GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA W. S. YEATES, State Geologist BULLETIN NO. rr. A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE BAUXITE DEPOSITS OF GEORGIA BY THOMAS L. WATSON, PH.D. Assistant Geologist BAUXI TE DEPOSI TS OF GEORGIA FRONTISPI ECE - PL ATE I THE DRYING PLANT AND OFFICE OF THE SOUTHERN BAUXITE COMPANY, CAVE SPRING, FLOYD COUNTY, GE ORGIA. THE ADVISORY' BOARD of the Geological Survey of Georgia (Ex-Officio) •· His ExcELLENCY, J. M. TERRELL, Governor of Georgia PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD HoN. 0. B. STEVENS Commissioner of Agriculture HoN. W. B. MERRITT Commissioner of Public Schools HoN. R. E. PARK . State Treasurer HoN. W. A. WRIGHT Comptroller-General BoN. PHILIP COOK Secretary of State HoN. JOHN C. HART Attorney-General TABLE OF CONTENTS Page THE ADVISORY BOARD .. 4 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL 9 ILLUSTRATIONS . • . 8 INTRODUCTION . II-!2 CHAPTER I DISTRIBUTION AND GENERAL OccuRRENCE oF BAUXITE, WITH A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE KNOWN WORKA- BLE ~A-REAS • • . • • . • . ' . • • I3-27 The Occurrence and Distribution of Bauxite . I3 European Localities . 13-18 France .. .· I3-I5 Germany .... IS-I7 Ireland 17-18 French Guiana . rS American Localities . IS-24 Arkansas .... IS-23 New Mexico .. 23 Georgia-Alabama 24 A Brief Sketch of the Discovery of Bau."{ite in Georgia ............•.•.••. 25-26 CHAPTER II THE GENERAL GEOLOGY OF THE BAUXITE REGION IN GEORGIA 28-40 Topography • . .. 28-30 Stratigraphy ..... 30-31 The Cambrian Rocks. 31-34 TheWeisner Quartzite . 3I The Rome Formation . 3I-32 The Conasauga Shales . 32-34 The Silurian Rocks . • 34-36 The Knox Dolomite . 34-36 Structure .•...... 36-37 The Minor Thrust Faults 36-37 The Major Thrust Faults 37 Minerals Associated with the Bauxite . 37-40 Gibbsite .... 37-38 Halloysite ..• 38 Kaolin or Clay . 38-40 Iron .... 40 Manganese .. 40 (5) 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER III CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND VARIETIES OF 'tHE GEOR- GIA BAUXITE . • . • • . • . 4I-56 I Chemical Composition of the Bauxite . 4I-53 Rt3sumt3 • • . • • ... 53-54 2 Varieties of the Bauxite 54-56 (I) Pebble Ore • 55 ( 2) Pisolitic Ore . 55 (3) Oolitic Ore . 55 ( 4) Vesicular Ore 55 (5) Amorphous Ore 56 CHAPTER IV DIS'l'RIBU'l'ION AND DESCRIPTION OF 'tHE INDIVIDUAL BAUXITE DEPOSITS IN GEORGIA •. 57-II8 I The Hermitage District .••. 58-88 Description of the Individual Deposits • 6o-88 2 The Bobo District . • . 88-II3 Description of the Individual Deposits . go-n3 3 The Summerville District. • . II3-II7 Description of the Individual Deposits . II4-II7 4 Isolated Deposits . • . • . II7-II8 Description of the Individual Deposits . II7-II8 CHAPTER v GENESIS, AGE, ES'I'IMA'I'ION AND USES OF 'tHE GEORGIA BAUXITE . • • • . • • . • • . II9-I32 I Genesis of the Georgia Bauxite Deposits . rrg-I3o 2 Age of the Bauxite Deposits . • • • • . I30-I3I 3 Method of Estimating the Ore-bodies . I3I 4 Uses of Bauxite . • . • . • . I3I-I32 CHAPTER VI THE TECHNOLOGY OF BAUXITE IN 'tHE MANUFACTURE OF ALUMINUM AND ALUM • • · • I33-149 I Aluminum Manufacture. • . 133-I38 The Cowles Brothers' Process . 136-I37 Hall's Process . I37 The Ht3rault Process r38 Production . 138 Uses . I38-145 Action of Various Acids on Aluminum Foil . I40 Metallurgical Use . • . • . I4I-I42 Soldering . • • . I42-143 Composition of Certain Alloys of Aluminum I43 Alloys . • • . I43-I45 Aluminum Imported and Entered for Consumption in the United States from r87o to I89r . 145 Imports of Cmde and Manufactured Aluminum from I89I to r8g8 . •• 146 2 Alum Manufacture. • . • 146-149 Material for Alum Manufacture • 147-149 TABLE OF CONTENTS 7 Page CHAPTER VII METHODS OF MINING, TRANSPORTATION AND PREPA­ RATION OF THE GEORGIA BAUXITE FOR SHIPMENT . 150-157 Nature of the Deposits to be Mined . rso-rsi The Present Methods of Mining . ISI-I52' Mining Machinery . rs:c Preparation of the Ore Previous to Shipping . I52-I54 Effect of Calcining on the Solubility of Alumina. I54-I55 Markets . .orss Transportation ISS Streams rss SUGGESTIONS . · ISS-IS? BIBLIOGRAPHY .. rscrr64 INDEX ..... I6s LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PLATES r Frontispiece- Southern Bauxite Company's Drying Plant, Cave Spring, Ga. 2 Exposure of Knox Dolomite, H~:w~rd Cement_ Qu,arry, Bar­ tow County, Ga. 3 Exposure of Red Shale, Floyd County Rock Quarry, near Rome, Ga. 4 Another View in the Floyd County Red Shale Quarry, near Rome, Ga. 5 The "Fat John" Bauxite Mine, Floyd Co., Ga. 6 The Gulliver Bauxite Mine (formerly the Armington Mine), Walker Co., Ga. 7 General View of the Gulliver Bauxite Plant, Walker Co., Ga. 8 The Dean Limestone Quarry, on the Summerville Road, Rome, Ga. 9 The Church Bauxite Mine, Floyd Co., Ga. ro The Watters Bauxite Mine, Floyd Co., Ga. 1 r Machinery of the Republic Mining and Manufacturing Com­ pany's Bauxite Drying Plant, Hermitage, Floyd Co., Ga. 12 General View of the Bauxite Drying Plant of the Republic Mining and Manufacturing Company, Hermitage, Ga. FIGURES 1 Generalized Stratigraphic Section of the Georgia Bauxite Field (Scale, 2,ooo ft.