38 Seamon — Zinciferous Clays of Southwest Missouri. 



Chemung species which appear on that side, while on the 

 western side of the basin a distinct fauna, the Waverly, suc- 

 ceeds the Hamilton with no trace of the Chemung or " Cu- 

 boides " faunas between. 



This American Carboniferous (which we call u Sub-carbon- 

 iferous "), marine fauna offers as strong contrast with the homo- 

 taxial fauna of Europe as do the respective Middle Devonian 

 faunas of the two regions. 



It seems to me not unreasonable to assume that the opening 

 of some channel to the north or east allowed migrants of the 

 Devonshire " Cuboides " and Upper Devonian faunas to enter 

 the Appalachian basin, but that they did not advance far 

 enough southward to appear west of the Cincinnati axis. 

 While the general rise of temperature with the approach of 

 the Carboniferous conditions caused the northward shifting of 

 the rich " Sub carboniferous " faunas to occupy the Appala- 

 chian basin and, at the same time, the elevation of land to the 

 northeast cut off communications from that direction and pre- 

 vented any marine forms from thriving north of Pennsylvania 

 during the period extending from the cessation of the Che- 

 mung fauna onward. From this stage on, all along the eastern 

 and northern part of the Appalachian basin, there was no pure 

 marine life, the sediments pass from fine red and gray muds to 

 micaceous shales and sandstones and conglomerates, and finally, 

 elevation of the continent into dry land is clearly indicated by 

 the presence of coal deposits from Pennsylvania to Kansas. 



Ithaca, N. Y., Aug., 1889. 



Aet. V. — The Zinciferous Clays of Southwest Missouri and 

 a Theory as to the growth of the Calamine of that section / 

 by W. H. Seamon. 



In connection with the deposits of calamine in Southwest 

 Missouri, there occur quite abundantly certain clays of pecu- 

 liar physical properties and remarkable chemical composition. 

 Their probable commercial value has been up to this time 

 wholly unsuspected and they are thrown into the dump. The 

 Geological Report of Missouri for 1873-74 states that33 - 94 per 

 cent zinc oxide was found in a single specimen of a reddish 

 yellow clay found at the Fraizier diggings, Granby. "With this 

 exception the writer has been unable to learn of any previous 

 examination of these clays and therefore hopes that this article, 

 aside from interesting mineralogists, will lead practical miners 

 and metallurgists to give them a trial as possible ores of zinc. 



