﻿48 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  obliged 
  to 
  go 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  trail 
  by 
  which 
  we 
  reached 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  re- 
  

   trace 
  our 
  steps 
  to 
  Unaweep 
  Caiioa. 
  Ou 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Grand 
  

   there 
  are 
  Jurassic 
  shales 
  capped 
  with 
  Dakota 
  sandstones 
  forming 
  hog- 
  

   backs. 
  There 
  are 
  numbers 
  of 
  small 
  isolated 
  buttes 
  between 
  the 
  

   hogbacks 
  and 
  the 
  river. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  break 
  in 
  the 
  canon 
  of 
  the 
  Grand 
  

   immediately 
  east 
  of 
  station 
  49. 
  The 
  river 
  here 
  has 
  an 
  open 
  valley, 
  

   with 
  beautiful 
  eottonwood 
  groves. 
  The 
  valley 
  is 
  overgrown 
  with 
  

   sage-brush, 
  and 
  the 
  cottonwoods 
  grow 
  in 
  otherwise 
  barren 
  sand- 
  

   banks. 
  From 
  this 
  valley 
  the 
  river 
  enters 
  a 
  caBon 
  of 
  much 
  greater 
  

   depth. 
  Its 
  length 
  we 
  were 
  unable 
  to 
  determine. 
  At 
  the 
  entrance 
  the 
  

   water 
  fills 
  the 
  space 
  from 
  wall 
  to 
  wall, 
  massive 
  red 
  sandstones 
  tower- 
  

   ing 
  high 
  ou 
  either 
  side. 
  On 
  the 
  north 
  they 
  seem 
  to 
  dip 
  abruptly, 
  and 
  

   the 
  overlying 
  shales 
  are 
  beautifully 
  exposed. 
  The 
  average 
  rate 
  of 
  fall 
  

   per 
  mile 
  of 
  Grand 
  Eiver 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  to 
  the 
  valley 
  

   below 
  station 
  49 
  is 
  4.7 
  feet. 
  North 
  or 
  a 
  little 
  east 
  of 
  north 
  from 
  the 
  

   station 
  is 
  the 
  bend 
  of 
  the 
  Grand 
  where 
  it 
  turns 
  to 
  the 
  south. 
  The 
  

   great 
  bend 
  is 
  farther 
  east 
  and 
  north. 
  At 
  that 
  point 
  its 
  course 
  changes 
  

   from 
  northwest 
  to 
  southwest. 
  The 
  river 
  is 
  in 
  open 
  valley 
  on 
  the 
  south, 
  

   with 
  bluffs 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  back 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side. 
  The 
  latter 
  bend 
  is 
  

   the 
  point 
  at 
  which 
  on 
  most 
  maps 
  the 
  Dolores 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  enter. 
  The 
  

   river 
  at 
  station 
  49 
  is 
  here 
  about 
  fifteen 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  Book 
  

   Cliffs. 
  The 
  valley 
  is 
  more 
  broken 
  up 
  than 
  farther 
  above, 
  especially 
  

   near 
  the 
  river. 
  It 
  is 
  still 
  a 
  dreary 
  desert 
  ; 
  the 
  streams 
  are 
  alkaline 
  and 
  

   the 
  soil 
  soft 
  and 
  clayey. 
  Although 
  the 
  creeks 
  are 
  dry 
  during 
  the 
  sum- 
  

   mer, 
  they 
  cut 
  deep 
  gullies, 
  the 
  floods 
  in 
  rainy 
  seasons 
  washing 
  away 
  

   great 
  quantities 
  of 
  the 
  loosely 
  aggregated 
  soil. 
  According 
  to 
  Gunni- 
  

   son's 
  report, 
  coal 
  exists 
  at 
  various 
  points 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  between 
  the 
  

   Grand 
  and 
  Green 
  Elvers. 
  It 
  is 
  probably 
  in 
  the 
  Dakota 
  group, 
  which 
  at 
  

   the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Gunnison 
  contains 
  a 
  very 
  inferior 
  lignite. 
  

  

  The 
  desert 
  country 
  continues 
  across 
  to 
  the 
  Green 
  Eiver, 
  bordering 
  the 
  

   foot 
  of 
  the 
  Book 
  Cliffs. 
  

  

  Eeturning 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  we 
  see 
  two 
  tributaries, 
  the 
  

   Little 
  Dolores 
  and 
  Granite 
  Creek, 
  joining 
  it 
  below 
  station 
  49. 
  Both 
  

   rise 
  in 
  the 
  plateau 
  close 
  together, 
  at 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  from 
  8,600 
  to 
  9,000 
  

   feet. 
  We 
  take 
  up 
  the 
  Little 
  Dolores 
  first. 
  Glancing 
  at 
  the 
  map 
  the 
  first 
  

   thing 
  attracting 
  our 
  attention 
  is 
  the 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  directions 
  of 
  the 
  

   drainage 
  at 
  different 
  points. 
  Near 
  the 
  source 
  the 
  streams 
  come 
  in 
  at 
  

   acute 
  angles. 
  Farther 
  down 
  they 
  join 
  at 
  right 
  angles. 
  At 
  the 
  heads 
  

   of 
  the 
  creeks 
  there 
  is 
  but 
  a 
  slight 
  slope, 
  what 
  little 
  there 
  is 
  being 
  to 
  the 
  

   east 
  or 
  northeast 
  ; 
  farther 
  down 
  the 
  inclination 
  is 
  greater 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  north. 
  

   The 
  Little 
  Dolores 
  drains 
  the 
  largest 
  area. 
  Its 
  general 
  course 
  is 
  

   northwest, 
  although 
  it 
  has 
  several 
  bends 
  to 
  the 
  southwest, 
  from 
  which, 
  

   after 
  short 
  courses, 
  it 
  always 
  returns 
  to 
  northwest. 
  

  

  The 
  plateau 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  rises, 
  north 
  and 
  northeast 
  of 
  stations 
  41 
  and 
  

   44, 
  is 
  well 
  timbered, 
  and 
  abounds 
  in 
  open, 
  grassy 
  parks. 
  Between 
  the 
  

   forks 
  the 
  country 
  falls 
  off' 
  in 
  terraces, 
  the 
  surface 
  rocks 
  being 
  Triassic. 
  

   The 
  upper 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  formation, 
  as 
  usual, 
  are 
  lighter 
  colored 
  than 
  those 
  

   below. 
  Near 
  the 
  heads 
  of 
  the 
  creeks 
  they 
  are 
  orange-yellow, 
  becoming 
  

   pink 
  as 
  we 
  go 
  north. 
  Immediately 
  beneath 
  them 
  we 
  have 
  blood-red 
  

   sandstones, 
  which 
  rest 
  on 
  gneissic 
  rocks. 
  The 
  latter 
  show 
  in 
  narrow 
  

   strips 
  along 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  creeks, 
  after 
  we 
  descend 
  the 
  first 
  terrace. 
  The 
  

   terraces 
  are 
  most 
  marked 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  creek. 
  Below 
  

   the 
  first 
  terrace 
  we 
  have 
  more 
  open 
  valleys 
  than 
  above. 
  These 
  are 
  bor- 
  

   dered 
  with 
  walls 
  of 
  red 
  sandstones, 
  with 
  white 
  or 
  light 
  pink 
  layers 
  at 
  

   the 
  top. 
  Still 
  farther 
  down 
  the 
  dip 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  beds 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  in- 
  

   creases, 
  and 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  at 
  first 
  notice 
  the 
  white 
  capping, 
  which, 
  however, 
  

  

  