292 E. A. Smith— Geology of Florida. 
Art. XXXVI.—On the Geology of Florida ;. by EUGENE A. 
Smit, of the University of Alabama. With a Map. 
DURING an excursion into Florida, made last summer for the 
purpose of collecting data for the Cotton Culture Report of the 
Tenth Census, I made incidentally some notes on the geologi- 
eal formations of that State, which, with the kind consent of 
the Superintendent, are now made public. 
The literature of this subject is extremely meagre, and I 
propose first to give a concise account of the published observ- 
ations of my predecessors in this field, so far as I have been 
able to consult them. 
limestone, which elicit sparks, and are sometimes used by the 
Indians for flints.” ...... “The coast, as far as Cape Florida, 
and abraded. From Cape Florida, the formation is mostly 
coralline, the Keys being of that character.” ......- “ As high 
as Indian River Inlet, the beach is still formed of shells, .. -- - 
mingled with some sand; while about Cape Canaveral the 
sand predominates, until shelly fragments almost disappear to 
the naked eye. Still it seems probable that the whole beach 
The author then describes the “coquina” rock quarries of 
St. Augustine, adding some conjectures as to the mode of 
operating to produce it. This conjecture, while apparently 
plausible, wants, in his opinion, the support of deeper invest 
gation into the character and force of these causes. 
He speaks of the shell formations of the Upper St. Johns, 
which are made up chiefly of a species of Helix—the soil ‘at 
Volusia and Fort Mellon consists half of shells, generally per 
fect in shape but occasionally slightly broken or abraded. 
“On Black Creek, west of the St. Johns, a porous, rotten 
limestone appears, and this is said to be characteristic of the 
rock formations throughout the western part of the peninsula. 
Hence the many ‘surth-holes’...... which appear in these 
