400 The Upper Devonian Deposits of Maryland 



In Delaware County the upper reds of the Oneonta and the lower of the 

 Catskill unite and, in the Catskill Mountain i-egion, extend downward 

 into what is called tlie Sherhurne sandstones which represent the lower 

 part of the Portage stage of western New York. In Pennsylvania, on 

 following this mass of red rocks to the southwest it is found that they 

 gradually begin later and tliat the faunas of the Portage and Chemung 

 stages reappear as is the case in the southern part of western New York/ 

 In the lower part of the Catskill fonnation the rocks consist of 

 brownish-red sandstones alternating with thick bands of red argillaceous 

 shale, while there are occasional thin bands of greenish shale. In these 

 rocks the red sandstones predominate and in some regions make good 

 farming lands, as about Accident in Garrett County. In the upper part of 

 the formation there is a greater thickness of greenish-gray sandstone and 

 shale, alternating with red rocks of similar lithological composition. The 

 greenish-gi'ay rocks increase in amount from the middle to tlie top of the 

 formation, while near the top the reddish sandstones have more of a 

 brownish tinge than those of the middle and lower part of the formation. 

 Tlie sandstones are conspicuously micaceous, cross-bedded structure is 

 not infrequent and in some localties there is a rapid horizontal change 

 from sandstone to shale deposits or the reverse. The soil formed by the 

 decomposition of the Catskill rocks is of brick-red color contrasting 

 sharply with the yellowish soils of the subjacent Jennings or the super- 

 jacent Poeono formations. Fossils are very rare in this formation, the 

 only shells found being some very imperfectly preserved pelecypods 

 from the Baltimore and Ohio Hailroad above Frankville and in the 

 railroad cut just east of Altamont; while worm trails and borings have 

 been found at several localities. Some of the best places for studying this 

 formation are in Jennings Run above Con-iganville where nearly its 

 entire thickness is showoi ; along the road down Warnick Run northwest 

 of Lonaconing and along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad above Frank- 

 ville. In Washington Countv the Catskill is about 3800 feet thick." In 



'17th An. Rep. State Geol. [N. Y.], in which the writer has discussed this 

 question. 



'' Pawpaw-Hancock Folio U. S. Geol. Surv., 1912, p. 13. 



