Geology and Natural History. 307 
still not a barren one; for the surface is reinte with the drift, 
and the material of which it consists affords some evidence of the 
rocks below; and, besides, a shaft has struck the Cretaceous in the 
orth 
county, The average thickness of the drift in Freeborn Count 
is stated to be not far from 100 feet. A figure is given illustrat- 
ing the flow-and- -plunge structure of the sand and gravel at Al- 
bert-Lea. Clay for brick-making is obtained near this site sb ut 
five feet below the surface. Clay, from the drift formation, is 
also found at Geneva. 
ower County also is buried in drift, but not to the concealing 
of all rock exposures. As elsewhere i in the northwest, the dritt- 
made soils are of the very best kind. e drift material is a “‘ hard- 
ee clay” light in color for 10 to 15 feet, and below this usually 
It contains gravel and boulders, some of them of granite 
and very large. At ‘Windom and LeRoy this drift overlies a peat 
county ; how far it extends is unknown e Cretaceous 
beds at Austin sae gi Pia fossil Racoreethet kind related to 
Fieus primordialis Hr., and another a uot. Explorations 
si coal in these counties have obtained nothing that eae 
uccess, dite nite is found to encourage the search, 
Winchell observes, “after the tests that have already He ‘ninde 
it can be pretty ee stated that the lignites are at present 
of no economical v 
NCHEL 
Minn., Sept. 2, 1875).— An ape resting disco covery of lignite in the 
extreme northern portion of Minnesota has just been sa 
: é 
taken for coal were brought to Duluth from a point between 
V ermilion and Rainy lakes. 
ata number of other points in MV innesota, extending from 1 oa 
the Iowa state ne to ees soled portion of 4 Mr. 08 
us c of a “* Cretaceous basin rm Aauk See 
an account a 
’m this Journal, and Mr. Meek identifies it as the Fort Benton by 
the few fossils that were gathered. Inferentially the Cretaceous 
has been extended over the most of Minneseies and even into the 
also ‘of a probable Cretaceous outcro hs te state - Winaonalt 
from x Frank H. Bradley, but tit has not been identified 
authentica cally, 
