Beryl Resources of New Hampshire GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 353 Prepared on behalf of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission^ and in part in cooperation with the New Hampshire State Planning and Development Commission Beryl Resources of New Hampshire By JAMES J. PAGE and DAVID M. LARRABEE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 353 Prepared on behalf of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission^ and in part in cooperation with the New Hampshire State Planning and Development Commission UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1962 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director The U.S. Geological Surrey Library has cataloged this publication as follows: Page, James Jeffers, 192ft- Beryl resources of New Hampshire, by James J. Page and David M. Larrabee. Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1961. iii, 49 p. maps (part col., part in pocket) tables. 31 cm. (U.S. Geological Survey. Professional paper 353) Prepared on behalf of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, and in part in cooperation with the New Hampshire State Planning and Development Commission. Bibliography: p. 48-49. (Continued on next card) Page, James Jeffers, 1920- Beryl resources of New Hampshire. 1961. (Card 2) 1. Beryl. 2. Pegmatites. 3. Mines and mineral resources New Hampshire. I. Larrabee, David Marcel, 1909- joint author. II. New Hampshire. State Planning and Development Commission. III. Title. (Series) For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D.C. CONTENTS Page Page Abstract_ _ ___----__-___---___-___________. 1 Description of pegmatites Continued Introduction _________.-______-.___-_-______. 1 Raymond district--_________________ 19 Beryl mining, production, and uses__________ 2 General geology.__________-_-_. 21 Internal structure and mineralogy of pegmatites . 3 Minor districts________-_______--_-. 43 Methods used in estimating resources._________ 3 Millard Chandler mine.____--__. 43 Beryl resources____-______----_-_________-__- 3 Parker Mountain mine._________ 44 Description of pegmatites___________________ 10 Reconnaissance of other areas.____-_. 45 Grafton district_______________________ 10 Alton quadrangle_________-____. 45 Palermo No. 1 mine________________ 10 Gorham quadrangle._____._-___. 45 Keene district.__________________________ 13 Mount Pawtuckaway quadrangle. 46 Beryl Mountain mine.-__-________--_ 13 Mount Washington quadrangle._. 47 Chickering mine.____________________ 14 Plymouth quadrangle_____-_-__. 48 Raymond region.________________________ 16 Literature cited______________________ 48 Corson mine_______----________----_ 16 McGall mine_________-----_________- 17 McMullen prospect._________________ 18 Vatcher prospect_.-__--________---__ 18 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates are in pocket] PLATE 1. Geologic map and sections of the Palermo No. 1 mine, Groton, Grafton County, N.H. 2. Geologic map and sections of the Beryl Mountain mine, Acworth, Sullivan County, N.H. 3. Geologic map and section of the Chickering mine, Walpole, Cheshire County, N.H. 4. Geologic map of the Corson mine, Nottingham, Rockingham County, N.H. 5. Geologic map of the McGall mine, Raymond, Rockingham County, N.H. 6. Geologic map and section of the Vatcher prospect, Raymond, Rockingham County, N.H. 7. Geologic map and sections of the Chandler mine (pegmatite 7), Raymond, Rockingham County, l\.fl. 8. Geologic map and section of the Smith No. 1 mine (pegmatites 9 and 10), Raymond, Rockingham County, N.H. 9. Geologic map of pegmatite 37, Raymond, Rockingham County, N.H. 10. Geologic map of the Smith No. 3 prospect (pegmatite 49), Raymond, Rockingham County, N.H. 11. Geologic map of the Blake mine (Mafera mine or pegmatite 56), Raymond, Rockingham County, N.H. 12. Geologic map and sections of the Welch mine (pegmatite 62), Raymond, Rockingham County, N.H. 13. Geologic map of pegmatites 69, 70, 71, 72, and 73, Raymond, Rockingham County, N.H. 14. Geologic map and section of the Hurley prospect (pegmatites 84, 85, and 86), Raymond, Rockingham County, N.H. 15. Geologic map and section of the Millard Chandler mine, Chatham, Carroll County, N.H. 16. Geologic map and generalized section of the Parker Mountain mine, Strafford, Strafford County, N.H. Page FIGURE 1. Index map showing locations of principal pegmatites described in this report________________________________ 1 2. Sketch map of workings at the Palermo mine, Groton, Grafton County, N.H _____________________________ 10 3. Geologic map of the Raymond district, Rockingham County, N.H., showing locations of pegmatite exposures studied. 20 m TABLES Page TABLE 1. Beryl in New Hampshire pegmatites.__________._________ ___________.-__------_-_---------__-_ 4 2. Size of pegmatites, and distribution of minerals therein, Raymond district, N.H____________.____---_-----_--- 22 3. Mineral assemblages in zoned pegmatites of the Raymond district, Rockingham County, N.H_.___-.