82 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IV. No. 81. 



tailed descriptions of geologic sections crossing 

 different parts of the region and have been pre- 

 pared largely by the assistants. In chapter IX. 

 Prof. Haworth gives a ' Resume of the Stratig- 

 raphy and Correlations of the Carboniferous 

 Formations. ' This chapter of fifty pages con- 

 tains an excellent account of the survey's classi- 

 fication of the Carboniferous system and will 

 probably prove the most interesting to the gen- 

 eral geologist. Prof Haworth divides the Car- 

 boniferous system into three series, the Missis- 

 sippian, Coal Measures and Permian. The 

 Mississippian only covers about thirty square 

 miles in the southeastern part of the State; but 

 it contains the rich deposits of lead and zinc, 

 and belongs in the ' Keokuk group ' of Keyes' 

 Augusta formation. 



The next series is divided into the Lower 

 Coal Measures with a thickness of 800 feet, and 

 the Upper Coal Measures with a thickness of 

 1,930 feet, making the total thickness of the 

 Coal Measures 2,750 feet. It is stated that they 

 ' cover an area of approximately 20,000 square 

 miles.' The names of the subdivisions of the 

 Lower Coal Measures in ascending order are 

 Cherokee shales, Oswego limestone. Pawnee 

 limestone and Pleasanton shales. The Chero- 

 kee shales ' are exceedingly rich in coal, pro- 

 ducing at the present time more than two- 

 thirds of the whole amount mined within the 

 State,' the well known Pittsburg and Weir 

 City coal being in this formation. The line of 

 division between the Lower and Upper Coal 

 Measures is drawn at the top of the Pleasanton 

 shales, and the basis of division is stated to be 

 ' principally paleontologic and dependent upon 

 the disappearance of the species of the brachio- 

 pod fossil Chonetes mesoloba, and upon the first 

 appearance of different species in the Erie 

 limestone above, but also partially dependent 

 upon the great physical change which marks 

 the line between the two extensive and char- 

 acteristic formations, the Pleasanton shales and 

 the Erie limestone.' The subdivisions of the 

 Upper Coal Measures are the Erie limestone, 

 Thayer shales, lola limestone, Carlyle lime- 

 stone. Lane shales, Garnett limestones, Law- 

 rence shales. Oread limestone, Osage City and 

 Burlingame shales, above which are the Wa- 

 baunsee and Cottonwood formations of Prosser. 



The Osage coal, which is the most important 

 coal stratum in the Upper Coal Measures, lies 

 at the top of the Osage City shales and is ex- 

 tensively mined from Osage City and Scranton 

 to Topeka. The Cottonwood limestone, which 

 forms the lower part of the Cottonwood forma- 

 tion, is a massive limestone from five to ten 

 feet thick and is the most valuable dimension 

 stone in the State, extending from north to 

 south across Kansas. 



In the discussion of the Permian series Prof. 

 Haworth states that he follows the classification 

 of Prosser, who drew the dividing line between 

 the Upper Coal Measures and the Permian at 

 the top of the Cottonwood formation, since in 

 the overlying rocks the Permian species of 

 Lamellibranchs first appear in any considerable 

 number. The series consists of the three fol- 

 lowing formations: Neosho, Chase and Marion. 

 This classification applies to the central part of 

 the State, where the Permian has a thickness 

 of 800 feet, and does not include the ' Red- 

 beds,' of doubtful age, in the southern central 

 part of the State. 



The Chase formation contains massive lime- 

 stone strata in which are thick layers of flint, 

 alternating with shales. This alternation of 

 hard and soft strata has produced a marked 

 topographic feature for the region — a country 

 broken by streams lined by steep bluffs — known 

 as the 'Flint Hills.' 



The Marion formation contains the rock salt, 

 varying from 75 to 250 feet in thickn-ess in the 

 wells and mines. Large quantities of salt are 

 produced from this deposit, Kansas ranking in 

 1894 as the third State in the production of salt. 



Next follows an interesting chapter by Prof. 

 Haworth on the ' Physiographic features of the 

 Carboniferous;' while the two following chap- 

 ters, by the same author, on the ' Coal Fields, ' 

 and ' Oil and Gas in Kansas ' are of particular 

 interest to the economic geologist. The oil and 

 gas are found in the geologic formations, rang- 

 ing from 'the Mississippian upward to the Lane 

 shales,' and the area covers about 8,500 square 

 miles in the southeastern part of the State. 

 Prof. Haworth concludes: "It is evident that- 

 the oil and gas are more uniformly disseminated 

 in Kansas than in any other territory yet de- 

 veloped in America. * * * * With our 



