During the period 1940-1942 the United States Geological Survey made a geologic study of the manganese deposits of the James River-Roanoke River district, in the general vicinity of Lynchburg, Va. (fig. 1), as part of its program of strategic minerals investigations. This work was done by the writer and supervised by D. F. Hewett. John Rodgers and W. R. Wagner assisted during part of the project. In the course of the investigation, the geology was mapped over an area about 60 miles long and several miles wide, from Altavista on the Roanoke River northeast to Howardsville on the James River (fig. 2); and the mineral deposits-principally manganese, iron, and barite-were studied. After completion of the geologic studies, the writer participated in an exploration project conducted by the United States Bureau of Mines in the early summer of 1942 at five manganese deposits in the district. This preliminary report presents the essential information concerning the mineral deposits of the region in advance of the more comprehensive report on the geology and mineral deposits that will be published as a bulletin of the U.S. Geological Survey.
