324 The American Geologist. xovember, i8y2 
Tlte roiDuJiiiy of sandstone grains of the Trias, ushenrimj on the (JiKisions 
of the Bunter. T. M?:llard Reade, F. G. S., (Proc. Liverpool Geol. Soc, 
1891-2). The author arrives at the conclusion, after comparisons of 
Bunter sandstones from various localities, that the roimdness of the 
quartz grains, greater or less at certain localities, and the occurrence of 
pebbly strata, neither one, is any reliable indication of the horizon in 
which they occur. "The Bunter sandstones are a great group in whicii, 
form whatever cause, there has been a large impregnation of ferric 
oxide and other impurities which have in a majority of cases interfered 
with the deposition of secondary silica. 'I'he grains have also been laid 
down in turbulent conditions of current, evincing long travel of an os- 
cillatory or tidal character." The author does not attempt to assign a 
cause either for the "turbulent conditions," or the presence of large 
amounts of ferric oxide. Could not marine volcanoes have produced 
both, cotemporaneously with the accumulation of the sands? Again, in 
case of copious deposition of secondary silica, as in the silica embracing 
the pebbles of the "Pebble beds," which seems to have alternated, geo- 
graphically as well as stratigraphically with the copious formation of 
ferric oxide, could not the same cause have operated to precipitate 
silica from the waters of the Triassic ocean and thus embrace the ac- 
cumulating pebbles or quartz grains? It is a significant fact that these 
two elements, "secondary" silica and ferric oxide, are frecjuently 
associated in this way. 
The Iron Deposits of Arkansas R. A. F. Penrose. Annual report for 
1892 of the Geological Survey of Arkansas, Vol. i, Octavo, pp. loS. 
Little Robk, 1892. 
The report states that prior to 1860 two small bloomaries for iron, one 
in the northeastern and the other in the northwestern portions of the 
state, were in operation, but that since they ceased no iron has been 
mined, nor made in the state. This is owing to the poor qualitj' of the 
ore and to the easy introduction of iron made in other parts of the 
United States, particularly in Missoiiri, since the construction of railroads. 
Iron ore of rather low grade is found in the state distributed from the 
Lower Silurian to the Recent formations, except in the Cretaceous, and 
geographically it is spread over most of the state. The ore at Magnet 
cove is not in suflicient quantity to be of value for iron manufacture. 
Most of these deposits are limonite. There is some spathic ore from 
the Carboniferous shales and Tertiary clays and sands, and limited 
(luantities of magnetic ore. The last occurs in a residual clay derived 
from the decay of crystalline rock in Magnet cove, and is known as Ar- 
kansas lodestone. This is the only ore in the state containing an appre- 
ciable amount of titanium. Generally all the Arkansas ores are non- 
bessemer. 
Tlie ores in the northeastern part of the state are probably in the 
Lower Silurian but their exact stratigraphic position is not Icnown. The 
evidence seems to indicate that they are below the Calciferous. The 
