Professional Paper No. 32 {

B, Descriptive Geology, 45 

0, Systematic Geology and Paleontology, 68 

0, Underground Waters, 28 -

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

CHARLES D.-WALCOTT, DlKECTOK

PRELIMINARY REPORT

ON THE

GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES

OP THE

CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS

BY

K H. DAKTOW

WASHINGTON " . .

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

. ' 1905 -. ,

JAN 20 1988
bWIGHT R. CRANDEll

'A
CONTEMS.

Letterof transmittal...................... ............ .................................... 19

Introduction.............................................................................. 21

Geography of the central Great Plains........... .^ .....................^.....-..-----.--..- 21

General features -_.'...-...--_....-..._.._._.....__....__.....--..-_-...-...-..----.--. 21-

Altitudes and slopes................................................................... - 22

Drainage ............................................................................. 24

Geology, of the Black Hills region......J................................................... 24

General relations............................................................... ...... 24

Stratigraphy......................................._.................................. 25

Cambrian................................................ ........................ 26

Deadwood^ formation ................................................... ...... 26

Ordovician ....................................................................... 27

x ' White-wood limestone.......:................................................. 27

Carboniferous ..................................................................... 27

Englewood limestone.......................................................... 27

Pahasapa limestone ............................................................ 27

Minnelusa formation........................... ./-.............................. 28

Opeche formation............................................................. 30

Minnekahta limestone......................................................... 30

Triassic(?)..........................................'...........................'... 31

 'Spearflsh formation................. .......L..............................^.'... 31

Jurassic ..................................'.............'........................... 33

Sundance formation........................................................... 33

Unkpapa sandstone ........................................................... 33

Cretaceous ......................................................................... 34

Morrison shale..... ............1............:.......M....................... 34

Lakota sandstone .-....-.........'.................'............................ 34

Minnewaste limestone---.----.....---....-..-.......--..----....-............. 33

Fuson formation ..............-.....................:......................... 36

Dakota sandstone ..._................................. ......................... 37

Benton group.............."................'....................... j........... 37

 ' Kiobrara formation............................................................ " 40

Pierre shale..:.........--....--................. ..'........................... ,, 40

Fox Hills and Laramie formations....-.----..........'-.-....................... 41

 Tertiary deposits.....-...-..-.-.-...--.....---....--.....--.......-............... 43

White River group............................................... '............. 43

3
4 CONTENTS.

\

-- Page

Geology of a portion of the Bighorn Mountains............................................. 45

General relations .................................... . ...... .-^............\............ 45

Stratigraphy...................'....................................................... 46

Cambrian ........................................................................ 47

Deadwood formation .......I.................................................. 47

Ordovician ....................................................................... 47

Bighorn limestone ..-........... ............--......---.--..--.--...-......--. 47

Carboniferous .................................................................... 48

Little Horn limestone.......................................................... 48

Amsden formation ............................................................ 48

Tensleep sandstone ..........................................I................ 49

Triassic (?) or Permian............................................................ 49

Chugwater formation ......................................................... . 49

Jurassic ........................................................................... 50

Sundance formation........................................................... 50

Cretaceous .......................................\............................... 50

Morrison formation ............................................................ 50

Cleverly formation............-.......-..............-......'-.-............... 50

Benton formation............................................................. 51

Niobrara" shale ................................................................ 52

Pierre shale .................................................................. 52

Fox Hills sandstone ............................................................ 52

Laramie formation ............................................................ 53

Geology of the north end of the Laramie Range............................................. 53

General relations ..................................................................... 53

Structure"............................................................................. 53

Stratigraphy............................................................. ............ 55

Cambrian (?)....'................................................................. 56

Carboniferous ...................................................................... 56

Tensleep sandstone .......-...--.--...-...--..--....-.-...--...-..---.... ..... 57

Triassic (?)...............: ........................................................ 57

Chugwater formation.....'....................................--..--..-..-..... 57

Jurassic.......................................................................... 58

Sundance formation........................................................... 58

Cretaceous ...........^........................................................... 58

Morrison formation ........................................................... 58

Dakota-Lakota formations..................................................... 59

Benton group........................_........................................ 59

Niobrara formation ........................................."........ ......... 60

Pierre, shale ................................ ~................................. 60

Fox Hills and Laramie formations .............................................. 60

Geology of the Hartville uplift............................................................. 61

Structural relations ................................................................... 61

Stratigraphy ......................................................................... 62
CONTENTS. '

Geology of the Hartville uplift Continued. 

Stratigraphy Continued.

Carboniferous .................................................................... 63

Guernsey formation........................................................... 63

Hartville formation ........................................................... 64

Opeche formation............................................................. 65

Minnekahta limestone......... I............................................... 65

TriassicJ?) ........................................................................ 65

Spearfish formation .._...._...____._._..._.._.__..__.__..__.._..__._...__..... 65

Jurassic ............^..........................I.................................. 65

Sundance formation........................................................... 65

Cretaceous-........-................--....-...-...---..-----...--..-----.......... 66

Morrison formation . .....................:..................--................ 66

Dakota-Lakota formations . _........-.......................--..'......_....... 67

Benton group....-........-.....-.....-....-....--...---...-...-...-.......... 67

Niobrara formation ........................................................... 67

Pierre shale.......-...-....................----..-........---......'.--....... 67

Geology of the Laramie Front Range...............-...............--....-.............:..: 68

/ General structure -...--..--.............-...--_-----..----..----..---....... *. ........ 68

Stratigraphy........................................................................... 69

Carboniferous........_..............-..---__._--___.--__.---_..---___....__._._... 69

Triassic (?) ....................................................................... 70

Chugwater formation -.....-....--...-....---...---..---..---.................. 70

Jurassic .......................................................................... 72

Sundance formation............................................................ 72

Cretaceous. ......-......-.....-.-.-.- ....--...--.-----...---....-.....-..-........ 72

Morrison formation ........................................................... 72

"Dakota" sandstone ......-....-...--.....-..----..---....--...--......--..... 72

Benton group ................................................................. 72

Niobrara formation .......--...-....--..---.---...-.-.-..--..---..-...--...... 73*

Pierre shale .........................-....--.'....-...---...--....--.....-..... 74

Fox Hills formation........................................................... 74

Paleozoic and Mesozoic geology of eastern Colorado ......................................... , 74

General relations .......................................................'............. 74

Stratigraphy.........-.....-....--....-..----..:--::..--...---...---...----..-........ 75

Cambrian ........-.......---...-...-...----....--.........-.-.....--............. 76

Ordovician ..............................-.:...................................... 78

Manitou limestone ............................................................ 78

Harding sandstone............................................................ 78

Fremont limestone............................................................ 78

Carboniferous-Triassic.............-.....--.-----.........-...---..--.--..........'. 79

Millsap limestone and Wyoming formation .. .................................. 79

Jurassic.......................................................................... 96

Cretaceous........................................................................ 96

Morrison formation............... ............................................ 96

Comanche series .............................^................................ 102
6 CONTENTS.

Paleozoic and Mesozoic geology of eastern Colorado Continued. Page. 

Stratigraphy Continued.

Cretaceous Continued. ' .

"Dakota" sandstone._......._....._:_...'..._.;..._......................._... 102

Benton group. ...................'.......;..;....................... ........... 105

Nlobrara formation..............".............................................. 107

Pierre shale ............................ :1.................................... 108 -

Fox .Hills formation...... .................................................... 109

Laramie formation ............................................................ 110

Geology of eastern South Dakota........."....................... T.......'................... 'Ill

General structure ..................................................................... Ill

Stratigraphy.......................................................................... 112 /

Archean and Algonkian ............................................................. 112

Paleozoic..:...................................................................... 120

Early Mesozoic ......'....................................................'......... 120

Later Mesozoic.......'.. .......................................................... 120

Dakota sandstone ......................................................:...... 120

Benton group.....................-....--..........-.---.........-....--....-.. 128

Niobrara formation. ............................................................. 132

Pierre shale. ...............-'.-.......... ............-....-.................... 135

Fox Hills formation........................................................... 137

Tertiary deposits................................................................. . 137

Quaternary deposits............................................................... 138

Geology of eastern Nebraska............................................................... 338

General relations...................................................................... 138

Stratigraphy. ......................................................................^.. 139 '

Carboniferous ..................................................................... 139

. Cretaceous .......... ............................................................. 140

Dakota sandstone .."............................................. s.............. 140

, Benton group. .................................................................. 144

Niobrara formation ..-.....-.....----..-----...-........ ..--...--...--....... 147

Pierre shale................................ .................................. 348

Tertiary deposits.......................................^.......................... 148

Quaternary deposits. ...-.-.---..... .---..-.-...-.-...--....-..--...---.....-...... 149

Geology of central and western Kansas..................................................... 149

General structure .......................... ........................................... 149

Stratigraphy-.................-...........----.-.-....-...........-....:.............. 150

Permo-Carboniferous................................'.............................. 150

Cimarron formation ........................................................... 151

Cretaceous...................'...........................".......................... 151

Comanche series ......-.....----...-.....--..-..--......-.....-.-............. 151

Dakota formation............................................................. 151

Benton group...-...-....--....---....-.....-.-....----..---....-----..-...... 152

Niobrara formation............................................................ 154

Pierre shale .................................................................. 155
CONTENTS.

Geology of central and western Kansas Continued.

Stratigraphy CSntinued. ' ' ,

Tertiary and later deposits...................................'...................... 155

Loess ........I................................................................ 155

Alluvium..................................................................... 155

Sand hills .................................................................... 155

Re'sume of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic geologj' of the central Great Plains region...."........_._ 156

Cambrian ...........i.........................................^................... 156

Deadwoodformation .......................................................... 156

Ordovician ....................................................................... 156'

Silurian and Devonian ............................................................ 157

. Lower Carboniferous................................ ............................. 157

Tipper Carboniferous and Bed Beds ....................'.................. ......... 158

Jurassic......................................................"...................-. 163

Sundance formation........................................................... 163

Unkpapa sandstone .................................t ........................... 164

Cretaceous.............._........................................:.................. 164

Morrison formation ...................................:....................... 164

Cornanche. series .............................................................. 164

Dakota-Lakota formations ..................................................... 165

Benton group................................................ 1................ 166

Is iobrara formation ........................................................... 168

Pierre shale ................................................................... 168

Fox Hills formation.........................................................._. 169

Laramie formation.............................................................. 169

Later Tertiary formations of the central .Great Plains ........................................ 169

General relations. ..............................................i...................... 169

White Eiver group............................................................ 170

Gering formation ............................................................. 175

Arikaree formation............................................................ 176

Ogalalla formation ............................................................ 178

Outline of the geologic history of the central Great Plains region............................. 179

Cambrian submergence.................. ........... 1................................... 179

Ordovician ..................'i..:.......................................... -........... 180

Silurian-Devonian conditions ...-......--..-..............................---..'........ 180

Carboniferous sea ............................ ......................................... 181

 Jurassic sea........................................................................... 182

Cretaceous sedimentation.............................................................. 183

Early Tertiary mountain growth .............................. ........................ 185

Oligocene fresh-water deposits.... ....................................^.................. 185

Underground waters of the central Great Plains region ...................................... 190

General considerations ................................................................. 191

Water horizons .......;............................................................... 191

Cambrian ........................................................................ 191

; Ordovician ..........................................................^........ ..... 192

Carboniferous .................................................................... 192
8 CONTENTS. ^

t

Underground waters of the central Great Plains region Continued. Page.

Water horizons Continued.

Jurassic ......................................i..........-...-...---..---..--...--. 193

Cretaceous.........................'............................................-.. 183

Dakota-Lakota formations .............................^....................... 193

Fox Hills-Laramie formations .......,................---..--.......-..---...--. 193

Tertiary deposits..............-.........................---..---...-...---.--...-- 194

Arapahoe formation..................... ............ ...^...................... 194

AVhite River group..................'...................................-...... ,194

Arikaree-Ogalalla formations .................................................. 194

Quaternary deposits...-....,...................-..-..-.-.-..-.-.-....-.---...-.-.. 194

Deep wells and well prospects in South Dakota ............_......................---..-.-.-:. 195

General conditions ....................................."............... ................ -195

Aurora County ....................................................................... 195

Beadle County.....'..................................-................................. 200

Bonhomme County ................................................................... 201

Brookings County ............................................i....................... 204

Brown County......................................................................... 204

Brule County................................................^........................ 206

Buffalo County, including part of Crow Creek Indian Reservation........................ 208

Crow Creek Agency........................................................... 208

Butte County......................................................................... 209

Belle Fourclie ................................................................. 210-

Charles Mix County ..-....................................._.:....................... 210

Cheyenne Indian Reservation ......................................................... 213

Cheyenne Agency ............................................................ 214

Clark County.......................................................................... 214

Raymond .................................................................... 214

Clark ...................................................................... 215

Clay County........................................................................... 216

Codington County ........................................... '. ........................ 216

Custer County........................................................................ 217

Buffalo Gap.................................................................. 218

Davison County........................................... ............................ 218

Day County .......................................................................... 219

Andover ..................................................................... 220

Pierppint..................................................................... 220

Webster.................................................. .................... 220

Deuel County.. 1............................................. '. ........................ 221

' Douglas County.......-......................'.......................................... 221

Edmunds County ...................................................................... 222

Fall River County ..-.-.-'. ....... ^.................\.................................. 224

Edgemont...............:......... 1......................;................... 225

Minnekahta.............................................. .................... 226

Ardmore..................................................................... 227
CONTENTS. 9 

r

Deep wells and well prospects in South Dakota Continued. P&ge. 

Fall River County Continued.

Argentine .'....................................................................... 227

Hot Springs ................ 1..........................:.......................... 228

Faulk County ........................................................................ 228

Grant County......................................................................... 229

Gregory County ............j...................i..................................... 230

Fort Randall .................f ............................................... 231 

Hamlin County ........_.........._..__.__..____._.______________________._..._....___ 231

Hand County. .......................................................................... 231

Hanson County....................................................................... 233

Hughes County .................................................^..................... 235

Hutchinson County ..................................................... ............ 237

Hyde County....................................................... .................. 239

Highmore.................................................................... 239

_ Jerauld County ....................................................................... 240

Kingsbury County .................................................................... 241

Lake County...........................'..........................................'.... 246

Madison..................................................................'.... 246

Lawrence County. .................^............................................I.... 246

Lincoln County ...................................................................... 247

Lower Brule Indian Reservation...................................................... 247

Lyman County (including southern portion of Lower Brule Indian Reservation) ....... 247

McCook County ....................................................................... 249

Meade County ......................................................................... 249

Fort Meade .................................................................. 250

Miner County ...........'............................. -O.............................. 251

Minnehaha County ................................................................... 253

Moody County ....................................................................... 253

Pennington County................................................................... -253

" Pine Ridge Indian Reservation ....................................................... 254

Potter County..........._....._...............,..._........... J...................... 255

Gettysburg................................................................... 256

Rosebud Indian Reservation ........................................................... 256

Rosebud well................................................................. 257

Sanborn County ..............'........................................................ 258

Spink County ...................................^.................................... 261

Stanley County (including northern part of Lower Brule Indian Reservation).......... 263

Sully County...................:...............................--.---.-------........ 264

Turner County ................... ; ................................................... 266

Union County ...............................................^........................ 267

Walworth County .................................................................... 267

Selby ........................................................................ 267

Yankton County ............................................ .'........................ ^ 267

Deep wells and well prospects in Nebraska ............................................... 270

Western Nebraska .................................................................... 270
10 CONTENTS.

Deep wells and well prospects in Nebraska Continued. Page.

