276 W. LIMA, REX — TWO NEOCENE RIVERS OF CALIFORNIA. 



resent a tributary coming down from the vicinity of Haskell peak. The 

 high bed-rock ridges mar Haskell peak, the northern side of which have 

 been examined by Mr H. W. Turner, preclude, except by assuming very 



large subsequent disturbances, any supposition that a channel could 

 have flowed northward from Milton. 



Grades : 



American hill to Snow Point. 4' miles, 114 feet per mile. 



American hill to Milton, 11 miles, 107 feet per mile. 



Milton to Meadow Lake. — -Between these two places, a distance of 11 

 miles, there exists a deep channel entirely covered by volcanic rocks. 1 1 

 is easily traceable by means of a lower flow of rhyolite and by means of 

 conspicuous bed-rock ridges rising on either side. The highest of these 

 is English mountain, through which the section E E is laid. It shows 

 that in some places, at least, the bed-rock peaks rise to a height of 2,000 

 feet above the ancient rivers* The outlet of this channel is, as mentioned 

 above, about one mile southeast of Milton, at the base of a high andesitic 

 bluff underlain by rhyolite; it does not seem as if this rhyolite flow had 

 extended much farther in a westerly direction from here. An attempt 

 has been made to open the channel in this place ; an old tunnel is still 

 visible, but I do not know how the enterprise succeeded. Some coarse 

 wash gold is said to have been found in this vicinity ; there is no evi- 

 dence of any considerable amount of gravel. So far up as this the old 

 rivers probably did not accumulate much more gravel than the present 

 streams do now in bars and stretches of slight grade. Whether the 

 channel would pay for drifting is a doubtful question. 



The distinct inlet of this channel is found between Fordyce and 

 Meadow lakes at an elevation of nearly 6,700 feet. It is clearly indi- 

 cated by the trough-shaped depression filled with rhyolite ("white 

 lava ") between the high granitic hills west of Meadow lake and the slate 

 ridges of the main divide about two miles to the northeast. It would 

 seem almost certain that this part of the ancient stream — east of Meadow 

 fike — would be auriferous ; the detritus from the Meadow lake quartz 

 mines must have been swept down into this trough. Whether aurifer- 

 ous enough for drifting is another question. No gravel is visible at this 

 point; moraines cover, however, a great deal of the ground here and 

 obscure somewhat the relations between lava and bed-rock. 



The course of the stream above this point is not known ; its uppermost 

 course has been swept away by the erosion of the North creek. High 

 granite ridges rise southward and eastward ; in fact we are now near tic 

 source of the Neocene river; the Neocene divide is only live or six miles 



\ shoulder projecting from English m tain, which lias 1 n somewhat exaggerated in the 



drawing, produces the impression ofa terrace. Such a terrace or bench does nol exist in reality. 



