GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY. 59 
ment crossing the divide between Labette creek and the Neosho near Laneville. 
East of the Neosho it passes McCune to the south and runs up Lightning creek, 
crossing it near its head, from which place it follows a sinuous line, north of 
Girard, west of Englevale and east of Pawnee station, to Godfrey, where it 
blends with the Oswego escarpment. 
ALTAMONT ESCARPMENT. 
The next limestone formation is the Altamont. It is found at the top of the 
escarpment which, passing east of Altamont and extending to the south, runs just 
east of Edna and into the territory, becoming very prominent there. Tracing 
the systems to the north, they are found to pass from Altamont north to Parsons, 
at which place they produce no escarpment. Along the west bluff of the Neosho 
they are again important, but the escarpment fades out around St. Paul, in the 
Neosho bottoms. To the northeast, past Brazilton, Farlington, and Hiattsville, 
there is a prominent escarpment; but it is largely due to the thick sandstone beds 
which produce the flagging stone quarried at many places. In the valley of the 
Marmaton the escarpment disappears, but is again found further north. 
ERIE ESCARPMENT. 
This escarpment is most prominent along the Marmaton river near Union- 
town, from which place it runs to the northeast, passing out of the state east of 
La Cygne, according to Mr. Bennett, who is familiar with that region. Follow- 
ing it to the south, it passes east of Savonburg nearly to Walnut, thence west- 
ward north of Erie, where it crosses the Neosho river. It is produced by three 
limestone systems called collectively the Erie formation.* 
They are quite closely associated along the course already described, and the 
escarpment is one of the most prominent in the southeastern portion of the state. 
South of the Neosho, however, the systems separate, due to the thickening of 
the intervening shale beds, and the lines of their outcrops diverge. 
HERTHA ESCARPMENT. 
The lower member trends to the east around the head of a creek to Hertha. 
An outlying area is found at South Mound. From Hertha the escarpment runs 
westward, crossing Labette creek south of Galesburg, and follows its west bluff 
for a considerable distance. It is prominent at a few places on Little Labette 
creek and finally terminates in the mounds west of Altamont. 
THE MOUND VALLEY ESCARPMENT. 
The second member of the Erie formation, the Mound Valley, has very promi- 
nent exposures all the way from the Neosho river to Galesburg and for some dis- 
tance south, when it suddenly fails to produce an escarpment for a considerable 
way, especially near Little Labettewreek. At Mound Valley, however, it is very 
prominent continuing so to the southwest nearly to the Verdigris river at Liberty. 
Here, however, the limestone has disappeared and the escarpment is produced 
by sandstones, which are eroded further south by the tributaries of the Verdigris. 
INDEPENDENCE ESCARPMENT. 
The upper system of the Erie formation, the Independence, is found on the 
high land east of Urbana and south of that place, producing an escarpment east 
of Thayer, which runs in a southwest direction to the Verdigris just below Inde- 
pendence. Crossing to the west side of the river, it produces a high bluff all the 
way to Coffeyville and after a slight digression to the west at Onion creek passes 
into the Indian territory. Lying to the east of this escarpment, from south of 
*Haworth and Kirk: Kansas Univ. Quart., vol. II, p. 108. 
