Stevenson.] -^^^ [Jan, 21, 



fossils ; the lower limestone is liglit gray, weathers blue, is richly fossil- 

 iferous, and contains some pyrites. No. 3 is shown at the same locality, and 

 also along the road from Esiillville to Moccasin gap. It consists of red and 

 brown shales on Mr. Ayres' property, more or less calcareous, with some 

 beds of limestone, which become more important at the exposures near 

 Moccasin creek. No. 4, as exposed along the road to Mr. Ayres' house, is 

 an almost continuous mass of limestone, much of it in thick beds, and some 

 parts of it fossiliferous. Several of the thicker layers are streaked with 

 Avhite calcspar. The color varies from flesh-color to light gray, and there 

 are parts which should take a high polish and be valuable as marble. But 

 the greater part of the mass is somewhat argillaceous, and the weathered 

 surface shows many flaws and distinct lamination. The unequal composi- 

 tion of some of the thick beds unfits them for ornamental use, and their 

 unequal resistance to the weather unfits them for building purposes. This 

 series is well shown along the foot of Clinch mountain for many miles. 



No. 5 and 6 are much alike, the great difierence being in the relative 

 quantity of limestone and shale, limestone predominating in the lower and 

 shale in the upper bed. The limestone is more or less nodular in both. 

 This mass reaches to the "bottom " of Little Moccasin creek and is well 

 exposed on Mr. Ayres' property. No. 7 is concealed in the immediate 

 vicinity of Estillville, but a roadside exposure shows it to be filled with 

 yellow shale. 



No. 8 is an importiut mass, economically as well as stratigraphically. 

 It includes the marbles of the series. The beds are all massive, from 10 to 

 20 feet thick, and are separated by thinner beds of shale. Many of them 

 are finely granular, others have a conchoidal fracture ; the colors are light 

 gray, dark gray, reddish or flesh-colored, brown and nearly black. Some 

 of the beds are streaked with white calcspar, others are fossiliferous, with 

 the fossils replaced by calcspar, so that the rock is beautifully mottled. 

 This efiect is most striking in the reddish marbles, some of which are in no 

 wise inferior to the Tennessee marbles used in the National Capitol. The 

 beds are so thick that blocks of any desired size can be obtained. These 

 marbles are well shown in the streets of Estillville as well as along the 

 railroad line for several miles beyond that village. They are well exposed 

 at many points along Moccasin creek between Estillville and the Russell 

 county line. The limestone of No. 4 becomes more massive on Moccasin 

 creek than it is nearer Estillville, so that, near the Russell county line, it 

 might be mistaken for the marble. This series is shown in Copper ridge 

 near Copper creek and in Big ridge, beyond Clinch river near Speer's ferry. 



No. 9 is cherty. The bed immediately underlying the marbles is 12 feet 

 thick and contains very little limestone. The rock directly under it is 

 purer and has streaks of calcspar with lumps of chert ; but the chert grad- 

 ually increases downward until, at little more than midway, it predominates. 

 With it are some beds of reddish sandstone. Toward the base, the lime- 

 stone increases. This mass is well exposed on the Rye Cove road at barely 

 half a mile from Estillville and its base is reached at a few yards above the 



