CLAYS    OF    CAPE    COD,   MASSACHUSETTS.  439 
Blue  clay  is,  however,  reported  in  considerable  amounts  near  Mill  Pond,  and  near  Oyster 
Pond  there  is  said  to  be  so  much  brown  clay  that  wells  are  driven  with  difficulty.  It  is  not 
improbable  that  a  few  feet  of  clay  may  also  show  above  tide  level  at  other  points.  The 
clay  is  not  infrequently  encountered  in  the  wells. 
Harwich  region. — The  clays  in  Harwich  Township  do  not  appear  to  occur  above  sea  level 
in  any  amount,  and  only  one  pit  was  found  in  the  region,  this  being  in  the  valley,  about 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  west  of  South  Harwich.  Inquiry  in  regard  to  wells,  however, 
showed  that  the  clays  are  encountered  in  many  of  the  wells,  and  it  is  said  that  they  can 
be  found  at  depths  of  from  6  to  8  feet  in  some  of  the  hollows.  The  clay  is  said  to  be  blue 
in  color  and  to  be  extra  hard.  A  very  dark  reddish  clayey  sand  was  seen  on  the  road  in 
the  vicinity  of  Pleasant  Lake  station,  but  its  source  could  not  be  located.  Local  beds  of 
clayey  sand  are  encountered  in  the  pits  at  many  of  the  cranberry  bogs  in  this  vicinity, 
but  the  Gardiner  clay  has  apparently  not  been  found. 
Dennis  region. — This  region  is  practically  coextensive  with  Dennis  Township.  It 
includes  the  area  between  Bass  River  on  the  west  and  Harwich  on  the  east,  and  from 
Nantucket  Sound  on  the  south  to  Cape  Cod  Bay  on  the  north:  In  general,  relatively  little 
clay  is  found,  but  in  one  or  two  localities  clay  beds  are  fairly  well  developed.  It  is  reported 
that  in  the  vicinity  of  North  Dennis  yellow  clay,  with  some  erratic  pebbles,  is  encountered 
below  a  few  feet  of  gravel  or  till.  The  clay  is  thin  and  is  underlain  by  a  sand  layer,  below 
which  another  layer  of  blue  clay  is  encountered.  The  wells,  which  are  from  10  to  35  feet 
deep,  are  said  to  seldom  encounter  the  blue  clay.  The  yellow  clay  is  probably  to  be  referred 
to  the  Jacob  sand. 
At  Corporation  Landing,  on  Nobscusset  Point,  a  greenish-gray  clay,  with  pebbles  and 
interstratified  sand,  is  seen  in  thin  layers.  A  little  farther  west  a  greenish-gray  sandy  clay 
with  ferruginous  laminae  comes  up  above  the  beach,  several  feet  being  exposed  for  some 
distance  along  the  beach  to  the  west.  At  the  edge  of  the  marsh,  just  back  of  the  old  wharf, 
a  pit  shows  5  feet  of  gray  and  greenish  clay,  with  pebbles,  presumably  Montauk  drift, 
formed  by  the  reworking  of  the  Gardiner  clay. 
In  the  vicinity  of  West  Brewster,  and  to  the  northeast  and  southwest,  indications  of 
clay  are  seen  in  the  roadside  exposures.  Pebbles  are  generally  present,  and  the  clay  is 
most  likely  a  phase  of  the  till.  A  little  blue  clay  is  said  to  be  found  in  digging  for  sand  at 
the  bogs  near  West  Brewster,  but  it  is  not  encountered  in  the  wells. 
Half  a  mile  southeast  of  South  Dennis,  in  the  bottom  of  a  large  gravel  and  sand  pit,  is 
exposed  a  series  of  alternating  sand  and  clay  layers,  becoming  bluish  at  a  depth  of  a  few 
feet.  The  blue  clay  is  without  pebbles,  and  may  represent  the  Gardiner  clay.  No  clay 
is  encountered  in  the  sand  pits  at  the  cranberry  bogs  in  this  vicinity,  but  blue  clay  is  struck 
in  the  wells,  which  are  20  feet  or  more  in  depth. 
So  far  as  known,  the  only  clay  bed  worked  is  that  in  the  pit  near  South  Dennis.  Probably 
none  of  the  clays  near  West  Brewster  will  yield  material  of  any  value  except  for  local  use 
on  the  roads.  At  Nobscusset  Point  and  vicinity  the  clays  have  been  worked  in  the  past, 
and  may  possibly  be  worked  again  in  the  future,  although  over  most  of  the  area  considerable 
stripping  would  be  necessary. 
Barnstable  region. — The  area  included  under  this  head  is  practically  coextensive  with 
Barnstable  Township.  At  Barnstable  blue  clay  is  reported  at  a  depth  of  10  to  12  feet  in 
the  wells  at  Finney's  store  and  elsewhere.  It  is  said  to  form  the  bottom  of  the  marsh  to 
the  north.  Traces  of  clay  were  seen  slightly  above  marsh  level  at  Calves  Pasture  Point, 
northwest  of  the  village.  The  well  water  in  the  vicinity  of  Barnstable  is  found  on  top  of 
the  clay.  At  Harbor  Bluff,  near  Hyannis,  there  are  5  feet  of  buff  to  brown  laminated 
sandy  clay,  with  pockets  of  sand  and  small  pebbles.  It  is  very  tough,  and  has  been  worked 
a  little  for  local  purposes  at  a  point  where  it  shows  at  the  surface.  It  probably  belongs 
to  the  Montauk  formation.  No  other  clay  is  known  in  the  vicinity.  At  Hyannis  Port 
clay  is  said  to  occur  in  several  of  the  wells,  but  it  does  not  appear  to  reach  the  surface. 
Similar  conditions  exist  at  Craigville,  Centerville,  and  Osterville.  At  Cotuit,  or  Cotuit  Port, 
no  clay  is  known. 
