The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1893-12-08
HINTS ON COAL BEARING FORMA
TIONS IN BENTON COUNTY.
(By John Ray.)

The papers on the geological forma
tlons in Benton county, recently publish
ed by The GAZETTE, clear the way fo
more intelligent investigation for materia
of economic value, by bringing to ligh
formations which hitherto have had nt
place in onr territory, Or if so. what wa
known ofthern was so vague or indefina
BILE In character Or place, that whatever
value these formations might possess
they were entirely outside of all ca1cula
TONS It is then the intention in this pa
per to present the several formations and
the relative value of each, as coal bear
ing strata, as they should be found in
this vicinity.
Prof. Pumpelly, leading geologist,
who had charge of the geological survey
from the Missouri river to the Pacific
coast in the territory of the Northern Pa
cifc railroad, and whose report was pub
lished by the geological survey Washing
ton, in speaking of the coal field of the
Pacific coast says: '"The great coal field
of the Pacific slope runs from the Pacific
coast to the Missouri river, and from
Canada, south to latitude 40, or there
about. That the largest fields and heav-
lest beds are near the coast, and diminish
in extent and quality as they go East.
The same is true of the older coal forma-
tons of the Atlantic, where they are
heaviest near the coast, and diminish as
they reach out West, or to the Missouri
river"
It is not to be understood that coal un-
derlies, and is within the strata over this
extensive range of territory, hut only in
such places, here and there, where con-
ditions were favorable for the deposit and
growth of coal during the period of its
activity. The reason for this is, where
ever the land wasfn proper position, viz,
neither too high above water nor too low,
with quiet shelter from the sea, and with
sufficient fresh water to feed the low lands
or bogs, coal would accumulate. Out
side of these conditions, the strata must
be barren
COAL FIELDS AND STRATA OF THE PA
cIFIc COAST.
The coal fields of the Pacific coast as
now known are in California, Coos Bay,
Oregon, Puget Sound, Washington, and
the island of Vancouver. The oldest and
most extensive deposits are found at the
latter place. The more recent and less
in California and Coos Bay.
The geological age or strata in which
coal is found is, in Vancouver, cretaceous;
Puget sound, recent cretaceous or the
equivalent of Laramie; at Coos Bay, said
to be miocene, but probably eocene terti-
ary; In California, eocene, Or named at
the latter place TETON. Besides the above
numerous small beds are scattered along
the coast as in Lincoln county, in n1io-
Gene strata.
1t will be noticed from the several
groups of strata above mentioned that the
coal period extended over a long time;
but such mention is insignificant or mad
aquatic if we wish to get but glimpse of
the meaning of the time required to de-
posit the thousands of feet of rock strata
and the hundreds of feet of coal, which
have been deposited during the formation
Of the above groups. AS this is so impor-
tant to the coal prospector, we give lit
tie data to work upon, gathered from the
best authorities. Prof. LeCoute states
that it takes about 10000 years to make
a vein one foot thick of coal, as it is un-
derstood at this time. And Mr.. Willis, in
his report on the coal field of Puget
sound, gives, as the result of their labor,
one hundred and twenty-seven veins, of
which seventeen are workable coal veins,
three to fifteen feet thick, and with sand
stones and shales probable exceeding 49,
300 feet.
The above represents but. one group of
rocks. Then we have what there may be
in the more recent eocene, and again the
and thin veins in the miocene.
With such heavy and numerous deposits
of coal found not far from the coast line
and extended as they are from Puget
sound to California the question forces
itself upon us in what relation do the
formations of the Willamette valley or
Benton county bear to those of Puget
sound or California?
BENTON COUNTY.
In the sedimentary formations lying
between the Willamette river and the
eastern face of the older coast range of
no little diversity is met with
in it's fossil remains. This is
true not only in formations miles apart,
but in strata which is separated only by
few hundred yards. Yet, while fossils
found in nearly contiguous strata differ
to some extent, there is generally some
feature about them showing relationship
as, where there are several fossils one or
more will be found in neighboring bed.
So, that it is not difficult to assign them
to the geological group to which they be-
long. But, further apart, where rock and