50 



LOWER EOCENE FLORAS OF SOUTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICA. 



There is only 1 species of fern (Aneimia), 1 Myrtace.-e, Rhamnacefe, and Combrctaoere. Of 



gymnosperm (Arthrotaxis and 1 monoeot}'- Uie Aelverman or lower Wilcox flora, as reprc- 



Tedon, a palm (Sabalites), which is, liowever, sented hy the 31 species identified from Hurleys, 



very abundant in the basal ])art of the section. 15 are found at Puryear. The Holly Springs 



Among the 176 species of dicotyledons the most or middle Wilcox flora of northern Mississippi, 



abundant genus is Ficus with 10 species. There as represented by the localities from Oxford, 



arc 27 species of LeguminostB, the largest Miss., nortliward toGrandJunction, Tenn., has 



genera being Sophora and Gleditsiophyllum, 37 species common to Pmy ear; the latest known 



each witli .5 species, and Dalhcrgia and Cassia, Wilcox flora (that from the Grenada formation). 



represented by the 63 species from Grenada, 

 Miss., has 32 forms common to Puryear. The 

 relative abundance and botanic character of 

 these common species show clearly that the 

 base of the beds of Wilcox age in northern 

 Tennessee is of the same age as or is slightly 

 younger than the Holly Springs sand or middle 

 Wilcox of nortliern Mississippi. 



each with 4 species. In indiviilual al)unihuice 

 species of Sophora and Gleditsiophyllum out- 

 number all the other Leguminos.T. The family 

 Laurace;\} has 17 species, 4 in Nectandra, 4 in 

 Oreodaphne, and 5 in Mespilodaphne. Oreo- 

 daphne obtusifolia is the most abundant laura- 

 ceous form. There are 8 species of Sapindaceaj 

 and 6 species each of Anacardiacete, Sapotacete, 



Section (It BrcffHoiv pit, 1 mile southurst of Ihnni. Term. 



Feet. 



1. Alternating beds of brown and white argillareous sand 8-10 



2. AMiitesand 2- 4 



3. Cross-bedded ferruginous sand with some iron crusts at base -1- 5 



4. Lens of gray plastic clay with faint impressions of leaves; exposed (in places shown l)y boring 



to be 16 feet tluck) -1-10 



5. Coarse gray quartz sand at east end of pit ; exposed 4 



Tliis is an exceedingly interesting section, l)ut 

 it is difficult to correlate in the absence of fossil 

 plants. There is a great yarioty of macerated 



The whole section is probably of Wilcox age. 

 The leaf remains are complete but very faint, 

 since the leaf substance has neither been pre- 

 served nor replaced nor even stained by ulmic 

 or ferric precipitates. Their condition suggests 

 that scattered leaves may have been present 

 throughout many of these gray clays of Wilcox 

 age and have failed to leave tangible evidence 

 of their former presence. 



The following species were identified from 

 bed No. 4 at this outcrop: 



Dryophyllum tennesseensis. 

 Nectandra lancifolia. 

 Sabalites grayanus. 



SECTIONS IN KENTUCKY. 



jMAYFIELD, GRAVES COUXTY. 



About 3i miles southwest of Maj-fieUl, be- 

 tween the Illinois Central Railroad and May- 

 field Creek, in Graves County, Ky., are the 

 extensive clay pits of the Kentucky Con- 

 struction & Improvement Co. The section ex- 

 posed is as follows: 



Section of day pits .5i miles southwest of Ma;/ field, Ky. 



Feci. 



1. Buff to reddi.sh sandy loam 4-8 



2. Buffgravel 5-10 



3. I.ight-buff cross-bedded sand 8-10 



4. Black compact, somewhat argillaceous lignite 3-12 



5. Prab plastic clay with four very carbonaceous lay- 



ers; about 22 



6. Light plastic, somewhat sandy clay; exposed C 



plant debris in the section, but I found no iden- 

 tifiable remains. I was told on good authority 

 that at times in small areas of certain layers of 

 bed No. 5 the workmen imcovered leaf impres- 

 sions, but unfortunately none were exposed at 

 the time of my visit and no specimc^ns had ever 

 been saved. This section was studied by Glemi 

 in 1905, but not described, although ho gives a 

 photograph of it.' He refers tlie upper part to 

 the Columbia, the midcUe part to the Lafayette, 

 and the basal part to the Wilcox. I see no 

 reason to doubt the Wilcox age of beds Nos. 4 

 to 6. Beds Nos. 1 and 2 are undiiuhtcdly of 

 Pleistocene age. Bed No. 3 is imconformablc 

 with both the underlying and overlying beds. 

 It is lithologically like so many light-colored 

 cross-bedded santis tlu-oughout the ^Vilcox area 

 that have been called Lafayette that I am in- 

 clined to refer it to the Wilcox. 



At the town of Mayfield (elevation 4S0 feet) 

 a well furnisluw additional data bearing on tins 

 section. The driller's record is as follows: ^ 



Record of veil at Mail field, Ki/. 



Feet. 



Claylikc loess 12 



Orange sand and gravel 278 



TMn parting of pipe clay. 



Wliite water-bearing sand 50 



< fUenn, L. C, op. eit., pi. 7,B. 



= I»lem, p. i:JG. 



