304 



THE REGOLITH 



Chemical Analyses of Swamp Deposits, jSToeth CAROLmA 



Constituents 



Silica (insoluble) (SiOa) 

 Silica (soluble) (SiOg) , 

 Alumina (AI2O3) . . < 

 Oxide of iron (^6203) 

 Lime (CaO) .... 

 Magnesia (MgO) . . , 

 Potash (K2O) . . . , 

 Soda (NajO) . . . . , 

 Phosphoric acid (P2O6) , 

 Sulphuric acid (SOg) . , 

 Chlorine (CI) . . . . 

 Organic matter (C) . , 

 Water (H2O) . . . 



ir 



1.52 0/, 

 0.00 

 0.39 

 0.15 

 0.36 

 0.14 

 0.06 

 0.13 

 0.06 

 0.00 

 0.02 

 87.25 

 9.60 



99.68% 



Column I of the above is from the margin — the oak fringe — 

 of this great swamp, near North Eiver, about 8 miles north of 

 Beaufort ; it is light gray to ash-colored with a growth of white 

 oak, gum, maple, pine, and palmetto trees; the situation is low 

 and flat. ''This margin belt of semi-swamp is from a half mile 

 or less in width to above a mile. The surface rises towards the 

 interior and is covered by a soil, if it may be called such, repre- 

 sented by column II, which is 2 to 3 feet deep and upwards, and 

 lies on a bed of white sea-sand. It consists of a loose open mass 

 of half-decayed woody matter, of a brown color, and is in fact 

 a superficial, uncompressed lignite; for it will be observed that 

 the analysis includes nearly 10% of water, so that the dry sub- 

 stance would give but 3|% of inorganic matter, not more than 

 would be accounted for by the ash of the woody matter. The 

 growth is a dense thicket of spindling shrubs with small scat- 

 tered maples and bays."^ 



Wiley has described^ deposits of a somewhat similar nature 

 as covering 1,000,000 acres in the Kissimmee valley of Florida. 

 These, which are of a dark brown to deep black color, contain 

 in some cases as much as 96.16% of organic and volatile matter, 

 and vary from 3 to 20 feet in depth. Such, when properly 



^ Geology of North Carolina, Vol. I, 1875. 



^Agricultural Science, Vol. VII, No. 3, 1893, pp. 106-120. 



