434 GEOLOGY OF OHIO. 



Leipsic. It constitutes in many places a true gravel ridge, and in 

 others is made up of hard-pan. In the latter case it is a bench, facing 

 toward the north and north-east, instead of a ridge, and forms the con- 

 tinuance of the upper terrace of the Maumee River noticed between De- 

 fiance and Independence. To distinguish it from others, it has been 

 called the inner margin of the Blanchard Ridge. ' The inner ridge runs 

 to Belmore. It is constant, and about five to ten feet above the common 

 surface. It uniformly has a descent in both directions, at least as far 

 east as New Bavaria. 



In following this ridge toward the Maumee from Ayersville, it is found 

 to be occasionally covered with sand. A very distinct and prominent 

 sand ridge, on which a road is located, diverges from it, running on to- 

 ward the river, nearly parallel. The gravel ridge gradually becomes 

 lower, and when the sand is reached the road forks, one branch going 

 due north on the section line, and the other following the direction of 

 the sand, the real ridge having so dwindled as not to control the location 

 of the road. It was found impossible to trace the Belmore Ridge further 

 north toward the Maumee than section 34, Highland, although it re- 

 appears on the north side of the river. Near there the main road leaves 

 the Belmore Ridge and unites with the outer ridge on the south line of 

 section 28. The cross-ridge of sand from Ayersville strikes the Belmore 

 Ridge on section 1, Highland. 



Wells and Springs. — In order to investigate the Drift and its phenomena, 

 considerable information was gathered concerning the common and arte- 

 sian wells of the county, some of which present very interesting phe- 

 nomena. There are a great many artesian wells in the county that de- 

 pend entirely upon the arrangement of the impervious portions of the 

 Drift for their constant supplies. The water of these wells is of the 

 best and most wholesome kind. They are most numerous in Farmer, 

 Mark, Washington, and Hickville townships, on the east side of the 

 Van Wert Ridge. The facts gathered are shown in the following tabu- 

 lated list of wells. It is not supposed that all of the artesian wells of 

 the county are here named. The facts demonstrate the same general 

 conclusion as in other counties in north-western Ohio, viz., that the con- 

 fining stratum for these artesian wells is a thickness of "blue clay" 

 reaching sometimes nearly or quite one hundred feet, and constitutes 

 *the great bulk of the Drift itself. 



