113 



is presented throughout their whole great range, across New 

 Jersey and Pennsylvania, and is only locally interrupted in New 

 York, the inference seems just, that much of the Kittatinny 

 Valley continued, at least to a late date in the Appalachian period, 

 beneath the waves. But the geological phenomena of the primary 

 chain southeast of the valley, go to show, with equal force, that 

 from that quarter probably came the principal portion of the 

 fragments of Formations I., II,, and III. These, rounded by attri- 

 tion while on their journey, now constitute an interesting part of 

 the pebbles of Formation XII. 



Respecting the precise geological dates of all the great anti- 

 clinal axes, the results of the enormous elevatory actions which 

 have upheaved the Appalachian strata from out of their ancient 

 sea and given them their present inclined positions, it would be 

 idle to speculate in the present imperfect state of our information. 

 But the whole evidence yet collected on the subject, manifestly 

 leads us to this striking generalization, namely, that one great 

 and general disturbance of the strata terminated the epoch of the 

 coal. Comparatively sudden, and immeasurably more energetic 

 than those that preceded it, it produced the almost simultaneous 

 elevation of the whole Appalachian chain, and was attended by 

 a commensurately violent denudation, from the abrupt and tre- 

 mendous drainage of the ancient Appalachian sea. There arose, 

 uplifting with them a vast belt of strata, the nearly innumerable 

 anticlinal axes of our Appalachian rocks, inclining and folding, 

 and breaking these into all their present irregular and contorted 

 attitudes. 



JO* 



