LIBRARY LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. OP" C/^ss - GEOLOGICAL SURVEY —OF — ALABAMA. EUGENE ALLEN SMITH, PH. D., STATE GEOLOGIST. REPORT ON THE GEOLOGICAL STRICTURE OF MURPBREE'S YALLE' AND ITS MINERALS AND OTHER MATERIALS OF ECONOMIC VALUE. BY ^_ 3VE. G- X IB S O 3ST , ASSISTANT GEOLOGIST. MONTGOMERY. AL \ : PRIXTIXG Co. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY — OF — ALABAMA. EUGENE ALLEN SMITH, PH. D., STATE GEOLOGIST. REPORT ON THE GEOLOGICAL STRUCTIRE OF MPIIREE'S VALLEY, — AND — ITS MINERALS AND OTHER MATERIALS OF ECONOMIC VALUE, BY . IM:. a- 1 IB s o nsr , ASSISTANT GEOLOGIST. or THE UNIVERSITY or iUFOfOjix- MONTGOMERY, ALV EXCELSIOR PRINTING Co.. PRINTERS. 1893. CvES! m EARTH SCIENCES LIBRARY To His Excellency, Thomas G. Jones, Governor of Alabama: SIR — I have the honor to submit herewith the Report of A. M. Gibson, Assistant Geologist, upon Murphree's Valley. From the preface it will be seen that this report was in great part written several years ago. The delay in the publication has come from several causes, chief among which was the lack of a suitable map to illustrate it. The general geological map of the state being at the time of the writing of this report in course of construction, it was thought better to use that in illustration than to duplicate a part of it for this special purpose. Every one who has had experience in such matters will readily understand how the completion of such a map as that of the state of Alabama has taken far more time than was anticipated at the outset. The present report deals with the geological formations of the valley alone ; other reports of Mr. Gibson have been pub- lished, treating of special area^ of the Coal Measures adjacent to this valley, and one is now in course of preparation de- scribing in detail the Coal Measures of Blount Mountain lying to the east of Murphree's Valley. Very respectfully, EUGENE A. SMITH, State Geologist. University of Alabama, Dec. 27, 1892. 1 .1 0852 TABLE OF CONTENTS. PREFACE '. 5 Location and Area of the Valley ... 7 Drainage *s Topography 10 Sand Valley 12 The Central Valley 12 The Eastern Valley 13 Straight Mountain 13 Red Mountain 11 Sand Mountain 15 Geological Formations 17 Carboniferous 17 Coal Measures «. 17 ^Sub-Carboniferous 20 a. Mountain or Bangor Limestone 20 b. Oxmoor or Lag range Sandstone 22 c. Fort Payne Chert, Siliceous Group 23 Devonian 2-1 Black Shale 24 Silurian 25 1. Clinton or Red Mountain 25 2. Trenton and Chazv, Pelham Limestone 25 3. Knox Dolomite 25 Cambrian 26 Sparry Limestone or Coosu Shale 2C Structure -. 28 The Great Anticlinal Fold 28 Transverse Folds 34 Other Peculiarities of Structure 36 Absence of Certain Formations on S. E. side of Valley 36 Comparison of ends of the Valley with Central parts. 37 Horse-shoe curve of upper end of Valley 38 End of the Fold 38 Economic Geologv 39 Hematites of the Red Mountain or Clinton Formation 39 Details of Occurrence of Red Ores .... 41 On Northwestern side of Valley 41 On Southeastern side 69 Estimates 87 Brown Iron Ores — Limonites 89 The First or Lowest Limonite Horizon . . .90 The Second Limonite Horizon 91 The Third Limonite Horizon 92 The Fourth Limonite Horizon 92 The Fifth Limonite Horizon 92 The Sixth Limonite Horizon 93 Details 94 Champion Mines 95 Estimates of the Quantity of Limonite in Murphree's Valley 108 Manganese Ores 110 Geological Position 112 Details of Occurrence 112 Industrial Materials 120 Brick Clay 120 Halloysite or Pholernite 121 Hone Stone 122 Building Stone . . .122 Fire-Proof Rock 124 Conclusion . . . .126 PREFACE. In the following Report that part of the great Jones Valley, or Birmingham fold, lying in tiie counties of Blount and Etowah, is specially presented. The geological reconnoisance on which it is based was made several years ago, when the mineral contents of the region were wholly undeveloped. Average, or fairly repre- sentative samples of all the ore beds, or in most of the mineral area, could not then be obtained. To avoid the ap- pearance of giving undue prominence to certain places, and too little to others, of favoritism or partiality, it was deemed fairer to all sections and parties to make no analyses of special samples, but to subject all alike to the same judg- ment of quality, and approximate per centage of metal. Since the text was written iron ore mines, and limestone quarries have been extensively worked near Village Springs, the Compton Mines; and brown ore, near the middle of the valley, the Champion Mines; building rock quarried near Oneonta, and red ore mined at DuBois Station ; in each of these places the estimate of quantity and quality of the ore, as given in this report, has been fully realized, and more than realized in the quality of the limestone and building rock. It is, therefore, with increased confidence in its general correctness that this brief sketch is submitted to the public. Chepultepec, Ala., June, 1890. or THE ( l/NIYERS/Ty ) or MURPHREE'S VALLEY. LOCATION AND AREA. This valley is the north-eastern prolongation of Jones' Valley. It bears the name Murphree's Valley (from its earliest white settlers) through Blount county, and up to where the Locust Fork of the Warrior crosses it, in Etowah county. From the Warrior to its upper end it is called Bris- tow's Cove. The term "cove," however, is not properly ap- plied here. It is not a cove, such as is usually designated by that name, but a portion, the upper end, about twelve miles in length, of this long, narrow valley. It presents through- out its whole length the same geological and topographical features, and must, therefore, be considered accordingly, without reference to local names or subdivisions. The entire length of this fork of Jones Valley from the county line between Blount and Jeiferson, at Village Springs, to its upper end, is about 32 miles, on a direct line, its usual breadth is from three to five miles. Its narrowest por- tion is near its junction with Jones Valley; thence north- eastwardly it gradually widens, and in ten or twelve miles it has reached its maximum width, which it generally preserves till its abrupt termination in the Raccoon Mountain. Its trend or course is nearly, but not quite, identical with the axis of Jones' Valley. The latter bifurcates* at the south- . Gibson uses the name Jones' Valley to designate the entire valley area separating the Cahaba and Warrior Coal Fields below Village Springs. This area, however, is in its structure a double anticlinal fold with synclinal ridge between them. Both the folds have been overlapped towards the northwest, and each has a fault close to its western border and approxi- mately parallel thereto. Erosion has formed a valley out of each of the Q 8 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. western end of Raccoon or Blount Mountain, as it is here called ; one branch deflecting eastward joins the Cahaba Valley, the other a little westward of the course of its former axis, makes Murphree's Valley. Just as a stream divides around an island, has the axis of Jones Valley here divided and deflected to the right and left around the point of the mountain. The trend of the axis of che Murphree's Valley fold for a few miles above the bifurcation is N. N. E. From the Black- burn Fork of the Little Warrior to the Calvert Fork, it is due N. E. From the Calvert Fork to the upper end it gradu- ally becomes more and more E. N. E , deviating, however, in its whole length only two miles from a due N. E. and S. W. line. DRAINAGE. To an observer it seems a singular fact that all the prin- cipal streams of this valley flow across it ; that they flow out of the valley and on to the mountain, as the COAL MEASURES are generally called. This fact is easily explained. This valley is emphatically a valley of elevation. And though it has been scooped out by water, and denuded down to the anticlinals — Jones' Valley on the east, Opossum Valley on the west, — while the synclinal between them, in the vicinity of Birmingham, appears in the Chert ridge of the North Highlands. Murphree's Valley is, therefore, the extension northeastward of the westernmost of the two sub-valleys named, i. e., Opossum Valley, while Jones' Valley proper passes towards the north- east into the Great Coosa Valley about Springville. From the latitude of Village Springs, northeastward the synclinal separ- ating these two folds, is considerably wider than is the case near Birming- ham, and includes strata as high up in the geological series, as the Coal Measures. As far south as this synclinal has Coal Measures for its surface rocks, it is known as the Blount Mountain, ending near Village Springs. Below this, towards the southwest where the surface rocks are chiefly the cherts of the Knox Dolomite, with occasional traces of overlying strata up to Clinton, the synclinal so far as I know has no distinctive name beyond the general one of Flint Ridge, till in the vicinity of Birmingham, it has recently been called the North Highlands. See map section in appendix to Squire's Report on Cahaba Co?l Field. E. A. S. MURPHREE'S VALLEY; DRAINAGE. 9 lower Silurian and Cambrian formations, yet its floor is from to two hundred feet higher than the synclinal trough in the COAL MEASURES, near its N. W. side, in which the War- rior rivers flow. Another fact must also be noticed in this connection. This valley has no synclinal depression belong- • iKj to its fold on the S. E. side. That side is much higher than the floor of the valley, and slopes toward it ; hence the streams which rise on that side run into, and across the val- ley, and out through its north-western rrm into the low lying synclinal trough, between this and the Sequatchie fold. A profile view would present this as a great valley scooped out along the side of a long north-west slope ; one of nature's immense, but now disused, hillside ditches, which once per- haps answered the purpose of drainage, but now offers no impediment to the streams flowing across it from the Raccoon Mountain. The breadth of this slope is from 15 to 20 miles. Its highest part is the eastern top of the Blount Mountain, or western rim of the great Cahaba and Coosa folds. The average declination throughout this distance is about 25 feet to the mile. The fall of streams beiore they reach the valley, and after they leave it, is very great, affording many fine mill-seats and ample water power for industrial machinery. The only exception to the course of the drainage across the valley is in that part lying north-east of the Locust Fork of the Warrior, known as Bristow's Cove, in which the streams rising in the valley flow down it about 10 or 12 miles to the Warrior River. In this upper part of the valley, and in the long mountain north-east of it, extending along the north- western side of Wills' Valley, the slope uf the country seems to be to the south-west, as the streams all flow in that direc- tion, along the margin of Wills' Valley, thence gradually changing into a north-western course to the Tennessee river. 10 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. TOPOGRAPHY. The topographic features of Murphree's Valley are in large measure determined by the quality and altitude of the strata out of which the valley has been excavated. It may, there- fore, be well to introduce here a table showing the order of succession of the geological formations concerned in the structure of this part of the state, together with the thickness of the several divisions, and the lithological characters of the principal strata of each. Under appropriate heads below will follow further details concerning these formations. MURPHREE S VALLEY ; TOPOGRAPHY. 11 H H iJ 0) • • ^ C J5j ^*, l-H c rz^ JH D. T > "fl? C/ o pfi > « .§ c. s- « « 55 • » * 1 I 2 §0^ t« x O3 X < | h CJ x^^A— , X. 1 ** S c 0 c , r: CQ c C/5 tfj li ; I < !c o s J TIIICKNE o3 J5 d o tij ^ jp ^ O 3 O O O — « ~ ed V •^ ^z U C -J: U 12 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABA3IA. The topographical features of this valley differ slightly,, though not essentially, from those of Jones' Valley. The longitudinal ridges are more distinctly marked, and more persistent. The Red Mountain occupies a more central posi- tion, being near the middle of the valley, and the Carbonif- erous or Mountain Limestone is much more extensively ex- posed on the north-west side. The structure of the fold is different, but the formations exposed are precisely the same. The prominent Igngitudinal ridges divide this valley into several sub-valleys. These are called by different names respectively, and present different features. No two of them can be distinctly seen at once from any standpoint. It is therefore necessary to examine them all consecutively to get a clear knowledge of Murphree's Valley. Rand Valley. — The first of these sub valleys on the north- west side is called Sand Valley. It has the coal measures of the Warrior Coal Field for its north-western margin. Be- low the coal measures, at the base of Sand Mountain, as it is called, the carboniferous or mountain limestone is largely exposed. But the most prominent rock in it is the Oxmoor or Lagrange Sandstone, the disintegration of which has given it a sandy soil, and large accumulations of sand; hence the name, "Sand Valley." The Red Mountain, with its base covered with sub-carboniferous cherts, makes its south-east margin-. This valley is often narrow, but where it is traversed, or crossed by a stream, it contains good bodies of land. Towards the upper and lower ends of this valley it has its most con- tinuous wide belts of arable soil, and many good farms. The, Central Valley. — The Red Mountain, the most promi- nent and persistent ridge of this valley, separates the Sand! Valley from the central or middle sub-valley. It is locally known as "Red Mountain Valley." It is of varying width,, but is generally the broadest and most important of the sub- valleys. On* the side next to Red Mountain it has a rich, dark red soil mainly derived from the iron ore and limestone MURPHREE'S VALLEY; TOPOGRAPHY. 13 of the mountain, the debris of the Clinton and Trenton rocks. The other side is mainly the detritus of the Lower Silurian Cherts. The Eastern Valley. — Broad massive ridges mostly of Lower Silurian Cherts, partly of Cambrian Limestone, sepa- rate the Red Mountain Valley from the next valley on the south east, as far up as they are separated. This dividing ridge is very prominent from Village Springs to the Cham- pion Mines, a distance of fifteenTniles. Farther up the val- ley it becomes more knobby and less prominent, and entirely disappears a little above the south-western line of Etowah county. Above this, for ten rriles or more, both of the sub- valleys south-east of Red Mountain are merged into one. Near the upper end of the valley, however, the division be- tween the two sub-valleys is again established by a ridge of lower Silicious (Fort Payne) Chert, which gradually rises up a little beyond Aurora P. O., and increases in height as it curves round the upper end of the Red Mountain Valley and joins there with the curved end of Red Mountain. The sub-valley lying on the south-east side of Murphree's Valley has no distinctive name. It might be called the Limestone valley, or the Cambrian valley, as all the exposures of the Cambrian limestone of this region are in it, and for fifteen miles above Village Springs this valley has been mainly scooped out of, and is floored with that rock ; but neither of these names would properly designate its upper part. It will be properly referred to as the eastern or south- eastern sub-valley. It has generally a good soil, and con- tains many good farms. The south-eastern side of it is gen- erally very broken, with ridges and knobs of Clinton and Sub-Carboniferous strata. These are very irregular in out- line, and as their strata dip at high angles, they are generally steep. Straight Mountain. — Immediately adjoining these ridges #nd knobs on the south-east side is a high ridge of Car- / boniferous rocks, all nearly to quite vertical, and 300 to 400 14 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. • feet high above the floor of the valley, and from 100 to 200 feet above the general level of the Coal Measures beyond. This ridge is very narrow, the breadth of its base at the level of the valley being only 600 to 700 feet. The sides very steep, yet smooth ; the top sharp backed, scarcely a rod in breadth, yet of almost uniform height. Denudation has had but little effect on it. No wind gaps, or gullies, or areas of abrasion are seen. Its symmetry is unbroken, save where the streams rising in the fountain beyond have cut their way through it into the valley below. The channels of drainage here have evidently not been changed since they were first established. The height and volume of this vertical ridge, or wall, are nearly uniform for long distances, and it seems to be exactly parallel with the axis of tT:e valley. This remarkable topo- graphical structure is the south-eastern edge, or rim of Mur- phree's Valley, and bears the local name of Straight Mountain. The vertical portion of this *iiarginal rim gradually dimin- ishes in prominence toward the ends of the valley. Its greatest elevation and volume being opposite that part in which the Cambrian limestone is exposed ; that is irom a little below Remlap, for fifteen miles north-east to a little above the Champion Mines. Near the upper end of the valley the vertical rocks are not seen ; apparently they have passed beneath the surface, and the rim or edge of the valley is the face of the Coal Measures, dipping for a short distance to the south-east, at an angle of about 60°, Red Mountain. — This most important topographic as well as economic feature of the valley lies generally to the west of the central line of the valley, but near its head the Red Mountain is about equi-distant from the two margins of the valley. It is made up usually of three formations — the Clinton, the Black Shale and the lower member of the Sub- Carboniferous. In many places a fourth underlying forma- tion, the Trenton, is found along the inner or valley side of the Red Mountain, extending in some cases almost or quite MURPHREE'S VALLEY; TOPOGRAPHY. 15 to its summit. In this case the other formations named ex- tend along the outer or western slope of the mountain. On account of the red iron ores which it contains, the Red Moun- tain will be described in detail below, and further mention here is unnecessary. Sand Mountain. — The north-west side of the valley also has an elevated rim called "Sand Mountain." Often the whole of the Coal Measures lying west and north-west of this valley are also called Sand Mountain, but the only portion of this region that is much elevated, and presents a moun- tainous character, is the elevated rim of the valley, which, when seen from a distance, is always especially called the "Sand Mountain/' This elevated rim extends the whole length of the valley, and is usually 300 to 400 feet high above the floor of the valley. Its strata are the lower portions of the Carboniferous, consisting of lower Coal Measures in its upper part, and the upper pftrt of the Sub-Carboniferous or mountain limestone at the b&se. The dip of the strata hers varies but little from 15° to the. north-west. While this rim has about the same elevation as the one on the south-east side, it presents very different features. On the side next the valley it is irregular in its slope, rough and rocky, with many slides and benches, deeply gullied and indented, showing throughout the wear and te^r of erosion. The top is not uniform in outline or elevation. The trend only approximates the direction of the axis of the valley ; this however is largely due to its great but unequal erosion on both sides. On its top, and beyond, it shows much evi- dence of denudation, large areas of bare rock, often lower conglomerate are exposed. Its slope north-west for two to three miles to the synclinal trough in which the Warrior river flows is gentle, and gradually diminishing. It has been suggested as probable that the courses of the streams, and the direction of the drainage here, have been changed by the uplifting fold of the valley. In support of this view it is urged that the rising fold across the course of the streams must necessarily have deflected them into new 16 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. channels, if not into new directions. B"ut admitting that the direction of drainage has not been materially changed, it is urged that the deep canon-like gorges, in which the streams flow through the Sand Mountain, are apparently of more recent origin than their channels on the other side of the valley. The evidence of the apparently greater age of the stream channels on the south-east side of the valley consists in their greater general breadth, and in the considerable amount of bottom lands that exists along them ; while on the north-western side no bottom land exists along their narrow channels from the edg3 of the valley till they reach the synclinal. These facts are apparent, and would usually be persuasive, if not conclusive of the subject. But here, with the changes of levels produced by the rising fold, they may have originated from other causes than difference in age. It has already been stated that this Sand Mountain rim has been greatly denuded. Before its elevation, the channels of the present streams (if then existing) must have been several hundred feet above their present beds! With the rising rim the an- cient flood plains would be washed away, and the streams would cut down their channels deeper and deeper, as eleva- tion progressed. Hence, on the theory that the drainage here was established before the fold began to rise, it does not necessarily follow, from the observed facts, that the course ol the streams was thereby materially changed. But it might also be assumed that the rising of this fold, and the rising of this region above the waters, and the establishment of its drainage were all synchronous events, and that they pro- ceeded and progressed pari passu. Upon this hypothesis the deep narrow gorges cut by the streams through Sand Mountain, would be accounted for by the greater depth they had to be excavated. While above and below, the streams were widening their flood plains ; here their whole force was expended in cutting down their beds. Without endorsing either hypothesis, it is sufficient for the present purpose to present the facts as stated. Other topographical features being closely connected with TUURPHREE'S VALLEY; GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS. 17 the geological structure, will be more clearly presented in the progress of its structural description. It will be under- stood from what has been stated that all of the sub-valleys described, with the intervening marginal ridges, make up and constitute Murphree's Valley. That it is environed by Ooal Measures, except on the south-west end ; and that these measures adjoin or abut against the valley in an elevated rim on both sides. GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS. On a preceding page we have given a table of the Geolog- ical Formations exposed in Murphree's Valley. It is nec- essary, for the proper understanding of much that follows, that we should now describe these formations in some detail. In this description they are considered in descending order: CARBONIFEROUS. 1. Coal Measures. The coal measures cover the surface on both sides of this valley. On the north-west side they are thin, rarely exceed- ing 100 feet at the edge. Only the base rocks have been left. The lower conglomerate is generally the crest of the valley rim. On a portion of the opposite side these measures are known to be over 2,000 feet thick. Nearly this depth of strata has therefore been washed away from the top of the north-western rim. The measures, however, rapidly deepen towards the north-west. The dip of the strata in that direc- tion is about 15°. The lower conglomerate rock here, as elsewhere, is from 80 to 100 feet thick. In its lower part it is often strictly conglomerate, wholly composed of pebbles, firmly cemented together with silica, or silica and iron. 18 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. Generally the pebbles are, small, white and well rounded. Occasionally more angular fragments, and pieces of carbonate of iron, form a breccia. In other parts the pebbles are irregu- larly scattered, or occur in patches and irregular streaks. A large portion of the rock is usually a stratified sandstone, and affords good building rock, which will be referred to again in its proper place. Beneath this conglomerate occur shaly and soft rocks from twenty to fifty feet thick, resting on the Carboniferous Lime- stone. It is very surprising that there should be here only this insignificant amount of strata ' between the limestone and the conglomerate. This is the place of the sub-con- glomerate coals, whicji in Tennessee, and many parts of Ala- bama, are of the first importance. Twenty miles east, along the face of the Raccoon, (or Blount Mountain, as it is there called,) and the Chandler Mountain, this stratum is from 500 to 800 feet thick. It there carries four seams of coal. Three of them perhaps unimportant; but the upper oner where cut, measured three ieet eight inches thick. And yet in so short a distance, this stratum is reduced to an average of about thirty feet. As might be expected, this thin stratum holds no known workable seam of coal. At only one placer where the Blackburn Fork of the Little Warrior cuts through this rim, was any coal found in it. That was in an irregular stratum of slate, with a still more irregular seam of coal never exceeding three inches thick. These lower Coal Measures are always characterized by irregularity in their thickness, and in the thickness of their coal seams. A short distance may, therefore, make a great difference in both, yet it is not probable that they will be found of much value on this side of the valley- Above the lower conglomerate, the higher, or intra-conglomerate, or super-conglomerate Coal Measures are found, increasing in thickness toward the synclinal axis, and corresponding with the same measures on the south-east side ol the valley, which have been described in a previous report. It may, however, be here repeated, that the 2,000 feet of coal strata, assumed to have been swept away on the north- MURPHREE'S VALLEY; GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS. 19 west side of the valley, have been protected and preserved on the south-east side. This was occasioned by the vertical break on that side, whereby the adjacent coal measures did not partake, to any great degree, in the uplift of the valley.