184 MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



HISTOKICAL REVIEW OF THE GEOLOGY OF MICHIGAN. 



A. C. LANE,, STATE GEOLOGIST^ LANSING^ MICH. 



The earliest published work referring to the Geology of Michigan was 

 read before the Geological Society of London in February and March, 

 1828.' before Michigan had become a State and indeed, before the terri- 

 tory now comprising the State had been entirely released by Great 

 Britain." 



Dr. Bigsby was surgeon on Drummond Island at Fort Drummond 

 which was still held by the British. In this report are already identi- 

 fied and separated; the Lake Superior sandstone; "the limestone of St. 

 Joseph,"" which we now call the Trenton; the "limestone of the Mani- 

 touline,"' which has been since known as the Niagara ; the gypsum de- 

 posits of the Isles of St. Martin which represent the Salina and the 

 "cavernous and brecciated limestone of Michilimackinac,"' which was 

 later called the Helderberg. It will be noticed that these names have 

 since been replaced by names from New York localities which possess 

 more or less equivalent rocks, but I think the time is at hand when we 

 shall see clearly that these names are not really equivalent in their New 

 York and western usage and shall return for our western usage to those 

 old names, wliich have priority" anywa3\ He describes a number of fossils 

 and gives a careful description of the petrographic character of these 

 different layers. «For nearly twenty years there was no addition to our 

 systematic knowledge. Then the Geological Survey under Douglass 

 Houghton began.'' The proceedings of this Survey are scattered through 

 a lot of House and Senate documents and are almost impossible to obtain. 

 For this reason they have not received the attention they deserve, both 

 as to surface and general geology. INIoreover, the work was interrupted 

 by the death of Dr. Houghton in 1847, and many of the illustrations never 

 saw the light. By this Survey the coasts of both Peninsulas were care- 

 fully skirted and the presence of coal in the interior of the Lower Penin- 

 sula and the general distribution of the copper bearing rocks and the 

 iron bearing rocks of the Upper Peninsula were laid out. Originally, 

 the circular basin like arrangement of the beds in the Lower Peninsula 

 was not understood, but before tlieir work was finished they had arrived 

 at correct views.* 



Houghton had just arranged for a system of co-operation with the U. 

 S. Land Office in the Upi)er Peninsula, by which geological observations 

 were to be made in connection with their subdivision. This very prom- 

 ising plan was never thoroughly carried out. but a mass of information 

 was accumulated which enabled the next Geologists to publish, to cover 

 and get practically correct a vast amount of territory. 



The general government next took a hand, and under C. T. Jackson* 

 and Foster and ^^'llitney■ a rej)ort was i)rei)ared which included much of 

 tlie work of Houghton and his assistants and covered the Upper Penin- 

 sula with a considerable degree of accuracv. Thev were assisted bv 



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