MURPHREE'S VALLEY; .ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 79 



solid yet pulverent judged to carry 12 to 14 per cent, of 

 Silica, and about 50 per cent, of metallic iron. Its associa- 

 tion here, with the 4th bed of good limy ore, is probably of 

 considerable economic interest. The 4th bed will furnish 

 lime enough to flux itself, and most of the 3d bed also. 



This is the first time the 5th bed has been seen in any 

 appreciable quantity for twelve miles. Its ore is such as it 

 usually carries, rather soft where opened, but will probably 

 be harder when better roofed in. 



The height of the ore ridge is from 125 to 150 feet. All 

 the way up its face large quantities of ore are exposed on 

 the surface, mainly from the 3d bod. Near the top of the 

 ridge this bed seems to be much thicker than at the base, 

 this may be only apparently so yet such a thickening up- 

 wards has been seen in many places heretofore. Along the 

 top of this ridge samples from the 1st bed with their char- 

 acteristic fossils were not uncommon. It had not been 

 opened, and its existence had been overlooked. A little 

 farther, say from a quarter to a half mile N. E., at the base 

 of the ridge, an opening had been sunk down to the 4th 

 bed, its thickness here could not be seen, and it showed no 

 special features. 



S. W. from the Hullett gap in the same i Sect, was found 

 another little gap on the lands of E. J. Cozby that exposed 

 part of the structure. The 3d bed here measured 10 feet, 

 but with irony clay parting 3 feet thick in the middle. A 

 large portion of the space between the 3d and 4th beds is 

 here filled with iron limestone. It could not be accurately 

 measured, but is about 50 feet thick then sandstone 4 feet. 

 Then iron limestone of better quality than the upper ledge 

 22 feet. Beneath this, a partly exposed bed of soft, dark 

 iron ore the oth bed; thickness unknown. 



It is wonderful that in the short space of quarter of a 

 mile the limy 4th bed, 5 feet thick, should expand and loose 

 itself in such a mass of iron limestone. 



Through the remainder of Sect. 7, iron ore shows pro- 

 fusely on the surface, and in all the little hollows in this 

 ridge. The third bed is generally prominent. But iron ore 



