WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



109 



Topography. 



The eastern half of the county is a rich limestone area with 

 an average elevation of about 500 feet. Here we find the last 

 traces of the eastern foothills of the AUeghanies in West Vir- 

 ginia, forming low, smooth ridges many of which have been 

 broken into rounded and elliptical elevations by the action of 

 eastward-flowing streams. The western half of the county is 

 rougher, having 2 well-defined mountain ridges and the east- 

 ern face of a third one. Little North Mountain extends through 

 the county in a northeast and southwest direction, entering 

 from Frederick county, Virginia, and terminating near the Po- 

 tomac river. Its elevation is from 1,000 feet to 1,500 feet. An 

 early historian speaks of this mountain as ''remarkable on ac- 

 count of its rising immediately like a wall", and describes the 

 summit as "beautifully undulated in all its parts'*. About 6 

 miles to the east of North mountain is Third hill, and 2 miles 

 farther on is Sleepy Creek mountain the latter forming the 

 natural bounadry line between Berkeley and IMorgan for some 

 15 miles. In a few places on this mountain the line crosses 

 elevations of a little more than 1,800 feet. 



The county is divided from Maryland by the Potomac 

 river. Its longest tributaries in this area are Opequon creek 

 on the east and Back creek flowing just west of Little North 

 mountain. Meadow branch flows between Third hill and Sleepy 

 Creek mountain passing around the northern end of the latter 

 and flowing into Sleepy creek in Morgan county. Mill creek, 

 Middle creek and Tuscarora creek are important branches of 

 the Opequon, and Tilhance creek is the largest tributary of 

 Back creek. 



Original Forest Conditions. 



There is little authority for making a definite statement in 

 regard to the original forests of the county, for original condi- 

 tions in most places have long ago passed away. This is particu- 

 larly the case in the rich agricultural districts where the best of 

 the timber must have grown. On some of the mountain ridges 

 in the west, it is true, there are boundaries of woodland that 



