THE BLOUNT MOUNTAIN COAL FIELD. 17 



umn, and hence require careful description. They are more 

 prominently exposed along the southeast edge of Blount 

 Mountain and contiguous elevations to the east and north- 

 east than anywhere else in the State, and thus come appro- 

 priately within the bounds of this report. 



These measures rest conformably on the top of the Car- 

 boniferous or Mountain Limestone. The transition, (where 

 the junction was plainly seen,) is not abrupt, but the lime 

 rock gradually passes into calcarneous shale, and the shale 

 gradually shows more and more silica in its upper layers 

 till it passes into flaggy sandstone, of dark grey color near 

 the base, and gradually changes into light brown friable 

 sandstone towards the top. Somewhere near the base of 

 this member a thin seam of coal exists, its position was not 

 found on the face of the mountain, but pieces of it were 

 found washed out of a deep hole in Canoe Creek where it ran 

 over the rocks of this member. As the creek in its course, 

 had not run over any higher member of the coal series, it 

 evidently belonged here. The thickness of this member 

 approximates one hundred and thirty feet. It is succeeded 

 in ascending order, by a few feet of soft shale and clay, and 

 a seam of good coal one foot thick where seen. This is 

 succeeded by dark slate dark grey to black, soft and fissile, 

 eighty feet thick, followed by flaggy sand rock for twenty or 

 twenty-five feet. 



The next member, which may be local, consists of two 

 beds of variegated crystallized limestone or marble, the 

 lower bed four feet thick, very hard and solid, holding many 

 fossils, and a good deal of silica a very beautiful strong 

 rock on which the weather seemed to have made no im- 

 pression. About 20 feet above this bed is another of sim- 

 ilar material and color, but softer, having less silica and 

 fewer fossils. This ledge is also solid and about 20 feet 

 thick. The prevailing colors are a mingling of yellow and 

 brown. The thickness of this member where seen is about 

 45 feet. 



This is followed by what is known as the "Shall/ CUff" 



