THE KIMMSWICK AND PLATTIN LIMESTONES 
181 
8. RECENT STUDIES OF CHAMPLAINIAN FAUNAS IN NORTHEASTERN 
MISSOURI 
Recently the writer took advantage of an opportunity to study 
in more or less detail several horizons among the Champlainian 
rocks of Ralls County and of the adjacent parts of Pike County, 
Missouri. These horizons included all of those included by 
Branson under the term Kimmswick, used in the broader sense. 
In addition, only the top of the underlying Plattin limestone was 
studied with any care. No fossils were found in the overlying 
Buffalo or Maquoketa clay shales in those parts of Ralls County 
where these shales were present. At most localities in this 
county, the Kimmswick of Branson is overlaid directly by the 
Devonian. Farther southward, in Pike County, the Maquoketa 
is sparsely fossiliferous. 
In the area under investigation, the Champlainian strata are 
exposed along the Salt River and its tributaries. Since interest 
was centered chiefly on the Kimmswick limestone, using this 
term in its broader sense, this limestone will be discussed first. 
9. THE FAUNA OF THE KIMMSWICK LIMESTONE, SOUTH OF THEBES, 
ILLINOIS 
About three miles south of Thebes, Illinois, there is a conspic- 
uous exposure of crystalline limestone along the east bank of 
the Mississippi River. The fossils listed by Professor Savage from 
this locality are recorded in the accompanying table. Section a 
begins at water level, and section o occupies the highest position 
stratigraphically. The thickness of the different parts of the 
section is recorded in the table in feet and inches. A total thick- 
ness of almost 70 feet of strata is exposed. Of this thickness the 
lower 20 feet includes the more fossiliferous portion, to which 
the overlying 50 feet apparently does not contribute any new 
important faunal element. 
It will be noted that neither Comar ocystites nor Echinosphaer- 
ites are listed by Savage from this Thebes locality, although 
both occur at Cape Girardeau, and Comar ocystites has been found 
as far north as the large quarry northwest of West Kimmswick. 
