﻿APPENDIX. 
  

  

  A.— 
  ANCIENT 
  GLACIERS 
  IN 
  SOUTHERN 
  COLORADO. 
  

   B.— 
  CATALOGUE 
  OF 
  THE 
  MINERALS 
  OF 
  COLORADO. 
  

  

  A. 
  

  

  ANCIEIS^T 
  GLACIERS 
  IX 
  SOUTHERN 
  COLORADO. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Geological 
  and 
  Geograpliical 
  Report, 
  1874, 
  p. 
  192, 
  

   evidence 
  of 
  ancient 
  glaciers 
  has 
  been 
  mentioned 
  as 
  existing 
  near 
  station 
  

   3S 
  of 
  1874, 
  and 
  near 
  station 
  23 
  of 
  1874 
  (Mount 
  Oso). 
  At 
  the 
  for- 
  

   mer 
  place 
  the 
  glaciers 
  were 
  small, 
  moving 
  parallel 
  to 
  each 
  other 
  over 
  a 
  

   gently-sloping 
  bench 
  about 
  at 
  timber-line 
  (11,800 
  feet). 
  Polished 
  and 
  

   grooved 
  rocks, 
  erratic 
  bowlders 
  carried 
  for 
  several 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  westerly 
  

   direction, 
  and 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  numerous 
  small 
  shallow 
  ponds 
  denote 
  the 
  

   existence 
  of 
  moving 
  ice 
  at 
  that 
  point, 
  in 
  former 
  times. 
  Were 
  it 
  possible 
  

   to 
  traverse 
  that 
  wild 
  section 
  of 
  country 
  as 
  thoroughly 
  as 
  might 
  be 
  de- 
  

   sired, 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  numerous 
  other 
  indications 
  of 
  glacial 
  action 
  

   could 
  be 
  observed. 
  The 
  locality 
  in 
  question 
  is 
  at 
  the 
  western 
  edge 
  of 
  

   that 
  high 
  group 
  of 
  mountains 
  which 
  has 
  received 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Quartzite 
  

   Mountains. 
  Deep 
  caHons, 
  almost 
  impassable, 
  cut 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  hard 
  

   metamorphic 
  quartzite 
  and 
  schist 
  rock, 
  and 
  are 
  slowly 
  worn 
  still 
  

   deeper 
  by 
  the 
  swift 
  currents 
  of 
  streams 
  carrying 
  comparatively 
  very 
  

   large 
  quantities 
  of 
  water. 
  Fog 
  and 
  rain, 
  accompanied 
  by 
  low 
  tem- 
  

   peratures, 
  are 
  abundant 
  there, 
  even, 
  during 
  the 
  hottest 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   year. 
  This, 
  then, 
  is 
  a 
  region 
  singularly 
  well 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  formation 
  

   and 
  existence 
  of 
  glaciers. 
  The 
  hard, 
  smooth 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  rock, 
  wher- 
  

   ever 
  it 
  is 
  free 
  from 
  debris, 
  the 
  deep 
  caiions, 
  into 
  which 
  the 
  rays 
  of 
  a 
  

   warming 
  sun 
  rarely 
  penetrate, 
  and 
  the 
  unusually 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  precipi- 
  

   tated 
  moisture, 
  are 
  all 
  circumstances 
  that 
  combine 
  favorably 
  for 
  the 
  early 
  

   freezing 
  and 
  late 
  thawing 
  of 
  accumulated 
  masses 
  of 
  snow 
  and 
  ice. 
  In 
  the 
  

   caiions 
  themselves, 
  at 
  the 
  headquarters 
  of 
  Rio 
  Vallecito, 
  the 
  polishing 
  and 
  

   striation 
  of 
  the 
  rocks 
  inpositu 
  may 
  be 
  observed. 
  Both 
  those 
  forming 
  the 
  

   base 
  and 
  those 
  forming 
  the 
  slopes 
  show 
  the 
  evidence 
  of 
  having 
  been 
  sub- 
  

   jected 
  to 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  erosion 
  by 
  moving 
  ice, 
  carrying 
  with 
  it 
  pebbles 
  

   and 
  bowlders. 
  Descending 
  with 
  that 
  tributary 
  of 
  Lime 
  Creek 
  where 
  we 
  

   have 
  first 
  noticed 
  the 
  language, 
  written 
  by 
  glaciers, 
  and 
  descending 
  still 
  

   farther 
  into 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Animas, 
  the 
  indications 
  that, 
  at 
  a 
  higher 
  

   elevation, 
  admitted 
  of 
  no 
  doubt, 
  become 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  indistinct. 
  

   Granite 
  lies 
  exposed 
  in 
  jwsitu, 
  the 
  rounded 
  appearance 
  of 
  its 
  surface 
  

   strikingly 
  reminding 
  of 
  the 
  classical 
  " 
  roclies 
  moutonnees''\ 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  

   the 
  peculiar 
  physical 
  condition 
  of 
  this 
  granite 
  (coarse-grained, 
  with 
  the 
  

   mica 
  and 
  feldspar 
  approximately 
  in 
  one 
  plane), 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  possible 
  that 
  

   such 
  forms 
  might 
  result 
  without 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  moving 
  ice, 
  or 
  even 
  flowing 
  

   water. 
  Frost 
  and 
  other 
  atmospheric 
  agents 
  could 
  readily 
  produce 
  

  

  216 
  

  

  