* The valley rocks w,ere, therefore, relatively pushed up past the Coal Measures to a height of much more than the whole thickness of the measures; though subsequently denuded down leloiv the level of their surface. On the north-west side a similar break did not occur, but the fold slanted away into a regular synclinal, exposing its surface to denudation. On the eastern side of T. 12, R. 1, east, and in T. 11, R. 2, east, there is an elevated region in which the various branches of Dry Creek have their source, that is known by the name of Berry Mountain. This elevation is only a portion of Coal Measure strata, that withstood the denudation. It contains at least three seams of coal, which are wanting in the sur- rounding region. They are of workable thickness, one of them nearly three feet, and are regarded as good shop coals. This is as far as they have been tested. As a report on these coals has already been published, (Report on the Coal Meas- ures ol the Plateau Region,) it is not deemed necessary here- to enter on a further description. The face of the Coal Measures presents the same general appearance up to the head of the valley. At the head, and near the middle of the curve, the great fault described below cuts the Coal Measures, as it has done the underly- ing rocks, and a sink apparently of 200 feet occurs. It may- be much more, but 200 feet is all that could be verified. This is, as heretofore shown, a sinking down or throw of the strata, along the south-east side of the fault line. The Coal Measures are therefore thicker on that side than the other. The top of the mountain is the same height on both sides of *This seems to be a natural consequence of the peculiar structure, ex- plained below, by which the Blount Mountain synclinal is thrust or lapped under the Murphree's Valley Arch. The usual structure in this part of the state is the thrusting or lapping over of the arch towards the north- west, while here, by the underthrust mentioned, the fold or arch appears to be thrust up over towards the south-east. E. A. S. 20 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. the fault; no appearance of it exists on the upper surface. The north west side has therefore been denuded more than the other, as much more as the whole depth of the fault, The thickness of the Coal Measures on the south east side of the valley cannot be accurately ascertained, as the exact geological position of the rocks appearing in Straight Moun- tain is not yet definitely determined. 2. Sub- Carboniferous. a. Mountain Limestone, Bangor Limestone. — Immediately beneath the Coal Measures lies the Sub-Carboniferous or Mountain Limestone. Its thickness seems to vary from place to place. This may be due in part to its more or less per- fect exposure. From measurements of it, made at va- rious places, it was found to be between 200 and 300 feet. At the very head of the valley just west of the fault line, it shows 200 feet. It is prominent all along the north-western side of the valley ; in some places reaching up to near the top of the mountain, in others seen only at the base. Some- times totally hid by talus from the overlying Coal Measures. Sometimes it shows the effects of cross faults, or flexures in the strata. Where these occur it may be completely sunk beneath the surface for a space, half a mile or more, then rise up to or above its normal level. In some places it was observed that these downward curves were associated with upward curves on each side. The most prominent of these flexures is in section 3, T. 13, R. 1, East. At this place, the limestone sinks beneath the level of the valley, while at, or about a quarter of a mile on each side, it rises up over 300 feet above it. The eye is often deceived by a curvature in the face of the mountain, w^ich gives the appearance of downward cuive, where the formation is only denuded far- ther back. Careful examination, however, showed that the curvature here was not only apparent, but actual, and that it amounted to a flexure or down- bending from the highest points of the limestone, on each side, of over 200 feet. It was also observed that there was a. visible flexure in the overlying Coal Measures ; and that the same flexure extended MURPHREE'S VALLEY ; GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS. 21 across the valley in a south-east direction, and produced a like depression in every one of the exposed formations. This flexing up and down of the strata, in a direction transverse to the normal dip, has been seen at many places, but gen- erally is more clearly shown in the older rocks. From this point — S. 3, T. 13, R. 1, east — the limestone continues prominent down the valley to the Blackburn Fork ; it again* sinks, and apparently a fault crosses the valley op- posite this place ; the older rocks, however, give the best evi- dence of it. After rising again to the surface, and being oc- casionally considerably above it, it sinks beneath the base- of the valley opposite Village Springs. On the south east side of the valley the Sub-Carboniferous limestone can only be seen at two points. The first is a short distance outside of the valley, in sections 26 and 35, T. 14.. R. 1, west, where a fault, probably the minor fault below described, leaves the valley and runs southward into Sprad- ling's Cove. This limestone is prominently brought up by- it, immediately outside of the vertical wall of the valleyr and from thence on to the middle of Spradling's Cove in section 11, T. 15, R. 1, west. The other point is in sec. 27, T. 13, R. 1, east, where a stream has cut a deep chasm through the vertical wall ; the top ot this limestone is exposed, in the bed of the stream, a short distance inside the base of the vertical wall. The Carboniferous limestone, so largely exposed on the north-western side of this valley, is the most valuable of our lime formations. It is generally purer than the older un- crystalized lime rocks. It is therefore preferred for the manufacture of lime, and for flux in the manufacture of iron. The principal supply for the use of the furnaces at Birming- ham and the adjacent region, is at present obtained from this formation at Blount Springs and at Truss ville, and also from quarries a few miles west of Village Springs, where it exists in great abundance, and of excellent quality. But many other exposures of it, believed to be equal to those in quantity and quality, are presented in this valley. In quality it varies much from place to place — all lime rocks do so — and 22 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. it is rarely of the same quality from bottom to top at any- place. Usually the members near the base of a lime forma- tion are the best, yet to this rule there are many exceptions. Much of this formation is profusely mixed with matter ot Coralline origin. This contains too much silica ; and is there- fore unfit for making lime, or for flux. Those coralline por- tions are usually in the upper half of the formation. Some- times they are wholly wanting, and the entire ledge .is good limestone. In general, these coral formations are not scat- tered promiscuously through the rocks, but lie mainly in horizontal belts ; often beginning at a line, or terminating at a line, with pure limestone below or above. Many of the organic remains in this rock are of indistinguishable form, probably sponge-like or gelatinous bodies, whose substance has been replaced by silica. Many, however, are beautiful and well defined corals ; among them were formed chain coral, ^Lithostrotion Canadenes, Lithostrotion basaltiforme^ Cyatho- phyllum, <&c. Great numbers of Encrinites and some char- acteristic mollusks, Productus, Spirifers and Terebratula .being prominent. b. Oxmoor Sandstone (Lagranye Sandstone). — The next formation below* the Carboniferous limestone is known, in this State at least, by the name of the Lagrange or Oxmoor Sandstone. It consists of a heavy ledge of sand rock, from 80 to 100 feet thick. It is prominent all along the Sand Valley, forming generally a ridge of soft sandstone, some- times rising into bold mural bluffs the whole thickness of the rock. It is also very prominent at many places on the south-east side, sometimes forming prominent ridges, though nowhere presenting mural faces and bluffs, as it does on the north-west side. The rock is properly a freestone, easily crumbled into sand. The great quantity of it that has dis- *The Oxmoor Sandstone is one of the members of the Mountain Lime- stone group, and in many places ha^ the limestone both above 'and below it. The Mountain Limestone, as a group, appears to he the equivalent of the Chester group of the Western geologists. E. A. S. ZRSITY or >£A' troRii^^ MURPHREE'S VALLEY; GEOLOGICAL Fok'SrAT16"Ss. 23 integrated has formed immense beds of sand, and (on the north-west side of the Main valley,) covered the little valley at its base with sandy soil. No fossils were found in this rock. It seems to have been so rapidly formed as to preclude marine life ; and yet the types of life, so abundant in the rocks beneath it, again present themselves in the lime- stone above it, as though there had been no break in their existence. This is the more remarkable, because this plate of rock is of great extent, being apparent in all the valleys of North and North-East Alabama. c. Fort Payne Chert (Siliceous group). — Beneath the Ox- moor or Lagrange sandstone, in Murphree's Valley, is a thick bed of cherty rocks of Sub-Carboniferous age, to which we have given the above name.* These are, by estimate, usually about 200 i'eet thick, and terminate at the Black Shale. These siliceous rocks of the Subcarboniferous are well ex- posed on the north-west side, and generally can be easily traced on the south-east side. They are usually so full of fossil forms and fragments as to be readily identified wherever seen. At two places on the south-east side of the valley were found large deposits of limestone lying at the base of this formation. This limestone is not common in Alabama, except in the Tennessee Valley, though it has been seen at *rhis group, which as a whole, seems to correspond with the St. Louis, Keokuk and Burlington beds of the Western geologists, is made up in Ala- bama of limestones of varying degrees of purity. When the limestone is highly siliceous, as is usually the case in this state, the calcareous matter has been thoroughly washed out, in exposed outcrops, and the siliceous matter remains mostly in fragments full of cavities, caused by the dissolving out of the stems of encrinites and of other fossils. In the valley of the Ten- nessee it is usually not diffiult to distinguish between the 'St. Louis division and those underlying it ; but in the anticlinal valleys further south, where this part of the Subcarboniferous formation is represented, as a rule, by loose cherty fragments, the distinction is not so clear, and we have, there- fore, been accustomed to use one term to designate the whole siliceous series below the Oxmoor sandstone, and we call it Fort Pavne Chert. E. A. S. 24 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. several places in the other anticlinal valleys. It exists in abundance in many regions, and particularly in the regions of the Mississippi river, where it has been most closely • studied. It is known as the Keokuek Limestone. The irregularity in the exposures above mentioned made it impossible to define the extent of these calcareous deposits, but they are evidently local. One of them in sec. 27, T. 13,. R. 1, east, was estimated to be at least 80 feet thick. It is bedded on the Black Shale. This limestone is generally of excellent quality, much of it crystalline. It is apparently the best body of limestone seen anywhere in the valley, and will doubtless be utilized in the future. The other deposit of this rock is in sect. 24, T. 14, R. ly west. Its apparent thickness about the same, say 80 feet. Its base could not be seen, but as it was overlain by about the same amount of siliceous strata as the other, it was in- ferred -that it had also the same base. The quality of the rock, however, is generally different; some of it is good, but most of it has too much silica and other impurities to be of economic value. A large cave opening down into the heart of this limestone, into the lower chambers of which a small stream sinks and disappears, is a noticeable feature. DEVONIAN. The Black Shale. — This is a thin but very persistent mem- ber, which marks the boundary line between the rocks of the Carboniferous era and those of the Silurian. Itsaverage thickness is about ten feet, in some places less, and occasion- ally twenty, thirty or forty feet. It is highly bituminous, indicating an organic origin, and its included fossils are wholly marine. It is doubtless of Devonian age, and seems to have been deposited about the middle of the Devonian period. It probably belongs to the bituminous shales of the Marcellus period, or the overlying shales of the Hamilton period, as suggested by Prof. Tuomey. MURPHREE'S VALLEY; GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS. 25 SILURIAN. 1. The Clinton or Red Mountain. — Thi«, with its varied strata and included iron beds, will be hereafter described in detail. It is generally regarded as. the lower member of the Niagara period, and is the only representative of the upper Silurian in this region. Its average thickness in Murphree's Valley may be given at about 150 feet. 2. Trenton and Chazy, Pelham. — The Trenton is conspic- uous and easily identified, wholly composed of limestone, over 250 feet in vertical thickness. At its base is a regular stratum, 20 to 50 feet thick, ot li^ht colored compact mag- nesian limestones. These lie conformably on the stratified quartzose rocks, of which the next thousand feet are mainly composed. Near the top of this great quartzose or chert member there is a peculiar conglomerate, and two thin lime- stone beds ; they are by some geologists considered as repre- senting the Chazy formation. The fossils however, of which there are many, have been considered by paleontologists as belonging to an earlier age. A very characteristic form of this horizon is Maclurea magna. 3. Knox Dolomite. — This is in many respects the most im- portant of the older geological formations. It is over 1,000 feet in thickness, and forms the surface over the greater part of the anticlinal valleys of the state. Some of the most im- portant of the beds of limonite or brown iron ore lie upon it. In its lithological characters this formation in Alabama is identical with the Knox Dolomite of Tennessee, as de- scribed by Dr. Saiford. In its lower part it consists of lime- stones and dolomites of blue and gray colors, often especially in the lowermost beds, interstratified with shale. The dis- integration of these beds gives rise to the fertile red lands which form the best farming areas of this and the other valleys. It is difficult to draw a sharp line of distinction be- tween this lower part of the Knox Dolomite and the up- per beds of the underlying Cambrian. The upper part of the Knox Dolomite consists of gray 26 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. * dolomites and limestones, all more or less charged with cherty matter, which occurs sometimes in great concretion- ary masses, sometimes approaching sandstone. The residual soils from the disintegration of these upper beds of the Dolo- mite, are usually of gray to yellowish color, and the surface is generally covered with angular fragments of the chert. Where the chert predominates, it often forms the ridges of gray flinty gravel which are so characteristic of this forma- tion. The chert usually exhibits concretionary structure, and has small rhombohedral cavities interspersed through it, the empty moulds of crystals of dolomite which once filled them. This peculiarity was first pointed out by Dr. Safford, and seems to be fairly characteristic of the chert of this form- ation, though we have occasionally noticed it also in the Fort Payne chert. Other details will be given below in con- nection with the account of the brown iron ore deposits of this valley. CAMBRIAN. Coosa Shale,* Sparry Limestone. — The next member be- neath the chert, or Knox Dolomite chert, as it is sometimes *In the classification and description of the Cambrian rocks of Alabama, we are confronted with many difficulties. Dr. Safford has described the rocks of this period occurring in East Tennessee under the names Knox Shale, Knox Sandstone and Chilhowee, to which may perhaps be added his Ocoee group. In the eastern part of our Coosa Valley region we find the precise lithological equivalents of all these Tennessee divisions, and in the Report of this Survey for 1875, which relates to that section, we have identified and described the three types of Dr. Safford — the Knox Shale, the Knox Sandstone and the Chilhowee (Potsdam). Later, when we came to study the Cambrian of the valley regions along the Coosa river and westward, we found these divisionsno longer applicable, for the sandy shales and their bedded sandstones, representing the East Tennessee, Knox Shale and Knox Sandstone, are replaced here by their bedded limestones with clay seams. So also we here find none of the great sandstone and con- glomerate masses, which Safford named Chilhowee or Potsdam. In many places east of the Coosa river these thin bedded limestones, to which we gave the name of Coosa Shales, appear to pass below the variegated siliceous shales of the East Tennessee type, to which we had given the name Montevallo or Choccolocco Shales. We were therefore led to assign the Coosa shale to the base of this division ; yet in Murphree's Valley and its south-western prolongation, we find sim- MURPHREE'S VALLEY; GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS. 27 called, is the Sparry Limestone. This member is wholly composed of limestone, with occasional thin beds of soft shale. The limestone is generally blue, and crossed with seams of Calcite or lime spar in all directions. It is a rock that has been noted and studied in many parts of North America. In the Canadian Survey it is called the "Levis Limestone ;" by others the "Sparry Lime rock." Saiford, in his Geological Survey of Tennessee, grouped it with under- lying and overlying members, and called it "Knox Shale. More recently, however, the United States Geological Survey has definitely placed this rock in the scale as Upper Cam- brian. And Prof. Walcott, Chief Paleontologist of the Sur- vey, who has given much labor to the study of its fossils, draws the line between the Upper Cambrian and the Ordo- vician or Silurian, at the top of this rock, or rather between this rock and the clearly defined Silurian strata above, thus ilar thin-bedded limestones with clay seams or bands immediately belo-v strata of undoubted Knox Dolomite age. These shaly limestones underly usually level tracts of badly drained lands, to which the name "Flatwoods" has been given. In consideration of the facts above named we were led, in the Preface to the Plateau Report, published in 1891, to the conclusion that the lithological variations in the Cambrian strata of Alabama were due, in the main, to geographic position; that while sandstones and sandy calcareous shales were accumulating along the eastern border of the Coosa Valley area, limestones, and alternations of limestone with clay beds, were accumulating further westward, presumably more distant from the coast line of that period; and that the "Flatwoods" limestones, with their inter-bedded clay seams, are the time equivalents, not only of the Coosa Shales, but also of the Chocco- locco or Montevallo Shales and their included sandstones. To sum up, the Cambrian of Alabama consists of thin-bedded limestones often with clay partings (our Coosa Shale or Flatwoods rock), passing downward into siliceous limestones and calcareous shales, which, towards the east, graduate into calcareous sandstones, alternating with calcareous shales (Choccolocco or Montevallo Shales), and enclosing, near the base of the series, great beds of sandstone, often conglomerate. The type of these sandstone masses is the Weisner Sandstone of Cherokee county, which is, I think, undoubtedly the equivalent of Dr. Safibrd's Chilhowee. These sandstone masses and the beds of calcareous sandstone near the base of the Cambrian seem to be confined to the eastern border of the Coosa Valley, while further westward in Wills', Murphree's, Opossum and Jones' Valleys the limestones with clay seams or partings are the only Cambrian rocks exposed. E. A. S. 28 GEOLOGICAL SURNEY OF ALABAMA. including this rock, and possibly some strata above it, in the Upper Cambrian. It is one of the most prominent forma- tions exposed in this valley. In descending the valley it is first brought to the surface in Sec. 5, T. 13, R. 2, east. A few miles farther down, 1,200 feet of it is exposed* This deep exposure extends down to the Blackburn Fork of the Little Warrior. Below this it is less prominent; and it passes entirely beneath the surface in Sec. 12, T. 14, R. 1, west. It is barely seen at any point from here, to a little below Turkey Creek in Jefferson county. This rock is prominent in many parts of Jones' Valley, in the Cahaba Valley, and especially so in the upper Coosa Valley. It is occasionally brought to the surface in Will's Valley, but not in the Sequatchee fold, at least below the Tennessee river. The amount of denudation that has taken place in the deepest parts of this valley is thus shown by these measure- ments and estimates of thickness of strata to have been about 5,300 feet, or a little more than one mile in vertical depth. STRUCTURE. It is, however, to the geological structure and mineral re- sources of this valley that the attention of the reader is specially directed, both on account of the peculiarities of the former and the importance of the latter. THE GREAT ANTICLINAL FOLD. Murphree's Valley, like the other Silurian valleys of North-east Alabama, is a valley of elevation ; that is, a val- ley eroded out of the crest of an upward fold of the strata. It is not within the scope of this report to examine or en- quire into the causes or processes of such folds, or such val- ley-making erosions. Upon these there might well be much difference of opinion among geologists, and the unprofes- sional reader would not be benefitted by mere speculation. MURPHREE'S VALLEY; STRUCTURE. 29 But as to the fact that these valleys have been thus produced, there is no controversy. Every one of them presents in its structure the most conclusive evidence of its truth that science can demand. The most inattentive observer must have noticed that in these valleys the inclining rocks, the stub ends of their strata, are all dipping at some angle with the horizon, and in some definite direction towards one or both sides of the valley. And that if this dip of strata were extended outward and upward, it would describe or produce a fold overarching the valley; and possessing the form and volume which the fold would have had, if it had not been eroded. Thus the struc- ture and contour of all folds, however much eroded, can be represented and studied, and ideally reproduced. These upward folds of strata present in their different forms all degrees of flexure, from the incipient or symmetrical fold, with its strata dipping equally on each side from a com- mon anticlinal axis to a completely doubled, or folded axis, lapped over to one side, with its strata all dipping one way, and hence called "monoclinal." It has been shown in the Appendix to Squire's Report on the Cahaba Coal Field, that the valley separating the Cdhaba and the Warrior Coal Fields is, in the vicinity of Birming- ham, a double one, Jones' Valley proper on the east and Opossum Valley on the west. Both these component valleys exhibit the regular Appalachian type of structure, i. e., they are unsymmetrical anticlinal folds with the steeper side towards the northwest. The axis of the anticlinal is conse- quently found always near to the northwest edge of each valley, and over the greater part of the area of each the strata have a gentle dip towards the southeast, while the much steeper northwest dips are confined to the extreme northwestern edge of the valley. Very often the fold has been pushed or lapped over towards the northwest, so that the strata on the northwest side of the anticlinal axis stand vertically, or are pushed beyond the vertical so as to be re- reversed. When faulting occurs, as is very generally the 30 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. case, the southeastern limb of the fold has been pushed up over the northwestern limb, overriding and hiding from view a greater or less proportion of the strata on that side of the fault. One who had examined the structure of the valley in the vicinity of Birmingham, would naturally expect to find that its prolongation northeastward into Murphree's Valley would not present any features essentially different ; yet in Mur- phree's Valley we find the strata with gentle northwesterly dips occupying the whole of the valley except its extreme southeastern edge, where they stand either vertical or have been reversed and dip back towards the northwest, the very opposite in all respects to what has been described above as typical for the Appalachian regions. The structure of Murphree's Valley is shown in figures 1 and 2, which represent sections across the valley, figure 1 near its head, and figure 2 in the central parts.* From the inspection of those figures, it will be understood that to the southeast of the valley lies the synclinal trough of Raccoon or Blount Mountain, with its strata nearly horizontal, but in reality gently sloping towards the northwest from the eastern margin of the mountain down nearly to the vertical wall, which, makes the common boundary at once of these meas- ures and of Murphree's Valley. Straight Mountain, as this vertical wall is called, is a part of the connecting limb be- tween the synclinal of Raccoon Mountain and the anticlinal of Murphree's Valley. I say a part, for the great fault shown in the figures has cut out a greater or less proportion of the strata of this connecting limb. In the sharp bending back *In constructing these sections to true scale, it has been found that some of the formations occupy on the surface considerably more space than the thickness of their strata, with the observed dips, would justify, This is par- ticularly the case between the summit of west Red Mountain and the rim of Sand Mountain, where, with the average dip observed at many of the outcropping ledges (fifteen degrees to northwest), a thickness of 1,500 to 2,000 feet of subcarboniferous strata would be required, A liberal estimate of the thickness of these formations, derived from many actual measure- ments, would be 1,000 feet. We have thus been forced to the assumption that the dips of some of the beds below the surface is considerably less than that shown at the outcrop. E. A. S. MURPHREE'S VALLEY ; STRUCTURE. 