TRIASSIC. 515 



It is noteworthy that the White Cliff sandstone is thinner in Kanab Valley than it is to 

 the east, where Dutton and Powell refer to it as 1,000 feet thick. Beneath the White Cliff 

 sandstone occur 2,845 feet of beds, which are referable to the Trias. It is not certain just 

 what represents the VermiUon Cliff sandstone of Dutton, said by him to be 2,000 feet thick 

 near the Vergen River and 1,400 or 1,500 feet thick in the zone crossed by the Kanab. It 

 would appear, however, that beds 14 to 20, inclusive, in all 1,600 feet of sandstones, represent 

 the VermiUon CHff of Dutton, although the distinctive color is not present throughout. Assign- 

 ing the beds specified to the VermiUon Cliff, the remainder of the section, embracing 1,245 

 feet of beds, must be referred to the Shinarump group of PoweU. 



The Shinarump of Kanab Valley, thus deUmited, carries fossil wood in the basal conglom- 

 erate and at various horizons in the upper portion. Far more interesting than the siUcified 

 wood, which has not been studied by paleobotanists, are the fish and other animal remains 

 obtained by Walcott in beds 23-25 of the section — that is, in the upper third of the Shinarump. 



These fossils were sent to the National Museum, and in the confusion of adequate storage 

 facilities were lost sight of until a few months ago. On being found they were sent to Dr. 

 C. R. Eastman for identification and description. Dr. Eastman's complete identifications are 

 not yet available, but he has pubUshed a brief preliminary reference to the ichthyic fauna, 

 from which the following is abstracted: 



"These remains * * * are extremely fragmentary and do not permit of accurate 

 specific determination. Of the few genera which are tolerably well indicated, such as Pholi- 

 dophorus and several Lepidotus-Uke forms, it can not be said that they evince anything in 

 common with the Triassic fauna of the Eastern States. Some resemblance is to be noted 

 between the Kanab fish fauna and that of Perledo near Lake Como, but the general aspect 

 of the material collected by Dr. Walcott is suggestive of Jurassic rather than of Triassic rela- 

 tions. This might very well happen, notwithstanding the horizon be definitely proved by 

 stratigraphic and other evidence to be of Triassic age, as other instances of pioneer faunas 

 and overlapping contingents are not uncommon. 



Associated with the fish remains there were found several representatives of other classes 

 of animal life, concerning which Dr. Eastman has given me the following comments, pending 

 more careful investigation: "There is one ammonite in the collection, or rather the portion 

 of the outer volution of one, which is very suggestive of the Liassic Arietidae, and in the opinion 

 of Dr. Jackson and Mr. Shimer who have examined it, does not seem to belong to the class 

 of forms known from the Pacific Coast Trias." There are numerous Estheria in the collection 

 and fragmentary saurian teeth, but whether of crocodiUan or ichthyosaurian forms Dr, 

 Eastman is unable to determine. 



From the statements of Eastman it appears that the Kanab fauna obtained by Walcott 

 is unique and raises several interesting problems for solution. The fossil-bearing strata were 

 traced by Walcott from the Kanab eastward to the Colorado River and thus are known to 

 occur not far from the area ia. which the saurian fauna of the Little Colorado was obtained by 

 Ward and Brown, both faunas belonging apparently to the Shinarump group. The relations 

 of the two fossiUferous horizons are as yet quite unknown. From the stratigraphic standpoint 

 it is difficult to see how the Kanab fossils can possibly be of Jurassic age, unless there are 

 compUcations, hitherto wholly unsuspected, in the great section of the plateau country. 



In the preceding comments on Walcott's Kanab section of the Jurassic 

 and Triassic, Cross regards the White Cliff sandstone as Jurassic. It had been 

 considered Triassic by Powell, and also by King, Emmons, and C. A. White in 

 northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado. Cross ^^^' refers to certain 

 " Permo-Carbonif erous " fossils collected by Howell from the Shinarump, which 

 were erroneously identified as Jurassic. Weeks ^''^^ sums up his own observations, 

 as well as those of previous observers in the Uinta Range, as follows: 



The Trias was defined by Emmons as consisting of red sandstones with a series of clayey 

 beds at the base, having an estimated thickness of 2,500 feet. Powell did not separate the 



