• proceedings: geological society 101 



Although there are probably more low swampy areas inside the 

 meander or "shore " lines of the lakes than outside and in places a bayou 

 or other natural feature follows one of the lines for a part of its course, 

 there is with one or two possible exceptions not only no recognizable 

 lake basin, shore features, or lake deposits but for the most part no re- 

 lation between the meander lines and any boundary of any featui'e or 

 deposits, all manner of natural boundaries crossing the "shore lines" at 

 all angles and all kinds of the natural features and deposits of the region 

 being found both inside and outside of the "lakes." 



The testimony of the trees, according to Dr. Cowles, has a similar 

 bearing. The forest consists of oak, ash, elm, hickory, cottonwood, 

 pecan, various gums, cypress, locust, maple, hackberry, sycamore, etc., 

 large proportions of which are over sevent,y-five years old and none of 

 which, according to the same authority, will germinate and grow in a 

 lake — not even excepting cypress. The spur roots are with rare excep- 

 tions at the surface indicating no practically erosion or sedimentation. 



Here and there are small tracts in which the timber was shaken down 

 by the Xew ]\ladrid earthquakes of 1811-12 and the surface being de- 

 pressed, elevated, covered with the sand of "sand blows" or otherwise 

 changed, a different society of trees has sprung up — all less than 105 

 years old and some growing astride, the still remaining fallen trunks. 

 In such places events of the past century are clearly recorded. 



♦Perhaps the most important inferences concerning the work of the 

 Mississippi River are (1) that it is probably filling and not deepening 

 this part at least of its valley and (2) that throughout most of the flood 

 plain the rate of sedimentation is very slow — not more than a few inches 

 per century. 



E. S. Bastin: Genesis of the ores at Tonopah, Nevada. 



The 323d meeting was held at the Cosmos Club, December 19, 1917. 



INFORMAL COMMUNICATIONS 



Lawrence LaForge: The occurrence of "Spri7igs"m place names in 

 the United States. The word is more common in the Southern States. 

 The relation of the place names to glaciation, limestone formations, 

 habits of the people, etc., was referred to. 



Discussion: David White called attention to the remedial qualities 

 of springs and the disposition of the people of the South to resort to 

 springs. T. W. Vaughan spoke of nameless springs throughout the 

 Southern States and their association with Limestone formations. 

 0. E. Meinzer referred to the large springs along fault scarps in Nevada, 

 and W. B, Heroy spoke of the ratio of area of a state to the number 

 of place-names containing the word "Springs." 



regular trogram 



Sidney Paige: Coal and iron in the terms of peace. 



H. E, Merwin, Secretary. 



