Show IRON ORE IN MONTANA large deposits of iron ore are uncommon in the northern rocky mountains so that considerable interest is attached to some deposits near stanford mont which were examined in 1918 by a geologist odthe of the united states geological survey department of the interior the deposits are lens shaped bodies of rather pure hematite that form a belt along the contact of limestone and an intrusive porphyry the belt has been traced seven miles and although the length of the lenses is not accurately known the widths range from five to sixty feet and one lens is explored feet below the outcrop numerous samples that have been taken show the following range in composition iron 35 to 68 per cent silica 2 to 13 per cent phosphorus a trace to per cent the average of twenty six samples from ten deposits was iron ran per cent silica 5 per cent and phosphorus per cent existing 0 explorations do not permit an accurate estimate of the probable reserves of the region prof L G westgate the geologist who made the investigation concludes that there may be about tons in the known deposits within feet of the surface |