CHAPTER XIII. 
GEOLOGICAL NOTES—BY A. DE C. SOWERBY. 
E is with some hesitation that I set forth the following notes and remarks 
on the Geology of the country traversed by the Expedition. With but 
a mere smattering of knowledge, picked up from text-books whilst on the 
march, I realise my unfitness for the task of giving anything like a Geological 
description of the Provinces passed through. Nevertheless it would seem to 
be a pity were I to shelve even such meagre notes as I have been able to 
gather about a country so little known. Eminent authorities on Geology have 
travelled in North China, but the route taken by the present Expedition 
seems to have been almost altogether through districts entirely new, so far 
as this science is concerned. That part of Shansi west of T’ai-yiian Fu, and 
the whole of Shensi north of the Wei Ho were out of Richthofen’s path. This 
interesting country was missed too by the members of the Carnegie 
Expedition 1903-4. It seems, however, to present features not found 
elsewhere in China, a proper study of which would throw light upon many 
problems in connection with the great loess deposits of North China. 
Throughout this Chapter I adopt the momenclature used by the authors 
of ‘‘ Research in China.” This book (published by the Carnegie Institution 
of Washington) deals with the results of the Carnegie Expedition already 
mentioned, and in it, where dealing with this subject, Mr. Bailey Willis calls 
the whole of the Yellow Aeolian deposits, so extensively found in all the 
northern provinces, the Huang-t’u formation. In Chinese, the word Huang-t’u 
means literally ‘“ yellow earth.” It refers to the true wind-deposited loess, as 
well as to the fluvial deposits of the Chihli plain and elsewhere. Bailey Willis 
took the name, which is a very happy one, from Huang-t’u-tsai, a village 
situated about ten miles north of T’ai-yiian Fu. 
Another substance containing a large percentage of clay, and occurring 
in many places with the loess, is called Shao-t’u which means literally ‘‘ baking 
earth.” It derives this name from the fact that it is suitable for mixing with 
coal-dust to form a good burning substance. The mixture is either dried into 
cakes, or is put on the kang-fire wet. It burns well, but slowly, forming a 
very economical fuel. 
Throughout this Chapter I shall use the word Shao-t’x in its real Chinese 
sense, and the word Huang-t’u in the sense given to it by Bailey Willis. I 
shall thus have three terms to use in connection with yellow deposits :— 
115 
