. Severa~ prospect trenches have been dug in the saddle. Lustrous sharpfaced crystals of small size were obtained from the old trench highest in the saddle. On the steep slope d.ue south of this trench black crystals up 369 OISTAJBUnON OF ALLUVIAL RUTILE A-,dot...,nr.o..._..a/...1-PGIIII o/oot;t>olhiYIOIOO"""I--1froc:ll"" '*'""""-""""'"'"""dnrtj.., Tho --~~-""""""'"h Ill ~""' 0 '"' 1)/ Figure 93 370 to l.lz;" long can still be collected. They are in pyrophyllitized kyanitequartz rock and in small quartz veins or pods. Large rutile crystals are well exposed on the steep slope 200 feet due east of the highest summit, scattered through relatively unaltered kya nite-quartz rock. The adit driven into the mountain directly underneath these. exposures did not encounter much rutile because it was driven below the southeast-dipping rutile z~ne. Most of the coarse rutile occurs as scattered crystals or groups of crystals in the kyanite-quartz rock, both in the unaltered and in the pyro phyllitized rock. The best concentrations are in the strongly pyrophyllitized rock and in some of th~ pyrophyllite veins. Quartz blebs and vein~ contain isolated crystals. Contrary to what has been reported, the deeply weathered kyanite masses that are highly charged with secondary iron min~ erals are not the favored host rocks, though they do sometimes contain fine specimens. The coarse rutile crystals are dark red-brown to black, stubby pri~matic and commonly intergrown or twinned. Minute red-brown rutile crystals mostly less than 0.1 mm long are included in all the major minerals within the pyrophyllitized zone. This fine-grained rutile is locally abundant enough to make up \% or more of the rock. Rutile specimens were once mined at Graves Mountain for sale to collectors and museums. Occasional specimens have been found worth as much as a few hundred dollars. The erratic distribution of the finer cryst~ls makes mining solely for specimens an uncertain enterprise. As the mountain is mined for kyanite however, rutile-bearing zones will be encountered, and clusters of crystals might be recovered. SAND AND GRAVEL Geologic Relations Four different types of sand and gravel deposits in the CSRA are (l) alluvial deposits, (2) stratigraphic deposits, (3) residual deposits, and (4) "Carolina Bay" deposits. The widespread distribution, amount, and va riety of sands overshadow the gravels, which are much more restricted in their occurrence. Loose or unconsolidated sands and gravels are largely confined to streams, stream terraces, and residual covers or ''Mantles". Notable exceptions are the loose, tan sa~ds of the fall-line-hills area and the unconsolidated sand rims that are associated with the shallow surface depressions known as Carolina Bays. Numerous streams in addition to the Savannah River contain alluvial sand and gravel. The larger of these include Brier Creek, the Ogeechee River, and the Ohoopee River. The terrace of the Savannah River contains '\'' 371 extensive thick deposits though the gravel/sand ratio is low. Most of the larger streams west of the Savannah River also contain minable sand deposits; these contain little or no gravel. Stratigraphic sands and gravels comprise the majority of the deposits. As used here, the term includes all primary sedimentary units older than Recent. All parts of the Coastal Plain of the CSRA are covered by sediments of one or more formations ranging in age from Cretaceous to Miocene, and almost all of these sediments are suitable for fill material. Few are suitable for construction. Residual sands and gravels are unconsolidated surface veneers that form by leaching of the underlying formations. Most of these are fine-grained and are not suitable for construction uses. They are usually less than 5' thick, but may attain a thickness of more than 20'. The sand rims of Carolina Bays are an unexploited source of sand. The rims are usually present on the down-gradient side of the depressions and form long, curved, unconsolidated mounds that average about 5' in height. The sand is usually present for 5 1 to 10' below the surface, giving a total thickness of 10' to 15'. Mining and Processing Most of the sand producers in the CSRA do not wash or screen their product. The sand is mined and hauled directly to the consumer as "sill dirt". Some construction sand and mortar sand is mined by these producers, but the product is usually iron-stained and contains varying amounts of clay, feldspar, and organic impurities. These producers generally load dump trucks directly from front-end loaders. None of these producers mine gravel. Only two companies produce washed sand. One of these also produces gravel. The sand is hydraulically dredged from the deposit by means of gasoline- or electric-powered pumps mounted on floating platforms. The sand is then washed and agitated before being screened and stockpiled. Gravel is sized by screening and stockpiled. Prices Commercial producers who have permanent plants and sell on the open wholesale and retail market account for about 3/4 of the national output of sand and gravel; of this, about 85% is prepared by screening, washing, or both. Government-and-contractor producers accept contracts to provide sand and gravel for particular large-scale government projects and operate plants only to fulfill their contracts; most of their product is used in the unprepared state (Gay, 1957, and Key, 1960). Preparation adds from 60% to over 100% to the sales value, although differences in the selling price for various products sometimes depend upon supply and demand more than on processing costs (Key, 1960). 372 A general price for fill dirt is $0.90/ton, for mortar sand, $1.10/ton. Sand and Gravel Mines Burke County SAND PIT (Active) Location: On the east bank of Brier Creek at its intersection with Route 56. Several acres are cleared and the sand is mined to an average depth of 10'. The sand is red, highly arfillaceous, medium-grained and is used solely for fill dirt. It contains a 5' bed of hard fossiliferous chert that is removed and piled by machine. It is in the upper part of the Barnwell Formation. The property is owned by Mr. Robert Wimberly of Waynesboro, and has been operated ort a royalty basis for several years. SAND PIT (Active) Location: On the east bank of Brier Creek about 1/4 mile south of Route 56. The property is owned by Mr. Robert Wimberly and is operated by Mr. W. C. Keller, both of Waynesboro. This pit is the main source of washed construction sand for Waynesboro and the immediate vicinity. Three acres were cleaned in 1958, and a floating sand pump and a stationary barrel washer were added in 1962. Silt and mud are removed by water agitation and large particles of peat and clay are screened out. The sand was originally used for construction work. The end product is a fairly clean, quartz sand that is fine- to medium-grained and contains minor iron oxide staining and minor heavy minerals. The sand deposit is located on the floodplain terrace of Brier Creek and is found at many places along the stream. The sand is several feet thick and has no overburden although the top 2'-3' contains considerable amounts of organic material. GRAVEL DEPOSIT (Inactive) Location: 2.9 miles north of Gough on U. S. Highway 305. a The gravel is well exposed in the road cut and can be followed for about 1/2 mile to the west, and few hundred feet to the east. It is only 0.4 mile north of the Savannah and Atlanta Railroad, about 13 miles west of Waynesboro. It is owned by Mr. Jesse :Palmer, of Waynesboro, artd has not 373 been operated since 1951 when some of the gravel was used for road construction. The deposit is a high-level channel fill that meanders across the surface. The rounded quartz pebbles are heavily iron stained and range from about 1/4 inch to more than 3 inches in diameter, with the average about 1/2 inch. They could be screened and loaded, without washing, for road construction use, and the finer particles could be screened out and washed for construction uses. The gravel is imbedded in a coarse-grained sand that makes up about 20-30% of the total volume. GRAVEL PIT (Inactive) Location: On the Burke-Jenkins County line, 5~ miles south of Alexander. The property is owned by Mrs. E. 0. Barefield and covers approximately 150 acres. A mine pit covering about 1/2 acre exposes approximately 3' of argillaceous gravelly sands containing about 40% rounded, stained quartz gravel up to 1/2 inch in diameter. The material is semi-consolidated and would have to be stripped, agitated and screened to free the clay and sand. A water well 1/2 mile to the south, on the property of Union Bag Co., is reported to have penetrated 40 feet of similar material. Fields and roadcuts surrounding the property contain varying amounts of this gravel, indicating that the deposit is extensive. Emanuel County SAND PIT (Active) Location: At the northern end of the paved airstrip at the Emanuel County Airport. The pit is owned by the City of Swainsboro, and has been mined since 1963. The pit covers approximately two acres with extensive reserves to the east into a-1pime forest. The sand is pale-tan to yellow, fine-grained, uniform, and unconsolidated. There is no clay, and very little heavy mineral content. The sand is a 6' to 8' veneer formed by leaching of the upper surface of a very sandy portion of the Hawthorn Formation. GRAVEL PIT (M2- Active) Location: 0.8 mile west of the northern end of the paved airstrip at the Emanuel County Airport. 374 The pit is owned by the City of Swainsboro and was opened in 1964. The pit is being dug on a moderately sloping creek bank which is sparsely covered with large pine trees. The gravel extends for an unknown dist4nce along the bank. Stripping of the gravel has formed an elongated pit 50' by 200 1 and about 5 1 deep. The gravel, quartz cobbles, and pebbles averaging over 1" in diameter are in a very coarse reddish-tan sand of the Hawthorn Formation. There is approximately 60% gravel in the deposit. The gravel apparently represents a residual mantle which resulted from differential leaching. GRAVEL PIT (M3-Inactive) Location: About 200' south of Sllll, 1.0 mile west of U. S. Highway ~. Several miles north of Swainsboro. The land is owned by Continental Can Company, Augusta, Georgia. The pit has been abandoned for many years. A sketch map, Figure 94, shows the property and pit. The gravel pit covers several acres on-:an extensive strip of residual and primary Hawthorn gravel and sand. Residual gravel is on the surface for about two miles to the east and west of this pit, and varies in width froin 1/4 to more than 1/2 mile. The gravels are not continuous, due to erosion, swamp, and differences in weathering of the underlying formatd.o.n. In the pit the Hawthorn is exposed as a 5' mantle of gray, fine sand that contains abundant quartz gravel. This is underlain by more than 20 feet of coarse, reddish sand with abundant disseminated clay and thin (6" average) layers, pods, and stringers of gravel which are from a few inches to a few feet apart. Although the amount of gravel and sand would vary widely, all of this unweathered portion could be mined if a washer were used. At some places the formation might prove to be too consolidated for easy mining. GRAVEL PIT (M4-Inactive) Location: 4 miles north of U. S. Highway 80 on Georgia Highway 57. There are several pits on the east side of the road for a distance of about 1.5 miles. Both sides of the road have areas of minable gravel, but none has been mined on the west side. The sketch map in Figure 95 shows these pits. All of the gravel in this area occurs as a thin veneer (1 1 to 20 1 thick), a weathered zone on the surface of the Hawthorn Formation. This surface cover is unconsolidated and is underlain by semiconsolidated to consolidated sands and gravels that would be more difficult to mine. The primary material is Figure 94 SKETCH MAP of GRAVEL PIT- M3- dirl,. IJd (S/111) I. 1'1'111 to US. I 3' Contour Interval ~100' "" 375 SKETCH MAP GRAVEL PITS-M4- 5' Contour Interval 0 3pO 690 feet t~ ",.: j.d.IOOt Figure 95 376 composed of a coarse angular sand containing rounded pebbles and cobbles of quartz. The average gravel is 1/2" to 1" in diameter, but larger cobbles, up to 5", are abundant. All of the material would have to be washed. Coarse, medium, and fine-grained sands, and gravel averaging 1/2" in diameter would be recovered. In ma~y places the weathered.zone is winnowed and the gravel is concentrated (up to 70-80%) for depths of 3' to 5', but usually for only a few inches. The creeks seem to have concentrates on their banks throughout this area, although there are no large areas of sand without some gravel present. The entire area is heavily wooded. GRAVEL PIT (MS-Inactive) Location: On a dirt road 0.3 mile southwest of U. S. Highway 1 at a point 0.6 mile south of the intersection of U. S. Highway 1 and 81111. The land is owned by Continental Can Company, Augusta, Georgia. This abandoned pit measures about 300'x300'x5 1 and contai~s a mediu~ grained sand that encloses approximately 30% of 1/2 1 quartz pebbles. The deposit was formed as a residual veneer on the surface of the Hawthorn Formation, and extends for 0.3 mile to the west and extends for at least 0.3 mile to the north and south. There are pebbles scattered over the entire surf~ce in a heavily wooded area. SAND PIT (M6-Active) Location: On the west side of Georgia Highway 56 at the city limits of Swainsboro. The pit is owned by R. J. Waller.and J. Bi~;!hop of Surmnertown, Georgia, ~nd was opened in 1963. The following is a section of the mined pit: 5 1- 8 1 61 Sand, light-tan, leached, medium-grained, unconsolidated; containing about 5% quartz gravel averaging under 1/4" in diameter. Sand, red, mottled; contains about 30-40% fine grey clay. The sand is medium-grained and semi-consolidated. Both of these layers are being used for fill dirt. The top layer is almost totally removed within the cleared bounds of this property. The mined area measures 150'x400' and is from 5' to 8' deep. 377 SAND PIT (M7-Inactive) Location: On the north bank of the Ohoopee River at its intersection with U. S. Highway 1. The pit is owned by G. L. Slater of Swainsboro, Georgia, and leased by Concrete Products Co. of Swainsboro. The pit is located on the floodplain of the river and is mined hydraulically. A single gasoline-operated sand dredge on the edge of the pit feeds the sand to a washing and screening tower where organic debris and a small amount of gravel are removed. The end product is a fairly clean quartz sand that i.s angular, fine- to medium-grained and uniform. The sand does not meet the minimum requirements for the Georgia Highway Department because of excessive organic material. This could probably be remedied with a more el.aborate washing system. The pit measures about 50'x75' and is approximately 20' deep. The property covers about 2 to 3 acres and consists of a sandy, swampy area covered with brush and trees. The pit is inactive at present. SAND PIT (MS-Active) Location: At the intersection of Slll5 and Canoochee Creek about three miles northeast of Swainsboro. The property of one acre is owned by Gordon Hall and has been rented by the Swainsboro Building and Supply Company since October, 1964. The pit is located on a small hill on the bank of the creek and is typical of the sand found on the eastern side of the major streams in the area. The sand is ligh-tan, fine- to medium-grained, and unconsolidated. The sand is continuous along the creek bank throughout its length in the county. The sand is mined by hand on a very limited scale. SAND PIT (M9-Active) Location: Approximately 10 miles to the west of Swainsboro on U. s. Highway 80. The pit is owned by Lt. Col. Fred Young of Augusta, Georgia. The pit is located in the extensive sand that forms low hills and dunes on the eastern side of the Ohoopee River. The mined area measures 300'x75' and is approximately 15' deep. The sand is typical of these deposits. It is light-tan in color, fine- to medium-grained, unconsolidated and about 20' thick. 378 SAND PIT (MlO-Inactive) Location: 0.25 mile south of U. S. Highway 80 at the Ohoopee River, just west of the abandoned tramway. The property covers one acre on a 400 acre plot owned by Donald Braswell of Swainsboro, Georgia. The top 4' of loose residual sand has been stripped from the underlying semiconsolidated Hawthorn sand and gravel. The mined sand is tan, fine- to medium-grained, and unconsolidated. In the underlying unweathered portion there is a 1' layer of white quartz pebbles. SAND PIT (Mll-Active) Location: 0.1 mile east of Canoochee Creek on Sl853 on the north side of the road. The property is owned by Mr. Porterfield of Swainsboro, Georgia. The pit is located on the sand belt typical of the deposits lining the eastern side of the major streams. The sand is light-brown, fine- to medium~grained, unconsolidated and uniform. The pit is adjacent to the road and measures 250'x310'. It has been mined to a depth of 6' to 8', All mining is apparently done by hand. SAND PIT (Ml2-Inactive) Location: 0.7 mile east of Canoochee Creek on the south side of Sl853. There are two 20'x30'x7' pits located on the same sand deposit as described for Mll. These pits were hand dug. SAND PIT (Ml3-Inactive) Loc.ation: 1. 