CLAYS  OF  THE  BIRMINGHAM  DISTRICT, 
ALABAMA. 
By  Charles  Butts. 
INTRODUCTION. 
The  area  here  designated  the  Birmingham  district  covers  about 
1,000  square  miles  lying,  in  the  main,  north  of  Birmingham,  Ala.  In 
it  are  located  a  number  of  brickworks,  utilizing  local  deposits  of  clay 
and  shale.  This  paper  is  based  on  work  done  in  the  field  by  Chester 
W.  Washburne,  William  F.  Prouty,  E.  M.  Dawson,  jr.,  and  the 
writer.  Information  drawn  from  published  reports  has  been  acknowl- 
edged in  the  proper  place. 
CLAY. 
The  clay  is  sedimentary  and  occurs  either  as  a  surficial  deposit  or 
as  the  underclay  of  coal  seams.  So  far  as  known  the  only  important 
superficial  deposit  of  clay  in  this  area  occurs  along  Turkey  and  Cun- 
ningham creeks,  south  and  east  of  Morris.  This  clay  has  been  worked 
to  a  considerable  extent  for  brickmaking  at  De  Soto,  on  the  Moss 
property,  but  the  plant  has  not  been  in  successful  operation  in 
recent  years.  The  clay  here  is  reported  to  be  10  to  12  feet  thick,  and 
shows  the  following  section: 
Section  at  Moss  brickworks,  De  Soto. 
Ft.      In. 
Gray  sandy  loam 1       0 
Sandy  clay .' 3       9 
Layer  full  of  ferruginous  and  sandy  fragments 0       6 
Clay  stained  with  iron  to  bottom 5+  0 
The  entire  thickness  of  the_  deposit  is  used.  The  bricks  made  from 
this  clay  areof  a  good,  red  color  and  are  said  to  be  of  excellent  quality, 
but  to  shrink  a  good  deal  in  drying. 
The  clay  in  this  locality  is  reported  to  occur  in  irregular  patches  of 
unknown  shape  and  extent  as  far  down  Turkey  Creek  as  the  bridge 
south  of  Morris.  Clay  was  noted  along  the  Louisville  and  Nashville 
Railroad,  half  a  mile  east  of  Morris,  and  at  a  point  midway  between 
Fedora  and  Indio.  It  seems  not  unlikely  that  the  clay  deposit  is 
coextensive  with  the  flat  ground  along  Turkey  Creek,  from  Fedora  to 
Indio,  and  along  Cunningham  Creek,  for  2^  miles  above  its  junction 
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