The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-08-26
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Geology Of the Northwest Part of M ,luc.
"A paper contributed to the A. A. A. S. b,
c. w. Hitchcock and j. Ii. Huntington.

IL "a. -.
G. w. Hitchcock and j. III. Huutiuoton
The country alluded to in this communication
is bounded on the east by Moosehead Lake. on
the north by the west branch of the Peuobscot
River, on the west by the wafer shed between
the Kennebec and Chaudiere rivers, or the
boundary between the United States aud the
Dominion of Canada, on the south and south
west by Dead River 1t is partly Paleozoic,
with an abundance of fossils, and partly Eozoic.
1t is of special Interest because it is the district
where the fossliferous rocks are limited (in
passing towards the White Mountains from the
Gulf OF St Lawrence) by the older strata IL
has been supposed by many that these DeyO-
man fossiifefOus strata passed by gradual met
ahiorphsm into Crystalline rocks and that
tho Sneiss of New England are to be regarded
as altered Pale lzoic. The sequel will show that
this position IL not tenable-sOpOres can be
Judged from the rocks of this district.
The fossilifeTous rocks of this section were
FIST pointed out by DIR. Jackson, who studied
then particularly IN the vicinity of Parliu Pond.
He mentions a locality half q mile north Of Par
lin Pond where be discovered great number
and variety oiinpressions 10 bed Of grawacke.
H speaks of them as the most perfect casts of
mari ne fossils that he had ever seen. He seems
to have been lead to the discovery by the nu-
merous boulders that are centered from this To-
cality as far north as the outer island Of Penob-
scot Bay in the mouth of the Kenuebcc DIR.
jackson passed over MOosehead Lake, then he
followed Moose river up 10 the Canada road,
which Is some thirty miles from the Lake,
there he went Southwark, after he had explored
the country northward to the Canada line. In
passing up Moose river be crossed the foSsiliseT-
Gus strata diagonally. lie noticed obscure fss-
slls in the rocks at Lake BraSsua and these are
the only fossils he observed on Moose river or
on the lakes that are expansions OF this stream.
Ii DR.. jackson did not see all that is 10 DO
seen if he did not define the position of definty,
we must remember that geology was a very DIFF
terent thing thrty-seven years ago from what
I is to-day.
In 1872, one of US when engaged on the
geological survey of Maine traveIsed hastily
Moosehead Lake, then westward to the bOun-
Diary, and the Canada road from the Forks to
the Chaudiere. The upper section showed two
Huronan areas overlaid by two bands of clay
states latter most likely of upper sIluri-
angas the other, the Canada rock. exhibited
at first strata, most likely u Der Silurian age
(possil'y Huronian) overlaid by band of
the red sandstone-to the west OF which ap-
peared first granite lodges, then the upper
silurians strata, followed by the Hurouian
again extending into Canada. The numerous
fossils obtained at the first visit were named by
Billings of Montreal, who recognized them to
be OrIskany sandstone. Subsequently the find
ing of the Facodes Cam6a Salli, made us be-
lleye the representatives of the Camda Salli
girt Moosehead Lake.
In the hope of gaining some additional Ixnowl-
edge OF the rocks OF this section particularly in
determining their extreme limit, spent few
weeks late last autumn in traversing the coun-
try from Moosehead Lake westward. Standing
on The summit of Mt. Tinneo ard looking tow
ard the southwest, we see high ridge that
was almost parallel with Moose river. This
ridge is composed of a rock similar to that of
Mt. Kinneo. 1t has been described as bluish
hornstone or flint but it seems rather to be a
fesite and although cut by many joints which
makes the stratihcation very obscure, yet it APP
pears to have northwesterly dip. On the west
shore of Lake Brassau, probably two miles from
the southern extremity of the lake, there is an
outcrop of dark colored shale and Immediate
ly north, there is another outcrop of felste If
we follow the line OF the strike Of the felste Of
Lake Bressau four miles s. w. of Parn Pond,
we find Bald Mt. with the ridges running w
and E to be composed of rock similar to
that of Mt KinneU So it is possible that the
rock may be continuous between these two
points.
The shores about the inlet of Lake Brassua
are low, and Noisy River, the stream. is quite
sluggish uutil after you pass the little Brassua
Perhaps three-fourths of mile above this lake
the stream becomes rapid, and outcrops of rock
are frequent. The rock is ferruiginious sand
stone cut by numerous JOINTS, and the strata
dip S 200 Il 100. The fossils are quite runner
Gus and some of them very distinct. The fol-
wing are the genera: Avricula, mcdiolOpsis
orthis. leptogella liabilities, spirifer, fucoid.
| For the next three miles the rock is light
brown sandstone. very hard, and in this we did
| not see any fossils. AT the mouth of Stony
| Brook, point some two miles from Lone Pond,
we found another fossiliferous band OF rock .
