44 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION OF 



1. Beds of siliceous chert, containing the fossils of the 



cliff and forming the peaks of the mounds, . 410 feet. 



2. The cliff limestone, containing in its lower portion 



lead ore, ........ 169 " 



3. The blue fossiliferous hmestone, very thin, and in 



some i)laces wanting, ..... 00 " 



4. Saccharoid sandstone, ..... 40 " 



5. Alternations of saccharoid sandstone and lower rnag- 



nesian limestone, ...... 188 " 



6. Sandstone, 3 " 



7. Lower magnesian limestone, . . . . 190 " 



Total, . . 1000 feet. 



By lower magnesian limestone is not meant the magnesian lime- 

 stone of Europe. The name was given by Dr. Owen in contradis- 

 tinction to the cliff limestone, (which is the upper magnesian,) both 

 containing magnesia. What has been denominated by me the clitf 

 limestone, — a name adopted by Dr. Owen, — is properly divided 

 into three portions, which other geologists may consider three dis- 

 tinct formations. 



The following is Dr. Owen's subdivision of the cliff series : p. 24, 

 Document 239, 26th Congress. 



" Upper beds. — More regularly stratified, and less frequently verti- 

 cally fissured than the middle and lower. Also, more rich in sili- 

 ceous fossils, containing layers of chert, and indeed passing wholly 

 into masses of ffinty rocks, containing also good iron ore, and much 

 crystallized carbonate of lime ; but lead rarely, and in unprofitable 

 quantities. 



" Middle beds. — Aspect more arenaceous, though it contains but a 

 small per centage of sand. Cherty masses are rare. Stratification 

 imperfect, w^ith numerous vertical fissures. Rich in ores of lead 

 and zinc, associated with iron in small quantities. 



" Lower beds — Also of arenaceous appearance ; rather more dis- 

 tinctly stratified than the middle beds, and imbedding more fre- 

 quently than these siliceous cherty masses. They contain the same 

 ores as the middle beds, with the addition of copper ore and sul- 

 phuret of zinc." 



These several beds are distinguished by their fossils. The sev- 

 eral fcssils enumerated by Dr. Owen are : 



" Upper beds. — TerebratuUe, several species of Catenipora, Calami- 

 pora, Columnaria tnbipora, Aulopora, Sarcissu/a, Astrea, Cyathophylla, 

 Ca,ryop]iylla and OrtJioceratites. 



" Middle and Imcer beds. — Coscinipora, (sulcata ? Gr. ) the only cor- 

 alline, a Cirrus resembling perspectives ; Amjnillaria, imperfect im- 

 pressions of a long spiral univalve, resembling the genus Viinpara. 

 It seems by the above, that there w^as no absolute zoological dis- 

 tinction between the middle and lower beds." 



Permit me here to add as a claim of the western geologists, rather 



