158 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP [1881. 



the position of the Buhrstone at this last locality, but hypotheti- 

 cally considered (as deduced from its position at White Bluff, 

 and its general dip), its summit must still occupy a position fully 

 100 feet above the level of the river ; and this thickness (100 feet) 

 coincides very closely with the thickness (80 to 90 feet) of the 

 deposits below the true Claibornian (bed " d ") as exposed at the 

 bluff on Alabama River. And finally, that at least a very con- 

 siderable portion of the inferior beds at this last named locality 

 represent strata of a different lithological character in other por- 

 tions of the state— and consequently, that they are local deposits — 

 is proved by the concurrent statements of Hale (loc. cit., p. 356) 

 and Wincliell {loc. cit.^ p. 86), both of whom assert that the cal- 

 careous deposit below the arenaceous bed (not the " White Lime- 

 stone ") is not known to occur at any other locality.^ 



Admitting the conclusions reached in this paper, it will be seen 

 that the Alabama Eocene deposits comprise : — 



4. " White Limestone " (Jacksonian), best exhibited at Claiborne 

 (upper portion of bluff) and St. Stephen's (lower moiety of 

 bluff), not ver}- abundant in fossils — Pecten membranosus, P. 



Poulsoni^ Ostrea panda.^ Spondylus dumosus, " Scutella " 

 Lyelli, etc 50 — ? feet. 



3. The fossiliferous arenaceous deposit (Claibornian), best shown 

 at Claiborne — subaqueous at St. Stephen's — very rich in 

 fossils, and of the age of the " Calcaire Grossier " of France 

 — n feet. 



2. " Buhrstone " (Siliceous Claiborne of Hilgard), comprising 

 siliceous clay-stones (buhrstone proper) densely charged 

 with fossils or their impressions, laminated clays, sands and 

 calcareous deposits — beds " h " and " c " of the Claiborne 

 section, the cliff at White Bluff, and the so-called " Chalk 



is actually the case is proved by the difference (80-90 feet) betweeu the 

 actual heights at which the equivalent beds at St. Stephen's and Claiborne 

 are placed. This also accords with Hilgard' s observations in Mississippi, 

 where the dip of the Jackson and Vicksburg strata was found to be about 

 10 to 12 feet per mile S. by W. (A, J. Science, new ser., XLIII, p. 36). 



^ It is greatly to be hoped that under the present able management of 

 Dr. Smith, the survey will be able to yield much more satisfactory data 

 connected with the geology of the State than have heretofore been 

 rendered. 



