3M Geology. — On the Order of Succession of Rocks. 



beds to No. 30, inclusive, being deficient : it will be remembered 

 that the bed which covers the green sand in the series, is the 

 chalk No. 34. But the chalk is not there ; and an unobserving 

 traveller would cross this lofty barrier without being reminded 

 of the chalk. A geologist, however, is at once struck with the 

 immense heaps of flints deposited in various parts of this hill, 

 some in entire nodules, exactly as they are found in the chalk, 

 and others broken up and comminuted into a thousand pieces. 

 His eyes are soon opened to the truth, and he sees that the chalk 

 has once been here, and that some cause has put an immeasura- 

 ble water power into operation, which has scooped out the vale 

 of Ex, washed out all the cretaceous matter for many miles, in 

 which the flints were embedded, and left them behind as monu- 

 ments of their former position and its irresistible force. We con- 

 sider this as one of the remarkable proofs of diluvial action. 

 Neither is this the only part of Europe where chalk flints are 

 found similarly distributed. They occur in other parts of England, 

 and in Scotland, where no chalk has been yet observed. In 

 Lower Saxony, chalk flints are very extensively distributed; 

 the destruction of the chalk beds there has not been so entire 

 as in other places, for Dr. Buckland observed a chalk pit near 

 Luneberg. 



The deficiency of beds is not peculiar to Europe, being com- 

 mon to North America. We have seen that the oolitic series so 

 common in the former country is wanting here ; yet this circum- 

 stance by no means affords ground for an argument, that the 

 general geological system of North America has been established 

 by causes of a dilFerent character : if it proves any thing, it 

 proves that the causes to which the absence of particular beds 

 is to be ascribed, have been common to both countries, and hence 

 we may the rather infer that general agreement of geological 

 causes which observation has already established. We propose 

 hereafter to make it appear that a great portion of the beds be- 

 longing to the geological series of Europe, is regularly represent- 

 ed in this country, and that the beds, including the granite and 

 the coal beds, Nos. 1 and 11, occur on this continent in the regu- 

 lar order. Taking the estimated thickness of the crust of the 

 earth at 40,000 feet, comprehending all that man has seen in the 

 deepest mines, up to the tops of the loftiest mountains, and de- 

 ducting from it the aggregate thickness of the beds lying above 



