50 



MINERAL RESOURCES OF ALABAMA. 



4. The St, Stephens Limestone (Eocene) , of Southern 

 Alabama. 



Areal Distribution. The St. Stephens limestone outcrops in 

 a belt 10 to 15 miles wide (from north to south) in Southern 

 Alabama. The counties of Geneva, Covington, Conecuh, Es- 

 cambia, Monroe, Clarke, Washington, and Choctaw are in 

 part within this belt. 



The high bluff at St. Stephens on the Tombigbee River 

 shown in Plate VI, illustrates well the general characters of the 

 outcrops of this rock along the banks of the Tombigbee and 

 Alabama Rivers. 



Chemical Composition. Most of the St. Stephens beds are 

 slightly argillaceous limestones, less clayey than the Selma 

 chalk; while occasional beds of pure limestone occur. Both 

 types could be utilized in Portland cement manufacture; the 

 purer limestones requiring the addition of more clay than 

 would the argillaceous beds. 



Table VII. Vomposvtion of the St. Stephens Limestone. 



2. Oven Bluff, Tombigbee R., Clarke Co. . ..| 6.06 1 1.38)89. 32] 2.28 1 .15 



5. Near Evergreen, Conecuh County |1.26jl.72|96.09| .65j .02 



6~Near Evergreen, Conecuh County 77 1 2 . 75 1 2 . 73 1 93 . 31 j . 23 [ .02 



Physical Character. In physical character the St. Stephens 

 limestone varies, from a soft chalky material, like the Selma 

 chalk, to a rather hard limestone which in some localities takes 

 a good polish and makes a very fair quality of marble. The 

 softer beds could be quarried and crushed as readily as could 



