New-York tribune., 1842-04-01
mr., Iyelrs Fifth Lecture en- Geology.
TRcported for The Tribune
ORIGIN OF COAL.

contain organic TSIn2luS-l f,0He W 't!eLi q
r,any volumes Of History-as so many monG-
Incnts Of the ancient states OF the giobs and o
their different structures as being 50 many leave
OF these volumes All that ] can DO in this shor'
course of lectures take down at rand orr III =
one and then another of these volumes anu e''
deavor no, give you any idea OF the contents .
the whole but Just to express something u VI
,oe,l1od employed in The attempt TO desypher these
ancien, memorials of the EARTH History Nor
;hc volume which Iintcnd 10 take down to-alsitI5
thai which wc term the Coal formations ard
shall sneak of it only so far as TO show the reit-
,;v. positon, and the stalcof the different period
when ,hey we're deposited beneath the water.
Now when turm this formation Coal, merely
mean this ls-cnblagc of strata which rests oif
the Older Sandstone, and in which Is found thar
valuable fuel We cal; coal; and although the qual.-
lit, in which j. is contained Is very snail IN con-
parison with the bulk and volume ~f the other
strata, there is ,ii great interest and importance.
attached To it. We see that in going from tll
highest 10 the lowest beds yet discovered, tlla
coal occupies quite an ancient posi'ion-onc
indicating !, formation low don'n in the Sca--;ls
nave first The Post-Piioccnc. then the rcrtinr;
formation then the Chalk, which is made ur Of
cacarcous ma,tcrformed dlnos,ly at least in iurope
rom decomposed shells and Goals and of tho, 9
greer ,naris which arc found III New Jersey ami
are Of such extensive in Agriculture; then VI,
Guve the ,Jura limestone or Oolile in which also
arc masses Of coral like the common coral reefs:
.1,.,iI
not speak at present, and lastly wc come downto
the Carboniferous or coal l-bearing stratum which
rests upon the thick sandstone beds. the lime
containing coral> and which ike evory other
formation contains species of animals, shells and
plants Of different specie, from these iminedi-
ately an,cccdent or following. Below this again
see limestone and shaIc, which enter most
largely into the structure Of the rocks OF III"
State of Ncw-forll and which abound in fossils
Now a great change must have been experienced
before the coal period, when the fossils were de
posted | am indebted to Mr.. SoPwITH, an
eminen; civil engineer, for copies OF some models
prepared by him of those sections, which are faith
fu and accurate representations ot actual Local
ties, US has been fully verified by Dir. BuCKLhHD
and myself in examinations which made last
spring. The different strata Of sandstone, sha"
and cong glomciatc of which the carbonfcrous for
sections represcn, facts ascer,ancd in cutting per
pendicularly through the Newcastle coal dis
trict. They not hypothetical but are founded
upon exact measurement. In one of these
,ions you see the dip Of the beds is at angle OF
900, while the slope of the valley is 40o. In tic
other the dip is 500 and the slope Of th. valley in
the same direction is 800. In these two cases,
therefore, the relation Of the slope Of the valley
and the dip of the beds IS reversed. In both
cases, also the slope of the .aley and dip of the
beds are to the South. To those who are no.
acquainted with these technical terms may say
that the deviation from horizontal plane of th,
beds is called the lip; while the strife, as it is
called is the extension of the strata in direction
at right angles to the dip. In this case, as the
dlp is to the South, the strike must be from East
10 West. The llcxureS of the valleys depend OH
their inclination relatively to the Dip; and these
two sections cut through beds of coal and slialc
and sandstonc-the shalc being indurutcd clay
are illustrations of cases in which tile strata;
come up 10 the surface according to the various
lations of the slope of the valley and the dip OF
the bed. 1t is a rule among miners that when
the dip of the beds is less steep than the slopc of
the valley in the same direction. then the VS., "a
;hey are termed, will point upwards, those formed
by the newer beds appearing in superior posi-
ton and extending higher up the valley. Bui
when the is reversed. and the dip of the beds
is sleeper than the slope of the valley. then the
VS. point downwards and those formed Of the
older be:ls appear uppcrmost. These rules mas
often be of great practical service in many cases.
tor example, suppose miner first TO begin his
operations one valley with the structure of which
nc is familiar. Ifhc should sink his Shaft througll
the formations above he would come to the coal
whichis below. Butsuppose one unncquanteiwitIi
these rules which | have been explaining, to 90 L,
anothervallcy; and in England ne mis- ightcasy eop
such avacv, for these cases as said are not hr,,,-
iteucal He might, cNntinuing along the same
side otthe hills he had seen in the other valleys
where he observed the same out-croypimc as it i,
termed, ofthe coal seams. suppose, rcasoniRg rou
his former experience, that he might begin Ii,
workings in the bed at the higher part of the val
ley with the expectation of coming down to tia.
other bed But he would be Disappointed, as YOU
will readily sec by observing that the uppcrmoSt
bed is lowest down in the valley, and the lower bed
IS the highest up. This you can easily trace with
your eye upon these sections. An acquaintance
with these rules and their application is Of tho great
estlmportance to those specializing III mining trans
actions lntiic coal field Of Pennsylvania, to which
shall presently ynlla,c, lcar Pottsve. saw an
cxcmphlication this year o thc,wo cases alluded
to-wlicn in the conl of the valleys ihc "
IN some cases pointed one way, and in the others
IN the oppositc-thc dip and slope being both To-
wards the south. There is nothing more siugulo.
orwhch has struck SO forcibly in respect TO ,hc
coal fields of this country their close resemblance
10 those OF the north OF Europe and Of England it
particular. have travelled on the north side OF
the Alps towards the south. and have been aston
'shcd to find minerals of fossil of entirely distinct
genera from these me; with in the Pyrcnees. Nor
nave the chainS OF mountains any thing to do With
tins remarkable chanse-ter the beds were formed
Of
lsted, Observing this great change then, in the
shost passage of 4 few hundred miles, it seems 10
me moS' surprising that in passing, al the distance
OF three or tour thousand mics from England tn