Putnam Hill Strata. 37 



half its original thickness, as it is split into two parts near the 

 center and is considerably flattened. The surface is covered with 

 double interrupted lines, or lines in pairs, about half an inch apart ; 

 the interruption or break in one line being opposed to the continued 

 line in the adjacent row. These lines are raised less than the six- 

 teenth of an inch, and follow the curve of the trunk. The space 

 between the lines is filled with fine longitudinal striae, resem- 

 bling threads. The surface has a most beautiful and finished ap- 

 pearance, as if impressed by the hand of a master. The transverse 

 furrow is evidently the cicatrix of the foot stalk of a broad leaf, half 

 encircling the stem, like that of many arundinaceous plants. The 

 rock in which these fossils are imbedded splits freely, and affords 

 valuable materials for architectural purposes. It embraces the up- 

 per half of the deposit, which is forty-two feet in thickness. The 

 lower half, although it is not equally divided, exhibits a very singu- 

 lar appearance ; the component parts are much coarser and appa- 

 rently made up of a fragmentary sandstone, intermixed with slate, 

 bituminous and carbonaceous materials in thin veins, pursuing an 

 undulatory course, often rising in one spot and sinking in another, as 

 if thrown up by the force of a current pressing against some ob- 

 struction, or as if otherwise disturbed after being deposited. Some 

 of these veins of coal and slate are several inches in thickness, 

 others only a line or two, or even less. They are frequently inter- 

 rupted and broken, but are resumed again in a spot a few feet distant. 

 The structure of this portion of the rock is slaty, easily splitting in 

 the line of stratification. Between each of the contiguous layers is 

 seen, a thin coating of bituminous argillaceous or carbonaceous mat- 

 ter, staining the surface of the seams, and often impressed with the 

 figure of some leaf or stem of a plant ; amongst these varieties the 

 calamites are rather more common than any other. This portion of 

 the rock contains much more mica than the upper part of the bed. 

 The shaded and curved lines in this stratum of the section will give 

 a pretty correct idea of its appearance. The contorted portion of 

 the bed rests on a deposit of fine argillaceous slaty sandstone, of one 

 or two feet in thickness. It is very light colored and splits into 

 laminae of one or two inches, the surface of each piece being coated 

 with a soft talcose material, which forms the line of separation. — 

 40 feet. 



16. Calcareous iron ore, deep brown color, resting on a thin bed 

 of black hornstone or flint, of six or eight inches in thickness, con- 



