GEOLOGY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAIN DISTRICT. II3 



this elevated axis, south of the Androscoggin river and east of the Pea- 

 body and Ellis rivers ; a few small outliers near the Saco river ; and the 

 outcrops to the west of the Saco in "Pcmigcwasset." We will speak of 

 each of these geographical areas in turn. 



The main WJnte Moiuitain range. The location of this elevated dis- 

 trict has been noted in the chapter upon Topography, page 187. The 

 first elevation, known as Pine hill or Camel's Rump, is composed of three 

 kinds of rock, — an approach to the andalusite newer slates at the north 

 end, a fine mica schist near the top, on the west side and on the east, and 

 on the southern sloj^e the Concord variety of granite. A similar rock 

 occurs on the Pinkham Notch road, on the height of land between the 

 Glen house and Randolph. The strata are nearly vertical, with a north- 

 erly strike. About Wood's hotel, where the Pinkham Notch road crosses 

 Moose river, the rock is coarse mica schist; and there are large boulders 

 of quartzite, various granites, hornblende schist, and sienite. South of 

 Bowman's old tavern-stand, near the ridge dividing the Moose and 

 Israel's rivers, there are both hornblende schists and fine-grained quart- 

 zite. A hundred rods south the characteristic fine and coarse-grained 

 mica schists make their appearance. 



The higher peaks, — Mts. Madison, Adams, and Jefferson, — are chiefly 

 composed of the coarse mica schists, with a little feldspar, that are most 

 typical of this group of strata. In ascending Madison, from the summit 

 on the Pinkham Notch road, we observe chiefly an interstratification of 

 these schists with granitic gneisses. The strata stand nearly upon their 

 edges, and the non-feldspathic beds preponderate. At the upper line of 

 trees the mica schists exist alone, with the dip 85° S. 63° W. The rest 

 of the way to the summit is over fragments broken off the ledges by the 

 action of frost. At the very top the rock contains large garnets and 

 andalusite, with the dip 60° S. 58^ W. From the summit to the end of 

 the spur running southerly towards the Half-way house, on the carriage- 

 road up Mt. Washington, nearly two miles, the ledges are finely exposed, 

 the whole distance lying above trees, and the dips are very variable. A 

 short distance south of the summit the dip is 60" N, 57° W., which may 

 represent the normal position, but the rest of the way they incline north- 

 erly, westerly, easterly, and north-easterly. Two or three of these varia- 

 tions may occur in the distance of one hundred feet. The conclusion to 

 VOL. II. 15 



