PROSSER. | The Upper Permian. 75 
Argonia and the Chikaskia there are not infrequent outcrops of the 
red rocks, though a large part of the country in the broad valley, 
of the Chikaskia river and its branches is covered by beds of loose 
sand so that the underlying rocks are concealed. This loose sand 
forms dunes along the banks of the streams, and is probably an 
alluvial formation as suggested by Professor Hay!. 
The red sandy rocks mentioned above are referred by the writer 
to the overlying Red-Beds, consequently their appearance marks the 
close and upper limit of the Wellington formation. This line was 
determined at several localities by Mr. C. N. Gould and the writer, 
but. circumstances prevented tracing it accurately across the 
country. Krom the above data an approximate line of division be- 
tween the Wellington Red-Beds has been indicated as crossing Sum- 
ner, Kingman and Reno counties. 
THE CIMARRON SERIES OR THE RED-BEDS. 
HISTORICAL REVIEW. 
Succeeding the Wellington formation is a great mass of rocks 
composed essentially of soft, friable, sandstones and argillaceous 
Shales. The prevailing color is red and this series of rocks has 
generally been called the Red-Beds. The name refers of course to 
the prevailing color similar to that of the rocks of northern Texas 
and Oklahoma which are also known by the general name of Red- 
Beds. 
In Kansas in the upper part of the series are thin layers of 
gypstim, and at one horizon is a deposit from 25 to 50 feet in thick- 
ness of massive gypsum. Thin tayers of gray to greenish gray 
sandstone also occur occasionally, but are neither of sufficient 
thickness nor frequency to affect the general descriptive term of 
Red-Beds. 
1 The Professor said ‘‘on the west line of Sumner Co. the Carboniferous (in 
which he includes the Wellington) * * * disappears under the extensive sands 
of the Chikaskia, whose broad valley is a mere depression in the high prairie. This 
concealmeant by alluvial deposits is very extensive both south and north’’ (ibid., p. 
20); also see p. 48 where he speaks of the “‘immense beds of sand in the valleys of the 
Chikaskia, the Medicine,’”’ ete. As shown on his “Geologic Map of Southwestern 
Kansas” quite a large area in the western part of Sumner county and eastern part 
of Harper county to the south of the Chikaskia river is mapped as covered by 
Pleistocene sand. 