3 miles east of the city limit of Swainsboro on the south side of Sl853. This abandoned pit measures lOO'x200'x6'. A residual surface layer of very fine-grained, white, quartz sand was removed from a typical section of the Hawthorn semiconsolidated argillaceous sand. Glascock County SAND PIT (Active) Location: On the north edge of Gibson just south of Rocky Comfort Creek. 379 The pit measures about 225 1xll0' and averages 10 1 in depth. It contains an undifferentiated mass of coarse-grained, red, argillaceous sand of the Barnwell Formation. Small stringers of relatively pure quartz sand are used fo.r construction, but most of the material is for fill dirt. Jefferson County GRAVEL PIT (Inactive) Location: 0.8 mile west of U. S. Highway 1 on the old Wrens-Stapleton Road. The gravel partially caps a hill and its flanks. It is 0.5 mile long and varies from 200 to 1000 feet in width. The thickness varies from ~bout 2 1 to more than 8 1 The gravel is composed of rounded quartz 1 / 4 1 ' to 4" -in diameter with a 1" average. In places the gravel is mixed with sandy cfay of the underlying Hawthorn Formation, but it usually forms an unconsolidated blanket of fine sand and gravel that is about 30% gravel. Small amounts of the eastern end of this layer have been pushed into mounds and used for road construction, but there has been no commercial mining. GRAVEL PIT (Inactive) Location: One mile north of Stapleton on the Warrenton Road. The gravel lies to the east side of the road. The property is owned by Sam Stapleton of Stapleton, Georgia. The deposit consists of rounded quartz gravel up to 3" in diameter. Abundant red and black hardpan pellets are scattered throughout the gravel. Knox Brothers Construction Company worked approximately 2 acres of this deposit in 1959-60 for use as a road base material on the Warrenton Road. Their pit extends eastward from Warrenton Road to the Savannah and Atlanta Railroad, a distance of 600 feet. An extension runs southward, parallel to the track, for about 400 feet. The upper 3 to 4 feet were removed over this area. Across the track the gravel is 2 feet thick and has not been mined. Jenkins County There are no sand or gravel pits that are being mined for any purpose other than fill or very limited mortar sand use. The following descriptions are typical pits that show the type materials being mined. SAND PIT (009-Active) Location: 0.25 mile south of Magnolia Springs State Park on U. S. Highway 25. 380 The pit is operated by the Georgia State Highway Department. It covers an area of approximately 2 acres and ranges in depth from 5' to 15 1 A 3' leached, tan, medium-grained sand layer is underlain by a 15' layer of unconsolidated, medium-grained, red sand that cqptains several pebble bands of rounded quartz up to 1" in diameter. SAND PIT (14-Active) Location! 1.2 miles west of the Bulloch County line on Georgia Highway 67, at Bay Gull Branch. The pit is operated by the Georgia State Highway Department. A cross-section of the pit: 51 Sand, tan, fine-grained, leached 5' Sand, grey to yellow, fine-grained argillaceous; contains nodules and . crenulated layers of hardpan. 6' Sandstone, greenish-grey, fine-grained, argillaceous, semiconsolidated, The pit measures 300'xlOO'x7 1 SAND PIT (020-Active) Location: 1 mile south of Georgia Highway 121 on U. S. Highway 121 on U. S. Highway 25. The property is operated by the Georgia State Highway Department. This pit measures 300'xl50'x4' and is mined for a tan to orange finegrained layer of unconsolidated sand that contains about 10%hardpan pebbles. Richmond County Several companies mine sand in the Augusta area, but only one company produces washed sand and gravel. Most of the mines are in the Fall Line hills just south of Augusta. These are leached residual sands of the Barnwell Formation. A &M SAND AND,GRAVEL COMPANY PIT (Active) Location: Between McDuffie Road and Breeze Hill Road, 1/2 mile east of Barton Chapel Road. This pit occupies about 10 acres and is in the Barnwell Formation, Fall Line hills sand. 381 The sand is a massive, tan, yellow to orange, medium- to fine-grained quartz. There are almost no heavy minerals and little or no clay. The pit is mined to a depth of 20 feet. RICHMOND COUNTY SAND PIT (Active) Location: One mile northeast of Belair on the Gordon Highway. The access road is off Barton Chapel Road just north of the Georgia Railroad. It was leased in 1962. Three acres have been cleared and 2 acres have been mined to a depth of about 20 feet. A layer of gray sandy clay limits the depth of mining. The sand is a massive, yellow-orange angular quartz with small amounts of disseminated clay. SPEER SAND AND GRAVEL COMPANY (Active) Location: On the New Savannah Road, 1/2 mile north of the N-S runway at Bush Field; 300 feet south of a bend in Butler Creek. The property covers 20 acres which has been leased from the State. Less than 2 acres have been mined out. A cross-section of the pit: 2' 6'-8' 30':!: Sand, fine-grained, containing organic material. This layer is striped off and discarded. Sand, massive, fine~ to medium-grained, pure; small lenses of white to grey kaolin. Sand and gravel; layers of rounded quartz up to 1" thick in a matrix of sand (about 10% gravel). The sand is medium-grained, tan, and uniform. Most of the gravel is between 1/4" and 1/2" in diameter, and is well rounded. Larger gravel, up to 3", comprises about 5% of the total material mined. Speer produces the only gravel in Richmond County, and the only washed sand. All of the material is hydraulically pumped to a series of washers and screens, and separated into three sizes: sand, small gravel (1/4" to 1/2"), and large gravel. The company is producing about 100,000 tons of sand per year. No mortar sand is produced at present. Most of the company's sales are in Richmond County, but small amounts are sold as far away as Screven County. Speer ships in its own trucks with prices of $0.90 per ton for sand, and $3.00 to $4.00 per ton for gravel, depending upon size. 382 SAND PIT (Active) Location: 0.7 mile southea~t of U. s. Highway 1 on Karleen Road just south of the Tobacco Road Gate to Ft. Gordon . The property owner is unknown. The pit measures approximately 450'x200 1 and is excavated to an average depth of 15'. The sand is medium' to very coarse-grained (1/4 mm to 2mm), tan to light-red and mottled when in place. It is massive, soft, and unconsolidated. There are small amounts of mica along with minor heavy minerals, The particles of sand are angular to sub-rounded. SAND PIT (Active) Location: 0.8 mile northeast of the intersection of Tobacco Road and Georgia Highway 56. The property owner is R. J Gaines. The sand is coarse-grained, red, argillaceous, silty, and massive. The pit is being operated by the County and used for County and State fill dirt. The sand is part of the Barnwell Formation and directly overlies the Tuscaloosa Formation. The Tuscaloosa Formation below the pit consists of hardpan, gravel stringers, and coarse cross-bedded sands, all of which directly overlie more than 10 feet of white sandy kaolin. Several acres are cleared with approximately two acres mined out to an average depth of 20 feet. SAND AND GRAVEL PIT (Inactive) Location: 0.5 mile south of the Glassine Company on Georgia Highway 56, 15 miles south of Augusta. The pit is owned by Augusta Sand & Gravel, Augusta, Georgia. The pit has not been operated since July, 1964. It was opened around 1950 and was previously operated by John z. Speer and a Mr. Holly, both of Augusta. The mined area forms a large crescent-shaped lake approKimately 40 feet deep and covers several acres. It was hydraulically mined by floating barges and pumped to screening and washing equipment then loaded into trucks. The sand is coarse-grained, light-tan, and is interbedded with thin clay lenses and gravel stringers which comprise approximately 1% of the total material. None of the gravels were mined. The pit was shut down because of the long hauling distance to Augusta (15 miles). 383 RICHMOND COUNTY SAND PIT (Active) Location: On the east bank of the Savannah River, 1/4 mile below the Co:: ps of Engineers Dam on the Savannah River. The property covers approximately 4 acres and was purchased by the County around 1950. A section of the river bank shows the following: 81 Sand, red, fine- to medium-grained, massive, argillaceous. 10' Sand, yellow to white, medium-grained, cross-bedded, micaceous. 10' Sand and gravel (10% gravel); coarse-grained sand and 1/2" diameter (or less) gravel, cross-bedded. 2'+ Clay, grey to bluish, sandy, plastic, slightly micaceous. Some gravel could be produced by washing and screening, but the amount recovered would be small compared to the sand. Screven County SAND PIT (Active) Locati~n: On the Millhaven Plantation, about 2 miles north of the town of Millhaven; 1.4 miles west of 8716, and 17 miles north of Sylvania.// The sand covers an area of about 20 acres on the east bank of Brier Creek. The sand is about 10 feet thick and is composed of brilliant white, medium-grained quartz, with approximately 1% heavy mineral content. The top 2'-2' of sand is leached of finer sand and organic matter. Under this upper layer is a light-gray sand containing organic silt that could be easily removed by washing. All of the property is 15'-20' above creek level and has been spottily excavated to a depth of 4 feet. Glass companies have known of the sand for several years, but the removal of the Savannah and Atlanta railway track (between Waynesboro and Sylvania) stopped development. A few years ago, over 100 truck loads of .the sand was sent to a Waynesboro building contractor, but regular sales were not established. SAND PIT (Active) Location: 1.3 miles south of S952 on S2177, 2.1 miles northeast of the Sylvania city limit. The property is owned by J. E. Mills and has been mined since 1962. 384 This material is used for fill dirt. The sand is fine- to medium-grained and contains up to 10% coarse, cross-bedded, angular, quartz sand arid pebbles (less than 1/4" in diameter). It is overlain by 4' of residual, fine-grained tan sand. The coarser parts are argillaceous and semiconsolidated, typical of the Hawthorn Formation. The property measures about 300 yards square. SAND PIT (Inactive) Location: 2 miles north of Newington on Georgia Highway 21; 200 yards to the east of the road. The sand was mined from a sand rim on the southeast side of a Carolina Bay. The rim forms an elongate ridge that is several hundred feet long, about 200 feet wide, and 5'-6' above the adjacent terrain. About two acres have been mined out to an average depth of 9 feet. The sand is tan, angular, coarse-grained and contains considerable organic matter in the upper 2 to 3 feet. A washer would permit mining all of the sand to a depth of more than 10 feet. SAND PIT (Inactive) Location: 0.6 mile east on a dirt road, 3.7 miles south of Captolo on 81478. This sand was hand mined from a Carolina Bay sand rim. The pit measures approximately 200'x50'x3'. The sand is light-tan, coarse-grained, angular and contains organic matter in the upper 2 feet. The surface of the sand is leached to white or light-gray . SAND PIT (Inactive) Location: 5.2 miles south of U. s. Highway 301 on the second dirt road paralleling Brier Creek to the east. Small hand-dug pits are on the eastern end of a Carolina Bay sand rim. The sand consists of light~gray to white, coarse-grained, angular quartz that is contaminated with organic matter to a depth of 2 feet. This sand appears to be less iron-stained than most of the sand rims in the county. SAND PIT (Inactive) Location: 1.0 mile south of U. S. Highway 301 at a point 3.2 miles east of the Brier Creek Bridge. The sand pit measures 600'x60' and has been mined to an average depth of 4 feet . .It is on the southwest side of a large Carolina Bay sand rim that extends for 1/2 mile to the northeast. The sand is tan to white, coarse- 385 grained, uniform, massive, and composed of angular grains. This sand rim is one of the better prospects for washed construction sand. Sand and Gravel Prospects Burke County The alluvial sands covering most of the major stream bottoms and terraces is the best source of sand in Burke County, but is generally too finegrained for most uses. All of the alluvial sands would have to be washed and screened to eliminate organic matter. Fine-grained residual sand forms a mantle up to 10' thick at the northern city limit of Keysville and is well exposed in road cuts on Georgia 88. This sand is lightly iron stained but should be suitable for mortar sand. It developed from leaching of the upper surface of the argillaceous Barnwell Formation which blankets the area. Just south of Keysville, on the south bank of Brier Creek (locality 049), medium- to coarse-grained massive sands that appear to be relatively pure are found at road level immediately south of Timmons Pond. More than 5' of this relatively pure unit crops out under 40' of red Barnwell sand overburden. The sand is stained with iron oxide and contains some heavy minerals. Washing and chemical treatment might produce a material suitable for glass sand. Large areas in southern Burke County contain residual, or high level gravel beds on the surface of the Hawthorn Formation. They are composed of well-rounded, tan to white quartz pebbles that average about 1/2" in diameter. The gravels are within fine- to medium-grained quartz sands that usually make up about 80% of the deposits. Sand (057) is exposed on U. S. Highway 25, 6.2 miles south of the intersection of highways 24 and 25 in Waynesboro. The maximum thickness is 5 feet and the outcrop averages 200 feet in width. This appears to be a high-level gravel and it extends eastward for at least a mile, but very little of the deposit is thick enough to mine. To the east the gravel thins out (less than 2') and widens to about 0~2 mile. The gravel/sand ratio also becomes lower to the east. Thin stratigraphic gravel deposits are found in many places in the county, but are more numerous south of Waynesboro. Here the deposits are in the basal portion of the Hawthorn Formation where they unconformably overlie the Barnwell Formation. A typical example of the stratigraphic gravel is exposed in the abandoned Savannah and Atlanta Railroad cut 1.7 miles south of Route 56, about one mile east of Waynesboro, where an irregular layer of red sand contains 20% rounded quartz pebbles up to 1/2" in diameter. The layer varies from 2' to more than 10' in thickness and could be the basal member of the Hawthorn Formation. 386 These gravels are highly irregular in thickness as well as lateral extent, and have a low ratio of gravel to sand. There are many unpaved road surfaces that appear to contain gravel, but.'close examination proves them to be detrital chert or hardpan. These materials have been spread by road machinery and concentrated on the roads by leaching. This detritus is usually composed of brown angular fragments that show none of the rounding of the alluvial gravels. In many counties residual concentrates of hardpan gravel have been used for road construction. These concentrates attain thicknesses of 5 1 and constitute up to 30% of the enclosing material which is usually a loose finegrained sand. The pebbles are angular and average about 1/2 inch in length. These deposits are found over most of the coastal plain counties, but are best developed in Burke and Screven Counties. Near Alexander, in Burke County, these pebbles are quite common and may have been the source of ore for the Civil War iron furnace near there. PREVIOUSLY REPORTED DEPOSITS Teas (1921, p. 169) reported considerable sand in Burke County near Keysville and in and along the Savannah River; he reported gravel on the southeast edge of the county, but remarked that neither sand nor gravel was being produced commercially in 1921. Sand for local use in Waynesboro has been obtained from the Glenn Fulcher property on the Augusta road 2 miles from Waynesboro, where the sand is 2'-4' deep. In 1895 considerable sand was shipped from the J. P. Clarke property in Keysville to an Augusta glass company. The sandy area in and around Keysville covers about 500 acres. The upper 2'-4' is usually a clean white sand sufficiently pure for glass making. Columbia County In Columbia County, as in McDuffie County to the west, the Coastal Plain sands and gravels generally contain such an admixture of clay and iron oxide that separation for commercial production is not feasible. Much of this clayey sand is suitable, however, for use as fill sand and road dressing. There are two large borrow pits a short distance east of Grovetown, south of the Georgia Railroad. Emanuel County GRAVEL (P6) Location: The gravel is exposed in a roadcut 3.5 miles west of Cole- 387 mans Lake Road, on the dirt road that continues west where S2125 curves south. The gravel occurs as a residual layer of pebbles and large cobbles (up to 4") that covers several acres. The bed is difficult to trace because of the dense vegetation on the relatively flat terrain. The gravel is stained and well-rounded. The enclosing sand is brown, coarse-grained, and unconsolidated. GRAVEL (P9) Location: This gravel is exposed in a roadcut 2.5 miles north of the town of Canoochee on Sl320. Approximately 10% white, rounded, quartz gravel, up to 3" in diameter, is contained in a gray, fine-grained, surface sand. The gravel is rounded and averages about 1/2' in diameter. GRAVEL (PlO) Location: This prospect is 2.8 miles south of the town of Canoochee on Georgia Highway 192. The gravel is similar to P9 except that the gravel/sand ratio is higher and the gravel size is slightly smaller. The white quartz gravel comprises about 40% of the material in local concentrations. SAND AND GRAVEL (Pl3) Location: This prospect is on U. S. Highway 80 at Fitten Creek, 3 miles east of Twin City. Fitten Creek is a perennial stream that would be adequate for a washing operation. The section is: 0'-201 4'-6' 5'+ Sand, red to yellow, semiconsolidated, fine- to medium-grained, mottled. Gravel, white to tan, rounded quartz; 40-50% of the enclosing fine- to med- ium-grained, semiconsolidated sand. Sand, mottle'd orange and grey, inediufu.:..graine'd; 'slightly argillaceous, SAND (Pl9) Location: This prospect is on the east bank of the Little Ohoopee River about 9 miles southwest of Swainsboro, just north of the dirt road that leads to Norristown. 