78 GEOLOGICAL RELATIONS OF ALABAMA CLAYS. 



The white clay occurrs in many places in this 

 vicinity, and is called chalk by the people. 



On the eastern side of the valley, the Red Mountain 

 ridge, as stated above, is more prominent and con- 

 tinuous than on the west. Near the State line, about 

 Eureka station and thence southwestward for a 

 couple of miles, the clays have been tested and in 

 many places worked. They have a thickness aggre- 

 gating about 40 feet, but are said to thicken up oc- 

 casionally to 180 to 200 feet, of which as much as 60 

 feet is a fine white clay suitable for the manufactory 

 of stone ware. Some of the clay is shipped from here 

 to the potteries at Trenton N. J., and some of it goes 

 to Chattanooga, Tenn. The Franklin (Ohio] Com- 

 pany Mines are situated in t'he northern corner of 

 S. 34, T. 4, K, 10 E. The clay is won by surface dig- 

 gings, slopes, and tunnels, according to locality. 



The following section is obtained along the wagon 

 road through the surface diggings and will give a 

 fairly correct idea of the occurrence. 



Section at Franklin Company's Mines, DeKalb Co. 



Alternations of chert layers, 4 to 18 inches thick, with fine 



sharp siliceous powder of white and yellow color 12 feet. 



Chert of light yellow color, interlaminated with thin streaks of 



clay 12 feet. 



Clay, mostly of yellow color, but with seams of white clay . ...10 feet. 

 Alternations of chert in layers of 2 to 8 inches thickness with 



clay seams 18 inches in thickness , 4 feet. 



Alternations of chert in layers 2 to 6 inches thick with white 



clay in irregular seams 6 to 12 inches thick 18 feet. 



Clay, very gritty, of white color and chalky appearance 10 feet. 



Clay and shale, the clay white and gritty, the shale green 10 feet. 



Devonian Black Sha.e 



In these mines in the upper twenty feet the clay is 

 more siliceous than in the lower twenty fee/t. The 

 siliceous clay is better suited for making fire brick, 

 while the plastic clay is a potter's clay, command- 

 ing a good price. The chert which is intersitratified 



