110 J. J. STEVENSON — CARBONIFEROUS OF APPALACHIAN RASIN 



inches thick. It varies abruptly in Breathitt, being sometimes a solid 

 bed, but within a short distance becoming badly broken by partings. 

 At one locality the bed is solid, yet within a mile it is represented by 

 three beds, 6, 24, and 21 inches thick, respectively, and separated by 20 

 and 10 feet of shale. On another stream in the vicinity the three splits 

 are shown in a vertical space of 50 feet. The same peculiarities are 

 exhibited in Perry count} 7 . The bed is broken badly by partings in 

 Leslie county near the Perry line, but within 5 miles southward it shows 

 3 to 4 feet of coal with partings in all of not more than 2 inches. These 

 abrupt variations are characteristic of the bed in the northern counties. 

 The coal in the several benches varies from bituminous to splint and 

 even to cannel. Associated with this bed is number 3 A, which in 

 Breathitt is 30 feet above the Mercer ; but the interval increases south- 

 ward, becoming 50 feet in northern Leslie and 85 feet on the Harlan 

 border. It is unimportant on the north and middle forks, but appears 

 to be fairly persistent. 



The Quakertown is of little importance and usually gives only bitu- 

 minous coal ; but it is opened at many places in northwest Breathitt, 

 northern Leslie, and northwest Perry. The coal bed, number 2 A of the 

 northern counties, is insignificant. It was seen in Wolfe and Breathitt 

 wherever its horizon is exposed, but everywhere it is very thin. The 

 Sharon coal bed is shown in Wolfe and Breathitt, very variable, but 

 3 T ielding good coal where thick enough to be worked. A thin cannel, 

 not more than 4 inches thick, is present sometimes at 30 feet, more or 

 less, above it. 



The interval from the Sharon coal bed to the Conglomerate is given 

 by Mr. Hodge as about 10 feet — very much less than is given by other 

 observers ; but he states distinctly that he uses the term " Conglom- 

 erate " as a formation name and without reference to constitution, so 

 that the difference is apparent, not real. Mr Moore gives the interval 

 as 50 feet, evidently, like Lesley and Crandall, taking the massive sand- 

 stone as the top of the Conglomerate; but the interval shows remark- 

 able variation, for Mr Hodge says that within short distances it ma} 7 

 vary from practically nothing to 100 feet. It should be noted here that 

 in Mr Hodge's sections along the North and Middle forks there is an 

 " Upper Splint bed," his number 5 ; the interval to the Tionesta or 

 Lower Splint being from 90 to 125 feet, the latter being at the south 

 near Pine mountain, though even there it is at times only 90 feet. This 

 bed, however, belongs to the Allegheny formation. 



The line of change from shale to sandstone in the Upper Pottsville 

 crosses northern Clay count) 7 , and with that change the intervals in- 

 crease rapidly. No sections are available for Owsley county, lying 



