

20. WHEATFIELD TOWK8HIP. F\ 391 



The most remarkable feature characterizing the Hamilton 

 upper shale in Wheat field township is the presence of a 

 band of iron ore which does not occur in Centre. The shale 

 which carries but a small proportion of iron in most places 

 here becomes heavily charged with it and yields in some 

 spots an ore bed as much as two feet thick. This ore bed 

 and the inter-bedded and containing shales afford many of 

 the fossils found at the typical exposure near New Bloom- 

 field. The bed at the openings yields a brittle fossiliferous 

 ore. characterized by a tendency to break with a square 

 fracture. It is of good quality for its kind, and was mined 

 for the use of the furnace at Duncannon until about 1872, 

 when that furnace was blown out for a time. Since then 

 nothing has been done and the openings have fallen in. The 

 traces of these workings may yet be seen on the land of 

 Messrs. C. Rathvon, C. Dochterman, L. Lickel, and C. 

 Heishley. 



Specimens from this bed on the land of Mr. Lickel were 

 analysed by Mr. J. M. Stinson at the laboratory in Harris- 

 burg with the following result :* 



Metallic iron, 33.10 



Alumina, 7.98 



Lime, 30 



Magnesia, 80 



Phosphorus, 2.50 



The Genessee and the Portage shale, VIII. 



The Portage shale is well exposed at the mouth of Losh's 

 run by the roadside. Here its characteristic fossils may be 

 obtained. 



It also crops out in the roadside about a mile and a half 

 to the southwest on the bank of the south branch of the 

 run. Elsewhere I have not noticed it. 



The Chemung group, VIII. 



These rocks occupy a broad belt across the middle of the 

 township. They exhibit the usual rounded hilly surface, 

 cut in all directions regardless of the strike by little water 



* For full report of analyses see Report M 3 , p. 35. 



