THE MAGAZINE 



OF 



NATURAL HISTORY, 



OCTOBER, 1835. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. L On the Geology and Natural History of the North-Eastern 

 Extremity of the Alleghany Mountain Range, in Pennsylvania, 

 United States. By Richard C Taylor, Esq. F.G.S., Member 

 of the Geological Society of Pennsylvania; of the Academy of 

 Natural Sciences, Philadelphia ; and of the Albany Institute, 

 New York. 



In the beginning of April, 1834, I commenced a professional 

 exploration, resumed during the present spring, of an exten- 

 sive district within the limits of the Alleghany range of moun- 

 tains,- in the northern part of Pennsylvania. The objects of 

 my researches were chiefly to determine the existence and 

 extent of the bituminous coal deposits, and their accompanying 

 mineral strata of argillaceous carbonate of iron. During the 

 progress of this investigation, upwards of 350,000 acres of 

 mountain and unbroken forest land have been traversed and 

 become familiar to me, until the snows of winter, and* a tem- 

 perature of thirteen degrees below zero, put a stop to geology 

 for the season. 



The scene of my labours — for truly laborious is the task of 

 the geologist in the Alleghany wilderness — is that part of 

 Pennsylvania, to the north, which is drained^ by the head 

 waters of the Tioga river, Lycoming and Towanda Creeks, 

 and by the eastern branches of Pine Creek, all which may 

 be seen on almost any map of the United States, approaching 

 to the confines of York state. The surface of the table-land 

 cf the Alleghany range, or rather of that which once was uni- 

 form continuous table-land, is now from 1 000 ft. to 1 500 (L 

 above the main intersecting valleys containing those streams,, 

 and from about 2000 ft. to 2200 ft. above the level of tide 

 water. I propose to give a condensed notice of the geological 



Vol. VIII.— No. 54. pp 



