﻿262 
  KEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  as 
  also 
  do 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  formations, 
  if 
  perhaps 
  we 
  except 
  a 
  few 
  low 
  

   buttes 
  of 
  marly 
  sandstones 
  that 
  appear 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  valley. 
  

   On 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  buttes 
  Station 
  46 
  was 
  made. 
  

  

  We 
  are 
  here 
  in 
  Southeastern 
  Utah 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  country 
  that, 
  with 
  the 
  

   exception 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  slight 
  growth 
  of 
  grass, 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  favorable 
  places, 
  is 
  

   an 
  unadulterated 
  desert. 
  The 
  surface 
  is 
  composed 
  either 
  of 
  loose 
  sand 
  

   or 
  smooth, 
  bare 
  rock. 
  The 
  dry 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  are 
  generally 
  at 
  

   the 
  bottom 
  of 
  deep, 
  almost 
  impassable 
  gorges, 
  and 
  a 
  more 
  desolate 
  

   and 
  perplexing 
  country 
  to 
  travel 
  can 
  hardly 
  be 
  imagined. 
  The 
  low 
  

   country 
  surrounding 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Carriso, 
  northwest 
  and 
  south, 
  is 
  almost 
  

   all 
  of 
  this 
  character. 
  Near 
  the 
  north 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  on 
  l!favajo 
  

   Creek 
  there 
  are 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  good 
  springs, 
  and 
  about 
  these 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  

   belt 
  of 
  very 
  line 
  pasture-land. 
  Here 
  we 
  found 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  Navajo 
  vil- 
  

   lages. 
  The 
  people 
  of 
  these 
  villages 
  keep 
  large 
  herds 
  of 
  sheep, 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  damp 
  patches 
  of 
  ground 
  about 
  the 
  springs 
  raise 
  grain, 
  vegetables, 
  

   and 
  melons. 
  

  

  Close 
  under 
  the 
  north 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  and 
  extending 
  aroucd 
  

   to 
  the 
  west, 
  a 
  belt 
  of 
  Lower 
  Cretaceous 
  strata 
  remains. 
  These 
  strata 
  

   are 
  composed 
  of 
  the 
  Lower 
  Dakota 
  sandstones 
  and 
  marls, 
  which 
  gen- 
  

   erally 
  yield 
  rapidly 
  to 
  the 
  eroding 
  forces, 
  but 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  have 
  been 
  

   preserved 
  by 
  masses 
  of 
  trachyte 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  poured 
  out 
  over 
  or 
  

   forced 
  in 
  among 
  them. 
  They 
  are 
  now 
  found 
  along 
  the 
  faces 
  of 
  the 
  

   lower 
  slopes, 
  beneath 
  masses 
  of 
  trachyte, 
  and 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  undergone 
  

   neither 
  metamorphism 
  nor 
  uplifting. 
  

  

  Extending 
  west 
  from 
  West 
  Mesa 
  (see 
  Plate 
  XLVIII), 
  between 
  the 
  val- 
  

   leys 
  of 
  Arido 
  and 
  Desert 
  Creek 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  Gothic 
  Creek 
  on 
  the 
  

   south 
  and 
  west, 
  is 
  a 
  low 
  ridge 
  which 
  connects 
  with 
  a 
  long 
  flat 
  mesa. 
  

   This 
  mesa 
  is 
  composed 
  principally 
  of 
  the 
  Lower 
  Dakota 
  sandstones, 
  but 
  is 
  

   surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  red 
  sandstone 
  desert. 
  The 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  Carriso 
  

   Mountains 
  will 
  be 
  dwelt 
  upon 
  in 
  another 
  chapter. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Juan, 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Eio 
  Maucos, 
  there 
  is 
  

   an 
  area 
  of 
  fully 
  3,000 
  square 
  miles, 
  tributary 
  to 
  the 
  San 
  Juan, 
  in 
  which 
  

   there 
  is 
  not 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  season 
  a 
  single 
  stream 
  of 
  constantly- 
  

   running 
  water. 
  It 
  is 
  essentially 
  a 
  plain 
  country, 
  there 
  being 
  only 
  two 
  

   small 
  groups 
  of 
  mountains, 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Late 
  and 
  the 
  Abajo 
  or 
  Blue 
  

   Mountains, 
  which 
  are 
  60 
  miles 
  apart. 
  About 
  the 
  bases 
  of 
  these 
  there 
  are 
  

   a 
  number 
  of 
  springs. 
  

  

  The 
  surface 
  rock 
  is 
  generally 
  the 
  Upper 
  Dakota 
  sandstones, 
  and 
  the 
  

   deepest 
  canons 
  in 
  no 
  place 
  penetrate 
  more 
  than 
  300 
  feet 
  below 
  the 
  base 
  

   of 
  the 
  Lower 
  Dakota 
  group. 
  It 
  seems, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  a 
  greatly-detailed 
  

   description 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  is 
  not 
  necessary. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  two 
  principal 
  drainage 
  systems, 
  the 
  McElmo 
  and 
  the 
  Mon- 
  

   tezuma. 
  The 
  former 
  has 
  two 
  main 
  branches, 
  the 
  McElmo 
  proper 
  and 
  

   the 
  Hovenweep. 
  The 
  McElmo 
  heads 
  chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  shales 
  

   between 
  the 
  Mesa 
  Verde 
  and 
  the 
  south 
  bend 
  of 
  the 
  Eio 
  Dolores, 
  and 
  

   passes 
  directly 
  west 
  past 
  the 
  north 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Late 
  Mountains. 
  The 
  

   Hovenweep 
  heads 
  up 
  against 
  the 
  Rio 
  Dolores 
  and 
  runs 
  southwest, 
  join- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  McElmo 
  in 
  Utah 
  about 
  three 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Colorado 
  line 
  

   and 
  within 
  14 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Juan. 
  It 
  comprises 
  a 
  multitude 
  of 
  

   canons, 
  most 
  of 
  which 
  head 
  upon 
  the 
  upper 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  Dakota 
  sand- 
  

   stones 
  and 
  extend 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  southwest, 
  cutting 
  down 
  only 
  par- 
  

   tially 
  through 
  the 
  Lower 
  Dakota 
  rocks. 
  

  

  The 
  McElmo, 
  at 
  the 
  north 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Late 
  Mountains, 
  cats 
  down 
  to 
  

   the 
  red 
  beds. 
  There 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  slight 
  arching 
  of 
  the 
  sedimentary 
  

   strata 
  here, 
  the 
  result, 
  probably, 
  of 
  the 
  uplifting 
  of 
  the 
  trachyte 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  