Central Nebraska (comprising Blaine, Brown, Buffalo, Cherry, Ouster, Dawson, Grant, ' 

Garfield, Hooker, Keith, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, McPherson, Sherman, Thomas, and

Valley counties).................................................................... 272

Northeastern Nebraska................................................................ 274

Southeastern Nebraska ............................................................... 280

Wells to Dakota sandstone..--.-.-..--.-.---......-.........._-..._--....-........ 281

Wells in Carboniferous and older rocks'*........................................... 282 \

Southern Nebraska ....................................................^.........~..... 284

Deep wells and well prospects in central and western Kansas _._.__.....------....._...._-_-. 285

General conditions...............................................................1.... 285

Borings in central and western Kansas..... ....................................... 286

Barton County _...................................................................... 290

Cheyenne County......-.-.------.-...........-.-..........--..-...................... 292

Clark County......................................................................... 292

Cloud County ............................................................^........... 292

Oomanche County .................................................................... 293

Decatur County......... '..... .................. .-...................................... 293

Jennings................................................._.................._. 293

Kanona ...................................................................... 294

Oberlin ...................................................................... 294

Edwards County...................................................................... 295

Ellis County........................................................ ................. 295

Ellsworth County..................................................................... 296

Finney County ............................... ........................................ 297

Ford County ................r.................................1...................... 298

Gove County ................... a .............................-........ ............'. 298

Graham County ............................_......,........_............................ 299

Grant County .......................................................................... 299

Gray County ..................................................._......................... 300

Greeley County.. 1 .........................^........................................... 300

Hamilton County ........!.............................................................. 301

Haskell County.......................................................................... 303

Hodgeman County.........r.......................................................... 303

Jewell County................................................................'........ 304

Kearny County....................................................................... 305'

Kiowa County......................................................................... 305

Lane County ........................ ................................................ 306

Lincoln County..... 1.................................................................. 306

Logan County ............ ...--------.-.-.---.........-.-.-------.-..........--....... 306

Mitchell County....................................................................... 307

Morton County........................................................................ 308

Ness County ......................................................................... 309

Norton County ..........."............................................................ 310

Osborne County ...................................................................... 310

Ottawa County ........... ^........................................................... 311
CONTENTS. 11

Deep wells and well prospects in central and western Kansas Continued.

Pawnee County ............................... ..v.......... 811

Phillips County ........................'......................... L._............ ...... 312

Pratt County........................:.........:............................'........'.. 812

Rawlins County ....................... ...A.... :..... ..1. ...... 313

Republic County......................................................./.............. 313

' Rice County ......................................................................... 313 

Rooks County ........................................................................ 314

Rush County......'.-...........!...................................................... 314

Russell County ............................................... i ....................... .315

Scott County..........................................'............................... 316

Seward County ....................................................................... 316

Sheridan County ..................................................................... 317

Sberman County ..................................... ...^.. 317

Smith County ...................................%.................................. 317

Stevens County ........................................................................ 31 8

. Stantoh County. ............................ .4. ........................................ 318

Stafford County ........... ....................:.i.. ................................... 319

Thomas County ...................................................................... 319

-Trego County .....................................;.................................. 3i9

Wallace County ...................................................................... 320

Washington County ...........<.... ............................................... 321

Wichita County........................... .......................................... 321

Deep wells in east and south-central Kansas (including Clay County) ................. ...j.. 321

Deep wells and well prospects in eastern Colorado. ................r. ........................ 322

Adams County..........................................;.............................. 322

. Arapahoe County .J.... :........................................... 323

Byers... ..................................................................... 323

Baca County. ....................................................................... 323

Bent County. ......................................................................... 324

Las Animas. .................................................................. 324

Fort Lyon..... ............................................... %.............. 325 ,

Caddoa ............................ ............................^.... ......... 327

Boulder County...... ................................................................. 327

Cheyenne County. ....1.............................. ................................ 328

Cheyenne Wells...........................---........----....------.......... 328

Kit Carson............ ....................'........."........../............"... 329

Denver County ........................................ i.... .......................... 329

Douglas County ....................................................................... 332

Sedalia...............................................-.,^ ............ 332

Castle Rock..... :J..... ....................................................... 332

Larkspur ..................................................................... 332

Elbert County ......................................................................... 333

El PaeoGounty....... .................... .......................««:.r-... --......-.- 333

Colorado City..................................!...........................,..... 333

Oalban. ...................................................................... 338
12 CONTENTS.

Deep wells and well prospects in eastern Colorado Continued. , Page.

Premont County.........................................................."............ 334

. Florence ...................................................................... 334

Huerfano County ..................................................'................... 335

Rouse junction _"..........._................................_.--.-....._..... 336

Walsenberg .................................................................. 337

Jefferson County...................................................................... 337

Kiowa County........................................................................ 337

Sheridan Lake..........--------.-..-.......--... .......... .'................. 338

.Kit Carson County.................................................................... 338

Burlington ........_._...'-........._----................,..................... 338

Larimer County ...................................................................... 338

Las Animas- County................................................................... 339

Trinidad ..................................................................... 339

Barela........................................................................ 339

- - Hoehne .......................-..........----.--........-.-..--...-.-.-.--.-. 340

Thatcher..-...............----..... ....----. .................................. .340

- Salt Creek.................................................................... 340

Lincoln County....................................................................... 342

Logan County .......................s.................................................. 342

Morgan County....................................................................... 343

Otero County.-........-..-........-----.........-.-.-....--......-...-...---..----.--- 343

Fowler.............................. ........................................ 344

Manzanola ................................................................... 344

Rocky Ford ................................................................... 345

La Junta..................................................................... 346

Holbrook;........_......................................................... 348

Ordway .................................................i.................... 348

Sugar City.........-.........-......-----..................................... 349

Timpas........................................................................ 349

Ayer...................^..................................................... 350

Bloom (Iron Springs)...-..........-...-..........-----.-........--....-.--... 350

Phillips County.; ........................^.............L.............................. 351

Prowers County ........... .......................................................... 352

Lamar .......................... ............................................ 352

Granada........................................ .............................. 353

Holly ..............".........'.......................................... ...... 353

Plum Creek ............^..................................................... 353

Pueblo County........................................................................ 354

Pueblo ....................................................................... 354

Sedgwick County ..................................................................... 358

Yuma County ........................................................................ 358

Washington County.........................................................'.......... 359

Akron ......... -. ............................................................. 359

Otis......................................... . ............................... 360
CONTENTS. . 13

Deep wells and well prospects in eastern Colorado Continued. Page.

Weld County ......................................................................... 360

Greeley ...................................................................... 360

Evans........................................................................ °361

Eaton.....:.................................................................. 361

Deep wells and well prospects in eastern Wyoming .......................................... 361

General conditions ..................................................................... 361

Converse County...................................................................... 362-

Crook County ................................................A...................... 363

Gillette .........................................;............................ 364

Johnson County ....................................................................... 364

Laramie County ................................................ '. ...................... 365

Cheyenne .................................................................... 366

Sheridan County .. ..........:.:....................................................... 366

Weston County........................................................................ 367

Newcastle.................................................................... 367

Clifton........................................................................ 369

Jerome siding ................................................................. 370

Cambria...................................................................... 370

Thornton..................................................................... 372

Economic geology. ..........^ ............................................................ 372

Coal ........................................................................:......... 372

Colorado ......................................................................... 372

Denver region .....................................-....-.-.-^---.^.......... 372 .

Colorado Springs region ....................................................... 373

Canyon region........................................... .................... 373

Walsenburg-Trinidad region ................................................... 373

Trinidad region............................................................... 374

Wyoming .........................'...:................"............................ '374

Cambria ............................................................; .......... 374

Hay Creek .................................................................... 376

" Skull Creek and Suudance..................................................... 376

Sheridan-Buffalo region ....................................................... 377

Converse County ............................................................... 377

South Dakota...................................................................... 378 

Edgemont.............-..--..--.---.--..--..--.---.------------.--..---..-... 378

Nebraska.................................... 'i...............................^...i 379

Petroleum and natural gas. ............................ I............................... 379

General conditions of occurrence................................................... 379

Colorado .......................................................................... 380

Florence field................................................................. 380

Boulder field................................................................... 381

Wyoming .......'.................... .............................................. 382

''Salt Creek.................................................................... 382

Powder ~R\\ec....................................................... ........... - 383

Newcastle................ ..--.'I-...-..-..------.---.-...-..---..-....-....... 383
14 . CONTENTS.

Economic geology Continued. N Page. 

Petroleum and natural gas Continued. 

Wyoming Continued.

Moorcroft .................................................................... 387

Douglas ......................._...............................................' 387

Central and western Kansas ........................................................ t 387

South Dakota and Nebraska ......................................................... 388

Salt.................................................................................. 389

Kansas......-.---..-.-..-.-.-.-....--..---..---.-....-----!.---.---.---...-. ..... 389

Marshes and springs ..':..- .......-....................--..--.--.-..--..-.._-.. 389

 Brine wells ................................................................... - 389

Eock salt............................. ; ........................................ 390

Salt mines...--..-..--......-.:..--.. ........................................ 391

-Geologic position.....-...-....-................-.......--..--.."..-..--.-.-..... 391

Production ................................................................... 391

Eastern Wyoming. ......................................................f...\..... 392

Nebraska.......................................................................... 392

Gypsum................ -.......... ....-......_............-...............'......... 392

Black Hills....................................................................... 392

Kansas .._...-.---..-...--. ........_...... .............__.---.-.-.-....--......... 394

Colorado .......................................................................... 396

Wyoming ......................................................................... 396

Cement ............................................................................... 396

Fireclay ...°....^................................................................... 397

Soda .................................................................................. 397

Sherman granite ..---....--..--_.-...-...--...................---..-..._.-._.......... 398

Fuller's earth.......................................................^............ 398

Limestone......-...-......._...-...-.-.........._.....-.......-_..-_.--_.-'.-.._.-..... 399

Bentonite .................................... :...^.......................... :.......... 400

Volcanic ash............................................................................. 400

Gold-. .................................................................................. 401

Black Hills....................................................................... 401

Bighorn Mountains .... 1 ..................................,.......................'. 402

Nebraska......................................................................... 403

Iron ore...........-.-.-.-.-.---..--..-...........-..........-...-. .-'-...-........... 403

Hartville ..................................................................'......... 403

BlackHills........................*.....................................".......... 404

Laramie Eange ..........................'......................................... 404

Silver and lead........................................................................ 405

Copper .....-. ...--..--..---.-...--...-....-.................-.-.........-............. 405

Tin ................................................................................... 406

Manganese ..--..---...-..--.--.......-.---......-...-.......-.-.--..------.---..-.... 407

Climate .................................................................................^ 407

' Index..............................................................................^..... 409
ILLUSTRATIONS.

Page. 

PLATE I. Gateway to Garden of the Gods, west of Colorado Springs, Colo .................... 21

II. Map of central-western United States, showing area treated in this report............ 22

III. A,'Typical view on the High Plains of western Kansas; B, Typical view of the Plains

west of Pierre, S. Dak .......................................................... 24

IV. A, Typical view on the Great Plains, north of Cheyenne, Wyo.; S, Pine Ridge escarpment at the Nebraska-Wyoming State line. ...................................... 26"

. V. Relief map of Nebraska ........................................................... 28

VI. A, S, Sand hills of western Nebraska'...............................:............. 30

VII. A, B, Mortar-bed topography at margin of the High Plains in central Kansas ........ 32

VIII. A', Cheyenne River at the mouth of Lance Creek, Wyoming; B, North Platte River'at

the Nebraska-Wyoming State line ........-..........................----...'...... 34

IX. Scotts Bluff, from the north side of North Platte River..........................'.... 36

X. Geologic sections across the central Great Plains ................................... 38

XI. Geologic sections across the central Great Plains.................................... 40

XII. Columnar sections of the Black Hills, the Bighorns, and the Rocky Mountain Front '

Range_.-._............_.'..._.-..._...."_.._.__............._................... 42.

; XIII. A, Dead wood formation in northern part of Deadwood, S. Dak.; S, Dead wood sandstone lying on Algonkian schists in Deadwood, S. Dak ......................... 44

XIV. Deadwood sandstone lying on Algonkian schists on Squaw Creek, below Otis,

S. Dak ...............................................................:........ 46

XV. Western slope of Black Hills on east side of Stockade Beaver Valley,-southeast of

Newcastle, Wyo ..-..:....".... .................................................. 48

XVI. A, Typical canyon walls of Minnekahta limestone, lying on slope of Opeche'red beds, 

in Gillette Canyon, southeast of Newcastle, Wyo.; B, Minnekahta limestone and overlying red beds, etc., at Sioux Pass," Black Hills, South Dakota. ...................... 50

XVII. -Devils Tower on the west bank of the Belle Fourche, south of Hulett, Wyo........... 52

XVIII. A, West slope of Stockade Beaver Valley, east of Newcastle, Wyo.; B, Concretions

in Laramie sandstone, southwest of Newcastle, Wyo............................ 54

XIX. J.,.-Lakota sandstone lying unconformably on 'Unkpapa' sandstone, in north wall of 

Sheps Canyon, south of Hot Springs, S. Dak.; B, Sundance formation lying uncon- 

, - formably on Spearflsh'red shales, south of Hot Springs, S. Dak ................... 56

XX. Dakota sandstone, Fuson'formation, Minnewaste limestone, and Lakota formation

near Evans quarry, Fall River Canyon, below Hot Springs, S. Dak................ 58

XXI. .Typical cliffs of Dakota sandstone, on Salt Creek, 'south of Newcastle, Wyo........... "60

XXII. Greenhorn limestone lying on Graneros shales, at Cottonwood Creek, southwest of

-Edgemont,-S. Dak.................--...--....'.........-.....'...---.--......... 62

XXIII. A, Monoclinal ridges of Greenhorn limestone and- sandstone south of Newcastle,

Wyo.; B, Mesas capped by Greenhorn "limestone;-south of Edgemont, S. Dak.... 64

..''-- 15
16 ILLUSTRATIONS. . ""

Page. 

PLATE XXIV. A, S, Characteristic fossils of Niobrara chalk and Greenhorn limestone ........ 66

XXV. A,-Limestones of White River group, northwest of Hermosa, S. Dak.; B, Conglomerate in Chadron formation, south of Fairburn, S. Dak........... :i..... 68

XXVI. A, Cloud Peak, the culmination of the Bighorn Mountains; S, East slope of the

Bighorn Mountains, from across Wolf Creek Canyon.. ........................ 70

XXVII. Canyon of Tongue River, Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming.................... 7.1 .

.XXVIII. A, East slope of front range of Bighorn Mountains, west of Sheridan, Wyo.; S,

East slope of Bighorn Mountains at Wolf Creek, west'of Sheridan, Wyo.... 74

XXIX. A, East slope of Bighorn Mountains, northwest of Sheridan, Wyo.; S, East

slope of Bighorn Mountains, northwest of Buffalo, Wyo.................... 76

XXX. Conglomerate in lower portion of Laramie formation, north side of Rock Creek,

northwest of Buffalo, Wyo................................................ 78

XXXI. Natural bridge in Tensleep - sandstone on La Prele Creek, southwest of

Douglas, Wyo ........................................................... 80

XXXII. A, East end of Casper Mountain, southeast of Casper, Wyo.; B, Valley of

Muddy Creek at east end of Casper Mountain, southeast of Casper, Wyo..... 82

XXXIII. A, Red Valley at Morrison, Colo.; B, Lower Wyoming red grits, in gateway of

Garden of Angels, near Morrison, Colo ................................... 86

XXXIV. A, Lower Wyoming red beds, south of Boulder, Colo.; B, Gateway to Perry

Park, Colo............................................................... 88

XXXV. Preliminary geologic map of the central Great Plains................... In pocket

XXXVI. "Cathedral Spires," Garden of the Gods, Colorado .......................... SO"

XXXVII. A, Two Buttes, southwestern Prowers County, Colo.; B, Bone-bearing' sandstone in middle of Morrison formation, in' Garden Park, north of Canyon, 

Colo .................................................................... 98

XXXVIII. .4, Greenhorn limestone in Benton group, near Thatcher, Colo.; B, Tepee

buttes in Pierre shale, north of Nepesta, Colo..-........................... 108

XXXIX. Map showing contour and altitude of "bed rock" surface over a portion of

South Dakota............................................................" 112

XL. A, Pulpit Rock, Kansas; B, Dakota sandstone in bluffs on west side of Platte

River, below Ashland, Nebr.............................................. 140

XLI. A, Pierre shale on Niobrara chalk rock, northeast of Lynch, Nebr.; B,

Niobrara chalk rock on Carlile shale;- northeast of St. James, Nebr........ 146

XLII. Columnar sections of Carboniferous and Red Beds........................... 158

XLIII. Sections illustrating variations in stratigraphy of Benton group............... 166

XLIV. Map showing distribution of the principal formations in the central Great

Plains region ............................................................ 168

XLV. A, Big Badlands, South Dakota, east of Flour'Trail; B, "Toadstool Park," in

badlands west of Adelia, northern Sioux County, Nebr..................... 170

XLVI. Head of Cottonwood Draw, in center of Big Badlands of South Dakota: 

A, Protoceras sandstones underlying Leptauchenia clays; B, Protoceras 

sandstone overlying Oredon clay.......................................... 172

XLVII. North face of Scotts Bluff, west of Gering, Nebr .............:..^............ 174

XLVIII. Jail Rock................................................................. 174
ILLUSTRATIONS. 17

Pago

PLATE XLIX. A, Arikaree formation on Brule clay, southwest part of Sioux County, Nebr.;

