206 
GEOLOGY OF NORTH- CAROLINA, 
Sulphuric Acid,.. ... 
2.82 
0.48 
0.12- 
trace 
0.28' 
0.52' 
Garb. Acid, 
10.23 
14.00 
11.20 
12.2b 
33.61 
16.9b 
Org. Mat. and W ater, . 
9.37 
1 6b 
4.00 ! 
2.50 
5.3b 
4.3b 
Along the northern border of the State, on the waters- of the Meher- 
riu, the occurrence of shell marl is very common-, especially about Mur- 
freesboro. It is found in the town in a ravine a few hundred yards south 
of the principal street, on the farm- of Mr. Southall, 200 or 300 yards 
from the river. This marl is represented by No. 61. It very much re- 
sembles the beds of Halifax, on Quanky. It crops out in the river bank,, 
at the landing near the town, extending 12 feet aboYe water,, and forms- 
the bed of the river for seveial miles down, as at Beeman’s Fishery. The 
similarity to the Quanky beds appears also in the abundance of whole 
vertebrae, which are said to be so numerous as to form a serious ©bstacle- 
to the movements of the seine. On Kirby’s Creek, 3 miles from Meher- 
rin, at Watson’s Mill, is a vertical cliff more than 30 feet high, the larger 
part of which is composed of mark The following section will show the 
mode of occurrence of the-c deposits in- this section. 
1. Brown earth,. . 
2. Sandy stratified clay, -.. ... . 
3. “ w w full of small shell prints, 
4. Bluish marl with small shells, 
5. “ sandy clay, with shell fragments, 
6. Blue marl with large shells, 
7. Water level. 
3 feet 
3 “ 
5 
6 «■ 
10 “ 
The lower stratum is represented bv No. 62. The same bed appears- i-r? 
the cliff overlooking the mill pond, and again under the dam below the 
mill, two miles lower down the creek, at the road crossing (Vaughan’s- 
Mill). 'Whale bones are also abundant here. No. 63 is from this point. 
It will be observed that the marls of this neighborhood are of a very uni- 
form composition, and of middling quality. No. 64 is from the bank of 
the river at the Branch place on the state line, 2£ miles from the Branch 
ville Depot. The appearance is the same as at Murfreesboro, and the ex- 
tent of the outcrop, several miles up and down the river. No. 65 is from 
a mussel bed at Wm. Harrell’s near Harrellsville, in the southern part of 
Hertford county. It is doubtless of Indian origin, and evidently an un- 
commonly good fertilizer. No. 66 was sent to the Museum by H. A, 
Gilliam, from the Chowan river above Edenton. 
