Page:The Journal of geology (IA journalofgeology21894univers).pdf/196

....So far as my observations go, I have never found an instance where two distinct seams of coal came together or, conversely, where a seam became divided and its parts continued to diverge for a long or indefinite distance. It is not uncommon to find, in a seam of coal, the proof that the coal marsh had in it local depressions, which were filled with sediments, making a soil on which new vegetation grew, and thus the seam shows two parts, separated by fire clay sometimes several feet thick; but in every instance when traced I have found the parts to reunite. The two parts never diverge indefinitely. From these

Fig. 2.Stratigraphy of Coal Beds.

statements we may infer a general law of parallelism. Such law is in harmony with the belief of the most careful observers, that our productive Coal Period was characterized by great quietness and freedom from violent local disturbances."

This describes the apparent condition of things in Ohio. The same with minor modifications and explanations may be regarded as according fairly well with the facts observed in the Iowa-Missouri coal field.

On the other hand there are many who, with Newberry, have directly opposed any approach to the recognition of the parallelism of coal veins. Among the latest opinions on this side of the discussion is one expressed by Winslow,^[1] who in considering