22 CHARLES S. PROSSER 



On the Mill Creek Road, 5f miles southwest of Romney or i\ 

 miles east of Moorefield Junction, on the farm of Mr. Parker, is 

 an outcrop of argillaceous shale. The dip is 35° N., 30° W. at this 

 ledge, but in a short distance it changes. The shales are in general 

 smooth, olive in tint, and in some that are a little mealy in texture 

 are fossils, the most common species being Pterochaenia fragilis 

 (Hall), Buchiola retrostriata (?) (v. Buch), Goniatites, Coleolus, etc. 



This exposure is nearly all shale, and it belongs in the lower 

 part of the Jennings formation. In fauna, lithologic appearance, 

 and stratigraphic position it agrees closely with the Portage stage 

 of the Upper Devonian of New York. It will be remembered 

 that Dana united the Genesee, Portage, and Chemung to form his 

 Chemung period, which corresponds very nearly, if not quite, to 

 the Jennings formation. 



On the bank of a run about one mile east of Moorefield Junc- 

 tion are olive, argillaceous shales by the side of the road, which 

 alternate with thin, micaceous sandstones. No fossils were found, 

 and the rocks are referred to the Portage stage. A dip of 45° S., 

 40° E. was noted. A ledge by the side of the road on the southern 

 bank of Mill Creek, at the crossing directly east of Moorefield 

 Junction is composed mostly of smooth, argillaceous, olive shales 

 interstratified with thin sandstone layers which are rather mica- 

 ceous. At the creek level is a sandstone layer two or more feet 

 in thickness. The dip is about 2° west. No fossils were found and 

 the rocks are referred to the Portage stage. 



To the west of Moorefield Junction smooth, argillaceous, olive 

 shales, alternating with layers of sandstone, occur along the high- 

 way and dip to the east. No fossils were found. These shales, as 

 in the case of those east of Moorefield Junction, are considered as 

 of Portage age and occur in the lower part of the Jennings formation. 



Patterson Creek. — -The next valley to the west of that of South 

 Branch is that of Patterson Creek in Mineral County, and since 

 in the volumes on the paleontology of New York certain Hamilton 

 species are mentioned as occurring at Patterson's Creek, West 

 Virginia, the outcrops in the lower part of the valley of this creek 

 were examined. The Romney area of this valley is a continuation 

 of the narrow band which lies between Colher and Nicholas moun- 



