292 J. B. Elliott—Age of the Southern Appalachians. 
At this point the road enters an embrasure in the Smoky 
Mountains. The Cohutta Mountains lie upon the north and 
Fort Mountain upon the south, about four miles apart. Be- 
tween these the Knox Group sweeps in and extends three miles 
beyond the line of the main mountain chain. The last appear- 
ance of the limestone of the Knox shale was seen at Gregory’, 
at the eastern limit of this reéntering angle. At Gregory's, 
also, the Ocoee conglomerate was first seen. Immediately 
upon leaving Gregory’s an ascent of the mountain chain was 
egun. Here the road winds over two subsidiary ridges, or off- 
shoots from the mass of Fort Mountain. The rock was Ococe 
conglomerate, a dense and massive quartzitic gneiss, with layers 
of dense blue-black slates. Dip about 50° KH. After crossing 
ge night overtook the 
party, and three miles had to be traversed after dark before 
shelter could be reached at Mountain Town. The next morn- 
ing it was found that a synclinal had been passed, as the dip of 
the gneiss was N.W. 50°. The gneiss was light colored, sili- 
ceous and friable, enclosing decomposing feldspar crystals. 
This synclinal is just in the southwestern extension of the 
Ducktown synclinal. The gneiss suggests the dove-colored 
gneiss found near Hendersonville, N. C. 
he change in the color of the gneiss gives light colored and 
sandier roads, and the change of the structure and nature of 
the rock causes much less massive and precipitous hills. From 
Mountain Town for about three miles and a half no change was 
noticed in the dip. Semi-metamorphic shales compose the 
great mass of the formation, with only an occasional layer of the 
gneiss. Heavy beds of gneiss recurred again upon nearing 
Hlijay, with a change in the dip to S.E. On account of the 
nature of the road the point at which the anticlinal had been 
crossed could not be identified. On the slopes of the descent 
to Klijay, (the town being in a wide valley,) a light, dove-col- 
ored gneiss was found, containing feldspar crystals identical W ith 
that observed on the road to Hendersonville. A fine specime? 
of kyanite was also picked up at this point. At Hlijay I was 
informed of the marble bed south of the town on Tulona 
Creek, and was shown specimens which were identical with 
that seen at Murphy, N. C. Specimens of psilomelane and 
copper ore were also exhibited. : d 
ortheast of Elijay a heavy mountain mass trends N.E. ane 
. The local name for this is “Blue Ridge,” but it 18 &” 
