202 The American Geologist. March, i904. 
UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 
During 1903 parts of the coal fields of Pennsylvania includ- 
ed in Indiana, Cambria and Clearfield counties were studied by 
parties of the Survey. The area thus studied comprises the 
Ebensburg, Barnesboro, Patton and Curwensville quadrangles. 
Accompanying the work done on the Alaska-Treadwell 
group of mines by A. C. Spencer, assisted by C. W. Wright, 
was a study of the district adjacent to Juneau, Alaska. The 
results of this reconnaissance will be published in the form of 
a short description accompanying a general geological map of 
the main-land strip between salt water and the International 
boundary. This map will cover the region extending from 
near Port Houghton to the head of Lynn canal, and will in- 
clude the Porcupine placer district, which covers an area about 
200 miles long, with an -average width of about 50 miles. Both 
silver and gold ores occur at many places throughout this belt, 
which is possibly the northern extension of the metalliferous 
zone of the Ketchikan mining district, upon which a report has 
already been published by the Survev. South of Juneau the 
main developments are at Windham bay, Sundam, and Port 
Snettisham, while to the north there are active camps on Mc- 
Ginnis, Montana and Windfall creeks, on Eagle river and 
Cowee creek, south of Berners bay, with Jualin and Comet on 
the peninsula between that bay and Lynn canal. 
The topography of the Catskill mountains is shown on the 
Gilboa and Rosendale quadrangles, recently issued, and on the 
Kaaterskill quadrangle which has been reprinted. 
The Hartford, N. Y., quadrangle has been recently pub- 
lished. 
The twenty-fourth annual report of the director of the Sur- 
vey is now ready for distribution. 
Professional Paper No. 18 on "Chemical Composition of 
igneous rocks, expressed by means of diagrams, with reference 
to rock classification on a quantitative chemico-mineralogical 
basis," by J. P. Iddings, is also ready for distribution. 
Among the topographic maps recently issued are those of 
Holidaysburg, Pa., Everett, Pa., and Kenley, N. C. 
Prospecting for the precious metals, with considerable ex- 
citement, in the Wichita mountains of Oklahoma was carried 
on last year, and late in the summer the district was examined 
by H. Foster Bain. The results of the assays of samples col- 
lected from many prospects show no encouragement whatever 
for deposits of economic importance of gold, silver and copper. 
Some columbite was found, and, as this mineral frequentlv ac- 
comanies others containing some of the rare earths, there is 
some hope that some of these minerals may later be discovered 
in the district. 
Among the recently issued publications of the Survev are: 
Professional Paper No. 19. "Contributions to the geologv of 
