Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1837-07-13


the olive coiored adjoining The Eocene
The olive earth is of fine texture with
ou' nile gritty sand. Occasionally sharks
toolh IN decomposed slate, or the impres
sion o' she'll, may he discerned The white
stratum abounds IN casts, never exhibitin u
snelis. Sight traces of gypsum, but 10
neither Of the beds does Carbonate of lime
appear. The character of their organic i'm.
pressons, clearly refer, then, to the Miocene
formation.
thin layer Of ferruginous rock abound.
ing IN casts, occurs in contact with the Eo.
Gene IN some places on The river, particu-
larry where the Eocene contains gypsum.
Professor Rogers gives the iolIowinr sum
mary, showing the order and extent of stra
Ia OF both tertiary divisions, al different
points along the river.
"On the North bank of the river. in cliff
about mile below Piping Tree, the beds
taken in descending order are.
IUocenc.-l. White friable sand
clay, containing fossil impress
siOns, IN foo,
.. White sandy mari with broken
shells, 10"
8 Heterogeneous stratum Astounding
IN casts, and occasionally cons
tanning the shells hem selves, l2"
4. Thin hand of black pebbles.
1@"Ce"c ~ i/di green SanQ Stra-
tum-no shell,
6. Rocky shelf OF cemented sheIls
Of the saddle shaped oyster, l.2"
z. Dark green sand strata, with
small shells,
II l-2"
" The highest MIocene bed is not exposed
NJ thls point, but occurs a little farther no
the river IN the character Of dark blue clay
with fossil impressions, on which rests thin
layer OF ochleous clay, as brilliant in ;ts tints
as The finest chrome yeiIcw. This ochre ia
oil The most mpalpable texture when dried,
and would be found very valuable in color
ing.
"At Mr.. Washington Basset,'s about
iour ana hall miles higher up'the river, the
bank is precipitous, and presents the follow
ing series Of strata -
"ut0cene Oh superficial gravel or 6
feet-th'n layer of friable sandy clay with
CASTS, halt foot-olive coiored earth. with
sharks teeth and few casts OF Miocene
shells, feet-:hin line of black pebbles.
"Eoceae.-Dark greenish brown stratum,
containing large proportion Of green sand
and In some parts abouLding in shells, the
upper portion consisting OF rocky mass of
cemenied shell, chiefly the saddle oyster,
twenty feet.
cat Walker Tomlin's, on the south side
81 The river, Immediately below New Castle,
the beds are
! "WOcene -Fiiable white clay and sand
with CASTS OF shells, two feet. Eoccne- Olive
earth, with pebbles al bottom, 6 ieet-dark
blush green clay containing a great deal OF
green sand, capped by rocks as al the former
locality, 25 feet"
Higher above the level Of The slteIm like
beds occur al New Castle, and the estates OF
{ VIM. ii. Roane and Mrs. Ruffin. One and
half miles above New Castle, the Eocene
mari has an elevation above the river of more
than thirty feet. Blush green clay compo.
sing the lower stratum, containing few OF
the more delicate shells Astounding in green
sand The upper OF ii grey cslcareous mari,
thIckly sPeckied with gtanules of this sub
stance. A white irIa ole material, with TO-
Gene impressions, covers the whole.
/ An uGbIOken line is presented by the up.
per surface OF The Eocene, with few excep-
lions, MS at MIR. FOx's above Newcastle.
The bed here consists of lighl-coIUred sand
and clay, speckIed with green sand, contain
ing vast numbers OF the Eocene oyster. The
outline presents numerous cavities and emf
DenceS, like those which occur in the III 10.
I Gene deposite, nearer the seaboard. ga mar
row layer of common sand, deeply tiDged by
mixture with green sand lies Immediately
upon this irregular surface, and the hole is
| covered with a bed OF gravel and sand, with
diagonal lines of qualification, Indicating the
/ agency OF currents at The lime Of its depoSi-
/ ton.
CAT Dir. WIN. Wickham's, tie oyerlay-
| ing stratum consists Of beds Of ferruginout
gravel and sand, containing round concre.
! lions like Goodies, generally filled with sand
| Thin seams Of iron ore run along this stra-
| lum, few feet above the lossiiieTOus beds
These latter, in some places, present leye
outline, and are then always covered by q
layer of sandy clay, containing much greer
sand On The other hand, where the outline
IS undulating and irregular, a stratum y
gravel rests immediately in contact with tht
bed OF mari. The size of the gravel thu
deposited, as we'll as the scooped surface o
The bed IN which il reposes, indicating tht
operation OF powerful currents after the de
position Of Eocene, presents an explanation
OF the absence in those places of the uppe
ned OF this formation, remarked as preseD
IN those spots where there are no such indi
cations of the action Of destructive forces
The malrix Of the fossils is sometimes an oil
i've co!ored clay, and sometimes a greyisI
green sand and clay, and sometimes blue
ISL black clay, containing large proportion
OF The granules Of green sand. The depth O
the mari Is feet. s.
Eocene Strata Of the James RiUer.
these beds first appear on the Southern
shore sear Coggin's Point, and continue