THE PEMBINA DELTA. 359 



mountain, " in the southeast quarter of section 22, al>out a mile south from 

 this lowest part of the divide on its east side. It here turns abruptly from 

 its eastern course, and thence flows north-northwest along- the base of the 

 "second mountain" to its junction with the Pembina River, thus leaving 

 the depression just described, which would seem to be its more natural 

 course, and taking in its stead n channel that is eroded through a portion of 

 the delta 50 feet higher. 



The most elevated point of this delta, as it now remains, is about 

 1,270 feet above the sea, near the northwest comer of section 11, township 

 1G2, range 57, east of the Little Pembina and south of the Pembina River, 

 and is nearly 300 feet above the junction of these streams, 1^ miles distant 

 toward the northwest. Section 12 of this township and the west part of 

 section 7, township 162, range 56, slope from 1,225 feet on the south to 

 1,215 feet on the north; their southern part is the highest land crossed 

 between the depression before mentioned and the Pembina River by the 

 line dividing these townships. The level of Lake Agassiz in its highest 

 stage hei-e was 1,220 or 1,225 feet above the sea, beiug 50 feet below the 

 top of the Pembina delta, as is shown by the beach line of this level, 1,226 

 feet, in the central part of this section 7, where an eastward descent begins. 

 This is the east verge of the nearly flat area of the delta in sections 12 and 

 7. Like all of this delta deposit, the material here is sand and gravel, cov- 

 ered by a fertile soil. A small proportion of the pebbles of this gravel is 

 limestone; a large part is Cretaceous shale; l)ut more was derived from 

 Archeau formations of granite and gneiss. 



The second Herman beach, a ridge of the usual fonn, is crossed by the 

 road near the east side of the northeast quarter of section 7, township 162, 

 range 56, descending from 1,212 feet to about 1,200 feet in a distance of a 

 third or half of a mile from south to north. 



William Roadhouse's well, 110 feet deep, in the northwest quarter of 

 section 8, township 162, range 56, at the elevation of 1,184 feet, is all strat- 

 ified sand and gravel, with pebbles up to 6 inches in diameter, fully half 

 Cretaceous shale. Water comes in coarse sand at the bottom, filling the 

 lowest 2 feet. Another well of the same description, l)ut 137 feet deep. 



