6A. SHORT-LEAF PINE BELT. 73 



pearance which is very characteristic of this formation 

 and almost peculiar to it. In many places the formation 

 is full of pebbles, mostly well-rounded quartz pebbles 

 eastward and sub-angular chert pebbles northwestward. 

 Layers of ferruginous sandstone, usually approximately 

 horizontal but often irregular, and varying from about a 

 quarter of an inch to several inches in thickness, are 

 common, especially on and near the surface of the 

 ground. Where the formation has been long exposed to 

 weathering almost all phases of it may pass into a dull 

 reddish loam, very similar to the Lafayette, a superficial 

 formation which is found in all parts of the coastal plain. 



The .Lafayette is undoubtedly present also over large 

 areas of this region. Artificial sections of it along rail- 

 roads, etc., are of course chiefly confined to uplands, and 

 its usual appearance there is a brick-red loam, very 

 homogeneous and usually not over ten feet in thickness, 

 with smooth surfaces intersected by a network of very 

 shallow cracks usually a foot or two apart. In roadside 

 ditches on slopes "pot-holes" from about a foot to a yard 

 in diameter and about the same in depth are very char- 

 acteristic of this formation. Rounded ferruginous con- 

 cretions from a fraction of an inch to a few inches in di- 

 ameter abound in some places, especially on the surface. 

 Little is known about the character of the Lafayette for- 

 mation where it lies below the level of ground-water, but 

 in such situations its red color must be lacking, if noth- 

 ing else. 



Both the Tuscaloosa and Lafayette formations are 

 likely to be rather sandy near the surface, especially on 

 level ground. The soils derived from them consist of 

 varying proportions of clay and sand (the sand being 

 most prevalent eastward), and are somewhat deficient in 

 lime and potash. 



Topography and hydrography. — In Franklin County 

 the uplands of this region are about 1,000 feet above sea- 

 level, which seems to be the greatest elevation recorded 

 in any part of the coastal plain. The lov/est altitude in 

 the short-leaf pine belt is a little less than 100 feet, along 

 the Warrior River. The topography varies from nearly 

 level — particularly on the high terraces or third bottoms 



