UKl'AKTMKNT OF THE IMEKJOIl

BULLETIN

OF TUB

3STo. SI

THE LIGNITES OF THE GREAT SIOUX RESERVATION A

EEPOET ON THE REGION BETWEEN THE GRAND

AND MOREAU RIVERS DAKOTA

WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1885

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To THE DIRECTOR OP THE

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,

Washington, D. O. 

WASHINGTON, D. C., June 25,1885.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BULLETIN

OF THE

UNITED STATES

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

No. 31

WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

1886

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY .

J. W. POWELL DIRECTOR

THE LIGNITES

OF THE

GREAT SIOUX RESERVATION

A REPORT ON THE REGION BETWEEN THE GRAND 

AND MOREAU RIVERS DAKOTA

BY

BAILEY WILLIS

Cs

WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1885

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,

Washington, April 13,1885.

SIR: 1 have the honor to transmit herew.ith a report on the lignite 

/beds of the Great Sioux Keservation, Dakota, the result of the survey 

ordered in your instructions to me under date of July 17,1884. 

Very respectfully,

BAILEY WILLIS,

Geologist. 

, Hon. J. W. POWELL,

Director United States Geological Survey.

(337) 5

CONTENTS.

Page.

Letter of transmittal........................................................ 5

Introductory................................................................ 9

Descriptive................................................................. 10

Geology .................._......................--..-..------.. ------------- 11

Coal ................................ ....................................... 13

Index ...................................................................... 15

ILLUSTRATIONS.

PLATE I. Sections of the Laramie Rabbit Creek and Morean Eiver. 

II. Sections of the Laramie Flint Creek.

III. Sections of the Lannuie Black Horse Creek and Grand River.

IV. General map showing locality of survey. 

V. Topographic and geologic map of area surveyed. 

FIG. 1. Mouth of the Morean River, looking north .......................... 9

2. Bluffs at the head of Cottonwood Creeke ............................ 10

3. Sandstone bluffs on Flint Creek..................................... 11

4. Section of lignite bed............................................... 12

(339) . 7

LIGNITES OF THE GREAT SIOUX RESERVATION.

By BAILEY WILLIS.

INTRODUCTORY.

Under the instructions of the Director of the United States Geological Survey, dated July 17,1884, a party was organized and started from 

Mandan, Dakota, on July 24, to determine whether coal-beds of economic value exist within the Great Sioux Eeservation, particularly near 

the Moreau Eiver, and, if so, to define the limits of the coal-field. 

The party proceeded, by way of Standing Eock Agency, to the mouth 

of the Moreau (Fig. 1), where it was detained five days by Cheyenne 

Indians. It then went westward over the high prairie within the 

bend to the north which the Moreau makes in approaching the MisFio. 1. Month of the Morean, looking norfh.

souri, crossed to the north bank 21£ miles west of the latter river, and 

ascended to the divide between the Moreau and Grand rivers.

Upon this long, narrow plateau, 60 miles from the Missouri, the first 

beds of inferior lignite were found. With a greatest thickness of 2 feet 

4 inches, these beds possess no commercial value; and, though the 

energies of the party were devoted to an examination of this formation 

for good fuel over an area of 2,000 square miles, the search was in vain.

(341) 9
10 LlGHlTES OF THE GREAT SIOUX RESERVATION. [BULL. 21.

It may be definitely said there is no workable coal of any kind within 

the area surveyed j the fuel supply will be limited to the scattered 

groves of cotton wood along the principal streams for a period dependent on the growth of transportation facilities5 and the scarcity of fuel 

and water will prevent close settlement for a long time.

DESCRIPTIVE.

The general easterly course of the rivers flowing through the Sioux 

"Reservation to the Missouri defines the gentle slope of the plateau lying east and northeast of the Black Hills ; at its eastern rim, along the 

Missouri, its elevation is about 400 feet above the river, or 1,900 feet 

above the sea, and the ascent westward is barely perceptible.

Into this plateau the Cheyenne, Moreau, Grand, and Cannon-ball 

Eivers have cut tortuous, narrow valley s/200 to 300 feet lower than the 

bluffs that bound them, and the small tributaries of these streams 

have slashed the bordering highland into an intricate radiating system 

of gulches and ridges. Between the waterways extend strips of rolling

FIG. 2. Blufis at the head of Cotton-wood Creek.

prairie, upon which stand isolated truncated or conical buttes 100 to 

250 feet high, witnesses of the degradation suffered by the soft strata 

of the old plain.