B, Gering formation on Brule clay, northwest of Redington, Nebr ........... 176

I- A, Chimney Rock, North Platte Valley, Nebr.; B, Conglomerate in Arikaree, 

-f formation, southeast of Larissa, Nebr ...................................... 178

LI. Butte capped by bed of sandstone in the Arikaree formation, northeast of 

- ."' Boxelder Springs, Wyo ............~..........................J........... 180

LII. A, Conglomerate at base of Ogalalla formation, 5 miles south-southeast of Redington, Nebr.; B, Typical pipy concretions of Arikaree formation, Scotts 

Bluff County, Nebr..-..-..........--....'........-.....-....-...-......... 182

LIII. Arikaree sands filled with Dsemonelix, at head of Little Monroe Canyon, Sioux

County, Nebr ...-.............---.....--- -...--.........--....-........... ' 184

LIV. Arikaree sandstone on Brule clay: A, In Pawnee Buttes, Weld-County, Colo.;

B, North of Sterling, Colo................................................. 186

LV. Ogalalla conglomerate on Brule clay, at mouth of Ash Creek, Deuel County,

Nebr.........................1--.....-.....-.-..---...-... ; .............. 186

LVI. Archway in Monument Creek sandstone, near Monument, Colo ............... 188

LVII. Eroded sandstones, Monument Park, Colorado .........................._.._ ._ " 188

LVIII. Preliminary map of the central Great Plains, showing the structure of the

' Dakota sandstone......................................................... 190

LIX. Preliminary.map, showing altitude of head of water in Dakota and associated

 sandstones in the central Great Plains....................................... 192

LX. A, Artesian well at Springfield, S. Dak.; B, Artesian well at Woonsocket, S.

Dak ...................................................................... 202

LXI. A, Water tank at Belle Fourche, S. Dak.; B, Typical deep-well rig at deep

boring on Rosebud Reservation, 25 miles northeast of the agency ............ 256

LXII. Contour map of Omaha and vicinity, showing relations of artesian water.,....... 280

LXIII. Map of Lancaster County, Nebr., showing depths to Dakota sandstone ......... 282

LXIV. Map of Denver and vicinity, showing depths to water-bearing beds at base of

of Arapaho formation... '.................................................. 328

LXV. Map of Denver and vicinity, showing depths to water-bearing sandstones in 

base of Fox Hills formation ................... .'...I......................... 330

LXVI. Cross sections of the Denver basin .............................I............. 332

LXVII. A, Artesian well at Lynch, Nebr.; B, Artesian well at Rock'y Ford, Colo..... 344

. LXVIII. Geologic section along Arkansas Valley, showing relations of deep'wells......... 352

LXIX. Preliminary map, showing present state of knowledge relating to underground waters in the central Great Plains............................ In pocket.

LXX. Preliminary map of the central Great Plains, showing the economic geology.... 372

 ' LXXI. Map of the central Great Pl'ains, showing sources of information for topographic map (Pis. XXXV and LXIX)..................................... 406

LXXII. Map showing mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperatures...!. 408 

FIG. 1. Topographic map of a typical portion of the great sand-hill area in western Deuel

County, Nebr .................................................................. 23

2. Cross sections of Casper Mountain, Wyoming .......'.........................._.._ 54

3. Longitudinal section of Casper Mountain, Wyoming ............................... 54

10001 No. 32 05 2 ;
18 ILLUSTRATIONS.

Page. 

FIG. 4. Columnar section of Oligocene and Miocene formations 'in Scotts Bluff and vicinity,

Nebraska ............................................"........---............... 171

5. Columnar section of Oligocene and Miocene formations between Round Top and Adelia,

Sioux County, Nebr .......................................-.......:............ 172

6. Columnar section of Gering and associated formations southwest of Gering, Nebr ..... 176

7. Columnar section of Gering and associated formations south of Gering, Nebr ......... 176

8. Outlines of drainage of South Dakota in earlier portion'of Glacial epoch............ 187

9. Outlines of drainage of South Dakota at period of maximum ice advance of later

Glacial epoch .................................................................. 187

10. Outline map showing relations of upper Belle Fourche and Little Missouri drainages .. 188 

. 11. Sketch showing abandoned valley through which the Belle Fourche formerly jpined

the Little Missouri.............................................................. 189

12. Cross section of the Great Plains, showing the general structural relations of the water-

- bearing strata .................................................................. 190

13. Diagram of apparatus illustrating hydrostatic grade ................................. 191

14. Section from the Black Hills to Pine Ridge, across Fall River County, S. Dak ........ 224

15. .Outline map of Hanson County, S. Dak., showing artesian conditions ................ 235

16. Sketch map of the Boulder oil field, Colorado ....................................... 381

17. Map and cross sections showing geologic relations in the Newcastle oil field, Wyoming. 385

18. Map of the oil district northeast of Moorcroft, Wyo.............,.................... 386

 x; '
LETTER OF TRAISMITTAL.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,

DIVISION OF HYDROGRAPHY, 

Washington, D. C.^July 21, 1903.

SIR: I have the honor to forward- herewith a preliminary report on the Geology and Underground Water Resources of the Central Great Plains Region, by 

N. H. Darton, for publication as a professional paper.

Mr. Darton has'been engaged for seve^l^years in studying the geology of 

the Great Plains region, and, although tl[i investigation is by no means-completed, it has been thought desirable to prepare some of the results for preliminary publication. The endeavor has been made to obtain all available information 

regarding the deep wells that have been bored, and a sufficient knowledge of. 

the geology has been obtained to enable us to interpret their results and the 

bearing which' they have on the prospects for further water supply in many 

portions of the region.

In the geologic map that accompa-iies the report there is presented all that 

is now known regarding the principal formations of the region, based on a large 

number of observations by Mr. Darton and his assistants, supplemented, by data 

already published in various ways. 

Very respectfully,

F. H. NEWELL, 

Hydrograpker in Charge. 

Hon. CHARLES D. WALCOTT, ' 

Director United States Geological Survey.

19
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL.

IVES THREE-COLOR PROCESS

GATEWAY TO GARDEN OF THE GODS, WEST OF COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. PHOTOGRAPH BY N. H. DARTON
PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND 

WATER RESOURCES OF THE CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

By N. H. DAETON.

INTRODUCTION. '

0

The area to which this report relates is shown in PI. II. It comprises the 

greater portions of South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas, and the eastern portions 

of Colorado and of Wyoming, an area of about one-half million square miles. It is 

the result of my investigations during the past eight years, but includes also all 

available data from many sources. I have been aided by varions field assistants, those 

deserving special mention being Messrs. C. A. Fisher, C. C. O'Harra, J.'E. Todd, 

the late C. M. Hall, G. B. Eichardson, W. S. Tangier Smith, E. H. Barbour, and 

the late J. E. Macfarland.

On account of its size, the region presents relatively diverse geologic conditions, but comprises comparatively few formations, most of which are widespread. 

The question of water supply, both overground and underground, is one of great 

interest to the people in this district, and although considerable progress has been 

made in some sections in developing well waters, there are vast areas in which the 

present supplies are inadequate, even for local domestic use. In order to understand 

the relations of the underground waters it has been necessary to investigate the 

geology, especially the structure and stratigraphy of the water-bearing and 

associated formations. This part of the work has required a very large amount of 

special field study, and the present results show that extended investigation will 

be required before many important questions of geology can- be fully understood.

GEOGRAPHY OF THE CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

GENERAL FEATURES.

The Great Plains province is that part of the continental slope which extends 

from cthe foot of the Rocky Mountains eastward to the valley of the Mississippi, 

where it merges into the prairies on the north and the low plains adjoining the "Gulf 

coast and th'e Mississippi embayment on the south. The plains present wide areas of

21
22 GEOLOGY AND UNDEKGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

/

tabular surfaces traversed by broad, shallow valleys of large rivers rising mainly in 

the Rocky Mountains, and they are more or less deeply cut by the narrower valleys 

of the lateral drainage. Smooth surfaces, such as are shown in PI. Ill, and 

eastward-sloping rolling plains are the characteristic features, but in portions of 

the province there are buttes, extended escarpments,' and local areas of badlands. 

Wide districts of sand hills surmount the plains in some localities, notably in northwestern Nebraska, where sand dunes occupy an area of several thousand square 

miles., (See PL VI.)

The province is developed on a great thickness of soft rocks, sands, clays, 

and loams, in thin but extensive beds sloping gently eastward with the slope 

of the plains. These deposits lie on relatively smooth surfaces of the older 

rocks. The materials of the formations were derived mainly from the west, and 

were deposited layer by layer, during earlier times in the sea, and later either 

bj' streams on their flood plains or in lakes. Aside from a few local flexures, 

the regiojn has not been subjected to folding, but has been broadly uplifted and 

depressed successively. The general smoothness of the region 'to-day was surpassed by the apparently almost complete planations of the surface during 

earlier epochs. Owing to the great breadth of the plains and their relatively 

gentle declivity, general erosion has progressed slowly, notwithstanding the 

softness of the formations, and as at times of. freshets many of the rivers bring 

out of the mountains a larger load of sediment than they can' carry to the 

Mississippi their valleys are now being- built up rather than deepened.

ALTITUDES AND SLOPES.

The Great Plains province as a whole descends to the east about 10 feet in each 

mile from altitudes of about 6,000 feet at the foot of the Rocky Mountains to those 

of about 1,000 feet near Mississippi .River. The altitudes and rates of slope vary 

considerably in different districts, particularly to the north, along the middle course 

of Missouri Kiver, where the general level has been greatly reduced. West of 

Denver the central plains have an altitude of 6,200 feet at the foot of the Eocky 

Mountains, and this elevation is sustained far to the north along the foot of the 

Laramie Mountains. High altitudes are also attained in Pine Eidge, a great 

escarpment which extends from near the north end of the Laramie Mountains 

eastward through Wyoming, across the northwest corner of Nebraska, and for many 

miles into southern South Dakota. Pine Eidge (see PI. IV, B) marks the northern 

margin of the higher levels of the Great Plains, and presents cliffs and steep slopes 

descending a thousand feet into the drainage basin of Cheyenne River, one of the 

most important branches of the Missouri. From this basin northward there is a 

succession of other basins with relatively low intervening divides, which do not attain 

the high level of the Great Plains to the south.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. II

111°____109° 11)7°____105"____103°____101°____99°____97' 95° 93° HI", 89°

107° 91°

MAP OF CENTRAL-WESTERN UNITED STATES, SHOWING AREA TREATED IN THIS REPORT.
GEOGKAPHY OF THE GEE AT PLAINS. 23

The Rocky Mountains rise abruptly out of the plains in a front range which 

has an average height of about 5,000 feet above the adjoining lowlands, with some

FIG. 1. Topographic map of a typical portion of the great sand-hill area in western Deuel County, Nebr. Contour interval, 

20 feet. From Browns Creek topographic sheet, U. S. Geological Survey. Scale, 2 miles to trie inch.

of the higher summits rising to much greater elevations. The Black Hills rise 

gradually out of the plains in western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming and '
24 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OH" CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

present mountainous summits about 4,000 feet higher than the adjoining plains. 

The Bighorn Mountains rise steeply and have about the same relative prominence 

as the Rocky Mountain Front Range.

DRAINAGE.

The northern portion of the Great Plains, above described, is drained by the 

middle branches of Missouri River, of which the larger members are the 

Yellowstone, Powder, Little Missouri,. Grand, Cannonhall, Owl, Cheyenne, Bad, 

and White. On the summit of Pine Ridge, not far south of the escarpment, is 

 Niobrara River, which rises in the plains some distance east of the north end 

of the Laramie Mountains. To the south is the Platte with two large branches 

heading far back in the Rocky Mountains, the Rio Grande, and the Arkansas, 

the two last crossing the plains to the southeast and affording an outlet for the 

drainage of a large watershed of mountains and plains. Between the Rio Grande 

and the Arkansas are Cimarron River and numerous smaller streams heading 

in 'the western portion of the plains. Between Arkansas and Platte. rivers is the 

Republican, rising near the one .hundred and fifth meridian, and an extended system 

of local drainage in eastern Kansas and Nebraska.

GEOLOGY OF'THE BLACK HILLS REGION.

GENERAL RELATIONS.

The Black Hills uplift is an irregular, dome-shaped anticline, embracing 

in its more obvious features an oval area 125 miles in length and 60 miles in 

breadth, with its longer dimension lying nearly northwest and southeast. It is 

situated in a wide area of nearly horizontal beds underlying the great east-sloping 

plains that extend from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi, and has brought 

above the general level of the plains an area of pre-Cambrian crystalline rocks 

about which there is upturned a nearly complete sequence of the Paleozoic and 

Mesozoic rocks from Cambrian to Laramie, all dipping away from the central 

nucleus. There are also extensive overlaps of the Tertiary deposits which underlie 

much of the adjoining plains area. The region is one of exceptionally fine 

exposures, which afford rare opportunity for a study *bf stratigraphic relations 

and variations. Many of the rocks are hard, and the streams flowing out of the 

central mountain area have cut canyons and gorges, in the walls of which the 

formations often are' extensively exhibited. The structure presented locally on 

the sides of the uplift is that of a monocline dipping toward the plains. The' 

oldest sedimentary rocks constitute the escarpment facing the crystalline rock 

." area, .and each stratum passes beneath a younger one in regular succession 

outward toward the margin of the uplift. -Section 2, PI. X, is a cross section 

showing the general relations of the formations. The "sedimentary members consist
STRATIGRAPHY O'F THE BLACK HILLS. 25

 of a series of thick sheets of sandstones, limestones, and shales, all of which 

are essentially conformable in succession, except the overlapping areas of the 

Tertiary deposits, which extend across the edges of the older formations. The 

stratigraphy presents many features of similarity to the succession of rocks in 

the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and of Wyoming, but it possesses numerous 

distinctive local features. The principal stratigraphic features are shown in the 

first column in PL XII.

 > STRATIGRAPHY.

The following is a list of the formations which are exhibited in the uplift, with 

a generalized statement as to the thickness, characteristics,, and age:

 ' Generalized section in the Black Hills region.

Age.

Triassic (?) .........

Carboniferous

(Pennsylvania!! ? ) .

Formation.

Fox Hills.. ..............

Benton group:

Spearfish ................

\Engle\vood limestone.

Principal characters.

stones, and concretionary layers.

stone in its -lower part at some places. 

ive shales, white to purple. 

tercalated shale.

buff.

massive red sandstone at base.

 greater part calcareous; some thin 

limestone included.

cally conglomeratic, partly massive; 

freenish-gray shale; and limestone 

reccia.

Thickness.

Feet. 

2,500

250-500

1,200

225

500-750

50

900

35-150

30-100

0-30

100-350

0-150

0 250

60-400

350^600

30-50

QA 1 OA

450-750

250-700

25-50

0-80

4-450
26 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

CAMBRIAN.

Deadwood formation. This representative of the Cambrian appears entirely to 

encircle the Black Hills, but has been removed completely from the central area. 

Probably it did not originally coyer the entire area of crystalline rocks in this 

region, a portion of these old rocks forming the- surface during the greater 

part of Cambrian time and furnishing the .material for the earlier sediments. 

Its beds lie unconformably across the upturned edges of the schists and granites 

on a relatively smooth surface with local shallow channels. The formation is 

thick in the northern hills, attaining a thickness of over 400 feet in the Deadwood region (see PL XIII, A), but thinning gradually to the south and especially 

to the southeast. In the region west of Fairburn exposures were found in which 

the formation is represented by only 4 feet of coarse sandstone lying on preCambrian schists. On Eapid Creek its thickness averages about 200 feet.

