PHYSIOGRAPHIC RELATIONS OF SERPENTINE 593 



Of more special interest now, however, is the fact that in West- 

 ern North CaroHna and elsewhere stocks of peridotite and of other 

 rocks susceptible of the serpentine alteration are unaltered at least 

 near the surface. This suggests that when the serpentinization of 

 these masses begins, if not already begun, in the deep zone of 

 cementation, the resultant statenlith must be, for a time, crowned 

 with the unaltered peridotite or other original rock. We should, 

 therefore, be prepared to recognize serpentine statenliths where no 

 serpentine is exposed to observation. The relief of certain stocks 

 of peridotite in Western North Carolina has been attributed to the 

 supposed superior resistance to erosion of the peridotite as com- 

 pared with the inclosing gneiss; but it is here suggested that deep- 

 seated serpentinization, attested by peripheral slickensides, is an 

 explanation worthy of some consideration. 



