416 



contact. Only the eastern half of the north side is represented by contacts. 

 Here, two contacts were found, but these reveal a rather striking feature- 

 The two contacts are one and one-fourth miles apart, the west one being a 

 mile west and one-half mile north of the eastern contact. Judging from the 

 general dip of the rock structure, one would expect the western contact to 

 be several feet lower than the eastern one. But the reverse is true, the 

 eastern contact is actually twenty feet lower. 



Having absent contacts for the western part of the north side, the 

 data does not give absolute information, but the indications point decidedly 

 to the fact that a monocline or an anticline, with its long axis extending 

 parallel with McCormieks Creek, exists in the Flatwoods region. This 

 means that Flatwoods proper is an eroded anticline. This interesting struc- 

 ture indicates that the possibilities for oil are much stronger than a guess. 

 However, it is possible and even probable that the anticline is superficial, 

 and does not extend to strata of oil-bearing properties. The only sure 

 method for determining the presence of oil is the drilling of a hole the 

 required depth. The writer, however, is of the opinion that the Flatwoods 

 region has sufficient superficial indications of oil to warrant an experi- 

 mental hole being made. 



An interesting chapter in the pre-glacial geology of the Flatwoods 

 region is found in the physiographic development. Several million years 

 of time lapsed between the time when the later Mississipian deposits of 

 the region were first lifted above sea level and the advent of the glacier in 

 quaternary times. During this time, no deposits were made, indicating 

 that the region was never again subject to such a depression that would 

 reduce it below sea level. There is no rock structure present representing 

 the late Paleozoic, the entire Mesozoic and the early Genozoic systems. 

 During the lapse of all this time, the area was subject to all the forces of 

 weathering and erosion. Undoubtedly much must have been accomplished 

 in that long interval of time. 



It is very likely that the new land surface of the upper Mississippian 

 strata was not raised to any great height above sea level for a long time. 

 The old sea in which the Pennsylvanian rocks west of the area were 

 deposited came and went many times before it left the region forever. In 

 the ages that followed the withdrawal of the old sea, perhaps several 

 peneplains were formed, and each, in turn, destroyed by the subsequent 

 erosion, following the successive uplifts of the area. Only the later of 

 these would be preserved in any recognizable degree. 