388 The sand extends to the north as a thin belt measuring 1/2 mile x 200 yards, and is bordered on one side by swamp, and low rolling sand hills on". the other side. The sand is white to light-tan, fine- to coarse-grained, uniform, massive, and unconsolidated. The sand grains are sub-angular and show no iron staining. Heavy minerals are scarce. The sandy area is covered by a sparse gr~th of scrub oak and moss. This is probably an old river sand bar. It is 4'to~6' above the adjacent swamp and could probably be mined by simple strippling. PREVIOUSLY REPORTED DEPOSITS Teas (1921, pp. 197-200) reported the following deposits of sand and gravel in Emanuel County: On the Tye farm, 1 mile south of Swainsboro on the Tom Road, a roadcut and gully show 5 feet of gravel, the upper 18 inches of which is a sandy gravel. Gravel covers a large acreage on the R. W. Corsey property, 5 miles from Swainsboro on the Tom Road. The gravel is in several thin layers a few inches to a foot thick with 3-10 feet of clay between. From the Corsey property to within a mile of Tom on the Wadley Southern Railroad, fine to medium pebble gravel shows at many places. At no place is 'the thickness greater than 4 feet. At Blun, on the property of G. W. Wilkins, 600 feet west of the railroad, 1-2 acres are underlain with from 1-4 feet of clayey gravel. Numerous thin deposits of gravel and coarse sand are near Adrian along the Wrightsville road and along the Ohoopee River. These terrace deposits continue down the river to Norristown where then deposits are also abundant. Two miles east of Adrian in a cut of the Central of Georgia Railroad, 2~ feet of clayey gravel crops out, underlain by 8' of clayey sand. A thick belt of sand extends along the east side of the Canoochee River and the Little Canoochee River throughout most of their courses. At the Georgia and Florida railway crossing of Canoochee Creek, south of Wade, the sand is white, clean, fine- to medium-grained and ranges from 10'-15' in thickness. Where the main line of the Georgia and Florida Railway crosses the Ohoopee River, about 6 feet of medium-grained gray to yellow sand is exposed for 500 feet. East of the Little Ohoopee River near Covena is a belt of fine-grained sand similar to that further east, 1000 feet wide, of unknown thickness. On the V~dalia-Nunez Road the Ohoopee sand belt is from 1/4 to 1/2 mile wide north of the stream and at least 10 feet thick. 389 At Pendleton on the Georgia and Florida Railway, east 9f Pendleton Creek, the sand belt is well exposed in a cut which shows 12 feet of yellow finegrained sand east of the track and 15 feet west of the track. The belt is about 900' wide. A narrow belt of fine-grained sand lies east of Yamgrandree Creek. Glascock County There are numerous perennial streams that contain unlimited supplies of sand and gravel, but they would have to be hydraulically mined and the cost of such an operation for the local market would appear prohibitive. Fine-grained residual sands are mined by hand for local needs. These sands are found over most of the county, averaging less than 3' in thickness. PREVIOUSLY REPORTED DEPOSITS Teas (1921, p. 200) reported fairly coarse sand along Rocky Comfort Creek, one mile east of Gibson. He also reported that there were numerous gravelly spots in the northern part of the county, and that gray, finegrained sands ranging from a few inches to 6 feet in thickness are widespread over the county. Jefferson County At several localities in northern Jefferson County residual gravels are concentrated. Other gravels are enclosed in the argillaceous sands that blanket the county but these are generally too consolidated or contain too little gravel to be mined. GRAVEL (P2) Location: 1.7 miles west along the Georgia Highway 80 and about 100 feet south of the road. The deposit covers one acre and is composed of well-rounded quartz, 1/2" to 3" in diameter, that is mixed with a mottled red and gray, coarse-grained, argillaceous sand. The deposit is 1-2' thick. GRAVEL (P4) Location: 1.25 miles north of Stapleton, on the Warrenton Road, about 1000 feet east of the road. The gravel is a residual surface deposit that measures 250'xlOOO', and is from 2'-3' thick. The deposit is composed of rounded quartz, up to 4" in 390 diameter, enclosed in a mottled red and gray, very coarse~grained clayey sand. There are numerous iron-oxide pebbles scattered throughout the deposit. GRAVEL (PS) Location: 4.9 miles west of U. s. Highway 1 on Sll09; 300' to the north of the road. The property is owned by Ann Confort, and is leased to Robert G. Norris of Wadley, Georgia. This gravel deposit covers about 20 acres and is 3'-4' thick. It is composed of well-rounded quartz, up to S" in diameter. The deposit caps a small hill and extends down its slopes in all directions. PREVIOUSLY REPORTED DEPOSITS Teas (1921, p. 206-207) reported the following deposits: A maximum thickness of 8-10 feet of yellow, rather fine-grained sand is on the north side of the Ogeechee River along the railroad and public road. Along the Wadley road, at several points near Louisville, thin deposits of gravel rarely exceeding 2 feet are found in red sand and clay . :~1, Sandy gravels 1-3 feet thick are 1/4 mile north of Stapleton Station, or a mile from the Spread post office on the Warrenton Road. On the Wrens-Spread road, about half way between the two places, is a deposit of gravel covering about one acre and less than 3 feet thick. Jenkins County There are two types of unconsolidated sand that could be mined in Jenkins County: the thin residual surface sands that form a veneer over the entire county, and the alluvial sands found along the flood plains and stream beds of all the major streams. The residual sands are usually 2-3 feet thick, but locally thicken to more than 10 feet. They are composed of tan to gray, fine-grained, rounded quartz and often contain considerable organic matter. Thick, minable areas could probably be found by auger drilling. Suggested localities are listed below: (1) Along the banks and hill sides of Sand Hill Branch between U. s. Highway 25 and Georgia Highway 121. (2) East of the confluence of Sevils Creek and Richardson Creek. A ~mile-wide area of dune-like sand hills, covered with oak and pine, extends to the northeast for about 3 miles. 391 Alluvial sands are widespread and thick along the flood-plain of the Ogeechee River. Many smaller streams also have.wide floodplains that contain considerable sand. Most of these alluvial deposits are coarser-grained than the residual sands, but they would have to be hydraulically mined, then screened and washed to remove organic debris. The finished product would be a very pure, white quartz sand. 'All of the floodplains are covered with dense swamp, and dredging directly from the stream channels might he the most feasible method of mining. PREVIOUSLY REPORTED DEPOSITS Teas (1921, p. 208) reported that no commercial sand pits were operating in the county. The surficial sand is generally thin and of little value except for local purposes. One mile south of Millen on the Garfield road, near the top of the slope to Ogeechee River a small gravel pit was opened for road purposes. Teas remarks that deposits of this type are likely to be found in the county along the Pleistocene terraces of Ogeechee River generally 25-30' above the stream. McDuffie County Much of the southern half of McDuffie County is underlain by Coastal Plain sands, gravels, and clays, generally intimately mixed. This material is suitable for fill dirt and road dressing, for which purposes there are numerous borrow pits. Over wide areas the clayey iron-stained sands have been leaches, and perhaps reworked to some extent, leaving a thin surface veneer of loose fineto medium-grained quartz sand with minor iron oxide and only a small percentage of clay and silt-size particles. Where they are present, these sands constitute the surface horizon and there is no over-burden. Dry screening to remove silt- and clay-size particles can make many of these sands suitable for local construction uses. The localities and brief descriptions in Table 42 will serve as a guide for locating this type of sand. Map station numbers refer to those shown in Figure 20. STRATIGRAPHIC OCCURRENCES Map Station 151. An exposure along the Georgia Railroad about 1~ miles east of Boneville shows 5'-8' of fine- to coarse-grained quartz sand under 8'-12' of kaolinitic clay and fine- to coarse-grained clayey sands. Map Station 191. A roadcut on U. S. Highway 221 about 0.2 mile south of Boggy Gut Creek shows 4-10 feet (+) of quartz sand, quartz pebbles, heavy minerals, muscovite, and kaolin balls in a kaolin matrix. The quartz sand is fine- to coarse-grained and very clean; most of the quartz pebbles are weak and disintegrate into sand-size particles upon slight agitation. Separation of sand-size heavy minerals from the quartz sand might present a problem. 392 Map Station 152 163 175 176 177 185 186 188 189 190 192 199 202 210 212 215 220 225 TABLE 42 - Residual Sands, McDuffie County Thickness 3-8 2-5 3-4 2-3 5 2-4 2-5 3-5 2-5 4-10 3-9 2-5 2-5 3-5 3-5 2-5 2-6 2-4 Grain Size Very-fine to fine Fine Fine to medium Fine to medium Fine to medium Medium, with some pebbles Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Fine Fine Fine Fine Fine Fine Fine Color Gray and tan Light-yellow Gray and tan Gray and tan Gray and tan Light brown and yellow Light-brown Light-brown Light..:brown Light-brown Light-brown Gray and tan Light-brown Light-brown Light-brown Light-brown Light-brown Light-brown Map Station 194. One of the best exposures of stratigraphic quartz -sand noted in the reconnaissance of McDuffie County is on the north side of Road No. 1721 a few hundred yards west of Hard Fortune Creek. Kaolinitic quartz sands with abundant caarse mica and minor heavy minerals is overlain by 4'-6' of loose light-yellow medium- to coarse-grained quartz sand with minor mica and silt. Overlying this is 6'-12' of small gravel and fine- to coarse-grained quartz sand with clay and iron oxide. About 1.3 miles east of Boneville there is an abandoned sand pit adjacent to the Georgia Railroad, on the south side. This pit, in clayey sands with minor amounts of small gravel, is about 600 feet long, 400 feet wide and more than 40 feet deep. According to local report, this locality furnished engine or traction sand to the Georgia Railroad for many years. SPECIALITY GRAVELS Gravels of an. unusual character were noted at 4 localities in southern McDuffie County. These are vein quartz pebbles and cobbles 1"-8" in diameter, well-rounded. The gravels are white, colorless, light- to dark-gray, smoky, and pink, with very minor iron oxide stain; surfaces are smooth and have a very attractive sheen. The available quantities of this type of gravel are limited, but the roundness, lack of stain, and attractive sheen make these pebbles and cobbles suitable for speciality products such as rock garden stone and decorative construction panels. 393 Location of Map Stations is shown in Figure 20. Map Station 182. This exposure is in a borrow pit west of Road No. 1721, 9.2 mile south of Headstall Creek. Vein quartz pebbles and cobbles, 1"-8" in diameter, well-rounded, are thickly scattered in a matrix of sand and clay; underlain by granite saprolite. Thickness was not determined. Map Station 196. Roadcuts 0.7 mile west of Map Station 182 expose a 4' thickness of quartz pebbles and cobbles of the same type as at Station 182; underlain by granite saprolite. Map Station 208. At Arrington's Pond thin zones of pebbles and cobbles, as at Map Station 182, rest on kaolinitic clay and phyllite saprolite. Map Station 209. North of Big Brier Creek, 0.9 mile southwest of Arrington's Pond, thin zones of pebbles and cobbles, as at Map Station 182, rest on phyllite saprolite. Richmond County Residual sands forming a veneer on top of the Barnwell Formation thicken gradually to the north to a thickness of more than 20 feet just south of Augusta. These thick sands have been called the "fall-line sand hills," and are mined by several companies. Any location in this sand belt would produce sand similar to those described in the sand and gravel mining section for Richmond County. Several areas that sould be considered as gravel prospects are listed below: (1) The Columbia-Richmond County line at the intersection with the Georgia Railroad, 2 miles east of Grovetown. Layers of gravel (probably greater than 20% gravel) are in Tuscaloosa sands. The beds are up to 3' thick and extend in a NE-SW direction for ~mile on each side of the county line. Most of the gravel visible on the surface is residual and derived from the weathering of the Tuscaloosa sediments. (2) Area at Belair on the Gordon Highway. Road and stream cuts, and the clay pits west of the Main Gate at Fort Gordon, expose a foot or more of subangular, quartz pea gravel just above the unconformity with the Little River series. This bed extends laterally for more than a mile but the gravel often grade to a highly micaceous, kaolinitic, coarse-grained sand. (3) Area on the Savannah River floodplain between Butler Creek and the Levee. Outcrops and ditch exposures indicate a concentration of quartz gravel in this area. Additional information would have to be obtained from auger and drill holes to delineate areas where strip or hydraulic mining would be feasible. Almost no gravel is present to the south, but from Bush Field northward there appears to be an area of gravel (in excess of 10%) within 394 the Tuscaloosa below the alluvial sands of the floodplain. (4) Roadcut at the intersection of Highway 56 and Bennoch Mill Road shows 6' +of kaolinitic sand with thin layers of pebbles up to 2" in diameter, but averaging under 1" in diameter. Overburden thickens gradually to over 100', but excavation on a small scale would encounter only a few feet of overburden. (5) Roadcut and water-filled sand and gravel pit west of Interstate 20, approximately 1 mile south of Skinner Road. Sand and gravel for the interstate highway have been pumped out of a pit operated by the ClaussenLawrence Construction Company (Augusta) at the north end of approximately 12-15 acres adjacent to Interstate 20. Very coarse, pure quartz sand and ~" gravel were produced at a ratio of approximately 1 part gravel to 5 parts sand. PREVIOUSLY REPORTED DEPOSITS About 1.909 Richmond County opened a gravel pit ~ mile east of the Savannah public road, opposite the Cotton Oil Mill, near the Central of Georgia Railroad (Teas, 1921, p. 23?). 