H2 C. H. GORDON 



were applied by Cummins in reports of the Texas Geological Survey. 

 These are evidently the equivalents of the beds included by Gould 1 

 in the formations to which he applied the names Greer and Quarter- 

 master. As these beds have no connection with the problem in 

 hand, they may be dismissed from further consideration. It is 

 to that portion of the "Red Beds" area adjoining the Red River 

 and extending eastward from the line above indicated that most 

 of the discussions concerning the Texas Permian apply. This is 

 the type area of the Wichita formation of Texas. The western 

 part of this area is characterized by the occurrence of beds of 

 limestone and blue shale interbedded with red clays and sandstones, 

 while the eastern part is notable for the entire absence of limestones 

 and the very limited development of blue shale and clay. If a 

 line be drawn from a point where the Salt Fork of the Brazos crosses 

 the boundary between Throckmorton and Young counties, a little 

 east of north to Red River, it will mark approximately the boundary 

 between the areas thus lithologically distinguished. According to 

 Cummins' earlier writings 2 most of the rocks of this western area 

 were assigned to the Clear Fork formation, while the strata occur- 

 ring toward the east constitute his original Wichita division. Many 

 of the fossils on which his conclusions regarding the Permian age 

 of the beds were based, however, appear to have come from the 

 basal portion of the limestone series in eastern Baylor County. 



In the earlier reports the Wichita formation is described as hav- 

 ing no surface development south of the point where the "Red 

 Beds" boundary meets the South Fork of the Brazos River in the 

 northeastern corner of Throckmorton County. From that point 

 southward the Clear Fork formation is said to rest directly upon 

 the "Albany," considered to be the highest division of the "Coal 

 Measures" in that region. This peculiar relation of the Wichita 

 formation was conceived to be due to overlap, and hence it was 

 believed that an unconformity marked the relations of these beds 

 to the "Coal Measures." In a later paper, 3 read before the Texas 



1 Charles N. Gould, Water -Sup ply and Irrigation Paper No. igi (1907), 

 14-10. 



3 Geological Survey of Texas, II (1890), 401. See map facing p. 552. 



3 W. C. Cummins, Transactions of the Texas Academy of Science (1897), II, 93-97. 



