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GEOLOGY. "ft * . -? ? ~ w? - ? - > Geological remarks on Cincinnati, anj^ the country of Miami, by Daniel Drake , ex tracted from his statist teal view, or pre ture of Miami country. - " The face of the country around Cin cinnati having mth? intro ductory chapter, the reader 1S prepared to ...engage. in the examination^ of-it? ' structure. . If a geologi* tat this _ ccml from twe auVlace ot the Ohroi to the top of an adjoining' hill, he observes, first, a region ? of tabula lime." ' stone and argillaceous slate ^ then a tract H?f alluvion, or bottom, composed chiefly <>< l'Min and clay ; succeeded by a tract of 1 t: same kind, but more elevated, appar ency more ancient and constating ptincpally of gravci alid saiid } he then .arrives at the t-anic kiiul of calcareous strata exhibited by the bud of the liver ; which he sees surmounted by a Stratfim of loam, cover , cd wiih soil, and supporting occasional masses of granite and other primitive rocks, in attempting to give some ac count of tljesfe .st fith. thif founding nrrbr y||i : I. 0/ the JiwKmc Jor inttiicn-? 1 1. Of the vfayial formation ? iff J / OJ the urjfktaeenUa formation* or tho. Wratttml toum, ?ntl 8oit??lV. Of tke 'finniilive\ .. taQ?$c9m/ ?>: ' .,v' ?' - J . The c&lcareousor limestone region vtndci* exammjuion, is the largest per ha pi . - * H. ' * . . > * - ? in the known world. ; PandfcT to (he the" .,>n: *~T: *\ atid probably to the Cape tX Isast.lP" un Mr. fcllitoH informs us thttt (h . .'*( the celebrated reef, bordering ihafc prjjw too OJ yy and calcareous. From the Mus< o awt %ndf^o?' the ea^. tbi? *,v formation extends WestwaFdly beyctad the . state W bi|t to disiai^ hhs hot been ascertained* After passing -the Great Miami, in this- direction, the strata becoflMI disjointed, and law their?contim? |jjj ?htow themselves occasionally , nimtS, in- th* fit*- Cenalieve,] mm II ys*aWrtl?d*arbonate ofTJime ; of the bed of the river, town# are frtid to resemble those except th'al they contain > notAi^ie piopor ion of chert or petiofcilex* Tlie stfrfa throughout this extensive ft having a horizontal posi tion, artel- in containing* flqariae remain* Wit is therefore a llcctx, i vast precipitate from a lake or se; life some parts -^eae^h of salt have beet 1 male rhol"l(5 that) : 3<X> feet deep, witnoot M c.vmur, nas a coax* Wfo*. WeleVeS but affords lime df a dtitk' colour, bU? i rf sufficient strength ; 'and 'JRto ;iirom one to iighte^i inched alternate wkh layers ol clay-Mate, the ai? gilla. fissi^s ofTurton. This ??bvanr. which is ih larger quantities than the ro<k* it separate*, has a dull blue colour ; Ijreaki into thick irregular fragment ; softens and is d jffuriBlc in water ; effervesces wkh acids ; contains neither sulpher nor bitumen i. anu has -the specific gravity of 2. 55 . - fb the sooth it nearly appears, and the calcareous strata change their character, passing into , the state of marbel ; large Quantities of which are quarried along the Kentucky ri ver. To the east,* when the argillaceous strata disappear, the lifaestoBe txxotues charged witli^ilicious earth, the spetiMes of slate called shivers ts discovered, and ill advnftf-iiip n lilttf farther, lln? tranr.i'tinn jto sandstone is founc^ to be 'complete. This takes place before reaching Chilli cotlie, On the Scioto river. Limestone, however, again shows itself in spots, but with few of the characters it exhibits at Cincinnati. To tbfe* north of this town, the argillaceous slate has a great prepon derance of the nrhestorie strata ; which have in fha^ vdircction less solidity, arrif ate Tn6r? Kbaridant in marine remains. This is the case for about fifty miles, when the, region of silicious limestone suddenly com' mences., ,ft appears , at first in large quan tities, but oft approaching the sources bfj [the- Great Miami. It ^.is 'seldom visible. The prevailing colour of stone: is an ash (grey ; the proportion of santl or silicious earth is variable ; it is frequently soft 01 crumbling when taken from the 'quarry and hardens on exposure to the^air ; in some places, as at Dayton, it assumes the texture of an indifferent marble ; it effer vesces with acids but feebly ; abounds in nodules of flint ; affords* white lime, by (turning ; the lamina are generally thicitfci than those the Ohio, and frequently found consolidated into huge masses, which havelfregOlar cavities , and perpf ndiculai or oblique fiissures. An additional di tlttguishtng characterlstfck, is the e^L ence of rapids or cascades, in all the stream^ which flow over it. v- ' ^- I No vestiges of Sea animals ^are to be] found in these ancient strata, except a large bivalve shell, the, .name of which 1 Cincinnati, contains nu^s^eex which the following are tire mos ie anomia terebrafula and filacen(a? composed of carbonate of lime. They are found in abundance, sofhetime detached andbetween the strata; at othe. times tmbeded or consolidated ; never com ~ __j ^ j iTi&jt 1 z. ;T he habitations of sfeveral species of lutifn*, usually denominated belentoita aornwierinmotua, thunder -?tontay Sjfic*. found both detached and imbeded, consisting gen itafly of carbonate of Ifnw* %'<**; ?