HUMAN RELICS OF LANSING, KANSAS 7^7 



out irregularly a short distance west of the original tunnel. Put- 

 ting all the facts together, it would seem that this little stratum 

 was laid down in the axis of the ravine shortly after the stage 

 of aggradation began. As it scarcely reaches three inches in 

 depth at its thickest point — averaging probably less than an 

 inch — and is very homogeneous and peculiar, as well as very 

 fresh and calcareous, it was probably formed at a single stage of 

 inundation. Aside from this there is no distinct stratification or 

 lamination in the whole section, nor any complete assortment of 

 the material. The main material is a silt somewhat closely 

 resembling loess, but unlike it in the particulars already pointed 

 out. Through this silt, at all heights from the base to the sur- 

 face, there are dispersed fragments of limestone, shale, and other 

 debris incompatible with a typical loess deposit. The limestone 

 fragments were sometimes several inches across. Mr. Fowke, 

 who gave careful attention to the distribution of this material, 

 affirms that it was found indifferently at all heights, and I care- 

 fully verified this by an examination of the walls of the deep 

 open cut. Small fragments of softened limestone were so abun- 

 dant in some parts that the walls were mottled with the white 

 chalky spots made by the spade in mashing and spreading them. 

 There were also many bits of shale ranging up to an inch in 

 length, not a few of which had been sufficiently weathered to be 

 yellowish or brownish. These also occurred high up as well as 

 low down in the section. 



I have said that there was no distinct stratification, lamina- 

 tion or assortment in the section. There was some aggregation 

 of the silt and the fragmental material. There were spots where 

 the shaly and limy debris was sufficiently abundant to lend a 

 gravelly aspect to the mass, but close inspection showed that it 

 was not really assorted, laminated, or stratified. The agency of 

 accumulation had obviously brought relatively more fragmental 

 debris to these portions, or at least had left relatively more frag- 

 mental debris in these portions, than in average portions, but the 

 aggregation did not rise to the grade of typical assortment and 

 lamination. That it is a wash product seems to me clear, but 

 not a stream deposit nor a lake deposit, nor any other form of 



