62 KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



the most important valleys of their respective regions — valleys whose erosion long 

 antedates the Glacial epoch. It would appear that these valleys represent slight 

 synclinal folds, and that gas with less water may well be be expected farther from 

 their median regions. The main structural fact of the gas region of Kansas is the 

 steady monoclinal dip to the west and north. This varies in amount; hence there 

 are gentle local anticlines and synclines, but scarcely enough to alter the effect of 

 the general monoclinal dip. This dip is fairly represented as to its westing in the 

 section before given. It appears to be more than geologists have been prepared for, 

 but it certainly decreases in amount in Allen county. If the amount of the dip, to- 

 gether with variation of clip, in local anticlinals or synclinals, plays any greater part 

 in the supply of gas, then greater supplies will not probably be obtained much furthei 

 west. It remains, however, to be noted, that in the valley of Fall river there are very 

 decided changes of dip, whose limits have not been defined; and the wide region be- 

 tween the Marmaton, the Kaw and the Arkansas rivers needs much more examination 

 before an opinion adverse to the occurrence of gas could be sustained — especially as 

 it is known that dark, even black shales, and many sandstones, occur at higher hori- 

 zons, which, dipping west, become sufficiently buried beneath shales and limestones; 

 and an arenaceous limestone in Woodson county is heavily charged with oil. 



It is probable that the Fort Scott oil well ( Walburn's) obtains its supplies from the 

 very highest beds of the subcarboniferous formations, probably Keokuk limestone, 

 from 400 to 440 feet deep. This suggests that shales and sandstones at greater depths 

 may yield the fluid fuels. According to Prof. St. John, the Silurian rocks are 

 pierced by the deep wells at Pittsburg and Girard, and this would appear to be the 

 same in the Brickley well at Fort Scott, whose total depth is 996 feet. Properly ex- 

 ploited, there may yet from deeper wells than the Brickley, be taken large supplies 

 of gas or oil. 



[N.B. — Small quantities of gas have been observed in Mitchell, Dickinson and Washington counties, 

 and it i? not improbable the Cretaceous and Lignitic formations may yield some supplies in central and 

 western Kansas. — As this goes to press, another well at Paola yields gas at much higher pressure. It 

 was tested to 105 lbs. to the square inch, but leakage prevented its full power being reached. — R. H.] 



MISCELLANEOUS CHEMICAL NOTES. 



BY PROF. E. H. S. BAILEY, LAWRENCE, KANSAS. 



ON THE PKE8ENCE OF BAEIUM, STBONTIUM AND LITHIUM IN THE MINEKAL WATERS OF 



KANSAS. 



At a former meeting of the Academy, attention was called to the occurrence of 

 Bromine and Iodine in our mineral waters, and the author predicted that other com- 

 paratively rare elements might be found. Prof. Mayberry reports the presence of 

 Lithium in many of the wells of Cleveland, and suggests that greater care be exercised 

 in testing for rare elements.* The water from a well in Miami county, Kansas, has 

 been recently examined. It proved to be a saline well containing over 300 grains of 

 solid matter per gallon. It was especially interesting since it contained a relatively 

 large amount of lithium, with appreciable quanties of strontium, and of borax. 



II. 



MINERAL OIL FROM FORT SCOTT. 



A sample of mineral oil from a well 481 feet deep, at Fort Scott, has been ex- 

 amined in the State University laboratory. The well is said to yield four barrels a 



♦American Association for the Advancement of Science. Buffalo. 1886. 



