BULLETIN O.F THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 

 Vol. 2, pp. 415-430 April 9, i89i 



TWO BELTS OF FOSSILIFEROUS BLACK SHALE IN THE 

 TRIASSIC FORMATION OF CONNECTICUT.^ 



BY AV. M. DAVIS AND S. WARD LOPER. 



{Read before the Sociehj December 31, 1890.) 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



I. Introductory Statement : by W. M, Davis 415 



Previous Studies 415 



Structure of the Triassic Formation about Meriden 416 



Origin of the Deposits 416 



Formation of the Trap Sheets 417 



Deformation 418 



Subsequent Degradation 419 



Topographic Expression of Structure 419 



Verification of Inferences as to Structure 421 



II. Fossils of the Anterior and Posterior Shales: by S. "Ward Loper 425 



The Area examined 425 



The Localities explored 426 



Anterior Shales 426 



Posterior Shales 427 



Species collected 428 



Distribution of Species 429 



Kesults 430 



Discussion 430 



/. INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT: BY W. M. DAVIS. 



Previous Studies. 



For a number of years past I have given some of my spare time in the 

 summer, generally with the assistance of Mr. C. L. Whittle, of the United 

 States Geological Survey, to the study of the Triassic formation of Connecti- 

 cut, especially in the neighborhood of Meriden. The peculiar structure of 

 the formation is well shown there, and it makes an excellent problem for 

 field teaching ; for that reason Meriden has been chosen for several seasons 



* Communicated by permission of the Director of the U. S. Geological Survey. 

 LXI— Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., Vol. 2, 1890. (^1^) 



