The Harrison times., 1901-03-02
Geology Of No1Rern Arkansas:
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Comprehensive Summary COnd Governing the Richest Mineral
Region Known TO Ge gStS of

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pglStS OF America.
mestone division of the sub
hrboniferous group of the Northern
punties of Arkansas. He also
peaks of their being over 200 feet
thickness in Searcy county, and
That there it is underlaid with 3S
4eet of Black Shale This ebert
Evidently is the counterpart of rem
liant of limestone beds that overlaid
g nnnmin~saathz,
ative position it holds throughout
Boone and Marion counties with re-
spect to the marble, already described
as being the equivalent of the Lower
Burlington. These cherty fragments
are angular, sharp and fiinty, and in
many instances have degenerated
into a clay that sometimes is red.
and at others yellowish, or pure
white. Being principally silica or
Silicate of Alumina, it no doubt
would prove to be an excellent
material for t1re-brick, furnace lining
and stone-warc, and for other
purposes where silica enters as a
principal or importan, fact or. Where
occurring in southwest Missouri as
"Tallow" clays, they contain 80 to
60 per cent of silica, to 9, of Ferric
oxide, 1 to 80, of Alumina, 2 to so,
of zinc oxide and l to 4 per cent of
lime, according to analyses of
various samples. BY the supplying
of more carbonate of lime-of which
there is an endless amount in the
limestone, possibly a superior grade
of hydraulic cement could be manu-
tactured. On some of the loftiest
SUBMITS the onl Y visible material is
ebert gravel; still it supports a fairly
large growth of timber, and even
the wild grape vine of unusal size.
The cause for this is that only a
short distance beneath there is a CLAW
which on account of retention of
moisture will support vegetable
growth fully as we'll as the lower
ground in some instances; the
exclusive ebert being only a thin
surface coat left by the clayey soil
that had sifted through to a lower
level. With the customary rude
cultivation this land produces 20 to
25 bushels of corn to the acre and
could be made to yield double that
amount. ebert also exists in Marion
county in the form of Tripoli, which
is almost pure silica. and in quality
appears to be similar to that mineral
at Seneca, Missouri.
MARBLE
1t might be considered a query
why the marble format ton should be
confined to a few counties, more es-
pecially Marion, Boone, and por-
tons of Newton and Searcy, and not
to continue north of the White riv-
er? When we come to consider, it
no doubt was the harder and more
resisting property of this rock that
gave direction to a good part OF
that river. While it has a bee line
course from source to mouth that
points southeast, the marble, and
underlying members corresponding,
ly hardened, forced it's current to
carve out channel through more
yielding material and describe a
great arc, with its extreme convex.
ity lying in the state of Missouri.
The marble of Arkansas is a mas.
sive formation and, while the great
er portion of it would have no more
economic value than that of a high
grade limestone, there is also an in.
exhaustible supply which grades ut
to a quality fully equal to the noted
Georgia and Tennessee marbles. Ir
color, these are jet black, red, pink
white, yellow, and also mottled Oh
variega ted, and banded. The ex
pense of quarrying would be very
trifling, since in most instances it oc
ours in the hills above all drainage
The industry of quarrying and ship
ping the more valuable portions o
| this rock is destined to be an exten
sive one and will, of itself, constitute
quite an item in railroad tonnage
There are also the Sulphate and Car
Donate of lime, Alabaster and Mex
lean Onyx which, though limited
will, on account of their values, re
ceive due share of attention.
SACCHARoIDAL SANDSTONE.
This also known as the St. Pete
sandstone, and is the same one refer
red to in Owens Report as the "Up