HANGING KOCKS. 29U 



East of the strike of this line of outcrops, at its northern end, west of a farm- 

 house, is another exposure of conglomerate striking N. 10° E., but dipping 

 80° E., and insignificant exposures are found southward from this last 

 exposure. 



If now the series of exposures east of the main Hanging Rock ridge 

 be taken, and their dips be compared, it will be seen that there is a succes- 

 sion of steep, practically vertical, and of less inclined, eastward dips. This 

 might at first sight be taken as evidence of a series of anticlines and syn- 

 clines. But the ridge occurring immediately east of the brook which 

 empties southward into the pond, changes from a steep, practically vertical 

 clip near its southern end to a lower eastward dip on going northward, and 

 also to a lower eastward dip on going southeast to the edge of the promon- 

 tory on the pond. East of the northeast end of this ridge east of the brook 

 the steep eastward, nearly vertical dip comes in again. It is believed that 

 these conglomerates are not folded in anticlines and synclines, but that all 

 form parts of a steeply west-dipping series affected by flexures varying as 

 regards the dip along the strikes of the same beds, and apparently also vary- 

 ing in this regard in closely contiguous beds. This is a condition of things 

 not infrequently seen when a general synclinal structure has been brought 

 about in a series of harder rock separated by layers of softer material, 

 which permit of more or less sliding. Structures of this kind may be seen 

 on a smaller scale in connection with the folding at the north end of 

 Sachuest Neck. 1 



The Hanging Rocks and more eastern exposures are believed to be 

 the eastern side of a great syncline, of which the Paradise Rocks form the 

 western side. The folding of the Easton Point anticline on the west side 

 of this syncline is quite regular, and hence the eastern side of this syncline, 

 which forms the western side of the Paradise-Hanging Rock syncline, pre- 

 sents quite regularly only the eastward dips, except along- the eastern ridge, 

 where very steep westward dips occur in places, as described. The anti- 

 cline on the eastern side of the Paradise-Hanging Rock syncline is 

 evidently the result of stronger folding - , the dips from Smiths Beach to 

 Taggarts Ferry being often 70° E., and at the ferry A^ertical or 80° W. 



1 Dale, Crosby, and Barton regard the structure of the Hanging Rocks district as an anticline. 

 The conglomerate east of the Hanging Rocks dips east, while the Hanging Rocks dip west. This 

 interpretation would demand the assumption that but a small part of the conglomerate on the western 

 side of the anticline is actually exposed. 



