118 PP. REPORT OF PROGRESS. FO^S^TAINE & WHITE. 



with the Upper Barrens. To form an idea however of the 

 amount of the change required to produce this great mass, 

 we must not simply consider the character of the stratum 

 per se, but must contrast it with the strata which immedi- 

 ately precede it. Leaving out of view the Waynesburg 

 Coal, all the rocks for a considerable distance under it are 

 either limestones or fine grained shales, which show that the 

 deposition of sediment must have taken place under con- 

 ditions of general quiet. The shale roof of the Waynes- 

 burg Coal is not always present. We sometimes find the 

 sandstone lying immediately on the coal, and even descend- 

 ing into it. 



When, then, in such localities we see the immense sand- 

 stone loaded with pebbles lying immediately upon the coal 

 with its subjacent tine-grained beds, we are forcibly im- 

 pressed with the magnitude of the change which has taken 

 place. The character of the pebbles also is significant. 

 They are not of sandstone but of quartz, and hence must 

 have been brought from remote localities. 



Let us now consider what is the evidence from the Lith- 

 ology of the strata of the Upper Barrens. Leaving out of 

 consideration the finding of a conglomerate at the base of 

 the series, a feature which it has in common with the Per- 

 mian of Europe, we find in it a great deal of red shale, 

 another feature of the Lower Permian of Europe. These 

 red shales occur in beds 20-30' thick, sometimes commencing 

 immediately above the Waynesburg Sandstone. They are 

 a pretty constant feature, and are often, as at Bellton, 

 several hundred feet thick. These features, taken alone, 

 are not entitled to much weight, except as showing con- 

 ditions unfavorable for the formation of coal, as they are 

 found also in the barren portions of the Carboniferous for- 

 mation proper. Besides these characteristics which mark 

 the Lower Permian of Europe, the Upper Barrens have some 

 in common with the Zechstein or Upper Permian, in the 

 presence of a large amount of limestone. 



It is a significant feature that these limestones are devoid 

 of marine fossils, showing that the sea had access at no time 

 during their formation. 



The evidence from the total disappearance of coal beds 



