494 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 



series of the east : a very large point was strained here to make rock series fit I 

 think. 



Again, through this Front Range section that I speak of, it was thought that 

 one of the sandstones showing was the Dakota sandstone; this must be an error 

 as it is not there. 



These matters have troubled me greatly, and it is only by leaving Jurassic 

 and Triassic formations entirely out that I could get at any satisfactory solution 

 of this rock-structure in the named locality. 



In " Hayden's Report, 1873, p. 136," is stated, "The close proximity of 

 " the vertical coal-beds to the horizontal beds of Table Mountain, (a basaltic 

 " mountain) has been taken as representing unconformability between the two, 

 "though in reahty it no more follows from this fact, than would unconformabil- 

 "ity in the Triassic from the similar phenomena presented on Coal Creek." 



On the same page in the paragraph just above the one quoted is stated, " A 

 " few miles north of Golden City a very remarkable contraction of the series 

 " commences, all of the outer ridges bending rapidly westward to form a sort of 

 "loop or bay in the rear of Table Mountain near the narrowest point of which 

 " Golden City is situated. There have been some differing opinions expressed 

 "about the structure of this region, and a section here is one of the most impor- 

 " tant of the series." 



Now let the geologist who wants to find the Jura- Trias go to Golden andl 

 Table Mountain ; ^ he will find the Basalt mountain resting on the Cretaceous 

 shales, with undisturbed strata underneath and east; while west are«.the uptilted 

 sedimentary rocks (the supposed Jura-Trias) resting conformably on the coals of 

 the Cretaceous, and in some instances almost coming in contact with the foot-hill 

 metamorphic -rocks. 



Let him examine Table Mountain and it shows a pre-existence to the Rocky 

 Mountain elevation, in fact it existed in the earliest Eocene times. Then examine 

 the heaviest sandstone beds, and they are fine-grained, banded, red and white 

 streaks, or laminse, alternating nearly equally, very homogeneous in material, no 

 fossil remains, or evidences of sea-life, and every appearance of being produced 

 from one cause, and that cause near by. ^ 



The material is volcanic ash, and the cause was just in proximity. The dif- 

 ferent bands of sandstone, really give the number of eruptions of this volcano; it 

 was a large one then, and sent out intermittingly for a long time its fine ashes,, 

 which were blown by the winds over large areas of the surrounding sea, and suf-^ 

 ficient of this material was erupted to make beds many feet thick in localities. 

 The variation of thickness was due in a great measure to the unevenness of the 

 sea bottom. This material being depositedi ntermittingly, prevented any sea-life 

 existing at this place, consequently there are no fossils. 



But this volcano had a period of rest, for the geologist will find on top of 

 tho^ first sandstones, a bed of conglomerate ; on examination it appears to be fif- 

 teen feet thick, and instead of being quartz pebbles as one would naturally ex- 

 pect, it is almost entirely Zeolites ; and this shows the long period of rest of thia 



