MIRPHREE'S VALLEY; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 45 



streets, dfpping at a small angle to the northwest. And 

 opposite this place, where the Blountsville road crosses the 

 mountain in S. 22, the top of the Red Mountain is sunk 

 down in a gap, only about 40 feet high. This gap shows 

 only Lower Siliceous rocks the Clinton being sunk beneath 

 the level of the valley. In the space of a little over a mile, 

 the flexure has been up, and then down again, each, more 

 than the whole thickness of the Trenton strata. Nearly op- 

 posite this high part of the mountain, in S. 15, on its N. W. 

 side, in the Lower Siliceous formation, is the first important 

 out crop of manganese. It continues to show for several 

 miles along that side of the mountain. The manganese will 

 be described in its proper place ; but it may be here remarked 

 that in that section of the mountain that carries manganese, 

 there seems to be less iron ore, and of quality generally in- 

 ferior to the average ; that there could be any relation be- 

 tween the iron, and manganese, seems very improbable, and 

 this fact is here merely noted. Several openings have been 

 made into the iron ore, in the next three miles S. W. of 

 Wa4nut Grove. Only the top bed, or No. 1, was found, and 

 the samples obtained were inferior. 



A very heavy bedded massive sandrock, begins now to 

 occupy the lower portion of the Clinton. It was first seen a 

 few miles below Walnut Grove, and gradually increases in 

 thickness. It takes the place of the dark yellowish gnarly 

 rock, near the base of the General Section. This reck con- 

 tinues, about to the west line, of T. 12,R. 2 East. In all this 

 space ore beds Nos. 4 and 5, were not seen, and are not be- 

 lieved to exist, certainly not in sufficient quantity to be of 

 value. All the ore that has been seen in this space there- 

 fore belongsJto one of the three upper beds. 



In Sects. 1 and 2 of Tp. 12, R. 2 East, was the first place 

 found below Walnut Grove, that gave indications of good ore. 

 Several openings had been made on bed No. 1. The ore is 

 wholly concretionary, of rather low grade, but uniform in 

 '-character. At all the openings in these sections, the thick- 

 ness of the bed varied, from 2 feet, to 3 feet, averaging 

 about 30 inches. Bed No. 2 was not found here, and the 