31 . n § f II il S 5 * or n g UJ «/) 1 O _ 32 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. of the strata of this vertical or reversed limb, it was inevit- able that there should have been a certain amount of shear- ing and displacement of the beds, and we should be prepared to find here evidence of minor faults, and of the squeezing out of certain beds in this upturned and broken part. In figure 1 it will be observed that the vertical wall does not exist, its place is occupied even by a depression, and there is very probably more or less ef displacement and faulting between the reversed beds to the west of the depression and the gently dipping coal measures to the east of it. The strata in this depression are so covered by the broken frag- ments of the rocks. which border it, as to make their exami- nation almost impossible. v On the valley side of this vertical wall (fig. 2) a space of about one-fourth mile is occupied by formations 4, 5, 6, 7 — all dipping at high angles to the northwest — all very irregularly exposed, and all reversed or inverted, the newer dipping and passing beneath the older. These formations are here very closely crowded together, often lapped over each other, often some of 1 hem completely hidden. In the aggregate they occupy only one-eighth of the space ,they fill on the other side of the valley. On the northwest side of these inverted members, and closely abutting on some one of them, is the Cambrian lime- stone. A great fault exists here, but its position is recog- nized only by the abnormal junction of diverse formations. The dip of strata near the fault varies from 40 to 60 degrees to northwest, and gradually diminishes to about 15 degrees at the foot of Sand Mountain. Two miles beyond that, the northwestern dip terminates in the synclinal trough of the Warrior river. It is thus seen that from the fault at the southeast edge of the Cambrian limestone, to the northwest side of the valley and beyond, the fold ic perfectly regular, and presents the appearance of one side of a symmetrical fold. This regular side embraces about seven-eighths of the entire floor space of the valley. It is in the remaining one-eighth lying between this fault and the southeast edge of the valley, that all the geological difficulties are found. MURPHREE'S VALLEY ; STRUCTURE. 33 It is evident that there is not space enough on the south- east side of the fault to contain the counterpart of the strata on its northwestern side, in any form of fold that could be assumed. That large portions of the strata on the south- east side of the fault have gone down in it — been engulfed or folded under — is evident. Their absence and the direct contact of the Cambrian strata on the one side with Clinton or Subcarboniferons on the other, indicate the position of the great fault. This fault extends the whole length of the valley but is not throughout of equal magnitude of displacement. Its greatest depth is in that part of the valley where the Cambrian limestone is exposed, above that towards the head of the valley it gradually diminishes in depth. It is very generally believed that the structural features of the Appalachian region have been, produced through the agency of a force acting from the direction of the Atlantic ocean, i. e. from the east and southeast, by which the strata have been compressed into much less space than they occupied in their original horizontal position. This lessening of the area was accomplished by folds and flexures and by the rupturing of the sharply bent strata and the sliding of one portion bodily over another portion. An examination of this region will show that in nine cases out of ten, the folds when not symmetrical, have been lapped over in the direction towards which the force was exerted, and where faulting occurred, the overriding portions were pushed or thrust up in the same direction, i. e. northwest. In Murphree's Valley all this is reversed, and we find the strata occupying such positions as they would normally have assumed under the action of a compressing force acting from the northwest, raising a fold, lapping it over towards the southeast, and after faulting thrusting the northwestern half of the broken fold in the same direction. Inasmuch as we have no evidence of any compressing force acting from this direction, we must explain the peculiar structure of Murphee's Valley under the dynamic conditions which obtain in other parts of the state. This 34 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. structure can be explained under the supposition of a compressing force acting from the southeast, by assuming that the trough of the synclinal lying to the east of Murphree's Valley was lapped under the anticlinal of the valley, and when faulting occurred, the underlapped beds were thrust under those to the northwest of the fault plane. Thus while the arch of the fold of Murphree's Valley appears to have been thrust over towards the southeast, as if by a force coming from the northwest, in reality, the motion of the strata has been in the opposite direction, impelled by a force acting as in the other cases from the southeast, those beds whose lateral motion was greatest being thrust under those which yielded less in that direction, thus uplifting them into an arch with its steeper side, its fault and its reversed or overturned strata towards the south-east. TRANSVERSE FOLDS. In addition to the plicating effects of lateral pressure already considered, there has also been in this region a gen- eral, though less prominent, transverse folding of the strata. A flexing, faulting and wrinkling of all the formations at, or nearly at, right angles with the axis of the valley, or approxi- mately in a south-east and north-west direction. Whether this system of flexures has resulted from pressure or other cause, whether the cause operated from the south-west or from the north-east, would be much easier asked than defi- nitely answered. That it does exist as a widely extended system, slightly affecting the geological structure, and very distinctly modifying the topography, is a matter of daily observation. These transverse flexures are more distinctly seen in the ridges and high lands, where their outlines are freely exposed. In some places they extend for miles, in others they can be MURPHREE'S VALLEY ; STRUCTURE. 35 traced only a short distance. Some are mere swells or de- pressions, others constitute faults varying from a few feet to several hundred in depth. Every high point is found to be on one of these upward flexures; and generally every stream that cuts through the ridges, and every wind gap is on one of the downward flexures. They have doubtless greatly affected the drainage and erosion of the country, by offering ready-made outlets and passages for the waters. In the mining operations on Red Mountain, these flexures and faults are found to be very numerous. In stripping down to bed rock, every few rods, or less, exposed one of these upward curves, even where the surface gave no indi- cation of its existence. They are found to occur with con- siderable regularity, and generally show displacement of but a few feet. Yet they are so numerous that in the aggregate they plicate and shorten the country's diameter in a north- east and south-west direction, approximating that produced by lateral pressure from the south-east. The compression of the latter force was mainly accumulated in the valleys, while that of the former is diffused all over the country. The faces of all the ridges and mountain brows present the undulations and flexures of the strata. They present the appearance of successive earth waves, having undulated the earth's crust and left their form impressed upon its structure. But in addition to those long undulatory waves, and the short and numerous choppy waves which have lei't their form and impress on the earth, there are others found far apart that have heaved up extensive tracts of country and depressed others, thus affecting drainage and topography. These might be termed earth tidal waves. They do not generally give steep or high elevations — they do not make conspicuous land-marks, yet they control the drainage of large areas of country, and have determined the flow and volume of the streams. Only brief mention will be made of these, as few of them are wholly within the area embraced in this report. The area of the coves north-east of Jones* Valley is one of these swells, from whence flows one of the head streams ot the Cahaba to the south, some streams to 36 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. the west and north-west to the Warrior, and the main head of Canoe Creek, which flows east and north-east to the Coosa. In that depressed basin, where streams flow in from every point of the compass, it unites with the Coosa, whose whole course has been in the opposite direction. This great swell whose highest points are in this cove re- gion, extends east and south-east to the Coosa river, making a very well marked watershed, and west and north-west as far at least as the Warrior river. But a still more prominent and important swell, with the same south-east and north- west trend and extending more than half the breadth of the state, makes the great watershed between the Tennessee, and the Warrior and Sipsey rivers. From the eastern side of Blount county to near the western boundary of the state, a distance of more than a hundred miles, not a single stream crosses this divide. Even where the great Sequatchie fold was cut through it, near its south-eastern end, it still makes a very distinct watershed. Many other regions of elevation of less prominence, but with the same trend and apparently the result of the same cause, might be given, and many others which show the modifying power of both lateral and transverse pressure. But these are deemed sufficient to fix the reader's attention on this class of phenomena, and im- press the fact that this force has been one of the main fac- tors in complicating the structure, and shaping the topography of this region of country. OTHER PECULIARITIES OF STRUCTURE. Absence of certain formations on the south-east side of the valley. — Before proceeding to details, it may be well to notice some features peculiar to the south-east side and upper end of this valley. One of these is the entire absence of the Trenton limestone on that side of the valley. A short distance below Village Springs is the last exposure of these rocks at the foot of East Red Mountain. From that point to the head of the valley, they are not exposed on that side. Opposite Village Springs, the lower Siluran chert and MIRPHREE'S VALLEY ; STRUCTURE. 37 Clinton come together at the foot of East Red Mountain ; the Chert dipping steeply to the north-west, the Clinton steeply to the south-east. A fault here has engulfed the Trenton formation. Half a mile east of this point the Clin- ton is found near the top of the mountain, standing nearly vertical and trending nearly east and west ; while a little to the south of it the Lagrange Sandstone makes the very top of the mountain, with a moderate south-east dip. One mile or less north from this latter point the Lagrange Sandstone is found at the edge of the valley in a massive vertical ledge, with lower Silurian Chert (Dolomite) lapped up on its north- west side. 'These things show that the uplift has been very irregular in this region ; that it is traversed by faults running in diiferent directions, which have broken the continuity of uplift and the sequence of strata. Their presence is always indicated by one or other of these results, and to their effects all such seeming anomalies of structure must be attributed. Another feature that has already been referred to is the almost entire absence of the Carboniferous or mountain limestone on the south-east side of this valley. At only two points, in low gaps, have any of it been seen, while the un- derlying Lagrange Sandstone is generally very prominent. Comparison of the ends of the valley with the central part. Near the upper end of the valley its south-east edge is Coal Measures, dipping steeply to the south-east. A narrow gorge separates this rim from a high ridge of Sub Carboniferous chert dipping 60° to 80° to the northwest. In its diverse dips and displacements this part resembles the Village Springs section, only newer formations are on top. That there was less pressure on the reversed portion of the fold here, or at least less yielding to this pressure, than in the middle -portion of the valley, is evident from the iact that the reversed strata were here left standing at a much higher angle than there. It will be understood that to co?n- pletely reverse strata their fractured ends have to be forced through an arc of 180°. These partially reversed strata have described an arc of 100° to 120°. lacking 60° to 80° of com- 38 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. pletje reversal ; while in the central portion of the valley they have described an arc of 135° to 150°, lacking only 30° to 45° of complete reversal. It is therefore reasonably con- cluded, that with less yielding to the lateral pressure and with less displacement in this portion of the fold, the absence of the vertical wall lor a few miles may be considered as ex- plained. The Horse Shoe Curve of the upper end of Red Mountain is a striking and peculiar feature. It circles around the upper end of Red Mountain Valley, making a cove of its upper part, without materially diminishing its width. In its outer circle it closely approximates the curve of the end of the valley. This peculiar topographical structure resulted from the effects of two distinct causes. 1st. A flexure in the main fault at the upper end of Red Mountain Valley — it there suddenly deflects from an east north-east fco a north north- west course in passing through Red Mountain; but beyond that, again resumes its former course. Hebce, the denuding waters were not aided by this fault in the excavation of this sub-valley above the deflexion of the fault to the west. Hard strata were encountered, and the further abrasion of this sub-valley to the north-east was arrested. 2d. Because the waters above and beyond this point found outlets along each side of the valley. These waters with their interlocking heads eroded the Red Mountain and its curved upper ends, and its adjoining Chert ridges on the outside, and were the main agencies in carving out its .present form. But for the obstruction occasioned by the flexure in the fault at this place, it is more than probable that the de- nuding waters would have flowed down it, and eroded out the Red M'ountain Valley to the head of the fold. The ends of Red Mountain and the Chert ridge would then have been left trending in the direction of the axis of fold, instead of being united together. The end of the fold. — The head of the valley is the end of the fold to the north-east. All around its terminal rim the MURPHREE'S VALLEY; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 39 dip of the strata is away from the axis of uplift. The fold ended where the valley ends. In the broad table lands be- yond it there is no evidence of rupture or uplift. No ridge or fold or fault is visible ;* there is no sign of disturbance save a gentle dip to the north west, in this long and broad expanse of table land, which extends from the end of this valley to the Tennessee river. ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. Having thus given a general outline description of the valley, showing its structure and the present arrangement of the various formations exposed, a detailed description of its minerals and materials of economic value will be better understood. Of these, iron ore is the most prominent. It exists in two forms, the Red Hematite of the Clinton forma- tion and the Brown ore or Limonite, found at several horizons, from the top of the Cambrian to the base of the Coal Measures. They must be presented separately, and the Clinton demands the first- place because of its greater importance. HEMATITES OF THE RED MOUNTAIN OR CLINTON FORMATION. The Clinton is the great iron bearing formation of Ala- bama and other states. It lies here comformably on top of the Trenton limestone, and is capped with the Black Shale. Its aggregate thiekness varies from place to place, but gen- erally approximates 150 feet. The upper twenty feet, how- ever, contain no valuable seams of iron ore. A vertical sec- tion will show the average structure. *The fault spoken of elsewhere as cutting through the rim at or near the head of the valley, cannot be followed very far beyond the rim of the valley. E. A. S. 3 40 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. General Section of the Clinton Strata. Black Shale. Shaly and slaty beds, clay and some iron ore 15 feet. Heavy bedded sandstone, sometimes 40 to 50 feet, usually 10 " No. 1. Iron bed, ore lenticular or concretionary 2 to 4 " Yellow sand rock, soft, gnarly, no cleavage 10 " No. 2. Fossiliferous iron ore bed 6 inches to 2>£ " Soft, dark, irony sand rock 7 feet to 15 " No. 3. Iron ore bed, varying greatly in quality 2 " 7 " Flaggy sandstone, shale and clay 20 " 40 " No. 4. Iron ore, hard, rough, pebbly or lenticular 2 " 20 " Dark grey sand rock, often massive 20 " 50 " No. 5. Iron ore, soft, fine grained, dark ore, often limy . .3 '• 20 " Trenton Limestone. In addition to the five beds of iron ore presented in the section, there are often several others; but as they are not very persistent, and were .found nowhere thick enough to be of value, or even of good quality, no notice has been taken of them. This section only approximates the general structure and arrangement. To present it by accurate measurements from place to place, would require a very great number of sections. These, by their variances, would rather confuse than aid the reader. An average portion of the formation was therefore taken and measured, by which all other portions can be compared. The variations in the Clinton are great and numerous ; they embrace all its constituent members^ The rocks vary in thickness and quality, in color and texture. The iron ore beds vary in number, and in quantity and quality of the ore; and these variations take place rapidly. No one mile of this formation is the exact equivalent, or counterpart of any 'other mile. This formation was by the older geologists well named "The Protean Group," because of its want of uniformity and the rapidity of the changes in its strata. MURPHREEV VALLEY; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 41 The Clinton is very prominently exposed in this valley. It constitutes the cap, or top member of the Red Mountain, the whole length of the valley, and it occurs in more or less broken sections, also on the south-east side. The Red Moun- tain standing as it does towards the north-western side of the valley, with its strata dipping north-west, gives generally on its south-east face an exposure of the whole thickness of the Clinton formation. From this face it dips at an angle of 18° to 20° down the north-west side of the mountain and beneath Sand Valley. DETAILS OF OCCURRENCE OF RED ORES. Xorth- western Side of the Valley. To give a consecutive description of this formation, we begin near the head or upper end of the valley, at the end of the eastern curve of Red Mountain. At G. B. Wade's, in the north-west quarter of S. 1, T. 11, R. 4, east, about 200 yards south of his house, and close to the Walker Gap branch of Bristow's creek, the Black Shale was seen, dipping north- west 75° or 80°; about 50 feet west of it a bed of yellowish clay, and other strata indicating the Clinton formation. Three-fourths of a mile north of Wade's, in the south-west quarter of S. 36, T. 10, R. 4, east, at Mr. Boyd's, are several small openings in two seams of red ore, the cuts sufficient only to expose the tops of the seams. The eastern one sandy, dark ore, resembling the lower bed; the western one better ore — no fossils seen. The dip of the ore as seen in the cuts is nearly vertical, say 85° north-west. One hundred yards or so, north of these cuts, the same seams of ore were seen in the road — trending west of north — and nearly vertical, and apparently dipping down ward beneath a ridge of Sub-Carboniferous Chert — which begins at this point and lies to the north east. This ridge rises to a height of 200 feet and is composed wholly of Sub-Carboniferous Chert with its characteristic fossils. The Black Shale was not seen in the ridge ; but its position is very clearly indicated by its usual accompanying fecks. These rocks stand mostly vertical, some dipping perceptibly east by south, others west by north. 42 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. East of the apparent place of the Black Shale, the manganif- erous belt which lies above it, could be plainly traced, and the trend of the Clinton strata where last seen would place this formation in the foot of this ridge, to the west. This arrangement was now clearly seen in the north-west quarter of S. 25, T. 10, R. 4, east, at the apax or inner point of the curve of Red Mountain. Here. the Clinton plainly shows on the inside (Valley Side) of the Chert Ridge, (Sub Carbonif- erous,) and extends over one-third of the distance up it from the base. In the extreme point of the curve, and at the line of the fault, a point of Clinton strata with the uppermost ore bed exposed and in vertical position, marks the top of the divide. There is a bend here in the fault line ; it cuts the Red Mountain in a direction nearly north and south. Its line shows a deep depression which has been eroded by a stream that rises at this point and flows north. On the east side the Sab Carboniferous Chert rises 200 feet high above this point, and on the west, the Clinton Strata at about the same height cap the Red Mountain, with a dip of 30° north- west. The existence of this gap was not suspected before as it cannot be seen from any of the roads. It was further observed that the Chert Ridge here is over 200 feet above the base of the eastern rim of the valley — but the Sub-Carbonif- erous (Oxmoor) sandstone was not exposed anywhere on this side. The dip of strata of the Coal Measures of the eastern rim, is 60° to the east at this point, and for two miles further down, the dip gradually changing to S. E. and lessening in degree further down the valley — to increase again to vertically still lower down. South-westward from the fault line Red Mountain is mainly composed of Clinton strata; with Lower Siliceous Chert overlying and covering its N. Western Side, and occasionally a little of the Trenton showing at its S. Eastern base. But few exposures of iron ore had been made by digging; one was in S. 25, T. 10, R.4 E., on bed No. 3 General Section. This bed has usually a rock or clay parting at or near the middle, three or four inches thick. In this place it was rock, and the MI-RPHREE'S VALLEY; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 43 cut had only been driven in far enough to show decomposed ore above the parting, and 18 inches of hard dark steel grey ore beneath it. It was inferred from the usual arrangement of this seam, that it carried here three feet of ore. This ore is limy and crystallized, but low in Silica — hence a valuable ore of iron, as it not only furnishes its own flux, but carries probably enough lime besides to flux an equal weight of soft ore. It can be very economically smelted in connection with certain other ores. This bed is of this quality in many places as will be hereafter shown. Another opening on the same bed was found S. W. £ of N. W. i of S. 35. same T., ore about the same quality, but not quite so thick. This was on the lands of J. H. Vanzandt. This opening like the former one had only exposed one half of the bed. and was not cut far enough in to show the full thickness of the seam, or a fair sample of its ore. Outcroppings of iron were seen here, above, and below this bed, probably from beds 1 or 2,and4, of the General Section, Owing to the smoothness of the face of the mountain the edges of the Clinton strata are not exposed — they are covered over deeply with earthy matter, making the positions of the iron ore beds hard to locate. The general absence of roofing rocks has caused decomposition of the ores near the surface. Enough surface specimens were seen, to warrant belief that the beds are all here, but the rocks are generally soft and shaly, and few of them come to the surface. In S. 34, T. 10, R. 4, E., a large outcrop of iron lime- stone was seen — it carries very little iron, and no indication of a bed of ore was found in connection with it. It lies near the S. E. base of the mountain, almost at the level of the valley. It is evidently near the horizon of bed No. 5 of the General Section. In the adjoining Section 33, higher up the mountain, several pits had been dug many years ago for iron ore, and beds 1, 2 and 3 of the General Section had been found. The excavations had not been made deep enough to reach good ore, or even to find the thickness of the beds. It was B R~A OF THE UNIVERSITY 44 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. only by examining adjacent surface specimens that the beds dug for could be identified. The Red Mountain here is a broad flat topped rid^e, with Clinton strata from below its eastern base to about two- thirds of the way down its western side, where Black Shale had been exposed. Where the Sand Valley road crosses the mountain near Noah Nelson's, the Black Shale is higher up, near the top of the mountain. South of this point in a well sunk in the edge of the valley, (S. E. side of Red Mountain) a seam of iron ore was found. The massive heavy bedded sand rock that usually caps the first or upper ore bed was not seen N. E. of the Warrior River. It is probably wanting in that part of the mountain. Its absence in part accounts for the smoothness of the moun- tain, and the great disintegration of the ore beds. From S. 33, T. 10, R. 4, E., to the Warrior River in S. 14, T. 11, R. 3, E., a distance of four miles, no openings were found .on the ore beds, nor any out-cropping of ore. The Black Shale shows occasionally in place, near the top of the moun- tain, or on its north-western side, and the Clinton strata ex- tend down into the valley on the south-east side. The- Trenton rocks are not exposed — they are not even uncovered in the bed of the river. The whole of the mountain here is of Clinton strata — which are not largely composed of hard rocks. The iron bearing stratum is therefore thick. It hence seems probable that ore beds of corresponding thick- ness may exist here ; yet nothing unseen can be certainly predicated of the protean strata of the Clinton. Immediately on the southwestern side of the river, the Red Mountain becomes much higher. The Trenton is brought up by a rapid transverse flexure. In a little over a half mile, it has risen over 300 feet. Its lower stratum, the yellowish magnesian lime rock, is seen over fifty feet above the level of the river. For a short distance the Red Moun- tain is abnormally high. This flexure is short, only about a mile in length. In the town of Walnut Grove, one mile from the river, the top of the Trenton rocks shows in the MIRPHREE'S VALLEY; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 45 streets, dfpping at a small angle to the northwest. And opposite this place, where the Blountsville road crosses the mountain in S. 22, the top of the Red Mountain is sunk down in a gap, only about 40 feet high. This gap shows only Lower Siliceous rocks — the Clinton being sunk beneath the level of the valley. In the space of a little over a mile, the flexure has been up, and then down again, each, more than the whole thickness of the Trenton strata. Nearly op- posite this high part of the mountain, in S. 15, on its N. W. side, in the Lower Siliceous formation, is the first important out crop of manganese. It continues to show for several miles along that side of the mountain. The manganese will be described in its proper place ; but it may be here remarked that in that section of the mountain that carries manganese, there seems to be less iron ore, and of quality generally in- ferior to the average ; that there could be any relation be- tween the iron, and manganese, seems very improbable, and this fact is here merely noted. Several openings have been made into the iron ore, in the next three miles S. W. of Wa4nut Grove. Only the top bed, or No. 1, was found, and the samples obtained were inferior. A very heavy bedded massive sandrock, begins now to occupy the lower portion of the Clinton. It was first seen a few miles below Walnut Grove, and gradually increases in thickness. It takes the place of the dark yellowish gnarly rock, near the base of the General Section. This reck con- tinues, about to the west line, of T. 12,R. 2 East. In all this space ore beds Nos. 4 and 5, were not seen, and are not be- lieved to exist, certainly not in sufficient quantity to be of value. All the ore that has been seen in this space there- fore belongsJto one of the three upper beds. In Sects. 