434 GEOLOGY OF OHIO. 



in the western part of Clinton county where Todd's Pork leaves the 

 county, we shall find that the strata of stone seen under those we meet, 

 proceed to the east, and if a well were dug deep enough at Washington 

 or Wilmington, it would cut through all the strata found to the west as 

 far as Cincinnati. A well sunk at Washington would first penetrate the 

 strata overlying those exposed at Rock Mills, and passing through these 

 would penetrate the strata represented on Paint Creek below Rock Mills, 

 as at Rogers's, and at James's, and then would reach the stone so abund- 

 ant on Rattlesnake from the line of the Washington and Leesburgh road 

 to the south, and passing this would penetrate the water-lime building- 

 stone of Greenfield and Lexington, and going deeper would penetrate 

 the great Niagara system one hundred and fifty to one hundred and 

 eighty feet thick, which is found immediately under the city of Wil- 

 mington ; cutting through this it would next reach the Clinton iron ore 

 and then the stratified stone of this formation, about thirty feet in thick- 

 ness, and then after cutting through three or four feet of a ferruginous 

 clay would reach the Cincinnati group or Blue limestone, and in about 

 one hundred and twenty-five feet would reach the strata which are seen 

 in Todd's Fork where it flows out of Clinton county. 



It has been stated that the average level of Fayette county is some 

 two hundred feet lower than that of Clinton county, while numerous 

 formations overlie in Fayette county those found exposed in Clinton 

 county. The explanation is easy. It is observed that all the strata 

 which have been named dip to the east. They do, indeed, dip more, 

 rather than less, than sufiicient to make up the difference in the level of 

 the counties, and it is likely I have understated rather than overstated 

 the difference in level, as it was impossible to get the levels of the Cin- 

 cinnati and Muskingum Valley Railroad, which would have enabled me 

 to be more exact. I have calculated that the water-lime building-stone, 

 as seen at Lexington and Greenfield, dips from thirty-five to forty feet 

 per mile to the east (it dips also to the north). In fifteen miles the dip 

 would be between five hundred and fifty and six hundred feet ; subtract- 

 ing two hundred feet, the difference in level, there would be left three 

 hundred and fifty to four hundred feet to be made up in Fayette county 

 by additional strata. 



DENUDING AGENCIES. 



After the deposition of the rocks now found in Clinton and Fayette 

 counties, the surface was not long, at any early geological period, beneath 

 the surface of the sea. While the deposit of sandstone which extends 

 almost from the very border of Payette county to the south indefinitely, 

 and to the east, underlying the coal, was being made, the land to the 



