The red or rose tourmaline of Massachusetts, is found chiefly at
Chesterfield, in a subordinate bed of granite, contained in mica
slate. The mica slate is the predominant rock of the country.
It is fine grained, and contains an abundance of small garnets.
Direction of the strata north and south, varying a little easterly;
inclination perpendicular. The bed of granite is about three
hundred feet long, and from five to twenty feet broad. It is
contained in a narrow ridge of mica slate, which descends into,
and is lost in, a valley. The sides are precipitous; the highest
part is about forty feet high. On the east side a considerable part
of the granite has been destroyed by natural causes, leaving the
granite bare. The granite consists chiefly of granular feldspar,
with grains of white quartz, and a little light coloured mica, is
moderately fine grained, and of a grayish white colour. In addition
to tourmaline, it contains also emerald, some of the crystals of
which are from three to five inches in diameter. I succeeded in
getting one out of its matrix, which is three and a half inches in
diameter, and its summit (which is a plane without any additional
facettes) is perfect.
The tourmalines are contained chiefly in a false vein of silicious
feldspar and quartz, which begins in the centre of the upper edge
of the bed of granite, and passes obliquely, descending to the
northeast, about twenty feet, where it is intercepted from sight by
the mica slate. The vein is about one and a half foot thick in the
upper part, and not more than six or eight inches where it is lost.
This vein of silicious feldspar contains also a vein of bluish
white transparent quartz, which is from three to eight inches
thick, and passes through the centre of the vein of feldspar.
When I first examined this rock, soon after its discovery by
Dr. Hunt, of Northampton, I determined the feldspar to be a new
variety, which has been since confirmed by Professor Hauffman,
and now ranks as a new sub-species, under the name of silicious
feldspar. (P. 41, of the Mineralogical Table.)
The analysis of Professor Stromeyer, of Gottingen, gives,
Silex 70.68
Alumine 19.80
Soda 9.05
Iron, Mag. and Lime .38
-----
99.91
The chief difference between this and the adularia is, that one
contains fourteen potash and the other nine soda. Between this and
the saussurite, or tenacious feldspar, the one contains eleven of
lime, and the other only a trace.
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