I e -. SECOND ANNUAL REPORT ON 7Ifl GEOLOGY OF VERMONT. i:HiI • V V• V .V V V•S V V VVV; •, ..................• V - -.:'-• V V V V V V *er.'VVVV V :1 SECOND ANNUAL REPORT ON THE GEOLOGY OF THE 0 STATE OF VERMONT. 0 BY C. B. ADAMS, State Goologlst,Teof. Chem. and Nat. Hist. In Middlebury College, Corroep. member of the fleet. Soc. Nat. Iliet., of the Entom. Soc. of Pa., member of the Assoc. Amer. Goologiets, &c. &c. I I BURLINGTON; CHAUNCEY GOODRICH. -I S46. I S p :. To His Excellencij WILLIA1I SLADE, Governor of Vermont: Siit, I herewith submit the second report on the Geology of Vermont, and have the honor to remain, your Excellency's obedient servant, C. B. ADAms, State Geologist. Middlebury, Oct. 1, 1846. I CONTENTS. List of engravings, Index of towns and counties, Errata, INTRODUCTION. history of the Survey from Oct. 1845, to Oct. 1846, PART I. ELEMENTARY GEOLOGY. Design of this part, Jo Crr. I. GEOLOGICAL AGENCIES. Intensity of geological agencies, 20 Classification of " " 21 Igneous agencies, . 21 Subaerial agency, . 22 Volcanoes, . 22 Eruptions, . 22 Static pressure in volcanoes, 29 Character of lava, 29 Earthquakes, . 30 Thermal springs, 31 Submarine igneous agency, 32 Volcanic islands, 32 Subterranean igneous agency, 32 Theory of geysers and of volcanoes, 33 Theory of internal heat, 37 Aqueous agencies, . 38 Aqueous agencies not marine, 39 Rain ; frost, . 39 Rivers, . 40 Landslides; glaciers, Springs, . 44 2 3 Primary strata, . . . . . . . 104 Oceanic agencies, . . 45 Duration of genera, . . . . . . 105 Waves, . . . Oceanic currents, 47 Connection of geology with the bible, . . . . 106 Icebergs, . 49 PART H. MINERALOGY. General results of igneous and aqueous agencies, . 52 Organic agencies, . . . . . Localities of minerals, . . . . . . ioo Classfication of the animal kingdom, 53 PART III. CONCRETIONS. Organic deposits, . . . . . 59 Power of concretion, . . . . . . ill Corals. . . . . . 59 Law " " . . . . . 112 Animalcules, . , . . . 61 Constitution of concretions, . . . . 115 Vegetable deposits, . . . 62 Comparison of concretion with crystalization, . . . 117 Origin of fossil bodies, . . . . 63 Classification of forms, . . . . . . 117 Human agency, . . . . 63 Concretions in Vermont, . . . . . 118 Petrifaction, . . . . . 65 Burial of organic bodies, . . . - 65 PART IV. SCIENTIFIC GEOLOGY. is Durability of " . . 66 GEOLOGY OF VERMONT, . 120 Principles of zoology applied to the study of fossils, . 70 Quaternary system, . . . . . . 121 Geographical distribution of species, . . 70 Drift, . . . . . . . 122 Extinction of species, . . . . 73 General distribution of drift, . . . . 121 Introduction " " . . . 75 Drift moraines, . . . . . . 122 is Duration " . . . . 77 Dispersion of drift, . . . . . 123 Determination of organic remains, . . . 79 Furrows, scratches, and rounded and polished rocks, . 125 Comparative number of living and fossil species, . 90 Streams of stones, . . . . . 128 Fracture of slate hills, . . . . . 131 Cuip. II. HIsToRY OF THE EARTH. Age of the drift, . . . . . . 138 Theories of drift, and submergence of Vermont during the Tabular view of the geological formations, . . 83 drift period, . . . . . 139 Quaternary period, . . . . 87 Older pleistocene, . . . . . . 140 Newer pleistocene, . . . . . 87 Deposits, . . . . . . . 140 Drift period, . . . . . . 90 Blue clay, . . . . . - 141 Older pleistocene, . . . . . 90 Marine, with fossils, - . . . 141 Characters of drift, . . . . . 91 Not marine, without fossils, . . . 141 Theories " " . . . . . Brown clay, . . . . . 141 Iceberg theory of drift, . . . Marine, with fossils, . . . . 141 Glacio-aqueous " " . . . . Not marine, without fossils, . . . 142 Theory of elevations, . . . Sand, . . . . . . 142 Tertiary system, . . . . . . 96 Marine, with fossils, . ., . . 142 Cretaceous " . - . . . . Not marine, without fossils, . . . 142 - . . . . . Wealden group, Origin, . . . . . . . 143 Oölitic system, . . . . 98 Oceanic currents, . - - . 144 Lias " . . . . . . 99 Icebergs, . . . . - . 144 " . . . . . Triassic 101 Climate, . - - . . . 144 Permiari " . . . . . . 102 Newer p]eistocene, . . . . 145 Carboniferous " . . - . . . 102 Terraced valleys, - . . 145 Old red, or Devonian system, - - . . 103 Age of terraces, - - . . 147 New York, or Silurian " . . . . 103 Marl beds, . . 147 Taconic system, . . . . 104 Lil . 233 Infusorial deposit, 149 Marbles . . . . . . 236 Historical period, . 132 Serpentine, . . . . . . 239 . Soapstone, . . . . . . Calcareous deposits, . . 152 . Roofing and writing slate, . . . 