1 and 2 of Tp. 12, R. 2 East, was the first place found below Walnut Grove, that gave indications of good ore. Several openings had been made on bed No. 1. The ore is wholly concretionary, of rather low grade, but uniform in '-character. At all the openings in these sections, the thick- ness of the bed varied, from 2 feet, to 3 feet, averaging about 30 inches. Bed No. 2 was not found here, and the 46 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. position of No. 3 did not seem to have been known to the prospectors. Its outcropping was found here, and pointed out. This bed usually shows very little out-crop but its position may always be closely approximated if bed No. 1 is found. It lies by the usual slant of the mountain, about 50 feet lower down. The color of the ground at its edge, will also help to determine its exact position. Without knowing (he thickness of bed No. 3, and the quality of ore it carries here, it would be premature to de- cide finally on the value of this, as an ore region. It may be here the best bed, as it was found to be farther down the mountain. In Section 11, same Township, similar openings had been made with about the same results, but here also the third bed had been overlooked. In Section 15 of the same Township, the upper bed had been opened ; ore of the usual quality, and thickness say 3 feet, and assaying from 35 to 40 per cent. iron. This is about the average grade of bed No. 1 as seen for several miles above here. The third bed had been slightly opened here, but not enough to fully show either its thickness, or quality. It seemed to be thicker than the upper bed, and the ore promised to be better. It carries soft, fine grained, red colored ore. This bed is often limy and hard, but at no place from Section 1 to Section 21 in this Township was it found of that character. None of the openings on this bed in this space were deep enough to furnish samples, from which the quality of the ore could be safely determined, nor even to show the full thickness of the bed. This was judged to be about 4 feet thick, and to carry the best ore that this part of the moun- tain affords. The upper part of the mountain here is snaly and has suffered much denudation; several gaps are cut through it, down to the Trenton rocks, and the edges of the Clinton strata beyond are covered with debris so as not to be readily found. It is certain however that two beds ol ore exist here, of fair quality, and good thickness. Half a mile to the S. W., near Hoods X Roads in S. 15, several openings were examined. Bed No. 3 had been cut, in a pit sunk in a field? MURPHREE'S VALLEY ; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 47 and again filled up, it was said to be 4 feet thick, very soft ore. It was not roofed in with rock here, and probably the ore was much decomposed. In the N. E i of S. 16, same Tp., several openings had been made in the upper bed, it did not come up to the average here, either in thickness or quality. The mountain here is heavily capped with Lower Siliceous, cherty strata, and the heavy sand rock that caps the upper iron ore bed, is very thick. It seem« to be the case, that where this cap rock is unusually thick, the underlying iron ore beds are thin. No reason is apparent why this should be so — it is a co-incidence, however, that has been noticed at many places. In the remaining portion of S. 16 that lies N. I. Generally near the base of the bed the ore was of lowest grade. The different parts as seen will vary from 35 to 50 per cent, of iron. The exact thickness of this bed could not be calculated 64 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. from the dip and exposure. Its slant surface measures 83 feet from top to bottom, and assuming the average dip to be near 20° would make its thickness over 30 feet. This was the nearest approximation that could be made from the present data. But it is probable that a slide has occurred here, that the upper part of the bed at least has doubled on the lower part. If this has not taken place, the difference in dip in different parts of the bed, and the apparent dupli- cation of certain strata of ore, must be left wholly without explanation. This is a most valuable bed of ore, not only from its great bulk, but it carries some ore of superior grade to any here- tofore found in this bed. Then its position near the base of the mountasn makes it so accessible as to add greatly to its value. Its position here is a little below its normal place, probably caused by the fault referred to. Half a mile or more farther down the mountain it was seen at a somewhat higher level. There has been a slight downward flexure near the main exposure of the bed, but the amount of it is not great. This bed probably extends for a mile or more up the valley. The shape of the slope or bench above the top of the Trenton almost gives assurance of its extension that far. As has been heretofore observed, a bench in the Clin- ton, immediately above the Trenton, may be regarded as indicating the presence of this bed. Should this observation be fully verified, large and extensive bodies of ore will yet be found which are not thought of now, and the value of the Clinton formation will be much increased. Opposite Village Springs, in the Southern part of Sect. 28, Village Creek cuts through the Red Mountain. The two ore beds, 1st and 5th, were seen cropping out at the end next the creek. Neither of them seemed to carry as much or as good ore as farther up the mountain. But their relative positions are of much Geological interest. They ore now the only beds in the Clinton. The top and the bottom ones of the series. For the others there is now no place. They, and their associated strata, have either disappeared, or been absorbed in the body of the iron limestone. Will they re-ap- MURPHREE'S VALLEY; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 65 pear and resume their former relations ? This question can- not be fully answered here; they may do so farther down the valley, but in the bounds assigned to this report, they appear no more. The iron limestone was seen below Village Creek, though it was inferred, from its thickness above the Creek, and its gradual taper, that it probably extends about a mile farther. Below the Creek the rocks are but little exposed, and the geological structure cannot be seen. This is to be regretted, for the manner in which the upper and lower iron ore beds come together, if indeed .they do so, would be of very gre'at interest to a geologist. From their relative position where last seen, they must either come together at the end oj the iron limestone, or other strata must occupy its place. COMPTON MINES. Since these pages were written extensive mining has been, and is still done, at this place, by J. W. Worthington e side, where they join the Trenton, they are harder and of a bluish color. In all other parts they are reddish brown. The race had not been cut at right angles with the strike, but quartering and meandering, hence measurements were not made. But the thickness of the strata exposed was estimated to be 200 feet. In this estimate the position of the Black Shale was assumed to be in a deep hole below the mill. But the most impor- tant and interesting thing here is the iron ore. It all lies in two beds, or rather in one bed with a parting of three feet. It is at about one-third the thickness of the Clinton from tne top, and therefore occupies about the game position as the third bed in the upper part of the mountain. The upper part of it is ^0 feet thick, the lower part 9 feet thick, with a rock and shaly parting of three feet between. Whole thick- ness of the bed 32 feet, ivith 29 feet of ore. This may have been two beds formed here very close together, but as the ore is the same in each, both in quality and structure, it is thought proper to consider both parts as one bed. This ore is strictly first class ore-. It will average over 50 per cent, of metallic iron. The ore is partly lenticular or flattened grain, and partly round grain, closely compacted together; heavy and solid, but not hard. It is not identical with any of the beds hitherto described in Red Mountain; its ore is different irom any of them, though nearly identical with some yet to be described in the 8. E. side of the valley. What has become of all of the other Red Mountain beds '. Why is it that only one mammoth bed exists here in the jClintoa formation '. Our knowledge of the geological struc- ture is not yet sufficient to explain these apparent anomalies. The exposures of the Clinton ores on the S. E. side of the valley. — The examination of the Red Hematite ores on the south-east side of this valley next demand attention. Beginning at the head, or upper end of the valley, we find exposures of this ore in regular order, till we reach Green Wade's in S. 36. T. 12 of R. 3, east. From this point it does not appear again on the surface for fifteen miles 70 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. down the valley. It has been eroded away, and the ends of the Clinton formation covered over by Sub Carboniferous Chert. In Seo. 27, T. 12, R. 2, East, this formation comes again prominently to the surface, and the following section was obtained here: Section of Clinton Strata.— S. 27, T. 12, R. 2, E. Top bed. No. 1, round grained, rough ore 4 ft. 0 in. Rock soft yellow 3 ft. 7 in. 2d Bed. No. 2, Fossiliferous ore 0 ft. 3 in. 3d Bed, not seen, rock and clay 15 it. 0 in. 4th Bed, or No. 4, blue colored, soft ore 3 ft. 0 in. Rock hard 1 ft. 6 in. 5th Bed (No. 5), soft, dark brown ore 4 ft. 0 in. Total Clinton strata 31 ft. 4 in. And carrying 11 feet 3 inches of iron ore. From base of 5th bed to Black Shale was 50 feet only, while between the 4th and 5th bed was a bar of rock 18 inches thick. Below bed No. 5 the rocks were covered up, so that the position of the Clinton to the underlying strata could not be seen. This was probably near the fault line. Only silt and clay covered the surface along the base of the Clinton for some miles. This was the only place, for many miles, that the 5th bed was clearly seen. Nor was it seen, or supposed to exist, in the Red Mountain opposite to this place. But this need not excite surprise ; the ore beds are driven identical on both sides of the valley, at right angles with the strike. The Clinton ores on this side of the valley are all con- tained in the long strip of reversed strata heretofore describedy cut off by a deep fault and sunk on the N. W. side. They hence dip to the N. W. at a high angle, usually 30° to 45°. Where these ores show close to the line of the fault, they extend under ground but a short distance, only till the fault is reached. In the adjoining section 34 a good show of ore existed a few years ago. A bed four feet thick stood up on the bank of a little stream. It was just at the fault, the stub end of a bed. During a freshet this was undermined MUKPHREE'S VALLEY ; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 71 and swept away. That stub end was all of it. In very many places on this side of the valley, in the low places de- nudation has cut below and swept away all the beds. In the low grounds, if the beds cannot be seen, the probability is that they do not exist. As a rule, the high grounds only can be calculated on to yield much ore. Even they are sometimes deceptive, as occasionally they may be near the fault. An instance that occurred near this place will show this. A speculator, who was trying to sell again, sunk a pit on a good seam ot ore four feet thick. To show that it main- tained its thickness and quality, he wished to cut it again at the depth of 25 feet. He continued to dig, and at 14 feet from the surface came to the fault, where the iron stopped. These remarks are thrown in here, because this structure not being generally understood, many have built high hopes on iron prospects, which are visionary, and many have in- vested money in such property, on which they will never realize. In the N. E. £ of section 33, same township, some small openings had been made, but not sufficiently deep to show the thickness of the beds, or to identify them. No good ore was seen in this section. A thin streak of Clinton strata, but carrying very inferior ore, runs along the S. E. edge of the brown ore in the S. E. i of 33, and the N. W. of S. 4, T. 13, R. 2, E. It is again seen in the S. E. i of Sec. 5, but unimportant both in quantity and quality. The space where it should exist has been deeply eroded by a stream of water, and probably the better portion of it has been swept away. Through sections 12 and 13 of T. 13, R. 1, E., there is scarcely any sign of ore remaining. On a few higher points, only a little can yet be seen... The Sparry or Cambrian Limestone, which comes to the surface first in Sec. 5, T. 13, R. 2, E., is now a prominent member ; and as the S. E. edge of it is on the line of the great fault, the presence or ab sence of the Clinton can be clearly told. If the next mem- ber adjoining this limestone is the Lower Siliceous, or the LaGrange, then it is certain the Clinton has been engulfed in the fault. If the space between these formations and the 4 72 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. limestone is sufficient to contain the Clinton, then we may be assured of its presence, though covered by debris of other formations. In the S. E. i of Sect. 12, this limestone and the Lagrange sandstone come together; the Clinton and Lower Siliceous therefore have both gone down in the fault. In a portion of section 13 only a part of the Clinton has dis- appeared. A little farther S. W., in the same section, the Clinton comes up in a bold ridge, with Lower Siliceous Chert scattered over its surface. Several openings have been made here; ore generally shaly and poor. The top bed measured two feet; ore of fair quality. In these two sections 12 and 13 much labor has been lost in searching and digging for iron ore. Not because it does not exist, but because the labor was not expended in the proper places. In the S. E. £ of S. 13 there is a notable example of the Clinton, after being for a space engulfed in the fault, again coming above. the surface near the Chepultepec and Spring- ville road. For a quarter of a mile the Clinton does not show, it is below the surface; then it rapidly rises into a ridge 70 feet high. Near the N. E. end of this ridge, in a pit, its strata were seen dipping N. E. 75°. In a short space farther to the S. W., or down the ridge, it resumed its u^ual N. W. dip. It was very evident, therefore, that the N. E. end of this ridge had been forced up, almost vertically at the end of the submerged portion. It makes a prominent ridge for over half mile. In the eastern part of section 23, most of the Clinton is again beneath the surface. In the S. W. ± of N. E. i of S. 23 T. 13 R. 1, E; on the lands of J. P. Box, the iron ore beds are again brought to the surface. A bed of hard, solid, rough ore, was here seen two leet thick, lying close to the Black Shale, with no visible intervening rocks. It is certainly the bed classed as No. 1 in the general section. The nonexistence of roofing rocks above it is a local peculiarity. On the same tract at a lower level, a bed of similar ore was seen, of about the same thickness. It is probably the same bed. The rocks were not exposed so as to decide definitely?and relative levels, afford no criterion for identifying ore beds on this- side of the vallev. The MURPHREE'S VALLEY ;, ECONOMIC G-EOLOGY. 73 strata are flexed upwards, and downwards, with very great irregularity. Some other small beds had been cut on this tract, but they were apparently unimportant. Slight indications of manganese were also seen on this tract, and the one south of it, in the same section. A small body of it probably exists here in the Lower Siliceous strata. Towards the western side of S. 23 the surface show of iron ore becomes much better — and extends into Section 22 (S. E. corner.) Several small holes had been dug on it, at several places. At an early period of the mineral excitement, one mile in length of the lode, (or "lead" as it is called,) was sold to a speculator for twenty-five dollars per acre, being a strip one mile long, by a quarter mile wide. As this property was considered very valuable, and supposed to contain a great quantity of excellent ore, it received very careful attention. A branch, or little stream of water, has cut through the Clinton near the principal exposures of the ore, and laid bare its entire structure. A sharp backed ridge runs south on the S. W. side of the branch, and E. N. E. on the other. The strike of ore does not conform to the trend of these ridges ; but crosses them at an acute angle. Ore is therefore shown on both sides of the E. N. E. ridge, and on the top of the other. The dip is different on the two sides of the branch. On the N. E. side it is N. W. 18° — on the other side N. W. 70°. Hence there is not only at this point a great change in the dip, but the trend also makes an obtuse angle. But these though peculiar features, do not complicate the structure. The Black Shale shows on both sides of the branch, and from it the Cambrian Limestone is 100 feet surface measure. The change in .the dip rendered it impossible to calculate the vertical thickness of the Clin- ton here with accuracy, but it is between 40 and 60 feet. The best show of ore is at the side ot the -branch — thick- ness 30 inches — 24 inches of this solid, and uniform — will yield about 40 per cent, of iron — the other six inches infe- rior. Higher up the ridge, the same bed had again been opened on the east side. The bed is here 20 feet irom the Black Shale. It is hence the upper bed or No. 1 — measured 74 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. here nearly 30 inches, ore rather soft, carrying perhaps 35 per cent, of iron — Bed No. 2 not here — A shaly stratum of irony matter about one foot thick, seen only on the N. E. side, evidently represents B3d No. 3 ; of no value. On the western side of this ridge bed No. 1 again crops out; ore about the same as at the branch not cut through, and thick- ness unknown.* The trend of this ore is evidently towards the fault in a S. W. direction and if it does not change after leaving the ridge, it cannot possibly run far in that direction. On the south side of the branch the rocks are naked from the ore bed almost to the fault. Only one bed of ore exists here — the same one seen on the other side« It here measured 17 inches — 35 per cent, of iron. Two hundred yards S. W. from this branch is a good ex- posure of the Black Shale, and the strata beneath it for twenty yards. B'ut very little of thesa strata could be identified as Clinton. It was certainly the crumbled debris that filled up the fault, where the Clinton had sunk. No ore fragments even, could be found here, or in any part of the low ground. For half a mile to the S. W. the line of the fault is marked by a depression between the Cambrian Limestone and the Lower Siliceous. It is not believed that any iron ore or even Clinton strata will be found there. On a higher point which juts down into this depression, an opening had been made and some ore evidently of the upper bed, had been taken out. It was evidently not thick. In another pit dug on the same line but on lower ground it was not found. No further indication of the existence of iron ore, was found on this tract. It is therefore evident that nearly all of the available ore, contained in this greatly over-rated property, lies within a hundred yards, or less, of the branch which cuts through it. That the average thick- ness of its single bed is less than 2 feet of ore. In the S. E. i of S. 22 same Tp., the Clinton strata be- came still thinner, surface distance across it 50 feet, and in *Since this was written several cuts have been made here — ore 1 foot thick, and much faulted. MURPHREE'S VALLEY; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 75 the S. E. i of the S. E. ± it sinks beneath the surface. The upper bed of iron ore was found on this tract, about the same thickness and quality as in Sec. 23. At the point where the last of the Clinton passes beneath the surface, a new member, not heretofore seen in this val- ley, is largely exposed. It is the Keokv.k Limestone of the Lower Siliceous formation. It is here, at once a heavy member, and though its geological relations cannot be seen here, yet it continues into section 27, where its relations are clearly seen. This member might, from its appearance, be yen- readily mistaken for the Carboniferous or Mountain Limestone — and if seen only at this point, would be so re- garded, even by sharp-eyed geologists. But when traced farther its position is seen to be beneath the LaGrange or Oxmoor Sandstone, and just above the Biack Shale, and hence a member of the Lower Siliceous group — its lowest member. It is here a very pure semi-Crystalline limestone — about 100 feet thick. On entering Sect. 27 in the N. -i- of the N. E. J we pass directly from the top of the Keokuk Limestone on to the top of the Clinton — the former having been lapped over on the latter, for the last half mile. The Clinton is here in a high narrow ridge. Some iron ore of good quality is seen in it. belonging to the 1st and 2nd beds, but the quantity is incon- siderable. The ridge has the appearance of being princi- pally made up of Clinton strata, and the distance from the 1st ore bed to the first Cambrian Limestone, is over 200 feet. This with a dip of 45C would give it a thickness of over 100 leet. But no other beds, or fragments from them, could be •found. It is probable that the Limestone comes much closer here than it appears to do, and that it is covered over by debris from the Clinton. This is seen to be the case 200 yards to the S. W. The Clinton here becomes very narrow — not more than 50 feet thick, and in the S. W. ± of the N. E. i it is yet much thinner. A stream cuts through it (the Wade Gap stream) near this, or in this tract. The rocks are exposed, and gave the following section, as measured at right angles with the strike : 76 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. Section in S. 27, T. 13, R. 1 E. Black Shale Dip 45 N. W. Hard seamy sand rock loft. Shale and soft rock 11 " Iron ore No. 1 8 in."^ " 2 2 " j Shale. « 3 3 to 4 « ' 7 " Shale. f » 4 4 " Shale. Shale and debris. Whole thickness ol iron ore. 18 in. Total thickness of Clinton 33 ft. It seems that the Clinton diminishes in thickness in pro- portion to depth, and proximity to the fault, at least, at this place. Through the remainder of this section, no ore beds, or any evidence of their existence, were found. They seemed to have been entirely swept away. In the E. -J of the S. E. J of Sect. 28, same Tp., a good show of ore is presented on several high points. It was principally from bed No. 1 — ore of average quality. The pits which had been dug on it, were filled up, and its thick- ness was not seen. The existence of bed No. 3 was also shown by the outcrop, but it had not been opened. From appearances the top bed was supposed to be 2 to 3 feet thick, the other, less probably than two. Through the N. W. of the S. E. of Sect. 28 there is evi- dence of the existence of iron on the high points — though very little of it was seen. Through the remainder of this Section the Lower Siliceous joins the Cambrian Limestone, sometimes lapping over on it. Occasionally the LaGrange Sandstone is seen close to the limestone. In all such places the Clinton has gone down in the fault. This arrangement continues to the Township line, and in a greater, or less de- gree, to the middle of Sect. 6, T. 14, R. 1 E. Through the space thus passed over, though some ore has been found, MURPHREE'S VALLEY; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 77 « yet the beds are not continuous, and are so deranged by the irregularity of the strata, as to be of uncertain value. From Sect. 6, T. 14, K. 1 E., to Sect. 5, T. 13, R. 2 E., a distance of nine miles, the fault which cuts off the Clinton in its N. W. side, is evidently deeper than in any other part of the valley. The Clinton is often split off and divided, or entirely sunk, and seldom rises GO high as not to have its lower parts denuded away. Hence the many breaks, and gaps, and irregularities observed in that portion of the valley. This irregularity does not entirely cease till the middle of S. 7, T. 14, R. 1 E. is reached. In S. E. corner of S. 6, T. 14, R. 1 E. a small ridge of Clinton strata, which only runs a short distance, -makes a very good show of ore. In about 100 yards this is covered over with the talus of the newer strata. Probably it again sinks, as otherwise it might be again seen a quarter of a mile farther on. For the space of the next quarter or half mile it cannot be known, with our present means, whether or no, the Clinton is above the level of the valley, as the whole surface is deeply covered by detritus of the Coal Measures, brought down by a small stream 'which cuts the Straight Mountain opposite this place. In S. 7, T. 14, R. 1 E., begins a prominent ridge of Clin- ton, which continuas with slight gaps to Sect. 13 of T. 14, R. 1 W. ' This is a high ridge, and contains a very fine body of Red Hematite ores. In the N. E. of the S. W., on the lands of Mr. Hullett, the best view of the whole structure was obtained. A little stream had here cut through the Clinton ridge, exposing in part of its course, the naked rocks, and one ore bed. Several pits had also been dug, and three beds were well exposed. The two upper beds had not been searched for ; and they were not observed in the bed of the stream, being probably covered by loose rocks. Their existence here is certain ; many samples, especially of No. 1. were found on top of the ridge — and its position was there plainly shown on the surface. A few samples of No. 2 were also picked up, but the bed here is evidently not prominent. At this place the Cambrian Limestone so far as could be 78 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. seen, did not approach close to the base of the Clinton ridge. Some limestones, which did not posses its characteristics, were seen near this place, lying between it and the Clinton. They were assumed to be Trenton limestone. If this is correct, then the depth of the Clinton, before reaching the fault, is greater here than in any other part of the valley. And its ores here will reach far below the water level, while in many parts thit have already been described they scarcely reach to it. A section through the Clinton, shows at the Hullett gapr the following measurements : From Black Shale to base of 5th ore bed, 175 feet — sur- face measure. 