The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-18
FLoRIpA,s PHosPHATEs
Some Interesting Facts About Them
from a Geological Point of View

Some Interesting FACTS ABOUT Anon
from a Geological Point of View
TALLAHASSEE, FLA, Jan. Il. State
Chemist Norman Robinson, who accompa-
MED Prof. L. c. Johnson Of the United
States geological survey in his explorations
in the neighborhoOd Of Tallahassee, has pre-
pared an article for the next issue OF the
Florida Bureau of Immisration's Monthly
Bulletin giving some OF the details OF the
progress Of the survey.
Among other things Dr. Robinson says:
''Up to the present time the geology OF this
portion of Florida has been largely con-
5ectural. The immense area Of what Is
termed orange sand which Prof. hllgard
denominates stratited drift of the south,
and of which the hill country OF North
Florida largely consists, covers the under
lying rocas 50 deeply that surface exposures
are very infrequen."
Continuing, the doctor says: "Here IN
Tallahassee one Of the most important
sources of information wss found to be IA
deep well. Whcl was dug some years ago
by Gov. Bioxhsm on his old plantation near
be. e. The well was rot only carried down
TO bed rock, but extends some twenty feet
into it Specimens of the rock in abun-
dNnce were still adjacent to the well.
The rock was found to be richly fossilifer-
Gus, in all probability, originally Limestone,
OUT one WHICH, Lllc h-At'AA1 a AAot4
had been more or less silIcified aid changed
into ebert. Prof. johnson recognized many
of these fossils as characteristic OF the neo-
Gene period
One feature of the article, which will be
. of great interest to the many who are just
cow excited over the Florida phosphate
! finds. is an Interview which DIR. Robinson
had with Prof. johnson, in which the latter
said, speaking of the Tallahassee neocene
formation and similar deposits in west and
middle Florida:
''Thls rock here and generally to the south
is often siicified yet without oblitera ing all
of its fossils. These show it to tie of neocene
F.. age Immediately above this formation be-
longs he phosphate formations peculiar o
Florida. There may be seen in the cuts of
this vicinity modules of soft sandy rock not
formed in toto but have been brought down
and dropped with the sands and clays, max
I ing up these great superficial deposits. These
nodules, think, are fragments OF a modifi-
cation If the great phosphate mother rock
so abundant on the peninsula 1t should be
searched for northward. This form atom Is
! locally varied in appearance, but generally
of easy recognition. Beginning at Suwau-
nee river, in the vicinity of Rixford, have
traced it southwark to Lakeland. 1t &C.
cupies the highest ridges, as at Welborn, at
NewnanvIlle, at Gainesville, and Ocala.
''To the people this material is often
known as the chimney rock, being of use
for purposes of building and for under
pinning houses. The richest phosphate
beds have been formed by ii disintegration
and redisposition of the materials of this
soft calcareous sandstone.
Westward of the Apalachicola / saw
nothing of the phosphate mother rock, and
the ne Gene deposits, which are numerous
and large, and probably continuous, at least
to Yellow river, are never silicifed. These
are mainly greensand marls with Shells
The most western | discovered on Shoal
river not far below the Alab9 ma line All
Walton county is probably underlaid with
il. An accessible exposure is at Flournoy's
Mill creek. Summerville. The great bed is
at Alum Bluff, Apalachicola, continued TO
Bailey's ferry on the Chipola. The last is
discovery Of Prof. Frank Burns of the
survey, who is now making large collec-
flons. with headquarters at Bristol.
'None of these western beds can be re-
garded as phosphate, yet they contain
bones and nodues which are highly so. An
overlyi & clay and Ignite sand, is rich in
these materials, which was ned out in the
general denudation of these rivers and
redeposited, initiate closely the composition
and genesis Of the Charleston phosphatcs
On the other hand our eastern and southern
deposits are of a character, SO far as known,
peculiar to Florida.
THE eocene rocks of the Vicksburg
formations of Alabama descend into Florida
down Chipola river as far as Bailey's ferry,
but eastward of the Apalachicola river have
not been recognized, except as islands down
the great central region of sinks and lakes.