'l'he gravel was used principally for road building throughout the county but sand was also sold locally for concrete aggregate. As mined, the sand and gravel were in about equal proportions. The' pit covered several ac-:t:es. At the south end of the same pit from which the county got its gravel, the Georgia Sand and Gravel Company also produced washed sand and gravel for concrete. South of the Richmond County pit a large area is underlain with sand and gravel of unknown extent and thickness (Teas, 1921, p. 235). A gravel pit was formerly operated by the County on the Oates property on the Savannah road, 2 miles from Augusta. The pit covered about an acre. The gravel was 5-10 feet thick in the pit, had a sandy clay matrix, and was composed of quartz and feldspar pebbles up to 3 inches in diameter. About a third of a mile north of Wheless Station the Cretaceous sands range from 3-10 feet thick, are coarse grained and slightly clayey but of excellent quality (Teas, 1921, p. 236). Screven County Residual sand covers the entire surface of the county, usually to a depth of 3'~5 1 All of the sand is fine-grained and ranges in color from white to tan, orange or gray. This surface veneer is usually a little thicker on hilltops and gently sloping hillsides where erosion has been less. Well-drained areas, such as the bluffs adjacent to the major streams (especially the Savannah River) appear to have more accessible sand covered only 395 by scrub vegetation. All of these sands would have to be washed for mortar use. Arty of the major streams in the county generally have enough alluvial sand along the banks and the stream beds to support a sand dredge and washing operation. Some stream banks contain sand thick enough to be loaded directly, but washing would still be necessary to clean the sand. Some locations from which alluvial sand could be mined are listed below: (1) The eastern stream bluff along Beaverdam Creek, from Hilltonia to Bascom, shows up to 15' of fine- to medium-grained, light-tan sand. This sand is highly iron-stained, but washing and screening would probably produce a good construction sand. The bluff is several miles long, 200'-300' wide. The sand probably averages more than 10' thick. (2) A road cut on S718, at Ogeechee Creek, 3.3 miles west of Sylvania exposes ten feet of tan, fine- to medium-grained, massive, unconsolidated, sand. This deposit is continuous along the bank. (3) The stream bed of Ogeechee Creek, 2 miles east of U. S. Highway 301, and 4.4 miles south of Sylvania, contains a tan to white, fine-to mediumgrained sand. This would make a good location for a sand dredge and washing tower. The Carolina Bay sand rims are excellent prospect areas for sand. More than 60 bays are present along the eastern side of the county, and more than half of these have well-developed sand rims that might be minable. Some small inactive pits are described in the sand mining section. The general location of the sand rims can be seen on the map showing topographic depressions, Figure No high quality surface deposits of gravel were observed in the county. Small pebble bands, generally less than a few feet thick and containing 5-10% gravel, are common. Many of these appear to be reworked and slumped sediments on or near the banks of streams. The most extensive area of gravel is near the western border of the county on Georgia Highway 21. Several road cuts in this area have exposures of~" to 1" rounded quartz gravel up to 5' thick. The best of these exposures has less than 10% gravel imbedded in a semi-consolidated fine- to mediumgrained sand. Some gravel could possibly be dredged from the stream beds in this area. PREVIOUSLY REPORTED DEPOSITS Teas (1921, p. 237-238) reported that "Scr~.;jen County, particularly in the southern part, has a thin veneer of fine-grained sand ranging from a few inches to several feet in thickness. Local thickenings of this surficial 396 sand constitute the rather meager sources of building sand. Such deposits can easily be found near the towns but the sand is usually too fine-grained to make the best concret . Savannah River, forming the east boundary of the County and the Ogeechee River, on the west, have large bars of sand in and along their ourses, and those along Savannah River may, in the near future, be used for commercial purposes. The larger creeks and their tributaries, particularly Briar and Beaverdam Creeks, have some sand in their courses and during flood periods have deposited irregular amounts along their banks or bottoms. Small amounts of gravel have been noted in road cuts throughout the County, but none are believed to be of any value." Warren County The Coastal Plain sands of Warren County are, in general, finer grained than those of McDuffie, and contain a greater percentage of clay- and siltsize particles. Construction-grade sand is scarce; recent alluvium along some of the larger creeks or on the Ogeechee River offer the best possibilities. Warren County probably contains a greater reserve of gravel than any of its neighboring counties. Outliers of Coastal Plain sediments between Rocky Comfort Creek and Long Creek are composed of clayey sands and gravels, with gravels predominent over large areas. Teas described these occurrences in -fils rnr report. The location and general extent of these outliers are shown in the geo logic map. For Map Station numbers refer to Figure 22. Map Station 92. An exposure along the Georgia Railroad, 3 miles northwest of Norwood shows 3-10 feet of gravel and sand. The upper 2-4 feet is dominantly red clayey sand. Underneath the sand is 1-6 feet of quartz gravel, 1-4 inches in diameter, mostly subangular; some subrounded to rounded. The gravels are in a matrix of coarse-grained quartz sand and clay, with minor feldspar and mica. Teas (1921, p. 336) reported this deposit to have been worked for road material. Map Station 111. Four miles southwest of Map Station 92, east of Walker Branch, a roadcut exposure shows 2-5 feet (+) of quartz pebbles in a clayey sand matrix. This is a small outlier, estimated to be 15-18 acres. Map Station 114. Half a mile south-sc1utheast of Map Station 92, along a dirt road just south of a small drainage, 2-6 feet of gravel are exposed. Some clayey sand i.s mixed with the gravel. Map Station 123. An outlier half a mile south of Andrews Church, 3~ miles southwest of Norwood, is about 1 mile long and ~ mile wide. Gravel is present over much of this area in thicknesses ranging from 5-15 feet. Half a mile to the east (Map Station 123A) is another outlier, smaller and containing less gravel. 397 Map Station 126. North of Andrews Church, 0.3 mile southwest of Rocky Comfort Creek, along a dirt road, gravel and clayey sand cap a low ridge. Gravels appear to be restricted to the lower portion; thickness was not determined. Map Station 132. Teas (1921, p. 335) describes this as the Baker Property. From outcrops and information from dug wells he estimated this gravel deposit to range from a few feet to 10 feet in thickness, with a length of about one mile. Some clay and sand is mixed with the gravel. There is little or no overburden. Map Station 154. A low ridge trending south-southeast from Norris Crossroads to Georgia Highway 16, about 2 miles long and 0.3-0.7 mile wide, is capped by gravels and clayey sands. This is the largest single area of gravel in Warren County. A pit opened by the Georgia Railroad about ~ mile south of the railroad at Norris was worked for ballast for about 10 years prior to 1912. The pit is 1500 feet long and 100-200 feet wide (Teas, 1921, p.334). Depth of the workings ranges from 2-20 feet. A second pit, about 1 mile south of Norris, was also worked extensively. A rail spur into these pits was constructed from the main line at Norris, but has been abandoned. A very large supply of gravels remains in this area. Map Stations 167 and 168. On the Mitchell-Warrenton road about 4~ miles from Warrenton, on the Henry Tucker property, the gravel is in some places so thick as to prevent cultivation. There appears to be about 15 acres on this property having from 8-10 feet of gravel. The gravel extends to the north of the Dotson property, and to the east on the Lynn Tucker property, as well as to the north on the Spence property (Teas, 1921, p. 336). Warren County is currently operating a pit at Map Station 167 to obtain road surfacing material. The gravel is more than 8 feet thick, with very little sand and clay. This outlier is almost a mile long and ~-~ mile wide. SAPPHIRE The hardness of corundum, a crystalline form of Al203, is exceeded only by diamond. When colored and transparent, corundum is a precious gem stone. Red varieties are ruby, blue varieties are sapphire. The production of ruby and sapphire flourished in the United States during the early part of the century. A large percentage of the production was exported for industrial use. Output dropped sharply after 1930 when synthetic corundum saturated the market. Improved techniques of manufacturing synthetic corundum have virtually eliminated the use of natural ruby 398 and sapphire in bearings and abrasives. Both stones, however, when transparent are still highly prized as gems. Though synthetic corundum gems can be produced very cheaply, the price of the natural gem stones has increas.ed r~ther than diminished. Large, high quality natural corundum gems may exceed diamond in value. Altered ultrabasic intrusives, undersaturated rocks with which corundum is typically associated, occupy much of the area between Lodge Creek and Kiokee Creek from Pollards Corner to the Savannah River in Columbia County, Bounding the ultrabasic rocks are granitic gneisses. Corundum has been discovered along the contacts between ultrabasics and granitic gneiss for a dis ~ance of about 3 miles along the southeast side of Burte and Dixie Mountains, Small broken crystals are common in the residuum, associated with soapstone, chlorite and talc. The crystals are mostly less than a qua,rter inch across. Most are brown or gray; some are pink, orange-red, white, or deep blue. I(. brown variety showing a bron:z;y play of light along basal partings may be Sill\':' ilar to that described by Kunz (1892) from near Franklin, N.C., and-Delaware County, Pa.; asteriated stones might be cut from this variety. The largest pieces are deep blue in color, but not transparent, and measure more than 3l4" x .lz;" x .lz;"; one of the pieces collected is still partially eJ:lclosed by soapstone and chlorite. The lack of ab~asion of this very soft matrix ind~ cates little movement from the source. Gem quality corundum might be found, in Lodge and Kiokee Creeks. Shallow trenches spaced a hundred feet apart extending N.-S ~!;:J;Pss the serpentine-gneiss contacts would help to trace the corundum and might reveal concentrations. The dirt from the trenches should be exposed to the rain before examination, because dirt-coated corundum fragments, even those which are colored, are hard to recognize. The gravels along the creeks could be prospected with portable screens: one screen 3/4" or coar13er to scalp off the coarse gravel, and another ~creen ~-9 mesh to pass the sand and finer particles but retain the sizes to be washed and examined for corundum. Gem quality corundum is rare. The vivid blue of some of the corundum at this site is exceptional. Limited prospecting, at least, should be under~ taken to establish whether gem quality stones can be found. SERICITE General Description, Uses and Prices Sericite is fine-grained white mica. Chemically, it is a complex silicate of sodium potassium, and aluminum. The chemist analysis usually is not important in the commercial application of sericite, so long as the color is white. For some uses of ground sericite, iron oxide as an impurity must be kept low. One of the chief uses of sericite is as a mineral filler. Fillers are comparatively inert and their action is mainly physical. They are emploY,ed 399 to modify the chemical, physical, thermal or optical properties of the compositions to which they are added. They do so by filling voids, providing reinforcement, modifying viscosity, increasing hardness, stiffness, or strength. The basic process of mineral filler preparation is size reduction. In addition, processing may include drying of feed material, removal of gritty or coarse-particle contaminants and ultimate size classification. Size reduction is usually accomplished by jaw or gyratory crushers, cone crushers, impact mills, attrition mills, or roller mills. Specialized size reduction milling methods have been developed for some mineral fillers, including mica. Usage requirements dictate the degree of processing refinements that are necessary to provide filler materials for various applications (Industrial Minerals and Rocks, 1960, p. 567-82). The major filler uses of sericite are:. Dry ground -roofing, joint cement, and paint; Wet ground- paint, rubber, and wallpaper. There are other specialty uses. In 1963 the U. S. consumption of ground muscovite mica amounted to 117,000 tons valued at $6,805,000. Roofing accounted for 38,980 tons; paint, 23,597 tons; joint cement, 24,625 tons; and miscellaneous filler, 30,049 tons. Dry ground mica averaged $40 per ton; wet ground, $150 per ton (U. s. Bureau of Mines, Minerals Yearbook, 1963). Occurrence in the CSRA Schists with the general composition quartz-muscovite-sericite are widespread over the CSRA. The composition ranges from nearly pure quartzite to schists composed almost entirely of muscovite and/or sericite. The distribution of these units is shown on the geologic map. The majority are quartose or impure (pyrite and magnetite are the most common and abundant accessories), but a careful search along these zones reveals portions of a quality suitable as a source of ground mica. Several promising localities were noted during reconnaissance mapping: Map Station 71, Lincoln County. In west-central Lincoln County at Anthony Chapel, 0.7 mile north of Lovelace, dirt road leads northwest from the Metasville-Lincolnton road. Along this dirt road, about 0.3 mile northwest of Anthony Chapel, sericite schist in units 2-10 feet thick occupy a zone 500 feet wide. There is little associated quartz but the seri~ ctt:e does .contain minor pyrite as disc:rete accessory particles; or iron oxide derTV;d from the weathering of pyrite. Schistosity of the sericite schist strikes N50-65E, dips 75-85SE and NW. Map Station 135, Warren County. This locality is 4.1 miles due south of Barnett, adjacent to a farm road leading west and southwest near a small branch. There are limited exposures of sericite schist in gullies on the northwest side of the road. The schist is composed almost entirely of fine particles of sericite with disseminated black opaques. Thickness and extent of this sericite zone could not be determined from present exposures. 400 Map Station 38, Wilkes County. Along the pav~d road between Rayle and Tyrone, 0.6 mile south-southeast of Court Ground, sericite schist is exposed intermittently over a width of 150 feet. The silvery gray 'schiSt iS almost entirely sericite with finely disseminated black opaques. Schisto sity strikes N55E, dips 77NW. Exposures are poor. Other Areas. One of the most promising areas for the produd:ion of sericite is in northern Columbia County. A well-defined zone of sericite with disseminated tiny particles of magnetite, and occasional sunbursts of tourmaline, trends east-northeast across the width of the County immediately south of Leah, and continues west-southwestward into McDuffie County. The zone has a consistent outcrop width of about ~miles. Northwest of this sericite zone is a much wider unit of intercalated "knotty" sericite schist and phyllite, which extends into southern Lincoln County. In addition to these areas, the belt of phyllite intermittently exposed along the Fall Line in the southern parts of Warren, McDuffie, and Columbia Counties, and the northern parts of Richmond and Glascock contains sericite zones which may be suitable for filler. The Georgia Vitrifi:ed Brick and Clay Co. has mined phyllite near Belair for many years; the phyllite is tni:l!:ed with clays and used in th~ manufacture of brick and tile. More information on this belt is given in the section Mi~cellaneous clays. The only record of prospecting for sericite in the CSRA is that done py J. T. Hanvey and associates at the Magruder Mine in Lincoln County. In ja.nuary 1954 a shaft was unwatered and rehabilitated in order to check on reported streaks of sericite in the underground workings. A few drifts and crosscuts were made but the sericite was found to be of low quality and operations were suspended in June 1954. Conclusions Large areas are underlain by sericite schist which can be processed for filler. Minable deposits are in Columbia, Glascock, Lincoln; McDuffie, Richmond, Warren and Wilkes Counties. SERPENTINE Sixteen miles northwest of Augusta, between Pollards Corner and the Savannah River, are 4 large masses of serpentine. The two largest masses underlie Burte arid Dixie Mountains. The MgO content commonly is 3538%. Test at the Department of Mines, Mining and Geology in 1941 indicated that a recovery of '95% of the magnesia might be obtairted by simple leaching with sulphuric acid. A few years later the Inte~national Minerals and Chem- icals Corporation constructed a plant in Augusta to process 100 tons of the 401 serpentine per day to produce epson salts. The plant operated during 1946 (U. S. Bureau of Mines Yearbook for 1946), and closed down during the spring of 1947. One reason given for closing the plant was the high cost of the mineral lease. Possible use of the serpentine as a decorative stone has been mentioned (see section on STONE)~ An investigation of the nickel and chromium contents is reported above. These masses constitute a large high grade source of readily recoverable magnesia. SILLIMANITE Like andalusite and kyanite, sillimanite has the composition AlzSiOs. Though its physical properties are somewhat different, its principal use i.s still as a refractory. Sillimanite commonly assumes an elongated needlelike habit, and is white or gray, except when stained. The hardness is 7-8; specific gravity, 3.1-3.4. Occurrence in the CSRA In the extreme northeast corner of Lincoln County where Broad River, Pistol Creek, and Newford Creek join the Savannah River, sillimanite-quartzmuscovite-sericite schist occurs in a wedge of layered rocks dominated by fine-grained hornblende and biotite gneisses with epidote boudins. The porphyrite Danburg granite borders these rocks on the west; fine- to coarsegrained biotite granites to the south. The sillimanite schist is interlayered with the gneisses; sillimanite zones average about 100 feet in width, but may be as wide as 200 feet, and are continuous for at least 1~ miles. Fibrous sillimanite occurs as felted aggregates and planar concentrations in a sericite-quartz-mus covite matrix. Euhedral and subhedral magnetite is a ubiquitous accessory and is commonly abundant; garnets are small and scat~ tered. The sillimanite oontent varies, being most abundant in the coarsergrained and more quartzose portions; an increase in sillimanite is usually accompanied by an increase in magnetite. Another sillimanite-bearing zone, in a similar layered sequence of hornblende and biotite gneisses, was mapped east of Fishing Creek near Georgia Highway 79. In other parts of the CSRA silimanite is of common occurrence near granitic intrusives, but was not noted as continuous zones within the quartzsericite schists. 