22 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



To illustrate this more clearly, we would, in the first place, remark that a 

 bed of light greyish yellow granular magnesian limestone, mentioned on page 

 12, as occupying a horizon about 115 feet above the Kansas, two or three miles 

 west of Zeandale, passes beneath the level of Kansas before reaching the 

 mouth of the Big Blue river, a distance of near seven miles ; while another 

 bed (No. 26 of the foregoing section) seen on the very summit of the hills two 

 or three miles north of Zeandale, at an elevation of about 320 feet above the 

 Kansas, was observed opposite Manhattan at the mouth of Big Blue river, only 

 some 214 feet above the Kansas. Again, bed No. 12 of the foregoing general 

 section, which was seen at a locality nearly opposite Ogden, at an elevation of 

 about 363 feet above the Kansas, is at Fort Riley, eight or nine miles further 

 west, elevated only some 215 feet above Kansas. Above Fort Riley tbis bed 

 forms a marked horizon, and can be followed by the eye without interruption 

 for several miles along the hills on both sides of the river. We observed it 

 gradually sinking as we ascended the Kansas valley, until at a point on Chap- 

 man's Creek, some fifteen miles a little south of west from Fort Riley, we saw it 

 nearly down on a level with the Kansas ; beyond this it was not again met with 

 on the noith side of the Kansas, but we saw it at somewhat higher elevations 

 on the south side of the river a little west of this. 



As the distance by an air-line, from the locality nearly opposite Ogden, 

 where this rock occupies a horizon at an elevation of 363 feet above the Kansas 

 to the mouth of Chapman's Creek, is about 23 miles, the dip would appear to 

 be not far from 15^ feet to the mile. It must be borne in mind, however, that 

 the average fall of the Kansas, at least below Fort Riley, according to the 

 Barometrical observations of Col. Fremont and others, is near one and a half 

 feet to the mile, and that if we assume the distance by the windings of the 

 river between Chapman's Creek and Ogden, to be about thirty miles, it would 

 make the elevation of the Kansas at the former locality some forty-five feet 

 greater than at Ogden, which would reduce the dip to a fraction less than 14 

 feet to the mile. Still as the direction of the dip in this region is to the north 

 of west, and the direction of the mouth of Chapman's Creek from Ogden is 

 considerably south of west, it is probable the inclination of the strata here is 

 greater than the above figures would indicate, and that it may not be less than 

 twenty feet to the mile, in a north-west direction. 



From the foregoing statements it will be seen that in consequence of the dip 

 of tbe strata to the north-west, and in some slight degree to the fall of the 

 Kansas and Smoky Hill rivers, the whole of the foregoing general section be- 

 low No. 12 passes beneath the level of the Smoky Hill, between the mouth of 

 Blue river and Chapman's Creek. Consequently, the limestones of the succeed- 

 ing beds above being thinner and less durable than those below, and separated 

 by heavy beds of clay; we find, as might be expected, that the country here in 

 the region of the mouth of Chapman's Creek, is much lower than at Fort Riley 

 and. below. 



On reaching the mouth of Solomon's Fork, we found the face of the country 

 characterized by long gentle grassy slopes, no part of it near the river being 

 apparently elevated more than about 60 or TO feet above its surface. A short 

 distance beyond this, we caught the first glimpse of the Smoky Hills, which 

 were seen in a direction a little south of west from us, rising above the sur- 

 rounding low country like dark blue clouds above the horizon. On approach- 

 ing these, we found them always situated several miles back from the river, 

 and rising some tbree hundred and fifty feet above it. The immediate bluffs 

 of the river here, are generally composed of divisions No. 4 and 5 of the fore- 

 going general section, and that portion of these hills above the level of the 

 summits of the bluffs along the river, is made up of division Nos. 3, 2, 1, of the 

 same section. On the south side of the river these hill have but a compara- 

 tively thin capping of the sandstone No. 1, but on the north side we saw it 

 showing a thickening on some of them of sixty feet. 



From some of these hills on the north side of Smoky Hill river, between it 

 and the Grand Saline, we had an extensive and beautiful view of the surround- 



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an. 