The materials of the formation are always predominantly sandy and the colors 

dark reddish-brown or dirtj" buff. The basal member ordinarily is a hard 

massive reddish-brown quartzite with pebbly streaks. As the formation thickens 

this member is seen to be overlain by thinner bedded softer sandstones, in some 

cases interbedded with more- or less shale. Portions of the basal -beds of the 

Deadwood formation are conglomeratic,, ranging from those with a sprinkling of 

quartz pebbles in the sandstone to a very coarse heavy conglomerate of large 

rounded masses of crystalline rocks and vein quartz in a red-brown matrix. 

Outcrops of the Deadwood formation vary greatly in prominence, but their 

extent in general is small. For many miles they lie in the slope below the high 

escarpments of the Pahasapa limestone, where the ledges are often deeply buried 

under talus from the cliffs above. This is particularly the case on the western 

side of the uplift. On the eastern side, where the dip is steeper, the hard 

quartzitic basal member gives rise to knobs or long bare rocky slopes of 

considerable prominence, one of which is shown in PI. XIV. The many 

canyons cutting back into the -western escarpment and those crossing the ridges 

on' the eastern side of the uplift often afford excellent exposures of the 

formation. ' ; ' . -

In the region about Deadwood the formation comprises about 30 feet of basal 

conglomerate, overlain by 30 feet of sandstone, followed by 200 to 400 feet of 

gray shales, with layers of flaggy limestone, limestone conglomerate, and 

sandstone. Near the top is a very characteristic member of hard massive 

sandstone 5 to 12 feet thick, overlain by .20 to 45 feet of green shales ofsupposed Cambrian age. The limestone conglomerate consists of flat pebbles and 

flakes of limestone more or less thickly sprinkled with glauconite grains, a1 characteristic feature of the Cambrian of the Northwest. The formation yields
ORDOVICIAN AND CARBONIFEROUS OF THE BLACK HILLS. 2'7

middle Cambrian fossils, mainly Obolus, Hyolithes, Dicellomus, Asa/pkiscus, 

Olenoides, PtychojMria, and Acrotreta.

ORDOVICIAN.

Whitewood' limestone. This formation is a conspicuous member in the northern 

Black Hills, particularly about Deadwood, where it has a thickness of 80 feet and 

outcrops extensively in a number of canyons, a typical exposure being in Whitewood 

Canyon below Deadwood. It thins to the southeast and southwest and finally disappears. The rock is a massive tough limestone, of buff color with brownish spots 

or mottlings. It contains large .Enfloceras. Madureas, and corals of Ordovician age. 

In part of the area it is overlain by several feet of greenish shales which may 

possibly be of Devonian age, though no fossils have yet been found in them.

CARBONIFEROUS.

In the Black. Hills region the Carboniferous rocks comprise several formations 

apparently representing continuous deposition throughout the period. The many 

formations of Mississippian and Peunsylvanian age, which compose the Carboniferous in the central'United States, are not differentiable in the Black Hills, unless 

possibly in their broader faunal 'relations. There appear to be five formations 

separable the thin -Englewood limestone at the base, the massive gray Pahasapa 

limestone next above, the thick mass of Minnelusa sandy beds, the Opeche red 

beds, and the Minnekahta limestone, the latter, at least, of Permian age. The 

Carboniferous lies directly on the Cambrian in the central and southern parts of 

the Black Hills, but to the north it is separated from the Cambrian by the 

Whitewood limestone and overlying green shales described above.

Englewood limestone. This formation consists of a series of thin-bedded, pale, 

pinkish-buff limestones, which appears to extend continuously around the Bjack Hills, 

everywhere immediately uaderlying the Pahasapa limestone. It averages 25 to 50 

feet iii thickness and presents frequent outcrops in the lower slopes of the limestone 

escarpment and in numerous canyons. It merges rapidly into the overlying limestone, occasionally with a few feet of impure buff limestone intervening. Generally 

it is sharply separated from the Deadwood formation or the Whitewood limestone, 

but only by a sudden change in the nature of the materials. It is usually fossiliferous, containing numerous corals and occasional shells. The following forms have 

been reported: fenestella, Ortliothetes, Lepts&na, Spirifer, Chorteteslogani, Reticularia peculiaris, Syringothyris carteri,. and "crinoids. It is correlated -with the 

"Chouteau" or "Kinderhook" of Mississippi Valleyi

Pahasapa limestone. This prominent member, formerly known as the "gray 

limestone," has an extensive outcrop area in the Black Hills uplift, constituting much
28 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATEE OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

of the high, wide plateau west of. the central region of crj'stalline rocks and being 

characteristically exhibited in the great lines of cliffs in the escarpment surrounding 

that region. It consists of a thick deposit of massive gray limestone, usually outcropping either in precipitous cliffs with many picturesque irregularities of form or 

in wide, flat surfaces.

The most extensive exposures of the Pahasapa limestone are in the great plateau 

west of Custer. Here the formation begins hi a line of high cliffs, surmounting 

' slopes consisting of crystalline schists and of the relatively thin sheets of Englewood 

limestone and Deadwood sandstone. In Pennington County the plateau has a width 

of 10 miles of continuous limestone outcrop, constituting the most elevated area in 

the Black Hills, except the small summit of Harney Peak. To the west the limestone passes beneath the sandstone of the Minnelusa formation, but it is exposed 

again in the arch of the steep anticline near the Wyoming-South Dakota line. East 

of the crystalline-rock area the limestone stands out on many conspicuous knobs or 

lies on the eastern slopes of ridges due to the Deadwood quartzite, but does not 

attain the high altitude which it has farther west. The more rapid dip to the east 

soon carries the formation below the surface in that direction, but it constitutes the 

walls of many of the canyons of the streams from Beaver Creek northward, notably 

in the deep canyon of Spearfish Creek.

The thickness of the Pahasapa limestone in the central and southern Black Hills 

varies from about 4:50 feet, at the northwest to 225 feet at the east and southeast. 

All along the southeastern side of the hills it remains at 225 feet, with slight local 

variations; then increases to 300 feet near Rapid, 350 feet on Elk Creek, and from 

4:00 to 500 feet in the Deadwood region. In Spearfish Canyon 700 feet is reported 

by Jaggar. The formation does not present any noteworthy lithologic subdivisions, 

but its upper part is often siliceous and flinty and stained red to a greater or less 

extent from the overlying rod .beds of the Minnelusa formation. Fossils occur 

sparingly throughout the formation, including Spirifer centronatus, Seminula 

sitbtilita, Pmductus, and Zaphrentis, a fauna which indicates Mississippian (-lower 

Carboniferous) age.

Minnelusa formation. The Minnelusa formation is next to the Pahasapa limestone in order of prominence among the Black Hills formation's, extending around 

the uplift in a broad zone of conspicuous outcrops. It varies in components, 

but consists mainly of thick masses of buff and reddish sandstones, which are 

striking features in the walls of the many canyons by which the formation is traversed. The sandstones are mostly fine grained, massively bedded, and in their 

unweathered condition contain a considerable proportion of carbonate of lime. Thin 

sheets of limestone occur in places, and, less frequently, sandy shales of red or gray 

color." Some layers are cherty. Although the formation probably was deposited at
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. Ill

A. TYPICAL VIEW ON THE HIGH PLAINS OF WESTERN KANSAS 

Level floor of Ogalalla formation. Photograph by G. K, Gilbert

P>. TYPICAL VIEW OF THE GREAT PLAINS WEST OF PiERRE, S. DAK. 

The great brown prairie of Pierre shale, one of the finest grazing regions in the world. Photograph by E, H. Barbour.
U. 6. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. IV

A TYPICAL VIEW ON THE GREAT PLAINS, NORTH OF CHEYENNE, WYO. 

Buttes of Arikaree formation in distance. Looking southeast. Photograph by W. H, Jackson,

PINE RIDGE ESCARPMENT AT THE NEBRASKA-WYOMING STATE LINE, 

high cliffs of Arikaree sandstone; lowlands of Brule clay. Looking west.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. V

RELIEF M£=' "EBRASKA.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. VI

SAND HILLS OF WESTERN NEBRASKA. 

A Leeward side of dunes. Looking west. _/?. Windward side of dunes, with blow-outs. Looking southeast.
CABBONIFEROTJS OF THE BLACK HILLS. 29

the same time as the Coal Measures, which contain extensive beds of-coal in Mississippi 

Valley, it is barren of coal in the Black Hills, except in the occasional occurrence of 

very thin- beds of impure coal in gra}- shales,. The formation is thickest on the 

western side, where it is fully 600 feet thick. It thins gradually to the south and 

east, being about 420 feet thick west of Hot Springs, and less than 400 feet thick on 

Spring Creek.

. Although the Minnelusa formation has wide areas of exposure, it does not give 

rise to very marked topographic features, generally occupying elevated slopes surmounted by low hills and ridges due to its harder layers. Its inner boundary is 

usually not marked by an escarpment such as is seen at the inner margin of the 

Pahasapa limestone, and there is no noticeable topographic break in passing from 

one formation to the other. On slopes of the two formations the soil becomes sandy 

on the Minnelusa beds. In the many canyons which are cut through that formation the Pahasapa limestone is usually exposed beneath it without presenting 

any change of features except in color. The lower members of the Minnelusa 

formation are generally buff slabby sandstones, often having a thickness of 100 

feet,. and a thin bed of red shale.

Breccias,'which occur in the middle beds, are a distinctive feature throughout the 

southern Black Hills. ~ The brecciated material is usually somewhat more calcareous 

than the matrix, but it is all of local origin. In the region west of Hermosa and 

thence northward the Minnelusa beds consist of a thick mass of coffee-colored sandstone at the top, reddish-buff sandstone with some thin interbedded limestone layers 

next below, and a basal member of gray sandstone.- On the western side of the 

Black Hills the formation consists of the members given in the record of the boring 

at Cambria (p. 371)., In its outcrops there are exhibited a top series of lightcolored massive sandstones, a thick medial member of red and buff sandstones, and 

a basal member of .gray calcareous sandstone with reddish shale partings and considerable chert. At its base there is usually a red shaly bed of slight thickness, 

containing oval concretions of hard silica from 6 inches to 2 feet in diameter. The 

total thickness is about GOO feet. A chemical examination of the borings from the 

Cambria well shows that nearly all the rocks contain considerable carbonate of lime 

underground, but in the outcrops the lime has been mostly leached out and 

porous sandstones remain. -

The age of the formation has not been satisfactorily ascertained,-for fossils are 

rare. A few impressions found in the. upper beds west of Hot Springs appeared to 

be Productus semiracticulattis and Athyris subtilita, which indicate upper Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) age for these beds. Mississippian JLeperditia have been 

found in the concretions in the red shale at the base of the formation. If the 

formation represents the Hartville formation of the Hartville region, as it probably
30 GEOLOGY AND UNDEBGROUND WATER OP CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

does, its lower portion is Mississippian and its upper beds Pennsylvania!! in age. 

There is some suggestion also that its lower beds represent the upper portion of 

the Guernsey formation of the Hartville region, which would indicate a -still lower 

extension into the Mississippian.

Opeohe formation. This series of red beds, lying between the Minnelusa 

formation and the Minnekahta limestone, extends continuously around the Black 

Hills. Its exposures are almost always confined to the slopes below the escarpments 

of Minnekahta limestone. Its thickness averages slightly less than 100 feet. The 

materials are soft red sandstone, mainly thin bedded and containing variable 

amounts of clay admixture. At the top of the formation, for the first few feet 

below the Minnekahta limestone, there are shales which are invariably of deep 

purple color. The basal beds of the formation are usually red sandstones, the 

beds varying in thickness from 4 to 15 inches. A few thin local beds of gypsum 

are sometimes observed in the formation, attaining in Gillette Canyon a thickness 

of several inches, .

On Spring .Creek, Battle Creek, and French Creek the formation averages about 

100 feet in thickness; in Beaver Canyon it attains its maximum thickness of 150 feet; 

on Cold Brook, 4 miles northwest of Hot Springs, its thickness is 115 feet, with 

purple clay at the top, 50 feet of red sandy clay below, and 60 feet of red sandstone 

at the bottom in beds 1 to 4- feet thick, with red clay partings: farther down Cold 

Brook, at a point 1£ miles from Hot Springs, a thickness of 135 feet is exhibited. 

Along the southwest side of the Black Hills the thickness averages from 90 to 100 

feet, and on the northern slopes is about 75. feet. In the well at Cambria the 

following section was obtained:

Section at Cambria, Wyo.

Feet.

Purplish shales .................................-.-...................:..... 4

Dark-purple shales. . ............*............................................ 4

Bed clay (sandy) .......................................................'.... 62

Dark red-brown sandstone. ................................................... 2 J

Light-red sandy shale lying on a light-pinkish sandstone at a depth of 1,096 feet, 

which is supposed to be the top of the Minnelusa formation. ................. 1J

, The age of the formation has not been" definitely determined, for so far it has 

yielded -'DO fossils. From the facts that the overlying Minnekahta limestone is of 

Permo-Carboniferous age and that the deposition of gypsiferous red beds in other 

regions began in Permo-Carboniferous time, the formation is provisionally assigned 

to that division. 

Minnekahta limestone. This formation, long known as the "purple limestone," 

is a prominent member in the Black Hills region. Though thin, averaging less than
TBIASSIO OK THE BLACK HILLS. 31

50 feet in thickness, it is hard and flexible and covers moderately .extensive areas on 

the outer slopes of the Minnelusa formation. The prominence of the Mirnekahta 

limestone outcrops is due largely to the fact that the overlying formation is soft, red 

shale, which has been deeply eroded, leaving the underlying limestone bare on slopes 

up which the red shale originally extended. The underlying formation, the Opeche, 

also being soft, the limestone nearly everywhere presents an escarpment, and the 

many canyons which are cut through it have vertical walls of the limestone. (See 

Pis. XV and XVI.)

The formation is uniform in character throughout, being a thin-bedded lightcolored limestone containing magnesia and more or. less clay. Its thin bedding is a 

characteristic feature, although the thin layers are so cemented together that the 

outcropping ledges present a massive appearance. On weathering, however, it breaks 

into slabs usually 2 to 3 inches in thickness. On the western side of the Black Hills, 

notably in the region from east of Clifton northward, its coloring is slightly darker, 

varying from dove color to lead gray, and some of its "beds present a seminodular 

structure. An increased admixture of clay is also observed in some layers. The 

general" appearance of the formation is always slightly pinkish, with a tinge of 

purple, from which the term "purple limestone". originated. The Minnekahta 

limestone occasionally contains fossils which are believed to be Permian forms.

TRIASSIC (?).

Sp.earfish formation. The Spearfish formation is the conspicuous series' of 

gypsiferous red beds encircling the Black Hills and in most places giving rise to . 

the wide Red Valley, which, in the northern Black Hills, the Indians have designated 

the "race course." Red Valley is treeless, and usually presents wide areas of bare 

red slopes and red buttes, with frequent outcrops of gypsum.

The formation consists of from 350 to 695 feet of red sandy clays, with intercalated beds of gypsum sometimes 30 feet thick. The bright red of the shales and 

the snowy whiteness of the gypsum are striking features; in PI. XVII an attempt 

has been made to show the red color of these shales.

Were it'not for the beds of gypsum the formation would present no noticeable 

features of stratigraphy. The sedimentary material is almpst entirely a red shale 

containing varying amounts of sand admixture, and is generally thin-bedded. The 

gypsum occurs in beds at various horizons, some of the larger beds extending continuously over wide areas. There is also throughout the formation more or less 

gypsum of secondary deposition in very small veins.

The continuity of the outcrops of the red beds is considerably broken in the 

region west of Fairburn and Hermosa by' overlaps of the Tertiary formations, 

which in some cases completely fill Red Valley. The width of the outcrop varies
32 GEOLOGY ATST> UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT -PLAINS.

from 1 to 3 miles,, attaining its maximum in the region west of Buffalo Gap and in 

the broad belt extending from east of Minnekahta station nearly to the north end of 

Elk Mountain. Owing to the local steep dip of the formation, the outcrop is very 

narrow for 5 miles north from Cascade Springs and in a portion of the valle}' of 

Stockade Beaver Creek east of Newcastle. The Belle Fourche cuts into the formation for some distance above and below the Devils Tower.

