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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



A Primitive Log House nestled among the trees marks the location of a constant spring. 



in arid climates. But into whatever land man has gone, humid as 

 well as arid, springs have had a part in his activities. So far as America 

 is concerned, I am not aware that a quantitative study of the influence 

 of springs in humid regions has been undertaken. 



While mapping the stratigraphy of an area of approximately 25 

 square miles in central Ohio, where the annual precipitation is about 

 40 inches, the influence exercised by springs was given particular atten- 

 tion. In this area the upper formations of the Mississippian, and the 

 lower of the Pennsylvanian periods come to the surface. The vertical 

 series of rocks involves two horizons of coarse clastic sediments, the 

 Black Hand of the earlier period, and the Sharon member of the Potts- 

 ville, which is the lowest formation of the later period. The Black 

 Hand overlies the Cuyahoga, which in central Ohio " is composed 

 largely of bluish and grayish shales and buff sandstones." 1 Sub- 

 jacent to the Sharon is the Logan formation consisting chiefly of 

 " buff arenaceous shales to thin bedded sandstones." 2 The Black Hand 

 is a massive sandstone, locally conglomeratic; the Sharon is less mas- 

 sive, and locally coarser; this characterization of these two formations 

 applies specifically to the area studied. While neither of these sand- 

 stone formations overlies impervious beds, yet in themselves they are 

 variable in texture and structure, and the region is so maturely dis- 

 sected, that conditions are very favorable to the development of springs. 

 Furthermore, the Logan also contains beds that are water-bearing. 



The early settler in agricultural lands found a spring, if possible, 



'Charles S. Prosser, Journal of Geology, Vol. IX. (1901), p. 220. 

 2 Ibid., p. 231. 



