Quail Hill Bermuda Triangle
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Topic created by LarryG on Sun Apr 5, 2015 at 12:58 pmI always seem to have problems in the area north of Kiely Pond, and this time I noticed my compass seemed to be inconsistent as I was veering off course to Green control 9. I was wondering if the name "Iron Ore Road" and the red color of the dirt in the pond was a clue, so I asked Google -from Vernier Software & Technology:Most iron ores are ferromagnetic, meaning they are attracted to magnets and can become magnets themselves when placed in a magnetic field. Over time, the Earth’s magnetic field has magnetized these ancient iron ore formations. This unique characteristic allows geologists to locate iron ore formations with a magnetometer, an instrument that measures magnetic field strength. As the magnetometer passes over the surface of the Earth, an iron ore formation will show up as a magnetic disturbance similar to the pattern a magnet would make.Same goes for Iron Hill, I would think. Best not to depend only on compass bearings in ironic environs.
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Reply by anniemac on Sun Apr 5, 2015 at 1:29 pmLarry, I'm SO glad I can blame my major mistake at #9 on the iron!Thank you!! :)
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Reply by KathleenG on Sun Apr 5, 2015 at 4:21 pmHere's some info from the Stirling Hill Mining Museum in NJ:"New Jersey over time had more than 450 iron mines, the majority of them magnetite mines, plus more than 1,000 prospects, mostly found by compass or dip needle. The earliest record of magnetite mining was in 1710 at Mt. Hope in Rockaway, New Jersey. As its name implies, magnetite is magnetic. In a region such as ours, where thick soil and heavy vegetation largely conceal the rocks beneath, the strong magnetism of magnetite proved critical in locating iron ore deposits not exposed at the surface. The key to detecting buried veins of magnetite was to observe deflections of a compass needle from its normal orientation."Normal compasses have needles that are weighted on the southern end to keep them horizontal (and pivoting freely). Prospectors looking for magnetite depositsused a special "dip needle" that was not weighted. When the compass was over a magnetite deposit, the north end of the needle would "dip" or point down towards the ore deposit.
