48 GEOLOGY OF OHIO. 
No. 3 of Newberry in the Ohio Valley and in the valley of the Yellow 
Creek, with the Lower Kittanning coal, furnishes an excellent and 
settled base for our sections. We know what is due below it and above. | 
From 40! to 60’ above it, the horizon of the Ferriferous limestone should 
be found, and from 140! to 200’ below it, the Lower Mercer series is 
due. To reach the place of the lowest coal, we should be obliged to 
descend 100! to 150’ below the Lower Mercer limestone. 
As to what is above the Creek Vein, there is no controversy, aside 
from the names to be given to one or two elements. The Freeport 
series extends through the hills in visible and unquestioned continuity. 
The section of the Yellow Creek Valley is so fully described by 
Newberry (Geol. of Ohio, vol. III, p. 93), that little needs to be added 
to his account. It is as follows: ‘“ Coming into the valley of Yellow 
Creek from that of the Ohio, we find it bounded at its mouth by hills, 
rising to the height of 500 to 600 feet, which contain five workable 
seams of coal.” 
“Of the larger seams, the lowest is called the Creek Vein, because it 
lies near the level of Yellow Creek, from Linton up as far as Irondale. 
This is a coking, bituminous coal of moderately good quality, but rather 
soft and containing considerable sulphur. From 18’ to 30’ above this, 
lies what is called the Strip Vein, from the fact that it was formerly 
worked by stripping off the soil and earth which covered its outcrops. 
The seam has an average thickness of 23 feet, and is of great excellence 
wherever it is opened in the valley. The interval between this coal 
and the Creek Vein is mainly occupied by black shale, which contains 
a notable quantity of nodular iron ore; it also contains in places a 
stratum of limestone 3’ to 4’ in thickness. About 50’ or 60’ above the 
Strip Vein at this point occurs another seam, which is here thin, but 
higher up the valley it attains a thickness of from 3/ to 3%’, and is 
known as the Roger Vein. At a variable distance above the Roger 
Vein occurs what is known as the Big Vein, in dimensions, the most 
important seam in the valley. About 60’ above the Big Vein, the in- 
terval being filled with black and gray shale, sandstone, and a bed of 
limestone, occurs a coal seam known here as the Groff Vein, from 4’ to 
5’ in thickness, of very good quality.” 