The thickness of the .Spearfish formation can seldom be determined with any 

degree of accuracy, owing to the softness of its materials and the frequent variations in its dip. Along the east side of the Black Hills it appears to have a thickness 

of between 350 and 400 feet, so far as can be estimated from very indefinite dip 

observations. In this region the principal bed of gypsum occurs considerably below 

the center of the formation. West of Hermosa this gypsum bed has a thickness of 

about 15 feet, but southward, in the region west of Fairburn, it thins out,and may 

at some points be absent. West of Buffalo Gap the gypsum deposits increase in 

thickness and attain their "maximum prominence at Hot Springs, where the principal beds have a thickness of 33^ feet, with a 10-foot parting of red shale between 

them. In the wide part of Red Valley, extending south from Hot Springs to Sheps 

Canyon, gypsum beds are a conspicuous feature, but they gradually diminish in 

thickness in- that direction.

At Cascade Springs and thence north on the west side of the anticline the dips 

are very steep and the outcrop of the Spearfish formation becomes so narrow that 

Red Valley is only a few rods in width from the springs north nearly to the railroad. 

Here a relatively accurate measurement of the beds was made from the steep slopes 

of the Minnekahta limestone to the basal sandstone beds of the Sundance formation. 

At the base of the Spearfish there are 150 feet of red sandy shales, then a bed of 

gypsum,' in places 20 feet in thickness, overlain by 250 feet of red sandy shales with 

a few thin layers of gypsum, the formation here having a total thickness of 420 

feet. Just west of Fanny Peak a measurement was made showing 450 feet, or possibly slightly more, of red sandy shales, including two thick beds of gypsum near the 

middle. Northeast of Cambria there are exhibited 25 feet of gypsum at the top 

of the formation, several thick beds in its center, and a local thin bed of gypsum 

lying directly on the Minnekahta limestone at its base. In the boring at Cambria 

the Spearfish red beds were plainly recognized,' having a thickness of 492 feet, 

with the members described on page 371. ' In the deep well at Fort Meade the 

formation is 695 feet thick.

Throughout the Black Hills the formation is distinctly separated from the 

underlying Minnekahta limestone and the overlying shales and red sandstone of 

the Sundance formation.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURREY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. VII

MORTAR-BED TOPOGRAPHY AT MARGIN OF THE HIGH PLAINS IN CENTRAL KANSAS. 

Photographs by C. Willard Johnson.
 JURASSIC OF THE BLACK HILLS. 33

\

It has been regarded as Triassic in age, because it lies unconforrnably beneath 

marine Jurassic deposits and is underlain by the Minnekahta limestone, which is 

known to be of Permo-Carboniferous age. No fossils have yet been discovered in 

the formation except a small fragment of a fish, which' was not sufficiently distinct 

for determination. It is possible that at least the lower portion of the formation is 

Permo-Carboniferous, but there is no evidence on this point one way or the other.

JURASSIC.

Sundance formation. This member of the Jurassic extends continuously 

around the Black Hills uplift, and throughout its course presents characteristics by 

which it can easily be recognized. It outcrops mainly along the outer side of Red 

Valley, on the lower inner slopes of Hogback Range, and in Belle Fourche Valley. 

It carries abundant marine fossils throughout. The formation comprises about 350 

feet of shales and sandstones, in a series which varies but little in sequence in 

different portions of the region. The shales are mainly dark green and the 

sandstones pale buff, but there is an intermediate member of sandy shales and sandstones of reddish color and often a local basal member of massive red sandstone. 

The shales usually include thin layers of limestone, which are always highly fossiliferous. Fossils also occur in the sandstone. Molluscau' fossils predominate, 

together with Pentacrinites asteriseii.s and bone fragments.

Certain members of the formation are o.f general occurrence, while others are 

less persistent. The usual succession is 60 feet of lower dark shale, 30 feet of 

massive, buff, ripple-marked sandstone next above, a reddish, sandy shale above 

this, and at the top about 200 feet of green shale with thin fossiliferous limestone layers. At the base of the formation there is often a massive red or buff 

sandstone occurring in -extended lenses and f requently attaining a thickness of 25 

feet. Some characteristic features of the formation are shown in Pis. XVII, 

XVIII, A, and XIX, ' B.

Unkpapa sandstone. This formation takes its name from one of the tribes of 

Dakota Indians which at one time dwelt about the southeastern portion of the Black 

Hills. It is always clearly separable both from the Sundance shales below and the 

Morrison shales or the Lakota sandstone above. It consists of a very massive fine-, 

grained sandstone, varying in color from white to purple and buff. Its greatest development is in the foothill ridges or hogbacks east of Hot Springs. Its first outcrops 

southward are observed about Cascade Springs, and it extends continuously from 

that region, past Hot Springs, all along the eastern side of the Black Hills to the 

Belle Fourche. . North of Buffalo Gap its thickness diminishes rapidly to less than 

50 feet in most places, but north of Rapid it increases locally to 150 feet. . It is 

thickest in Sheps Canyon, southeast of Hot Springs, where 225 feet were measured. 

10001 No. 32 05 3
34 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Some of the exposures east of Hot Springs are very striking in their colorings 

of brilliant pink, purple, and pure white. In three of the canyons between Fall 

River and Buffalo Gap the rock has been quarried to some extent for building stone. 

Portions of the rock are beautifully banded with various colors, in part along the 

stratification planes, but often diagonal to them. In the quarry west of Buffalo Gap 

these banded beds exhibit minute faulting in a most instructive manner, affording 

line illustrations of block-fault phenomena. The sandstone is characterized in 

. general by its fine grain and very massive biit uniform texture. (See PL XIX.) 

Contacts with the overlying buff sandstones of the Lakota formation are frequently 

exposed, and they are seen to be marked by considerable unconformity due to 

erosion. One of them is shown in PI. XIX, A. ' ' '

. CRETACEOUS.

Morrison shale. This formation has been designated the Atlautosaurus beds by 

Marsh and others, and for a while it was known as the Beulah shale. It appears 

northwest of Hermosa, lying between the Unkpapa sandstone and the Lakota formation, thickens rapidly to an average of about 150 feet, and passes around the northern 

and western sides of the Black Hills as a prominent member of the series. Beyond 

the edge of the Unkpapa sandstone it lies conformably upon the Sundauce formation, 

and, owing to the similarity of materials, might not be readily separated if the relations had not been determined on the eastern side of the uplift. It finally thins out 

northeast of Edgemont. The formation is mainly composed of a "joint claj7 " or 

massive shale, somewhat darker and more fissile to the east than to the north and' 

west. The predominating color is a very pale greenish gray merging into chocolate 

and maroon. Thin beds of fine-grained, white or light-gray sandstone and some thin 

local layers of impure limestone are included. A few fresh-water shells were 

observed, and there/is an almost general occurrence of saurian bones, believed 

to be of Cretaceous age, although some paleontologists regard them as latest 

Jurassic.

Lakota sandstone.' This formation, which consists mainly of sandstone, gives 

rise to the crest and upper slopes of the hogback ranges that form the outer 

encircling rim of the Black Hills. Its. sandstones are hard, coarse grained, 

cross-bedded, and massive, with partings of shale of no great thickness. Locally 

the formation includes beds of .coal, which about Cambria and on Hay Creek are 

mined to some extent. In the central and southern Black Hills its thickness is 

usually from 200 to 300 feet, with local variations; to the north it averages about 

100 feet thick. Throughout its course it* lies unconformably 'on the Morrison 

shale to the north and west and on the Unkpapa sandstone to the east and south.
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. VIII

A. CHEYENNE RIVER AT MOUTH OF LANCE CREEK, WYOMING. 

A typical stream of the arid regions, nearly dry in midsummer. View upstream.

NORTH PLATTE RIVER AT THE NEBRASKA-WYOMING STATE LINE, 

View showing shrunken midsummer condition. Looking east.
LOWER CRETACEOUS OF THE BLACK HILLS. 35

The amount of unconformity is not known, and the period of uplift it represents 

was not one of flexing of sufficient amount to give rise to any material discordance 

in dip. A typical exposure of the unconformity is represented in PI. XIXj A.

Although the Lakota formation presents the predominant features above 

described, there are frequent local variations in the thickness of the beds and in 

the occurrence of intercalated fine-grained members. In the canyon of Fall 

River the formation has a thickness varying from 225 to 250 feet. (See PI. XX.) 

The beds of sandstone are very massive, but they are separated by greenish-gray 

shales 15 to 20 feet thick at several horizons. The uppermost member, a dullyellow sandstone, is immediately overlain by the Minnewaste limestone in the 

region east of Hot Springs. Some conglomeratic layers occur, especially in the 

lower members.

Excepting petrified wood, which is abundant, fossils are rarely found in the 

Lakota formation. A few bones of a stegosaur were obtained near Buffalo Gap, 

and occasional bone fragments were observed at various localities. Plants of 

lower Cretaceous age occur east of Hot Springs and in the Hay Creek region, 

and pine needles are abundant in some of the coalv layers. Cvcads are found in

o . "

places, notably in the slopes southwest of Minnekahta and near Blackhawk, and 

recently Professor O'Harra has observed one northwest of Aladdin. This geologist also discovered the following fossils 3 miles north of Piedmont, which were 

determined by Dr. T. W. Stanton: An isopod crustacean, probabty of family 

^EgidEe; an Estheria; a scale of a gar (Lepidosteus), and a crocodile tooth 

all fresh-water forms.

Minnewaste limestone. This formation overlies the Lakota' sandstone from 

the vicinity of Cascade Springs northward to Buffalo Gap. For the greater part 

of its course it has a thickness of only 25 feet, but is conspicuous on the hogback 

ranges east of Hot Springs, extending far up the slopes on Some of the higher 

divides. One of the most extensive exposures is at the falls of Cheyenne River. 

These falls are due to this formation, the water falling over a ledge of it about 

20 feet high. Widespread outcrops may be seen in the anticline 2 miles east of 

Hot Springs, where, with a steep dip to the west, the}' appear "on the western 

slope of the anticlinal ridge.

The rock is a nearly pure light-gray limestone, presenting a uniform character 

throughout. An extended search has failed to detect any fossils in it, but it is 

of lower Cretaceous age, since it lies below the Fuson formation. It thins out 

rapidly north of Buffalo Gap and appears to be entirely absent in the canyon of 

Fuson Creek. It is thin at Cascade Springs and disappears a short distance to 

the west.
36 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Fuson formation. This is a series of fine-grained, deposits lying between the 

Dakota and the Lakota sandstones and encircling the Black Hills. Its thickness 

averages about 50 feet, but varies considerably and is greatest in the northern hills. 

Its material consists of a mixture of clay and fine sand, usually massively bedded. 

Some beds of coarser sandstone are locally included, and other portions are nearly 

pure shale.. The predominant color is white or gray, but buff, purple, and maroon 

tints are often conspicuous.

As the formation is relatively .soft compared with adjoining sandstones, it 

usually gives rise to' a depression between a low crest of Dakota sandstone on the 

one hand and the higher summits of the Lakota sandstone on the other. One of 

the most extensive exposures is at the falls of Cheyenne River, where the section _ 

is as-follows:

Section at falls of Cheyenne River, South Dakota.

Dakota sandstone. ' Feet - 

Dark sandy shale........................................................ 4

Soft, gray, slabby sandstone; plants ....................................... 6

Compact white mudstone................................................ 8

Dark-green clay ....,.................................'................. 1

Dark-gray compact mudstone ............................................ 25

Very compact white mudstone........................................... t2J

Gray mudstone ..-.-......._.-......:.................................... 6

Harder white mudstoue ................................................. 9 .

Purplish shale ...1....:................................................. 1

White .fine-grained sandstone .................................. --------- 5 to 12

Purple shale..'.......................................................... 6 to 8

Light-buff massive sandstone ....................................."....... 25

Dark-baft coarser sandstone, much honeycombed by weathering ........... 25

Minnewaste limestone. ' *

Outcrops of the formation are considerably obscured by talus along the canyon 

of Fall River, but there are extensive exposures in the vicinity, notably in the 

canyon on the steep side of the anticline 2 miles due east of Hot Springs, where', 

much of the material is bright purple and strongly resembles a shale that has 

been subjected to alteration by igneous matter. Fuson Canyon affords some 

striking exposures of a portion of the formation in cliffs capped by Dakota 

sandstone. The uppermost bed is a moderately hard sandstone underlain in 

sequence by 10 feet of purplish-gray shales, 10 feet of white mudstone, and 20 

feet of bright-purple shale. On Dry Creek the formation is represented by 50; 

feet of white massive shale. On Squaw Creek the Lakota sandstone is overlain 

by-about 50 feet of buff and purple shale, grading upward to the Dakota sandstone through several feet of shale and thin sandstone. Northwest of Hermosa 

shales of bright color prevail, much of the material being purple. Near Rapid it
DAKOTA AND BENTON OF THE BLACK HILLS. 37

is 100 feet thick, and near Sturgis 65 feet. On the southern and western sides 

of the hills the formation is often mixed with considerable sand and sandstone, 

and north of Elk Mountain for some distance it becomes thinner and sometimes so 

sandy that it is difficult to distinguish it from the Dakota sandstone. Jn the 

northern hills its thickness varies from 60 to over 100 feet, but it is often covered 

by talus from the sandstone cliffs above. In the Hay Creek region it has yielded 

large numbers of fossil plants of lower Cretaceous age, described by L. F. Ward" 

as occurring in the upper part of "Division No. 2."

 Dakota sandstone. This formation is the uppermost member of the series 

formerly designated "Dakota sandstone" in the Black Hills region. Being rarely 

over 100 feet thick, it constitutes only a small pail of the mass of "-the hogback 

range, but is, nevertheless, conspicuous, because the foothills to which it usually 

gives rise ascend steeply out of the adjoining valley or level plain underlain by'the 

Graneros shales. It generally consists of a brown sandstone, hard, and- massive 

below, but thinner bedded above. It appears to extend continuously around the 

Black Hills. The fossil plants which have been obtained from it are impressions 

of dicotyledonous leaves occurring in the upper portion of the formation.

Some aspects of the Dakota sandstone are shown in Pis. XX and XXI, in 

which the more massive variety of the rock is shown in the cliffs at the top.

Bentcm group. The Graneros. shale, which is the lowest member of the Benton 

group, extends entirely around the Black Hills uplift, with a co.ui'se marked by 

lowlands and valleys. It is believed to be the precise equivalent of the Graneros 

shale of southeast Colorado, for it lies between the Dakota sandstone and the very 

characteristic Greenhorn limestone which in both regions is filled with impressions 

of Inocerunius,labiatus.

In some areas the formation contains", toward its base, a thin layer of hard sandstone, which often rises in a ridge of considerable prominence. It occurs locally, 

but apparently always at the same horizon, a short distance beneath a typical series 

of hard shales and thin-bedded sandstones, which weathers to a light-gray color and 

contains large numbers of fish scales. The sandstone member is a noticeable feature 

in the vicinity of Newcastle, where it contains petroleum and has been explored 

as an oil sand." It there attains a thickness of 30 feet and lies 205 feet above the 

Dakota sandstone. To the north, in the vicinity of Pedro, it thins to less than a 

foot, and to the south near Clifton, it disappears. In the Newcastle region it is 

overlain by 800 feet of black shales, constituting the remainder of the formation, 

which here, consequently, has a total thickness of 1,085 feet.

The Graneros formation thins toward Edgemont, and thence for many miles to 

..the northeast its thickness is about 900 feet, so far as could be ascertained from

(iNineteenth Ann. Eept. U. S. Genl. Survey, pt. 2, 1899, pp. 5:!l-94fi
38 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

/

numerous cross-section measurements, with rather uncertain dip determinations. 

West of Hermosa a sandstone again comes in about 200 feet above the base of the 

formation and attains a thickness of 15 feet; it is traceable for 4 to 5 miles, and 

then thins out "again. At a point 2 miles north of Hermosa it contains abundant 

impressions of fossil leaves. This sandstone again appears on the Belle Fourche 

north of Aladdin and on the Little Missouri west of the Devils Tower.

