2Q2 
The American Geologist. 
November, L903. 
the tributaries have been changed both in position and in 
direction, and have further undergone various geographical 
accidents since their original diversion by faulting. 
( In the basis of stratigraphical evidence the entire system 
of faults seems to have occurred at the close of the Cretaceous. 
Course of the Streams Previous to Faulting. — In the later 
Cretaceous time the head-waters of the streams now known as 
Cibicu, Carrixo and White rivers occupied the same position 
they do now but the master stream was not the Black river of 
today, but a stream that occupied a position many miles to the 
north, a stream that flowed east-southeast and not west, as does 
the present master stream. It was an extension of upper 
Cibicu. It crossed the divide between Cibicu and Carrixo 
creeks about due east of the farmer's residence, from which 
place it extended along the line of the government trail between 
the buttes of Sanchez and Sugar loaf, between the buttes of 
Saw-tooth and Kelley to the vicinity of Fort Apache. From 
there it flowed southeast probably to join the upper Gila. That 
that stream occupied the location mentioned for a long interval 
of time is attested by the deep, wide canyon it occupied. Its 
canyon southeast of Fort Apache, now completely filled, was 
twelve miles in width and more than eight hundred feet deep 
in its central part. 
Cherry and Canyon creeks then as now flowed south from 
the Ellison dome, but instead of being tributaries of Salt river 
they seem to have held a southerly course across the region of 
the Apache mountains. Salt-Black river did not exist till after 
the faulting of the region. 
