52 ' KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



material, showing that the shores of the old ocean had strong local 

 currents. The whole deposit is so nearly horizontal for two hundred 

 miles, that the inclination of the strata, if any exists, could not be 

 detected. The few finely preserved leaves of land plants which have 

 been found, show the existence of islands in the Cretaceous. 



Invertebrate fossils are seen at but few points east of Fort Dodge; 

 but in that vicinity and west of it, they are more frequently found. 

 They are restricted to a few species, mostly represented by ostrea 

 and inoceramus. Fossils of a higher type are extremely rare. During 

 two weeks' search, the only specimen obtained was a single palatal 

 tooth of a fish, Pt) chodus. 



The character of the materials, uniformity, and level state of the 

 deposition, together with the scarcity of organic remains, renders 

 the geology of this part of Kansas the most monotonous we have 

 ever examined. 



Such a formation in any part of the world, has never yet yielded 

 any mineral wealth. I make this statement lest any of our new 

 settlers should waste time and capital in a fruitless search for valua- 

 ble ores. The red appearance of much of the sandstone is caused 

 by iron. In some places this at first sight would raise the presump- 

 tion that that metal could be procured in paying quantities. This, 

 however, is not; the case. While in the best cases the percentage 

 of iron is low, the quality is quite objectionable. The silicates are so 

 mixed with the metal that only a poor article of iron could be sent 

 to market. I make this statement in the face of an assertion made 

 on our visit that a good iron ore of seventy percent, had been found 

 near Pawnee Rock. But it is equally the duty of a geologist to tell 

 what geological formations do not produce valuable ores, as to point 

 out good localities. 



The soil of a country underlaid by such a deposit would naturally 

 be sandy. To a certain extent this is true of the Arkansas valley, 

 but not so much so as to interfere with a good share of fertility. 

 The higher lime strata of the Cretaceous undoubtedly at a former 

 period covered all this part of the State. The abundant fertile ele- 

 ments of those old limestones are intermingled with the present 

 surface soil, and give to it in most places a fine, rich soil. Conse- 

 quently this valley, to a very large extent, contains excellent farm- 

 ing lands. On the high prairie the black loam is like that in other 

 parts of Kansas, very rich, and from two to three feet in depth. 

 In the valley the loam is from one to ten feet deep, and more 

 intermingled with sand. From Fort Larned easterly, the valley 

 is more or less cultivated, and the crops compare favorably with 



