REPORT ON Fir.I.l) WORK IN GEOLOGY. 137 



during the past summer was not carried into the famous " Flint Hills," 

 but a hasty examination made in crossing and recrossing this place 

 by train led the writer to believe as others have stated that the "Flint 

 Hills " have a common origin with the lesser gravel beds. Cursory 

 examinations made from time to time during the past fifteen years 

 indicate that similar gravel deposits are found to the south in the 

 Indian Territory and to the east in Missouri, occupying indiscrimin- 

 ately the surfaces of Coal Measures and Mississippian formations. 

 The character of the gravel is largely the same over all of the areas 

 mentioned, and the modes of occurrence cannot be discriminated. 



Such interesting formations as these gravels constitute have natur- 

 ally attracted the attention of different geologists at various times. 

 One result is that quite a literature has accumulated on the subject 

 in which one can find many different views on the origin of the gravel 

 and mode of formation of the beds. Without attempting to give an 

 exhaustive review of such literature, a few references to various 

 articles on the subject may be of interest in this connection. In 1874 

 Prof. G. C. Broadhead, in describing the surface deposits of Jasper 

 county, Missouri, wrote as follows*: "The material overlying 

 " the solid rocks may be referred to local agencies. Solid beds of 

 "rock often appear on high ground, and can always be reached 

 "within a few feet of the surface. The soil and subsoil, both com- 

 "bined, are not often over two feet deep, with downward successions 

 "of red clay and gravel for from 4 to 8 feet, to solid rock. The 

 "gravel is even sometimes at the surface, and often within a foot 

 "depth. A similar succession of loose material is also commonly 

 "found at the lead mines. The banks of the streams, also, are sim- 

 " ilar, of which Center creek exhibits: 

 "No. I. 1 1/2 feet dark soil. 

 "No. 2. 2 feet red clay. 



" No. 3; 3 feet gravel bed to the water in creek. 

 "On the prairie, two miles to the southwest of Carthage, excava- 

 "tions show water-worn chert pebbles at the surface. At the old 

 "mines in Sec. ^^, four miles southeast of Carthage, similar pebbles 

 ' ' were observed. These were found 60 to 70 feet above Spring river, or 

 " Center creek; so it is quite evident that no recent agency could have 

 " deposited them there. They must therefore belong to the Drift, 

 "about its southern limit, but borne by currents from some place 

 " near by." 



In speaking of the surface deposits in Vernon county he writes:* 



"Undoubtedly this county has been subjected to glacial agency 



' ' at some former period of time. Its results may be seen in the isolated 



*Mo. G. Rep., 1873-4, p. 79, 



