The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1924-03-06
PROFESSOR PERKINS SPEAKS TO
CLUB WOMEN
CONTINUED rom Page onel

CONTINUED from Page Onel
former represents former beds OF
sand, the latter layers of mud. With
these there Is associated a little inn
pure limestone. These rocks con-
tain three types Of fossils. In places
the former mud layers show trails Of
crawling organisms. These may have
been either worms or marine snails.
Associated with the trail bearing beds
are layers with Impressions of sea
weed The third type OF fossils are
the remains OF floating colonial anil
mails called graptolites. By these
We are able to date our beds "a OF
mid-silurian age Al Monson the
states contain clay gals" balls OF
clay which are formed either in very
shallow water or on exposed tidal
flats Therefore we may picture the
central Maine Of mid-silurian time as
warm wide shallow sea bordered
by low land to the east. over the
bed OF this sea erawled low types OF
life, in its warm water grew beds Of
sea weed. and over its surface drift
ed the graptolite colonies.
Some time after the formation 81
the beds OF mud and sand they were
consolidated into rock and folded into
a mountain range which extended
northeast and southwest over Maine
The materials derived from the ero-
sion of this range indicate that Il
must have been OF some height. Dur
ing or after this folding hot rock
solutions worked up from the deeper
portions of the crust and crystalliz-
ed while still beneth the surface as
granite.
From the time OF the Intrusion OF
the GRANTEES to the coming of the
glacier we have no deposits indicating
the history OF the region. This lost
history is inferred from the records
in other regions and from the pres
ent topography of central Maine. The
mountains were worn away to near
" level plain, the south eastern por-
ton of which was covered by the
sea. AS the land became elevated the
sea retreated by stages, at each stage
carving a plain and a shore line elm
The plains are shown in the even
sky line of this part OF the state.
Finally the region took on in general
its present form with the shore line
somewhere to the east OF the pres
ent one. The drainage at this time
was different from that OF today.
There were no lakes or water falls,
and the Kennebec flowed over the Bel
grade Lakes region instead of follow
ing the present course.
The next stage in the history was
the coming of the great ieesheet
This buried central Maine Under sew
eral thousand feet of ice. AS it melt
ed gravel deposits were formed. The
most interesting type are the eskers
or horse backs which indicate the
course of the sub-glacial streams
One of these. to the southwest OF
Skowhegan, shows an interesting SER
les of deltas and iceberg deposits
AS the ice melted back 1t was fol-
lowed by the sea In which the tor
rents of water from the Ice deposited
beds OF clay. These elays contain
cold water fossils. With these are
leaves which indicate land climate
similar to that of today. Some OF
the clays contain seasonal bands, one
for each winter and each summer
These tell a great deal of the climatic
conditions of this time. Wind driv-
en- dune sands were deposited over
the clays.
The glacier left the country mantled
with gravel deposits OF various types.
These deposits altered the preglacial
drainage forming lakes and forcing
rivers from their old courses. Where
ever the rivers were forced across
lodges of bed rock water falls were
formed. Skowhegan Falls is a good
example of this The water power
of the state is mainly due to glacia-
ton.
The last event in the history of
this region Is the upllft OF the land
and the accompanying erosion. The
result OF this action Is seen in the
river terraces OF the kennebec and
the valleys carved in the glacial de-
nosits On the whole. however. very
little has been done toward removing
the loose glacial deposits II In the
Is 900 or 10000 years which have
elapsed since the retreat OF the ice
so LITTLE erosive work has been
done. the total length OF geological
time during which mountain ranges
OF solid rock have been repeatedly
elevated and worn away must be
measured in scores or hundreds OF
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