GEOLOGY OF THE SAN JOSE DISTRICT 249 



II. TOPOGRAPHY 



The town of San Jose, on the property owned by the San 

 Carlos Copper Company, Hes in an eUiptical depression narrowly 

 bounded by mountains on every side. The valley occupies 

 about nine square miles. Its lowest point is 2,250 feet above 

 the sea. The interior rounded hills near its center are five and 

 six hundred feet higher. Anacuas and Ladinas, which shut in 

 the view to the north are limestone mountains reaching altitudes 

 of 3,000 and 3,200 feet respectively. The sag between them 

 is inconsiderable, but there is a deep cut in the ridge immedi- 

 ately to the east of Anacuas. The road from San Jose to the 

 town of Linares on the line of the Mexican Gulf Railway fol- 

 lows the main stream channel through this valley. Immedi- 

 ately to the east of San Jose is a line of mountains stretching for 

 four miles from Mt. Anacuas to the south. Mt. Armadillos, which 

 obtains an elevation above sea-level of 3,500 feet, is the highest 

 and most striking point to the east. (See PL XV.) On the north- 

 western and western sides of the hollow in which San Jose lies, 

 Mt. Tinaja, altitude 3,400 feet, and Mt. Parrefio, altitude 3,500 

 feet, stand forth prominently as the highest points in the ridge 

 which extends for seven miles southwardly from Mt. Ladinas. 

 From Mt. Parrefio it continues in that direction for a mile and 

 a half until it meets the line of the Baril Mountains almost at 

 a right angle. The Baril range terminates in two bold crags 

 on the east where it is separated from Mt. Armadillos by a deep 

 river valley. It extends westwardly from this point for a dis- 

 tance of two and a half miles with an average elevation of 4,800 

 feet to Mt. Baril, shutting in the San Jose valley on the south. 

 From Mt. Baril the ridge turns to the southwest, becomes ex- 

 tremely sharp, and after extending for two miles in this direc- 

 tion bends in a great half circle and joins the northeastern spur 

 of the Pic de Diablo. This mountain is 6,000 feet high. Its 

 summit is formed by the union of several extremely sharp al- 

 most inaccessible craggy ridges. Its northern face which is 

 bold and picturesque, looks down on the deep rounded valley 

 that has been carved out of the mountain mass by the two 