One of the most prominent features in the plains immediately adjoining the 

Black Hills is a low but distinct escarpment due to a hard limestone bed in the 

middle of the Benton group. It usually lies from 1 to 4 miles distant from the hogback ridge of the Dakota sandstone and presents its face toward the hills. It is 

thin, but persistent, and is characterized by large numbers of impressions of Inoceramus labidt-as, a fossil of infrequent occurrence in the adjoining formations, it is 

believed to represent the Greenhorn limestone of Arkansas Valley.

The Greenhorn limestone contains a considerable amount of clay and fine sand. 

It appears to gain hardness on weathering*, breaking into hard, thin, pale-buff 

slabs covered with impressions of the distinctive fossil. (See PI. XXIV.) Its 

thickness averages about 50 feet. At its base it is usually distinctly separated from 

the dark shales of the Graneros formation, as shown in PI. XXII, and in its upper 

portion appears to grade into shales of the Carlile formation through 6 or 8 feet 

of passage beds.

The most extensive exposures of the Greenhorn limestone are in the prominent escarpments -west and northwest of Edgemont, which rise high above the 

slopes extending along either side of Cheyenne River, as shown in PI. XXIII, B. 

Owing to the low dip in this vicinity the limestone is spread out in plateaus 

extending back for some distance from the edge of the escarpment. In Weston 

County, Wyo., where the dip soon increases in amount, the escarpment ceases, 

giving place to a small but very persistent ridge of nearly vertical beds, which 

continues for many miles to the north. (See PI. XXIII, A.) In the ridge south 

of Newcastle there is a local diminution of dip in which the outcrop widens 

into a narrow sloping plateau for a few miles. In the region about Fairburn 

the formation is traversed by a syncline which spreads it out into a bifurcated 

ridge south of the town. On the adjoining divides, notably in those between 

French Creek and Battle Creek, and between Battle Creek and Spring Creek, 

the formation is buried beneath the overlapping White River deposits. It is 

well exposed in the banks of Battle Creek, 1£ miles below Hermosa. where, in its 

only slightly weathered condition in the fresh stream cut, it is seen to be a hard, 

calcareous, light-gray shale filled with Inocerami.. In the northern Black Hills 

it is a less" conspicuous feature, but is distinctly traceable throughout.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. IX

SCOTTS BLUFF FROM THE NORTH SIDE OF NORTH PLATTE RIVER.

View showing terrace at foot of bluffs, into which the badlands are cut, and the broad river bottom; Dome Rock on tne left. Arikaree and Gering formations on Brule clay. A typical butte

of Tertiary foimations.
o CABLILE i'OEMATION OF THE BLACK HILLS. - 89

The-Carlile formation, which is the uppermost member of the Benton group, is 

a series of shales, with thin sandstone and impure limestone layers, lying between 

the Greenhorn limestone and the Niobrara chalk. It is similar in character and 

relations to the deposits occupying the same position in southeastern Colorado. 

The formation consists mainly of shales, with two thin, hard beds of sandstone, 

the upper one calcareous; at the top the shales contain numerous oval concretions, 

always yielding occasional Pr-ionotropis prionooydas. The thickness varies from 500 

to slightly over 700 feet, the larger amount being in the region about Newcastle. 

Some typical sections are as follows:

Section of Carlile formation near Buffalo Gap, S. Dak.

Feet. 

Niobrara chalk.

Shales, with large buff concretions ............. '. .......... J.................. 150

Hard slabby sandstone ...................................................... 2

Gray shale ..........................................................;...... 130

Thin, coarse sandstone ...................................................... 4

Gray shale .........................................................:....... -75

Concretions in gray shale.................................................... 2

Gray shale ................................................................. 40

Calcareous beds with Ostrea, etc..............---........'..................... 4

Shale and talus ............................................................. 180

Greenhorn limestone.

Section of Carlile formation, 1J miles southeast of the fulls of Cheyenne River, South Dakota.

Feet. 

Niobrara chalk.

Gray shale, with "large buff concretions....................................... 50

Gray shale..................................................................' 70

Light-gray sandstone......................................................... 4

Dark-gray ghale, with thin.sandy layers.. 1................................... 160

Sandstone.................................................................. 2

Gray shales. ................................................................. 150 "

Greenhorn limestone.

Section of Carlile formation, 3 miles west of Newcastle, Wyo.

Feet. 

Niobrara chalk.

Dark shales, with light-colored concretions ................................... 130

Dark shales.._.............-.........'.........-.-.-.....-.........--......... 200

Calcareous concretions ...................................................... 3

Sandy shales, with thin sandstones .......................................... 170

Brown sandstone....-.-...---.-.....-----------------..-......--------.-..'-- 4

Dark shales................................................................. 200

Greenhorn limestone.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER N0.32 PL. X

Bighorn Mtns

SECTION 2

fl ft'fZ'^ ^rV .^"^ 

^^SSS^V-^SPgiA:

SECTION 3

Tertiary deposits

Laramie Range

*>-- ^-i-yyC^fff^-f ,-^, , ,>- . v , ^f TJV- ^ , , ,v j-1"* v-2^ 

s^^^agxrfvv^ ry^v^-x^y^^y^^^^ ^ ' uA^^y^c^

SECTION 5

Dakota 

and associated sandstones

Paleozoic 

Limestones and sandstones

Granite, schist, and quart zite 

Broken lines indicate much uncertainty as to position andthickness of beds

VERTICAL SCALE 

3000 o 3000 6000 5000 izooo feet

The base ofthesectionsis at sea level

SECTIONS ACROSS THE

ALONG THE LINES

GEOLOGIC CENTRAL GREAT

1, 2.3,4.^fD 5, PLATES XXXV AND LXIX
40 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Section of Carl-lie formation north of Pedro, S. Dak. Feet. Mobrara chalk.

Drab shales, with numerous concretions near top .............................. 550

Thin-bedded sandstone ............... ^..''...........-................;....... 5

Shale .......................................'.... ................. ........... 30

Sandstone, drab below, reddish above....................................... 30

Dark shale ....................:.-.......:...........:.................-.... 50

Thin-bedded light-brown sandstone..............'............................ 35

Gray shaliee ..i'...................... ...'.................-..... .............--. 90.

Greenhorn limestone.'

The thickening of the sandstones in this last section is due mainly to.intercalations of sandy shales.

Niobrara formation. The calcareous deposits'of the Niobrara formation completely encircle the Black Hills, presenting distinctive features throughout, but 

to a less degree to the north and northeast than to the south. The material is 

a" soft shaly limestone or impure chalk, containing greater or less admixture of 

ol-Aj and fine sand. In unweatbered exposures it is usually light gray, while its 

weathered outcrops have a bright-yellow color which usually renders them conspicuous, although, owing to the softness of the materials, they rarely give rise to 

noticeable ridges. The thickness of the formation is about 225 feet in the central and southern Black Hills and about 100 feet on _the northern slopes. Thin 

layers of hard limestone are often included, consisting of an aggregation of shells 

of Ostrea eongcsta, a fossil distinctive of the formation when it occurs in this 

manner (see PI. XXIV). ' , .

Pierre shale. Many thousand square miles of ttie country adjoining the Black 

Hills are occupied by Pierre shale. It is a thick mass of dark-colored shale, 

weathering light brown, and is relatively uniform in composition throughout. It 

gives rise to a dreary monotony of "low rounded" bills, sparsely covered with 

grass and not very useful for agriculture. The thickness of the formation is 

about 1.200 feet, so far as can be ascertained, but it is only rarely that it can be 

measured. Where it dips gently away from the hills it is almost impossible to 

measure the rate of the dip of the shale. Fortunatety it has been found that the 

formation includes, at a horizon about 1,000.;. feet above its base, scattered lenses 

of limestone usually containing numerous shells of Lucina occidentalis. The greater 

number of these lenses occur at the definite horizon just mentioned, and, in some 

places, where they occupy the surface over a wide area, they throw light on the 

attitude of the formation. It is from evidence of this sort "that we have made 

some of the determinations of structure which afford an important part of the 

data for ascertaining the depth of the Dakota sandstone in the region adjoining 

the Black Hills. ' '
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

PROFESSIONAL PAPER, NO. 32 PL.XI

EXPLANATION

Tertiary deposits

Laramie formation

Pieire shale

Niobrara formation

Benton group

and associated sandstones

RedBeds"

riruansha.lea to the sotUJwrcst)

Paleozoic 

Limestones and sandstones

Granite, schist, and quartz ite 

Broken lines indicate much uncertainty as to position and thickness of beds

Black Hills

SECTION 6

i l_ 4D

I!= »

SECTION 7

Rocky Mountains

I 1

SECTION 8

SECTION 9

SECTION 10

Pine Ridge

HORIZONTAL SCALE 

0 20 40 miles

VERTICAL SCALE

3000 o 3000 eooo 9000 liooo feet

The base of the sections is at sea level

GEOLOGIC SECTIONS ACROSS THE CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS

ALONG THE LINES 6.7, 8, 9, AND 1O, PLATES XXXV AND LXIX

BY

N.H. BARTON

19O4

JULIUS BIEN A CO.UTH-N.Y.
PIERKE SHALE O* THE BLACK HILLS. 41

0

The limestone concretions with Lucina vary in,size from 2 or 3 cubic feet to 

masses 20. feet in diameter and 6 or 8 feet thick, usually of irregular lens shape. 

Owing to their hardness these lenses, when uncovered by erosion, give rise to 

low conical buttes resembling in form very squat tepees, and accordingly have 

been designated "tepee buttes," a term used for similar occurrences in the Pierre 

shale of southeastern Colorado. They occur in large numbers in the. vicinity of 

Oelrichs and west and southwest of Newcastle, varying in height from 10 to 150 

feet above the surrounding slopes. Horizontally- the lenses occur at irregular intervals, so that the buttes are scattered very erratically and are sometimes separated by many miles. Their occurrence in some of the steeply tilted sections 

in Converse and Weston counties, particularly near Oldwoman Creek, has afforded 

opportunity for determining the distance of the horizon above, the base of the 

Pierre shales.

Numerous concretions occur in the Pierre shales at various horizons and 

usually contain large numbers of very distinctive fossils,' of which the more 

abundant are the following: Baculites compressufi, Inoceramus sagensis. Nautilus 

dekayi, Placen'ticeras placenta, Heteroceras nebrascensis, and an occasional Lucina 

'occidentals. The most fossiliferous horizon is in the upper part of the formation. The concretions are generally of small size, of a calcareous nature, and 

break into small pyramidal fragments, which are scattered more or less thickly 

all over the Pierre surfaces.

At the base of the formation overlying the Niobrara chalk there is always a 

very distinctive series of black,' splintery, fissile shales, containing three beds of 

concretionsl These shales have been included in the Pierre. although they have 

not jet been found to contain distinctive fossils. They are about 150 feet thick in 

the southern Black Hills, where they give rise to a steep slope, often rising conspicuously above the lowlands eroded in the Niobrara chalk. The concretions exhibit a curious sequence. The lower ones are biscuit-shaped, hard, and siliceous; 

those in the layers next above are similar t in shape and composition, but are 

traversed in every direction by deep cracks filled with calcite and sometimes scattered, crystals of barite; and those in the uppermost Iaj7 ers are large, lens-shaped, 

highly calcareous, and of a light-straw color, consisting mainly of well-developed 

cone-in-cone.

Fox Hills and Laramie formations. These formations occupy a vast area of 

the plains adjoining the Black Hills in all directions, except to the east and southeast.. 

They approach nearest to the hills in the eastern portion of Weston and Converse 

counties," Wyo., where they occupy several hundred square miles of the central 

Great Plains area. It is from the Laramie formation in this district that Hatcher 

and Marsh obtained the large collection of remains of Ceratopsidse in deposits which
42 GEOLOWY AND UNDERGROUND .WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

6 

have been designated locally* the Ceratops beds. These Ceratops beds extend 

northward from Buck and Lance creeks into Woston County. They have been 

described by Hatcher,* and by Stanton and Knowlton," who have shown from 

faunal, floral, and stratigraphic evidence that they are of Laramie age. The 

underlying Fox Hills formation is fully characterized by its distinctive marine 

fauna, and the overlying beds are found by Knowlton to contain a typical Fort 

Union flora. The precise boundary between the Ceratops beds, or Laramie formation, and the Fox Hills has not yet been ascertained, but it is usually placed at the 

top of the deposits which have yielded a marine fauna. The base of the Laramie 

formation, thus defined, consists of a series of sandstones and shales of no great 

thickness, in which no fossils have been discovered, but which appear more closely 

allied to the well-defined Ceratops beds above than to the Fox Hills below.

The Fox'Hills formation in Converse and Weston counties, Wyo., presents 

an alternation of slabby sandstones and sandy shales, apparently in conformable 

succession to the Pierre shale. The" sandstones give rise to an escarpment which 

faces eastward, overlooking the lower lands of the Pierre, Niobrara, and Bentou 

formations. It is about 15 miles .distant from the foothills of the Black Hills, at 

Newcastle and throughout Weston County, but lies much farther west in Converse 

County, as the Hogback Range bears to the southeast. The escarpment has a height 

of from 150 to 200 feet in greater part, comprising lower slopes of Pierre shale, a 

gray-sandstone or sandy-shale series in the middle slopes, and a capping of three 

thin but hard beds of slabby sandstone intercalated in sandy shales. The sandstones 

or sandy shales next above the Pierre shale usually contain large faintly denned 

concretions, due to local increase of lithification, and they carry abundant fossils, 

mainly VenieUa. Their thickness is from. 250 to 500 feet.

Next above the sandstones of the Fox Hills escarpment and ridge are slopes of 

sandy shales, surmounted by high hills composed of the succession of sandstones 

and shales constituting the Ceratops beds. These deposits alternate through a series 

several thousand feet thick, with the component beds varying greatly, in thickness 

and extent. No stratigraphic order of beds has yet been detected and none of the 

strata -is continuous for any great .distance. . Sandstones predominate, consisting 

mainly of fine-grained, loosely cemented beds of light-buff color, often having a 

thickness of 40 feet. They contain very characteristic concretions of gray color and 

of great variety of shapes. The material is simply the sand of the soft sandstone, - 

locally lithified .to increased hardness and slightly darkened. The sizes vary from a 

few inches to many feet. The forms are usually elongated, with rounded outlines,

« Marsh, O. C., The skull of the gigantic Ceratopsidae: Am. Jour. Sci., 3d ser., vol.38,1889, pp. 501-606, PI. XII.

6 Hatcher, J. B., The Ceratops beds of .Converse County,,Wyo.: Am. Jour. Sei., 3d ser., -vol. 45, 1893, pp. 135-144. 

gome localities for Laramie mammals and horned dinosaurs. Am. Naturalist, vol. 30,18)6, pp. 112-120, and map,

c Stanton, T. W., and Knowlton, F. H., Stratigraphy^ and paleontology of the Laramie and related formations in 

Wyoming: Bull. Geol. Soe. America, vol. 8,1897, pp. 127-156.
U. &. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XII

Bentoi)n T2 

H

Bl

FORMATIONS 

FoxHills______,__.

Pierre ___ -.___,

NioLrara __ _ ___

Carlile _______ _ _ 

Greenhorn _

Graneros __ _._

Dakota. _

Fnscn - _ - _ - Lakota----------]

Sundance __ _ 

(Jurassic)

(TriasBic?)

jVIinnekahta Opeclie -__--^_---

Minnelusa 

(Pemisylvanian)

(MisEiasippian") 

Whitewood

Deadwood _ 

(Cambrian)

Granite and gneiss

=Mowrie member 

Highest Miesissippiai

ack Hills Bighorn ?

< 

m&m

H

mCl = = CO

--=-=

^

^^~

./ -..1^ ' ', r

 __' y-^' |

 1

1 1 

1 1 '

foBsils

,'

 ^ ^ ^.

M

_ """' 

i

ChugwatrrJ

Teuskep* 

Amsdeu'

\Little. Horn.

V \x 

\ ^^ 

V \ x

\ \

Eighofn f

(Onlovician) 

\

Deadwood 

(Cambrian)

\

J==.-^-=

^ ^

iim

_^.^_ _.. ._-..

-^ r^r-

^

- ' -^ 

1,1,1

i '

s.1§§^&i5

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tts. Xc 

Larai

N 

N

N 

S

^''

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v'<

.'s .- 

,'/ '

,-x , '

II

! i

''' 1

'',' '

1

rtli end Tlartville uplift IjaramiR Range ^ortliorn Denver 

nie Raii^fe Colorado

BSfiPffi

 >=i

PW

M

Hanville.

