44 II'.. 1. Verwiebe — Berea Formation. 



It can readily be understood that students of geology have 

 devoted mm-h time and thought to the proper etratigraphic 

 relations of such an important member of the Ohio section. 

 A.s early as L838, C. Briggs, Jr., in the first report of the state 



geologist, described it as part of the 'Waverly Sandstone 

 Series' and pointed out its value as a building stone. When 

 after a lapse of thirty years the work of the State survey was 

 again taken up, J. S. Newberry added a good deal of detailed 

 information regarding the character and distribution of the 

 Berea. To him also is due the credit for the name it bears.* 



Careful and valuable work on this formation was also done 

 by Edward Orton. In volume VI of the Ohio geological sur- 

 vey publications, he added many details as to the character and 

 distribution of the Berea. The most important contributiori, 

 however, was furnished by Charles S. Prosser in Bulletin- 15 

 of the State survey reports. This work contains detailed sec- 

 tions showing the thickness and character of the formation 

 from the Rocky River on the west well into Crawford Co., 

 Pa., on the east, across the northern part of Ohio. 



Summarizing briefly the results obtained by these investiga- 

 tors, the Berea formation of Ohio may be described as follows : 

 A sandstone of prevailing buff color, where seen above drain- 

 age, having a rather persistent uniform texture which varies 

 locally from a very fine grain to a medium-coarse grain. 

 Locally also it may be replaced by shales which are generally 

 arenaceous and bluish grey to buff in color. Toward the east 

 these shales become more prominent, so that the formation 

 takes on a tripartite character, the shales occupying the center. 

 The upper part continues into Pennsylvania, where it is called 

 the Corry sandstone (I. C. White) and the middle shales and 

 lower sandstone are called the Cussewago shales and Cussewago 

 sandstone. Whereas the Corry phase of the Berea retains its 

 typical lithology practically across Ohio and well into Penn- 

 sylvania, the Cussewago sandstone phase begins to show a 

 strong tendency to increasing coarseness when followed east- 

 ward, although nowhere in Ohio does it become a true con- 

 glomerate. 



The correlation indicated above has called forth a good deal 

 of discussion among geologists. The first to make an attempt 

 at correlation was perhaps J. S. Newberry,f who seems to 

 have regarded the Shenango sandstone of northwestern Penn- 

 sylvania as the equivalent of the Berea. Curiously enough he 

 also states that it does not exist along Oil Creek as a prominent 

 layer and on this basis deduces the derivation of the sediment 

 for the formation from the northwest. Some confusion was 



*Geol. Surv. Ohio, vol. i, p. 186, 1873. 

 f Geol. Survey of Ohio, vol. ii, p. 90, 1874. 



