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NATURAL RESOURCES OF QUEBEC
neighbourhood of Three Rivers. At Red-Mill the Canada Paint Com-
pany operates an extensive plant for calcining, washing and grinding
pigments from its deposits.
The iron oxides found in Quebec are of two classes, the raw oxides,
which are marketed without any preparation, and which are used in the
manufacture of coal gas as a purifying agent to absorb hydrogen sulphide,
and the calcined oxides which are further treated for the manufacture of
paints. The province of Quebec is the only province in Canada which
oroduces natural iron oxides and ochre. Much of the calcined material
assays over 90 per cent iron oxide, and some of it reaches 98 per cent
and over. There are numerous deposits of this high order, of various
shades of red, brown and yellow.
In 1927, 5.931 tons of mineral paints, valued at $102,186, were pro-
Juced.
Mica.—Quebec has practically a world monopoly in the production
of the amber or phlogopite variety of mica, which is far more valuable
than the white or muscovite variety, being more pliable and elastic. The
deposits are found north of the Ottawa river and between the valleys of
the Gatineau and Liévre rivers in an area of 1,125 square miles.
For the construction of electric machinery the Quebec mica is second
to none, its essential qualities of insulation, flexibility, elasticity, tough-
ness and cleavability being of the highest. The chief use for mica is for
Insulation purposes in the manufacture of electrical machinery. The
invention of micaboard or micanite utilizes the small size sheets. Ground
mica, made from pulverized sheets too small for micanite, is used for
various purposes. viz., as a lustre to wall paper; as an adulterant n paint;
as a fire-proof covering for pipes; as a lubricant; and in the manufacture
of insulation for high current wires
The United States is by far the largest consumer of Canadian mica.
In the British markets preference is given to the Indian mica. The price
of mica varies with the grade, from $12 a ton for scrap mica to $5 a pound
lor extra large sheets. In point of value, mica stands fifth among the
minerals of Quebec. The production of mica during 1927 in Quebec was
4,455,239 pounds, valued at $105,446. Quebec furnished 60 per cent
of the total Canadian production of mica in 1927.
Graphite.—Numerous deposits of flake graphite are found in the
Laurentian rocks to the north of the Ottawa river, sometimes forming
30 per cent of the whole rock, but the average is 8 to 15 per cent. Though
the graphite deposits are numerous and have been worked in the town-
ships of Grenville, Buckingham, Lochabar and Amherst since 1847, great
difficulty has always been encountered in the concentration of the graphite
50 as to eliminate the accompanying minerals. especially mica, n order
to obtain a pure product.
