OCR Text |
Show NEW IRON DEPOSIT FOUND IN MONTANA While taking a geologic examination of Blackfeet Indian reservation In northwestern Montana In 1912, Eugene Eu-gene Steblnger of the United States geological survey found a number of magnetite beds carrying h notable prr centngo of Iron. The beds occur In a prominent sandstone formation wh'ch can bo traced for many miles, entirely entire-ly across the reservation. Although they are of considerable econom c In terest, espec hlly because of the opening open-ing of the reservation to settlement In the near future ,as "prpvldd bv ccngre8s, there are apparently no published descriptions or even msn-tlon msn-tlon of them extant. They have not been prospected because of regu'ntlon restricting such operations on the reservat on. The magnetite b;ds are -widely distributed dis-tributed over the west half of tho reservation, the principal beds bo'ug 'ound on tti3 South feck of tho Milk river. The largest towns In the region re-gion nro Cut Dank, a smnll ngrlcu'. tural center nnd railroad po.nt situ nted on the east edge of the nrea, and Drowning nt rresent the Indian igen-cy igen-cy for tho reservation. Tho thickest beds found on the reservation occur at the mouth of Kennedy Coulee, near thc'Cjoff ranch According to analysis madT-the beds average 27.3 per cent of iron nnd J 1 per cent of tlthnlum oxide. In the snmo township, on tho opposite s lie of Molk river, tho magnetite bearl -g sandstone Is well exposed In steep cliffs avrnglng nbout 100 feet In height. Tho cliffs nro capped by l-on stained standstones from ten to twenty twen-ty feet In total thickness. The greater great-er part of these sandstones cannot bo classed as high grade rock, although H few thin beds In no place reaching In hggregate thickness of more hin four feet, are rich In magnetite. snmpo from this locality showed on nnalysls 33.2 per cent of Iron nnd 10.6 per cent of titanium oxide. Snmples taken from other deposits In tho vicinity Indicate that n considerable consid-erable tonnage of oro which would average about CO per cent o' i-on could bo hand sorted from these deposits, de-posits, although the average of the material available would probably not run more than 30 to 40 per cent Tho proportion of titanium oxide In tno ores Is considerable, averaging over 12 per cent In one sample. This h'gh titanium content renders theso oru.i unfit for use, according to present metallurgical practice although It la believed that ores of this type mav eventually be successfully smelted. A copy of the report may be bad free upon application to the dlrouor of th-j, Un'ted States geological surrey. |