eckei,.] CLAYS OF TENNESSEE AND MISSISSIPPI. 385 
The Hancock pits are located three-fourths of a mile southwest of 
town, reaching for several hundred yards along both sides of the Illi- 
nois Central tracks. The clay begins to ontcrop about 200 feet south 
of the Fayette-Hardeman county line, and the deposits therefore lie 
in Fayette County. These pits are worked occasionally to supply 
the local pottery noted above, but were idle at the time of visit. The 
iclay is said to be the best obtainable near Grand Junction. The sec- 
tion shows orange-red sands above, belonging to the Lafayette for- 
mation. The lower 6 inches to 4 feet of these sands have been 
cemented into a conglomerate hy infiltrating waters carrying iron. 
Below the sands is exposed 20 feet or more of clay, which is light gray 
on a fresh surface, but weathers, on exposure, to a chalky white. 
The clay contains no apparent partings of sand. At this point the 
top of the clay beds is jnst at the level of the railroad tracks. 
The extensive pits of the Irwin Clay and Sand Company are located 
1^ miles east of the station, along the south side of the Southern Rail- 
way tracks. These pits were opened in April, 1901. Little has been 
done with the clay, but extensive shipments of sand have been made. 
The pits are about 60 feet below the track level, the material being 
brought up on an inclined tramway. Several small pits, filled with 
water at the time of visit, had been sunk below the level of the main 
excavation. The complete section from the top of the bank down, 
including the section reported as appearing in these small pits, is as 
follows : 
Section of Irwin clay bank, Grand Junction, Tenn. 
Red sand 40 feet (to top of bank) . 
White sand, evenly stratified 8 feet. 
White clay 8 feet. 
Gray, lignitic, clay 8 inches to 10 inches. 
White clay 20 inches. 
White sand 1 foot (to bottom of deepest pit) . 
The clay deposits, as seen at this extensive series of exposures, are 
very irregular, and apparently occur as overlapping lenses in the 
white and yellow sands. The overlying red sands of the Lafayette 
formation would seem to have been deposited after extensive erosion 
had taken place in the clay and white sand series. 
Three-fourths of a mile west of Grand Junction station are located 
the clay pits of Mr. J. H. Prewitt, at a point about 200 yards north of 
the Southern Railway tracks. The clay is said to be of good quality, 
though carrying somewhat more iron than does that from the Hancock 
pits. The excavations are small, only about 10 feet or so of clay 
being shown. The clay is overlain immediately by a dull brown 
loam (Columbia formation), the red sands of the Lafayette being 
absent. 
The Stinson pits are small openings located on the south side of the 
Southern Railway tracks, about one-half mile west of Grand Junction 
Bull. 213—03 25 
