478 GEOLOGY OF OHIO. 



is good, and some of the limestone strata found north in Adams extend 

 into the hills of Union, but they show a tendency to thin out toward the 

 south. The only coal observed is always thin. It is supposed to be the 

 Hobson seam, the place of which is about one hundred feet above the 

 Coal Eun or Cumberland seam. At one place, not far above the mouth 

 of Eainbow Creek, this seam is found, and is reported to be only eight 

 inches thick. This township, since the formation of Muskingum town- 

 ship, has lost the larger part of the Muskingum River, formerly within 

 its limits, with the rich adjacent bottom lands. 



MUSKINGUM TOWNSHIP. 



This township lies north of Marietta, and includes the Muskingum 

 River as far north as the mouth of Bear Creek. It, consequently, con- 

 tains a large area of the immediate valley of that river. Its eastern, 

 boundary generally takes the summit of the ridge dividing the waters of 

 the Muskingum and Duck Creek. The soil on the top of this ridge is 

 not remarkable for its natural fertility, being composed largely of disin- 

 tegrated sandstone and shales. In the northern part of the township 

 some of the limestone found in the hills of Adams township serve a val- 

 uable purpose in fertilizing the soil. These are seen in the hills near 

 the mouth of Bear Creek. The following section was taken on the road 

 leading from the Lutheran Church, on the ridge, down to Bear Creek, 

 near the north line of the township : 



1. 



Shales, chiefly 59 



3. White limestone, probably in two or three layers 3 to 5 



4. Sandstone and shales, not seen in detail 77 



"White limestone, possibly not in place 1 



Not all well seen, but chiefly sandstone and sandy shales 100 



Buff limestome 1 .3 



Blue limestone, in bed of Bear Creek. 



The section can be only proximately correct, as the dip was not known, 



and no allowance could be made for it. The place of the Bear Creek or 



Cumberland coal is about seventy-five feet above the buff limestone, but 



no trace of it was found. The dip of the strata on Bear Creek is sharply 



to the south. On the land of John Spears, a half a mile above the 



mouth of Bear Creek, a section was taken as follows : 



Ft. a. 



1. Blossom of coal, Hobson seam. 



2. Not well exposed, but contains several layers of limestone 48 



3. Limestone 2 



4. Not exposed 45 



M. In. 



A black stain of black slate or coal . 



