18S4.] •^"-'- [Stevenson. 



soa's cove, and i3 continuous along Rich mountain to the gorge of Plum 

 creek. 



In descending from the crest of Clinch mountain into the Thompson- 

 Ward cove by the Tazewell pike, one comes quickly to the red, yellow 

 and grayish shales of the Hudson. The admirably engineered road 

 doubles on itself again and again as it descends the abrupt slope until it 

 reaches the Trenton limestones only a little way from the toll-gate. The 

 south-easterly dip is very sharp near the summit, but diminishes so that 

 just beyond the gate it is little more than ten degrees. A much more 

 marked decrease occurs beyond the fork of the road near Schnapp's shop, 

 three and a half miles from Liberty. Thence for nearly a mile and a half 

 the dip is barely perceptible, but at that distance the north-westerly dip is 

 very distinct, and it is especially marked where the road crosses the Dry 

 fork. The Elk Garden anticlinal is reached near Liberty, and shows 

 three petty folds on its crest ; one near Mrs. Thompson's house ; a second 

 near Mr. Barnes' house, and a third very near Liberty. 



The synclinal just south from Mrs. Thompson's house holds Short moun- 

 tain at the west and, at the east, so much of Rich mountain as lies west 

 from the gorge of Plum creek ; this portion, as seen from the Fincastle 

 pike, appearing to have a synclinal structure. 



The House and Barn synclinal is quickly indicated on the road leading 

 from Liberty to the mouth of Indian creek. The dip becomes abrupt on 

 Paint Lick mountain, but good exposures are few. White Medina is 

 reached just below the summit, and at the summit is the southerly axis of 

 the double House and Barn synclinal. This trough is deep but very nar- 

 row, the width between the Medina outcrops being less than one-third of 

 a mile. Clinton is present ; fossil ore is shown near the road and many 

 years ago it was mined in a small way at some distance west from this 

 road. The south-easterly dip on the northerly side of this trough is almost 

 vertical. 



The road descends to the valley separating Paint Lick from another 

 synclinal known as Deskins mountain, which is shorter and narrower 

 than Paint Lick. The erosion in the valley has just sufficed to expose the 

 Trenton along the petty anticlinal, which is reached and crossed where 

 the road first touches the little stream. The northerly or Deskins trough 

 of the House and Barn synclinal is very narrow here, for its axis is crossed 

 before the gap through Deskms mountain is fairly entered, and there the 

 first exposure shows the limestones dipping toward the south-south-east. 

 The Trenton beds as exposed in the banks of this stream dip at from 

 twelve to twenty degrees toward south-south east, except at one spot where 

 a very abrupt and close anticlinal is shown. The massive limestones of 

 the Trenton are reached at the first fork of the road, and thence almost to 

 the next fork the road lies largely in the marbles. After turning toward 

 Clinch river it passes into the Knox and quickly reaches the lower shaly 

 beds. Lumps of brown hematite occur here. The dip becomes steeper 

 toward Clinch, being thirty degrees where the road first reaches the river j 



