72 HAROLD IV. FAIRBANKS 



Again Professor Lawson argues for the post-Jurassic age of 

 the granites in the Coast Ranges, and in order to account for 

 the fact that the pre-Knoxville rocks rest on the granite with a 

 basal conglomerate, he is obliged to assume that they are a part 

 of the Cretaceous. The correctness of one view argues much 

 for the other ; if one falls both must be considered invalid. 



Again he says: "Fairbanks has combated the views of 

 Whitney and Becker, and has pronounced the series to be of 

 pre-Cretaceous age. He has not yet, in the writer's opinion, 

 established the correctness of his contention." I wish to call 

 especial attention to this statement because of the fact that Pro- 

 fessor Lawson has not advanced one particle of evidence in 

 refutation of my published statements as to the existence of a 

 nonconformity between the Knoxville and these lower beds. 'It 

 is hardly probable that we shall soon find any fossils in good 

 enough condition to be decisive concerning the question at issue, 

 and the main dependence must be placed upon stratigraphy. 

 The fact that these rocks (Golden Gate series) lie unconform- 

 ably beneath the Knoxville is shown by the most strongly 

 marked contrast, structurally as well as lithologically, in addition 

 to the stratigraphic break which I have described in previous 

 publications. 



In closing his description of the stratigraphy and structure 

 of the Franciscan series. Professor Lawson says in regard to the 

 disturbance of the strata : "The most of it seems to have long ante- 

 dated the uptilting of the Montara fault block, so that the latter 

 differs from most tilted blocks with which we are familiar. 

 These are commonly tilted blocks of strata previously undisturbed, 

 and the tilting is recognized by the attitude of the strata and the 

 presence of fault scarps. In the present case, however, the 

 region has been moderately folded and profoundly faulted with 

 local sharp plication." As far as I am conversant with the 

 geology of California and adjacent parts of Nevada, the fault 

 blocks are commonly not tilted blocks of previously undisturbed 

 strata, but exactly the opposite ; that is, the strata have been 

 more or less highly folded and tilted previous to the faulting. 



