GEOLOGY.
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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
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in the known world. ; PandfcT to (he the"
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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
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