402 None of the known deposits are commercially workable. SILICA, Massive Mining and Processing Massive quartz is worked by open-pit quarrying methods except when it is obtained as a by-product in the mining of other materials. The silica is drilled and blasted to a size that can be fed to the crushers. The processing depends upon the intended use. For ceramic purposes, silica is ordinarily ground to pass a 140-mesh sieve. For paints, polishes, fillers, etc., a 325-mesh or even f!ner product is required. For sandpaper. coarser grains are needed which must 'be carefully graded by size. For cast stone panels, the silica must be broken to gravel sizes and graded as to size by screening. Crystalline quartz is very hard and tough. Crushing is difficult and expensive. The coarse feed from the quarry is crushed in jaw crushers, possibly followed by chaser mills. At times the coarse feed has been calcined or heated and, quenched in water before crushing. Fine grinding may be done either wet or dry. Wet grinding may be accomplish~d in conical mills, in short-tube mills, in long-tube millE;~, or in wet-grinding pan~. The wet-ground silica is usually sized by water classification. Dry grinding may be done in conical mills, in short-pebble mills, or in long-tube mills. In dry grinding the finished product is sized by air separation. Wet grinding in ball or pebble mills has been used ~o grind silica to finer sizes for use as fillers and pigments. The high cost of pulveri~ing massive silica usually eliminated it as a competitor of natural quartz sand. Uses and Prices Silica has many uses (Table 43). 'Ihe price varies with the amount of processing. Silica used as a flux brings a little over $2.00 per ton. Silica used in the manufacture of glass and for grinding and polishing brings about $3.00 per ton; silica for refractories about $13.00 per ton. A modest market exists for exceptionally pure silica for the manufacture of silica glass at $36.00 per ton. The best market for white massive silica is the cast stone trade in which the price of the crushed and sized silica gravel is around $30.00 per ton. Occurrence in the CSRA Small veins pods and stringers are common over much of Wilkes, Taliaferro, Lincoln, Columbia, McDuffie and Warren Counties, but large quartz 403 TABLE 43 - Partial List of Uses for Massive Silica (From Ladoo and Meyers, 1951, p. 428). Abrasive Uses: Scouring and polishing soaps and powders Sandpaper Sand- blasting Sawing and polishing marble and granite Refractory Uses: Manufacture of silica fireblick and other refractories Metallurgical Uses: Flux in smelting basic ores Foundry-mold wash Manufacture of ferrosilicon and other silicon alloys Chemical Uses: Lining for acid towers Filtering media Manufacture of sodium silicate and other chemicals Mineral fillers: Inert paint extender Filler in insecticides, fertilizer, rubber, etc, Optical Use: Fused quartz Lenses Ceramic Use: Ingredient of ceramic bodies, glazes, enamel& Construction: Sand Terrazzo Cast stone panels masses appear to be restricted to the first four counties. At a few places they are sufficiently large and pure to be potential sources of silica. Columbia County Three large masses are described in Columbia County. For their locations see Figure 96. z ffi -~ i . i l'; ::t ~ ~ ~ ~ z ffi " t i t a ' s f w z If ~ ~ :3 Figure 96 405 Map Station 6. This exposure is in woodland east of a lake-access road. The exposure measures 125 x 25 feet and trends NSOE. The quartz mass consists primarily of small, poorly developed, intergrown cyrstals, which are white and vitreous. Open spaces between crystals has allowed rather free percolation of water and consequent deposition of iron oxide stain through much of the rock. Map Station 74. This is the largest exposure of quartz in Columbia County. Its width is greater than 50 feet. Intermittent outcrops indicate a length of about 800 feet; trend is N80-85E. Although some portions are massive, the body consists in large part of poorly developed white to light-gray crystals similar to those at Map Station 6. Map Station 155. The quartz mass is 8-12 feet thick and probably less than 100 feet long. The quartz is pale-gray to colorless, transparent to translucent, and vitreous. Iron oxide is minor. An attractive cast and minute chalcedony-filled fractures make this material unusual. Lincoln County Ten large masses are described from this County. For their locations see Figure 96. Map Station 238. The road exposes a quartz mass 8 feet wide trending NSOE. The quartz is massive, pale gray to white, translucent, vitreous, with negligible iron oxide. Map Station 270. Massive quartz crops out in and adjacent to the road; the exposure measures 13 x 75 feet and trends N70E. The quartz is white to pale-gray, translucent, vitreous, with minor,iron oxide and minor musco- {// vite; it is highly fractured. Map Station 299. A bouldery outcrop of massive quartz with a minimum width of 8 feet is exposed in woodland adjacent to the road. The quartz is somewhat fractured, white to pale-gray, translucent, vitreous, with minor iron oxide. Map Station 304. A quartz intrusion 25 x 200 feet forms a narrow peninsula jutting into the Clark Hill Reservoir; its trend is N70E. The quartz is white to pale-gray, translucent, vitreous, with minor iron oxide. Map Station 357. On the east side of the road a quartz outcrop 12 feet wide trends N60E. The quartz is white to pale-gray, translucent, vitreous, with minor iron oxide and minor muscovite. Map Station 358. This outcrop is possibly a continuation of the body exposed at Map Station 357. The thickness is 12-15 feet, the trend is N45E. The quartz is massive, light-gray, white and colorless, translucent to transparent, vitreous, with minor iron oxide. 4015 Map Station 365. In the road and adjacent woodland, bbuldery outcropsincl:l.. cate a minimum thickness of 10 feet and apparent trend of NSOE. The quartz is light-gray to white, translucent to transparent, vitreous; with minor iron oxide and minor muscovite. Map Station 371. The roadcut exposes 15 feet of massive qu&rtz trending NSSE. The quartz is pale-gray to white, translucent to vitreous, with minor iron oxide. No sulfides were noted. Map Station 374. Massive quartz crops out in a pasture adjacent to a private road leading from Georgia Highway 220 spur to the home of Claude Rhodes. A minimum thickness of 14 feet is indicated; the trend is N55E. The quartz is white and pale-gray with minor iron oxide. Map Station 375. The roadcut exposes a quartz body at least 12 feet thick trending N55E. The quartz is white to palegray; translucent to vitreous, with minor iron oxide and minor muscovite. No sulfides were rioted. Taliaferro County Three large masses are described in Taliaferro County; For their loca tiona see Figure 96. Map' Station 87. Quartz crops out in the woddland 15 feet north of die :i:'oaiL Minimum width of the mass is 15 feet. The trend is N65w. The quartz is mostly white, vitreous, masSive; some portions are composed of alter"' nating white and colorless bands, giving a "ribbon" appearance. iron oxide stain is minor. Map Station 187. A roadcut exposes 10 feet of quartz trending EJ)JE. The quartz is mostly white to buff, saccharoida1; some portions, particularly the inner parts of large boulders, are colorless, transparent and vitreous. The distribution df iron oxide stain in the mass is erratic; Map Station 338. A roadcut exposes 4 feet of quartz. Its maximum thickness would be 16 feet. The quartz is white and light-gray, translucent, vit"" reous, with minor iron oxide stain and seams of magnetite less than 1/8inch thick. Wilkes County Twelve large masses are described. For their locations see Figure 96. Map Station 32. This is a roadside exposure. The minimtitn length of the mass is 200 feet; its probable length is 300+ feet. The minimum width is 50 feet; probable width 60+ teet. The quartz mass is exposed for 200 feet trending N3S0 E. After a cover- ed interval of 35 feet, the outcrop continues with the same general 407 trend for another 100 feet. The quartz is white, gray, and colorless, mainly vitreous, but partly saccharoidal. Locally there is iron oxide stain, but much of the outcrop is white. Four prominent sets of closely spaced joints cut the stone. They are generally less than an inch to 14 inches apart and near vertical. Their attitudes are: N87W, N3E, N48W, N37E. The stone is cut by other fractures which do not belong to these joint sets. Many of the fractures have been healed by secondary silica. Drusy coatings and small quarts crystals line some of the breaks. The quartz was emplaced in granite now weathered to saprolite near the surface. Map Station 148. A quartz body 10 feet thick is exposed in a roadcut. The exposure is too poor for the attitude of the mass to be determined. The quartz is colorless, light-gray, and locally pale purple; it varies from transparent to translucent to vitreous. Iron oxide is minor. This would make unusually attractive material for cast stone panels. Map Station 217. Quartz caps a small knoll on the southeast side of the highway~ Minimum dimensions of the quartz mass are 30 and 120 feet; the trend is Nl5E. Much of the exposed quartz is a bright white. Some zones are off-white to light-gray. The stone is cut by fractures an inch to a foot or more apart. Map Station 219. The exposure is on the northwest side of the road. Minimum dimensions are 20 and 60 feet. The quartz is similar to that at Map Station 217 but is more iron-stained. Map Station 229. Quartz crops out in the woods southwest of the east fork of Susan Smith Branch. Minimum dimensions of the mass are 50 and 150 feet; its trend is generally north. The quartz is white, massive. Iron oxide stain is sparsely disseminated along fractures. There are scattered small pockets of iron oxide boxwork. Map Station 238. Quartz caps a low wooded knoll on the east side of the highway. Minimum dimensions are 15 and 100 feet; the trend is N70-75E. The quartz is massive, vitreous to saccharoidal. Some portions are bright white; other portions are iron-stained. The distribution of iron oxide suggests that sulfides are minor in the body of the quartz but widely disseminated. Map Station 252. The quartz crops out in the woodland immediately southeast of the highway. The minimum width of the mass is 25 feet. The apparent trend is Nl5E. The quartz is white and colorless; part of it has a pale blue-gray cast. It is transparent and vitreous to translucent. There 408 is minor iron oxide stain. Crystals of A-mica and wedged mica are near the vein walls. Map Station 254. Quartz is exposed in the woodland adjacent to and on both sides of the road. Minimum width of the mass is 10 feet; its trend is N45E. The quartz is white.and light-gray, translucent to vitreous, with minor iron oxide stain. The body contains some pyrite, particu larly near the vein walls and in the enclosing light-green micaceous rock. Map Station 277. Capping a low knoll on the northwest side of the highway is a bouldery outcrop, with individual boulders as large as 4-5 feet in diameter. The quartz is white and gray, vitreous. Thin quartz veins cutting the boulders are mostly white and vitreous; they contain small white to colorless, well terminated quartz crystals. Map Station 482. Quartz is exposed on both sides of the road. Intermittent outcrops extend over an area about 300 feet long and 20-40 feet wide. The t:re!!.d ie N70:E,, The quartz. ia whit:~ t:o.light~'"'gray!~.transl.uc:.ent to transparent. Its quality is variable. Some portions are massive and white; others are throughly fractured and contain thin bands of sericite, iron oxide, and weathered feldspar. Map Station 566. The apparent thickness of the quartz in a roadcut exposure is 12 feet; the apparent trend is N70E; The quartz is white to light-gray, translucent to vitreous. Minor iron oxide is along fractures and in scattered small pods. Map Station 603. In the woodland about 100 feet south of the road is an elliptical outcrop with a width at the middle of 50 feet arid a minimum length of 200 feet. The trend is Nl0-15E. The quartz is pale-gray, pale bluish-purple, colorless, and white, transparent to translucent, and lightly fractured. Iron oxide stain is scarce. This is the same type quartz as at Map Station 148. Economic Considerations The cost of mining and crushing massive silica rules out its utilization in concrete, abrasives, polishes, and similar uses. The nearby silica sands of the Upper Coastal Plain can be mined much more cheaply. The massive silica in this area can be utilized only for purposes which require either exceptional purity or coarse fragments. Some of the silica bodies might be pure enough for the manufacture of silica glass ($36.00 per ton). The best potential market for the massive silica is the cast stone trade, which offers a large market at prices around $30.00 per ton. The si lica can be mined, crushed and sized for $20.00 per ton or less, leaving at least $10.00 per ton for transportation costs and profit. The advantage of these large silica masses over others being mined in Georgia are homogeneity and purity. --- -------- 409 STONE Extensive areas are underlain by rocks suitable for monumental, dimension, and crushed stone products (See the Geologic Map). The principal rock types are granite, granite gneiss and quartzite. Other rock types that might be used are syenite, serpentine, diabase, hornblende gabbro. Existing and potential quarry sites are largely restricted to the 6 northernmost counties: Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie, Taliaferro, Warren and Wilkes. Granite crops out along the stream courses in northern Glas- cock County, but the quarry sites there are generally less favorable than farther north. Columbia County The principal granite in Columbia County is an irregularly shaped but nearly oval body 3 miles wide and 6 miles long, centered about 3 miles southeast of Appling. The mass trends north. It is a coarsely porphyritic granite pluton, with peripheral zones of granitic and biotite gneisses, and fine- to medium-grained granites. The interior portion is massive; joints are scattered and poorly developed; quartz veins are scarce or absent; pegmatites, generally less than 6 inches thick, are scattered; gneissic inclusions, rich in biotite, are common but small. Watson (1902) described the petrography and gave chemical analyses of the Heggie Rock, a part of this body. All of the potential quarry sites listed below are within the central mass of porphyritic granite, except numbers 11, 12, and 13. GRANITE Between Benton Branch and Little Kiokee Creek 1. Anderson Quarry. Riprap for construction of the New Savannah Lock and Dam at Augusta was obtained from an exposure on the Allen Anderson property. The opening, now abandoned, measures 500 feet long, 50-130 feet wide, and 2-8 feet deep. 2. Orrin Anderson and Holcombe Verdery Properties. Bare exposures total more than 30 acres. 3. Holcombe Verdery Property. Three separate exposures (A, B, and C), each topographically high, extend over more than 25 acres. 4. Holcombe Verdery Property. Adjacent to Georgia Highway 232, the granite crops out over about one acre; a much larger area is under thin overburden. 410 East of Little Kiokee Creek 5. Jackson E. Eubank Property. An exposure of granite extends over about 12 acres. 6. Mrs. Virginia Mathews property. Bare granite crops out over about 20 acres. 7. Mrs. Virginia Mathews Property. The outcrop covers about four acres, but the area is low topographically. Between Kiokee Creek, Benton Branch and Little Kiokee Creek 8. Weston and Brooker Company Property. The Heggie Rock, described by Watson in 1902, is the largest single exposure of granite in the CSRA; it extends over more than 90 acres. 9. Holcombe Verdery Property. An exposure of 20-25 acres shows considerable relief. 10. Holcombe Verdery Property. The main exposure covers about seven acres. Surrounding smaller exposures indicate a much larger area under very thin overburden. 