14 



Indiana University Studies 



The first mention of stylolites in America was made by 

 Eaton (1824, p. 134), wlio, considering the structures to be 

 of organic origin, named them ''lignilites". Vanuxem (1838, 

 p. 271), ascribing to stylolites an origin due to the crystal- 

 lization of Epsom salts, gave them the name ''epsomites". 

 The terms given by Eaton and Vanuxem were used for some 

 time. Hunt (1863, p. 632), accepting the explanation given 

 by Vanuxem, used the term ''crystallites". Stylolite-seams 

 are popularly spoken of by quarrymen of the Indiana lime- 

 stone districts as "crow-feet" or "toe-nails" (Hopkins, 1897, 

 p. 142; Hopkins and Siebenthal, 1897, p. 305). 



The above-mentioned terms are not used by scientists of 

 today because they imply an origin which has not been con- 

 firmed. The term "stylolite" was given by Kloden (1828, 

 p. 28) who thought the structure to be a distinct species of 

 organism under the name of "Stylolithes sulcatus" (from the 

 Greek arv?.og, meaning "column"). Kloden's term is now 

 generally accepted because it suggests a meaning descriptive 

 of the phenomenon. 



The two German terms "Drucksuturen" (pressure- 

 sutures) and "Stylolithen" are used by some scientists as re- 

 ferring to analogous structures, and by others as referring 

 to different, but similar, phenomena. A detailed discussion 

 of this is taken up in the following chapter. 



