150

Northeastward for a distance of 1,000 feet along the line of strike, a
number of shallow trenches, some quite short, have been dug so as to
crosscut the measures and show reddish and grey shales, red and grey
schistose limestones, and beds of red and grey quartzites. Similar beds
are exposed just below the open-cut showing ore and all these reddish
strata presumably occur east of the fault-plane, lie in the uplifted fault
block, and belong to horizons lower than that holding the hematite layer.
The reddish colouring of these rocks is due to iron oxide, but is not an
indication of the possible existence of an iron ore bed. Higher on the
hill-side are exposures of the grey quartzites belonging to the relatively
uplifted side of the fault, but it is possible and quite probable that the iron
ore horizon nowhere comes to the surface, but is everywhere concealed
from view by the relatively uplifted reddish beds.

To the southeast for a considerable distance rock outcrops are rare.
About 1,200 feet southeast of locality ‘A’ and almost on the line of strike
of the strata, two short tunnels have been driven into the hill on the north-
west slope of a gully. The tunnels at this place (locality “B” on Figure
26) were commenced in drift and since have caved in. At the entrance
of the more southerly tunnel, on one side at the floor-level, is exposed a
layer of hematite about 20 inches thick overlain by quartzite. The layer
is terminated by a series of faults, so that it outcrops only at this point
where it ends wedge-like. It dips into the hill and probably soon sinks
below the level of the floor of the tunnel. At this place, as at the more
northerly locality ‘“‘A’’, the ore layer is exposed along a fault-plane and
although the layer may extend to the north and south it is questionable
if it again comes to the bedrock surface. It is quite probable that both
to the north and south it is sealed from view by relatively uplifted strata
occurring on the down-hill side of the fault-planes.

On the opposite, southern side of the gully at locality “B’”, not far
above the stream bed, is an exposure of quartzites dipping southwest at
an angle of 15 degrees. The rock carries considerable pyrite and is much
stained with iron rust. One band of rock is now represented by a layer
12 inches thick largely of porous limonite and hematite. In this layer
detrital quartz grains are abundant and there are also small patches of
relatively unaltered quartzite rich in grains and crystals of pyrite. Such
patches fade into the surrounding porous ore which also carries remnants
of the pyrite and limonitic pseudomorphs after pyrite.

The southernmost ore outcrop (locality “C”’, Figure 26) is 600 feet
southeast of locality “B” or 1,800 feet southeast of locality ‘A’. All
three occurrences lie nearly in a line corresponding with the direction of
the strike of the strata. This third ore outcrop is 300 yards southwest
of Sand creek and 350 feet above it. At this point, a cutting 35 feet long
extends into the hill-side and ends in a rock face 20 to 30 feet high. The
rocks are fine-grained quartzites which dip southwest into the hill at an
angle of 10 to 15 degrees. A band of hematite occurs at the inner end of
the cutting and, conforming to the strike and dip of the enclosing strata,
continues outward along the sides of the cut to its mouth where it disap-
pears under drift. The quartzites bounding the hematite layer are stained
and traversed by films of the iron oxide. On the southwest side of the
cut, much vein quartz in places borders the ore. This quartz is greatly
fractured and much hematite occurs along the partings. There is some
evidence of slipping and faulting in the strata, but it is difficult to determine