11. Clark Hill Dam-Georgia Quarry. Granitic rock suitable for crushed stone cropped out only sparingly at this site. Core drilling was used t9 delineate the quarry area. Twenty-eight holes were drilled within an area, 850 feet by 500 feet. The soil and saprolite were found to range from 0-44 feet in thickness and to average 12.3 feet thick. Below the saprolite, fractured and partially weathered rock extended an additional 0-35 feet, averaging 11.6 feet. Thin weathered zones were encountered as much as 38 feet below the top of fresh rock. This drilling affords a general picture of the extent of weathering on other granitic rocks that are covered by saprolite. The composition of the rock was determined by the U. s. Army Corps of Engineers: Feldspar Mk.rocl:lne-Orthoclase 32-35% Plagioclase 28-30% Quartz Biotite m:iC'.a Secondary and ac~c:;essory minerals (chlorite, epidote, sericite, kaolin, muscovite, magnetite, sphene, garnet, pyrite, apatite, allanite) 60-65% 18-20% 10-17% 5% Physical tests showed the rock td be suitable for all constructional purposes. It was used in contruttion of the Clark Hill Dam. 411 12. Morris Quarry. Two miles west-northwest of Grovetown, south of the Pumpkin Center Road and east of Uchee Creek a small quarry was opened on land now owned by Mrs. Albert L. Morris. The granite is light-gray, medium-grained, with locally aligned biotite, which revesls gneissic structure. The quarry is abandoned and filled with water, but still could furnish some rough stone for local use. 13. Hugh A. Rhodes Property. Two and a half miles northeast of Martinez, a small biotite granite body is represented by bouldery outcrops over a half acre. The granite is gray, dense, and fine-grained. In past years a few large blocks for dimension stone were quarried. SERPENTINE Metamorphased ultrabasic bodies in northeastern Columbia County, between Pollards Corner and the Savannah River have been known for many years. The talc, soapstone, asbestos and chromite, associated with the serpentine have been mentioned in published reports. During the 1940's some of the serpentine was processed for the recovery of magnesia. Previous reports have not mentioned the possible use of the serpentine as a decorative stone. Though the upper surface is deeply weathered and deformation is widespread, the serpentine bodies are large and are near an established stone-working center. Limited core drilling might reveal portions suitable for the quarrying of decorative stone. L:Lncoln County GRANITE The pluton of porphyritic granite described in Wilkes County extends into the northern corner of Lincoln County. Here, as in Wilkes, weathering is generally shallow; however, potential quarry sites where the fresh granite is exposed, comparable to those in Wilkes, were not found. Fine- to coarse-grained biotite granites, foliated in part, extend several miles to the south of the porphyritic granite. These usually are more deeply weathered than the porphyritic granite. An area east of Midway Church (1), including properties of R. T. Norman, Mrs. Pearl Norman, Arlin Walker, and H. M. Drinkard, contains several clusters of bouldery outcrops which could furnish rough stone for local use. GABBRO Along Lloyd Creek, 2 miles northwest of Amity in southwestern Lincoln County a gabroic rock crops out intermittently over an area 200-400 feet wide and about 2000 feet long. The apparent trend of the mass is N55W, 4~2 crosscutting the ENE regional strike of the layered country rock. The gabbro is medium- to coarse-grained. Pyroxene, hornblende, and feldspar present an attractive pattern; a dark green color dominates; white and pink feldspar are scattered throughout; some epidote and chlorite are visible. It sufficiently resistant to weathering, this stone can be used as a decorative stone. McDuffie County GRANITE Although much of McDuffie is underlain by granite gneiss and granites of various types, the county has few good quarry sites. The upland areas are generally deeply weathered, with only scattered residual boulders. The southern part of the county is largely covered by Coastal Plain sediments, which mask the underlying crystalline rocks. Limited areas of fresh rock are exposed along the more active streams. Quarrying in these areas would be handicapped by drainage problems. Some of the better potential sites are listed below. 1. H. T. Matthews Property. Five and a half miles southwest of Thomson, west of Big Briar Creek, clusters of bouldery outcrops form a nearly continuous exposure over six acres. The granite is medium-gray, massive, dense, and fine-grained, with scattered coarse feldspar crystals; in appearance, it is very similar to that at the English Quarry in Warren County. The outcroping rocks are fresh and the area is topographically high. 2. J. R. Farrand Mrs. H. G. Lane Property. Prior to 1900, a limited amount of quarrying at this site furnished stone for construction of the McDuffie County jail. This is the same type granite as on the Matthews property. Present exposure is poor. 3. Chester Johnson, J. R. J?arr, and Mrs. H. G. Lane Properties. A flat-rock and bouldery exposure about two miles west of Thomson, on the Mesena Road, extends over one acre. This granite is similar to that on the Matthews property. The deposit is near a railroad. A home recently was built adjacent to the outcrop. 4. Ned Harrison Property. Six miles north of Thomson, on the divide between Germany Creek and Little Germany Creek, small bare areas 50-150 feet across and bouldery outcrops extend over several acres. The granite is light-gray and medium- to coarse-grained, rich in feldspar and poor in biotite. 5. Ralph Dozier Property. North of Cobbham 3~ miles and west of Rousseau Creek is a one-acre granitic outcrop. An abandoned quarry 200 feet long, 50-75 feet wide, and 5-15 feet deep furnished riprap and crushed stone for local use. The rock is a porphyroblastic granite gneiss; well 413 developed foliation strikes N62E and is vertical. 6. Mrs. Lloyd Cason Property (was Murry Gibson). Ten miles north of Thomson on Georgia Highway 43 is a small body of gneissic graniter;3izh~ar to that quarried on the Dozier property. Foliation strikes N65E and is nearly vertical. Richmond County METAMORPHIC ROCKS The Superior Stone Company, a division of Martin-Marietta Company, operates the Dan Quarry, which is the only stone quarry in Richmond County. The Dan Quarry is at the Columbia-Richmond County line northeast of Marti- nez, t mile from the Savannah Ri~er. The property crovers 35 acres (Figure 97). Quarrying has been carried on at this site for over 100 years. Early in its development, the property was owned and operated by the City of Augusta. The Superior Stone Company acquired the property and began construction of its present facilities in March 1951. They installed a small jaw crusher with two other reduction units, a 5~' Standard, and a 4~' Short Head. An early contract supplied the Atomic Energy Commission's Savannah River Project with most of their aggregate needs. A series of improvements and additions to the equipment evolved over the years to the completion of the present plant facilities in September 1964. The stone from the quarry is processed in a highly automated series of crushing, conveying, and screening steps, From the pit the rock is dumped into a single Lipman Crusher (42"x48") from which it is conveyed to two Symons Standard crushers (5~') and then to a transfer tower. From the tower the flow of stone is to two 5~' Symons Short Head Cone Crushers: the stone is screened and recycling for further crushing or sent by conveyor to final screening and separation into 8 sizes. All of the final sizes can be adjusted and all sizes can be automatically blended. The quarry supplies highway needs, of any specification, to Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. Local users include road and building contractors as well as state and county agencies and private individuals. Production in 1951 was approximately a million tons per year. This was accomplished on a plant production rate of 400-500 tons per hour maximum. Two shifts working 20 hours per day, 6 days a week supplied the Savannah River Project. In 1964 the production was still one million tons per year. The loss of market resulting from completion of the Savannah River Project has been made up by new customers. Production capacity is no 1000-1200 tons per hour due to modernization and improvements to the crushing machinery. The rock is transported by rail or truck. There is a spur line of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad to the storage piles. Survyttl by: ASTON 11/Nf:RAI.. ENGINEERING SERVICE No~IH!IW, 1962 QUA~RY FLOOR DAN QUARRY SUPERIOR STONE co~rAIIIY /'{ ~ARTINEZ, GEORGIA 100 zoo 300 ~'~ \ Fig1.1re $7 415 The quarried stone consists of metamorphased sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Little River series. These can be lumped mainly under the general term "quartzites," with minor quartz-sericite schists and quartzmuscovite schists. The weathered zone is 0-50 feet thick. Below this the quartzite is dominantly gray, dense, uniformly fine-grained; portions are green, red, and varying shades of tan and brown. Pink pegmatitic zones make up about 10% of the quarried rock. Layering and foliation are well developed in all of the rock. Two prominent sets of joints are persistent throughout the quarry; one set strikes east, dips 75N, the other strikes NlOE, dips 75W. Basic dikes are common and range from 1/8 inch to more than 2 feet in thickness. TABLE 44 - Chemical Analyses-Dan Quany Rocks-Superior Stone Co., Augusta, Georgia (Furcron and Turner, 1954) Na2o KzO CaO MgO AFeI22oo33 sToi03 2 Loss on ignition Undetermined red quartzite 2.10 I. 25 1.18 0.48 15.18 2.00 Tr. Tr. 0 67 0.70 gray 9uartzite 2.05 1-15 0.70 0.74 15.96 2.36 Tr. Tr. .64 0.60 GRANITE Granite gneiss is exposed along the face of a cliff 100-150 feet high which forms the west side of the Savannah River 7 miles north of Augusta near the head of the canal (Watson, 1902, p. 237). Taliaferro County GRANITE Taliaferro County encompasses extensive areas of granite and granite gneiss but weathering is deep and outcrops of fresh rock are few and scattered. Most outcrops are in the vicinity of Sharon and Raytown. The reconnaissance field work revealed only two localities which warrant special mention. 1. Cox Woodlands Company Property. Between Sharon and Raytown, 1~ miles east of Sharon, immediately north of the paved road, medium- to coarsegrained biotite granite crops out in an open field. This is the best site for crushed stone production noted in Taliaferro County. The railroad at 416 Sharon is 1~ miles to the west. 2. Albert Drinkard Property. Granite crops out adjacent to the Raytown- Washington Road about 1.3 miles north of Raytown. The bouldery exposure measures 50'xl50'. The granite is composed of pink feldspar, guartz, and biotite. A small amount of the stone has been quarried for local use: bridge abutments, steps, chimneys, etc. WARREN COUNTY GRANITE 1. Cedar Rock Quarry. WatsoJ;t (1902) described th~ ~'.Holder 1s Mill Area,'' as an "extensive exposure of porphyritic gneissoid granite . . " From a point in McDuffie County about five miles northeast of Cedar Rock, this body extends to the southwest across Warren County, through Cedar Rock and Norwood, and continues into Hancock County. The rock is a very coarse-grained prophyritic biotite granite. Aligned biotite and feldspar phenocrysts form pronounced lineation. In portions of the body alignment of these minerals, combined with segregation, impa~ts a banded appear~nce. In 1930 a quarry was opened at Cedar Rock (Watson's Holder's Mill site) by Weston and Brooker Company. The only production of granitic crushed stone in the CSRA is from this Cedar Roc~ Quarry. The Weston and Brooker Company produces crushed stone, riprap, and jetty stone. The quarry opening now extends over 70 acres and is being worked to a 2~5 feet depth. Overburden ranges from zero to 20 feet. Present capacity of the plant is 250 tons of finished stone per hour. Two diabase dikes are well exposed in the quarry walls and floor. The dikes trend northwest and are nearly vertical; both show some brecciation, with open-space deposition ot: calcite. The diabase is quarried along with the granite, for aggregate. 2. W. A. Knox and Lois F. Moore Properties. Designated "The Brinkley Place Flat-Rock" by Watson (1902), this property is about 3. 5 miles southwest of the Cedar Rock Quarry, and is a part of the same mass. As proven by sustained production at C.edar Rock, this stone is admirably suited for crushed stone and riprap. The proximity of the property to the Weston and Brooker operations, however, likely will restrain development. 3. Collins Quarry. In 1962 Middle Georgia Quarrying Company, Inc., began an opening on the Sam Collins property north of the dirt road between Rocky Branch Church and the Ogeechee River. Several blocks have been taken out and the derrick is still in place, but the quarry appears to be inactive. 417 This quarry is in the same mass as that being worked at Cedar Rock. The granite is a very coarse-grained porphyritic biotite-muscovite granite. Feldspar phenocrysts are 15-25 mm long and 6-12 mm thick. The orientation of the feldspars defines a lineation, but generally the rock is homogenous: foliation is less well developed here than in much of the mass. Segregations of biotite, generally 20-30 mm in diameter and 2-4 mm across are widely scattered. Occassional small inclusions of coarse-grained pinkish nonporphyritic granite are seen. Intensive weathering bleaches the feldspar; iron oxide derived from the biotite imparts a brownish cast to the entire rock. This opening is near the northern margin of the granitic body. The peripheral portions are characterized by rapid change in character; foliation is often pronounced, and fine- to coarse-grained non-porphyritic granites are intimately associated with the porphyritic mass. Careful testing is required in the peripheral portions when extensive production of monumental or dimension stone is planned. This site is topographically high, has good drainage and shallow overburden. 4. Charles Kitchens Property. In the northern part of the county, between Williams Creek Church and Ebenezer hurch, a dense fine- to mediumgrained muscovite-biotite granite crops out on the Kitchens property. The outcrop measures l00xl50 feet; bouldery exposures extend along trend to the northeast and southwest for several hundred yards. The granite is darkgray when fresh, pale buff-gray when weathered. This rock is adjacent to the proposed route of Interstate Highway 20. 5. English Quarry. Two miles southeast of Warrenton, on the property of Mrs. Edna English, is a 2-acre exposure of fine-grained biotite granite. A quarry was opened prior to 1900 and stone taken out for construction of the county jail (Watson, 1902). This property is currently under lease to Harmony Blue Granite Company. The rock is a medium-gray, massive, dense, fine-grained and contains scattered coarse feldspar crystals. Inclusions are scarce. Pegmatite veins are thin and widely spaced. Another exposure of the same type of granite is one mile to the northwest, at Rocky Ford Branch. It has large inclusions of contorted biotite granite gneiss with abundant particles and knots of magnetite. Poor drainage and thicker overburden make this property much less suitable for quarrying than the English property. 6. Roy T. Reese and Merrell Cartledge Properties. Watson (1902) described a "medium coarse-grained reddish-gray porphyritic biotite granite" on what was then the George Shirley property 3~ miles south of Warrenton. The granite is poorly exposed, but thin overburden is indicated. Feldspar phenocrysts 5-10 mm long are an attractive pink; this color is possibly 418 intensified in the exposed weathered rock. An opening will have to be made to test the color and quality of fresh rock. 7. R. L. Haywood, F. S. Moore, and J. J. Johnson Properties. Seven miles southwest of Warrenton, a blue-gray, coarse-grained biotite granite crops out in Fowler Branch and as scattered small bare exposures on both sides of the branch, over several acres northwest and southeast of Georgia Highway 16. The granite is massive, with only minor accessories, and should yield an attractive monumental stone. Its low elevation, however, might hamper quarrying. Wilkes County GRANITE 1. C. C. Granade Property. Two and a half miles southwest o.f Washirtg.ton, a small quarry was opened in 1896 (on the Henry Pettus. property) to obtain street: and building stone for local use. It has not been worked since. The opening, a nearly circular pit 30 by 40 feet and 4-8 feet deep, appears to have been made on a large res-idual boulder. This rock is a mediumgrained biotite-muscovite granite; considerably- al-tered in: t.hec exposed portions. The amount of stone still available is limited. Watson (1902) mentioned several acres Qf flat-surface outcrop one mile southwest of the opening. This exposure could not be located. 