478 



INDEX TO THE STRATIGRAPHY OF NORTH AMERICA. 



The panhandle of Texas has been surveyed by Gould/^* who gives the follow- 

 ing section and description of the gypsiferous red beds and sandstones below the 

 Cretaceous : 



Geologic formations of the Texas 'panhandle. 



By far the greater part of these rocks are of Permian, Triassic, or Tertiary age. The Per- 

 mian and Triassic rocks are generally spoken of as red beds, owing to the predominating color 

 of the clay which forms a large proportion of these deposits. 



Farther east in Texas and particularly in Oklahoma the Permian red beds are well exposed 

 and have been divided into five formations — the Enid, Blaine, Woodward, Greer, and Quarter- 

 master. In the region here described only the two upper formations of the Permian red beds 

 occur, and these are found in the deep canyons, where erosion has cut through the overlying 

 Triassic and Tertiary formations. The Triassic red beds are exposed along the edge of the 

 Llano Estacado in Texas and New Mexico, as well as in the canyons cut by the various streams 

 that rise in the southern part of the High Plains. 



The formations are described and correlated in detail in the report by Gould, 

 and references to earlier work are given. 



In a recent article on the Wichita formation of northern Texas, Gordon "' sub- 

 mits results of investigations made in connection with a study of the .underground- 

 water conditions of that area. The invertebrate fossils are discussed by Girty and 

 the plant material by David White. In regard to the correlation and classifica- 

 tion, Gordon has the following to say: 



That the limestone series of Baylor County is the equivalent of the "Albany" formation 

 of the southern area is fully established by both the stratigraphic and the faunal evidence. 

 The beds in the northern area, which include the limestones, shales, and sandstones of Baylor 

 County and the sandstones and shales of Archer and Wichita counties, constitute the Wichita 

 formation. Our investigations therefore fully support the conclusions of Cunamins and Adams 

 as to the equivalency of the "Albany " and Wichita formations. * * * 



The Permian age of the beds to which the name Wichita was originally applied has been 

 accepted quite generally, though there are not wanting those who regard the evidence as unsat- 

 isfactory. It was based chiefly upon the vertebrate and plant remains. In the southward or 



