EXPLORATIONS AND FIELD-WORK OF THE SMITH- 

 SONIAN INSTITUTION IN 1919 



IXTRODUCTION 

 An important phase of the Institution's work, in carrying out one 

 of its fundamental purposes, the " increase of knowledge," is the 

 scientific exploration by members of the sta.fi of regions in this 

 country and abroad previously imperfectly known to science. The 

 more important of these field researches carried on during 1919 are 

 here described briefly, for the most part by the explorers themselves. 

 Naturally the great war held in abeyance a number of proposed 

 expeditions, some of which it has since been possible to send out on 

 the resumption of a peace status. 



GEOLOGICAL EXPLORATION IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 



Geological explorations were continued in the Canadian Rocky 

 ^Mountains during" the field season of 1919 with two objects in view: 

 ( I ) The discovery of an unmetamorphosed. undisturbed section of 

 the Upper Cambrian formations north of the Canadian Pacific 

 Railway; and (2) the collection of fossils to determine the various 

 formations and to correlate them with the Tapper Cambrian forma- 

 tions elsewhere. 



The party going from W^ashington consisted of Dr. and 

 ]\Irs. Charles D. Walcott and Arthur Brown, who has accompanied 

 them for a number of years. 



Early in July an attempt was made to reach Ghost River northeast 

 of Banfi:', Alberta, but this failed owing to the extensive outbreak of 

 forest fires in that region. 



In August the party |)roceeded north from Lake Louise over Bow 

 Pass down the Mistaya Creek to the Saskatchewan River, and thence 

 up to the head-waters of the Middle Fork in the area about Glacier 

 Lake, where a wonderfully well preserved Upper Cambrian series 

 of rocks was found that had been cut across in pre-glacial time by a 

 deep east-and-west canyon valley, at the head of which were two 

 beautiful glaciers, which are illustrated by the panoramic view figure I 

 (Frontispiece), and more in detail by figures 5. 7. 8. 9, and 10. 



Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 72, No. 1 



