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MINERAL RESOURCES.
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and
from orange yellow through ocher and drab to corn yellow. Some pieces
have a suggestion of green in the yellow, giving an olive tint. These
colors in the jasper are sometimes solid over areas of several square
inches and then again are banded or irregularly mixed with other
colors. The colored jaspers occur mixed with and in patches scattered
through gray cherty chalcedony or through translucent gray chalcedony.
Streaks and splotches of black jasper or flint lend contrast to the
varied colors of the jaspers. The luster of some of the petrified wood
is dull and cherty, though a part is brighter, and some even glassy.
Occasionally amethyst and quartz crystals are found in cavities in the
petrified trees or coating over limbs.
Many
of the petrified forests of Arizona, especially those near Adamana and
Holbrook, are protected by law against material being carried off.
Visitors are generally allowed to take off a few pounds, however, as
souvenirs or material from which to cut souvenir ornaments or gems.
Even if one does not procure such specimens, a visit to the petrified
forests always proves of great interest, especially to one interested
in mineral objects of natural beauty. A trip to the forests is not
difficult, and two areas of petrified trees can be seen in half a day's
drive from Adamana, on the Santa Fe Railway.
Petrified
forests are known to exist in other regions of Arizona, and some of
these are doubtless outside of the regular reservation and where they
could be used to procure material for polishing. If it is not possible
to find such areas, a small area might be set aside where petrified
wood could be obtained for use in ornamental work. Petrified forests
occur in the Navajo Indian Reservation between Ganado and Chin Lee and
have been reported farther west in the Moqui Reservation.
CALIFORNIA.
Mrs.
Gertrude S. McMullen, of the Southwest Turquoise Company, of Los
Angeles, Cal., kindly sent in a specimen of jasper from near Hart,
Shasta County. This material is from a deposit owned by Hart &
McCullum. It is composed of layers of white, gray, yellow, and red
jasper in peculiar straight and curved bands. It appears to be slightly
granular though very fine grained and susceptible to a fair polish. The
material will be used in jewelry under the name "creolite."
LABRADORITE.
OREGON.
Maynard
Bixby, of Salt Lake City, Utah, reports the discovery of a new deposit
of labradorite in southern Oregon. The labradorite ranges from a
colorless glassy variety resembling quartz to dark, showing fine red,
salmon, and green tints. Mr. Bixby states that the mineral would yield
handsome gem material.
CANADA.
Dr.
E. S. Ward, of Rochester, N. Y., reports an importation of several
hundred pounds of labradorite from Nain, Labrador, for gem purposes.
There is a considerable demand for a good grade of this stone for
jewelry purposes, especially in the West.
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