New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1907-06-26
CLAY FOUND IN ABUNDANCE
New Ulm Deposits as Rich as Any
in the State.
Prof. Sardeson Completes His
Survey and Makes Favorable
Report.
Prospectors Have Been Fooled as
4 to Beds Along the
d Cottonwood.
Geologist Makes Valuable Talk to
Business Men.

oI tAS pdSt Geu udyS FrOI. r. w.
Sardeson, one of the professors of
geology at the state university, has
been making thorough examination
OF the country contiguous to New
Ulm with view chiefly to ascertain
ing the character of the clay deposits.
Sardeson is one of the best authori-
ties on geologic formation in the
United States and his conclusions on
? subject such as he has had to deal
with here are usually accepted as con-
elusive.
Last evening he appeared at a
largely attended meeting of New U I'm
business men, called together by re-
quest of President Klossner of the
Commercial Association, and in an
interesting talk, illustrated by profile
drawings, told the result of his in
designations.
The quality of the clay for brick and
pottery purpose he did not touch upon,
that having been conceded by manu-
featuring experts. such as Mr.. Rich
of Red Wing. His report, ne said,
Yead to deal only with the amount and
localities in which the clays could be
found
Then he went on to tell that three
kinds of clay exist in large quantities
about New Ulm, designa ting them for
convenience by their color as red clay,
blue clay and white clay. Each is
found in a different geologic forma-
ton or rock layer of, the earth, and
must be looked for in different way,
although each occurs in a regular
manner. To show how each can be
found, he said it was necessary to de-
: scribe the rock formations in which
ghey are included.
- The deepest rock, Or that which is
under the others in this vicinity is the
crystalline rock or granite. The red
stone rock, he said, might be classed
with this granite.
On these rocks lie the soft sandstone
and blue clay form alton which geolo-
gists call the cretaceous.
Above this is a blue-black, sandy
pebbly clay called "glacial till" This
has gravel bed generally near the
middle of the formation.
A red till often covers the blue black
till and on top of this is yellow-gray
nil or boulder clay mixed in with sand
and gravel.
The top of the ground is soil, river
gravel, sand and common clay.
The first five formations may be con-
sidered as practically level sheets, and
it should be understood also that the
Minnesota and Cottonwood valleys
have been dug into the rock forma-
tions since the latter were laid down
as rock. The valleys are cut into the
formations so that the Lodges Of the
rock layers can be seen in the hillsides
of the bluffs.
The red clay is found near the sur
face of the ground on the slopes of the
Siver valleys, especially on nearly
level places or terraces within the
Minnesota valley about New Ulm.
/ For example, Professor Sardeson cited
a the district west of the cemeteries, the
brick Yards where it is now being used
for manufacturing purposes, and a
stretch of country south of the Cotton
wood. He said he had not been able
TO find any considerable amount OF
red clay in the Cottonwood valley
proper. The deposits are from two to
five feet thick as rule and are the
easiest seen of all the clays. OF the
three, however, it is the poorest in
quality and the least in quantity. 1t
can be used only for soft red brick
aAld drain tile.
The glacial till formations are made
up mostly Of clays like the red clay,
u INIT thew are too full of lime and hard
4 pebbles to be of much practical use.
The blue clay, or that which is used
for pottery and sewer pipe purposes,
4 lies in the cretaceous formation. These
e claws can be found near New Ulm,
4 Prof. Sardeson says, in large quaint
e ties. along the bluffs of the Minnesota
and Cottonwood rivers, in fact all
Il over the territory he has explored, and
llDhe has been up the valleys of both
s-syers for a distance of seven miles
~ gove their junction. Below Redstone
q there is very little evidence OF the Gre
taceous formation
OF this cretaceous formation, il
(which the blue clay is to be found,
lgsProf. Sardeson contends that It lies