____.._ 24 IV BERYL RESOURCES OF NEW HAMPSHIRE By JAMES J. PAGE and DAVID M. LARRABEE ABSTRACT In the course of this study, more than 200 pegmatites were v v^/ examined either in reconnaissance fashion or in detail, and / the most important actual or potential sources of beryl were LIST OF MINES ) 45° \. Millard Chandler mine J carefully studied. These included the Palermo No. 1, Beryl 1 2. Palermo No. 1 mine, Grafton district v Mountain, Blake, Chickering, Smith No. 1, Corson, McGall, 3. Parker Mountain mine \ J X Chandler, Millard Chandler, Welch, and Parker Mountain 4. Corson mine 1 5. Vatcher prospect ' mines, and the Vatcher, Hurley, and Smith No. 3 prospects. 6. Raymond pegmatite district / The pegmatites of the Raymond district received special at­ 7. Chickering mine, Keene district \ COOS tention, for these previously have received little study and there 8. Beryl Mountain mine, Keene district > was a need for knowledge of any beryl resources present. These 0 10 20 30 MILES / resources are of no great magnitude, but resources of milling- grade feldspar are of interest. The Palermo No. 1 and Beryl * Xu Mountain pegmatites were restudied following development K r~ after World War II; these pegmatites are of special interest as ( 1 both have been known for many years as important sources of i \\/ beryl. 44° __ / \ \ GRAFTON F 1 The relation of beryl to other minerals of the zones, the BeO f 1 / content of the beryl, where determined, and the grade of the \ CARROLL ore are indicated in the report and in tables 1 to 3. Some of these data were obtained by the U.S. Geological Survey during World War II, but much new and more detailed information has resulted from this study. The total estimated resources of beryl in New Hampshire are 1,780 tons, of which about 1,200 tons are probably in crystals y / ( MERRIMACK ,- 3 at least 1 inch in diameter, and therefore hand-cobbable at 1957 //X\ prices. Most of this beryl is so scattered throughout the peg­ matites that it represents less than 0.10 percent of the con­ i._A taining rock, and it is recoverable only as a byproduct from ~^ feldspar and mica mining activities. Large deposits containing /' CHESHIREl HILLSBORO fine-grained, nearly indistinguishable white beryl are unknown in the State, but there has been little if any attempt to search for them. In 1957, any such resources would be classed as "potential ore," but could be of great significance in the future. Search for such ore, and research on beneficiation methods, are FIGURE 1. Index map showing locations of principal pegmatites de­ recommended. scribed in this report. INTRODUCTION formation of Devonian age. This formation consists Beryl occurs sparingly in many pegmatites scattered chiefly of mica-quartz or quartz-mica schist, in places throughout the southern two-thirds of New Hamp­ containing appreciable amounts of sillimanite, actino- shire. The deposits of most economic importance are lite, or andalusite. Some parts are quartzitic, conglom­ in the Grafton and Keene districts (fig. 1) in the west- eratic, or include lime-silicate rocks. Relations of the central and southwestern parts of the State, respec­ pegmatites to wallrocks and to major structures have tively. The Raymond district (figs. 1 and 3) in the been described by Cameron (Cameron and others, 1954, southeastern part of the State may be the third most p. 15-19,22-24). important, although it has yielded little beryl to 1957. The pegmatite deposits of New Hampshire have been Although the pegmatites occur in schists, gneisses, investigated by members of the U.S. Geological Survey quartz monzonites, and granites, most of the economic­ intermittently since 1914. A comprehensive account of ally important pegmatites are in schist of the Littleton the detailed work completed during 1942-45 is given by BERYL RESOURCES OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Cameron and others (1954), and their report also con­ be so in the future. The economics of pegmatite tains a summary of studies before World War II. mining have been described by Bannerman (1943), and Field studies in 1947 led to a report by Olson (1950) on Bannerman and Cameron (1946). During World the feldspar in the pegmatites. This phase of the in­ War II, under subsidy prices for strategic mica and vestigations was conducted in behalf of the New Hamp­ beryl, some deposits were operated profitably for mica, shire State Planning and Development Commission. but not for long periods. Mines were operated for The purpose of this report is to summarize and bring mica and for beryl during the Korean emergency, again up to date the information on beryl gained in the peg­ under Government-sponsored subsidy programs that matite investigations of 1942-45, to examine in detail were continued in 1957. certain beryl-bearing pegmatites discovered in recent According to data in the Minerals Yearbooks of the years, and to study other pegmatites known or suspected U.S. Bureau of Mines, beryl production in New to contain beryl. Fieldwork was started by J. C. Olson Hampshire since 1939 was as follows: and J. W. Adams in 1947, and was continued by J.