side. The jasper occurs in bands of brown and white, yellow and white, and red and white, strikingly resembling that of Trego County, Kans.
OPAL. OREGON.
In the last report of this Bureaua
a reference was made to specimens of opal obtained some years ago from
Oregon. What seems probably to be this same occurrence is spoken of by
Mr. L. Bush Livermore, of Baker City, Oreg., in an article in the
.Mining Recordb of July 20, 1005, on the precious stones of
that State. The section that he describes is that known as the Burnt
River region, an area of some 800 square miles a little south of Baker
City. A few miles below the town of Durkee a creek flowing from the
slopes of Lookout Mountain cuts through a series of bedded tufas. Here
hare been found opal-containing cavities in a rhyolitic tufa, the opals
somewhat abundant and quite handsome, but frequently with a bluish tint
and not very brilliant. A quarry has been opened to test both quantity
and quality.
NEW SOUTH WALES.
The
opal deposits of New South Wales have been described again in a
handbook for miners and prospectors, issued under the direction of the
minister of mines and agriculture of that colony, Hon. S. W. Moore, M.
P.c These interesting and important opal mines have been
treated of quite fully in the reports of this Bureau, together with
those of Queensland/' which are continuous with them and geologically
identical. So far as description is concerned little is added in this
recent volume, but the extent of the opaliferous area is shown to be
wider than heretofore announced. A new region is described much farther
east than any previously known, at Wallangulla, in the county of Finch,
situated in the Walgett division, about 50 miles north of the town of
Walgett, half way to the Queensland border. The rock here is an outlier
of the Desert Sandstone (Upper Cretaceous), and the conditions are
identical with those in the White Cliffs region, which lies some 300
miles away, in a direction south of west.
The
opal from Wallangulla is described as of fine, deep color, and a good
deal of it is of the highly prized mosaic or " harlequin " variety. No
large quantity has yet been taken out. however, and the field needs to
be developed. It is judged that there may be many other good localities
in this region, between Walgett and the Queensland border, but the
country is remote and difficult of access, and those now at work find
it hardly possible to make their expenses under present conditions.
The
output from the White Cliffs district since 1890 has been very large,
reaching, to the end of 1004. a total estimated value of £873,599, or
about $4,250,000. It has increased in the last decade quite irregularly
but largely, although in 1004 it fell off seriously. This is attributed
to a difficulty in obtaining first-class material, while the lower
grades have been produced in excess and have fallen greatly in price.
WEST AUSTRALIA.
The
occurrence and the peculiarities of crocidolite opal in West Australia
have been noted in the reports of this Bureau for the last three years.
In the