/

J%=r^j^

^^§

W-3==

sesi

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-:- -

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--- "

Xhugwater

S

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SSSi

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ii^=^

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-==--^^~

%= =

=^=?=J

^^^ ~~-

^f-

 

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V^V

OF THK

BLACK HILLS, BIGHOKNS AND ROCKY

BY

N. H. DAKTCtt

Scale 

0 500 1000

^ -^

-----

Upper 1 

\Vyomiiigl

bower 

Wyoming.

. 1OJN fe

MOUNTA

I

2000 fee

_==

^^^-"^

_=^.-

^^^

-=E^E=.-=

==T=

^

S=

E^S

IN FI

t

Colorado Sprinas Arkansas 

River

Triui<ta<t

^,

----_

* ' ^

^=^

^1=^;

^=^

HI

r i 1_

wa

.^ "i r 

.'|X X t X "

iONT RANGE

s

Fountain 

(Fennaylvanian)

iliilsap ^-~

-fiai-Jtciu ~

^^^

:=f==^=

T-J'-r'-1

B^S^

f«'-:-"e'.;^..-

F 

H
TERTIARY OK THE BLACK HILLS REGION. - 43

but spherical and lens-shaped concretions abound. (See PL XVIII, B.) Shales 

occur interbedded among the sandstones of the Laramie formation and are often 30 

to 50 feet thick. They are usually of dark-gray color and in places lignitic. Coal 

was not observed in this formation near the Black Hills, but is found extensively to 

the north and west.

 TEKTIART DEPOSITS.

The earliest deposits of Tertiary age those of the Eocene epoch are not found 

in the region adjoining the Black Hills, and there are many reasons for believing that 

the principal epoch of the uplift in the Black Hills region was in earh* Tertiary time. 

Early Eocene deposits may have been laid down and removed by erosion in consequence of uplift in later Eocene time, but it is much more "probable that the entire 

area was subjected to vigorous erosion throughout the portion of Eocene time priorto the Oligocene. During the Oligocene epoch there was widespread deposition in 

the Central Plains region, and adjoining the Black Hills there was laid down a thick 

mantle of the sands and clays, which will be described below. The Arikaree n formation, of Miocene age. which caps Pine Ridge, has.not been found on the Black Hills, 

and nothing is known as to its former extension in that direction. According to 

Prof. J. E. Todd, a representative of the formation occurs north of the hills in the 

high buttes beyond Belle Fourche River, in the northwest corner of South Dakota.

White River yrnup. The well-known formations of the Big Badlands lying 

between Cheyenne and White rivers in western South Dakota and underlying Pine 

Ridge, have been found to extend to the Black Hills and high up on their flanks in a 

portion of the region. About Fail-burn and Hermosa wide areas of the highlands 

are occupied by the Chadron and Brule formations; which often give rise to miniature badlands of considerable extent. The deposits comprise both fine-grained and 

coarse-grained materials, the latter marking the course of the more vigorous streams 

of the period. There are large areas of fuller's earth, sand, limestone, calcareous 

grit, and channels filled with conglomerate, in some places silicified and in others 

cemented by carbonate of lime.

The principal areas now remaining are on the high divides between Lame Johnny 

and Rapid creeks, but there are also extensive masses in the broad part of Red Valley 

behind the Hogback Range, and there are narrow valleys filled with the deposits, 

which extend several miles back over the Carboniferous and Cambrian onto the 

Algonkian crystalline rocks.' Some details of their distribution are shown on the 

geologic map (PI. XXXV). To the southwest there are scattered areas at a number 

of points between Edgemont and Pringle, notably on the Minnelusa formation west 

of Argyle, in Red Valley north and west of Minnekahta, and on the Dakota sanduBarton, N.H., Report on Nebraska west of the one hundred and third meridian: Ninteenth Ann.Kept.U.S.Geol. 

Survey, pt. 4, 1898. p. 735.
44 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

stone not far north of Edgemont. South of Oelrichs there is a narrow basin which 

has been preserved in a syncline extending toward the Big Badlands. In Converse 

County, Wyo., the formation extends from the foot of Pine Ridge over a portion of 

the anticline rising along the east side of Oldwoman Creek.

The deposits of the White River group exhibit considerable diversity of composition. The principal material is a porous crumbling clay, pale-flesh color when 

dry, but light brown when damp. Some portions of it are pale green when dry 

and olive when wet. It is a hydrosilicate of alumina with some admixture of 

sand and clay, being in reality fuller's earth, and differing from ordinary clay in 

being much less plastic. In the lower beds of the group it merges into sand on the 

one hand and into clay on the other. It is often associated with or gives place to 

coarse materials occupying channels or broad sheets. In the vicinity of Hernvosa the 

principal material is coarse sandstone and conglomerate, mainly of dark-brown color, 

which mantles extensive plateaus. On the high level ridge north of Spring Creek 

there are coarse conglomei'ates, which extend entirely across the Hogback Range. 

About Fairburn, and to the west, there are long channels filled with conglomerate consisting of limestone pebbles and a calcareous matrix. These extend up 

several of the depressions through the Hogback Range, either displacing the fuller's 

earth deposits or being intercalated among them. The limestone pebbles appear to 

have been derived from Tertiary limestones, for they do not represent any of the 

Mesozoic or Paleozoic rocks of the hills. On the higher lands of Red Valley, 

between Hermosa, and Rockerville, there is an extensive deposit of nearly pure 

limestone, giving rise to a high plateau of considerable extent. The total thickness 

of the beds is about 30 feet at some places, the limestone being underlain by fuller's 

earth. A characteristic outcrop is shown in PI. XXV, A.

Limestones of various degrees of purity are" abundantly intercalated in the 

fuller's earth deposits in the region west and southwest of Fairburn, lying in 

'depressions on.the older rocks". Their most southerly occurrence is on the ridge a 

short distance northwest of the western entrance of Fuson Canyon and on the high 

divide just north of Lame Johnny Creek, a short distance west of the Fremont, 

Elkhorn, and Missouri Valley Railroad. These limestones usually contain freshwater fossils, mainly gastropods, often in great abundance.

There are extensive exposures of coarse materials of White River age in the 

railroad cuts through this divide south of Fairburn (shown in PI. XXV, B). where 

the materials are mainly cross-bedded coarse sands with a large proportion of 

 gravel, largely derived from the crystalline.rocks of the hills. The thickness of the 

White River deposits on the flanks of the Black Hills varies from a thin remnant to 

200 feet or more. In the divide just south of Lame Johnny Creek, in Red Valley, 

at a point 10 miles southwest of Fairburn, over 200 feet were measured, consisting 

mainly of pale flesh-colored sandy clay and fuller's earth.
0. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. Xlll

A DEADWOOD FORMATION IN NORTHERN PART OF DEADWOOD, S. DAK. 

View showing thick mass of regularly bedded sandstone in middle of formation. Looking northeast.

B. DEADWOOD SANDSTONE LYING ON ALGONKIAN SCHISTS IN DEADWOOD, S, DAK.

Shows slight channeling.
GENERAL RELATIONS IN THE BIGHORN MOUNTAINS. 45

East of the Hills the "White River deposits are usually divisible into two forma-

- tions the Titanotherium bed.s or Chadron formation below and the Oroodon beds 

or Brule clay above. The Cnadron formation consists of fuller's earth of light-gray, 

drab, pale-green, or pinkish tints, traversed by channels filled with gray sandstone, 

and usually has at its base a bed of coarse gravel composed of rocks derived from the' 

Black Hills. The Brule clay' consists of massively bedded sandy clay of pale-flesh 

and drab colors. These formations are most extensively exhibited in the large area 

of badlands lying southeast of Cheyenne River. Some of their typical features are

 illustrated in Pis. XLV and XLVI.

All of the White River beds have yielded fossil bones of various kinds which are 

typical of the Oligocene epoch. The following, which were determined by Prof. 

F. A.^Lucas. were obtained in be'ds high up on the flanks of -the Black Hills west of 

Fairburn: Oreodon -cvlbertsonii; Pcebrotherium wilsoni, Stylemys nekrascensw, and 

Hyracodon nebrascetisis.

The White River deposits southwest of Argyle consist mainly of fuller's earth. 

A few turtle bones were found in them, but no extensive search was made for fossils. 

North and west of Minnekahta the material is a mixture, of fine sand and clay. The 

outlier northwest of Edgemont caps an area of Graneros shale high on the -slope of 

the Dakota sandstone. It consists mainly of gray conglomeratic sandstone. In the'' 

vicinity of Lead small areas of White River beds have been found at an altitude of 

about 5,000 feet, and on the slopes of Bearlodge Mountains deposits supposed to be 

of this age occur at an altitude of more than 6,000 feet.

During White River time in the Black Hills and adjoining regions there was 

deposition of a considerable volume of volcanic ash. The period appears to have been 

one of volcanic activity in the region west, and the ashes were borne on the winds and 

dropped into the waters so as to be spread over a wide area of country adjoining the 

Black Hills. There is more or less volcanic ash throughout the White River'deposits 

as an admixture with the clay and sand. Accumulations of the pure material are 

often found at various horizons from the lower Chadron beds to the highest formation in Pine Ridge.

GEOLOGY OF A PORTION" OF THE BIGHORN MOUNTAINS.

GENERAL RELATIONS. " v

The Bighorn Mountains are due to a great anticline of many thousand feet 

uplift, rising in south-central Montana and extending southeast and south about 125 

miles into central Wyoming. It elevates a thick series of Paleozoic and Mesozoic 

formations high above the plains, and, owing to the deep erosion of its crest, presents a central nucleus of pre-Cambrian granites from which the sedimentary rocks 

dip at varying angles on either side. The most elevated portion of the uplift is near 

latitude 44° 30', where one of the granite summits, Cloud Peak, has an altitude of
46 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

13,165 feet, a rise of about 9,000 feet above the adjoining plains. (See PI. XXV f. A.) 

The uplift diminishes in amount to the north and finally dies out in Montana: tothe south it becomes lower, but continues for many miles, finally curving- around to 

the west and extending into the Rattlesnake and the Owl mountains. On the flanks 

of the uplift there is exposed a series of Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks, the former 

giving rise to a high monoclinal range, shown in PI. XXVIII, while a parallel 

lower hogback marks the outcrop of the harder members of the Mesozoic rocks. 

The e-eneral structure is illustrated in sections 1. 2. and 3 on PI. X.

. O .

STRATIGRAPHY.

During 1901 and 1902 a detailed study was made of the stratigraphy of the 

formations on a portion of the eastern side of the Bighorn uplift, and the general 

features were determined as indicatedin the following table:

Table.of formations on east side of Bighorn Mountains, in Wyoming.

Age.

Triassic (?) or Permian...

. Formation.

Fox Hills .........

PlGlTG

Benton .....:.'.....

Cleverly.......... .

( Tpncilppri '

[Little Horn........

Principal c'.wrti<;ter.

lenses of conglomerate near base.

sandstone layers at base.

Red sandstone and shales with gypsum 

(Spearnsh).

Purple to gray limestone (Minnekahta ?) 

Red shales (Opeche ?)..................

White sandstone ..........'.............

and cherty limestone.

massive.

stones.

General 

thickne^.

feet. 

2,0004-

200

2,700

200-1-

1,150

30

30

350-250

300

1,200

D

30

50-200

300

3,000 -

250

1,000
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XIV

DEADWOOD SANDSTONE LYING ON ALGONKIAN SCHISTS, ON SQUAW CREEK, BELOW OTIS, S. DAK. 

Typical flat-bottomed valley of Black Hill parks; sandstone about 30 feet thick, marked by line of cliffs to right. Looking north.
CAMBRIAN AND ORDOVIC1AN OF THE BIGHORNS. 47 

CAMBRIAN.

d formation. The lowest member of the sedimentary series in the Bighorn Mountains consists of middle Cambrian beds, so closely resembling the Deadwood formation of the northern Black Hills that this name may be employed in both 

regions. The rocks comprise sandstones, shales, limestones, and conglomerates, 

averaging from 900 to 1,000 feet in thickness for the most part. At the base there 

is usually at least from 10 to 30 feet of brown sandstone lying on granite and often 

conglomeratic near the contact. Some typical features are shown in PI. XXVI, B. 

Next above are gray and greenish-gray shales, usually with thin sandstone or sandy 

shale intercalations. Ordinarily these shales have a thickness of 250 to 300 feet. 

They are succeeded by a bod of coarse gray sandstone, averaging from 25 to 40 

feet thick, and apparently of wide extent. This sandstone is overlain by several 

hundred feet of gray shales and thin-bedded sandstones, containing considerable 

glauconite at most localities and a few thin layers of limestone. This series merges 

upward into an alternation of impure limestones and very characteristic conglomerates 

of flat limestone pebbles, often green on the surface, but from gray to pale pink inside. 

This limy series has a thickness of about 200 feet and is succeeded abruptly by a bed 

of white sandstone about 25 feet thick, which is regarded as the top of the Deadwood formation. The pre-Cambrian surface on which the Deadwood formation lies 

is in general remarkably smooth, but has in it occasional local irregularities consisting of shallow channels or low cliffs.

The formation does not present much local variation in character, the principal 

changes'being in 'the basal sandstones, which, in some portions of the area, attain 

a thickness of 300 feet.

Fossils from the upper limestone series have been found to be Dicellomus politus 

(of middle Cambrian age), which also occurs in great abundance in the thin limestone layers in the underlying shales and at intervals to the base of the formation, 

the small, white shells being conspicuous in the gray and buff sandstone. In the 

lower sandstones Ptychoparia oweni occurs often in great abundance.

ORDOVICIAN.

 Bighorn liiriextone. This limestone is one of the most prominent members of 

the sedimentary series in the Bighorn Mountains, rising in high cliffs along the inner 

face of the limestone front range, as shown in Pis. XXVI and XXVIII. Its principal member is a hard, massive, impure limestone of light-gray or light-buff color, 

with reticulating masses of silica, which give the weathered rock a very coarse, 

irregularly pitted, or honeycombed surface. The thickness ranges from 200 to 300 

feet for the most part, and the bedding planes are mostly from 10 to 20 feet apart. 

The very few fossils it has yielded are of Ordovician age and are regarded by E: O.
48 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Ulrich as lower Galena-Trenton in equivalency. In its upper portion the rock 

becomes less massive, and the top member of the formation includes some thinbedded, impure limestones which, at one locality northwest of Buffalo, contain large 

numbers of fossils representing the Richmond fauna of the upper Ovdovician. This 

upper series is not well exposed, and apparently it is not continuous.

In some localities the massive member of the Bighorn limestone is succeeded by 

fine-grained, light-colored limestones containing numerous corals, among which were 

recognized Halt/sites catenulata and other forms. This overlying series is included 

in the Bighorn limestone because of its Ordovician age. < 

CARBONIFEROUS.

Little Horn limestone. This limestone comprises about 1,000 feet of beds, and 

constitutes the greater part of the high front range of the Bighorn Mountains. Its 

thickness 'diminishes greatl}T to the southwest. The rocks are mainly of light 

color and are massively bedded. At the top there is a series of pure limestones 

100 feet or more in thickness, but of soft texture, which weathers in typical castellated forms, one of which is shown in PI. XXVII. Many of the lower 

beds contain much sand admixture and are usually darker. Fossils of typical 

lower Carboniferous forms occur at several horizons. The thickness of the formation diminishes to about 250 feet in the- southeast portion of the uplift. The, 

Little Horn limestone' is equivalent in the main to the Madison limestone of 

Montana and the Pahasapa limestone of the Black Hills; but as the stratig-raphic 

limits of the formation are somewhat indefinite, a local name is applied, derived 

from the canyon of Little Horn River, where there are extensive, exposures. '

Although there is no marked evidence of unconformity at the base of the Little 

Horn limestone, and the lowest beds are not fossiliferous. it is probable that the 

Silurian and the Devonian are absent.

Amsden formation. The uppermost limestone member of the Bighorn front 

range~has been separated as the Amsden formation, named from a branch of Tongue 

River west of Dayton. It consists of a somewhat variable succession of red 'shales, 

limestones, cherty limestones, and sandy members outcropping along the higher outer 

slopes of the range. Its thickness is about 150 feet near the Montana line, but 

increases gradually to the south and amounts to 350 feet west of Sheridan and Buffalo. 

