STRATIGRAPHY OF THE LIGNITIG FORMATIONS. 1 



o 



ing along the base of the mountains from the Eaton to Cheyenne, and thence 

 along the Union Pacific Railroad to Evanston — I shall especially quote from 

 these observations given in detail in Dr. Hayden's Annual Report for 1872. 

 Perhaps one of the finest exposures of tlie Lower Lignitic Measures in 

 regard to its relation to the Cretaceous is that of the base of the Raton 

 Mountains, a few miles south of Trinidad, and that of the bluffs on the Pur- 

 gatory River, opposite this last place, and mentioned above. The base of the 

 Raton is composed of a series of heavy, mostly whitish, sandstone, which is 

 conformably superposed to the black shales of the Cretaceous No. 4. This 

 sandstone is also conformably overlaid by the productive Lignitic. The 

 whole section, being fully exposed from top to base, is as follows:* — 



LIGNITIC. 



Ft. In. 



1. Sandstone and shale covered with pines 60 



2. Soft shale alternating with soft clay (soapstone) 35 



3. Outcrop of lignite, indifferent 2 



4. Soft shale and fire-clay 26 



5. Lignite outcrop, thin 1 



6. Hard gray shale with fossil plants at bascf 30 



7. Shaly hard sandstone in bank 6 



8. Soapstone shale 2 



9. Lignite outcrop, good 2 



10 Fire-clay and shale 36 



1 i . Lignite bed, exposed 2 6 



12. Fire-clay 6 



13. Soft shale 30 



14. Lignite, opened 4 



15. Fire-clay 8 



16. Ferruginous and shaly sandstone, covered 50 



300 6 



SANDSTONE. 



17. Brown-reddish shaly sandstone, with 6^<;%;> of land vegetables. 37 



18. Yellow shaly sandstone full of Fucoids 5 6 



• Annual Report, 187-2, p. 319. 



i At .a Bbort tlietance, the sbale passes to sandstone, No. 7. 



