16 
SURVEY OF THE COLORADO OF THE WEST. 
FORESTS. 
The extent of the forests in the region of country embraced in the sur- 
vey has been carefully noted, in order that they may be represented on 
the maps;, they are of pine, fir, and other coniferous trees. The forests 
on the Uintah Mountains are of great value, and extend to the west 
beyond the limits of our survey. The Ta-va-puts Plateau is covered with 
a pine forest interspersed with meadows and pasture-lands. Gunnison Pla- 
teau is covered with a scant growth of dwarf-cedars. The Wasatch Pla- 
teau is only partially forest-clad. Extensive and valuable forests are 
found on the Aquarius, Pauns-a-gunt, and Mar-ka-gunt plateaus. Kai- 
par-o-wits, Colob and Paria plateaus are covered with a scant growth of 
dwarf-cedars and pinon pines. The Kiabab Plateau is a forest df giant 
pines and firs. 
There are forests on the three great mountain masses of the U-in-kar- 
et Plateau. Scattered pines and cedars are found on the Shi-vwits Pla- 
teau. The great Colorado Plateau is covered with one of the most ex- 
tensive forests of the Southwest. In a few places the low mesas and 
valleys are scantily clothed with pinon pines and low cedars, but the 
greater part of all the lower region is naked. I have thus briefly indi- 
cated the operations in geodesy, hypsometry, and topography, and the 
general observations made for the purpose of properly representing the 
character and extent of the work which has been performed. 
GEOLOGY. 
SECTIONS. 
We turn now to the geological work, A running section has been 
made from a point twelve miles above Green Eiver Station, following 
Green River and the Colorado to the mouth of the Rio Yirgen, a dis- 
tance of more than a thousand miles. This section is unbroken for the 
entire distance ; the rocks are exposed in escarpments varying from one 
hundred to more than six thousand feet in altitude. Perhaps no other 
section has ever been made, the elements of which are of such magni- 
tude. In this region of country, as fast as atmospheric agencies disin- 
tegrate the rocks, the loose sands are washed away so that the escarp- 
ments are clear of soil and vegetation, and under these circumstances 
it was found possible to collect a great amount of details. 
Again, the geological structure of the country is very complex. Great 
and minor folds, great and minor faults, and great and minor non-con- 
formities are found, so that the sections are also exceedingly complex 
and elaborate. 
The Uintah Mountains having an easterly and westerly directions, 
stand across the course of Green River. Here we have a great fold, 
the anticlinal axis of which has an easterly and westerly direction, and 
a total displacement of about 27,000 feet, so that in going down the 
