SaUferous Rock Formation in the Valley of the Ohio. 59 



No. Description of strata. Thickness— feet. inch. 



7. A rock called here red argillite, or soapstone, being a 



species of marl, and boring very easily, from ten to 

 twelve feet in twenty four hours.* - - - 22 6 



8. Lime rock, hard and compact, boring about eighteen 



inches in twenty four hours. This stratum in some » 

 • ' wells contains iron pyrites of very brilliant appear- 

 ance. - -- - - - - -3 



9. Blue sandstone, more compact than the upper stratum. 21 



10. Slate rock. — At this depth, fossil shells were found 



in bituminous shale, on Salt Creek, a few miles north 



east of this. - - - - - -10 6 



11. Grey flint rock in some portions of it mixed with a 



little sand. This rock is extremely hard, the «vork- 

 men, with the greatest exertions, being unable to 

 penetrate more than two or three inches per day, of 

 twenty four hours. Five miles above McConnels- 

 ville, this rock comes to the surface in the bed of 

 the river, making a small ripple; and showing a cor- 

 responding dip to the south, in all the rock strata, of 

 a little more than one hundred feet in that distance. 

 The dip still continues for several miles below, as 

 far as any wells have been bored. - - - 9 



12. F^ery hard slaty rock, probably mixed with iron. 1 5 



13. Black soapstone. _ _ _ _ 4 



14. Yellow soapstone,* with sand intermixed. - - 15 



15. Blue soapstone,* without sand. - - - 8 



16. Sandstone', very compact, and the lower part of the 



stratum nearly white, or very light colored. - 11 



17. Red soapstone, highly colored with oxide of iron, 



soft in texture, and boring from four to five feet per 

 day. - 52 



18. Stratum of dark carbonaceous matter, highly impreg- 



nated with petroleum, and resembling powdered 

 charcoal. - - - - - 10 



19. Blue slate mixed with grit, some parts of which are 



tolerably dense, boring from three to four feet per 

 day.- - - - - - - 66 



20. (S/aie sio7ie, soft and fine, light blue color. - 20 



* Called also argillite, in the MS. 



