THE TWO GROUPS OF THE KANAWHA 159 



" The lower group includes the Ansted, Eagle, Gas, Cedar Grove, Tunnel, Peer- 

 less, Brownstown, Campbells creek, and the associated thin seams. The principal 

 coal seams of the upper group are the Stockton or Crown Hill, the Coalburg, and 

 the Kanawha Mining or Winifrede seams. Between these two groups are about 

 300 feet of practically barren strata." 



The correlations of the developments in the upper group have led to 

 little or no differences of opinion, the Winifrede coal being generally 

 regarded as identical with the Kanawha mining seam. With reference 

 to the identities of the coals in the lower division, there is, however, some 

 difference of opinion, as may be seen by a consultation of the two mem- 

 oirs just cited. With these differences we have at present little to do, 

 since in this paper the floras are treated only in the most general way 

 and from a broad point of view. I shall therefore not here consider the 

 correlation of the individual coals, though I may add that the final sys- 

 tematic treatment of the fossil plants of the several horizons promises 

 to throw light on a number of points now in dispute. 



So far as concerns the stratigraphic positions of the coals in the lower 

 group, it is sufficient for present purposes to state that the Eagle, the low- 

 est workable coal, is about 330 feet above the base of the formation as 

 that boundary has, largely on lithologic evidence, been traced. The 

 Gas coal is about 155 feet above the Eagle coal. There is doubt as to 

 the equivalence of the Gas coal, as well as to the relations of the other 

 coals of the lower group to it. For paleontologic reasons, I am slightly 

 disposed to regard the Tunnel coal mined at Cedar Grove as identical 

 with the Gas coal. It certainly can not be far from the same strati- 

 graphic level. The Cedar Grove coal is but 125 feet above the Tunnel 

 bed. Twenty-five feet above the Cedar Grove bed another 1-foot coal is 

 found. It is important to note that a slope from the latter to the Tunnel 

 coal cuts no less than five coals, each of which is from 1 to 4 feet in 

 thickness. The painstaking stratigraphic studies carried on by Messrs 

 Campbell and Mendenhall show * that within the interval of 140 feet 

 traversed by this slope there must fall the horizons of the Gas, Peerless, 

 Brownstown, and Campbells Creek coals, as well as the Cedar Grove and 

 Tunnel beds. 



Within the relatively short period represented by the deposition of 

 140 feet of the formation no marked floral changes are to be expected, 

 and for the purposes of broad correlation the local floras may be com- 

 bined. I may add, however, that on account of certain peculiarities and 

 minor phases of the local floras I am inclined to place the roof shales of 

 the Peerless coal not far from the level of the Gas coal or the Tunnel 



* Op. cit., p. 502. 



