Review of Recent Geological Litcralnre. 263 
A brief dcocriptioii of llic formations was piil)lislicd hy professor 
Prosser in December, 1002, in the Journal of Geology; but the folio 
contains a more detailed description accompanied by various sections. 
The descriptions are of general interest for in tnany cases they are not 
confined to the area of the quadrangle, but pive the distribution and 
character of the more important formations fro-n the quadrangle south- 
ward into the southern part of the state and northward to Nebraska. 
The following are some of the more important and interesting forma- 
tions, especially from an economic standpoint. The, Cottonwood lime- 
stone, which is a massive stratum about 6 feet thick, composed to a 
large extent of foraminiferal tests belonging to the genus Fusulina. 
This is the most valuable construction stone in Knnsas, which appar- 
ently loses its marked lithologic character in the southern part of the 
state, but to the northward it has been followed into southeastern Ne- 
braska. The Wreford limestone is the next higher massive one with 
a thickness of 40 feet, which in part is very cherty and is the lowest 
of the conspicuous cherty limestones of the "Flint Hills" region. Sixty 
to seventy feet higher is the Florence flint, 20 feet thicR, succeeded di- 
rectly by the massive Fort Riley limestone, which has a thickness of 
40 feet and is extensively quarried at various localities in the state. 
This was one of the first Permian limestones to be named and de- 
scribed in the state and its distribution has been traced from southern 
Kansas into southern Nebraska. The highest of the conspicuous lime- 
stones is the Winfield, which generally contains numerous large con- 
cretions that weather to a rusty color, and it fo'-ms a marked strati- 
graphic horizon across central Kansas. 
The line of division between the Carboniferous and Permian sys- 
tems is drawn with a query at the base of the Wreford limestone, 
which is identical with the horizon selected bv Dr. Freeh for the line 
of divi.sion between these two systems. Follnwine the Washineton 
meeting of the International Congress of Geoloeists Dr. Th. Tschernv- 
schew, the noted Russian geologist, studied the Kansas river section 
from Manhattan to Junction and later published the following state- 
mient : "The layers of the Neosho, and perhaps the lowest part of the 
Chase rthe Chase consists of the Wreford, Matfield, Florence, Fort 
Riley, Doyle and Winfield formations] appear to be analogous to the 
Schwagerinen [the upper stage of the unquestioned Carboniferousl 
in Russia, while the remaining part of the Chase and the layers of the 
Marion one must recognize as strata homotaxial with the Russian 
Permo-Carboniferous and lower Permian." 
In a paper published nine years ago in the Jnunial of GcoIof;y by 
professor Prosser, the provisional line of separation between the Car- 
boniferous and Permian systems was drawn at the top of the Florena 
.shales in the lower part of the Garrison formation, 130 feet below the 
base of the Wreford limestone, which is very near the horizon that at 
a later date has been selected by the European authorities for the line 
of division between these two systems. 
