On Laurentiayi, etc. — James. 29 
plain, and for which I propose the name of the Staked Plains 
formation. In addition to these are several horizons at the 
northwestern (and perhaps along the western) border which I 
have not stiidied, one of which is the long-disputed Jurassic 
horizon of Marcou, for Avhich I here propose the name of the 
Tucumcari formation, for convenience of reference. 
The extreme precipitousness of the scarps, and canons"', the 
poorly developed surface drainage, all indicate that these 
plains are a new topographic feature, but that several impor- 
tant events have taken place since its reclamation, as will be 
shown later. There is also little doubt that the plain once 
extended eastward across the Gypsum and Abilene regions, as 
is shown b}^ the remnants still preserved in places. It is like- 
wise evident that this plain has been elevated at its northwest 
corner, and its surface tilted to the southeast. 
[to be continued.] 
ON LAURENTIAN AS APPLIED TO A QUATERNARY 
TERRANE. 
By Joseph F. James, M. Sc, Washington. 
U. S. Geological Survey. 
The difficulty of eradicating error when it has once crept 
into literature is the same as truth overtaking a lie, which will, 
as the old adage tells us, "travel around the world while truth 
is putting on its boots." This same kind of difficulty is 
exemplified every day in work of all sorts, and it behooves 
every one who notes an error to try to correct it. I have noted 
one of these errors which has been most persistently repeated, 
and its recurrence in an important and recent geological 
paper ' has induced me to send the following note in the hope 
that the error may finally be eliminated. Reference here is 
made to the statement in the above paper that E. Desor had 
applied the term "Lawrencian" to certain drift deposits of the 
St. Lawrence valley, and to which same deposits Prof. Hitch- 
cock in 1861 gave the name of Champlain. A history of 
Desor's use of the term Zaurentian and its later application 
by Logan, as well as the erroneous references which have been 
made to it, are herewith given. 
"* Home finf illustrations of these incised canons are given in 
"Marc3''8 exploration of Red river." 
' Report of tlie (American) Sub-Committee on the Quaternary and 
Recent, by C. H. Hitchcock, Reporter. Am. Geol. vol. ir, p. 303. 
