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  Taff 
  — 
  Alhertite-like 
  Asphalt 
  in 
  the 
  Choctaw 
  Nation. 
  

  

  heat 
  instead 
  of 
  entirely 
  melting 
  as 
  asphalts 
  generally 
  do, 
  the 
  

   distillation 
  products 
  are 
  markedly 
  different 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  coals 
  

   in 
  abundance, 
  in 
  fluorescence, 
  and 
  in 
  odor. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  examining 
  the 
  analytical 
  figures 
  given 
  in 
  

   Dana's 
  Mineralogy 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  list 
  of 
  coals, 
  I 
  can 
  find 
  none 
  

   which 
  even 
  approximate 
  those 
  found 
  for 
  the 
  material 
  in 
  ques- 
  

   tion. 
  The 
  solubility 
  in 
  carbon 
  disulphide 
  classes 
  the 
  material 
  

   with 
  the 
  asphalts, 
  rather 
  than 
  with 
  the 
  coals. 
  The 
  analytical 
  

   figures 
  and 
  the 
  solubility 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  material 
  resembles 
  

   albertite 
  from 
  Nova 
  Scotia 
  more 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  of 
  the 
  asphalt- 
  

   like 
  bodies 
  which 
  have 
  thus 
  far 
  been 
  investigated." 
  

  

  Geology 
  of 
  Associated 
  Rocks. 
  

  

  The 
  map 
  will 
  show 
  the 
  general 
  topographic 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  

   country 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  located 
  occurrences 
  of 
  albertite. 
  It 
  also 
  

   gives 
  the 
  township 
  land 
  surveys 
  which 
  substitutes 
  a 
  scale 
  for 
  

   any 
  location. 
  The 
  mapped 
  district 
  lies 
  in 
  both 
  the 
  McAlister 
  

   and 
  the 
  Antlers 
  Quadrangle. 
  The 
  parallel 
  of 
  latitude, 
  34" 
  30', 
  

   is 
  the 
  line 
  between 
  them, 
  the 
  McAlister 
  being 
  on 
  the 
  north. 
  

   The 
  contours 
  mark 
  elevations 
  above 
  the 
  sea 
  level 
  and 
  are 
  at 
  

   intervals 
  of 
  100 
  feet. 
  

  

  The 
  topography 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  

   Ouachita 
  mountain 
  system 
  in 
  the 
  Indian 
  Territory 
  to 
  which 
  it 
  

   belongs. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  system 
  of 
  rugged 
  and 
  generally 
  parallel 
  

   stony 
  hills 
  and 
  small 
  mountains 
  which 
  rise 
  to 
  elevations 
  of 
  

   from 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  to 
  a 
  thousand 
  and 
  even 
  more 
  feet 
  above 
  

   nearly 
  level 
  plain-like 
  valleys 
  which 
  are 
  often 
  several 
  miles 
  

   wide 
  and 
  many 
  miles 
  long. 
  These 
  plain-like 
  valleys 
  are 
  gov- 
  

   erned 
  by 
  and 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  outcrop 
  of 
  shales 
  and 
  other 
  asso- 
  

   ciated 
  friable 
  rocks. 
  By 
  observing 
  the 
  map 
  a 
  wide 
  valley 
  may 
  

   be 
  noted 
  extending 
  from 
  McGee 
  Creek 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  part 
  of 
  

   T. 
  1 
  S., 
  K. 
  14 
  E. 
  northwestward 
  to 
  Buck 
  Creek, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  

   divided 
  by 
  the 
  Jack 
  Fork 
  Mountains. 
  There 
  is 
  another 
  such 
  

   valley 
  known 
  locally 
  as 
  Impson 
  Yalley 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  T. 
  1 
  S., 
  E.. 
  

   15 
  E., 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  asphalt 
  mines 
  are 
  located. 
  The 
  mountains, 
  

   hills 
  and 
  all 
  elevated 
  lands 
  are 
  rugged 
  and 
  are 
  held 
  up 
  by 
  

   many 
  beds 
  of 
  hard 
  sandstone 
  whose 
  edges 
  are 
  exposed. 
  The 
  

   streams 
  in 
  the 
  plains 
  have 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  valleys 
  of 
  their 
  own. 
  

   Their 
  channels, 
  also, 
  are 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  ditches 
  cut 
  in 
  the 
  soil 
  

   and 
  soft 
  rock. 
  The 
  streams 
  which 
  flow 
  in 
  or 
  across 
  the 
  hilly 
  

   country 
  are 
  confined 
  to 
  narrow 
  and 
  often 
  deep 
  gorges 
  or 
  

   valleys. 
  

  

  The 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  rocks, 
  especially 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  shales, 
  is 
  

   hard 
  to 
  interpret. 
  Besides 
  having 
  been 
  folded 
  and 
  faulted 
  to 
  

   an 
  extent 
  difficult 
  of 
  appreciation, 
  the 
  beds 
  are 
  almost 
  entirely 
  

   concealed 
  by 
  soil 
  and 
  rock 
  debris. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  clearly 
  deter- 
  

   mined, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  beds 
  have 
  been 
  folded 
  along 
  lines 
  

  

  