oi E. H. Williams, Jr. — Age of the 



less careful examination of the asphalt used, from whatsoever 

 source it may be obtained ; but in addition an equally careful 

 exercise of judgment regarding the softening material used, 

 the chemical effects of refining and blowing, with careless 

 management of either, and the composition and mechanical 

 structure of the surface pavement. 



It is far from complimentary to this age of scientific achieve- 

 ment that the ancient world should have furnished construc- 

 tions of asphalt that have survived to the present, centuries 

 after their builders are forgotten, while with all our* super- 

 fluities of refining and blowing, with penetrating machines 

 and chemical analysis, of which they knew nothing, we are 

 only able to prepare constructions that endure but a few 

 months or even years, at longest. 



I am aware that this paper is inconclusive, but from the 

 nature and present status of the problem it must be so. I 

 think, however, it is, as it was intended to be, suggestive. 

 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich., Aug. 16, 1893. 



Art. III. — The age of the extra-moraine fringe in Eastern 

 Pennsylvania ; by Edward H. Williams, Jr. 



At the Madison meeting of the Geological Society, the 

 writer called attention to the existence of this deposit, and 

 claimed that it was a true " fringe " and of recent origin. Sub- 

 sequent study has afforded the material for this paper, which 

 will attempt to prove that, as far as Eastern Pennsylvania is 

 concerned, the extra-moraine fringe is of extremely recent 

 origin and, as it antedates the formation of the great moraine, 

 all glacial deposits in this region are of extreme recency. 



A section of the formation near Bethlehem will be taken 

 as typical of the average for the region at the same level. It 

 shows a surface clay, unstratified and carrying rolled stones 

 from the Blue Ridge and beyond (Oneida, Medina, Oriskany, 

 Helderberg, Marcellus, Hamilton, etc.), and covering a till 

 that varies widely in its nature ; but is mainly of local stuff 

 of angular shape mixed with a greater or less proportion of 

 rolled material similar to that in the clay and, locally, with 

 angular masses of the same. This latter rests uniformly on 

 glaciated rock in place. This section may vary by the omis- 

 sion of the till, or by the introduction of local stratified de- 

 posits of sand and clay. In every instance noted, and in 

 thousands of instances, the pre-glacial surface soil has been 

 removed, and the subsequent deposit rests unconformably on 



