GEOLOGICAL PAPERS. 



119 



I present in the table which follows, as an introduction to my 

 paper, the chronologies of Dana and Scott. Dana's chronology has 

 been used for many years by the great majority of American geolo- 

 gists ; Scott's chronology is, in its essential features, the scheme pro- 

 posed by a congress of European and a few American geologists. 

 Like most unnecessary compromises, this has failed to bring harmony, 

 and is not accepted to this day by many eminent American geologists. 

 I shall follow Dana's chronology in my paper, for I believe it suits 

 the conditions here in America better than any other ; and the few 

 who need to do so can run parallels between it and any other chro- 

 nology with which they wish to make an adjustment. 



In the following table, I have given in the first column the forma- 

 tions found in central Kansas ; in the second column will be found 

 Dana's time and rock groupings; in the third column is Williams's 

 classification, based on the dominant life forms, modified to suit Kan- 

 sas conditions ; and in the fourth column I have given the time and 

 rock divisions given in Scott's Geology : 



While the geological formations of Kansas are flexed less than 

 most of the neighboring states, these formations are sutficiently tilted 

 to make their study interesting. The slow rise of the Ozarks, due in 

 part to denudation, has given the strata of eastern Kansas a westerly 

 dip; and the rise of the Rocky Mountains in the Tertiary era has 

 given the strata of western Kansas their eastward dip. In addition 

 to these tiltings of the strata of the state from their original hori- 

 zontal position, due to the rise of mountain ranges, there have been 

 other movements nearly as potent. The first of these is the great 

 downward flexure of the strata of Indian Territory during the Lower 

 Coal Measure epoch. This flexure amounts, if reported correctly, to 

 9000 or 12,000 feet. The second disturbance of the strata of Kansas 

 has been due to the rising, sinking and partial recovery of the north- 

 ern portion of North America during the Glacial, Champlain and 

 recent periods. 



Unfortunately for the geologist, these crustal movements have not 

 been sufl5ciently great to induce great and rapid changes in the life 

 of the Kansas seas, and he is accordingly plagued, if he is a system- 

 atic geologist, or blessed, if he is an evolutionist, with transitional 



