118 THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA 



width of the Cimarron on the north is fifty miles and that of 

 the Washita on the south ranges from thirty to fifty miles. The 

 slopes from the South Canadian- Washita divide to the Washita at 

 Chickasha is 18-20 miles long, while the slope northward from 

 this divide is but five or six. Similarly, the slope northward 

 from the North Canadian-Cimarron divide is about 25 miles long 

 while the slope southward to the North Canadian is but two or 

 three miles in length; (2) The high elevation of the region is per- 

 haps best indicated by comparing the elevation above sea level of 

 the beds of the major streams. The following table indicates 

 that the beds of the two Canadians are from 170 to 300 feet higher 

 than the Cimarron and Washita. 



Table Showing Elevation Above Sea Level of Major Streams 

 Crossing the Red Beds in West Central Oklahoma :* 



Washita at Chickasha 1080 



South Canadian North of Minco 1250 



North Canadian at El Reno 1300 



Cimarron at Kingfisher 1000 



Upland elevations indicate a still greater contrast. 



(3) The smaller local relief and less broken character of 

 the topography may be readily observed in travelling across the 

 divides between North Canadian and Cimarron on the South Can- 

 adian and the Washita. A similar contrast may be noted in going 

 from the North or South Canadian basin in this region to the 

 Deep Fork or to the Little river basins. 



It is believed that these topographical pecularities are not acci- 

 dental and that an explanation may be found through a study of 

 the structure of the underlying rocks and the physiographic history 

 of the region. The following hypotheses may be advanced: 



1. That the greater elevation has been due to an uparching 

 of rocks, perhaps along an axis parallel to the Wichita-Arbuckle 

 uplifts. If, however, such an uplift exists it never has been des- 

 cribed. Moreover, such an uplift, if recent, would rejuvenate the 

 streams and produce a dissection of the topography. The topo- 

 graphy on the contrary seems to be less dissected and present 

 erosion less rapid in the Canadian basin than either the Cimarron 

 or Washita. 



(2) That the rocks in the region under consideration are 

 more resistant than those northward or southward and as a result 

 the rate of erosion has been less rapid. Somewhat limited field 

 studies, however, do not indicate that this is the case. The rocks 

 are largely Permian shales with no conspicious structural or textu- 

 *Chickasha and Kingfisher Quadrangles, U. S. G. S. 



