284 The Mesozoic Sandstone of the Atlantic Slope. [ May, 
THE MESOZOIC SANDSTONE OF THE ATLANTIC 
SLOPE. 
BY PERSIFOR FRAZER, JR. 
HREE pamphlets lie on our table and constitute very im- 
portant additions to the knowledge of the most puzzling of 
all geological formations, viz: that portion of the series lying 
between the Carboniferous and Cretaceous in this country. They 
are entitled as follows: “The Mesozoic Formation in Virginia, 
by Oswald J. Heinrich, Mining Engineer,’? “ Notes on the Mes- 
ozoic of Virginia, by Wm. M. Fontaine,” and “The Physical 
History of the Triassic Formation of New Jersey and the Con- 
necticut valley, by Israel C. Russell.’’* 
Without disparaging the merits of the other two, it must be 
said that the paper of Mr. Heinrich embraces more exact and 
positive knowledge of lasting value than either of the others. 
To complete the set, there should be added to the three just men- 
tioned, a pamphlet of a few pages, by Persifor Frazer, Jr., on 
“ The Position of the American New Red Sandstone” (read at 
the New York meeting of the A. I. M. E; Feb., 1877). In this 
paper there is a column of strata represented in a section across the 
Mesozoic belt from York to Dillsburg which will be of interest 
to those who have carefully.read Mr. Heinrich’s pages. 
These contributions, taken together, are so valuable that a 
brief sketch of their separate contents will be of interest. 
Frazer's Paper—To take them in the order of their date, 
Frazer speculates upon the probable relationships of the various 
strata represented in his broad section with those of the European 
column, rather leaning to the belief that the rocks of Mesozoic 
age in Southern Pennsylvania, correspond with those which fill 
in the space occupied by the upper half of the lower Permian 
and the superior beds at least to the base of the Lias (z. e., in- 
cluding the Rhætic beds). He says: “ By this hypothesis the 
‘New Red’ of York and Adams counties would reach from 
the middle portion of the lower half of the Dyas or Permian 
at least to the base of the Lias, including all the rocks at- 
tributed to the Trias and the beds below it, except the lower 
1 Read at the Phila. Meeting of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, 
Feb., 1878. 
-~ 2 American Journal of Science and Arts, Jan., 1879. 
3 From the Annals of the New York Academy a Sciences. 1878. 
