April, 1916] Reames Cave 213 



The rooms are small and narrow near the entrance, but 

 increase in size toward the inner end. They follow a northeast- 

 southwest joint plane which can be seen along the roof. Figure 

 2 shows one of these joint planes. The "Crystal Chamber" 

 pictured is not the main gallery, but runs at right angles to it. 



Solution has widened the joint plane along layers that are 

 decidedly saccharoidal in texture. This expanded area is 

 usually near the roof of the cave. The cross-section thus formed 

 resembles a plus sign, the lower end of which is partly filled 

 with residual fragments and sticky clay. At certain places 

 solution along the bedding planes far surpasses that in the other 

 directions and the larger rooms such as the Crystal Chamber 

 (Fig. 2) and the Graveyard (Fig. 3) are produced. 



The exact location of the cave among the zones of the 

 Columbus limestone can not be stated with certainty, but it is 

 thought to be near the base of the formation, probably in 

 zones B and C of Stauffer.* The walls are coated at most 

 places with deposits, but the abundance of corals in the roof, 

 indicating zone C, and the saccharoidal layers below, which 

 in the upper part contain many cherty nodules, with a general 

 scarcity of fossils, and the massive character of the strata 

 agree with the description of zone B. 



The concretions in the saccharoidal layers stand out prom- 

 inently along the upper part of the walls of the cave. They 

 deserve special mention because of the suggestive names that 

 have been given them, such as "Beef's Heart" and the "Ham." 

 In size they vary from a few inches to several feet in diameter. 



The deposits on the walls and roof are of two kinds, calcium 

 carbonate and iron oxide. These have been and are being 

 deposited contemporaneously. The walls are coated with 

 alternating layers of them. At some places, as in the "Flag 

 Room" these are arranged in vertical stripes, while at others 

 the calcite is the present outside coating which gives the white 

 color of the "Milky Way" and other similar passages. 



One peculiarity of the iron deposits is the arrangement into 

 a cell-like structure resembling a honeycomb, or better the leaf 

 scars of a Lepidodenron. The calcite forms the comb and the 

 iron oxide the honey of the first illustration. This can be seen 

 imperfectly, to the right of the stalactites in the picture of the 



*Geo]ogical Survey of Ohio, Bulletin 10, pp. .36-37. 