2. J. L. McAvoy, E. D. Amason, and E. B. Ward Properties. Eight miles southwest of Washington, south o.f Georgia Highway 44, is a 3-acre granite exposure; mostly saprolite, with only about ~-acre of relatively fresh rock. The granite is coarse-grained, and cut by coarsely crystalline pegmatites. The weathering profile, influenced by well-developed joints, is erratic. Aggregate might be produced here after removal of considerable saprolite. The saprolite contains abundant coarse feldspar and quartz and is a good road dressing material. 3. R. A. Cason Propert. Bouldery outcrops of coarsely crystalline pink granite cover more than one acre on the Cason property 2~ miles northnorthwest of Rayle (Figure 104). There are no fresh exposures. Testing to determine the color and quality of fresh rock is recommended. Danburg Granite. The most promising area for the development of monumental and dimension stone in the CSRA'is northeastern Wilkes County. The Danburg porphyritic granite and peripheral rock units offer quality, quantity, and variety sufficient to arouse the interest of established producers. The Danburg granite extends over approximately 50 square miles in northeastern Wilkes County and northwestern Lincoln County. It is an oval shaped ' :,,,l ' 419 pluton of coarsely porphyritic biotite granite. Field observations indicate remarkably uniform composition and texture throughout. Hand specimens show prominent feldspar phenocrysts in a ground mass of feldspar, quart~, and biotite. The mineralogical composition of a sample from the Wheless Quarry, as determined by L. D. Ramspott, is: quartz, 26%; microcline-microperthite, 37%; plagioclase (An24 ), 29%; others, 8%. Accessory minerals are primarily biotite, sphene, and magnetite, with minor zircon, apatite, muscovite, and chlorite. Most of the phenocrysts are microcline-microperthite; a few are oligoclase. The phenocrysts, 12-50 mm long, 6-25mm wide, and 6-12 mm thick, are all poikilitic. Some of the microline phenocrysts have plagioclase rims. Both alkali feldspar and plagioclase show zoning. Mineral alignment is subdued. The Danburg is massive; joints are not well-developed. Pegmatites are small and widely spaced, and quartz veins are conspicuously scarce. Within the area underlain by the Danburg pluton are many good quarry sites. Residual soil and saprolite cover, though variable in thickness, is generally thin. The locations listed below show some bare outcrop of relatively fresh rock and are topographically high. Transportation will necessarily be by truck as there are no railroads in the area; the section is traversed by a network of hard-surface roads. 4. Wheless Quarry. A new quarry for dimension stone has been opened in coarse porphyritic granite on the Clinton Wheless property in Danburg. A hoist was erected in 1963, and several blocks removed. 5. Hogan-Barnett Quarry. Northeast of the Danburg quarry 1.2 miles and 0.7 mile northwest of Georgia Highway 44 is a large porphyritic granite exposure known locally as Cedar Rock. The mineral rights are owned by Mr. Vincent Hogan and Marion Barnett. The Davidson Granite Company has cleared the site and begun testing operations. A small area of granite has been raised and sheeted to a depth of 1-3 feet. Production has not yet begun. 6. W. F. McGill Property. ~ few hundred yards north and northeast of the Hogan-Barnett Quarry are two potential quarry sites. At Location 6A there is about one acre of scattered flat porphyritic granite outcrops; at Location 6B, about 1~ acres. The residual soil cover around both exposures is thin. 7. Marion Barnett Property. This outcrop of porphyritic granite covers less than half an acre, but the overburden on the surrounding acreage is thin. Peripheral Granite. Bordering the porphyritic granite on the southwest is a zone of coarse-grained, even-granular, non-porphyritic granite. In order of abundance, the principal minerals are feldspar, quartz, biotite, and muscovite. Over large areas of outcrop this granite has a pink cast which ranges from very pale to dark. The intensity of the color might be a 420 manifestation of weathering. Drilling will be necessary to detennine whether the color holds at depth. 8. E. C. Saggus Propertl South of Danburg 1~ miles, flat-rock and bouldery exposures of coarse-grained muscovite-biotite granite extend over about 3 acres. Part of the granite is pink. It is in contact with the porphyritic granite to the north. In 1963 several small surface blocks were taken out for testing. 9. Cherokee Timber CorEorationa Willie Cofer, Rosa Fortson, and Grady Bowers Properties. Continuing west from the Saggus property, around the periphery of the porphyritic granite, the next notable outcrop of the pink coarse-grained grani.te is inunediately west of Georgia Highway 44, on the Cofer property (9A). Northwest from tpe Cofer property, on lands of Cherokee Timber Corporation, Rosa Fortson, and Grady Bowers, intermittent flat-rock and bouldery outcrops continue for almost a mile along a belt about 300 yards wide. Several good quarry sites were noted (9l3, 9C, and 9D); others could be found by careful search and drilling. Clinton Wheless has taken surface blocks from two localities (9E and 9F) for testing. 10. Cherokee Timber Corporation and Jack Satterfield Properties. West of Area 9 and 4000 feet east of Sandy Hill Crossroads is another outcrop of the coarse-grained pinkish granite, covering about one half acre! Bouldery outcrops extend more than 1500 feet to the north aiong a steep slope ori the west side of a small branch. 11. Harry Bradford, Champicm Paper Corporation, and R. E. Roehr Pro2erties. North of Location 10, about 6300 feet, the same granite crops out on the above-named properties. The best exposure is a flatrock area of approximately one acre. SYENITE A syenite body abuts against the porphyritic granite a mile north of Delhi. The intrusion, 4000-5000 feet in diameter, is nearly circular in outline and stands slightly higher, topographically, than the enclosing granite and layered hornblendic, chloritic, and sericitic rocks. The syenite is generally medium- to coarse-grained, but grain size varies considerably over short distances. Fresh specimens are attractive. The rock consists essentially of white or pale-gray feldspar in which there are scattered patches and crystals of hornblende and biotite. Weathering oxides the hornblende and biotite and there is soni.e spreading of stain along fractures and intergranular spaces. Near the margins, the syenite becomes siliceous, with thickly disseminated 2- to 3 nun-diameter quartz particles. 12. Two flat-rock exposures of syenite were noted, each more than an acre in extent. One is on property of tpe Cherokee Timber Corporation (12A); 421 one on the Mrs. Georgia Pullen property (12B). Large bouldery outcrops are abundant over much of the area. Dressing for Secondary Roads The six northern counties of the CSRA, with more than 1300 miles of soil-surface roads, face a constant problem of maintenance. Those portions which are underlain by Coastal Plain sands and gravels, coarsely granular or porphyritic granites, and coarse-grained metadacite generally have satisfactory surface stability. A large part of the area, however, is underlain by fine-grained basic rocks the deep weathering of which has produced a blanket of plastic clay containing only a small percentage of granular material. Roads constructed through such soil become practically impassable when wet. A thick dressing of coarse granular material, which will provide traction and increase permeability, allowing slower water runoff without wash, is desirable. In the past, and partly now, the best available dressing materials have not been utilized. The added expense of somewhat longer hauls can be more than compensated by better and more durable surfaces. Though specific points for soil pits are not designated, sufficient areas are outlined in each county that numerous sites can be selected. Because of the general objection of landowners to having land stripped of soil for relatively small reimbursement, it is recommended that prospects be augered to determine the depth of saprolite. A depth of 12 or 18 feet would triple or quadruple the amount of material normally removed from pits in the past and thereby greatly decrease the acreage annually stripped of topsoil. Top Soil in Columbia County Coastal Plain sands and gravels in the southern part of the county, from Harlem to Grovetown and Martinez, offer the best source of topping for soil roads. The next best source is the area of porphyritic granite east and southeast of Appling (A). However, decomposition of this mass is generally not deep. Small granitic bodies scattered over the county (B, C, D, E, F, G, and H) can furnish limited quant~ties of fair quality road dressing. Top Soil in Lincoln County A wide zone of metadacite extending entirely ac.ross Lincoln County in the middle portion (A) affords a good supply of excellent road dressing material. Weathering is in many places quite deep; disintegration yields a coarsely granular feldspar-quartz mixture with minor silt, clay, and mica. Saprolite of the Danburg porphyritic granite, extending into Lincoln County in the north (B), offersanequally good surfacing material; however, weathering is generally more shallow. Residuum of most of the fine- to 42.2 medium-grained granites in the county is too decomposed to form a firm allweather road surface. Coarse fill material for poorly drained segments of road can be obtained from extensive silicified zones at C and D. Top Soil in McDuffie County The conditions in McDuffie County are much the same as in Warren, with roads in the northern part requiring the greatest addition of dressing for stabilization. Coastal Plain sands and gravels in the southern half, and a narrow segment extending north to Cobbham, are the best sources of road dressing material. Several small granite bodies (A, B, C, D, and E) can furnish sandy saprolite with considerable clay. The silicified zone near Fountain Camp Ground (Warren County) extends into McDuffie County. Top Soil in Taliaferro County Deep weathering of granite and granite gneiss in Taliaferro County has yielded an abundant supply of saprolite suitable for road dressing. A large area in the vicinity of Sharon and Raytown is underlain by granitic saprolite. From Crawfordville northeast to Sandy Cross, much of the saprolite is coarse and well-suited for topping soil roads. The weathering hortzon is generally deeper here than around Raytown. Some of the best surfacing material in the western part of the county is derived from very feldspathic and quartzose zones in the hornblendebiotite-epidote gneisses. Weathering of these zones produces a coarse harsh feldspar-quartz mixture ideal for stabilizing, and imparting traction to, the heavy clay base of many of the roads in this section. The pit currently being worked adjacent to Georgia Highway 22, near Stephens Creek (A), is in saprolite of this type. Top Soil in Warren County Soil roads in southern Warren County are general~y good, due to the nature of underlying granites and Coastal Plain sediments. The limited quantity of dressing needed for short segments of road is readily obtainable; sedimentary sand or coarse granite residuum is available over most of the area. The dominance of fine-grained basic rocks in parts of the northern section, and resulting heavy clay residuum, require more attention. Outliers of Coastal Plain sands and gravels (A-J) widely spaced, can furnich sands and gravels for road dressing, and coarse gravel for fill. Residuum from a thick silicified zone near Fountain Camp Ground (K) is another source of coarse angular materi~l for stabilization of poorly drained segments of road. Top Soil in Wilkes County The largest single area of good quality road dressing in Wilkes County is that in the northeast part underlain by the Danburg porphyritic granite (A). 423 Medium- and coarse-grained granites south and southwest of Danburg (B) furnish soil and saprolite rendered slightly less suitable by a higher percentage of silt and clay. About two miles north-northwest of Metasville, on property of the Champion Paper Corporation, is a small body of very coarse-grained granite, or adamellite (C). Deep weathering by processes which have led to disintegration rather than decomposition, has yielded a large supply of excellent road dressing material. A pit currently in operation on the property furnishes a major portion of the volume now used in the county. Another small body of coarse-grained granite immediately southeast of Tyrorte (D) can supply a limited amount of good saprolite. A rather large area in the western part of the county (E), in the vicinity of Rayle, Linesville, Newtown, and Jackson's Crossroads, in underlain by fine- to coarse-grained granites. Here decomposition is generally more advanced, with a consequent increase in clay and silt. Where roads cross areas of poor drainage or exceptionally clayey zones, very coarse material is often required to provide a stable base. Crushed granite is suitable, but often impractical from a cost standpoint. There are several extensive silicified zones in the county (F, G, and H). Residuum from these, consisting of coarse angular particles of very resistant cherty material, has been used in the past. A large quantity of material can still be obtained without the expense of blasting and crushing. Quarrying and Processing Crushed Stone The production of crushed stone involves primary drilling and blasting; secondary breaking; loading and hauling from the quarry; primary and secondary crushing; screening; and stocking of the finished product. Drilling for primary blasting is generally done with percussion or rotary drills, which have largely replaced the more cumbersome churn drill. The size and spacing of drill holes and distance between the holes and the free face are determined by characteristica;,of the rock and the optimum fineness needed for the crushers. The amou~t and type of blasting agent used can modify the volume of drill hole needed to accomplish the desired fineness from primary blasting. Secondary breaking is frequently by use of a crawler-mounted crane and drop ball. Power shovels of ~ to 3 or more yards capacity are used in most quarry loading operations. Front end loaders are used for clean up and some loading work. Quarry haulage is generally by truck. Haul loads of 20-30 tons 424 reduce overall maintenance and serve as an intermediate storage between shovels and plant. Primary crushing of hard abrasive materials is usually by jaw crusher. Gyratory, impact, and roll crushers are sometimes used for less abrasive rocks. For further size reduction gyratory or cone crushers are generally used; hammer mills and impact breakers are satisfactory for less abrasive materials. Separation of various sizes is accomplished by vibrating screens or h~rdened punched plates. The sized particles are fed by belt conveyor di~ rectly to storage and loading bins or stocked in piles on the ground. Dimension Stone The production of granite for dimension stone involves: (1) p+imary separation by drilling and channeling, jet piercing, or wire saw cutting, followed by ba13al separation using either the "plug and feather" method or black powder in horizontal drill holes; (2) secondary subdivision of the large masses; this is generally accomplished by the "plug and feather" method, forcing wedges into drilled holes to crack the rock; (3) block removal by fixed or movable derrick and haulage to the finishing mill; (4) further reduct~on into the desired sizes by sawing, plug and feather, or by hand processes; (5) surface finishing -which may include carving, machine surfacing to obtain an even plane surface, or polishing. Similar procedures are followed in the qua~rying and processing of other stones, as marble, limestone, and sandstone, although each type of stone requires somewhat different methods, machinery, and techniques. This is true, also, of the same general rock type; techniques and machinery must be modified according to the physical differences of the stone and the type of quarrying followed. For detailed information, see the chapter on "Dimension Stone" in In- dustrial Minerals and Rocks, by Oliver Bowles. Several U. s. Bureau of Mines Information Circulars have been ~ssued on the subject. Production and Prices In 1963 stone ranked second in value in Georgia mineral production. The total output was about the same as in 1962, but value was 10 percent higher. Crushed granite decreased 3 percent in tonnage but declined 15 percent in value. Crushed granite sold or used by producers in 1963 amounted to over 14 million tons valued at more than $20 million, an average value of $1.43 per ton. Almost 12~ million tons of this was used for concrete and roadstone; the remainder for railroad ballast, riprap, and other uses. 425 Nearly ~ million cubic feet of dimension granite was produced, valued at almost $4 million, an average value for all uses of $1.75 per cubic foot. Rough monumental, rubble, and curbing and flagging stone accounted for most of the production. Average value of rough monumental stone was $2.05 per cubic foot. SULFIDES The principal shows of sulfides, excluding pyrite, are along a line extending NE from Union Point, Green County, to the Magruder Mine west of Lincolnton in Lincoln County, a distance of about 30 miles. Eight shows have been found along this line. The reconnaissance geologic maps of Taliaferro, Wilkes and Lincoln Counties do not show a clear-cut lithologic or structural belt relating the shows. Their ore mineral suites are not identical. Sphalerite and galena are common in the two northern-most prospects and appear to be scarce in the southern shows. Nevertheless, the alignment of the prospects suggests that they are somehow related and that additional mineralization might be found along the trend. Seven of the geochemical investigations that have been made are in this "zone" of sulfide mineralization. The quartz veins in northern McDuffie County and to the northeast in southern Lincoln County commonly contain pyrite, galena, and chalcopyrite. Galena is abundant in some veins. A few veins up to 3 feet thick are composed mainly of copper-lead-zinc sulfides. The high density of veins along this belt and the high sulfide content of some of them point to the possibility of significant base metal mineralization, a possibility not heretofore recognized. Nine of the localities have been investigated geochemically in an effort to find out whether the mineralization is extensive enough to warrant detailed exploration (Table 45). Geochem. Locality 1 Pollards Corner, Columbia County High grade copper mineralization has been reported to half mile so~th east of Pollards Corner. A sample of drill core submitted to the Georgia Department of Mines, Mining and Geology by Mr. Robert Pollard from a hole drilled by the J. M. Huber Corporation was largely chalopyrite and analysed about 15% copper. Though the core was only a few inches long, it was reported to have been taken from a place where the country rock is intensely altered on the margin of a large serpentine mass. A total of 850 soil samples were collected and analysed as described on pages 48-49. A copper anomaly was not detected over the drill. site reported by Mr. Pollard. A short distance to the south is a slight copper anomaly. 