662 WHITMAN CROSS 
upon stratigraphic position in different areas and on inherent char- 
acters. 
In the area under discussion, Peale distinguished an unfossil- 
iferous series of red beds lying below the Trias, and a fossiliferous 
series of still lower horizon. The former he mapped as ‘Upper 
Carboniferous,” though often referring to it, in his reports, as possibly 
Permian, and the latter was referred to the “‘ Middle Carboniferous.” 
During our reconnaissance various observations were made touch- 
ing the character and relations of both these series. 
THE PERMIAN (?) RED BEDS 
On Sheet XIV of the Hayden Adlas of Colorado, Peale represents 
“Upper Carboniferous” beds abutting against granite on West 
Creek near Dolores River, and thence extending westerly to the canyon 
of Grand River in Utah. The same formation is shown in Paradox 
and Sindbad Valleys. While the general distribution of the pre- 
Triassic red beds is no doubt fairly represented on the Hayden map, 
Peale was unable to make sufficiently detailed study of the formation 
to correlate the various partial sections examined. Our observations 
were also far too incomplete to permit of a satisfactory. description 
of the whole section. ‘This is the more difficult because of a gradual 
change in the character of the formation as distance from its eastern 
border increases. 
It was observed by Peale that the ‘‘Upper Carboniferous” beds 
near the granite on West Creek were conglomerates rich in granite, 
“proving that during their deposition there was adjacent land of 
which the rocks were granite” (29, p. 56). He also represents a 
shore-line near this locality, in profile sections across the Uncompahgre 
Plateau (29, PlateIV). Owing to ‘‘a steep dip” of the conglomerates 
away from the granite Peale does not place the shore-line immediately 
at the contact seen crossing West Creek; but, as no ‘‘ Middle Carbonif- 
erous” strata are present adjoining the granite the boundary does 
in fact represent correctly the overlap. 
That the strata in the vicinity of the granite do dip westward at 
angles of 15° or more is true, but in a ravine on the south side of West 
Creek and about 4 mile from it, I observed grits to rest directly on 
granite with a westerly dip of 12° to 15°, exhibited in strata near 
