walcott.] TENNESSEE. 139 



already mentioned. There is, however, more or less of uncertainty 

 in relation to the identification of the rocks about Murphy and on the 

 line of the Hiwassee River; so much so that outside of the recognized 

 Chilhowee strata I think it would be very hazardous to state that the 

 Cambrian is represented in southwestern North Carolina. Iu his de 

 scription of the stratified rocks, Prof. Kerr states that so far as known 

 the Primordial is represented only in its lowest member, where it crosses 

 the northwest border in a few points along the Smoky Mountain. 1 A 

 description of the section upon the French Broad, from Paint Rock to 

 Warm Springs, is reprinted by him (pp. 138, 139), with the statement 

 that Prof. Safford makes the Paint Rock sandstones to be Chilhowee 

 or Potsdam ; the grits and conglomerates below and above Warm 

 Springs to be Ocoee or sub-Potsdam ; while the limestone is referred 

 to the Knox Dolomite, which is above the Potsdam, 2 He also gives 

 Prof. Bradley's identification of the rocks that belong to Cherokee 

 County in the southwestern portion of the State. 



TENNESSEE. 



The classification adopted by Dr. Gerard Troost, in his fourth report 

 as geologist of the State of Tennessee, is as follows : 3 



1. Primordial, or Primitive, or Crystalline, 



2. Transition or Fragmentary. 



3. Secondary or Sedimentary. 



4. Tertiary or Upper Secondary. 

 In mentioning this classification he says : 



I should have confined myself to the two first parts of this division, the Primordial 

 and Transition series, as they constitute the greatest part of the district that I have 

 examined. 



This nomenclature is used in the fifth annual report, where he states 

 that the Crystalline Primordial rocks form the highest part of the 

 Appalachian Chain. The line of contact of the Primordial rocks with 

 the Transition or Fragmentary coincides in a general way, but not 

 exactly with the boundary line between Tennessee and North Carolina. 



The country lying between the Great Smoky Mountains and the Cumberland 

 Mountains, or East Tennessee, is for the most part composed of strata of grauwacke, 

 sandstone, and limestone alternating with each other, and in which organic remains 

 are rarely found ; these strata are highly inclined, approaching in some places 

 towards the vertical, dipping more or less towards southeast and running nearly 

 parallel with the Smoky Mountain ridge ; they are covered in several places by 

 horizontal strata of limestone of a dark gray, approaching to a black color, and hav- 

 ing a granular structure. It is in some places characterized by Macluriles, Le Sueur, 

 Conotubularia, nobis, Isotellus, Dekay, and several species of Calamopora, Goldf. 4 



On the map and sections accompanying the report the Primordial or 

 Crystalline series is colored blue, and the Secondary or Grauwacke 



1 Report of the geological survey of North Carolina, vol. 1, 1875, p. 115. Raleigh. 

 *Op. cit.,p. HO. 



* Fourth report of the geologist of the State ot Tennessee. Nashville, 1838, p. 630. 

 4 Fifth geological report on the State of Tennessee. Nashville, 1840, p. 5. 