426 TABLE 45 - General Inform,at~on Summary for the Nine Areas Investig;ated Geochemically in Northern CSRA. Locality Sampling Spacing Attitude designation interval of of along grid lines baseline grid lines Geochem. 1 Pollards Corner 50'-1001 501-1001 E-W Columbia CounJ:x Geochem, 1A Old Evans Property 5 miles east of 1001 2~0 1 E-W Pollards Corner Columbia Co, Geochem. lB B.urte-Dixie Mtns. 2 1/2 miles east of 1001 3001 E-W Pollards Corner Columbia Co. Geochem, 2 Youngs Chapel 501-2501 1()01-2501 N20W ~--Wilkes Gouno/ Geochem, 3 .. -- - --- - N-S ' Magruder- Cha111bers 2001 Area 2001 E-W Lincoln- Wilkes Counties Geochem, 4 Boyce Guin Place 1501 1;501 N-S W~lkes Coun~ Geochem, 5 Benson Place 2501 2501 N-S Wilkes CounJ:x Geochem. 6 Garrard Property 100 1 ~oo N5E Wilkes CounJ:x Geochem. 7 Columbia-Parks- 1001 Landers Mine Area 3()01 E-W McDuffie Coun Geochem, 8 Armour Property 1001 3001 .E-W Taliaferro CounJ:x Geochem, 9 Bryant Property 100' 3001 N-X Lincoln CounJ:x No. of samples collected aso 238 1111 517 1916 159 104 84 772 132 77 Elemen~ determined Cu Ni Cr Cu Ni Cr Cu Ni Cr cu Ni Cr Cu Zn Cu Zn Cu Zn Cu Zn Pb Cu Zn Pb Cu Zn Pb Cu Zn Pb Additional information is in the section on Nickel Nickel Nickel J Copper Copper Copper Copper copper Copper Copper Copper 427 All four of the large serpentine masses in Columbia County were systematically sampled for the chromium and nickel investigations. The same samples were analysed for copper. Geochem. Locality lA is the serpentine mass west of the Savannah River and south of Dixie Mountain, the old Evans Property; 238 samples were analysed from it. Geochem. Locality lB includes the two serpentine masses which comprise Burte Mountain and Dixie Mountain, 2~ miles east of Pollard Corner; 1,110 samples were analysed from lB. No sig~ificant copper anomalies were detected. Geochem. Locality 2 Youngs Chapel, Wilkes County The location is 5 miles west of Washington in the vicinity of Youngs Chapel. This site was selected for geochemical investigation after the field geologists found 2 shows of copper mineralization along a low ridge between Youngs Chapel and Beaverdam Creek, and after other evidence of mineralization had been found in the stream alluvium. Most of the area is covered by saprolite and alluvium. Rock crops out along the road which crosses the north end of the ridge, in the intermittent drainage west of the ridge, and in 3 shallow pits dug along the crest of the ridge. The predominant rocks are hornblende gneiss epidosite, biotite gneiss, and a light colored, fine- to medium-grained quartzofeldspathic rock. Lenses or pods of biotite, hornblende and/or epidote from a few inches to a few feet long are common. The biotite gneiss exposed in the road near Youngs Chapel strikes east-northeast and dips northwest at moderate to steep angles. The mineralization is restricted to the ridge between Youngs Chapel and Beaverdam Creek. It is marked by epidosite, much of it coarse, and lesser quartz. In the vicinity of the prospect pits are large boulders of coarse epidote crystals. The epidosite, amphibolite and quartz exposed in the prospect pits are highly fractured, with malachite and azurite coating the fractures. Copper mineralization is exposed at 3 places over a distance of 250 feet: at 2 shallow prospect pits along the ridge and in the creek bank about 200 feet SW of station 0-00 of the sampling grid (at -l-175SW). In an effort to trace the mineralization through metal anomalies in the soil, 517 samples were collected at 50-250 foot intervals along grid lines 100-250 feet apart (Figure 98). The collection procedure was to scrape off the humus and the upper 2-4 inches of soil at the sample site, drill a hole about a foot deep with a 3-inch diameter soil auger and take a representative sample from the auger cuttings. The samples were dried, N -19 -20 Figure 98 ' ! YOUNG'S CHAPEL PROSPECT WILKES COUNTY Sampling Giid OC::=====IOOO=z=====2000=:1 Feel 1964 429 split and sieved. From the -200 mesh fractions pellets were pressed for analysis .by the X-ray vacuum spectrograph. A plot of the copper content of the samples revealed an oval-shaped anomaly 200 feet wide extending along a ridge for 350 feet east of Young's Chapel. The anomaly is asymmetric, with crowded contours on the northwest and more widely spaced contours on the southeast, which suggests that the mineralization may dip southeastward (Figure 99). The sampling south of the anomaly in Figure 99 revealed no additional shows. During November 16-20, 1964, three shallow holes were drilled on the anomaly to find out (1) whether it overlies a covered body of copper ore, (2) whether the copper mineralization is surficial or extends downward into unweathered rock, and (3) the identity of the primary copper minerals. Hole No. 1 was located 56 feet S48E from station 0-50NE and was inclined 45 to the northwest. Hole No. 2 was located 34 feet N37W from station 0-50NE and was vertical. Hole No. 3 was located 51 feet S84W from station -2-00 and was vertical. Mr. T. J. Crawford prepared the logs in Table 46. The primary copper mineralization in the fresh cores is lean, generally 0.05-0.4% copper in the form of chalcopyrite. Associated with the chalcopyrite are black specks of magnetite which locally may make up 1-5% of the rock. ....... The limited amount of drilling that has been done demonstrates that the copper anomaly is underlain by primary copper mineralization. The copper content varies greatly from point to p6int and is gener~lly lean, but in places constitutes as much as 2%. RECOMMENDATION Though the small size of the copper anomaly might discourage further prospecting, there are additional aspects that favor further study. The drilling reported in Table 46 was shallow, and core recovery low. While it did demonstrate primary mineralization, it did not afford adequate sampling. Additional deeper drilling will be required to estimate the grade of the mineralized rock. The area immediately east of the copper anomaly is mantled bottomland along Beaverdam Creek. Any mineralization that might underlie the bottom probably would not be detectable oy the geochemical work. Whether additional mineralization exists outside the proven anomaly will have to be settled by other means. Mineralization similar to that at Young's Chapel is known at several places both to the southwest and to the northeast. The presence of several .. .~- copper shows over a distance of 30 miles is evidence that ore-forming .,) ' ---__________ .... YOUNGs CHAPEL PROSPECT N WILKES COUNTY Copper anomalies 'h=~--~lOQ ! ....... , .., 431 TABLE 46 - Logs of the Drilling at the Youngs Chapel Copper Prospect, Wilkes County HOLE NO. 1 Description Saprolite. No core recovered. 35-40 About 4" of core recovered. Granitic gneiss, hornblende gneiss and epidosite. (Drilling was stopped at 40' because of difficulty in reseating the bit). T D = 4 0 1; hole inclined 45NW. HOLE NO. 2 Description Saprolite. No core recovered. 19'6"-211 Hornblende gneiss, epidotic, cut by quartz stringers (about 10" of core recovered). Zl'-28'6" Hornblende gneiss, with epidote cut by quartz veins and stringers; small particles of copper sulphide disseminated throughout; copper carbonates, as small particles, minute stringers along fractures, and stain within the quartz (approx. 7'2" core recovered). 28'6"-351 Only 3" core recovered: dense quartzose, hornblende gneiss, with thickly disseminated minute particles of copper sulphide. 35'-50' No core recovered; Cuttings indicate a rather soft hornblende gneiss with appreciable biotite. 50'-55' Only 2" of core recovered; same as the 28'6"-35' section. 55'-60' Approximately 12" of core recovered; same as 28'6"-35' section. TD 60 ; vertical hole. HOLE NO. 3 ~feet 0-211 211 -261 26 1- 2 7 1 TD Description Saprolite. No core recovered. Hornblende gneiss, with thin zones of quartz and epidote. Minute particles of copper sulphide sparsely disseminated. (Approx. 41 core recovered). Same as above (Approx. 10" core recovered), 27 ; vertical hole. 432 processes operated on a regional scale and that a deposit large enough to be workable might have developed. The chalcopyrite-bearing rock at Young's Chapel contains more magnetite than the country rocks. A magnetic and electromagnetic survey should give information on the subsurface size and shape of the copper-bearing mass and might reveal additional anomalies, particularly toward the east. A large magnetic and/or electromagnetic anomaly would need to be systematically drilled. Geochem. Locality 3 Magruder-Chambers Area, Lincoln-Wilkes Counties The old Magruder Mine is in Lincoln County 2~ miles east of Metasville and near the Lincoln-Wilkes County line. Mining was carried on intermittently from 1850-1938. Maps of the early workings and a history of the activities are in the sectionon GOLD (pages 211-227). Mineralization phenomenaresidual gossan, rock alteration -- extend over a sizable area in the vic~ri ity of the mine. This is one of the most promising areas for the discovery of a major sulfide deposit. West of the Ma-gruaer Mine d. 6 mile, in eastern Wilkes Courtty; is the Chambers prospect. It was discovered by A. N. Hopkins while he was panning for gold in Butlers Creek, about 1900 (Peyton and Cofer, 1950, p.4). About 1922 Hopkins invited a prospector named Deter to examine the vein. Deter obtained a lease and later sold it to Joe Chambers of Fayetteville, N. C. In 1929 Chambers sank a shaft 60' deep and drove a cross-cut to the east 12'. He cut stringers of sphalerite in the cross-cut. Gold assays were discouraging, so no further work was done on the property until the Bureau of Mines drilled four holes on it in 1949 (Figure 100). Drill Hole No. 1 (Peyton and Cofer, 1950, p. 7-8) started in biotite schist and continued to a depth of 160'. Scattered pyrite was in most of the core; sphalerite appeared at 110' and continued to 160'. The best occurrences were at 115~ 130'. Drill Hole No.2 was drilled to a depth of 375'. Scattered chalcopyrite was found between 60-65' and a little sphalerite was noted at several places in the core. Drill Hole No. 3 was drilled to a depth of 262'; it was sparsely mineralized. Drill Hole No. 4 was drilled to 210'; the core contained a few scattered spots of chalcopyrite. To investigate the possiblilty of hidden, near-surfaces ore bodies, a sampling grid was laid off to cover the Magruder Mine area, the Chambers Prospect and all of the intervening area (Figure 101). Grid lines were run N-S 200 feet apart. Samples were collected at 200' intervals along the grid lines. For the sampling and analytical procedures see pages 48-49. Strong anomalies were obtained for both copper and zinc. The largest is in the Magruder area (Figure 102 & 103). The anomalies extend to the northeast across the creek from the old workings into art area where no CHAMBERS PROSPECT Wilkes- Lincoln Co., Ga. Surface Map CPeyton 8 Cofer, 19,0) ,.~ CH~ 4 BM- 3 .. . quartz vein ~ ~~.,:-~~.~ ...... '{! .. ~ "" .. Figure 100 ' . .... )cG-\ ~~ ~ Outcrop or '"inera!lzed materal - Barren bull quort: 433 signs of prospecting are evident. The Chambers prospect was detected as a very small zinc anomaly. The anomalies in the Magruder area are the largest and strongest obtained anywhere in the CSRA. While the anomalies in the vicinity of the old workings have been drilled (see pages 219-227), those to the northeast and the northwest have not been explored. The latter are not complicated by waste from the mine. Exploratory drilling should pe undertaken to test each new anomaly. Geochem. Locality 4 Boyce Guin Place, Wilkes County The possibility of significant mineralization was indicated by extensive gossan, weathered sulphide, littering a low hill on the Boyce Guin Place (Figure 104). There are no outcrops. The area is deeply weathered. A sampling grid 2,100 feet E-W by 1,000 feet N-S was laid off to cover the gossan area. The sampling interval was 150 feet. A total of 159 saprolite samples were collected and analyzed for copper and zinc. The strong anomaly obtained for copper (Figure 105) is about 1500 feet long and 500 feet wide. It should be explored by magnetic and electromagnetic -Uoot+IMrttt-1-tl-tttt+t+"H+ftl+l+t-1-++4--l-l--l-l--l-l:-W.-ll-W-W-W-UU-U-U-!H-~ --.: .... "/(.. - . 'J"! ., ' SAMPLING GRID MAGRUDER AREA LINCOLN-WILKES COUNTIES ~--==~~-=-=...!!fOr .. , 1966 1 Figure 101 / 11 1 435 ', /' '( ,,, \ \ ~ \ \ \ ) ( N l Figure 102 / ) /.--: ~.... ..... . \:\- =~;,": '\ I' / l ./ ZINC ANOMALIES MAGRUDER AREA LINCOLN-WILKES COUNTIES .... 1 FIQurt 103 LOCATION OF GE.OCHEM. 4 WI~...KES COUNTY N DAN BURG /--, / \ I I / ./ ; I _/ = = = = 0 500 1000 FEET 0 2 SCALE IN MILES Figure 104 ! i 0 \\ ....... __._ - t~ \~.:;::~=~::;r::_+- GEOCHEM. 4 BOYCE GUI N PLACE WILKES COUNTY SAMPLING GRID a COPPER ANOMALIES N 1966 LEGEND 10,000 0 9,ooo 0 6,000 Counts/second""'~ X-ray lluornc:ence ipOctrometer. Fiqure 105 439 methods, followed by drilling if the geochemical anomaly is substantiated. No zinc anomaly was detected. Geochem. Locality 5 Benson's Place, Wilkes County The surface evidence of mineralization is silicification and massive gossan littering an area of more than 1,000 square feet. The paucity of outcrops and the deep weathering, as at the Boyce Guin-Place, pointed to a geochemical investigation of metal anomalies in the soil as the first step toward evaluation. A total of 104 samples were collected 250 feet apart on a square grid and analysed for copper and zinc. A moderate copper anomaly about 1500 feet long and 200 feet wide trends northeast (Figure 106). A second NE-trending anomaly lies to the south of the first. Zinc anomalies were "found in roughly the same areas as the copper anomalies, though the "highs" do not correspond (Figure 107)". Figure 113 shows a copper anomaly in the alluvium. Further exploration by magnetic and electromagnetic methods is recommended. Geochem. Locality 6 Garrard Property, Wilkes County This prospect was located by Bartholomew during his search along the ''Manganese Belt". He described it under station numbers 41, 42, and 43 (see Figure 86). Bartholomew's attention was caught by fist-size chunks of heavy float some of which appear to be gossan, others hardpan, which litter portions of a plowed field. To the east he found considerable vein quartz float and some old surficial workings. Eighty-four samples were collected for reconnaissance. They were spaced 100 feet apart along grid lines at intervals of 300 feet. Figure 108 shows the sampling grid and copper anomalies. No significant zinc or lead anomalies were detected. The results of the reconnaissance were not encouraging, so the sampling was discontinued. -- = 'I \. .'n of talc from Arkansas and Texas sources; U. S. Bur. of Mines Report of Invest. 5241. Fulkerson, Frank B., Hale, William N., and Kingston, Gary A. (1964) The mineral industry of Oregon; Minerals Yearbook, 1963, Vol. 3: U. S. Bur. of Mines, pp. 891-907. FurcroJ:J., A. A., et al (1938) Mineral Sources of Georgia; Ga. Division of Mines, Mining and Geol., Atlanta, pp. 34-50. 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