! There the sandstone is compact but il freouent-
| ly contains fragments of slate an inch or more
across. Thus it is evident that this rock is
newer than the states on either side L dip
| of the rock here is 80 L 20. The fossils are
not so numerous as in some other places but
they seem TO be more generally distributed
through the rock. This is the only locality
where the coral orcus is found From this point
TO Long Pond the outcrop is the same light,
| compact brown sandstone that we had seen in
lw.ln la4wr h. L.
( mouth of Sony Brook. Long Pond is nine
| miles in length, and is the longest of the nu-
merous sheets of water which are expansions of
| Moose River. 1t varies in width from a quarter
! to half mile. The first outcrop of rock on the
| south shore contains coucretions of iron py-
! rites, but no fossils. About half way up the
lake the strata run diagonally across, and there
are several outcrops of rock at some distance
| from the Shore Here there are few fossils,
| but as they on the perpendicular lace OF the
ledges it is impossible 10 obtain specimens by
| ordinary appliances; yet it gives us the means
] of the exact dip of the strata. Six miles from
the outlet on tie South shore there is quite an
| extensive outcTop Of rock and an abundance of
fossils. The dip of the strata here is 2Oo, E $50,
| The sandstone is of lighter color than that
which is generally found farther east, aud the
| strata dip at greater angle. The fossliiferous
| portion of the rock is more srgillaceoGs than
4 the non-fossilifecous.
Going south across the strata Of mountain
| brook, a stream running east from Owls Head,
there are a few fossils but rather indistinct.
| The dip of rock here is S Acc, E10o. ln the
! southeast corner of Long Pond township, near
/ Mud Pond, fossils are abundant. The dip is
| n 80, W3o. The rock generally is of brown
| lsh gray color, and nearly everywhere cut by
! joints; SO that where there are no fossils il is
| impossible to tell certainly the dip. Taking
the fossil where the rock begins to dip north as
the middle of the axis we have the thickness
/ 2SS0ft. The rock northwest of the sandstone ia
| in general an argilaceous schst, and dips to-
! ward the sandstone with little or no incou-
4 forniablity IF we follow Moose River above
| here we shall find granite gneiss. The first
outerop is on an island near the outlet of Wood
| Pond The fossils from Parlin Pond are stTo-
phomena magnifica, orths musculosa, rynch-
onella oblata, rensseleria oyoides, leptocelia
| liabilities, spirfera arrcta and pyxidata, ,modio-
lo2sis, cyItodonta, avicula. murchisonia, ortho-
ceras, aud dalmanites epicrates.
SECTION FROM LAKE MEGANTIc TO LEXINGTON
The topography of the country from the Lake
Megg to Lexington though nowhere very
rcma lDle, possesses some points of interest.
Historically it is of note as u route pursued
by Ar1old in his expedition to Quebec in the
autumn of 1775. That part of the route from
| Eustis to Lake Megantc is known only to lum-
bermen aud tIapperS, and previous 10 our visit
| last autumn the section, except the western
border of Lake Megantic, has never been stud
| led with reference to its geology. Lake de
| gantic IS some sixteen miles in length and
from two to five and half in Width. With
the exception of a settlement at the east end
there are only prmeval forests with some
openings made by the iumbermen and
| the fires In the vicinity hills rise
| in gentle undulations covered for the
most part with h. avy growth of spruce,
| fir, maple or birch Southwark the hills rise to
watershed separating the wste rs oa S !.
renee from those of the sou,h and forming the
boundary of the States. Two large streams.
Victoria on the northwest and Arnold on the
southeast, flow into the lake. The ostet .be
Chaudiere, is on the northeast, mile and a
half from the northern extremity. On the Ar.
mold and its tributary, the Spider, the shores
are low for several miles. The Spider widens
into bread sheets of water the most prominent
of which are Rush and Spider lakes. At the
head OF of Spider river the gap in the watershed
is lower than elsewhere for many miles on Ell
ther side. Here was depot of supplies during
the boundary survey in 1S44-5. The height of
the maple and birch trees on land cleared then
is from twenty to twenty-five feet The out
look northward is apparently over an unlimited
forest, six or seven miles sOuthward obstructed
by range of high hills. Immediately south of
the watershed we came into Maine 10 the head
waters of Dead River. Some four and a half
miles from the watershed are tdree branches
that unite to form this stream. From Rush
Lake passing over the boundary into Maine, net