The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-14
TO REVEAL HEHsEcRErs.
A Geological Survey OF Florida is
About to Iegia.

A Geological Survey OF Florida Is
About to Iegia.
Gainesville, (Fia.) Special , the Times Union
Prof. Lawrence Johnsu, a geologist OF
tbs national government who had been in
this city for several day past, was joined
to-day By g. Thompson, /. Monroe and r,
G McMichlan of the Unied States geoIogi-
cal survey, and the partywin at once begin
a Geological survey Of tbs portion of the
state. the work to comGlace with Gaines
vile and vicinity. A mp will be made to
a scale one inch TO the mic, the topography
N be represented III ter foot contour in
tervals.
The phosphate discovery in Florida has
doubtless had much to d with this sudden
move on the part of the government Off
Gals. A geological survg of this state has
never been made, and if lt shall reveal the
presence of anything asunlooked for and
as valuable as phosphate, the people
will perhaps be thlnkful that the
revelation has been reserved for the
wear 1899. In this conIetionit will interest
the public to learn thai as late as the close
of the year 1888, one o. the bulletins of the
United States geological survey issued by
authority of the interior department, and
prepared by r. A. f. Penrose, Jr.. pre-
sented an exhaustive report on ''The
Nature and Origin of tfB Deposits of Phos-
phate Of Lime, the wort covering all the
known phosphate areas If thu world at that
time OF this state the author says:
Phosphate deposits have been found in
various places in Florida, rut as far as is
vet known they are either oftoo small ex-
tent or of too poor quality t, pay for min
ing. The only deposit whici covers more
than few acres is founi in Alachua
county, naar the central pat of the state.
The phosphate found here belongs to the
subdivision of phosphate fonglomerates.
The rock consists of small pebbles. from
the size of mustard seed tothat of a pea.
closely packed in a matrix of iudurated
calcaredus marl The pebbles are very
compass have small conchDidal fracture
and sometimes an enamel-liks luSter. They
ere crelmy white to chestnut brown in
color, aid are associated with worn and
rounded bones and shells Prof c. U.
Shepard ST., thinks that many of the peb-
bleS MAJ be the worn casts IF marine shells.
while sdne Of them seem u be fragments
of cord. This conglonerate occurs in
masses weighing from one to twenty
pounds The largest mass yet found was
eighties inches long, fourteen wide and
four thick.
The pebbles occur in bed COVERING
about ten acres, and are associated with
pieces f a porous limestonerock, very com
mon iIthat region. The BID varies from q
fractiQ of a foot to five feet in thickness.
Sometimes it crops out at the surface. and
at otheS it is found at depth of four o..
more fet. At Gainesville, a5own nineteen
miles vest of this bed, Singular rock is
sand q have been found il boring an
artesia well, at depth of 2,S feet. The
massesDf rock are not nodubs but seem
to be simply broken fragment. They are
much Teathered and roundd, and are
buried u sand.
In sone places the pebbles, rounded bones
and coal fragments occur looe in a calca-
reous 1atrix, as if weatherec out of the
Original conglomerate. Sampls of pebbles
from tle loose material are sail by one of
The OVERS of this place (Dr. Smmons) to
average IS per cent. phosphae of lime.
while he whole mass of the ro0, as ana
lived BIC. U. Shepard, Jr., averages about
As per ont.
On tn northwest side of this bed was a
stream nown as the Lochloosa creek, be-
yond witch was a ridge rising sixty to
seventy i've feet above the creek, md called
Rocky ill. The hill is overlad almost
entirely " deposit of calcareus stones
and pebbles, embodied in sard, which
someuims entirely runs out, md again
reaches adepth of over six feet. Below is
soft, pcouS, calcareous rock, witch is of
spongyconsistency and hardensDn expos
ure to al. 1t is quarried for building the
foundatins and chimneys of houses. In
one of th quarries examined thi founda-
tion gradually blended, at dept of three
TO four fet, into a massive aud compact
phosphate rock, which is similar i appear
ance to tie phosphate fragments the bed
above described, except that it is in solid
mass, ami is probably the ledge wience the
fragments were derived. The urface of
f1saE
and has Deen much ereded. 1t SENS as if
Rocky Hill, when submerged, vas much
worn before the pebbles and the and were
deposited on top of it.