46 J. J. STEVENSON — CAKBONIFEROUS OP APPALACHIAN BASIN 



the southern section, while the other beds are almost exactly at the same 

 horizons as in the Kalmia-Lincoln section. The lowest coal is about 200 

 feet above the bottom of the formation. The coal beds of. the upper di- 

 vision have practically disappeared in this prong ; number 1 is but a 

 mere streak and numbers 2 and 3 are represented only by coaly shale. 

 The thin beds belonging between 3 and 4 are present at about 100 and 

 140 feet below 3, so that all the beds of the lower division are present 

 and several of them attain much greater thickness than in the Kalmia- 

 Lincoln section. Farther east, however, number 1 is occasionally of 

 workable thickness. 



As one passes eastwardly beyond the union of the prongs, he finds the 

 beds of the upper division increasing in importance, so that at Tremont 

 the workable beds are at 554, 606, and 663 feet below the Buck Mountain 

 horizon.* At Pottsville, Mr David White, after comparison of the fossil 

 plants collected at the various localities, places his plant bed L at the 

 horizon of Lykens Valley coal bed number 1 ; he regards the plant beds 

 ff and /as representing the Lykens 2 and 3, and plant beds D and C as 

 approximately equivalent to numbers 4 and 5. Bed C is approximately 

 800 feet below the Buck Mountain horizon and 400 feet above the bottom 

 of the Pottsville. The Upper Pottsville is about 550 feet thick, showing 

 a decrease eastwardly; a similar decrease is apparent in the coal-bearing 

 portion of the Lower Pottsville with an increase in the basal portion. It 

 is worthy of notice that alike in the Upper and in the Lower, the condi- 

 tions within the Pottsville area were unfavorable to accumulation of coal. 



Toward the eastern end of the field, two beds are present in Locust 

 gap, north from Tamaqua, at 240 and 385 feet below the Buck Mountain, 

 at approximately the horizons of the fourth and fifth coal streaks near 

 Pottsville. In the Panther Creek district the only coal is in the upper 

 portion. But in the Broad Mountain, or most northerly division of this 

 field, traces of coal have been found in the Altamont boring at approxi- 

 mately 26, 48, 160, 780, 940, 1,010 feet below the Buck Mountain ; but the 

 thickness is not more than 4 inches except in the highest, which is 2 feet 

 2 inches. It is possible that this bed is a split from the Buck Mountain. 

 Another boring in the same district shows coals at 190, 250, 370, 410, 

 460 to 475 feet, of which all are mere streaks except the lowest, which is 

 from 3 to 4 feet thick and is known as the " Lower Lykens coal." As the 

 thickness of Pottsville here is given as approximately 1,200 feet, it would 

 appear as though this coal should be taken as belonging to the Upper 

 Pottsville and not lower than Lykens number 3. 



* These figures are approximate, having been obtained by measurements on the diagrams of the 

 columnar section sheets, and not by adding the detailed thicknesses. This remark applies to all 

 the intervals given hereafter in these fields. 



