The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-02-19
ONCE WAS GREAT SWAMP.
Western Pennsylvania So Declared By
U. S. Geological Survey.

In a report recently issued by the
United States geological survey, as bull
lotin 454, by Eugene w. Shaw aud
Malcolm j. Mum, which discusses the
geology and the coal oil, and gas re-
sources Of the Foxburg quadrangle, in
western Pennsylvania, many interesting
facts are brought out regarding the APP
pearance Of this region millions of years
before the advent of man.
In this report the biologists describe
not only the rocks that are exposed
at the surface, but also those that have
been pierced at great depths by wells
drilled for oil and gas. They explain
how each kind of rock was formed and
show that the rocks themselves con-
tain an indisputable history of the proc
esses concerned in their formation, The
facts thus revealed show that at diff
ferent periods in the earth's history in
land seas covered great areas OF what
is now the United States. One of these
seas extended entirely over what is now
the Appalachian plateau region, from
New York to Alabama. AT certain
periods, the sea became partly or wholly
filled with sediments, principally sand
and mud, which were washed in by
streams and waves from the surround
ing land, and the region slowly became
covered by great marshy swamps, and
lagoons, giant plants throve and died,
their remains gradually accommodating in
such quantities as later to form coal
beds of wide extent.
The sands washed in by the sea be-
came hardened into sandstones, the
muds into shales and clays. The old
soils under the swamps in which the
plants grew became fire clays. Most
OF the limestones come from the re-
mains Of lime secreting animals which
fourished in the seas. In like manner
it is shown that the large quantities
of oil and gas which have been found
in western Pennsylvania and elsewhere
might have been formed from organic
matter, buried in the muds and sands
on the old sea bottom.
In the 227 square miles covered by
the Foxburg report, there are no less
than IL distinct coal beds lying one
above another and separated by great
or or less thickness Of other rocks The
area occupied by these coal beds aggre-
gates about l0SS.5 square miles, Of
which 370.3 square miles contain beds
less than | foot in thickness, 3l0.a
miles contain beds between and 2
feet thick, and 402.5 miles contain beds
OF minable thickness. OF the coal Of
minahle thickness it is shown that only
4.62 square miles has been mined, though
the total output from the ten active
shipping mines in this area was over
100000 tons in 1905
The report reviews briefly the his
tory Of oil and gas operations in the
Foxburg quadrangle, which dates back
to the days Immediately following the
Civil war As early as 1875 more than
900 wells had been drilled in the great
retrolia Elk City field alone, which then
had daily production of over 10000
barrels. The Emlenton Richey Run,
Black Hill Rattlesnake. Cross Belt. 1'ri-
angle, and Rosenberg oil and gas fields
also lie wholly or in part within the
Foxburg quadrangle and are discussed in
this report. Detailed topographic maps,
on which locations Of pools and of most
wild cat" wells are accurately plat
ted, are contained in the bulletin.
A copy of the report may he OBJ.
tanned by addressing the director of the
United States geological survey, Wash
ington, ID. G.