4M C. A. White — Puget Group of Washington Territory. 



the auspices of the Northern Transcontinental Survey. The 

 special object of his report having been the presentation of the 

 coal resources of that region, the discussions are confined mainly 

 to its coal-bearing formations ; and the report therefore does 

 not embrace a full account of the geology of the whole region. 

 Still, Mr. Willis has given some comprehensive facts as well as 

 many elaborate details concerning this formation in the report 

 referred to ; and as my own field labors upon the Pacific coast 

 have not extended to the northward of the Columbia river, my 

 knowledge of many of the facts which are stated in the follow- 

 ing remarks has been derived from him, and from Professor 

 Newberry. 



The orogenic elevations of the Pacific Coast region extend 

 in two lines which are approximately parallel with each other 

 and with the coast. The eastern line consists of the Sierra Ne- 

 vada in California and of the Cascade range in Oregon and 

 Washington Territory. The western line, known as the Coast 

 range in California, is more or less distinctly recognizable 

 through western Oregon, and extends northward of the Co- 

 lumbia river into Washington Territory ; but it there sinks to 

 low hills before reaching the Olympic cluster of mountains, 

 which forms the northern end of the line. This cluster is a 

 prominent feature of that district, its higher peaks rising to 

 more than 8000 feet above the sea level. 



The relief of this great strong-featured Pacific Coast region 

 is the product of several uplifts, differing in time, extent and 

 locality, the whole history of which is not yet clearly under- 

 stood but the facts of interest in this connection may be pro- 

 visionally stated as follows. The Cascade range, which has 

 been recognized as distinct in structure and origin from the 

 Sierra Nevada range, although in a general line continuous 

 with it, has been considered to be itself simple ; but it is in 

 reality quite complex. In Oregon it is composed of erupted 

 material, often of great thickness, which has been observed to 

 rest upon nearly horizontal sedimentary strata of Cretaceous 

 age ; and in southern Washington Territory it consists of enor- 

 mous masses of erupted rocks overlying highly flexed sedimen- 

 tary strata of late Mesozoic or early Tertiary age. In the 

 northern half of the same Territory the range is made up en- 

 tirely of granite, crystalline schists and volcanic rocks. As 

 bearing upon the subject in hand, it may be stated here that 

 the Tertiary rocks, which prevail in the Coast range generally 

 seem to be wanting in the Olympics which, in this respect and 

 in their composition, resemble the northern portion of the Cas- 

 cade range. 



Between the two long lines of orogenic elevation before re- 

 ferred to, lie the great valleys of the Sacramento and San Joa- 



