188 THE CLAYS OF ARKANSAS. 
Sectional Womack's clay pit, Benton. 
Feet. 
Soil, sandy and gravelly 2 
Gravel and coarse sand, highly ferruginous C 
Conglomerate; sand and fine gravel cemented with iron oxide h 
Blue or lead-colored joint clay, with scattered nodules of iron 
pyrites 30£ 
39 
The clay found in this pit occurs in the bottom of a dozen or more 
wells in the village of Benton. A well digger who had put down 
nearly all these wells exhibited a mass of clay from the bottom of 
one well (which stratum he said was reached in all wells attaining a 
depth of 40 feet or more) containing marine shells (Turritella cari- 
nata) of Eocene (Tertiary) age. 
In certain portions of the pit, near its middle line, occasional 
nodules of iron pyrites occur. Mica scales abound in the cleavage 
planes and rarely crystals of selenite are seen. 
The clay from Womack's pit is too stiff to be worked in ordinary 
pugs, and must be crushed by special machinery. A sample brought 
to the office of the Arkansas Geological Survey by Mr. Womr.ck was 
somewhat streaked with iron, some of which seems to have infil- 
trated along the rootlets of plants. 
This clay taken alone is not a distinctively good potter's clay, and 
ware made from it is not equal to that made from the clays of any 
other Benton pit. It gives a heavy body and cool cracks when salt 
glaze is employed. It is mixed with clay from Hicks's pit in the pro- 
portion of equal parts of each, and in this way makes a very fair 
gray pottery. It is highly probable that with some experimenting 
a method could be hit upon that would make it possible to utilize 
this fine bed of clay to better advantage. If no better use be found, 
it might be available for making vitrified bricks. 
OTHER CLAYS NEAR BENTON. 
In the southeast corner of the SW. \ NW. i sec. 13, T. 2 S., 
R. 15 W., near Mrs. Butler's house, a well 65 feet deep passes through 
a bed of dark potter's clay 30 feet thick. 
Section of well near Mrs. Butler's. 
Feet. 
Red clay 4 
Sand 24 
Potter's clay 30 
Waterworn gravel 7 
65 
In the NW. \ SW. \ sec. 13 a well 800 feet south of Mrs. Butler's, 
just west of the road, is 20 feet deep but does not penetrate the pot- 
ter's clay bed. The mouth of this well is about 15 feet above the 
mouth of Mrs. Butler's well. 
