NOME REGION. 135 
known, and it appears to have been removed through erosion. To 
the west it is probably represented by the beach deposits of Jess 
Creek. Its elevation above sea level is 37 feet and its location is in 
most places indicated by a steep moss-covered gravel bank at whose 
foot it lies. The other beach line is definitely located from the place 
where it is crossed by the railroad tracks at Little Creek to McDonald 
Creek, a distance slightly more than 5 miles. Its elevation above 
sea level, according to reliable information obtained at Nome, is 79 
feet. It extends in a nearly straight or slightly curved line between 
the points mentioned, yet shows slight undulations and is interrupted 
by the valleys of Nome River, Anvil Creek, and Snake River, these 
streams lying below its level. These two ancient coast lines are 
generally known as the second and third beaches, the present one 
being regarded as the first. Mention of others lying between is 
frequently heard, but although this is not only possible but even 
probable, no other continuous beach has yet been traced. 
A generalized section of the deposits exposed along the third 
beach would show gravel or sandy gravel with coarse bowlders resting 
either on schist bed rock in which are a few limestone beds or, as is 
the case at the east end of the beach, on fine sands which in turn 
rest on schist bed rock. Above this is a considerable body of gravel 
overlain by "muck" and the surface vegetable matter. This general 
section is, however, subject to wide variations. The thickness of 
the muck varies from 1 or 2 feet to 20 feet or more. Underlying 
the muck in several shafts a blue clay was found. In places a heavy 
wash occurs near the surface. Here and there the gravels are slightly 
cemented by the deposition of lime or iron oxide. Marine gravels 
are interbedded with creek wash. The character of the material 
varies both in composition and in coarseness — in fact, the deposits 
where first exposed on Little Creek were so varied in appearance and 
manner of deposition as to cause doubt whether any of them were 
of marine origin. 
The gold-bearing gravels or pay streaks vary in width from 25 to 
perhaps 100 feet and have a fairly constant southerly slope of about 
1 foot in 10. They rest in some places on bed rock, in some places on 
other gravel, and toward the east, as has been stated, on fine sand. 
Only a part of the shafts on the second beach have been sunk to 
bed rock, as the pay streak usually lies on a false bed rock of clay or 
sandy clay and gravel. There are few data, then, on which a com- 
plete generalized section could be based, but it appears that, though 
coarse angular material is by no means lacking, it is not as abundant 
as on the third-beach line. Furthermore, the quantity of garnet, or 
"ruby sand," is far greater on the second beach and the proportion 
of other sand and fine gravel is also greater. This is probably 
accounted for by the fact that much of the material of the third 
