﻿ENDLicH.j 
  SANGRE 
  DE 
  CRISTO 
  METAMOEPHICS. 
  Ill 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  interior 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Eange, 
  though 
  at 
  

   many 
  places 
  sedimentary 
  beds 
  of 
  considerable 
  thickness 
  and 
  volcanic 
  

   flows 
  have 
  obscured 
  any 
  insight. 
  As 
  a 
  rule, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  

   highest 
  mountains 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  are 
  formed 
  by 
  metamorphics, 
  among 
  

   ■which 
  granites 
  and 
  gneissoid 
  scliists 
  are 
  the 
  favorites. 
  The 
  Trinchera 
  

   group, 
  however, 
  the 
  highest 
  peak 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  over 
  13,000 
  feet 
  above 
  

   sea-level, 
  shows 
  sedimentary 
  beds 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  summit. 
  Station 
  103, 
  

   12,407 
  feet, 
  is 
  the 
  highest 
  volcanic 
  peak 
  in 
  the 
  range. 
  Going 
  south- 
  

   ward 
  from 
  Mosco 
  Pass, 
  the 
  metamorphics 
  follow 
  the 
  trend 
  of 
  the 
  moun- 
  

   tains. 
  Gneiss 
  and 
  gneissoid 
  schists, 
  with 
  black 
  mica, 
  dip 
  steeply 
  to 
  

   the 
  west 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side, 
  and 
  are 
  very 
  much 
  contorted 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  

   There 
  a 
  coarse 
  grained, 
  light-red 
  granite 
  sets 
  in, 
  upon 
  which 
  a 
  com- 
  

   pass-station 
  was 
  located 
  in 
  1871. 
  From 
  that 
  point 
  the 
  same 
  granite 
  

   continues 
  south 
  toward 
  station 
  G, 
  which, 
  at 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  12,341 
  

   feet, 
  is 
  located 
  on 
  it. 
  Flesh-colored 
  ortboclase, 
  grayish 
  to 
  white 
  quartz, 
  

   silvery 
  muscovite, 
  and 
  small 
  crystals 
  of 
  white 
  oligoclase 
  compose 
  the 
  

   rock. 
  lu 
  Greyback 
  Gulch, 
  southeast 
  of 
  station 
  G, 
  this 
  granite 
  is 
  overlaid 
  

   by 
  red 
  Carboniferous 
  sandstone, 
  but 
  crops 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  ridge 
  leading 
  

   south 
  towards 
  station 
  7. 
  Southwest 
  of 
  Station 
  6 
  is 
  the 
  Blanca 
  group. 
  

   Although 
  this 
  is 
  but 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Eange 
  proper, 
  it 
  

   stands 
  out 
  very 
  prominently, 
  by 
  virtue 
  of 
  the 
  low 
  passes 
  both 
  north 
  

   and 
  south 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  by 
  virtue 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  altitude 
  of 
  its 
  highest 
  points. 
  

   The 
  mind 
  of 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  has 
  seen 
  fit, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  distinguish 
  this 
  

   group 
  by 
  a 
  special 
  name, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Blanca, 
  or 
  Gar- 
  

   land 
  Mountains. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  retain 
  the 
  name, 
  we 
  have 
  called 
  the 
  

   highest 
  peak 
  Blanca 
  Peak. 
  Metamorphic 
  rock 
  composes 
  the 
  entire 
  

   group, 
  consisting 
  chiefly 
  of 
  hornbleudic 
  and 
  micaceous 
  schists, 
  very 
  

   firmly 
  cemented 
  by 
  a 
  white 
  or 
  grey 
  quartz. 
  Stratification 
  of 
  some 
  

   regularity 
  may 
  be 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  masses, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  strata 
  dip 
  

   westward 
  at 
  an 
  angle 
  of 
  about 
  G0°, 
  their 
  position 
  greatly 
  aided 
  

   the 
  progress 
  of 
  erosion 
  and 
  attrition, 
  and 
  has 
  produced 
  the 
  sharp 
  

   ridges 
  of 
  that 
  group. 
  Ascending 
  the 
  one 
  leading 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  south- 
  

   east, 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  this 
  position 
  is 
  recognized 
  very 
  readily 
  in 
  a 
  

   long 
  ridge 
  that 
  may 
  justly 
  be 
  compared 
  to 
  a 
  knife 
  edge 
  on 
  a 
  gigan- 
  

   tic 
  scale. 
  Station 
  8, 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  Blanca 
  Peak, 
  is 
  14,404 
  feet 
  high, 
  

   0,797 
  feet 
  higher 
  than 
  Fort 
  Garland. 
  Toward 
  the 
  north 
  the 
  mountains 
  

   fall 
  off 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  steep 
  precipice, 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  lake 
  from 
  

   whence 
  the 
  headwaters 
  of 
  the 
  Huerfano 
  find 
  their 
  way. 
  Southeast 
  of 
  

   the 
  peak, 
  at 
  timber-line, 
  are 
  several 
  small 
  lakes, 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  our 
  

   ascent, 
  June 
  19, 
  1875, 
  were 
  still 
  covered 
  with 
  ice. 
  On 
  all 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  

   peak 
  the 
  surrounding 
  metamorphic 
  rocks 
  are 
  traversed 
  by 
  white 
  veins 
  

   of 
  quartz, 
  that 
  show 
  ramifications 
  and 
  other 
  features 
  incident 
  to 
  any 
  

   metalliferous 
  veins 
  of 
  ore-bearing 
  regions. 
  Chlorite 
  takes 
  the 
  place 
  at 
  

   times 
  of 
  mica 
  or 
  hornblende 
  iu 
  this 
  rock, 
  and 
  thus 
  produces 
  either 
  a 
  

   protogine 
  or 
  a 
  chloritic 
  schist. 
  Local 
  replacements 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  are 
  

   very 
  frequent, 
  but 
  probably 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  traced 
  with 
  sufficient 
  accuracy 
  

   to 
  be 
  of 
  any 
  value 
  in 
  determining 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  material 
  from 
  

   which 
  these 
  metamorphics 
  derived 
  their 
  origin. 
  On 
  the 
  west 
  and 
  south- 
  

   west 
  sides 
  the 
  schist 
  rocks 
  are 
  lost 
  in 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  drift 
  of 
  San 
  Luis 
  

   Valley. 
  It 
  is 
  possible, 
  though 
  no 
  positive 
  proof 
  was 
  found, 
  that 
  small 
  

   local 
  glaciers 
  may 
  have 
  aided 
  in 
  forming 
  the 
  deep 
  caiions 
  that 
  open 
  

   into 
  the 
  broad 
  valley. 
  They 
  contain 
  swift 
  streams, 
  of 
  short 
  course 
  only, 
  

   however, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  soon 
  lost 
  in 
  the 
  diluvial 
  soil 
  that 
  they 
  en- 
  

   counter. 
  Near 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Blanca 
  the 
  hornblendic 
  and 
  

   micaceous 
  schists 
  disappear, 
  and 
  the 
  granite 
  from 
  station 
  6 
  continues 
  

   southward, 
  crossing 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Creek 
  above 
  station 
  7. 
  From 
  

  

  