312 GEOLOGY OF THE NAERAGANSETT BASIN. 



are only a few layers of very coarse conglomerate present, but that these 

 extend for a long distance along the shore, their continuity being inter- 

 rupted by small faults. A detailed description of the southern part of this 

 section, containing the coarse conglomerate layers, is of little value until 

 the effect of the faulting has been clearly determined. In a general way 

 it may be stated that the lower coarse conglomerate layers alternate with 

 coaly shale and sandstone ' beds, as do the lower conglomerate layers 

 containing relatively smaller pebbles north of the Forty Steps. The 

 upper coarse conglomerate beds are associated with a series of greenish or 

 brownish-green sandstones and shales, which are best exposed farther 

 west and up the cliffs in the recesses of the shore north of Ochre Point, 



At the promontory south of the Forty Steps the rocks dip low east. 

 In the recess of the shore southward the dip is 40° W. At the next 

 promontory southward the dip is again very low west, and in the recess 

 southward the dip is steeper west again. Southward the faults become 

 more frequent and the steep western dips are more common. 



The coarse conglomerates and the associated greenish shales and sand- 

 stones which occur higher in the series, and which are exposed in the 

 recesses of the shore northeast of the Cornelius Vanderbilt mansion, are 

 exposed all along the northern shore of the cove west of Ochre Point, If 

 the rocks be here carefully examined at low tide, the conglomerate layers 

 will be found to be usually not thick, but they can at times be followed for 

 considerable distances along the shore. They show the presence of vari- 

 ous small anticlines and synclines, especially near Ochre Point, and also 

 east of an observation house upon the sea wall farther westward. The 

 series in general, however, is evidently almost horizontal, dipping as a 

 whole very low westward. 



Along the northern side of this cove a few of the shale layers asso- 

 ciated with the coarse conglomerate are in juaces black rather than green, 

 especially near the western side of this shore of the cove. 



The total thickness of the formation south of the Forty Steps does 

 not seem to exceed 225 feet, due allowance being made for faulting, so that 

 the total section of the cliff series so far seems to be about 400 feet. The 

 most striking geological feature of the series is the southward pitch of the 

 folds. This is often very low, but at times becomes very steep southward, 

 especially at the Forty Steps, and at another promontory exposing coaly 