1st and 2nd beds not seen. 3d bed solid, first-class ore 9 feet. Rock, and earthy material 50 " 4th bed, limy ore, dark crystallized 5 u Shale, and probably rock 15 " 5th bed, soft, fine grained, dark ore 14 " Lime-rock. Some doubts' naturally arise on the classification of the ore beds at this place. That they stand, as here shown, is self-evident. But if the one marked 3d be really the 3d led, it carries here an ore very widely different from what it does elsewhere. The ores of the 4th bed are also different from what it usually carries, and partake of the character of the fifth bed. Yet we must accept their position, and anomalies here, or assume, that the 3d bed has disappeared and that the 5th bed has been divided and the two parts separated by 15 feet of strata. This would tend to harmonize the contents of the beds here, with what obtains elsewhere. But we have as yet, no facts to support this assumption. And hypotheses, or assumptions, unsustained by facts, do not pass current in geological investigations. These doubts must therefore hold till farther development places aditional facts within our reach. The ore of the bed marked 3d is mainly linticular with occasional round grains, dark brown to blue steely grey — MURPHREE'S VALLEY; .ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 79 solid yet pulverent — judged to carry 12 to 14 per cent, of Silica, and about 50 per cent, of metallic iron. Its associa- tion here, with the 4th bed of good limy ore, is probably of considerable economic interest. The 4th bed will furnish lime enough to flux itself, and most of the 3d bed also. This is the first time the 5th bed has been seen in any appreciable quantity for twelve miles. Its ore is such as it usually carries, rather soft where opened, but will probably be harder when better roofed in. The height of the ore ridge is from 125 to 150 feet. All the way up its face large quantities of ore are exposed on the surface, mainly from the 3d bod. Near the top of the ridge this bed seems to be much thicker than at the base, this may be only apparently so — yet such a thickening up- wards has been seen in many places heretofore. Along the top of this ridge samples from the 1st bed with their char- acteristic fossils were not uncommon. It had not been opened, and its existence had been overlooked. A little farther, say from a quarter to a half mile N. E., at the base of the ridge, an opening had been sunk down to the 4th bed, its thickness here could not be seen, and it showed no special features. S. W. from the Hullett gap in the same i Sect, was found another little gap on the lands of E. J. Cozby that exposed part of the structure. The 3d bed here measured 10 feet, but with irony clay parting 3 feet thick in the middle. A large portion of the space between the 3d and 4th beds is here filled with iron limestone. It could not be accurately measured, but is about 50 feet thick — then sandstone 4 feet. Then iron limestone of better quality than the upper ledge 22 feet. Beneath this, a partly exposed bed of soft, dark iron ore — the oth bed; thickness unknown. It is wonderful that in the short space of quarter of a mile the limy 4th bed, 5 feet thick, should expand and loose itself in such a mass of iron limestone. Through the remainder of Sect. 7, iron ore shows pro- fusely on the surface, and in all the little hollows in this ridge. The third bed is generally prominent. But iron ore 80 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. has been cut at so many places, and at different levels, that it seems probable splitting of some of the beds has occurred. The Clinton ridge becomes gradually lower toward the S. W. side of Section 7, but continues to carry large amounts of iron ores. There is probably more iron ore in the mile and a half just passed over than in any equal length of the Clinton on this side of the valley. South-west of the 1st principal meridian line, in S. 13, T. 14, R. 1 W., the Clinton ridge sinks still lower until its top is almost on a level with the floor of the valley, and so continues mainly into S. 24. Very little ore is found along this sunken portion ; yet it may exist beneath the water level. In the corner of S. 24 a bed of iron ore was seen — nearly 3 feet thick, but rather inferior in quality. It occurs in large coarse blocks, like carbonate ore, and its position in the Clinton was not apparent. On the lands of Green Posey in S. 24, T. 14, R. 1 W., is found a large deposit, or ledge of the Lower Siliceous, or Keokuk Limestone. It is probably as large and thick as the one at the Wade Gap in S. 27, T. 13, R. 1 E., but not gen- erally of as good quality, though it contains much very pure lime rock. In the face of this limestone bluff a deep cave extends rapidly downwards. It evidently carries off the waters of the branch which sinks near its mouth — it may be an extensive one, but is not known to have been explored. South and East of this cave and limestone bluff, and from fifty to one hundred yards distant, the Lagrange or Oxmoor, Sandstone makes a prominent ridge, with rocks standing almost vertical, and some of them of imposing height. This place is about half a mile South of Remlap Station on the Birmingham Mineral R. R. From near Remlap to Mt. Pinson, or Turkey Creek, the Sparry or Cambrian Limestone is not exposed. The Lower Silurian Chert adjoins, and often laps over on the Clinton. In this portion of the valley the depth of the break, and the amount of displacement of strata by the great fault is, lessened by 500 to 1000 feet. South-west from Remlap about a mile, in S. 23, T. 14, R. MUKPHREE'S VALLEY ; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 81 1 W., on the lands of Reuben Little, the Clinton Ridge is abruptly thrust up again to the height of 150 feet, for a dis- tance of half a mile. About fd of its length on the N. E. end is wholly composed of Lower Siliceous Chert. The other end wholly of Clinton Strata, carrying a large amount of good iron ore. An opening into a seam of ore on the top of the ridge showed a N.0E. dip of 80°. At other openings the dips were different, and much less, some slightly to S. E., others to the N. W., while the strike of the seams is across the ridge, or from S. E. to N. W. The S. W. end of the ridge slopes gently down to the level of the valley, and apparently below the level of the Clinton. The structure of this solitary ridge is very peculiar, and unique. An explanation of why it presents those features, or an attempt to trace out the dynamic forces that produced this structure, will not in our present state of knowledge be attempted. Our mission now is to trace, and point out the locations of the induscrial materials of economic value, and their development. A large amount of good iron ore exists in this little soli- tary ridge, and in j^sition that is available for easy mining, and transportation. On the S. E. side of the ridge a long trench had been cut from the base of the ridge upwards, which showed the following section : Section in S. £3, T. 14, R. 1 W. Red hematite ore 3 feet. Thin shaly sand rock 3 " Red hematite ore 17 " From the base upwards. This ore was all of the same quality and structure, and evidently one bed 23 feet thick, with rocky parting three feet from the bottom, giving 20 feet of ore. The ore of this bed is of similar structure and quality to the bed at Hullett's Gap, classed as No. 3, in Sect. 7, of T. 14, 1 E. Differing from that only in being of more uniform brown color, and having a greater number of -round grains, 82 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. varying from the size of small peas to sorghum seed, im- bedded in it. This ore is above the average in grade. It resembles the great bed at TurJ>ey Creek, but is not quite equal in quality. The natural drainage here is perfect, and the advantages for mining are all that could be desired. On the slope of this ridge to the S. W. this bed has been removed. Its out crop is very plainly seen on the N. W. side of the ridge, but it had not been opened on that side. Several prospect holes had been sunk to strike this ore at other places, but for want of knowledge of the changes of dip they were improperly located. In one of these another bed was struck, which may be the 4th bed. It was too much filled up to get its dimensions, or judge fairly of its quality. Lower down amd near the foot of the slope, at the S. W.. end, ore had been found in several places of the same quality as the big bed above. They were probably slides,, but so abraded as to hide their relations. Between them and the big bed was the evident out crop, of what was re- garded as the 4th bed. Two hundred yards, or about that distance, from this out crop, S. S. W. on the N. W. £ of N, E. i of S. 26, at a lower level, an extensive pit had been dug, uncovering the 5th bed. No ore was seen, as the dirt had partly filled up the pit. But the information obtained from the citizens, who had seen the pit dug and the ore measured, was that "the pit was sunk to the ore and it was uncovered to nearly the whole length of the pit ; that it measured across the bed 22 feet." The ore was represented as soft, fine grained, and very dark colored. These are the general descriptive points of the 5th bed. There was noth- ing shown here by which the dip could be ascertained, and hence the actual thickness of this bed here could not be de- termined. No iron limestone seen here. A little farther S. W. on the same tract of land in a ridge flanked by Lagrange or Oxmoor Sandstone on the South, some good pieces of manganese ore were found, and a larger show of manganiferous limonite ore. Probably both exist here in sufficient quantity to be of value. The indications, are sufficient to encourage the labor of testing. MURPHREE'S VALLEY; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 83 Just below the body of iron ores last described, the Clin- ton sinks again beneath the surface. For a mile it is en- tirely engulfed, and the greater part, sometimes all, of the Lower Siliceous also. The LaGrange and the lower mem- bers of the Silurian (Knox) Chert join together at the fault. Opposite this sunken portion of the Clinton, in S. 26, the LaGrange or Oxmoor Sandstone is a very massive, vertical ledge, through which flows that branch of Village Creek which rises in Spradling's Cove, or "Wild Cat Cove" as it is often called. The region up this branch presents some very notable features. On the left or eastern side is a large ex- posure of Carboniferous or Mountain Limestone, flanking the south western end of Raccoon Mountain Coal Field. A vertical thickness of about 200 feet of the limestone is showr* here, and much of it of very good quality. Its base covered by talus is nowhere seen from the edge of Murphree's Valley to Wild Cat Cove. While on the opposite or western side of the branch at the same level is found only Lower Siliceous rocks and LaGrange Sandstones. And a half mile farther west the LaGrange is at a higher level than the opposite limestone. A very considerable difference of level produced either by fault or flexure exists here. On entering the Cove still greater complications of strata are seen. The floor of the Cove is of Carboniferous Limestone, and Lower Siliceous Chert ; its western margin of LaGrange Sandstone, its eastern and southeastern side is Trenton Lfmestone and Clinton Strata, both vertical at the edge of the Cove and also showing much difference in level at different points. On the lands of George Chamblee in S. 11, T. 15, R. 1 W., on a seam of iron ore, the difference of level is over 100 feet in a space of 125 yards. The identity of the seam as seen at both places could not be mistaken. Both places showed about the same thickness, the same ore, the same underly- ing rocks. On the east side, where it was dipping very gently to the northwest, the bed was well exposed, showing upwards of four feet of soft, fine-grained, dar£ colored ore, a little better in quality than the general average of this bed. There is no question of its identity. This is the 5th bed, and 84 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. although only a little over 4 feet of ore was shown, yet it also carries a considerable thickness of pulverent, irony matter, which probably will be solid ore farther in. Above it, though not in close contact, was a good thickness of irony limestone, and above that another bed of iron ore about 3 feet thick of average quality. These were the only beds found in this section. But they were found in nearly all the numerous exposures of Clinton, which this Cove, and Clayton's Cove, farther to the South, present. The region of these Coves is crossed by many faults trend- ing in different directions. They are too numerous to ad- mit of clear description. Two of these are prominent be- tween Clayton's Cove, and Spradling's Cove. Their trend is N. E. and S. W. The N. W. side of each is heaved more than the whole thickness of the Clinton. It hence faces the S. E. and dips N. W. till the next fault is reached. It again is thrown up above the surface with a N. W. dip. Thus a double exposure of the Clinton is given in that por- tion, and a great amount of iron ore is rendered available. This N. W. dip terminates at the vertical Trenton and Clin- ton strata, heretofore noted at the S. E. edge of Spradling's Cove. A fault trending nearly N. and S. for a short dis- tance, exists here, with several hundred feet of displacement of strata. Between this fault and the great Murphree's Valley fault, the, dip is southeast. Spradling's Cove is an area of depression, th*e meeting line of the N. W. and S. E. slope^ and yet it is floored with sub-Carboniferous strata, while Silurian strata rises high above it on both sides. It may be here remarked that the whole region, embrac- ing Spralding's, and Clayton's Coves, and their out lying ridges — in the fork, or bifurcation of the great Birmingham and Cahaba valley, is a region of much faulting, and diverse •displacement. Yet the stratum brought prominently to the surface by these faults, and displacements, is the iron bearing Clinton. And that in consequence of these faults a vastly greater breadth of ore, can be reached, and a much greater number of productive mines can be operated, than if these faults had not existed. This region is destined to be a rich MURPHREE'S VALLEY ; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, £5 mining region; a busy field of productive enterprise*. Only transportation is wanting to make its mineral treasurer available now. We resume the description of the Murphree's Valley ores5 at the point where the head waters of Village (Gurley's)^ Creek break through the vertical wall of LaGrange Sand- stone, in S. 26, T. 14 of R. 1 west. This appears to be atr or near the south west end of this peculiar structure — this- minor fold. It terminates opposite the termination of the Blount Mountain Coal Field. From this point south-west- ward for several miles this valley is a single fold — a simple anticlinal with the great fault at its apex, and the strata dipping from it, to the S. E. and N. W. The fault is now a little closer to the S. E. edge, or side of the valley, than heretofore, and its position is often obscured by the drift and talus from the mountain. The Lower Silurian (Knox) Chert on one side, and the Lower Siliceous (Sub-Carbonif- erous) on the other give a close approximation to the divid- ing fault line. No Clinton seen along the line till the N. E. i of S. 34 of this Tp. is reached. About a half mile east of Village Springs, on the top of a high sharp ridge, the upper members of the Clinton again come to the surface. The well known 2nd seam of fossiliferous, or Encrinital ore is here standing above the surface. On top of the ridge it is almost vertical, and gradually changing to a steep S. E. dip farther to the south-west. There is here not only a steep S. E. dip, but also a rapid declination of the ore bed to the south-west. On the descent the First, or top seam of the Clinton, be- comes also exposed. These two seams are close together, though^ not united as they are at the Worthington Mines in S's 22 and 28 on the opposite side of the valley. And with the further difference that the 2nd bed here is much thicker, and is first class ore, carrying 55 or 6 per cent of metallic iron, while the first or top bed is probably a little interior. But as no openings have been made here, a reliable opinion of quantity or quality could not be entertained. East Red Mountain begins at the gap where the Village Springs and Spralding's Cove road crosses the mountain, or 86 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. rim of the valley. South-west from that, the Clinton is found capping the mountain, and the Trenton* Limestone making its base. The mountain is thence regular in its structure, and in all respects similar to the western or main Red Mountain of Murphree's Valley. From Village Springs its trend is S. S. W. to 8. thus very materially increasing the width of the valley below that place. For a few miles it is a well defined ridge, or mountain, but becomes broken up into knobs, and detached fragments, and disappears in the bi- furcation of the valley — in that broken up region heretofore referred to, lying between the north-eastern, and south-east- ern prolongations of Jones' valley. The Red Mountain, or Clinton ridge terminates, but the whole region lying between the forks of the valley, and the terminal end of Raccoon or Blount Mountain, is its equivalent, and is mainly composed of Clinton and Sub-Carboniferous strarta, much disrupted, but possessing admirable economic relations. It holds the same iron ore beds, carrying about the same quantity and quality of ore that we have previously seen in this formation. In this region are also exposed large quantities of the flux rock, the Carboniferous or Mountain Limestone. It is pre- sented in large volume, in, and north of Spradling's Cove; north east of Clayton's Cove, and east of Clayton's Cove, in Bear Mountain, which is almost wholly composed of Car- boniferous Lime rock, and has also much Calcite, or pure Carbonate of lime. We close our description of the east Red Mountain, with one sample of its ores as characteristic of the whole — taken in S. 3, T. 15, R. 1, W. on the main mountain separating Spradling's Cove from Jones' Valley. An opening had been made here near the top of the moun- tain, on its western side, by John Rickles, who had long been a trusted agent of the Sloss Furnace Company. The open- ing was cut squarely in, on bed No. 1 of the General Section, and showed nearly three feet of good ore, about average quality for that seam. Dip 40° to S. E., crossing over the top of the mountain to the S. E. The slope of the mountain was found to be about 50° to the perpendicular. This. slope MURPHKEE'S VALLEY; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 87 being greater than the dip of the strata, soon brought the ore bed No. 1 to the surface on the S. E. slope of the moun- tain, where it was exposed in the gullies and washes on its sides. It is near the surface all along the S. E. face ot the mountain, and could be easily mined by stripping and sur- face working. The quality of the ore here is good, carrying about 50 per cent, of metallic iron. The underlying beds were not fully exposed at this place. Openings had not been made on them, but the surface show- ings very clearly indicated their presence. ESTIMATES. We have now passed over the bounds allotted to this ex- amination, and noted in detail all the prominent exposures of Red Hematite ore which it contains. These detailed des- criptions aimed at strict accuracy, so far as they went. Yet they necessarily fail to give, even if they could be all enum- erated, a clear and comprehensive idea of the total amount of ore contained in the region described. In attempting to show the quantity of ore, general terms had to be used. Quantities were said to be great, very great, vast, inexhaust- ible, etc. These terms are always indefinite, and many con- vey different meanings to different minds. To make the quantity of ore described clearly comprehensible by all, measurements made at various places must be aggregated, and computations made of the gross amount. Beginning then where description ended, in the upper part of Jones' Valley, say at Turkey Creek, there are there 29 feet of ore, the same at Village Springs, and probably for a good distance above, and making on that side for 10 miles an average thickness of say 15 feet. On the other side it varies in the same distance from 7 to 30 feet, and taking in the gaps will give an average for the 10 miles of at least 5 feet, making total aggregate thickness of both 20 feet. This may be considered as equivalent to a body of ore 10 miles long and 20 feet thick. Much of this ore can be advan- tageously mined up the slope of the mountain for half a mile, but assuming a quarter of a mile to be the average extent of 88 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. profitable mining. Each mile contains 5,162,666 cubic yards of smelting ore, and the 10 miles 51,626,660 cubic yards. The specific gravity of this ore is from 3 to 4, usually 3.8-10. Estimated at 3, it weighs over 2-J tons to the cubic yard, or 12,906,665 tons per mile. Each mile would supply a 100 ton furnace, in constant blast, with 200 tons per day for 176 years. And assuming the net product of iron to be 45 per cent., would yield over 5,800,000 tons of ironf which at present prices would represent a gross valuation of over $116,000,000, or for the 10 miles from Turkey creek to the Blackburn Fork of the Warrior, a total gross value of $1,160,000,000. To avoid any appearance of exaggeration in this calculation, the Cove ores were omitted, the beds assumed to exist only where already seen, the mining area put below the actual, and the specific gravity of the ores taken over one-fifth too low. These it was thought would more than counterbalance the amount necessarily left, and wasted in mining. For the next 20 miles the ore is more uniform, though of less aggregate thickness, in the Red Mountain. But it is higher, and the extent of slope up which it may be mined is increased. In this portion it may be reckoned at 600 yards, or 1,036,800 square yards per mile. The beds show an ag- gregate of 5 to 11 feet. Assuming them only to average 5, and that the iron ore on the S. E. side would only add 1 foot to this, or a total for both sides of 6 feet, and that the spe- cific gravity is, as before, taken at 3. Then this area con- tains 42,240,000 cubic yards of ore, weighing over 105,600,000 tons. Sufficient to run 10 hundred-ton furnaces, or one every two miles, for 145 years. The next teu miles have not yet been sufficiently opened up to be estimated, but they will add something to the general aggregate, if they only add an amount equivalent to two miles of the preceding area, or 10,560,000 tons. Then this valley.holds by estimate over 245,226,650 tons of Red Hema- tite ore, with a spot cash value, at 15 cents per ton royalty, of over $21,000,000. The amounts are beyond the grasp of the ordinary mind, MURPHREE'S VALLEY; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 89 but they are more tangible than the general descriptive terms vast, unlimited, incalculable, and the like so often em- ployed. The brown ores will be next considered. BROWN IRON ORES — LIMONITES. There are six (6) different horizons in this valley that carry Brown Iron Ore, or Limonite Ore, as it is more pro- perly called. These, beginning with the lowest, and most important are : 1. The base of the Knox Dolomite, or base of Lower Silurian. 2. A little below the middle of the lower half of the Knox Dolomite, or 400 to 500 ft. above its base. 3. Near the top of the Knox Dolomite, but below the "Birmingham Breccia," where it exists. 4. In the base, or lowest member of the Trenton. 5. Near the top of the Siliceous Group, and beneath the LaGrange, or Oxmoor Sandstone. 