Tfo MINERAL RESOURCES OF ALABAMA. 



these regions, and admixtures of the red loams of this mantle 

 with the native marly soils, give rise to many varieties, such 

 as the Red Post Oak soils, the Piney Woods Prairie soils, 

 etc 



Another departure from the prevailing Coastal Plain sandy 

 loams is caused by the great clay formation of the Lower Ter- 

 tiary, which gives origin to the Post Oak Flatwoods of Sum- 

 ter and Marengo .counties. East of the Alabama River in 

 Wilcox and Butler counties, these clays hold much lime and 

 form regular "prairie" soils, characteristically developed 

 along Prairie Creek in Wilcox. 



Besides the above, there are small areas of marly soils in 

 the Tertiary, due to the shell beds which occur- -at intervals in 

 the lower or lignitic division of this formation. Of this kind 

 are the celebrated Flat Creek lands of Wilcox, marled by the 

 outcrop of the Woods Bluff greensand shell bed, which is also 

 responsible for fertile lands on Beaver Creek, the same 

 count)-, on west side of the river, and on Bashi Creek in 

 Clarke county. " fl ^ (l <:lriirb rr//ul i>in; 



The Nanaf alia shell bed or marl also is responsible for 

 itoany- tracts of fertile limy soils in Marengo and Wilcox. 



In the lower counties of the state the materials of the La- 

 fayette are in general more sandy than is the case further 

 north, and we find in this section also another surface mantle, 

 viz,, the Grand Gulf, underlying the Lafayette, and like it 

 consisting mainly of sands with some beds of laminated clay in- 

 tercalated. ! bflJS t lljgji 



By reason of this double mantle the thickness of the sandy 

 surface beds is much increased, so that the Miocene lime- 

 stones, which are known to underlie this section, seldom if 

 ever come to the outcrop and influence the soils except along 

 the immediate banks of the Chattahoochee and possibly of 

 some of the smaller streams. In all this region which is 

 gently rolling or nearly flat, shallow ponds, pine barren 

 swamps, and open savannahs are characteristic of the land- 

 scape, due, so far as we can make out, to the uneven surface 

 of the Grand Gulf clays which underlie the Lafayette sands at 

 shallow depths These beautifully situated, high, level lands 

 are characteristic of parts of Baldwin and Mobile counties, 

 and are destined to become valuable farming lands when lum- 

 bering- and turpentining shall cease to give chief occupation to 



