1921] 
closed and exclusive, and 
forms a floating mat. Essen- 
tially this mat is fibrous and 
contains macerated débris. 
When only partially at- 
tached at the sides or 
beneath the surface, and if 
for any cause there is a con- 
siderable rise of the water 
surface, the mat floats upon 
a pocket of water (fig. 3). 
Later the mat is compact 
enough to bear the weight 
of shrubs, trees, and even of 
dense forests. When, how- 
ever, the weight of the float- 
ing mat becomes too great, 
it either breaks or sinks with 
its load. Layers of marsh, 
shrub, or forest types of 
peat material then occur, 
interpolated between layers 
of aquatic plant remains. 
Thus an inverted order of 
Superposition results. It 
would obviously be a fallacy 
to correlate stratification, of 
this kind with alternating 
dry and wet climatic periods. 
Neither would the profile 
indicate conversion such as 
may result from artificial 
causes which obstruct 
drainage, nor a backward 
sequence of plant commu- 
nities, that is, retrogression. 
‘It is apparent also that in 
the gradual closing of basined 
DACHNOWSKI—PEAT DEPOSITS 
69 
f)- 
dl 
Sphagnum 
peat 
Carex 
Feet in depth 
peaticsese 
Ste ae ae — 
fra? Ree oe larare O siacerarergne RS ay 
2 Ben 8: OC 2 xX re rata XX Cx SS 
—— 
OK 
— -— ar 
— 
——— ee 
—_— 
a 
Fic. 3.—Profile section of ‘‘Cranberry 
Island” peat deposit at Bucke oo, _ Licking 
County, oe Arcade 892 feet a.t.; location 
of soundin 
(see fig. 4, Bor. Gaz. a dike 
was but in 1838 which aft, the ae level 
8 fee 
