F. H. Bradley—Stilurian age of the Southern Appalachians. 377 
Mountains and Nantahala Mountains. On the lower Nantahala, 
opposite the mouth of Red Marble Creek, an extensive outcrop 
of chloritic gneisses, dipping 55°, S. 65°-70° E., commences 
about two hundred yards southeast of the marble, which here 
dips 57°, S.57° E. The intervening space is covered, but there 
is no indication of the presence of the pyritous, micaceous lime- 
stone which, farther southwest, occupies nearly the place of these 
gneisses. In this region of great disturbance, neither the varia- 
tion in dip nor that in lithological character is sufficient to 
justify the inference of unconformability ; yet there may be a 
fault here and displacement either up or down on its southeast 
side. Leaving the marble at Valleytown, and following the 
direct road to Franklin, we first cross a wide outcrop of hydro- 
mica schists; then, a thin bed of laminated quartzyte; then, 
chloritic and mica schists, gradually becoming more compact and 
siliceous and including some quartzytes. Until we pass the sum- 
mit of the Valley River Mountains, at Morgan’s Gap, the dips 
vary from 35° to 60°, and from S. 20° E. to S. 45° E., apparently 
in consequence of warpings of the strata rather than of any true 
unconformability ; but, upon the eastern slope these are replaced 
y dips varying from 8. 20° E. to S. 60° W.,, as if in the greatly 
disturbed strata about the axis of a very irregular synclinal. 
Both gneisses and schists here show more mica than chlorite. 
The irregularity of the dips continues until we pass the summit 
of the Nantahala Mountains, where the synclinal character of 
the region appears to be more strongly marked in sharp north- 
westerly dips, which continue down the southeastern slope. 
The rocks have become less schistose and more gneissoid, and 
imelude much hornblende. After reaching the valley, we en- 
Counter the auriferous hydromica schists, dipping N. 15° E. as 
before stated, which continue to Franklin. hile I have not 
made sufficiently detailed examinations to be certain that these 
disturbed strata of the upper Nantahala are not of greater age, 
yet what I have seen of them has given mea very strong im- 
pression that they are newer than the Valley River marbles. This 
impression has only been strengthened by a trip from Parker’s 
Hine to the head of Vengeance’s Creek. Along this line, chlo- 
ritic schists, which must be above the marble, gradually pass into 
others a little more compact and siliceous, (the precise equiva- 
lents of those first encountered on the Valleytown-Franklin 
road,) with laminated quartzytes. Near the summit, these 
include a considerable thickness of fine-grained nearly black 
po slates, becoming siliceous above and striped with quartz- 
8 
In passing southeastward from Brasstown Creek toward the 
head of Hiwassee River, we find southeast dips at first; but 
these soon begin to alternate with northwesterly ones, showing 
