GEOLOGY OF STODDARD AND MARLOW. 35/ 



the bedding is exceedingly well defined, so that the effect is very beautiful, especially 

 as dark and light colors alternate more or less with one another. 



The whole region gives the most ample evidence that it was once subjected to long 

 continued glacial action. The rocks are planed down and grooved, and boulders in 

 many places almost cover the ground over areas miles in extent. Probably there are 

 but few places, if indeed tliere are any in our country, where the boulders are more 

 numerous than in this part of New Hampshire. Between Hancock and Marlow, inclu- 

 sive, the boulders are, in a great majority of cases, porphyritic granite. In the vicinity 

 of South Stoddard, some of the boulders are of enormous size. One boulder, not far 

 from the road, and on the right hand in going from the "Box tavern" to Stoddard 

 village, is about fifty paces in circumference, and probably contains 40,000 cubic feet 

 of rock. Many others in the vicinity approximate this in size. Another of very great 

 size is found about half a mile from the village of Marlow, in a southerly direction, and 

 just east of the Ashuelot river. 



Rocking-stones are not uncommon in this region. Two beautiful examples of this 

 kind are found in Marlow, not far from a place in the Ashuelot river well known as the 

 "Bend." Several of these stones are found on a hill westerly from the Abbot pond, 

 which is on the right hand of the main road leading from Stoddard to Marlow. But I 

 hasten to say that not one of these last will now "rock," for they have been tipped 

 and wedged up by stones, put in by the farmers, as I learned, under the impression 

 that the flocks and herds might be injured by them. I believe that an ox, or some 

 other creature of the farm, did get caught by the tipping of one of these boulders, and 

 this fact led to the wedging of them so that they could not rock. We examined them, 

 and satisfied ourselves that they would rock again as soon as these props or wedges 

 were removed. 



The drift stride in Marlow are nearly due north and south, varying only slightly from 

 a due northerly and southerly course, as the needle points. The eftect produced by 

 the planing down of the highly inclined slate near Stone pond is very interesting and 

 beautiful. Not a projecting point is left, and the bare, clean, and smoothly planed 

 edges of the dark- and light-colored layers of the gneissoid rocks present a very strik- 

 ing and beautiful appearance to the eye of the geologist. 



Very near the outlet of Stone pond are very beautiful examples of granite dykes in 

 the gneissoid rocks, some crossing others, and thus showing that they were formed at 

 different times. Northerly from Stone pond, at a distance of a mile or less, is Trout 

 pond, interesting from the fact of its being nearly surrounded by high hills of drift. 

 One large moraine is, as it were, cut off by the pond ; the moraine continues for a 

 considerable distance northerly and southerly, interrupted only by this pond. How 

 this pond was formed in the line of this moraine, is an interesting question. Was the 

 pond there before the moraine? If so, why was it not filled by the drift material.^ Is 

 it not probable that the age of the pond dates from the glacial period, and that there 

 was a vast accumulation of ice just where this pond is to-day? 

 VOL. in. 46 