Water flows sluggishly the year round in the larger tributaries of the

(342)
WTLLIS.] GEOLOGY. 11

rivers, such as Flint, Cottonwood, Black Horse, and Thunder creeks, 

and may be found in water-holes in many of the gulches throughout 

the summer. Those streams that have cut down into the dark " gumbo" 

clay of the Missouri bluffs are alkaline, while those which flow over the 

sandy beds of the Laramie are often only slightly so, or quite pleasant 

to the taste.

Within the area of the accompanying map the valleys of Cotton wood 

creek and of the Moreau slope directly south of it, are localities of 

greatest erosion, which partake of the bad land character, and their surface is scored with naked gullies (Fig. 2). The remaining greater portion of the region is grass-covered, and the "lay of the land" is favorable to stock-raising.

An interesting feature of the surface geology is the occurrence of 

erratic blocks of quartzite and granite on many of the elevations of the 

prairie. Some pieces of the quartzite contain silicifled wood, which 

probably identifies it with the Dakota quartzites of the Black Hills, 

but more frequently the fragments are pierced with casts of stems from 

which the core has been removed. The surfaces of the blocks are highly 

polished by drifting sand, as was first shown by Dr. C. A. White, and 

the silicified wood has apparently been excavated from these casts by 

the same means, aided by alkali.

GEOLOGY.

From Mandan to the Moreau and thence west to Babbit butte two 

deposits were recognized, which have been determined by Mr. J. B. 

Marcou to be of the Laramie and Fox Hills formations, both of which 

are placed in the Cretaceous group in the present classification of the 

Geological Survey. They are conformable throughout this region, and 

the boundary between them is often not easily defined.

The following table indicates the evidence of age:

Formation. Fossils. Lithology.

Laramie. < Ostrea glabra, M. & H. 

{ Melania insculpta, M ..

Upper Fox Hills. 

Fox Hills........

Tancredia Americana, M. & H .........

f Oucullcea (Idonearca) Shumardi, M. & 

! H...... ............................

I Scaphites Oheyennentis, Owen (sp.) . . .

[Turrit (Surcula) ? contortus,M. &H..

Volsella attenuata, M. &H

Lower Fox Hills 

<=Foi-t Pierre 

of Hayden in 

part.)

Scaphites Oonradi, var. intermedium, 

M. &H.

Scaphites Oheyennensis, Owen (sp.) . . . 

Pteria ( Oxytoma) Nebrascana, E. & S . 

Spironema tenuilineata,M.. &H. (sp.) 

Oucullaia exigua, M. & H. ............

(343)

Light-yellow, gray, and dark-brown 

sandstones and arenaceous shales, 

 with thin beds of lignite and iron 

nodules.

Brownish sandstone.

Grayish-blue shale below brownish nnfossiliferous sandstone.

Dark-gray to blue-black tenacious alka 

line clays, locally hardened to compact 

clay rock.
12 LIGNITES OF THE GREAT SIOtTX RESERVATION. (BULL. 21.

Eising from the Missouri over the dark clays of the lower formation 

(which in lithologic character corresponds to the upper part of Hay< 

den's Fort Pierre, but is paleontologically identifiable with the Fox 

Hills), the Laramie. first appears as a hard, gray, fine-grained sandstone, capping the isolated buttes on the plateau, which near the Moreau begin about 35 miles west of the Missouri. The following sketch 

shows the effect of these caps on Flint Creek bluffs. (Fig. 3).

With the irregularity of character and thickness of the Laramie beds,

FIG. 3. Sandstone bluffs on Flint Creek.

this sandstone grades over large areas into arenaceous shale or becomes 

soft and incoherent, and there is then much difficulty in determining its 

correct position.

The Laramie fossils were taken from accumulations of broken shells 

just above the horizon of this sandstone on Cottonwood and Thunder 

creeks, where they formed beds 6 to 15 feet thick and of several hundred feet lateral extent, evidently the wash of eddies.