240 Ferruginous " . . . . . 153 . 241 Stone posts, . . . . . Manganesian " . . . 154 . 241 Limestone, . . . . . Vegetable " . . . . 154 . Hydraulic lime, . . . 244 Fluviatile " and agency, . . 155 ENGINEERING. Poultney River, . . . . 156 . Waves, . . . . . . . 15 Location of roads, . . . . . . 245 Rains, . . . . . . 158 Materials for roads, . . . . Frost, . . . . . 159 APPENDIX. . . . . . . 15 Trappean period Letter from President Hitchcock, . . . . 247 . . . 160 Greenstone dykes, Obituary notice of Denison Olmsted, Jr. . . 252 " - . . . 162 . Porphyry Report of Mr. Olmsted, . . . . 253 . . - . . . 162 . Palaeozoic rocks, Report of Mr. Thompson, . . . . 259 . 162 . Champlain rocks, . . . . . Letter from Dr. C. L. Allen, . . . 261 . 167 . Azoic rocks, . . . - . . Expenses of the survey, . . . . 262 . 264 PART V. ECONOMICAL GEOLOGY, AND MINERALOGY. Note on the variation of compass, . . . Glossary. . . . . . 266 AGRICULTURAL GEOLOGY. 170 Instructions to Mr. Hall, . . . . . 171 It . Report of " . . . . . 174 . Plan of operations, . . . . 174 Origin of soils, . . . . . 176 Relation of the soils to the rocks of Vermont, . . 177 Natural resources for the improvement of soils, . 181 Varieties of soil in Vermont, . . 183 Improvement of soils, . . . 184 Notices of towns, estimates of agricultural productions, &c. in alphabetical order, . . . . 186 Remarks on the agriculture of Vermont. . . 209 MINING. 215 Ores of iron, . . . . . Brown iron ore, . . . . 215 . 217 Magnetic, " . . . 218 Specular, " . . Chromic iron, . 220 225 Ochres, . . 225 Manganese, . . 226 Copper, . . - - . 226 Lead and silver, . . . . 228 Anthracite, . . 229 Graphite, . . . - Materials for pottery and porcelain. . 229 ARCIIITECTCIiE. Building sites, . . . 231 stones, . 232 INDEX OF TOWNS AND COUNTIES. ENGRAVINGS. Addison, page 116, 119, 158,164, 254 Dorset, 122,243 Addison Co. 10, 11, 41, 125, 140, 141 Dover, 177 159, 162, 244, 245 Dummerston, 116, 134, 135, 137,169 Albany, 179, 182, 186,241 194, 232, 251, 254 Fig. 1. Volcano of Kilauea, - - - - - page 25 Alburgli, 116, 119,154, 184, 254Duxbury, 125,178 178, 181, 194,239, 251 2. Theory of geysers and volcanoes, - - - 33 Andover, 188Eden, Bakersfield, 11, 243Elmore, 178, 194 3. The world with its volcanoes, - - - - 34 Barnard, 178, 181, 188 Enosburgh, 11, 123,219, 225, 239,240 4. Crust of the earth, . - - . 37 Barnet, 188, 229, 242, 254 Essex, 119 5. American mastodon, . • - - - 86 Barre, 179, 188, 251 Essex Co. 179,245 Fairfield, 219,254 6. Mylodon robustus, - - - - - 89 Barton, 189 Belvidere, 178, 239, 240 Fairhaven, 156, 241 7. lchthyosaurus communis, - - - • 100 Bennington, 122, 215, 230, 231,247, 240Fairlee, 242 8. Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus, - - - 100 250, 254 Fayston, 178 9. Moraine in Peru, - - - - - - 123 Bennington Co. 155, 249 Franklin Co. 11, 125, 219 * 151, 182, 195 10. Stream of stones in Huntington, - - - - 130 Benson, 154 Clover, 239, 251 11. Section beneath do. - - - - Berkshire, 123, 219, 254 Grafton, 130 Berlin, 178, 179, 1891 Grand Isle Co. 159 * 12. Fractured slate at the north end of Bruce's quarry, - 132 Bethel, 109,119, 178, 179, 189, 239,254 Granville, 178 13. do. do. at the summit of do. - - - 132 Bolton, 125 Greenborough, 195 * 14. do. do. at Willard's quarry, - - 133 Bradford, 184, 189 Guilford, 131, 169, 233, 251 179 *15. ) - Braintree, 110, 178, 239 Halifax, 16. Localiti es of fractured slate, - - - - 13o Brandon, 119, 154, 225, 234, 254 Hancock, 122, 168, 184, 195, 243 Brattleborough, 122, 133, 135, 143, 182F1ardwick, 179, 182,195,242, 254 ' 17. Section of pleistocene deposits, Monkton pond, . 148 190,247 Hartford, 196 18. Plan of Hosmers pond, Peacharn, - - - - 150 Bridgewater, 178, 184, 190, 239 Highgate, 153 19-30. Shells of animalcules, - - - - 150-1 Bridport, 153, 164lHinesburgh, 122 Holland, 179, 196 31, 32. Spicules of spongillae, - - - - - 151 Bristol, 110, 217, 243, 254 Brookfaeld, 110,190 Huntington, 129, 254, 259 33. Eunotia monodon, - - - - - 152 178, 181,196 *34• Brownington, 191 Hydepark, Section of clay, marl, and muck, in Alburgh, - - 154 Burlington, 11, 1537 161, 247, 259, 261 Isle Ia Motte, 112, 126, 127, 164, 166 35. OTd and new channels of Poultney river, - - 156 Cabot, 110, 179, 191, 230 235, 254 * Jamaica, 177, 181, 196 36. Section of Snake Mounlain, Addison Co., - - - 163 Calais, 191 *37 Caledo,iia Co. 10,167, 174 Jay, 12, 14,125, 127,167, 178,220, 238 Section across Larrabee's Point, - - - - 164 191, 236, 239, 242, 251Jericho, 143 *38. Cavendish, Section