Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-12-23
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF OHIO.
IFrom the Cincinnati c0mmereiai.l

The first volume of the now progress
ing Geological Survey of Ohio has Just
tmade its appearance 1t IS a document
Of great value, and is destined to attract
general attention throughout the country.
| This survey was inaugurated under a
law passed by the Ohio Legislature
April 9. 1869. and the result thus far has
demonstrated the wisdom of the law
The work has progressed under the di-
rectlon Of Professor ]. S. NewberTy, of
| Columbia College, New York, Chief
Geologlst. with the following corps of as
sistants Professor E. B. Andrews, Ma
rietta College; Professor Orion, Antioch
College; Professor Wormley, Ohio Med
IEfcaI College. and John H. KIippart, Sec
Iretary Ohio Agricultural Society. To
facilitate and systematic the labor the
State was divided into divisions. The
north east quarter OF the State is under
the direction of the Chief Geologist; the
southeast of Professor Andrews; the
southwest of Professor Orion, and the
northwest has by special arrangement
been assigned to Mr.. Hertzer and Mr.
Gilbert. IN the present review we pro-
pose to leave speculative Geology entire
ly out of consideration, and touch only
upon the labors Of Professor Andrews
in Southeastern Ohio. In a subsequent
article We shall review the no less i'm
portant discoveries Of Professors Orion
and Newberry, in their respective fields.
The territory assigned to Professor
Andrews includes the bulk of the area
Of our mineral wealth.
Ohio is not rich in mineral resources,
after the fashion Of California, Colorado
or Missouri. No valuable deposits of
precious metals are known within her
territory; still she has more than her
full proportion of mineral wealth.
Prof Andrews territory has for its
northern boundry the line Of the Cen
Itral Ohio Railroad, for its eastern and
southern the Ohio River, for its western
the western limits OF the Great Black
Slate, extending from Columbus to
point on the Ohio River a few miles
east of Rome, in Adams County. About
| twenty-three counties are included in
these limits. It is known as the Second
District
GENERAL FEATURES OF THE SECOND
DISTRICT
The surface is generally hilly, except
Pic < away, Licking and
some portions of Fairfield County. The
whole district slopes to the south south
east, and its drainage is the Ohio River.
/ 1t is an interesting fact that the Mus
| kingurn River, which drains large ter
ritory of Eastern Ohio, has its bed dur
ing its whole course, above the level of
Lake Erie, while the Ohio River, at
| Wheeling. w. Va, at low water is fifty
six feet above. The Muskingum, at
| GAINESVILLE is one hundred and eleven
feet above the level of the lake, while
the Scioto at Columbus IS two hundred
and twelve feet above, or one hundred
and one feet apove the Musl1ingum at
! GAINESVILLE. The valleys of the principal
streams are well defined and fertile. All
the hills and ridges of the district are
remnants Of what were once continuous
rock strata. The scenery. especially in
the valley Of the Muskingum, is of a
bold mural character. Between Ian
caster and Logan the Hooking River
| flows in a valley bordered by high cliffs.
Some of the tributaries have eroded
channels, so deep and narrow that they
may be properly termed canons. All
the streams which have sources within
the great drift region of the central and
northern part of the State have carried
down material and deposited it in vast
] sand bars and sandy flats. These con-
stitute the terrace of the Scioto, Hooking
and Muskingum Rivers. The tributa-
ries to the Ohio from the south, as the
Little and Great Kanawhas, have none
of these terraces. Professor Andrews
found drift powders on the summit of
Flint Ridge, in Licking County, I7o feet
above the adjacent valley, or 40 above
Newark, 374 feet above GAINESVILLE, AGO
above Marietta, or 729 above Cincinnati.
Below we give an extract from Professor
Andrews report:
'On the hills of Kentucky, near Ash
land, Greenup County, saw drift bowl
ders two hundred feet above the Ohio
i Fsiver, and IN set41ey
the Scioto, IN Adams County, I have
seen bowlders of Lake Seperior rocks,
which had evidently been brought over
the high ground to the north. This
high ground can not be less than seven
hundred feet above the Ohio River at
i Cincinnati. How came these powders
to be left upon these high hills?-n glaci-
ers had reached such elevations we
should find large accumulations of gla-
cier-Worn materials, whereas we find
only a few isolated powders.
If we should accept the glacial theory to
explain the spread of the drift over the
central and northern part of the State,
then the final melting of vast body of
ice would fill with torrents all the streams
down the slopes to the Ohio River, and
these sweeping currents would carry
down the Materials in the drift terrace.
Professor Andrews differs from Pro-
fessor Newberry on the glacial theory,
of which more hereafter). Perhaps he
is orthodox.
OUTLINE OF THE GEOLOGICAL FoR1TA.
TIoN OF THE SECOND DISTRICT.
The rocks found in this district, com
mencing with the lowest strata, are in
ascending order-the tsGreat Black
SIate.' the ssYYaverly Sandstone - the
/ "Congl y and the productive
| Goal Measures. - The Ohio Black Slate
is the lowest formation found in this
district, 1t was carefully measured by
barometer in the Ohio River hills in
Adams County, and found to be three
hundred and fifty feet in thickness.
The Black Slate is an evident source of
rock oil, or petroleum. It affords oil
readily by distillation. In numerous
places Professor Andrews found springs
of oil at the top OF the slate.
rests upon the black slate. This
group will be more elaborately descri-
bed hereafter. The upper Waverly
sandstone is nowhere extensively
quarried along the Ohio except at
Buena Vista, a few miles below Ports
/ mouth. Nearly all the fine buildings
at Cincinnati are built of this stone,
and it is now being shipped extens vely
to New York. A fine grained stone Of
the same order of a rich dark yellow
drab, from Pike County, has been in
troduced into Columbus by Peter
/ Hayden. It forms one of the finest
and most attractive blocks in the city
1t is similar in appearance, only brigh
ter, to the brown stone fronts in New
York City.
COAL.
The most valuable mineral wealth
of Ohio is in her coal-fields. Coal
differs from all other elements dug
from the earth. Tt alone i a source Of
power. The superficial coal area of
Ohio has been comp puted at II 300 square
miles. Profes- or Newberry estimates
our productive coal area at 10, 600. his
is more than double that of any nation
on the continent of Europe. and enual