Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1901-08-03
THE GEOLOGIC HISTORY
OF the New Dominion Related il
Full
BERKELEY coUNTYS PART
Something About the Valuable Limestone
Development in this Section States
Mineral Wealth.

a paper giving the geologic history OF
West Virginia. prepared by DIR. /. @.
White, State Geologist, of Mega
town. at the request of Governor A.
b. White was READ.
The detailed geologic history OF
West Virginia is long story, sum-
married. it can be briefly told. That
part of it which pertains to the East
ern Panhandle is veSy interesting to
the president Of this section ana 1t is
given below.
West Virginia rocks begin with
the old volcanic series of the Blue
Ridge on its extreme eastern borderv,
and extend upward through tho Cam
brian. Silurian, Devoian and Carbon
ferrous. ending with the Permain beds
of the latter along the central and
western portions of the State. Meta
morphis of sediments are compare
lively unknown in her strata, hence
those who would seek gold and silver.
platinum, copper, tin, lead, etc
should give West Virginia wide
birth.
NO PRECIOUS STONES HERE. 4
Traces she may have of all these,
but none in paying quantities. Pre-
cious stones, gems and metals have
been denied to the Little Mountain
State, but generous nature has so
III l,nr NIT
stones, common minerals and other
common things that her natural
wealth is unsurpassed by anv equal
area ON the continent
Passing in brief review the main
features of the West Virginia geologic
column of stratafIom the Oldest to the
most recent, we find them distribute
ed as follows:
The Blue Ridge at the extreme
eastern line of the state contains the
Oldest rocks, and according to the re-
searches of the lamented Prof.
Williams, of John Hopkins, and his
talented pupil Miss Bascom, consists
largely of meatmorphosed ancient vol
canic outfiows. Within the limits
of West Virginia, at least, they do
not appear to contain any minerals of
especial value
THE SHENANDOAH LIMESTONES
Succeeding these ancient volcanic
rocks of uncertain age, and resting
against them in a vertical or even
overturned condition. come the Siluro-
Cambrian, or Shenandoah limestones.
These crop to the surface in only a
few counties of the state, viz: Jeffer-
SON, Berkeley. Hardy, Hampshire and
Pendleton, along the border of Vir-
ginia. There thickness has never
ly somewhere between three and four
thousand feet. They make the great
wheat belt of the Shenandoah Val
ley. Much of the rock is highly mag
nedian, but at a few hundred feet be-
low the top of the series, occurs a
strait of very pure carbonate of lime,
70 to 100 feet thick. being low in
phosphorus and silicious matter. 1t
is highly priced for the manufacture
of iron, glass, plastering, etc.
EXTENSIVE IRON ORE POCKETS.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
runs across this belt of limestone for
a distance of twenty-five miles be-
meath Harper's Ferry and North
Mountain, furnishing excellent facili-
ties for shipment from its quarries.
The dissolution of some ferruginous
limestones in this series has given
origin to a few extensive iron ore
pockets. notably the Virginia Mine
on the Potomac river few miles
above Harper's Ferrv.
The Martinsburg shale, correspond
ing to a portion OF the old Hudson
river group, succeeds the Shenandoah
limestones, but while it makes an
excellent soil it contains nothing else
of mineral value. The thickness of
these beds is probably not far from
1900 feet.
The Oneida ana Medlna beus OF the
New York series succeed the Mar
tinshurg shale, the lower half con-
sisting of sand beds and red shales,
while the upper half is very hard
white sandstone 500 to 600 feet thick.
1t makes the North Mountain along
the Shenandoah Valley, and also
comes up in the great folds of the
Appalachian system at Hancock and
Keyser. The white sand stone is val
liable for railroad ballast and glass
and
CLINTON SUCCEEDS THE WHITE
MEDINA.
The Clinton and its fossil iron ores,
succeeds the white Medina and ex-
tends through Morgan. Mineral,
Hardy, Hampshire Berkeley, Grant.