> ?fUraekt or fwUies, formerly suppos ed to iexist only in the fossil state now said ,u> be the' remains of a Species of t?t? or coral yarned the iirit critrodta. These artl >11 silicious, and are cwmmonly found de-| ached- $ " 4. rf)iff?;rent species atkoraltina cr c<tr iWrn^rfoundf imbeded and detached, in largt qu ant ItiedSi-gepe rally calcareous/ now and then silicious. Many other species, and perhaps gene r?, of these curious remains, could un doubtedly designated!# by a skilful natur ?}<$%% I have never observed the bones of any and animals between, or imbtttfid in th< wata hf ihilPyt'maiWn. /. Ihwiworw r> | rus tajas.su, or hog of Mexico, disco v ^r?d by Dr. BroWn'in one of the nitrous a\ts of Kentucky, had in all probability been brought and deposited therelfy the former inhabitants of this country. '1 he metals hitherto found in this for mation, are not numerous. Where it borders on the sandstone region, as towards the Scioto and in Kentucky, iron oie of sn excellent quality lias been discovered. Near io the Yellow Spring, in Green cotin tyV described in the last chapter, speci iMina of silver ore 6f blend and pytUes have been dbig tip, but not in siHfficient quantities to be worked. In the indiana territory, where the aame formation exists, combined and intermixed, with nuich sili cious matter blend and galena have been found. ? t . . ? ? : ? *-r~~ Of feaFne matters, the most valuable which it affords are common salt, glauber's salt, eysom salt, saltpetre and calcareous niter. The three ? first fcave ' only been found in solution. The latter exist abund antly in some of the sandstone, strata and limestone caverns of Kentucky ?, and in some parts of thisitate. II. The alluvial lands on the south side 5f the Ohio are narrow jrbut to the north jf that riVer, when i- looser stravficafica tion -has permitted the^ streams to ' untler mine their hanks, the Vallies are in gene rallrom one quarter,tda mile in breadth, *iid the depositions of alluvion verygreat. This is especially true of the Ohio," the Miamies, and their tributary and inter mediate streams. The londs of tliis for mation, generally rise in two or three suc ;esStve tables from the stream to the hill, iridaVe evident lydf- cliflFt reht ages.' Most it them ar? lower near the hill, than at the IfelgMlng to theriVer. This ia^p?r iiapl'jinin'g ibtfte dcncent, in Ibrtner timei>, it from thife uplands,,, which upon * it aching the plain, in*WfadT>f traversing it, would flow along the base of the hill ; he surface in that direction having the ?ame fall with the stream* Thus, in the rear of most bottom land), there are brooks if rivulets. The older alluvions art com posed chiefly of sand, gravel and war worn pebbles, covered from two to sixffcet leep with a bed of yellowish loam, that supports btJt a thin layer oflsoil. ?? T he-y *ve not without clay, iron and vegetable re mains ;? though in 'general these are less .bundant than the <?ew*v alluvions. . ''"he ipper table rn' the town of Cincinnati, fcr jf this kind. The gravel and pebbles gjgjr :hiefly calcareoi^, though the water wotn fragments of chert, flint, quartz end gra riite are not Un^ottirtwn. A large propor tion of the caleareous pebbles are flag ments of the variety of Hmest6ne last de scribed. Horisontil veins of blue clay ric\v *nd then present themselves hear the southern edge of thlt plain. Veins of ferrugif|ih |?udingstone (gravel renient td by iron) exist in a few places, and if?: . jure the well water... Vegetable substances,* jhitfly thie decaying remnants of trees, have* been fothid Hi different parts, at va* rious depths, from 20 to 100 feet. The larger pebbles of this tract are generally nearest the surface, and on the sidenext the river. The beds of sand He, in most parts, at considerable depths, and have nn ohli qtie ofr t(W|fve-Tlkt/s^rat?'&cifibn, while that of the Superincumbent pebbles ia chiefly horizontal. The >bottom, at lower table h composed of loam and clay to the depth ol 20 feet or more, when gravel aridu ntU entirely jMicious, and unlike those of k/ -**.? , / \ . / - t * F * ' 4 ? // , ? U !