HISTORY OF ORANGE COUNTY
CHAPTER 1
CHESTER LIMESTONE, LOWEST MEMBER
This is remarkable for its thickness and its great uniformity of lithological characters and structure. A single specimen will represent the entire county. The rock is massive, crystalline, frequently lithographic, and very evenly stratified. The fossils are given above in No. 8. The following is the section of this member at sand hill near Orleans:
FEET |
|
Sandstone, base glass sand (No. 7) |
22 |
Heavy bedded limestone, lithographic and crystalline quarry stone. Fossils—Phillipsia, Euomphadus, Bellerophon, Retzia, Pleurotomaria, Terebratula, Rhynchonella Athyris (No. 8) |
35 |
Chester chert (No. 8) |
1 |
Limestone in thin strata. Fossils—Athyris and Syringopora (No. 8) |
54 |
St. Louis chert (No. 9) |
2 |
Total |
92 |
This quarry has been quite extensively worked for its limestone, the foundation of the depot at Orleans coming therefrom. Lime is burned successfully from the lower member. The following is the section of this member at "Acre Sinkhole", Stampers Creek:
FEET |
|
Heavy bedded quarry sandstone (No. 5) |
10 |
Compact massive limestone. Fossils—Productus, Spirifer, Archimedes and Pentremites (No. 6) |
25 |
Coarse sandstone, partly covered (No. 7) |
70 |
Limestone with nodules of flint. Fossils—Euomphalus and Terebratula (No. 8) |
40 |
Chester chert |
1 |
Heavy bedded limestone (No. 8) |
45 |
Total |
191 |
The lower Chester limestone is here filled with black flint nodules, and the chert has much the appearance of, and many of the properties of, true flint or hornstone, and might properly be called flint. On the top of the hill where the above section was taken is "Acre Sinkhole", a cavity almost perfectly round, and about sixty feet deep, with very abrupt sides. No chert is found on its sides, and it has no subterranean outlet.