100 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES 
through which passes the road to Candelaria and other points on the 
Rio Grande far south of the railroad at Valentine. Near the gap is the 
famous Brite ranch, established in 1885. It comprises about 225,000 
acres with 65 miles of pipe lines for water supply and has a large beri 
of thoroughbred Hereford cattle. It was raided by Mexican out- 
laws in 1917, so that a fort with a powerful search light has been built, 
a novel feature in present ranch life. In this vicinity some rock 
ledges bear Indian inscriptions and pictographs of animals and people 
which are so deeply weathered that there can be no question as to 
their antiquity. 
In 1931 Valentine experienced a severe earthquake, which demol- 
ished or damaged many buildings and twisted chimneys and grave- 
stones. Apparently the settlement was near the center of the dis- 
turbance, which may have been caused by renewed movement on 
some of the faults that traverse the region to the south and north. 
The direction of the principal line of disturbance was nearly due south. 
North of Wendell siding are ridges presenting a variety of rocks, 
mostly lavas, but also exposures of limestones and sandstones of the 
Trinity group (Lower Cretaceous) and a small outcrop of limestone 
of Permian age, which was quarried to a small extent as marble.” 
The alteration from limestone to marble has been caused by the intru- 
sion of an igneous mass. 
7” In the region pe of Valentine strata of Cretaceous age appear in many 
ridges and mesas, as described by Taff, Richardson, Stanton, and Baker. They 
are listed in the following table: 
Lower Cretaceous (Comanche) formations in western Texas 
Group Formation Character —— 
Buda limestone-_...__..__- estone, massive, light colored_____________ 30 
Washita. Der Hie olay sec i532 bcp Butt chy, sandstone layers__ 100-300 
Georgetown limestone... __ Massive limestone, marl at base locally________ 100-550 
Edwards limsetone_________ OESOMNG  NASSI YR. Se 50-600 
Fredericksburg. | Comanche Peak limestone pmo abby eae ieee SRR Se Oe 80+ 
Wainut clay... Clay , sandstone, and impure limestone________ 30+- 
Finlay limestone_....______ Limestone, mostly massive___............____ 409 
: Cox sandstone... __._____._ Sandstone, brown, a "shale and limestone | 500-2, 000 
Trinity. : and local conglomerate 
Campagrande formation. __| Sandstone and ccanhimetiie Sea acess eee 250-800 
coarse sandstones and conglom- | tains, about 2,000 feet thick in the 
base of the Trinity lie unconformably | tains, and about 1,000 feet thick in the 
on the Malone formation (Upper Juras- | northern part of the Eagle Mountains. 
a at least 250 feet thick on | It consists largely of brown sandstone 
flank of the Quitman | but includes beds of limest d shal 
Meiintenes. The Cox sandstone, which | and local members of conglomerate. 
ease up many of the high ridges near | The overlying Finlay limestone is con- 
is 1,500 feet thick in the spicuous about the Sierra Blanca and 
caster part of the Van Horn Moun- makes up the plateau extending north- 