6. The top of the Sub-Carboniferous, or Mountain Lime- stone. The ore is not stratified, or generally continuous for any great distance. It exists mainly as deposits, and these often widely separated. But wherever found in large or small quantities, in this or any of the other Silurian Valleys of Alabama, it is in one or other of these six horizons, and nevei scattered through any intermediate formation. Hence bearing this important fact in mind, the hidden deposits of this ore may be as systematically searched for and found as the beds of the Red Hematite ores. When it is remembered that all, or nearly all, of the brown ores that are known have been exposed by natural agencies alone, it can hardly be doubted that many more yet exist unknown, but which may be revealed by properly directed search and effort. For the purpose of showing where the brown ores may 90 , GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. be searched for with hopes of success, a more detailed de- scription of the several horizons is given. The First or Lowest Limonite Horizon — Is the top of the Upper Cambrian or base of the Lower Silurian. The top members of the Cambrian are usually heavy bedded, mas- sive, siliceous lime rocks. Sometimes in this valley these are covered by a thin member of coarse, rusty colored sand- rocks. Above this, in the Lower Silurian, but conformable to the underlying Cambrian, is the Lower Limonite horizon. No iron ore is found beneath this in our Silurian valleys. While the oldest member of the Knox Dolomite, or Lower Silurian is iron-bearing, the iron occurs in available quanti- ties only in certain localities. This ore is usually associated with, and imbedded in, large quantities of irony clay, or dark red ochre. Hence its presence in some quantity may be anticipated, wherever there is much of the latter, even though there is little or none of the ore exposed on the surface. The exposure of the base of the Silurian is along only a narrow belt in xthis valley, hence many exposures of this deep lying ore could not be reasonably expected. One of these, and the most prominent, is on the Township line between Tps. 12 and 13 of R. 2 East, and known as the Champion Mines. A de- tailed description of these will be given hereafter. From Champion Mines the ore may be traced along the base of the Silurian towards the S. W. to S. ^2, T. 13 of R. 1 E., where strong indications are found of the existence of an ore deposit, though it does not show on the surface. In S. 34, T. 14 of R. 1 W., near Village Springs, a body of brown ore is found, but as the Cambrian rocks do not there come to the surface, it is uncertain whether it belongs to this horizon, or the next one above. Also a deposit near Palmer's Station is left unclassed for the same reason. At Mt. Pinson the Cambrian rocks are again exposed, and this iron bearing horizon is a^so largely exposed for several miles to the S. W., and ^ives fine indications of holding bodies of iron ore. Good ore has been seen on the MURPHREE'S VALLEY; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 91 hills around here at the corresponding level, and shot ore is seen in the gullies on the red hill sides. Hence the ex- pectation that bodies, or deposits of ore may be found in this region, may be reasonably indulged. The Second Limonite Horizon — Is also in the Lower Silu- rian ur Knox Dolomite formation, about 400 to 500 feet above its base. The intervening space between these hori- zons is mainly destitute of iron. This horizon makes its appoarance much farther to the northeast in this valley than the former one. At the higher level where this portion of the Silurian first comes to the surface, in S. 18, T. 12 of R. 3 E., is a good exposure of it. Much ore is here scattered over about 40 acres of surface. Some of it very good ore, equal to the best. Some very im- pure, heavily mixed with chert, yet showing an amount of available ore of fair quality to invite development. It may be, probably is, much more extensive than is shown by the surface ore. The gentle slope of the hills here make it al- most certain that the ore body, 50 to 75 feet thick, may carry available quantities of ore much farther than it is seen on the surface. This belt, or horizon of ore, next makes its appearance on the Foster and Robinett places, in S. 13 or 14, T. 12, R. 2 E., and extends thence to the Byrd place in S. 22, T. 12, R. 2 E., nearly South of Hood's Cross roads. It here at- tains its greatest volume, or thickness. Certainly one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet. Much ore is shown on the surface, and the quality is almost equal to the first horizon at Champion Mines. But the ore is more scattered through a great mass of irony clay and ochre. The hills, almost wholly composed of this material, rise to the height of 100 to 200 feet above the valley. That much valuable ore exists here, is veiy evident, but whether the proportion of ore to the surplus mass of waste material is sufficient to make mining profitable, remains yet to be demonstrated. From this point toward8 the S. W. this belt of iron bearing strata diminishes in volume. It shows itself again in S. 31, 92 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. T. 12 of R. 2 E., in several ridges of ferruginous material, but carrying only occasional chunks of Limonite ore of no economic value. From thence south-westwards it is only an irony belt of chert rock. The Third Limonite, Horizon— Shows itself first still far- ther to the N. E. than either of the preceeding horizons. Its first prominent exposure is on the lands of Eli Bynum in S. 7, T. 11, R. 3, east. It is there an iron bearing stratum, probably 40 or 50 feet thick, and carrying small chunks of good limonite ore. The quantity apparently insufficient for profitable mining. From there it oan be easily traced south- westward for a long distance. Its exact position in the Silu- rian Chert formation is not so easily defined as the preced- ing horizons. There are no prominent rocks or ledges here to mark its position. The nearest approximation to its posi- tion is from 100 to 150 feet below the lower Conglomerate, or'fBirmingham Breccia." it is less prominent, but more persistent than either of the preceding horizons. It may easily be traced for the greater length of this valley. In some places it carries limonite ore, in others red hematite. In some places both limonite and hematite are found together, while in many others there is no ore, and only a thick belt of irony rocks marks its posi- tion. Usually in the upper part of this valley both the limonite and hematite deposits and beds are thin, and may not carry ore enough to be of economic value. But I am informed by a note from Dr. E. A. Smith, State Geologist, that in the lower part of the valley a bed four feet thick in one place of red hematite ore has been found in the Lower Silurian at Pratt's Ferry in Bibb county, and has been traced to Birmingham. It belongs either to this horizon or the next above it, the base of the Trenton. No others carry red hematite ores, so far as yet observed. The Fourth Limonite Horizon is in this valley unimpor- tant, as it carries but little ore. It is the base of the Trenton formation, or rather the magnesian limestone, which often MURPHREE'S VALLEY.; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 93 makes the base of the Trenton. At a few places along this line, limonite ore has been found ; and in at least one place in S. 20, T. 13, R. 1, E., in such quantities as to leave no doubt of its being a belt or horizon of limonite ore. The ore bed here, though not very extensive, is peculiar in car- rying a mixture of limonite and turgite combined. Also in S. 28, T. 14, R. 1, W.. near Village Springs, good limonite was found, which could only be referred to this horizon. The Fifth Limonite Horizon is more important. It is the upper part of the Siliceous Group of the Sub Carboniferous. The belt carrying ore does not seem to be continuous here, but in a few places it carries large amounts of good brown ore. One of these places is in S. 16, T. 12, R. 2, E. Ore of very fine quality exists here, and in quantity sufficient to establish this as a brown ore bearing horizon. It was seen at many places along Sand valley, at or near the base of the LaGrange Sandstone ; but the most prominent deposit of it occurs on the S. E. side of the valley in S. 5, T. 13, R. 2, E. It exists here in great volume between the Sub-Carboniferous Chert and the LaGrange Sandstone. Some of it is very cherty and impure, but much of it, especially the lower por- tion of the ledge, is excellent ore. Its surroundings here clearly show that this is Sub-Carboniferous ore, though, by faulting, it is thrown in close proximity to the Silurian ore of horizon No. 1. It is also seen at the base of the iron ridge in-S. 33, T. 12, R. 2, E., associated with the same Sub- Carboniferous rocks, and showing the same characteristics. The Sixth Limonite. Horizon is the top of Carboniferous or Mountain Limestone, or the base of the Sub-Conglomerate Coal Measures. Almost continuously along this line is found a belt of brown ore, though seldom in quantity sufficient to be of practicable value. The iron ore in this horizon is often good limonite, but generally sandy ; and in many places replaced by carbonate or spathic ore, some places in considerable volume. This 94 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. horizon is so well defined and easily recognized that further description is unnecessary. DETAILS. In the further descriptions of the brown ores of this valley they will be referred to their proper horizons, in connection with the locations in which they are found, and in consecu- tive order from the head of the valley to its 8. W. end. That portion of the valley lying N. E. of the Locust Fork of the Warrior river, called Bristow'ls Cove, exposes no brown ores on the surface. They very probably exist there as in other parts of the valley, but the uplift there has not been sufficiently great to bring the main brown ore bearing hori- zons to the surface. Only on the west side of the cove, at the foot of Sand Mountain on lands formerly belonging to Levi Murphree, deceased, there is a large show of spathic iron, it belongs to the 6th Limonite horizon. If the 5th horizon carries brown ore here, it is covered up by the drift and silt of Sand val- ley, and does not show on the surface! The oldest rocks exposed in the Cove is the top of the Trenton, hence the great brown ore bearing strata can not be seen. On the S. W. side of the river, about one mile south of where it cuts the rim of the valley, in S. 9, T. 11, R. 3, E., on the face of Sand Mountain, there is a good show of good brown ore, It belongs to the upper or 6th horizon. The quantity, as shown scattered along the face of the mountain, and its quality exceeds what is usually found in this horizon. In S. 15, T. 12, R. 3, E., on the lands of Wiley Bynum, is a deposit of brown ore of considerable extent, but uncertain thickness. It is generally very good ore, imbedded in rich red ochre ; bed not cut through, or any exposure- made that would show its thickness, or give any approximate knowledge of the quantity of the ore. So far as cut into, it showed chunks of small size, smooth and regular, and shot ore with but little admixture of chert or rock. This deposit belongs to the third horizon. A little farther to the S. W. in S. 18, T. 12, R. 3, E., is a MURPHREE'S VALLEY/, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 95 very promising exposure of brown ore belonging to the second horizon. While some of it is very cherty and sandy, yet much of it is good. No openings had been made on the deposit to show the condition of the ore underground, or to what extent it may Joe mixed with rock or gravel, or the proportion of ore to the mass of matter. These matters could not be determined by inspection of the surface ; yet the appearances indicate that it is a valuable though not a large body of ore. The same dre is again seen in S. 14, T. 12, R. 2, E. It is there in much larger masses and greater volume, and again in S. 22 of the same township, where it is largely developed. High, red, ochery hills, apparently carrying brown ore, extend still farther to the S. W. and W. But little ore was seen* however, on their surface, and notwithstanding their irony appearance they may not be ore bearing. Another small body of brown ore is found about one mile to the west of the last locality, in S. 21, T. 12, R. 2, E. It is not a thick deposit, and may not be valuable. It belongs higher up in the series. It is in the third Limonite horizon, and the absence of the Birmingham Breccia at this place puts it near the top of the Knox Dolomite. In the N. W. corner of S. 28, same Tp., this stratum of brown ore again is found in large sized masses, though most of it impure and cherty. And in several places in S. 29 it is found in good sized pieces of good ore. But probably no body of it is sufficiently large to be valuable. Near the S. W. corner of this section there is a prominent point with its sur- face nearly covered with limonite. The ore is of good qual- ity, and it is probably the best show of ore that is known at this horizon. One mile to the south of this is the great Limonite Ore deposit of the valley, once known as "Iron Ridge" but now designated and known as CHAMPION MINES. This great deposit of brown ore belongs to the 1st Lim- onite Horizon, lying at the very b^se of the Silurian. Min- 98 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. ing has been progressing here for several years, operated by J. W. Worthington & Co., and under the efficient manage- ment of Dr. Walls. The mines are three miles eastward from ONEONTA— in S's 32 and 33 of T 12, and S's 4 and 5 of T 13, R. 2 E. The works are mainly in the adjacent S's 4 and 33. Only two washers have as yet been started, these are sup- plied by water pumped into a large tank on the top of the ore ridge, and delivered by pipes to the washers as required. The daily out put is now about 300 tons which is shipped mainly to the furnaces at North Birmingham, by the Hiints- ville Branch of the Mineral R. R. A Branch R. R. connects these mines with the present terminus of the Birmingham & Huntsville Mineral R. R.. at Oneonta, and affords ample facilities for transportation. The ore of these mines by furnace test comes fully up to expectations. It carries less than 12 per cent, of silica — less than 25-100 of 1 per cent, of phosphorus, and yields from the furnace 56 per cent, of metallic iron. It is so easy of reduction, that the product of iron, in the small furnace at North Birmingham, is 15 tons per day, greater^ when using this ore, than when using any other that this valley affords. These tests are practical, and every way satisfactory — they demonstrate that this is among the best, if not the very lest ore found in Alabama. A much larger out put of ore could be made here, did the iron market justify increased expenditure. An increased water supply, which has been arranged for, would enable the out put to be increased at will. The present water sup- ply would not probably enable the company to greatly in- crease the product of well cleaned ore. Though by the use of steam shovels the out put was raised in 1891 to 10,000 tons per months; but as the ore was not always thoroughly cleaned, and freed from chert, they were discontinued. These works carried on by J. W. Worthington & Co., have now been in operation over three years, and as yet they have made but a small impression on this great body 97 of ore. Only the top stratum, over a small area, has been worked. The greatest depth to which they have yet pene- trated is 42 feet, and generally much less. The upper por- tion of this ore body, has the ore inclosed, or mixed with pulverent red ochery clay. Twenty-five solid feet of this mass yields one ton of ore .on an average. This is about one-tenth in bulk of ore, but much more- in weight. This light ocherous material is easily washed away, and the ore left clean. Below this top stratum, of as yet unknown thickness, is another stratum, carrying apparently richer ore, but imbed- ded in tough, or unctious, red clay — hard to wash — the min- ing, or cleaning of which, has not as yet been attempted. The foregoing notes embrace all the facts brought to light by three years mining on this deposit of ore. . A careful examination of all the exposed, adjacent and underlying rocks here, strongly impress the opinion, that this great body of iron ore occupies the site of a great basin, that existed here at the close of the Cambrian Period ; and was filled in at the beginning of the Silurian Epoch. The extent, or form of this great basin, holding the deposit under consideration, can not yet be determined, or approx- imated. We can not learn from the exposures made, whether the axis of the basin conformed in any respect, to the axis of the uplift. Or whether the great fault which sheared through it, with much displacement, cut it in the middle, or on the eastern or the western side. Only of one thing can we be certain, that the axis of uplift, and the great fault heretofore described, cut this deposit from N. E. to S. W. for about a, mile and a half; and for that distance exposed it on its N. W. side. While on the S. E. side, the corresponding portions of the deposit, are sunk from 1,500 to 2,000 feet beneath the surface. It is also probable that this deposit does not extend westward much, if any, farther than the west line of section 5. Though the great mass of irony clay, in which the ore is contained, extends a consid- erable distance beyond this line, but little ore has yet been 98 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. found in it. Deep boring only can determine its limits in a N. or N/E. direction. It has been suggested that this deposit does not extend in a S. E. direction from the S. W. end of section 5 — because on the face of the hill on the S. E. side of a deep gorge, the Cambrian Limestone is exposed, and no iron ore is there in connection with dt. This is not conclusive evidence, the great fault is at the S. E. edge of the Cambrian Limestone, not at the gorge. Denudation here, as in many other places, has not followed the line of the fault. And the deposit of iron ore has here been swept away from the line of the fault, to the bluff on the opposite or S. W. side of the gorge. A similar condition of things exists a mile to the N. E. in section 4, where the principal denudation is S. E. of the fault, in the LaGrange sandstone — leaving a portion of Lower Siliceous, and Clinton strata, at the fault, in direct contact with the great deposit of lower Silurian limonite. It would also be an unreasonable supposition to conclude that this great body of ore was terminated by the fault on the S. E. side. That would be such an abrupt ending, as would be inconsistent with the laws governing sedimentary deposits; and such as has no where been seen in any other strata. In the S. W. i of Sect. 5 the best, and only aproximate measurements, of this* great bed were obtained. The top of the deposit is the best sho^vn near the north line of that i section. Thence is a gentle and unbroken descent, over the edge of the deposit, in a S. E. direction, for a distance of a little over 450 feet to the Cambrian rocks; difference of level 'by aneroid measure, 45 feet. The Cambrian limestone, on which the ore is bedded, here dips N. W. 60°. But this is believed to be an exceptionally steep dip. The members of that limestone here are thin and shaly; and it has been everywhere noticed in this formation, that the thin members have been crushed by the thicker, and more rigid ones, so that they dip at all angles. In estimating therefore the av- erage dip of the strata, the dip of the thin shaly members must be disregarded,. and the true dip of the strata obtained, MI'RPHREE'S VALLEY; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 99 from the solid, heavy bedded, rigid members, whose dip is always found to be remarkably uniforn. At other points the dip found was always less than at the edge of the iron ore. It varied from place to place, but was no where to be found less than 10°. The average dip is certainly more, but to avoid an over estimate, it was hypo- thetically assumed that the dip of the iron ore is 10° N. W. That would give from the edge of the limestone a descent beneath a horizontal line, of 100 feet in 450 — the length of the slant surface. To this must be added the descent of the surface in that distance, 45 feet. Making the whole thick- ness of the deposit IJfd feet. But it is also probable that the limestone at this point, has been pushed up above the ore bed. It has that appearance. If so, the bed is thicker by the amount concealed by the limestone. It is also probable that the top of the slope, from whence the measure was taken, had been denuded, and was not therefore the actual top of the deposit. From all evidence therefore afforded here, it may be safely assumed, that this deposit is 150 feet thick. A little to the S. W. of this place, the limestone does not come to the surface, and the out-crop of the iron ore extends much farther down the hill, and therefore shows a much greater thickness of ore ; but how much of this might be due to sliding, could not be determined, and hence DO safe esti- mate could be made here. A quarter of a mile to the N. E. and near the middle of the same section (5) a wash has cut through the iron ore deposit. The limestone beneath it is slightly exposed on the S. E. side. This is the extreme N. E. end of the expos- ure of the Cambrian Limestone. The iron ore deposit has been denuded down to the level of the floor of the valley in a N. W. direction. Its out crop along this wash is mainly obscured by silt, and shows but little ore. The edge here is over 200 yards broad, from S. E. to N. W. On the face of the hill to the N. E. is shown from 150 to 200 feet of the irony clay which mainly constitutes the ore bed. The whole face of the hill is composed of it, but for a considerable distance no iron ore was found in it, and only 100 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. occasional chunks for a quarter of a mile. It is probable that the ore here, if it exists, is beneath the surface, and just above the limestone which here occupies a lower level. That it rises again in the N. E. i of Sect. 5 and N. W. of S. 4 and E. -J- of 33, is more than probable. The iron ore on these tracts shows boldly on the very top of the ridge and down for a considerable distance on its N. W. side. The ridge is about 200 feet high. Therefore either the limestone, the bed rock of the deposit, (for iron ore deposits always conform to their bed rocks), must be here pushed up, at least 100 feet above the base of the ridge, or the iron ore deposit must be assumed to have a very unreasonable thickness. All along this part of the ridge, the S. E. face of the deposit is masked, and the iron ore can only be seen near the top and on the N. W. side. The fault, as already noticed, is on the S. E. face of the ridge, and portions of Clinton and of Sub- Carboniferous strata are lapped up against the face of the Lower Limonite deposit. This effectually conceals the structure, and the probably underlying lime-rock. In this portion of the ridge, the ore is in larger masses, and in many places scattered more thickly over the surface, than toward the S. W. end. The breadth of the deposit exposed, and the quantity of iron seen, give no indication of the termina- tion of the deposit. But the ridge sinks, and the Lower Silurian strata gradually close over it, toward the N. E. It is probable that the deposit extends farther, perhaps much farther in that direction. It is much to be regretted that greater exposure or devel- opments have not been made in this great deposit, especially as it is the only one of its age, yet known, in which iron ore is exposed, in this valley. Its ore is good throughout, none inferior ; most of it the best of its class; it will yield through- out from 50 to 60 per cent, of metallic iron. A large per cent, of it is fibrous ore ; in some places it is nearly all of this quality, in others, very little is seen. Taking the de- posit all over, so far as yet seen, 20 to 25 per cent, of it is fibrous, or needle ore. It all carries less silica, and other MURPHREE'S VALLEY ;, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 101 impurities, than is usual with limonite, and is therefore a very promising ore for the manufacture of steel. Near this deposit on the S. E. side, is another deposit of limonite, which though locally adjacent to the Lower Limo- nite, is widely separated in geological position and time. It is the 5th deposit in the scale. It belongs to the Sub- Carboniferous horizon, just beneath the LaGrange sandstone. Its presence here adds much to the importance of this locality. And for the sake of greater compactness of de- scription, will be presented here, out of its order, but in its association. Immediately on the S. E. side of the great fault, in the S. W. i of S. 5, T. 13, R. 2 E., is the exposed edge of a great deposit of limonite ore. On the N. W. side ot it is a slice of Lower Siliceous strata, crumbled and comminuted, yet clearly showing the structure, and fossils of that period. A little farther to the S. W. the unmistakable Black Shale makes its appearance. On the South and Southeast of the ore, the LaGrange sandstone is plainly seen. The dip of all, as usual, is to the N. W. The geological position of this ore deposit is therefore demonstrated. The deposit appears to be about 50 feet thick. Though from evident slides on the S. E. side, its base could only be approximated. The upper portion of this deposit is generally too sandy. The larger portion of the ore is of that character for the upper eight or ten feet. Then a fair to good class of ore is carried, generally, in the remainder. The ore is not as uniformly good as in the Lower Limonite deposit, yet it has some ore equal to the best of that. Much of this ore is in large blocks and bowlders, and it is evidently more closely compacted, with less irony clay associated with it, than the other de- posit. The larger blocks are generally near the upper part of the deposit, while near the base, it is in smaller pieces. Southwest from this point it soon disappears beneath the surface, and but little of it is seen farther down. It prob- ably diminishes in volume very rapidly in that direction. In the S. E. i of Sect. 5 most of the deposit has been swept away, on^v a thin stratum of its base is occasionally seen. 102 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. Neither does it show in the W. ^ of S. 4, though it is prob- able that it exists here beneath the surface. But in the E. | of Sect. 4 and the S. E. i of Sect. 33, T. 12, R 2 E., it again becomes very prominent. It appears to come out from beneath the Lower Siliceous Chert, and is lapped up against the base of the ridge of Lower Limonite. Thickness still about fifty feet. Its scattered fragments cover the low ground as far down as the denudation has gone. Its quality here wiy average better than in Sect. 5. It seems every way equal to the Lower Limonite, though generally of a lighter color, and showing less fibrous ore. Ascending the ore ridge at this point, one passes first over the thick out- crop of this ore for 50 feet vertical; next Lower Siliceous crumbled Chert 50 feet ; then Clinton 50 feet ; then Lower Limonite ore standing out of, and on the surface, about 50 feet more to the top. Heretofore it has been the opinion that the ore at the top and bottom of the ridge were the same. That the ore at the base had rolled, or tumbled from the top. Yet inspection of the surface would have shown that there are no masses, or chunks of ore, on the surface of the Clinton, or the Lower Siliceous ; which would necessarily have been otherwise, if the ore at the base had come from the top. The inclination of the surface is such that masses of ore descending would have come to rest, on one part, as well as on another. Hence it might have been seen, even by those who did not understand the geological structure, that two different ore deposits exists here. But the deposit at the base of the ridge having been hitherto regarded as talus, has received no attention. Prospectors and specimen hunters have passed it by unheeded, or unaware of its exis- tence. And yet it is one of the great iron ore deposits of the valley. It is true it extends N. W. only to the fault line. And that the N. E. and S. W. extensions of it may both be engulfed in the fault. Yet a mass of ore like this, 50 feet thick, and easily accessible, will not be overlooked in the future, as it has been in the past. It is a remarkable freak of nature, which has here brought almost together, the only fad of lower limonite yet dis- MURPHREE'S VALLEY; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 103 covered, and the only valuable. portion of the 5th horizon, or Sub-Carboniferous Limonite. The two lest deposits of this ore, which this valley contains, are here brought into such: close proximity, as practically to make them one. The nor- mal position of this Sub-Carboniferous ore is about 1,500 feet above the Lower Limonite, yet it is here brought to the same level on the S. W. end and 150 feet below it at the N. E. end of the exposure. Another fact may be noticed, opposite the N. E. end of this limonite, a gap exists in the vertical wall, or edge of the valley, through which, and on the same level, can be reached several beds of coal, less than 1,000 feet distant from the iron. Thus making here a concentration of economic values, which probably cannot be paralleled. Should this coal prove suitable for the manufacture of ironr its apparent abundance and proximity to the ore, will give advantages for utilizing