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NovTes ON THE EASTERN EsCARPMENT OF THE KNOBSTONE FORMATION IN 
InpianA. By LEE F. BENNETT. 
One of the most noticeable topographical features of Indiana is the 
eastern escarpment of the Knobstone formation. It can easily be traced 
from New Albany in a north-northwesterly direction for more than one 
hundred miles. 
The Knobstone formation comprises the lower strata of the Sub-ear- 
boniferous series in Indiana. It is made up of clay shales, sandy shales 
and sandstones. The escarpment is due to a great thickness of the soft 
and easily eroded strata capped by more resisting strata of sandstone and 
overlying limestone. It generally faces east, and in the extreme southern 
part of the State it presents a bold precipitous face. Here the name 
“Knobs” is given to the range of hills formed by the escarpment; farther 
north this eastern portion of the formation is known as ‘the hills.” 
Beginning directly west of New Albany, in Section 3, township 3 south, 
range 6 east, the escarpment runs north ten miles. It varies from 190 
feet to 385 feet above the country to the east which is low and flat and 
slopes gently towards the Ohio River. There are no foot-hills in this 
region, but in various places streams have cut through the escarpment 
forming narrow ravines with almost precipitous sides. With the exception 
of about two miles where limestone a few feet in thickness is found, 
sandstone is the capping stratum. In a typical section made six miles 
north of New Albany the sandstone was found to be 90 feet in thickness 
and the shale nearly 300 feet. 
The drainage is toward the east into Silver Creek or southeast into 
the Ohio River. A few of the streams head two or three miles west of 
the escarpment and reach the level country through the narrow ravines 
before mentioned. The escarpment turns to the west in section 14, town- 
ship 1 south and 6 east, Clark County, forming the southern boundary of 
the valley of Muddy Fork Creek as far as the town of Borden. 
The knobs in this region vary from 150 to 250 feet in height and are 
capped by sandstone. Near Borden the knobs are for the most part made 
up of shales containing large quantities of iron nodules. 
On the north side of the valley of Muddy Fork Creek the escarpment 
extends eastward to section 6, 1 south and 6 east, whence it runs in a north- 
northeasterly direction twelve miles to section 19, 2 north, 5 east, which 
