1884.1 ■'-'-'^ [Stevenson. 



The Protean group of Safford is practically equivalent to the Vespertine 

 of Southern Pennsylvania and the latter name will be employed as more 

 convenient. The group is represented by shales, sandstone and thin coal 

 beds, with occasional impure limestones. 



The best general section of the Lower Carboniferous is that obtained 

 along the railroad grade from Wolf Run summit to the North fork of 

 Holston near Mendota. This section has been given in the writer's "Re- 

 connaissance ;" but on that line the Vespertine is wholly concealed and 

 at best is reduced to utter insignificance. The beds previously referred by 

 the writer to the Vespertine prove to belong to the Chemung. The thick- 

 ness of the Vespertine increases eastward, so that at Laurel fork, about 

 seven miles east from Saltville, it is not far from five hundred feet. This 

 group is divided almost midway by a white or grayish-white sandstone 

 which, for a long distance, forms a low but well marked ridge along the 

 southerly face of Brushy mountain. Some beds of very impure limestone 

 occur in the upper shales and the passage to the more calcareous division 

 through silicious limestones and hard calcareous shales is very gradual. 

 Coal beds occur in this group at many localities between Little Moccasin 

 creek and the eastern edge of Smyth county, but they have no economical 

 importance. 



The Vespertine is apparently of insignificant thickness among the 

 Clinch faults. Its place is shown on Dump creek near the New Garden 

 fault ; on Indian creek between that and the Stony Ridge fault ; in Crock- 

 ett's cove near the Abb's Valley fault and on several other streams ; but at 

 all of these localities the group is practically wanting or has become more 

 calcareous, so as to be merged into the middle division — a condition which, 

 according to Prof. SaSord, prevails in Northeastern Tennessee. But the 

 whole of the Lower Carboniferous column is greatly diminished among the 

 Clinch faults within the area examined, just as was observed in comparing 

 the region about the headwaters of Powell river with that along the North 

 fork of the Holston. 



The limestones and upper shales are often richly fossil iferous. The 

 collector cannot fail to get good returns on Wolf run and the North fork 

 of Holston in Washington county ; along a road following the same river 

 for several miles below Saltville ; and on Low's fork of Indian creek in 

 Tazewell county. 



The Devonian. 



This age is represented by Chemung and Hamilton ; the Catskill and 

 Corniferous appear to be wholly wanting. 



The Chemung is represented by sandstones varying in color from light 

 gray to brown, the color becoming darker in the upper beds. It forms the 

 crest of Brushy mountain and is fairly well exposed in many of the 

 ravines cut through that mountain. A section was obtained on the rail- 



