GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY. awe 
mation as here exposed. At its eastern limit we have the break in geological 
time marked by unconformity; at its western limit the transition to the Permian 
is marked by the fossils only. The dip of the strata, and the alternation of the 
easily eroded shales and sandstones with the more permanent limestones, are well 
exhibited by such a section drawn toscale. The lines of outcrop of the limestone 
systems have been traced with considerable detail and are quite identical with 
the escarpments which are shown in the accompanying map. It will be observed 
that they trend in a northeast and southwest direction, with many sinuosities 
where they cross the streams and divides. 
DESCRIPTION OF PHYSIOGRAPHIC FEATURES. 
Proceeding now to a description of the physiographic features, and beginning 
with the southeastern corner of the state, we find a small area of Subcarbonifer- 
ous which belongs to the Ozark region and which forms our starting-point (see 
map, page 58). To the west of this lie the 
CHEROKEE LOWLANDS. 
The base of the Carboniferous consists of a bed of shales and sandstones 
about 450 feet thick, known as the Cherokee shales* and sandstones. They are 
exposed over a belt of country about twenty-five miles wide, lying between Spring 
river and Oswego, and extending across the corner of the state far into Missouri 
and Indian territory. The surface is gently undulating, the monotony of low- 
land topography being occasionally broken by ridges and mounds which owe their 
existence to heavy sandstone. Such a mound is the one west of Baxter Springs, 
near the territorial line. The country around Columbus exhibits a number cf 
sandstone ridges, the city being located upon the divide between Spring river and 
the Neosho. Within thisareaare situated Pittsburg, Cherokee, Columbus, Weir 
City, Mineral, Sherman, and Chetopa. Over this area there are no limestones 
of stratigraphic importance, those which exist being usually associated with coal 
seams as ‘‘cap rocks.’’ The western border of the Cherokee lowlands is the 
OSWEGO ESCARPMENT. 
At Oswego we meet with the first important limestones, known from their ex- 
posure at that place as the Oswego formation.* 
They cap the heavy shale beds and produce an escarpment which along the 
river bluff is 120 feet high. To the south the escarpment continues west of 
the Neosho river, passing into Indian territory ; to the northeast it passes Sher- 
man and produces the hills around Monmouth and to the northwest of Mineral 
City. Just north of Cherokee it bends to the north, crosses Cow creek near 
Girard, and runs a little north of east almost to the state line, being very promi- 
nent at Mulberry, from which place it bends to the north, passing in a sinuous 
line west of Arcadia, Bunker Hill being a part of it. From there to Fort Scott 
it is very irregular and has many outlying hills. East of Fort Scott it reaches 
the state line, but bends back up the Marmaton, and, after crossing the river, 
finally passes into Missouri. It is in this escarpment that coal is obtained by 
quarrying the limestone above it. The Oswego formation extends but a short 
distance to the west on the surface. The next formation met with is the Paw- 
nee, producing the 
PAWNEE ESCARPMENT. 
The Pawnee limestone} formation produces but a slight influence upon the 
topography. To the north it becomes more important, and is seen in the escarp- 
* Haworth and Kirk: Kans. Univ. Quart., vol. II. p. 105. 
+ Haworth and Kirk: Univ. Geol. Surv., vol. I, ch. 2. 
