The Granite Industry of Southwestern New Brunswick: A Historical ...

Part One — The St. George District 35
mottled with ivory-coloured granite, and a relative amount of the
latter increases until at a distance of 60 feet from the dyke, the
prevailing colour becomes ivory to white, mottled with irregular
zones of reddish granite, which sometimes carries tourmaline. A
considerable quantity of the ivory granite has been taken from this
part of the quarry.
Quarry 34 (‘Upper Front Quarry’) is located near the top
of a steep cliff about 100 feet above the level of Highway 770. It
is reached by a hauling road approximately 1,800 feet long. The
quarry consists of several openings in the north–south face of the
cliff along a distance of 300 feet. The granite is red, sometimes
showing small quantities of aplite and pegmatite.
The three most important openings of this quarry are at
the southern end of the quarry with the southern opening being
the largest. The sheeting strikes N60ºW and dips 28ºSW. It is
very regular along the strike but is irregularly spaced and cut by
numerous short joints. The headings strike N7ºW, stand vertically,
and are regularly and well spaced for large stone. A prominent
joint set strikes N67ºW, dips 40ºNE, and is irregularly spaced.
The equipment consists of a derrick operated with a hand winch.
At the present time it is difficult to get large dimension stone for
ornamental purposes.
Quarry 35 (‘Red River Quarry’) is located south of Young’s
Back Quarries about three quarters of a mile from the highway
along a hauling road, which branches off the Back Quarries
Road. The site is an almost vertical stone terrace about 10 feet
high, and the stone was removed from the face for a distance of
approximately 250 feet along the road. The colour is medium
red and the texture is good. The stone was used for building
purposes.
Quarry 36 (first of the four ‘Back Quarries’: 36 to 39) is a
small opening that has been abandoned for many years. It lies along
the Back Quarries Road at the base of a 30-foot cliff. The stone is red
but shows uneven colour and grain and is badly cut up by jointing.
Quarry 37 near the end of the Back Quarries Road consists
of two openings, the larger of which is about 50 by 100 feet. The
main operation has been to remove blocks along a plane that strikes
N57ºW and dips 35ºSW. This sheeting is approximately parallel
to the slope of the rock surface. A shattered zone strikes N48ºE
and dips 58ºNW all the way across the quarry. A prominent joint
set strikes N12ºW and stands about vertical. The joint planes are
well spaced for large blocks; one conspicuous block measures 17
by 19 feet. The smaller opening covers an area of 15 by 30 feet.
The stone here was quarried out on planes that strike N86ºW, dip
72ºN, and are spaced up to 5 feet apart; headings strike N12ºW
and dip 70ºW. The stone in the main opening is light red and fades
slightly. That in the smaller opening is lighter in colour. The texture
is good.
Quarry 38 is a smaller quarry opened in 1932. The stone is
light red and fades. The quarry is not properly opened to get much
stone at the present time.
Quarry 39 at the end of the Back Quarries Road is the largest
of the Back Quarries. The opening is about 300 feet long east
and west and 50 feet wide on a sidehill with natural drainage.
Prominent sheeting strikes N88ºE and dips 35ºS, and headings
strike N22ºW and dip 22ºNE. The stone is light in colour in the
western 100 feet of the quarry, grades into medium red in the
central part, and to dark red in the eastern end. The texture is good
except for small local pockets and pegmatite. The colour of the
light red stone is said to have faded.