The upper Fox Hills Tancredia was found ;n a. brownish sand immediately below the gray Laramie sandstone at the lower crossing of Flint 

creek (see Plate II, Fig. 5) j the Fox Hills fossils are from a gray shale 

immediately underlying a similar brownish sand-bed on the Moreau onehalf mile below the mouth of Thunder creek; while those assigned to 

the Fox Hills and Fort Pierre represent a horizon still lower in the blue 

clays in a locality on Grand Eiver 15 miles east of Flint creek. Thus 

it appears that there is a gradual transition in this locality from the 

upper Fort Pierre clays through not more than 100 feet of Fox Hills 

beds to the lower sandstone of the Laramie.

The strata are practically horizontal over large areas, but sometimes 

show local dips of 1° to 3°. On the assumption that these local dips 

balance each other between the eastern limit of the Laramie on the 

Moreau and the top of Rabbit butte, the observed thickness of that 

formation is about 700 feet probably less than half the original thickness over this area.

(344)
"WILLIS.j COAL. 13

The two thickest sections observed are those illustrated in Figures 1 

and 2 of Plate I, and Figures 5 and 6 of Plate III. 

The first is 348 feet, and the second 47G feet thick. If 

we could assume that the strata were absolutely horizontal from Black Horse butte to Babbit Creek, these 

two might be combined to form a section of 746 feet ot 

the lower Laramie, which would include thirteen lignite beds; but aside from the improbability of absolute 

horizontally of the beds over a distance of thirty odd 

miles, the section would have no representative value, 

as the beds of sandstone, shale, lignite, arid iron ore 

pass into each other by abrupt changes of composition. 

This is illustrated in Plates II and III, where the sections are placed as nearly as possible in their relative

vertical positions,

COAL.

The reports of the existence of coal in the Sioux 

Reservation, which led to this exploration, originated 

in the presence of lignite in sufficient quantity to furnish good specimens, and,in the representations of Indians that they had found pieces of eastern coal, shown 

by them, on the reservation; which was true in so far 

as they found them at the agency blacksmith shops. 

There is no other coal than lignite on the reservation, 

and that is of poor quality. This result agrees with 

all observations of the Laramie coal-beds, which occur 

as typical lignites over thousands of square miles in the 

west, and are only altered to more condensed fuels in 

regions of intense local rnetamorphism. J;| Jll

The best exposure of lignite found is represented in 

Fig. 4. It crops out in a little roll of the surface on 

one of the head branches of Flint creek. A careful 

section of a fresh cut gave: Roof (gray clay); earthy 

lignite, 3 inches; lignite, 2 feet 4 inches; earthy lignite, 

6 inches; foot-wall (gray clay).

Three hundred feet to the right of the section a bed 

of nodules of iron carbonate replaced the lignite. Four 

hundred feet off on the other side it had deteriorated 

to a brown clay. The other carbonaceous beds, ranging 

from brown shale to fair lignite, are shown in their 

proper relations on Plates I, II, and III.

The manner in which these beds suddenly end is shown 

in one of the many cases observed in the lowest layer of Fig. 6, Plate III.

(345)
14 LIGNITES OF THE GREAT SIOUX EESERVATION. [BULL. 21.

As indicated in Fig. 4, lignites sometimes occupy the same horizon 

with nodular iron ores. The two have not been observed intermingled, 

though they might occur thus, and would then form blackband ore.

The iron nodules are of gray carbonate of iron, oxidized on the outside to limonite, which often has a dark reddish tint indicating an approach to the composition of hematite. The shrinkage in volume of 

this oxidized layer cracks it into polygonal bits that adhere firmly to the 

unaltered core. In this respect these carbonates differ from those of the 

eastern coal measures, which alter into shells of limonite, readily separable from each other and from the core.

These ores are too far from fuel and limestone to have commercial 

value.

(346)
INDEX.

	Page. 

Alkali................................................... .................. 11

Alkaline water...... ........................................'................ 11

Altitude of plateau............ .............................................. 10

Black Hills ................................................................. 11

Black Horse Butte ........................................................... 13

Black Horse Creek .......................................................... 11

Buttes...................................................................... 11

Gannonball River ........................................................... 10

Carbonate of iron ........................................................... 13

Cheyenne Indians........................................................... 9

Cheyenne River............................................................. 10

Coal.........................!.............................................. 9,13

Conformity................................................................. 11

Cottonwood................................................................ 10

Cottonwood Creek ...... ................ .................................... 11

Cretaceous................................................................. 11

CuculldM axigua.... ........................................................... 11

Cncullcea (Idonearca) Shumardi ............................................... 11

Dakota quartzites........................................................... 11

Dip of strata...............................................:................ 12

Erratic blocks .............................................................. 11

Flint Creek...............................................................11,12,13

Flint Creek Bluffs........................................................... 11

FortPierre ................................................................. 12

Fossils.................................:.......,............................ 11,12

Fox Hills................................................................... 11

Fuel........................................................................ 9,10.

