Art. VI. Account of the Strata perforated by, and of the Minerals found in, the great adit to the Southampton Lead Mine.
Art. VI. Account of the Strata perforated by, and of the Minerals found in, the great adit to the Southampton Lead Mine. Communicated to the Editor by Mr. Amos Eaton, Lecturer on Geology, Botany, &c.
To Professor Silliman.
After a laborious geological excursion along M'Clure's Springfield section, for about one hundred miles, I visited Dr. D. Hunt, at Northampton. He observed that you had expressed an opinion, that an attentive examination of all the strata constituting the walls of the artificial avenue or drift at the Southampton mines, would bring facts to knowledge, which might, in some degree, subserve the cause of geological science. I am now at the mouth of the drift, having just completed the labour which you had marked out.
I employed two miners to commence with me, at the termination of the drift, which is now extended 800 feet into the hill. We broke off large specimens, at very short intervals, throughout the whole extent of the drift. We arrived at its mouth with almost a boat load of specimens. I kept a memorandum of every thing which occurred, while under ground; and I have now arranged the specimens, before the mouth of the drift, in the same order in which they were situated in the earth.
Fatigued as I am, I will make my remarks here, in the field, lest something should hereafter escape me, which is now fresh in my recollection. Beginning with the greatest distance to which the miners have penetrated, I will set down my remarks, in fact, in reversed order.
800 feet. The rock is fine-grained gray granite, traversed by veins, lined with quartz crystals, and mostly filled with calcareous spar, often beautifully crystallized. In the same veins blue and purple fluate of lime and copper pyrites frequently occur.