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  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  IV. 
  — 
  Oarboniferoas 
  system 
  : 
  

   Permian. 
  

  

  Upper 
  Carboniferous. 
  

   Coal-Measares. 
  

   Lower 
  Carboniferous.* 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  paper 
  we 
  propose 
  to 
  describe 
  only 
  the 
  Tertiary 
  and 
  Cretaceous 
  

   deposits, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  formations 
  first 
  described 
  in 
  the 
  reports^ 
  

   of 
  the 
  Dnited 
  States 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  under 
  Dr. 
  F. 
  V. 
  Hayden. 
  It 
  will 
  

   be 
  seen 
  by 
  inspection 
  of 
  the 
  map 
  that 
  they 
  occupy 
  the 
  western 
  two-thirds 
  

   of 
  the 
  State. 
  The 
  outlines 
  of 
  the 
  formations 
  cannot 
  be 
  given 
  in 
  detail 
  

   77here 
  the 
  scale 
  is 
  so 
  small. 
  But 
  one 
  feature 
  must 
  be 
  kept 
  in 
  mind. 
  It 
  

   is 
  this 
  : 
  The 
  dip 
  of 
  the 
  strata 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  is 
  so 
  slight, 
  aver- 
  

   aging 
  about 
  5 
  feet 
  to 
  the 
  mile, 
  that, 
  as 
  you 
  travel 
  to 
  the 
  northwest,, 
  

   the 
  more 
  modern 
  strata, 
  or 
  deposits, 
  are 
  always 
  seen 
  first 
  on 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  

   the 
  hills, 
  and 
  gjadually 
  descend 
  into 
  the 
  lower 
  grounds, 
  and 
  disappear 
  

   under 
  the 
  still 
  more 
  recent 
  deposits. 
  Thus, 
  on 
  the 
  border 
  of 
  the 
  Plio- 
  

   cene 
  Tertiary 
  and 
  Cretaceous 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  belt 
  about 
  20 
  miles 
  in 
  common, 
  

   ■where 
  the 
  former 
  occupies 
  the 
  higher 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  the 
  lower 
  portions 
  

   of 
  the 
  country. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  the 
  Tertiary 
  covers 
  about 
  9,000 
  square 
  

   miles 
  of 
  Kansas, 
  consisting 
  of 
  6,000 
  covering 
  the 
  entire 
  northwest 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  State 
  and 
  3,000 
  interspersed 
  with 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  along 
  its 
  south- 
  

   eastern 
  boundary. 
  This 
  interlocking 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  systems 
  is 
  best 
  seen 
  

   on 
  the 
  ^STorth 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  Soloman 
  in 
  Phillips 
  and 
  Norton 
  Counties. 
  

   At 
  first 
  the 
  whole 
  valley, 
  excepting 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  hills, 
  is 
  

   Cretaceous 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  ascending 
  westerly 
  the 
  Pliocene 
  expands, 
  from 
  to- 
  

   ward 
  the 
  river, 
  gradually 
  covering 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  and 
  narrowing 
  its 
  

   outcrop, 
  till 
  near 
  Spring 
  City, 
  in 
  Norton 
  County, 
  the 
  latter 
  forma- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  lowest 
  ravines, 
  near 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  soon 
  entirely 
  dis- 
  

   appears, 
  and 
  the 
  Pliocene 
  covers 
  the 
  entire 
  country. 
  So 
  gradual 
  is 
  the 
  

   disappearance 
  of 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  in 
  this 
  valley, 
  that 
  it 
  requires 
  over 
  40 
  

   miles 
  to 
  accomplish 
  the 
  change 
  thus 
  described, 
  where 
  no 
  hill 
  is 
  more 
  

   than 
  300 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  river. 
  It 
  should 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  the 
  river 
  runs 
  

   about 
  lialf 
  way 
  between 
  the 
  dip 
  and 
  strike 
  of 
  the 
  formations. 
  

  

  The 
  Cretaceous 
  holds 
  its 
  buif, 
  chalky 
  character 
  to 
  the 
  last, 
  and 
  as 
  

   the 
  Tertiary 
  is 
  siliceous, 
  the 
  physical 
  features 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  fossils 
  of 
  

   both 
  formations 
  are 
  in 
  strong 
  contrast. 
  

  

  The 
  same 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  disappearance 
  of 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  under 
  the 
  

   Tertiary 
  is 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  Smoky 
  Hill 
  River, 
  and 
  less 
  

   strikingly 
  on 
  the 
  Saline, 
  in 
  Trego 
  County. 
  

  

  II.— 
  TERTIARY 
  SYSTEM. 
  

   Pliocene. 
  

  

  This 
  geological 
  area 
  has 
  been 
  but 
  little 
  examined, 
  and 
  consequently 
  

   our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  its 
  local 
  features 
  is 
  quite 
  limited. 
  Professors 
  Cope 
  

   and 
  Marsh 
  have 
  both, 
  in 
  their 
  visits 
  to 
  the 
  Cretaceous, 
  made 
  some 
  

   casual 
  notices 
  of 
  the 
  southern 
  portion, 
  without 
  spending 
  time 
  in 
  

   searching 
  for 
  its 
  fossils. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  summers 
  of 
  1874, 
  1875, 
  and 
  1876 
  we 
  spent 
  much 
  time 
  along 
  

   the 
  line 
  of 
  its 
  union 
  with 
  the 
  Niobrara, 
  and 
  thus 
  became 
  acquainted 
  

   ■with 
  its 
  outlines 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  its 
  fossils. 
  The 
  line 
  of 
  deinarkation, 
  at 
  

   most 
  points, 
  is 
  very 
  clear 
  and 
  well 
  defined. 
  In 
  numerous 
  places 
  we 
  

   have 
  found 
  the 
  fossil 
  bones 
  of 
  the 
  Mammalia 
  of 
  the 
  Pliocene 
  within 
  10 
  

   vertical 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  marine 
  shells 
  and 
  vertebrates 
  of 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  y 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  Lower 
  Carbouiferons 
  is 
  but 
  slightly 
  represented 
  in 
  Kansas, 
  and 
  the 
  line^ 
  

   "between 
  it 
  and 
  the 
  Coal-Measures 
  is 
  obscure. 
  

  

  