324 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



I. Geology of tue Upper Androscoggin Waters. 



Our examination of this region was only preliminary to a more 

 careful exploration. This pai't of the State was visited late in the 

 season, and want of time in part prevented much examination. 

 The lakes passed over are Rangely, Cupsuptic, Mooseluckmagun- 

 tic, Mollychunkemunk and Welokenebacook. 



The rock between Pliillips and Long pond in Sandy River plan- 

 tation, is a primitive looking mica schist, standing on its edges. 

 It changes very suddenly at the north-east corner of Long pond 

 to a micaceous schist of Paleozoic aspect, dipping about 35° south- 

 easterly. Ledges of this newer rock were seen all the way to 

 Rangely lake. It is worthy of remark that this newer rock is 

 upon the west side of a great range of mica schist and granite, of . 

 which mount Saddleback is a part. We suspect it to form a part 

 of an important basin, to which belongs the great belt of Oriskany 

 sandstone described last year, and also the newly discovered fos- 

 siliferous belt in the north part of New Hampshire. It is a no- 

 ticeable fact in this connection, that the strike of these schistose 

 rocks in the north-west part of the plantation is 180° different ; or 

 in other words, the strike of the newer rocks would carry them 

 directly across the older rocks of Saddleback. 



Passing up Saddleback stream — the small brook crossing the 

 road at Indian Rock Hotel in the north-west part of Sandy River 

 plantation — the rock is evidently an altered sandstone, and a large 

 number of pebbles of various sizes are present. The rock is a little 

 argillaceous, and dips 45° southerly, apparently underlying the 

 rocks at Long pond. The planes of cleavage are nearly perpen- 

 dicular ; it being unusually easy to distinguish them here from the 

 strata ; for the latter appear like successive ribbons of different 

 shades of color on the sides of the ledges, and upon the surface of 

 some of the layers are ripple marks. It is rare to find more sat- 

 isfactory distinctions between these two sets of planes. Further- 

 more, these ripple marks are ririhl side up — that is, they have not 

 been overturned, and consequently they prove that the strata con- 

 taining them have never been overturned. It may be of great im- 

 portance, by and by, to know this fact. Horizontal jointed planes 

 are also present in the ledges on this brook. All these phenomena 

 are exhibited within a short distance of the hotel in a narrow gorge. 



Passing northerly we find a coarse conglomerate very abundant, 

 whose dip is greater than that of the adjoining schists, being sue- 