Grand River .......... ...................................................... 9,10

Great Sioux Reservation .................................................... 9

"Gumbo" clay ............................................................. 11

Hayden, F. V., cited ........................................................ 12

Hematite ...........................................................r........ 14

Iron ores.............'.............^......................................... 14

Laramie fossils.............................................................. 11

Laramie group.............................................................. 11

Laramie River.............................................................. 11

Letter of transmittal ..................... .................................. 5

Lignite..................................................................... 9,13

Limonite ................................................................... 14

Lithology................................................................... 11

Mandan, Dakota......................................... ,... i .............. 9,11

Marcou, J. B., cited.......................... 1............................... 11

Melania insculpta ...:........................................................ 11

Missouri River.............................................................9,10,12

Moreau River............................................................... 9,11

(347) 15
16 ,' INDEX.

	Page. 

Moreau slope ............................................................... 11

Ostrea gldbra ................................................................ 11

Pleria (oxytoma)Nebrasoana.... .............................................. 11

Qnartzites.................................................................. 11

Rabbit Butte ............................................................... 12

Rabbit Creek ............................................................... 13

Scaphites Cheyennensis.. ...................................................... 11

Scaphites Conradi vsLT.intermediua...... .................. ..................... 11

Silicified wood.............................................................. 11

Sioux Reservation .......................................................... 10

Spironema tenuilineata ....................................................... 11

Standing Rock Agency ...................................................... 9

Tancredia Americana.... ...................................................... 11

Thunder Creek.............................................................. 11,12

Thickness of formations.............................................. ....... 13

Turris (Sureula)1 contorts ................................................... 11

Upper Fox Hills............................................................. 11,12

Volsella attenuata. ............. ....... ................................... 11

Water...................................................................... 10

Water, alkaline............................................................. 11

White, Dr. C.A., cited ...................................................... 11

Wood, silicified .............................................................. 11

(348)
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. BULLETIN NO. 21 PL. I.

Top af'BaXc..

jls^SgiS

e"

'l&'i'iti Ra&KtCreeJc. 91'6

LEGEND. 

" " mmm Lignite.

 S-v: :".':3 Sandsloue. 

Saiidy Shalo. 

Shale.

SECTIONS OF THE LARAMIB KABBIT CHEEK AND MOKEAU KIVKK.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SUUVKY. BULLETIN NO. 21 IT,. .II.

. 

* -

9' 

S'3'

Lj. Ub^MVTv

pi fen

12.'

40'

JOl'6'

/

Vfpe,

SECTIONS OF THE LARAMIE FLINT CREEK.
V. 8. CSOLOfilCAr, SUltVEY. HUI.LKTI.V XO. 21. IT. III.

J^aramie Grouf 476'_

Kg. 2.

SECTIONS OF THE LAUAMIE BLACK HORSE CREEK AND GUAND lUVElt.
tJ. 8. GEOLOGICAL SUttVEY. UULLfcTlN NO. 21 tL. IV

MAP OF PART OF DAKOTA, WEST OF THE MISSOURI RIVER, SHOWING LOCALITY OF SPECIAL(RVTCY IN THE GREAT

SIOUX RESERVATION.
BULLETIN N° 21, PLA.TF V

MAP

OF PART OF THE

GREAT SIOUX RE SERVATION

BETWEEN THE

GRAND AND MOREAU RIVERS

DAKOTA.

F. J. KNIGHT , Topographer 

BAILEY WILLIS , Geologist.

Scale.- 4 miles to 1 inch. 

Vertic.a.1 intervate bf£w££*v contours SO feet*.

Larainie

Fox Hills

f Light yellow and gray 

j Sandstone and arenaceous 

l shales with lignile beds.

'. Dark qray to black 

1 tenacious clavs.
3ST O T I C "El.:

The bulletins of the United States Geological Survey will be numbered in a contiLlious series and will be. btfuiid in volumes of convenient size. . 

Tbis bulletin will be included in Volume III: