266 JESSE E. HYDE 



central Ohio the greatest number trend between N. 50 and 55 W. 

 In Pike and Ross counties by far the greatest number trend from 

 N. 55 to 6o° W. In northern Scioto County the maximum 

 is between N. 6o° and 65 W., and along the Ohio River it falls 

 between N. 65 and 70 W. The significance of this definite and 

 controlled variation is not apparent at present. The occurrence 

 is merely noted in passing as suggesting one of the methods of 

 attack in such a problem which may yield results. 



EVIDENCE FROM THE RIPPLE DIRECTION ON THE ATTITUDE OF THE 

 CINCINNATI AXIS AT THIS TIME 



The region of the Cincinnati uplift lies but a few miles to the 

 westward of the area in which the ripples are mapped. This is 

 known to have been a region which from the end of the Ordovician 

 onward tended to maintain a somewhat elevated attitude. Accord- 

 ing to Schuchert 1 it is one of the positive elements of the continent. 

 That is, it tended to be an island or a region of shallow water 

 while sedimentation was going on in adjacent territories. The 

 axis of the Cincinnati uplift trends nearly north and south, slightly 

 northeast-southwest. With its continuation, the Nashville uplift, 

 the axial trend of the whole is decidedly more northeasterly. 



In seeking a coast line which controlled the ripple direction, 

 this positive element suggests itself at once. It has been generally 

 held that there was land in that quarter throughout the Mississip- 

 pian period and such is indicated on Schuchert's map of this stage. 2 

 However, by comparing the ripple directions with the present 

 axis of the uplift, as indicated on the outline map of Ohio (Fig. 

 2), it can readily be observed that the ripples stand almost at a 

 right angle to the axis. If it is supposed that the Cincinnati dome 

 stood high at that time with its axis as at present, it is necessary 

 to assume that within a few miles, certainly not more than 30, to 

 the westward, the ripples were sharply bent into parallelism with 

 this axis. The fact that the ripple direction shows no tendency 

 whatever (the observations are sufficient on this point) to swing 

 into such adjustment to the westward is held to be sufficient 



1 Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., XX (1910), 470. 



2 Ibid., Pis. 78, 79. 



