Mining and smelting of iron ore in Alabama, northwestern Georgia, and eastern Tennessee date almost to Revolutionary War days, bus substantial production in the Southeast was not attained until after 1850. Numerous furnaces were erected int the region, especially in and near Birmingham, Ala., which is still the principal iron and steel-making center of the area. Locally mined iron ores formed the principal feed of the furnaces, and much of the ore was mined from red beds of Silurian age. These red beds are an abundant resource of iron ore, and they account for a large part of the total production in the Southeastern United States. Exhaustion of near-surface ores, which was easily mined and the best grade, combined with improved transportation and economies of large-scale operations elsewhere, forced most of the furnaces to shut down (Edpt. of the Interior, 1959, production statistics and tables 4-9).
Geological studies have determined the lithology and approximate extent of the red iron ores of Silurian age in the Southeast. Detailed investigations have been made by private companies and government agencies. Most of this work has been in the Birmingham, Ala., district, and the remainder of the region has relatively little study in recent years.