both in the vicinity, and greatly en- hance their relative values. In this great deposit of brown ore, there is no indication of any rock. It is a great mass of ochery, and ferruginous clay, with chunks, masses and particles of imbedded ore in- terspersed through it, apparently without regularity. In most places on the surface it is thickly strewn. If we should judge of the contents of the bed by the abundance of the surface specimens alone we should probably make an over- estimate, for the quantity on the surface is mainly due to denudation, which has carried off the surrounding clay, and left the iron ore. In some places the ore is in much greater quantities on the surface than in others; this may only be due in part to denudation. Probably the ore lies very irreg- ularly scattered through the bed, in bunches and pocketsr as is always the'case in limonite deposits. The proportion therefore of clay to the ore, cannot as yet be safely approxi- mated. In a few places where it has been dug into for a few feet, the proportion was about 3 or 4 of ore to 1 of clayr but these were places carefully selected, to show as much ore as possible, and none of them had gone deep enough to 101 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. foe certainly beneath the effect of surface accumulation. It is probable that throughout the deposit the proportion of •€lay to ore may reach 10 to 1 in bulk. This deposit is the only one certainly known to exist in the valley at this horizon. There are, however, good indi- cations of the existence of another, a few miles farther down the valley. Here is in S. 14 and 22 the exposed edge of a vast deposit of irony clay and ochre, rising into a hill or ridge 200 feet high, and occupying the same geological posi- tion as the Iron* Ridge or Champion Mines, and nearly as extensive. Though no iron ore is seen here on the surface, yet the probability of its existence in some part of this ochery ridge might be reasonably expected. That no other than the Champion Mines deposit of browii ore, of this age, has been exposed in this valley 'is not a matter of much surprise. Only along a narrow strip about half a mile wide and ten or twelve miles long is the base of the Silurian revealed, and its exposure made possible. Part of that great deposit happened to lie in that strip and was thus exposed to view. While other bodies of ore lying a little farther to one side would only have their edges of irony clay laid bare, and the ores all hidden by overlying strata. On the western side ot the valley in S. 20, T. 13 of R. 1 E., there is a body of brown colored ore in chunks and masses which would ordinarily be classed as limonite. But only some pieces or parts of each chunk yield the charac- teristic yellow streak and powder of true Limonite ore. Other parts give a yellowish red or a bright blood red streak like Turgite ore. Yet it has neither the color nor appear- ance of either Goethite or Turgite ore. It must be classed as an incomplete Limonite, carrying less than the normal amount of water of hydration. This kind of ore is not com- mon, only a few specimens had been heretofore seen. Were it abundant it would be more valuable than Limonite of the same grade of purity, because containing, say 5 per cent, less combined water, it has a correspondingly higher per- centage of hematite in a given weight of ore. This deposit MURPHREE'S VALLEY; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 105 is exposed only over a space of 20 or 30 yards long, and ap- parentJy 15 feet thick. No excavations have been made on it, and no safe opinion can be given of its contents. Its place is in, or closely connected with, the yellow magnesian limestone, at the 4th limonite horizon, or base of the Trenton. Other bodies of this ore may exist farther down the valley to the southwest. The red hills on the Reese, Cowden and Higginbotham places, strongly suggest its vicinity; but the base of the Trenton is here beneath the surface; denudation has not cut down to the iron bearing horizon. Near Village Springs, in S. 28, T. 14, R. 1 West, where the base of the Trenton is seen good limonite in large chunks was seen, but the quantity appears to be inconsider- able. Of the limonites lying at a higher level on the west side of the valley, the best out crop is in S. 16, T. 12, R. 2, E., on the east side of the Calvert Fork of the Little Warrior. Large masses of very good ore are seen here in close con- nection with, but below the LaGrange sandstone. The ore is very dark colored, apparently carrying some admixture of manganese ; this would reasonably be expected as this the 6th limonite horizon very nearly coincides with the man- ganese horizon in this valley. The ore bank has not been opened, and the natural exposure of ore is not sufficient to warrant the expectation of a large bed of it existing here. A few miles to the S. W., at this horizon is found a persist- ent bed of red chalk or red slaty ore, which seems in the main to have replaced the limonite. The ore is a lively red color, firm, slaty structure ; smooth, fine grained, with silky lustre. It would be valuable if sufficient quantity exists, but so far as seen the bed or seam was only from • six- to eighteen inches thick. More or less of it was seen for two miles along Sand Valley, but mainly in S. 25 T. 12 R. 2 E. South west of this section none of it was seen, only small bunches and specimens of limonite mark this horizon to the S. W. end of the valley. At the N. E. corner of S. 3, T. 13, R. 1, E., there is a fine exposure in a perpendicular face of the LaGrange sandstone 106 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. 100 feet thick, and beneath in deep sink, of 15 feet of soft, dark, aluminous shale. Near the top of the shale is a thin stratum of very sulphurous iron ore. This being protected from the weather by the overhanging cliff, has produced by union of the sulphur and clay slate, a sulphate of alumina, or alum in an impure state; also sulphate of iron or natural copperas. This was the source from which the women of the surrounding region obtained material for dyeing articles of domestic manufacture in the hard times of the past. On the opposite side of the valley in S's 13 and 23 of same Tp., was found brown ore in close connection with several thick sheets of yellowish red, hard stratified ore of low grade. And at one place in S. 13 a pit was sunk on a good show of limonite to the depth of 20 feet. At the depth of six feet the limonite had all been passed, and was re- placed by a stratum of hard dark colored ferruginous mate- rial very lean in iron, three feet thick, but which gradually diminished to one foot at the bottom of the shaft. This was all inclosed in a great bed of white clay, with red streaks running through it, and having a distinctly acid taste. This is in the 5th limonite horizon and a little below the La- Grange sandstone. At the same horizon in S. 24, T. 14, R 1, W., some large specimens of this ore were seen, south of Rernlap station on the B. & H. Mineral R. R., and also in S. 23 of the same township. Here on a hill capped by LaGrange sandstone, and sloping down to the valley, is found a good show of very good limonite ore, though generally in small nodules. They are scattered along the face of the hill, apparently in two bands for a breadth of fifty to sixty yards. The lower band showed larger pieces than the upper one, and was evi- dently mixed with manganese. Some good specimens of manganiferous iron ore were found here, and also some good samples of pyrolusite. Unfortunately no excavation had been made on this ore, nor test pit sunk to expose its quan- tity or structure. From the surface indications alone, it was inferred that the deposit was sufficiently large to be of con- siderable value, and very favorably situated for easy min- MURPHREE'S VALLEY ; ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 107 ing, and that manganese in some quantity and limonite were here either closely associated, or combined in the stratum. In this respect it is a very interesting locality ; and it was much regretted that an exposure ot the whole structure could not be obtained. Another good out crop of apparently the same ore is found in S. 34, T. 14, R. 1, W., and in S. 3, T. 15, R. 1, W. on the face of east Red Moun- tain. Some of it is seen near the top of the mountain where the public road crosses from Village Springs to Spradling's Cove, but it is gradually flexed downwards with the strata towards the S. W., and near the east line of section 3 its position is over 100 feet below the top of the mountain. The ore is very good, and apparently abundant. The out crop covering a space of from 75 to 100 feet. But often out crops in the steep face of a mountain show a much greater thickness than the ore body possesses. It is proba- bly so here. Yet if the body of ore is one-third or even one-fourth as thick as the out crops indicate, it is large enough for advantageous mining. The only uncertainty about the value of this lode is in the proportion of ore to waste matter it may carry. In this the cost o£ mining, and consequent value of an ore mine very greatly depend. In the absence of any excavation into this deposit, it is impos- sible to form any reliable opinion on this important point. When the demand for this class of ores becomes more pro- nounced this deposit will no doubt receive .the consideration due to its apparent importance. Many other small bodies of limonite have been observed at other points, which, from the small out crops presented, or their unfavorable surroundings, or the poor quality of ore were not considered likely to be valuable, and have not been mentioned. Two of the latter class lie about a mile from Village Springs, one north, the other north-east. The ore is very sandy, or mixed with chert — and yet this may only be the case with the upper part of the beds, which alone are seen. It is not uncommon for the upper layers of a limonite deposit to be sandy and worthless, and the lower 108 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. portion to carry good ore. Possibly this is the case in these deposits also. Following these descriptions of the quality, position, and location of the limonite deposits of Murphree's Valley, we pass to a brief examination, and estimate of the quanity of this ore which this valley contains. This is necessary to give the reader some practical and definite idea of the mag- nitude, importance, and value of these ores, and the space they must fill in the future industrial development of the State. * ESTIMATES OF THE QUANTITY OF LIMONITE ORES IN MUR- PHREE'S VALLEY. To estimate the quantity of ore in any deposit requires a knowledge of the thickness, and extent of the ore body ; and of the proportion the ore bears to the waste materials which make up the bulk of the deposit. When these data are obtained, an estimate of the approximate quantity of ore in the body is a mere matter of calculation. We have not as yet the necessary data on any of the limonite deposits of the valley except on that great body of ore known as the Cham- pion Mines deposit, including the adjacent Sub-Carbonifer- ous ore. The length of this deposit, in sight, is one and a half miles, or 2640 yards. Its breadth will average a quarter mile or 440 yards. Its depth 150 feet, or 50 yards— 58,080,000 cubic yards. On an average it requires about or nearly three cubic yards of the body to yield a ton of clean washed ore. This ratio gives 19,360,000 tons of ore as the mineral contents of the lower Silurian deposit alone. To this must be added about one-fifth for the ore contained in the adja- cent Sub-Carboniferous deposit, making by estimate the whole amount of ore at this place 23,232,000 tons. The latest statistics puts the whole number of Iron Fur- naces in the United States at 6*7, and their annual con- sumption of ore at 9,000,000 tons. At that rate of consump- tion there is enough ore at this place alone to supply all the or THE I NIVERSITY or MURPHREE'S VALLEY; ECONOMIC GEOfiwrr""" 109 furnaces in the United States for more than two years and a half; or one of the large furnaces of the Birmingham District, running continuously, for more than three hundred years ! What amount of ore may be realized from the other lim- onite deposits of the valley is as yet a matter mostly of con- jecture and speculation. But judging from their size, num- ber, and their apparent capacities, it would be a conserva- tive opinion, that in the aggregate they will yield more ore, by several million tons, than the Champion Mines deposit. This opinion may be predicated on the four larger deposits alone, without including the possible outcome of the numer- ous smaller ones, and hence that the capacity of this valley may be safely estimated at about 50,000,000 tons of avail- able limonite ore. As yet most of this superabundant raw material is unutil- ized. It awaits better facilities of transportation which will justify the extensive employment of capital and labor in its development. It is now probable that at no distant period the Huntsville Branch of the Mineral R. R. will be ex- tended to make northern connections, and that the establish- ment of productive enterprises along it« line will surely fol- low. With ample transportation furnished, this valley would afford facilities, and advantages for the cheap manu- facture of iron, or its conversion into steel, or structural forms, unexcelled by any other portion of the State. 110 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. MANGANESE ORES. Traces and samples of Manganese ores are found in many places. It is very widely disseminated, but the bodies, or deposits of it, are usually small. It has become of much importance in the arts, and hence always finds a ready mar- ket. It is used for the manufacture of chlorine, and bromine, and as a ready and easily available source of oxygen. It is also largely used for the improvement of steel ; and for its production by the "Bessemer process," as well as several other purposes. The demand for it has more than kept pace with the supply. At present the larger portion of it used in the United States is imported from Europe. Yet even there the supply is limited. The total amount of it produced in the United States in 1882 was not quite 3,500 tons, while the importation the same year into the port of Baltimore alone, of Manganiferous ores, was 17,100 tons. It is probable that less than one-fourth of the amount used in this country is of domestic production. *The existence of deposits of Manganese ores in this region, is therefore a mat- ter of much importance. And should the quantity prove as great as appearances indicate, and the quality prove satis- factory, it will add much value to this region. As the ores of Manganese are not generally known, a brief description of the prominent ones will be properly pre- sented here. There are three of them that are most com- mon: 1. BLACK OXIDE — Pyrolusite. — Binoxide, Dinoxide, Dioxide or Deutoxide. — One part of Manganese to two of Oxygen, or Manganese 63, Oxygen 37. It varies in color from light blue to dark grey, and to blue black or black. Hardness always less than lime spar ; can be marked *The production of Manganese in the U. S. increased to 34,000 tons in 1887, since which time it has decreased; being about 25,600 tons in 1890. E. A. S. MURPHREE'S VALLEY; MANGANESE ORES. Ill with a knife; soils the fingers; streak black, unmetallic, fine texture, granular or massive, brittle, cleavage not perfect, breaks in any direction. A somewhat similar ore, but combining 10 per cent, of water, is called Manganite. It differs mainly from the Black Oxide in being harder, having perfect cleavage and being generally fibrous or columnar in structure. 2. PSILOMELANE. — This ore has not a definite chemical composition, but usually carries from 60 to 70 per cent, of dioxide of Manganese. This ore is harder than the preced- ing, and varies more in color, running from light brown to black. It is often associated with pyrolusite, in the same bed, or even in alternate layers. It can generally be dis- tinguished by its greater hardnes«, and its streak being more reddish, or brownish, and shining, or sub-metallic. Another variety resulting from one or all of the preced- ing ores is called Wad. It is generally soft or pulverent, often light, impure, much mixed with foreign matter. It has resulted in all cases from the decomposition of the other ores. And is not therefore of any definite chemical compo- sition. Color always brown to black, soils fingers freely. All these ores are known in the markets by the rather in- definite and uncertain name of "per-oxide of Manganese" That is an ore containing the largest amount of Oxide. But the market demands that they shall contain at least 60 per cent of it. Any ore which does not contain as much as 60 per cent of dioxide of Manganese is not saleable. The 3rd common form is MANGANIFEROUS IRON ORE. It is so called because the oxide of iron predominates in it, over the oxide of Manganese. The respective oxides may vary between wide limits in different specimens ; but when the dioxide of Manganese runs as low as 20, or even 30 per cent., and the oxide of iron predominates, it is called "Manganif- erous iron ore" Its usual color is brown, blue black, or black; and in hardness and density it approximates limonite. A good deal of ore often called pyrolusite* properly belongs to this class. 112 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. THE GEOLOGICAL POSITION OF THE MANGANESE ORES. Is in the Lower Siliceous group, from 50 to 150 feet above the Black Shale. Occasionally traces of them have been seen as high up as the LaGrange Sandstone. DETAILS OF THE OCCURRENCES OF MANGANESE ORES. A little southwest of where the Locust Fork of the Warrior crosses the valley, and on the N, W. side of Rsd Mountain, begins the first prominent exposures of these ores. They were first seen near the line between Sects. 14 and 15, T. llr R. 3 East. The formation was clearly manganiferous. It soon presented a great body of manganiferous chert rock. This is a massive rock, apparently ten to fifteen feet thick, composed of chert, and compact quartz, cemented together,, and commingled with oxide of manganese. These great bowlders are spotted with blue and white, as the seams of oxide show on the surface, or commingled with tints a light blue grey color. The thickness of this ledge of man- ganiferous chert could not be ascertained, as the dip wa& nearly the same as the slant of the surface, Ten to fifteen feet of it were seen, but it may be much thicker. A gorge 18 to 20 feet deep had here been washed out, the principal exposure of this rock is along its bed. On the west side of this gorge, and extending nut over the top of the slant, to the S. W. and out into level ground, is a great bed of pul- verulent black oxide of manganese, about four feet thick, and covering about an acre of ground. Many pits and holes had been dug in the " curious black stuff," long before its composition was known to the diggers. From all these holes it was seen, in depth, and quality to be very uniform^ and to carry throughout the mass numerous small chunks of pyrolusite, and manganite. These chunks are generally small, seldom more than two or three pounds weight, [well rounded, and smooth on the surface, lying principally in seams and layers, and indicat- ing growth and formation, rather than decay. Near the MURPHREE'S VALLEY; MANGANESE ORES. 113 bottom of the deposit, the ore chunks are more numerous, and seams of the pulverulent black oxide penetrate into the underlying clay. On the east side of the gorge this deposit is not seen. If it exists there, it is wholly covered over by earth and soil. But where it is seen on the west side, it is wholly on the surface, no rock, or soil covers it. No rock, except occasional pieces of soft chert, exists in it. The question naturally arises, how could such a formation have been produced ? If resulting from decomposition like wad, it would have been more mixed with impurities. Its pres- ent position gives no indication of a basin. From whatever source it came, and however formed, it was certainly once roofed in with rock and solid earthy strata. These have been removed by erosion, and probably much of the man- ganese also. It is scattered for several hundred yards down the slope, north, and east of the deposit. Another similar deposit, but much smaller, was once on the surface about 300 yards to the south, and 80 feet higher. This was about two feet thick, and 20 to 30 feet in diameter. A deep test shaft was sunk here to see what lay beneath. Nothing was found, except small pieces, and seams, and dendritic in- crustations of manganiferous matter o,n the rocks. These were very marked, until the shaft had penetrated strata, which owing to the dip, Jay beyond the deposit. This shaft was sunk nearly 100 feet, but it did not reach the supposed underlying manganiferous chert. A marked feature in it was, the loose, seamy and partly decomposed rock^ encoun- tered in all the strata lying leneath the manganese deposit. Owing to long exposure much of this surface deposit is decomposed, and without washing, would not give a high enough per centage. of dioxide of manganese to be market- able. The amount of salable ore that exists here cannot therefore be estimated, but it probably exceeds the annual product of all the mines in the United States. (1882.) South-west from this large surface deposit about quarter of a mile, surface out crops of pyrolusite ore were plainly seen, and at nearly the same geologic level. Th^se indicated a regular stratum of ore. It had been dug into in several 114 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. places, and showed good ore at all points. Thickness of solid ore from one to two feet. This out-crop was seen for about quarter of a mile. It is a little over half way down the N. W. slope of Red Mountain. At the top of the mountain above it, (but geologically in older strata, and at least 100 feet below it,) was seen a great bed of impure manga- niferous matter, consisting of chert, silica, psilomelane, manganiferous iron ore, and pyrolusite, all mixed in varying proportions. Where this was cut into a few feet, the rocks became very hard, and were in regular layers. The openings only penetrated far enough to show three feet of this material. The surface indicated much more, it covered the brow of the mountain for a breadth of sixty feet. This bed, though differing in structure, is evidently the same a& seen near the line of sections 14 and 15. It is very promi. nently exposed here for a quarter of a mile, then a gap inter- venes; beyond that for over a 100 yards, it is wholly manga- niferous iron ore, soft, of a dark blue color, and probably carry- ing 20 per cent, dioxide of manganese. This ore if free from phosphorus will be valuable. An exposure of the Black Shale near by showed only 50 feet of intervening strata, be- tween it and this manganiferous bed. No opening had been made on the bed, its thickness is unknown, it shows on the surface for a breadth 20 to 30 feet, but as the out crop slopes down the hill, that gives no certain evidence of its- thickness. This is near the line between S. 16 and 21, T. 11, R. 3, E. Near the east side section 21 a gap exists in the moun- tain, and)no signs of manganese were there visible. But in the remainder of the section it comes prominently to the surface in many places. In the N. E. ^ it presents several fine exposures of manganiferous iron ore. Also a good out- crop of the same, and of better quality, was seen inN. W. £. But in S. W. i several openings had been made, and the best show of pyrolusite ore yet seen is exhibited. In differ- ent holes dug on it, the thickness of the bed varied from two and a half to four feet. The extent, and form of the de- posit is unknown. The ore is in chunks, nearly solid in the MURPHREE'S VALLEY; MANGANESE ORES. 115 bed, only a little ochery clay intervening. It comes almost to the surface — one to two feet of soil and clay only above it. No rock roof to give protection, it is therefore surprising to- find the ore so good, and so little decomposed. This ore is judged to carry from 60 to 75 per cent, of dioxide of manga- nese. It is all pyrolusite. At least no samples of any other variety were seen. This is known as the DaWs bed. The discovery of this deposit was made in a field which had long been cultivated. At length the plows interfered with the top of the bed, and revealed its existence. Its position is about three-fourths of the distance down, from the top to the base of the mountain ; and slopes N. W. down towards SAND VALLEY. It cannot be more than 75 feet be- neath the LaGrange Sandstone, and probably 100 feet above the great out-crop of mangauiferous material, which shows so prominently on the top of Red Mountain. Diligent, and close search was made, to find an intermediate bed, or deposit, but without avail There is a strong probability of the existence of one, or rpore, in this space; but strata, or beds cropping outwards, on the face of a cherty slope, are in. a very unfavorable position to be seen. This deposit of manganese ore has only been slightly opened, on or near, its upper out crop. No effort has been made to trace its outline, or show its contents at a lower level. Indeed it may be said, that no really intelligent search for manganese ores, has yet been made. The fact that they do not exist in regular strata, or continuous beds* that they have not a definite geological level, has confused and perplexed prospectors. Then they show very little sign of out-crop — their decomposition products, are scarcely dis- tinguishable from the ever present oxides of iron. The drill,, and auger will have to be mainly relied on to find the de- posit, and much unprofitable labor will necessarily be ex- pended. Yet from what is already seen, it is evident that this region contains large quantities of good ore, and that much of it lies so near the surface as to be very available. In section 28, adjoining on the south, the great body of manganiferous matter was again seen, on the top of the 116 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. mountain. Close search was made down the N. W. slope for the out cropping beds of pure ore, which experience had shown may be always expected to exist, above a large body of this material. None was found till the base of the moun- tain was reached. Here at the lowest exposed level, in a wash, was a bed of good pyrolusite. It was not opened, had probably not been heretofore seen. It was near, or probably at a higher geological level than the Dabbs bed in the section above. The line of the out crop of the base bed of manganif- erous chert, was generally seen, and traced on the top of the mountain; and also frequent samples of good ore, seen near its base, from section 28, to the Township line on the south. No openings had been made on either, in this space, yet its existence here was plainly evident. In Section 2, T. 12, R. 2 East, was seen the first clear evi- dence of it in this Township. Near the top of Red Moun- tain, in the N. E. £ of this Section, the base bed or deposit stands out very