THE PLAINS PROVINCE 



91 



the Pennsylvanian elements of the fauna seemed to persist, while they are largely 

 wanting in their equivalent beds, the Wichita division. A similar thing occurs 

 in the clear-water beds of northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas, north of the 

 Red Beds. Aside from this general fact it should be noted that along the region 

 of the Red Beds and light sediment (littoral?) contact, some of the Pennsylvanian 

 elements of the Kansas fauna persisted much longer than in the same rocks to 

 the northward. The fauna of any given horizon above the Elmdale formation 

 varies very sensibly as we pass from the Nebraska to the Oklahoma line, both in 

 abundance of specimens and species, and in the general aspect of the faunules 

 as well. This is to be expected in the light of the intercalation of massive gypsum 

 beds as low as the lower part of the Neosho member in the northern region. 

 From it we would infer that the waters of the northern-main marine part of the 

 basin were somewhat more concentrated than at its southern shore." 



In 191 2, Beede^ gave a second account of the same phenomenon: 



"In tracing the limestones and shales of the basal Permian beds of Kansas 

 southward into Oklahoma the relationship of the light-colored sediments to the 

 red sandstones, red shales, and red limestones of Oklahoma is clearly revealed. 

 It is shown that some of the heavier ledges of limestone first become sandy along 

 their outcrops in patches a few rods across. Farther south the sandstone areas 

 increase in size until the limestone appears only in local areas in the sandstones 

 and is finally wanting. Traced farther southward, the sandstones become deep 

 red or brown with local areas of white. The decimation of the fauna sets in as 

 the limestones diminish and the remains of life are not found far beyond the limits 

 of the limestones. The shales become red very much farther north than do the 

 sandstones, and are frequently more deeply colored. Some of the lower lime- 

 stones become red before they change into sandstones. The sandstone ledges 

 continue for some distance southward as rather even, uniform beds, but farther 

 on they are found to thicken and thin in a somewhat systematic manner. 



"Several ledges of sandstone frequently occur in a single section, and where 

 one of these ledges is found thickened the others are apt to be thicker than normal. 

 Likewise they are all found to be thin over certain areas. The regions of thicken- 

 ing and thinning were found to be parallel belts lying north and south at right 

 angles to the major drainage lines. Two of these belts, together with an inter- 

 vening region about 8 miles across, were studied. The sandstones thicken at the 

 expense of the shales, sometimes eliminating them. In one instance a thin lime- 

 stone was traced southwest into one of these zones. A sandstone 20 feet or more 

 beneath the limestone thickens and rises above the limestone and practically 

 unites with the sandstone some distance above it. The limestone seems to die 

 out a few feet from the sandstone, but farther west the latter shrinks to its 

 normal thickness and the limestone is present in its proper position with its usual 

 characteristics." 



A later paper by Beede^ gives a more detailed account of the transition 

 of the limestone into shale and red beds: 



' Beede, J. W., Origin of the Sediments and Coloring Matter of the Red Beds of Oklahoma, 



Science, vol. xxxv, p. 348, 1912. 

 2 Beede, J. W., The Neva Limestone in Northern Oklahoma, with Remarks upon the 



Correlation of the Vertebrate Fossil Beds of the State, Oklahoma Geological Survey, 



Bull. 21, p. 24, 1914. 



