New Mevico and California. 377 
The geological sketch uit 1 ave arate iaietion toa m 
short time and haste, in which I travelled throu h that bree rae it 
may elucidate and concentrate at least what little information I have 
acquired in relation to that subject. To make it more intellig I 
will add a short summary of the various geological observations pale 
over the whole extent of the journal. + 
Independence, near the western frontier of the State of Miseburi, is 
situated in the great Missouri coal basin, which occupies more than one- 
third of that State. 
” _ The first rock in situ which I saw in the prairie, oa Inde- 
pendence, was on Rock creek, (about 79 miles from Independence.) 
It was a ' yellowish- brown compact limestone, with encrinites me 
lar fossils of the carboniferous limestone, to those found in Miss 
On Pleasant pati creek (125 miles) the bluffs are formed of nnd 
different limest : one is white and compact; the other grayish, 
soft, and a aire The first contained some indistin 
in too imperfect a state to determine what formation they indicate. 
In Council grove (143 oe a horizontal, grayish, argillace s lime- 
stone ada without foss y- 
* ottonwood spe (185 miles,) irregular heaps 
are seen in ie prairie, and a ferruginous sandstone of yello wages ny 
and blue colors, extends from here to Pawnee fork, (a distance of about 
100 m 
. The re of the Little Arkansas, consisted of a spotted, yellow, cal- 
careous sandstone, and isolated pieces of ferruginous sandstone 
Walnut creek, (263 miles,) I met with a very porous and scoriaceous 
rock in situ, apparently the < omte of action of subterranean fires upon 
the ferruginous sandstone. Most likely a large coal-field lying beni 
here, has become ignited, and ntedediie this change of the rock. The 
so-called Pawnee rock (between Walnut creek and Ash or) consists 
of same ferruginous sandstone, changed by fire. On Pawnee fork 
miles) I saw the last of it; the feRrupinous sandstone there was 
more pala and deep red. 
oe h of Big Coon creek, (332 miles,) I found the bluffs to con- 
co sandstone below, and a white, fine-grained marl above 
marl resembles very. much some from the cretaceous forma 
¥ 
tion of “abe Upper anes but finding no fossils, I could not as- 
ect, but seemed to clone to thé cretaceous formation. “The Sisk 
ighe ~ the seca: I saw, spon a sec- 
nglo and limestone. 
Seconp Serizs, Vol. VI, No. 18. lhe, 1848. 49 
; isa. eo 
eich ieaaibst cee ree mcrae Un 
