The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-07-01
....r..... ...,.. For the Register.
A MetcOric Rock or Porphyritic Bowl.
der.

LII .ho AA.iao VI @Auuisou Couuty latelY
publised by F. W. Beers & Co., o:New
York, in the map Of Ferrisburgh and on
the farm Of o. Il. Hand, there is laid
down a "meteoric rock" l had been in
formed by VIM. Hand that the rock
would measure twelve feet in length.
The desire to see such a specimen, natur.
ally induced me to go the spot where it
laid. On the road thither, l fell in with
an intelligent young man, a son of VIM.
Hoods, who conducted me to the object
of my search. l found it nearly in the
position represented in the Atlas, and if
it were represented in the geological may
Of the report of DR.. Hitchcock, and asso.
crates, its place would have been under
the letter &c" on the Monkton town line
also near the line between No. Is and 16
Of that map.
The object is split diagonally, and bed.
ded in clay, about ten rods east of the
exposure Of the Hudson River limestone,
and about thirty rods west Of the foot Of
Fuller Mountain of Red Saudrock. To
all appearance it is an erratie rock. al.
though further examination may show it
Is still in place.
Its size by rough measurement, it is
twelve feet long nine wide, and averag.
ing four above the level of the soil, and
allowing four feet for the depth, of the
buried portion will make about 200 Gu.
bic feet. Many times the weight of the
largest meteoric rock on record. Litho-
graphical character, color dark reddish
brown, . large portion nearly black on
the surface, suggesting its meteoric ori.
gin /; but the fracture so nearly resem-
bling that of red Sandrock would seem to
hint its relationship to its neighbor on
the east. ....
But what will the Phi. ID. d., say
of these large crystals imbedded in this
unstratifed mass? Crystals of much
paler hue and to all appearance, frag.
ments of a stratified original, Shall We
not say the whole mass is a boulder oil
porphyry2 Let US take this hint, those
Swans have given us, and look a little
further. On page $50 of the Report, il
! it reads I'm North Ferrisburgh a porphy.
rite dixie, five feet thick, runs north and
west, in Utica slate, Another in the
same place, twenty feet wide, in lower
Hudson River slate" The last mention,
ed Of these, one may suppose is that which
crosses Lewis Creek below the bridg,
near the grist-mill. Now following thu
same course, southeast, we find a similar
idea, if not the same dixie, cutting through
} the Hudson River limestone mo. Is o
the geological map. and crossing tn,
! road a few rods north of the dwelling o
; j. Moony, following this course over tn,
clay and we come within a few yards o
the SO called "Meteoric Rock" There i
this difference between the fragments o
the dixie exposed, and the one under no
tice, they have sharp unworn edges, Will
4 the surface of this is rounded to all ap
n pearancc. either greatly weathered or wa
ter-worn. Would it be presumption t,
\ say that this was thrown up so mucl
above the general level of the dixie itself
. as to be exposed to CLASSICAL action, an,
4 that after the states had been ground int
clay, this p~orphyritic mass was bowle'
into it. Would such an Interpretation b
Legitimate
a.. In our next geological survey, We ma,
b expect to see >sucb. little matters concise
4 ~ explained. @
KOnkton, June, 25th.