= I in.). 2 Section Showing the Relations of the Bauxite and the Re­ sidual Mantle (after Hayes). 3 Section through the Mary Bauxite Mine, Floyd County, Georgia (Scale 44 ft.= I in.). MAP r General Map Showing Occurrence of Bauxite. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GEORGIA, Atlanta, :March 20, 1903. To His Excellency, J. M. TERRELL, Governor. SIR:- r have the honor to submit the report of Dr. Thomas L. Watson, formerly Assistant State Geol9gist, on the Bauxite De­ posits of Georgia, to be published as Bulletin No. r r of this Survey. ' Very respectfully yours, W. S. YEATES, State Geologist. INTRODUCTION This report embodies the results obtained from a detailed .field­ study of the bauxite area in Georgia, supplemented by subsequent laboratory-study of the material collected in the field. The results are based on field examinations of all the known deposits of this mineral in the State, and a study of the general geologic condi­ tions of the region, that bear directly on the economic features and genesis of the ore-bodies. As seen from the accompanying map, the distribution of the bauxite deposits is limited for the most part to the Coosa Valley region of the State. This area includes five of the central and southern northwestern counties of the so-called Paleozoic Group. The bauxite belt begins with the most northerly dep.osits of Gordon and Walker counties, and extends in a southwesterly direction for approximately 6o miles in Georgia, and is continuous for nearly a like distance and direction in Alabama. The field-work was greatly facilitated by the carefully prepared topographic and geologic maps of the United States Geological Survey, based on a detailed survey of the region by Dr. C. W. Hayes; and also, by similar work of former State Geologist J. W. Spencer. Owing to an extended and detailed study of the region in question, by the National and State Surveys, its general geology is the most complete of any area in the State. Apart from a detailed study of its general geology, both Hayes and Spencer have given special attention to the deposits of bauxite. Hayes has published numerous papers and monographs on the various structural and economic phases of the geology of the Paleozoic Group in Georgia, which have appeared, from time to time, in the Bulletin of the Geological Society of America ; the Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers ; and the Annual Reports and Folios of the United States Geological Survey. Spencer's report on the Paleozoic Group of Georgia con- ( II) I2 INTRODUCTION tains· much information on the bauxite deposits, that is of value. The writer has drawn freely from these various papers 1 in the prepare~:tion of this report, for which credit is given in the text. Owing to the careful manner, in which the general geology of the region has previously been worked up and reported, the writer's efforts were directed more particularly to the individual deposits of bauxite and their economic bearing. In conclusion, I wish to acknowledge the generous aid of numer­ ous gentlemen, afforded me in the prosecution of the work, without which a much lot1.ger time would have been necessary for its com­ pletion. More particularly, am I indebted to Mr. John H. Haw­ kins, of Hermitage, Georgia, Superintendent of the. Republic Mining and Manufacturing Company; Mr. R. S; Perry, of Cave Spring, Georgia, General Manager of the Southern Bauxite Min­ ing and Manufacturing Company; Mr. B. F. A. Saylor, of Rome, Georgia, General Manager of the Dixie Bauxite Company ; a:nd Mr. A. W. Bobo, of Van's Valley, Georgia; for valuable help and information. I wis.h,. also, to acknowledge·my.. ·in<:lelited:niess to Prof. W. S. Yeates, State Geologist, for making the negatives of the various subjects, illustrated by half-tone plates in this bulletin. 1 Hayes, C. W., The Overtlwust Faults of the Soutlzern Appalachians, Bull., Geol. Soc. America, r8gr, Vol. 2, pp. I4I-I54· " Report on tlze Geology of North-Eastern Alabam'a, and Adjacent Portions of Georgia and Tennessee, Geol. Surv. of Alabama, 1892, pp. r-85. Geology of a Portion of the Cdosa Valley in Georgia and Alabama, Bull., Geol. Soc. America, 1894, Vol. 5. pp. 465-480. The Geological Relations of the Southern Appalachian Bauxite-Deposits, Trans., Amer. Inst. Min. Engineers, Virginia Beach Meeting, Feby., 1894, pp. I-12. Bauxite, Sixteenth Ann. Rept., U. S. Geol. Surv., Part III, 1893-'94 (1895), pp 547-597· " Tlte Sozetlzern Appalachians, National Geographic Monographs, 1895, Vol. I, No. ro, pp. 305-336. " Physiography of the Clzattanooga District in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, Nineteenth A:nn. Rept.• U. S. Geol. Surv., 1897-'98. (1899), Part II, pp. 1-58.~ Hayes, C. W., & Campbell, M. R., Geomorphology of the Soutlzern Appalacltians, National Geographic Magazine, r8g4, Vol.