624 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXIX. No. 746 



same as at the time of making the last annual 

 report. During the year the four new fellows 

 elected at the Albuquerque meeting qualified; two 

 fellows, Homer T. Fuller and William S. Yeates, 

 were lost by death, and two by resignation. After 

 presentation of the memorials of the deceased 

 fellows the regular program of papers was taken 

 up as follows: 



The first paper read was: 

 Borne Distinctions between Marine and Terrestrial 



Conglomerates: Joseph Babeell, New Haven, 



Conn. 



The problem was approached by studying the 

 effects of shore, as compared with subaerial, ac- 

 tivities upon the production, transportation and 

 deposition of gravel. It has been found that the 

 truly terrestrial forces produce vastly more gravel, 

 spread it far more widely, and provide more op- 

 portunities for deposition, than do the forces of 

 the littoral zone. Conglomerate formations, there- 

 fore, should be dominantly of terrestrial origin. 

 In order to determine, however, the mode of origin 

 of particular examples, definite criteria must be 

 drawn between the two classes. It was shown 

 that the thickness was one of the most important 

 of these marine conglomerates, except under local 

 and special circumstances, being limited to con- 

 siderably less than one hundred feet in thickness, 

 terrestrial conglomerates, on the other hand, being 

 frequently measured in hundreds and occasionally 

 in thousands of feet. 



Attention was next turned to the significance of 

 the intercalated non-conglomeratic beds and the 

 relations to the under- and over-lying formations, 

 with the conclusion that the characteristics of the 

 associated strata are frequently of high supple- 

 mental value for determining the mode of origin. 



Applications of the conclusions were made to 

 several conglomeratic formations. 



Professor Barrell's paper was discussed by 

 Messrs. G. K. Gilbert, J. Barrell and W. H. Hobbs. 



The following papers were read by title: 



The Chemistry of the Pre-Camhrian Rivers: 

 Reginald A. Daly, Boston, Mass. 



The Primary Origin of the Foliated Structure of 

 the Laurentian Gneisses: Feank D. Adams and 

 Alfeed E. Baelow, Montreal, Canada. 



Relations of Present Profiles and- Oeologic Struc- 

 ture in the Desert Ranges: Chakles R. Keyes, 

 Des Moines, Iowa. 



Deflation and the Relative Efficiencies of Erosive 

 Processes under Conditions of Aridity : Chables 

 R. Ketes, Des Moines, Iowa. 

 Then were read: 



JJncmiformity Separating the Coal-bearing Roohs 

 in the Raton Field, New Mexico: Willis 

 Thomas Lee, Washington, D. C. 

 The coal-bearing rocks of northern New Mexico 

 in the vicinity of Raton occupy the southern part 

 of the Raton Mountain region. The rock forma- 

 tions are the same as those of the Trinidad coal 

 field in southern Colorado, heretofore referred to 

 the Laramie. Recent work in the Raton field has 

 proved that there are two coal-bearing formations 

 separated in time by a period of erosion. The 

 evidence of the hiatus is found : ( 1 ) in the partial 

 removal of the older beds, (2) in the character ol 

 the pebbles found at the base of the younger 

 formation, (3) in the affinities of the fossil plants. 

 Evidence that the Appalachian and Central Coal 

 Fields were once connected across Central Ken- 

 tucky: AsTHUE Miller, Lexington, Ky. 

 In support of the view long entertained, that 

 the different Carboniferous coal fields of the 

 United States were formerly connected, the writer 

 during the past summer fo\md deposits of Coal 

 Measure conglomerate in a narrow band along the 

 watershed between the Green and Salt rivers, and 

 in previous years had noted it between Bacon 

 Creek, a tributary of Nolin River, and Green 

 River; and also on the top of King's Moimtain, 

 near the head of Green River. During moat of 

 this stretch it forms the crest of Muldrow's Hill. 

 It consists of massive bowlders of large quartz 

 pebble conglomerate and great banks of pebble 

 and sand waste. It has contributed much material 

 to the lands lying south of Muldrow's Hill, giving 

 to many of them a sandy character. It itself, near 

 the middle of its course, is deeply dissected, re- 

 sembling in its topography, soils and population, 

 the same formation in eastern Kentucky. 

 The Bearing of the Tertiary Mountain Belt upon 

 the Origin of the Earth's Plan: Feank Bdes- 

 ley Tayloe, Fort Wayne, Ind. 

 Suess showed with great clearness and force 

 that the peripheral mountain system of Asia was 

 formed by horizontal thrust movements from the 

 north; t. e., from the interior of the continent 

 towards the ocean. 



In the present paper the following points are 

 dwelt upon as tending to confirm Suess's general- 

 ization and the writer's extension thereof: 



1. The Tertiary mountain arcs and island fes- 

 toons of Asia bulge outward towards the south,, 

 showing southward erustal creep of the conti- 

 nental mass. 



2. The Himalaya mountain range exceeds others 

 in height, because it was so severely pressed 

 against the north side of the older plateau of 