prominently. It is, about three feet thick, and presents the appearance of a regular stratum. In structure it is chert, cemented with pyrolusite, of light blue color. It resembles, though it is not identical with, the great bed first seen in the Township above. No beds or deposits of ore have been found on the slope of the mountain N. W. of this, yet it certainly exists there. At the foot of the mountain in this Section, some year or two ago, a well was dug, and a thick bed, represented to be six feet, of wad was passed through. This was said to be thirty -five feet from the surface. Some samples were still faund among the clay, and other materials taken out. It was evidently decomposed manganese. From some cause it had at this place been subjected to decomposing agencies, and was in a plastic state, and saturated with water. That this condition is only local, is very probable. It is to be re- gretted that enterprise has not heretofore penetrated to this deposit at some other point. When its elements become known, and it is exposed, a good deposit of manganese ore will probably be found in connection with it. MURPHREE'S VALLEY; MANGANESE ORES. 117 In this part of the Sand Valley the base of the LaGrange Sandstone is on the foot slope of Red mountain. The search for manganese, so far as seen near here, had been at too high a geologic level above the base of this Sandstone. The posi- tion of this ore is always in the Lower Siliceous between the Black Shale, and the base of the LaGrange. The lower stratum of it has never been seen within less than fiity feet of the Black Shale, nor the upper one within less than fifty feet of the LaGrange. Its range is therefore a narrow one, not exceeding 150 feet, generally less. Persistent search in this narrow belt could hardly fail of discovering valuable de- posits of ore, as yet, unknown. In Sect. 10, T. 12, R. 2 East, some good samples of pyrolu- site ore were seen, and a little in the adjacent S. 16, but no body was found. In S. 30, same Tp., a little body of it may be found. The characteristic out-crop of impure manganese is seen near the top of Red Mountain ; and about its base in Sand Valley, were seen a number of pieces or chunks of hardened wad. It was nearly black, rather a brown black, crumbly, soiled the hands, and had all the usual characteris- tics of wad. What was seen of it had mainly been torn out of the surface dirt, hence no opinion could be formed of its quantity. It was only of interest as showing the existence of manganese at that locality. In quality, what was seen was impure, and probably did not contain over 15 per cent, of dioxide of manganese. Nearly South of this place, in S. 6, of T. 13, R. 2 E., was found a |thin bed, carrying iron and manganese, yet so blended as not to be classed as a definite ore of either ; color various, from purple to reddish grey, and brown ; streak brown, to reddish, iron largely predominant. The bed was less than a foot thick, and though of geologic interest, of very little value. In Sections 13 and 23, T. 13, R. 1 E., some similar examples of iron ore in beds were seen, with a small mixture of manganese. One of these was cut in a pit to the depth of 30 inches, it was not known that the bottom was reached. In color it varied from dark red to light, and dark grey, and to deep brown, and black. In hardness it 118 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. was equally variable. The black was generally pulverulent like black oxide of manganese, the grey, compact but soft, the reddish brown in intervening streaks of the usual hard- ness of soft iron ore. This constituted the largest part of the bed. This bed is in the proper manganese horizon, be- tween the Black Shale and the LaGrange Sandstone, and from 50 to 80 feet beneath the latter. A hundred yards to the northeast were seen blocks and pieces of chert, cemented together with blue oxide of manganese. These, as has been seen, constitute a characteristic out-crop of manganese ores. They were here seen in a hollow, and at a lower level than the ore just described. Small pieces of pyrolusite were found scattered about. The locality is one worthy of care- ful search. Nearly opposite to this place, on the other side of the valley, in Sect. 16, same Tp., was seen in a deep gorge an interesting out-crop of manganiferous material in a compact bed, about one foot thick, of a soft, brown, crumbly, brown grey color. This too is in the manganese horizon, probably 60 to 70 feet above the Black Shale. All the rocks above this bed were colored, and stained with manganese, in vary- ing shades from light brown to blue black. Scattered, small pieces of its ore were picked up, and afforded additional evi- dence of its existence here, though none of its amount or quality. This is W. N. W. from where it was seen in S. 23, and it is possible that a manganiferous belt crosses the valley also in that direction. The next promising locality where manganese was seen, is in S. 23, T. 14, R. 1 W. It has been already referred to in the description of the brown or limonite iron ores. Good chunks of pyrolusite, from 1 to 15 pounds weight, were seen here, scattered among masses of manganiferous iron ore. It strewed the ground along near the base of the hill for a hundred yards in length, and a breadth of twenty to thirty feet. The Black Shale is not exposed, and its proximity to that is unkown. Above it, and between it and the LaGrange •Sandstone, is a bed of limonite ore, and about 100 feet of .Lower Siliceous strata. Unless that formation is here of MURPHREE'S VALLEY/, MANGANESE ORES. 119 unusual thickness, the manganese cannot be over 50 feet from the shale. It is clearly in the proper manganese hori- zon, and probably a small expenditure of labor here would show up a good bed of the ore. South of this, in Spradling's Cove, several samples of very good ore were seen, but owing to the faulting here, but little of the proper manganese horizon is exposed — and that too, generally covered with silt. Experience having shown that it might be hopefully looked for in a N. W. direction, search was made for it in the Sand Valley in Sects. 20, 17, &c., of T. 14, R. 1 W. This portion of the valley is mucksilted up, and out-crops of strata are covered. No ore was found, but at several places exposed beds of blue and purple, crumbly clays, were strongly suggestive of its existence. These colored clays had not been seen elsewhere, they are in the proper horizon, and their coloring matter seemed to be manganese. From the foregoing description the following conclusions may be drawn : 1. That the great bulk of the manganese ores of this valley will be found in the Sand Valley, and on the N. W. side of Red Mountain. The horizon of these ores is there, more or less exposed, the whole length of the valley, while on the S. E. side of the valley this stratum is in detached and broken fragments. 2. That the out- crops of the manganese beds or deposits are mostly on the N. W. side of Red Mountain, and are hence generally concealed by the descending debris. Or they are wholly covered up beneath the floor of the valley. 3. That the discoveries of these deposits have been in the main accidental, and cover but a very small portion of the ground where these ores are presumed to exist. And hence, that probably much the larger portion of them re- main still undiscovered. 120 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS. Among the industrial materials found in this valley, brick clay, porcelain clay, limestone, building rock, fire-proof rook, and glass sand, are the most prominent. BRICK CLAY. Clay suitable for making building brick exists in many places. On nearly all the low lying or bottom lands a stra- tum of fine yellow clay, 'several feet thick, is found just be- neath the surface. Especially is this the case along all the streams that flow in from the coal measures. These streams have silted down along their course a bed of yellow clay of very fine quality. It is free from chert or gravel, or par- ticles of iron ore, which are hard to eliminate and which are always injurious to the brick, if worked in. There are very many beds of clay belonging to the Cam- brian Limestone formation. It is generally yellow, some places in great quantity. This is the ordinary flat woods yellow clay. It is native to that formation, and is found in all of our deep Silurian valleys. In some places it affords a good brick clay, but generally contains fine gravel, pieces of chert, and much iron oxide. These cannot be got rid of, and consequently the bricks made from it are rough and not of , uniform texture or strength. The iron oxide generally con- tains sulphur, and this with the iron results in blistering and rapid decay. Such bricks will not make a smooth, strong, or durable wall. Much of this kind of clay has been used for making brick in the vicinity of Birmingham, and used in building the city. But used only because the market did not afford a better material, at a reasonable cost. Such bricks would not be sold to intelligent builders, if brought into competition with others free from their defects, and of uniform strength and texture. MURPHREE'S VALLEY; INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS. 121 The clay found along the streams, and in the low lands of this valley, is a different material. It has been washed up from its native beds, sorted and cleaned in nature's sluice ways, all the coarse materials dropped out, and the clay re- deposited in beds of uniform quality. It always contains enough fine sand to work easily, and mould smoothly. In the quantity of sand these beds gradually vary. As they recede from the coal field the sand gradually diminishes till they reach the Sand Valley. They will be found the best in the middle, or Red Mountain Valley. These beds are found on all the streams that cross the valley, except the Locust and Blackburn forks of the Warrior, which have generally brought down too much sand. This clay is abundant, and of fine quality along Whippoomcill Creek* and the streams that form the Calvert Fork of the Warrior, and Mill Creek, and in the future it will doubtless be largely utilized.* HALLOYSITE OR PHOLERITE. } Among the industrial materials which may yet be utilized in this valley, is an extensive bed of Halloysite or Porcelain Clay. It lies near the base of the Lower Siliceous formation, a little above, often close to, the Black Shale. It varies in thickness and quality and color. Generally it is about three feet thick, white or nearly white. It would doubtless in many places make a good porcelain clay. Only its out-crop has been seen, which always contains more impurities than the average of the bed. But all porcelain clay requires washing, none of it is sufficiently pure to make good white ware in its natural condition. This bed could, like similar ones, be freed from its impurities by washing, and rendered fit for this purpose. This is the same bed that has for years been worked with satisfactory results near Valley Head in DeKalb County. And the fact that it there affords material *Since the foregoing was written, examination has been made of the fine, strong, red bricks manufactured near Rome, Ga , from the clays found along the low lands of the Oostanaula. These clays were found to be of similar origin and composition, seemingly identical, with the brick clays of Mur- phree's Valley. A. M. G. 122 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. of fine quality, gives hopes of yet finding it equally good, at other places where the same formation is exposed. Whether any of this bed contains the proper proportion of silica and alumina to make fire proof brick, is not yet known. Some tests Lave been made, from a few places, without giving satisfaction, but these have not been suffi- ciently numerous to settle the question adversely. HONE STONE. Between the bed of halloyeite clay and the Black Shale, generally close to the latter, there often exists a bed of very fine grit rock. Some of it is soft, and suitable for hone stones,*or for the finest edged tools or instruments. Other portions harder and firmer, suitable for oil stones. Mech- anics who have used these oil stones concur in regarding them as superior to any found in the market. Some of the stones had been accidentally found and used as whetstones and oil stones during the last forty years, but the position of the bed from whence they came was only discovered dur- ing the progress of this survey. It is mostly of a light yel- low color, softer and of finer grain than novaculite. Has a finer texture and sharper grain than the Wachita oil stone. It will become better known in the future. Its position is on the western top or slope of Red Mountain — the very top member of the Lower Siliceous formation, just above the Black Shale. BUILDING STONE. Among the upper members of the Clinton are two ledges of sandstone, which in many places afford excellent building rock. One is a ledge of flaggy sandstone, highly fissile, with smooth faces. It may be split into any desired thickness. And wherever it is solid enough for use, it is the most con- veniently utilized building rock this region affords. Its smooth faces which are perfect planes, and its uniform thickness, make it very desirable for strong, solid work. This kind of rock is only found at a few places, this ledge being generally shaly. MURPHREE'S VALLEY; INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS. 123 The other ledge of sandstone caps the upper iron ore bed. It is a very persistent ledge, usually about ten teet thick, though in a few places fiijty or upwards. This is a massive, rather fine grained sand sock. Some of it is white, though the prevailing color is yellow. Some of it is variegated by concentric rings of deeper yellow or brown. These rings are from a quarter to a half inch broad, and the same distance apart. These rocks when dressed and put up present a very beautiful appearance, and could be made very ornamental. Almost everywhere this ledge contains good building ma- terial. Some quarries have been opened at the thicker places of the ledge and the rock has been found to work well, and is highly satisfactory so far as it has been used. In quantity it is inexhaustible, and for strength and durability cannot be excelled. The pillars of the 21st street bridge in Birmingham were obtained from this rock near Oneonta. A good sandstone for building is also found on the brow, or near the edge of Sand Mountain. This is the upper members of the lower conglomerate. These members are in plates or layers of varying thickness, having smooth faces and good cleavage. It is therefore easily quarried and prepared for use. Blocks of any desired length and breadth could be conveniently obtained. These upper mem- bers of this rock are free from pebbles, a uniform, rather coarse grained, stratified sandstone. Owing to its position it is not easily accessible, and therefore has not as yet been ^extensively used. But should there be a demand for it in the future, roads to it can be readily built, or tramways to run it down the mountain. The LaGrange Sandstone also in many places will afford a good material for building. It is generally white and massive, and may be quarried out in -large blocks. But it has the disadvantage of imperfect cleavage, and it is soft and crumbly, and hence does not take a good dress. It is a freestone of open loose structure. It is therefore very re- 124 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. fractary to the action of fire, but as yet has mainly been used for inside lining for fireplaces, for which purpose it is well adapted. Whether its refractory character is sufficient to withstand a very high degree of heat, is not yet known. But as it is mainly pure Silica, and therefore alone infusible, the inferences are in its favor. This rock would furnish large amounts of good material for the manufacture of glass. And the amount of it that has decomposed into sand along its base, will give inex- haustible quantities of that very useful material. The limestones of the Trenton, and the Sub- Carboniferous formations, are both well exposed and very abundant. They both contain a superabundance of good building material, and of a character of already well known excellence for heavy work. And some of these, especially the latter, are well adapted for the manufacture of lime on a large scale. And as a flux for the reduction of the iron ores, their close proximity makes them of very great economic importance. This ledge of Carboniferous Limestone has only been tested at Compton Mines, but it extends in equal volume and purity the whole length of this valley. FIRE PROOF ROCK. Among the industrial materials in this valley, one of much probable importance, is a fire proof conglomerate. Its place is among the upper members of the Knox Dolomite in that debatable ground beneath the Trenton, where the Chazy belongs, wherever it exists. This rock has been seen s at many places in the Silurian Valleys of Alabama, but no- where in such abundance as in T. ]3 of R. 1 E., in this valley. It is in some places nearly, or quite 100 feet thick. The lower members, where seen, were quartzite and breccia. The upper portion a more uniform and finer conglomerate. The small pebbly particles, nearly of uniform size, are gen- erally flattened, of various colors, but mostly light yellow and white, giving the rock a light grey color. The rock is firm, massive, strong, but porous or open jointed. It has MURPHREE'S VALLEY; INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS. 125 enough cement to hold it firmly together, but is not filled with it, like most of the conglomerates of the Coal Measures. The rock appears to be mainly silica, with some alumina. The same materials of which fire bricks are made. In addi- tion to this its mechanical structure renders it highly re- fractory. No fire test to which it has yet been subjected, affects its structure. At a white heat in a furnace, it neither melts nor decrepitates. As these qualities of this rock have not hitherto^ been known, and are here only suggestively presented, it would be premature to decide definitely on its merits. They are however believed to be worthy of immediate and thorough testing. If this rock will fully answer the purpose for which fire bricks are now used, it will be much cheaper, and supply a want that has long been felt in this region. The rock is generally very accessible, very abundant, and having no cleavage planes, can be easily worked into any desired size or form. A material sufficiently refractory, strong and durable for hearths, and lining of furnaces, is the only thing necessary in the manufacture of iron which this region has not hitherto supplied. Wide and persistent search among the clays has been made without satisfactory results. Perhaps among the rocks the "missing link" may be found, which will give to this region the full complement of necessary iron and steel making materials. NOTE. — Years ago Mr. James Thomas informed the writer that the most satisfactory hearth for the Oxmoore Furnaces was a conglomerate rock. It has since been ascertained that this ^vas the rock used there by him. It is classed by Mr. Hayes, U. S. G. Survey, as "The Birmingham Breccia." 126 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. CONCLUSION. « This description of the ores and industrial materials, so abundant in this valley, would be incomplete without a reference to its adaptation for their manufacture and utiliza- tion. The contiguity of the raw materials, the short trans- portation necessary to bring them all together are features that ought not to be omitted. It is a noticable feature throughout this valley. To this must be added, the abund- ance of water, both from large springs and everflowing streams. Most of these streams rise in the coal field on the S. E. side, and flow by sinuous courses across the valley. Several of these streams as they leave the valley, afford good water power. All of them are copious enough for steam and furnace use. Each one of these streams . from the coal field cuts a passage to the coal through which unlimited sup- plies of it may be obtained. Each of them as it leaves the valley makes a similar passage to the coal on the N. W. side. This is of special advantage, near the lower end of the valley where the supply of coal ceases on the S. E. side, the stream that there cuts through the N. W. rim opens a way into one of the best portions of the Warrior Coal Field. It is known as the Gurley Creek and Upper Warrior region. It has never yet been geologically examined by the State Survey, but is known to the writer, and therefore this state- ment is made advisedly. Where the Calvert fork of the Little Warrior cuts the N. W. rim, access to the Berry Mountain coal, also of much value is easily obtained. It will thus be readily perceived that with two lines of ex- posure of iron ores and one of Carboniferous limestone in this narrow valley, and ample coal accessible on both sides at its very edge, there must be economy in transportation of raw material that has not yet been elsewhere realized. Add MURPHREE'S VALLEY; CONCLUSION. 127 to this the further fact, that the streams which have cut accessible ways to the coal, have also cut the iron ore ridges and the limestone, and formed accessible ways to them. Hence the water supply is intermediate between the neces- sary raw materials, or may be so selected, that the ore, the flux and the fuel, may be brought together by the same track. The necessary distance that these would have to be carried would vary with location from half a mile to two miles only. Such contiguity of raw material and ample water has not been elsewhere seen ; and probably does not exist anywhere else in the State of Alabama. But before any attempt 'to utilize these is made, careful and extensive tests of the coking qualities of the coal, and its adaptation to furnace use, should also be made. If this and the ores give satisfactory results, then evidently the manufacture of iron and steel will be more profitable here than elsewhere, by the difference in freighting the raw material. Among the positions most favorable for furnace sites, and other industrial establishments, some have been already referred to and will not be repeated. A few others may very properly be mentioned. At Village Springs, near the lower end of the valley, the water supply is all that could be desired. Great fountains of the purest water gush out in many places. Large and small springs are numerous. These alone would be sufficient for the demands of manufac- turing, and the use of a large population. But Village Creek, which affords good water power, also flows through the place. Down this creek a few miles is the Gurley Creek and Warrior coal basin. Iron ores of different kinds, and in great abundance, are in all the surrounding hills. The ad- vantages of this location will not long be overlooked. The Blackburn Fork of the Warrior, opening as it does an accessible route into the heart of the coal field on the S. E., also offers good manufacturing opportunities. Mill Creek, which opens a way into both coal fields, and whose waters cut the brown and hematite ores, the sand and limestone, and are connected with large springs of good water, offers very desirable furnace sites. So do all the 128 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OP ALABAMA. streams which unite to make the Calvert Fork of the Warrior. Here the limonite and hematite ores, and other necessary material, might be very economically combined. This whole valley is also one of great agricultural capa- bilities. Supplies for a large population may be drawn from the soil. These capabilities will doubtless yet be taxed to their utmost to feed the multitudes that will in future years labor here in mines and manufactories. THE END. INDEX PAGES. Ancient drainage 15, 59 Anticlinal Fold 28 Arable lands 12, 13, 61 Axis of told 8 Berry Mountain 19 Birmingham Breccia 125 Black Shale >. . 11, 24 Blackburn Mill Ore bed 68 Blount Mountain 8, 18, 86 Brick Clay 120 Bristow's Cove, location of 7 " . " drainage of 9 Building Stone 18, 122 Cambrian Limestone 26 Carboniferous 17 Coal rneasures 17, 126-7 Limestone 21,83 Central Valley 12 Clinton or Red Mountain 25, 39 44 Section of 40 Details of 41, 69 " Section of 70 Clay, yellow 120 " white 121 Clayton's Cove 84 Champion Mines 95 Compton " 65 Coosa Shale, note 26 " 32, 71 Copperas, natural 106 Curves and Flexures 20 Dabb's bed of Manganese 115 Devonian— Black Shale 11, 24 Dolomite— Knox. . 25 130 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. Drainage of region 8 Ancient 15, 59 Eastern Valley 13 Economic Geology 39 Estimates of Ores (red'' 87-8 " " (brown) 108 Faults, under thrust 19 " description of 32, 33 " deepest part of 77 Flexures 54, 57 Fireproof rock 124 Formations, table of. 11 Folds. . V 28, 34 Fort Payne Chert 23 Furnace Sites 127 General Section 40 Geological Structure, table 11 " Formations .• 17 Geology, Economic 39 Glass Sand 124 Gothite Ore 104 Great Fault 19, 32, 33 Halloysite, porcelain clay 121 Hatches, quarries of 66 Head of Valley 7 " end ofFold"" 38 Flexure of Valley, Fault at 38, 43 Hematites of Red Mountain 39 Hone Stone 122 Hoods X Roads 46 Hullett's Ores 77 Gap, section 78 Jones' Valley, connection with 7 •' " note on 7 Industrial Materials 120 Inverted Strata 22 Iron Ores of Clinton 39-88 Iron Ores, brown 80-108 Iron Limestone ! 43, 55, 60-62, 76, 79 Keokuk Limestone.. .24,75 INDEX. 131 Keokuk Limestone, cave in 80 Knox Dolomite 25, 90, 91 Lagrange Sandstone 22 Limestone Mountain, or Bangor 20, 21, 83, 86 Limonite horizons 89-93 Silurian 103 Sub-Carb 101-106 " near Village Springs 107 Limonite, or Brown Ore, estimate of 108 Little's ore ridge 81-2 Manganese, ores of 45, 73, 82, 106 " " descriptions of 110-120 " " Geological position of 112 Manganite Ill Manganiferous iron ore 82, 111, 114 Murphree's Valley, Location and area 7 " Drainage of 8 " " Structure of 28 " " Sections in 31 " Mines in 65, 78, 95 Notes, on structure and formations of 7, 19, 22, 23, 26, 30, 39, 62 Ore Veins cut oft" by fault 70-72 Pelham Limestone 25 Porcelain Clay 121 Pot Oie 53 Psilomelane Ill Pyrolusite 110-115 Quarries at Compton 66 Quantity of Hematite ore 87-8 Red Mountain 14 Clinton of 39 Section of 40 East Red Mountain 85 Red Chalk 105 Reversed or inverted Strata 32. 37 Sand Valley 12 Sand Mountain 15 Sand— Glass Sand 124 Sections across vallev.. 31 132 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA. Section of Clinton 40 Silurian formations 25 Structure of Valley 28 Spradling's Cove 33 Sub-Carboniferous 20 Straight Mountain 13 30 Synclinal on Southwest 7 on Northwest 9 Table of Formations n Topography of Valley JQ Transverse folds 20, 34 Trenton 25 Turgite Ore 104 Turkey Creek ore bed gg Village Springs great ore bed 63 water supply 127 Wad Ill, 116, 117 Wade's Gap 75_g Walnut Grove, Structure near . . . 44.5 14 DAY USE RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED This book is due on the last date stamped below, or on the date to which renewed. Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. LD 21-40m-5,'65 (F4308slO)476 General Library University of California Berkeley 652- .uc ."^