GEMS AND PRECIOUS STONES. 1029
mined.
The best colored crystals are reported to be found associated with
shells or veinlets of limonite that have weathered out on the surface.
Only pale purple and colorless crystals were found at the time of
examination, but some of these were quite transparent.
Davidson County.—Amethysts
have been found at two places on the plantation of N. H. Swicegood,
about 5 miles northwest of Lin-wood and 1 mile south of Taro, in
Davidson County. These prospects are about one-fifth of a mile west
and northeast of the house, respectively. At the former place a trench
15 feet long and 8 feet deep was dug along a vein striking about S. 25°
W. and exposed in the bank of a stream. This work was done in 1909, and
several pounds of good crystals are said to have been found. At the
prospect northeast of the house a trench about 15 feet long had been
made on a vein striking northwest. This work was done some 25 or 30
years ago, and about 300 pounds of amethysts are reported to have been
taken out in one day. Only a few pale-purple or amethystine quartz
crystals were found around the prospects at the time of examination.
The
rock in the region arbund Taro is granite with coarse por-phyritic
phases. Most of it has weathered at the surface to light sandy soil and
saprolite. Decomposed porphyritic phases were encountered in the
amethyst prospects. This granite area extends within about 1J miles of
Linwood and from that point to Linwood the country rock is chiefly
diorite.
Franklin County.—An
investigation was made of the reported occurrence of amethyst near
Louisburg, Franklin County, N. C. Amethystine quartz has been found
there in two places—on the corner of Nash and Cedar Streets in
Louisburg and along the public road about 1 mile northeast of the town
in front of the cemetery. At Nash and Cedar Streets a few small, pale,
clear amethystine quartz crystals were found in the light sandy
granitic soil. A specimen from the other locality seen in a private
collection in Louisburg consisted of a slab 7 inches in diameter and 2
inches thick studded with clear quartz and amethystine quartz crystals
as much as two-thirds of an nich in thickness. No specimens were found
at the time of visit to the locality, but this may have been in part
due to improvements on the road covering the original prospect. The
rock at this point is evidently granitic, as shown by the light soil
and saprolite formed by its decomposition.
A
large ledge of pegmatitic quartz extends across Thomas B. Wilder's
place on Nash Street in a N. 25°-30° E. direction. This ledge contains
many cavities lined with small quartz crystals. It is reported that a
few amethysts have been found in some of the cavities.
VIRGINIA.
Nelson County.—Amethysts were mined about 5 years ago by the American Gem & Pearl Co., of New York, on the John Saunders place, 2-1/2 miles
northeast of Lowesville and 8-1/2 miles N. 60° W. of Arrington, in
Nelson County. A dozen or more pits were dug along the summit of a low
flat ridge in a N. 70° W.-S. 70° E. direction. The pits cover an area
about 300 feet long, its greatest width being about 125 feet. They
range from 2 to 7 feet deep. Little could be learned of the nature of
the occurrence of the amethysts from the
