RIPPLES OF THE BEDFORD AND BEREA IN OHIO 269 



of sandstone present. Ripple-marks are abundant in the sand- 

 stones of the upper half of the Bedford and most of the Berea. 

 From the Ohio River to the center of the state, a distance of 115 

 miles and over a width of 20 miles, these ripples are remarkably 

 persistent in direction, trending northwest-southeast. In central 

 Ohio the great majority range between N. 40 and N. 55 W. In 

 passing southward the direction swings gradually to more nearly 

 east and west, the majority on the Ohio River ranging from N. 

 6o° to 70 W. The absolute range of observations for the whole 

 region is only 69°. The cause of the progressive variation from 

 north to south is not apparent. 



The general persistency of direction is believed to be due to 

 parallelism to the shore line of that time, which lay to the south- 

 ward, and the direction of the ripples is believed to indicate the 

 approximate trend of this shore line. If such is the case, it is 

 probable that the Cincinnati axis of that time was not appreciable 

 as an uplift, or, if active, maintained an attitude quite different 

 from that holding at present. 



The evidence indicates the presence of shoal water, or possibly 

 a land body, to the south-southwestward the axis of which was 

 almost normal to the present axis of the Cincinnati uplift. From 

 the work of Morse and Foerste it seems probable that this axis 

 became more active later, perhaps closing the Bedford sedimenta- 

 tions with uplift and erosion. The Berea of southern Ohio may 

 be the result of the northward pushing of the strand line by this 

 uplift. 



