Geological Papers. 79 



thin beds of coal are found in the Burlingame shales, and yield 

 some coal by stripping. Hiawatha, Holton, Topeka, Osage City, 

 Eureka, Howard and Cedarvale are situated along this belt of 

 beds. The Burlingame shales eight miles east of Emporia contain 

 so much arenaceous material that in certain portions they are better 

 designated as sandstones. These arenaceous shales are intersected 

 vertically by numerous fissures, many of which show faulting. 

 About thirty feet below the Barclay limestone is a two-foot stratum 

 of concretionary limestone covering a six-inch stratum of coal, and 

 fifty -five feet below the Barclay limestone is a stratum of brecciated 

 and conglomeritic limestone, locally thirty-five feet thick. The 

 same or another stratum of breccia and conglomerate is found 

 above the concretionary limestone mentioned above, and another 

 thin stratum above the Emporia limestones, described below, is 

 widely distributed in Lyon county. 



(9) Emjporia Beds, 21Q feet. These comprise the Humphrey 

 shales, including Columbia Ford limestone, 36 feet; Emporia blue 

 limestone, 9 feet; Olpe shales, 60 feet; Emporia buff limestones, 

 31 feet, and Emporia reservoir shales, 77 feet. The Humphrey 

 shales yield much salt water, to the detriment of wells. The Em- 

 poria blue limestone holds its special characteristics throughout 

 Lyon county and probably also in the counties north and south, 

 and is much used in the construction of foundations to houses. 

 The Emporia buff limestones are five in number, vary considerably 

 in physical appearance, hold many fossils in the limestone layers 

 and in the intervening shales, and are locally used somewhat for 

 building stones. Beneath the Emporia buff limestones the Olpe 

 shales are in part quite arenaceous. These shales contain a thin 

 bed of coal in the middle part. The Emporia reservoir shales are 

 quite uniformly arenaceous and carry at the top a six-inch bed of 

 coal. 



(10) Americns Beds, 155 feet. These comprise the Admire 

 shales and limestones, 120 feet ; Americus limestone and shales, 35 

 feet. The Admire shales include some five strata of limestone and 

 sandstone, none of which is of especial importance commercially or 

 topographically. About ninety feet above the base the shales yield 

 small quantities of natural gas in western Lyon county, and larger 

 quantities at Strong City and Elmdale, in Chase county. The 

 Americus limestone is a valuable building stone. It is dark buff 

 in color and averages twenty inches in thickness. Six or eight 

 feet above the Americus limestone is a six-inch layer of limestone 