Throughout its course the basal member is a red sandy shale or fine-grained red 

sandstone from 50 to 100 feet thick, the amount gradually increasing to the south. 

lying on the .massive bluish-gray limestone of the Little Horn formation with no 

apparent unconformity. Kext above is a somewhat variable series including very 

compact, pure, white limestones, several thin beds of gray sandstone, occasional thin
WESTERN SLOPE OF BLACK HILLS ON EAST SIDE OF STOCKADE BEAVER VALLEY, SOUTHEAST OF NEWCASTLE, WYO. 

Steep-dipping beds from Minnelusa to Minnekahta limestone, the latter spreading out in a characteristic plateau at the foot of the slope. Looking southeast.
TR1ASSIC AND PERMIAN OF THE BIGHORNS. 49

bodies of red shale, and, in the greater part of the region, several thick beds of very 

cherty limestone which contain fossils. Only a very few fragmentary specimens 

have been found in the lower beds, so that the age of these is uncertain.

Ten sleep sandstone. The outer slope of the Front Range is flanked to a varying 

height with a sheet of sandstone which .is continuous throughout. It is a'massive, 

white sandstone, locally of buff color, with an average thickness of about 200 feet 

west and southwest of Buffalo, but thinning gradually to the north to about 50 feet 

near the Montana line. Some limy and cherty layers occur in its middle and upper 

parts. Its white ledges are conspicuous features on the mountain slopes rising 

abruptly out of the red shale valley (see PI. XXVIII). The sandstone is mostly 

massive, there is much cross bedding, and the material is fine grained and moderately 

hard at most points. Fossils found in chert nodules in the medial beds of Othe formation are of Pennsylvania!! age. Its name is derived from extensive typical exposures 

in the walls of the lower canyon of Tensleep Creek.

TEIASSIC ( ? ) OR PERMIAN.

Chug-water formation. There extends along the foot of the Bighorn Range a 

thick series of red bedt^ apparently equivalent to the Red Beds of the Black Hills, 

but not so plainly divisible into three members.

The Minnekahta limestone, which is the lowest of the trio in the Black-Hills, 

appears to have an attenuated representative in the Bighorn uplift, but as its identity 

can not be proved it has been thought best not to attempt to subdivide, but to comprise all under the one designation of the Chugwater formation, a name derived 

from Chugwater Creek, on which the formation is extensively exhibited in the 

vicinity of Iron Mountain. '

, , The formation averages 1,250 feet in thickness, and consists mainly of brightred sandstones and sandy shales containing deposits of gypsum with thin beds of 

limestone near the top and the bottom. The lowest limestone, which occurs about 

20 feet above the Tensleep sandstone and has an average thickness of less than 5 feet, 

consists of thinly laminated, pinkish, dolomitic limestone strongly suggestive in 

appearance and relations of the Minnekahta limestone of the Black Hills; it has 

yielded no fossils. About 80 feet higher in the formation there occurs another bed 

of limestone averaging about 3 feet in thickness, of impure character and honeycombed structure, which is a prominent member along the east side of the Bighorn 

basin. A series of several thin beds, having in all a' thickness of from 120 to 250 

feet, appears near the top of the formation intercalated among red sandy shales. 

Their individual thicknesses vary from 2 to 10 feet. They contain fossils at a number of localities, but unfortunately the forms are so lacking in characteristics that 

10001 No. 82 05 \-
50 GEOLOGY AND UNDEEGEOUND WATEE OF CENTRAL GEEAT PLAINS.

it has not been possible to ascertain whether they are of the latest Paleozoic or the 

earliest Mesozoic. age. One prominent exposure standing vertical is shown in 

 PI. XXIX, B. As in other regions, the gypsum occurs mainly in the lower 200 

feet of the formation.

JURASSIC.

S'tmdance formation. Typical marine Jurassic deposits, with abundant fauna, 

are well represented in the Bighorn Mountain section. Owing to the steep dip 

of the beds along the foot of the Front Range the outcrop zone is narrow, but it 

continues throughout, except at a few points where the beds are cut out by faults. 

The beds present the usual succession of a sandy series below and a considerable 

thickness of greenish fossiliferous shales above. The. thickness averages about 

300 feet, with local variations of small amounts. At or near the base there is 

usually a hard fossiliferous limestone having a thickness of from 3 to 5 feet, 

increasing locally to 25 feet. Next above are soft sandy beds often .containing 

large numbers of Gh'ypfrsea calceola, var. nebraseencis. The greenish shales next 

above contain thin layers of highly fossiliferous limestone and a few. thin sandy 

layers containing many Belemnites densus.' . .,

CRETACEOUS.

Morrison formation. This formation outcrops along a narrow zone in the 

foothills at the base of the mountains. It consists, mainly of shales or hard clay 

of a pale-greenish or maroon color, with a darker clay at its summit, all having 

a peculiar chalky appearance and massive .or joint-clay structure. It includes 

several beds of light-gray or buff sandstone, varying in thickness from 2 to 20 

feet, usually soft, with thin, irregular bedding planes, which generally have a 

peculiar wavy surf ace ^ suggestive of incipient cross bedding. The thickness is 

about 150 feet to the north and 250 feet to the south. Remains of dinosaurs 

are abundant, but no other fossils were observed.

 Cloverly formation. Overlying the Morrison shales there is a thin bed of sandstone which, from its stratigraphic relations and character, is believed to represent 

the Lakota of the Black Hills, overlain by and merging into clays resembling the 

Fuson -formation. Owing, however, to the lack of any definite evidence as to the 

equivalency of these' beds, and especially in consideration of the apparent absence of 

deposits representing the Dakota sandstone above the clay, it has been thought best 

to give this series a separate designation, and the word "Cleverly" is proposed, 

a name-derived from the post-office on the eastern side of the Bighorn basin.

The sandstone member of the Cleverly formation usually gives rise to a line of 

knobs or low ridges on the divides along the eastern slope of the Bighorn uplift, one
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XVI

A. TYPICAL CANYON WALLS OF MINNEKAHTA LIMESTONE LYING ON SLOPE OF OPECHE RED BEDS, GILLETTE

CANYON. SOUTHEAST OF NEWCASTLE. WYO.

View showing massive appearance of this thin bedded rock.

B. MINNEKAHTA LIMESTONE AND OVERLYING RED BEDS, ETC, SIOUX PASS, BLACK HILLS, SOUTH DAKOTA.

Hogback of Dakota-Lakota sandstone in distance-
BENTON OF THE BIGHOKN MOUNTAINS. 51 :

C r

of which is shown in PI. XXIX-, A. Ordinarily it is a coarse-grained, buff or dirtygray, cross-bedded, massive sandstone, averaging 30 feet-in thickness, but varying 

from 10 to 60 feet. The overlying clay is rarely exposed, but in a few outcrops is 

seen to- be a reddish to ash-colored clay, locally of darker gray color and with a 

thickness of from 30 to 40 feet. Near the base of the sandstones there occur some 

very thin deposits of coal, or coaly shale, which sometimes contain remains of 

numerous flattened pine needles, as do the coal deposits of the lower portion of the 

Lakota of the Black Hills.

Benton formation. The lower portion of the great mass of shales underlying 

Othe plains along the foot of the Bighorn Mountains, with an average thickness 

i.of about 1,300 feet, belongs in the Benton formation. The subdivisions recognized 

in 'the Black Hills and in Colorado are not apparent in the Bighorn region, mainly 

owing to 'the absence of the Greenhorn limestone, but the hard shales which 

weather to a light-gray color are present nearly a thousand feet above the base of 

the formation, which indicates a great expansion of the lower third of the Graneros 

shales. . '

The basal member of the Benton consists of dark-gray shales, in part sandy 

and of rusty-brown color, with occasional thin beds of brown sandstone, which 

locally expand into beds of moderate thickness. It is possible that this portion 

of the formation represents the Dakota sandstone of other regions, but there is 

no direct evidence, and even if the few indistinct plant remains which it contains 

should prove to belong to the Dakota flora, that would be no more than we should 

expect in any shallow-water deposits at the beginning of Benton times. A zone 

of shales carrying globular concretions averaging for the most part from threefourths of an inch to 2 inches in diameter, with radiated crystalline structure and 

dark-gray color, occurs in the upper part of this lower series all along both sides 

of the'Bighorn uplift. Jt consists mostly of phosphate of lime, and appears to 

have the structure of marcasite and to be a replacement of that mineral,

Next above this lower member there are several hundred' feet of dark shales, 

mostly fissile, which contain thin beds of," sandstone and iron and lime concretions 

of typical lower Graneros character. .

" These are overlain by a very characteristic series, about 150 feet thick, of hard, 

lighter gray shales and thin-bedded sandstones, which weather very light colored 

and form bare ridges of considerable prominence, notably Columbus Peak, southwest 

of Park'man. Most of its beds contain large numbers of fish scales and occasionally 

fish teeth and bones. By some observers this member was supposed to be Niobrara, 

but it lies below beds containing distinctive Benton fossils, and in other portions 

of eastern Wyoming is exposed with relations that indicate that its position is 

below the middle of the Graneros division of the Benton formation, or several
 bV GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

hundred feet below the Greenhorn limestone horizon. This series will be designated 

the Mowrie beds, from Mowrie Creek, northwest of Buffalo.

The top member of the Benton formation in this region comprises 200 feet or 

more of dark shales, with occasional fossiliferous layers containing Benton vforms, 

having at their top a series from 20 to 30 feet thick containing lens-shaped, 

lime concretions, 2 to i feet in diameter for the most part, of buff color when 

weathered, and cairying occasional remains of Prionotropis vwolgari. and Priorwcyclas I'jyomin gensis, species characteristic of the upper part of the Benton (Carlile) 

beds, about the Black Hills and elsewhere.

Niolrara shale. This series of limy deposits, which is so conspicuous along 

the Rocky Mountain front and in the vicinity of the Black Hills, is not clearly 

defined in the vicinity of the Bighorn Mountains. It appears to be represented by 

about 200 feet of light-gray shales lying between the Prionotropis shales above 

referred to and the fossiliferous beds of the Pierre shales. A few of the 

characteristic Ostrea congesta were found at this'horizon far south in the range, but 

none were observed in the district northward.

Pierre shale. The Pierre shale outcrops along the eastern base of the Bighorn 

Range, presenting its usual features of dark-gray shales or clays containing occasional concretions filled with characteristic fossils. In the northern part of the 

region occur a few thin beds of sandstone, which develop to the south. The 

thickness of the formation varies from 2,000 to 3,000 feet, but it is possible that 

this apparent unusual thickness is due partly to crumpling of the beds in the 

steeper slopes of the uplift. The usual assemblage of Pierre fossils occurs in the 

formation, but not in as great abundance as in other regions.

Fox Hills sandstone. The Pierre shales give place rapidly to the Fox Hills 

sandstones, which have a thickness of 200 feet or more and consist mainly of finegrained light-buff rock, with numerous marine fossils. The bedding is massive in 

greater part, and the lithifieation of the sandstone is irregular, some portions being 

hard and others so soft that they can be dng with a shovel. Hard concretions occur, 

mainly in elongated rounded forms of dark-gray color. These concretions are 

similar to those which sometimes occur in the soft sandstones of the lower part of 

the Laramie formation, especially in the region west of the Black Hills. The 

following fossils, obtained from the Fox Hills sandstone near the Bighorn Mountains, were determined, by Mr. T. W. Stanton:

Gardium specioxum, M. & H.; Avicida Ung->nformis, Ev. & Sh.; A. nelrrascensis. 

Ev. & Sh.; Oistrea gldbra, M. &-H.; Liopistha (Oymella) iindnta, M. & H.; Leptosolen, n. sp.; Cylichna (?), sp.; Baculites, sp.; Modiola, sp.: Prima lakesi (2), 

White; Leda, n. sp. (?); Thracia su~bgracilis, Whitfield; T. sufitortuosa, M. & H.;
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XVII

IVES THREE-COLOR PROCESS

DEVILS TOWER, ON WEST BANK OF 

BELLE FOURCHE RIVER, SOUTH OF HULETT, WYO.

PHOTOGRAPH BY N. H. DARTON
GEOLOGY OF THE NORTH END OB' THE LARAMIE RANGE. 53

Lunatia subcrassa, M. & H.; Spliserilla ('*.) cordata, M. & H.; Tellina equilateralis, 

M. & H.

Larurnieformation. The wide expanse of plains lying between the foothills of~~ 

the Bighorn Mountains and the Black- Hills is occupied by the Laramie and 

overlying formations, as shown in sections 1. 2, and 3, PI. X. The formation lies 

in a broad, flat-bottomed basin, with steep dips on the west side on the slope of 

the Bighorn uplift. The thickness of beds lying in this basin is not definitely 

ascertained, but appears to be several thousand feet. The lower members are 

"undoubtedly Laramie, but the upper ones probably extend to the "Fort Union" 

formation. ' J .

The Laramie rocks are sandstones, sandy shales, and shales, with numerous thin 

beds of lignite. At the base there is usually a very characteristic member consisting 

of alternating shales and thin-bedded rusty sandstone. This, in the northern 

portion of the region, is succeeded by a conglomerate containing pebbles of limestones and of the characteristic flat-pebble conglomerate of the Deadwood formation 

derived from .the mountains westward, indicating that there was an uplift in 

the region in early Laramie times. This conglomerate begins west of Sheridanand extends southward.to Crazy Woman Creek. PI. XXX shows' an outcrop in the 

area of its greatest development. It is succeeded by sandstones and shales with 

lignite beds at various horizons.

GEOLOGY OF THE XOKTH END OF THE LARAMIE RANGE. .

GENERAL RELATIONS.

Under this heading will be described the results of some recent examinations 

which I have made of Casper Mountain and of the ridges in the southeast corner of. 

Converse County, Wyo., which lie at the north end of the Laramie Range. In these 

ridges the Paleozoic and Mesbzoic formations are exposed, lying on the^granites and^ 

schists and in greater part trending east and west,"at right ^angles to the strike of 

the Laramie Front Range. This district was examined by Hay den many years'ago, 

but^only some of the general features were mentioned, and the important fault was 

not recognized. . , --' ',- 

: < _ ' STRUCTURE'. ' 

Casper Mountain may be regarded as the northwestern extremity of 'the.

Laramie Range, although an anticline,of moderate prominence extends farther west

to the Rattlesnake ridges. The mountain-is an anticline, with due east-west trend,

broken by a profound fault which extends parallel to the strike along the north front

- 'of the ridge. The older .formations south, of this fault rise in a high escarpment
54 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATEE OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

surmounting a slope extending to North Platte Eivev, which at Casper is 6 miles 

from the top of the ridge. Onh* the eastern half of the mountain was examined, 

and it was found to present the general structural features shown in the following 

sketch sections: ' - .

Tens/eep sandstone

Pennsylvanian limestone

Cambrian sandstone

"Dakota sandstone" 

Mornson and Sundance^\ 

Chugweter red beds \ 

Tens/eep sandstone

. FIG. 2. Cross sections of Casper Mountain, looking west. The first of these sections ia somewhat west of south of Casper: 

the second is nearly due south, and the third is southeast

.At the east end of the mountain the anticline pitches downward and. the succession of outcrops curves around to the south into the syncline.with beautiful 

distinctness; -some features of this are shown' in PI. XXXII. On the south side of 

the syncline the Cambrian and "Carboniferous beds rise again on the slopes of a

. Pennsy/vantan.limestone 

Cambrian? sandstone

 . PIG. 3 Longitudinal ^ection of Casper Mountain, looking north. . ' '

high--ridge of granite and schists in a northwest-dipping monocline which'extends 

to. the eastward extension of the fault mentioned above, and thence along the south 

side of. the,fault to beyond La Prele Creek. ' . "'--.' 

Along the .front of this eastern ridge, .from Deer Creek to La Prele Creek,
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XVIII

A. WEST SLOPE OF STOCKADE BEAVER VALLEY, EAST OF NEWCASTLE. WYO.

View showing Spearfish red beds below with gypsum on top; middle slopes of Sundance shales and massive sandstone; upper 

slopes of Sundance and Morrison shales, with Lakota outlier on knob.

B CONCRETIONS IN LARAMIE SANDSTONE, SOUTHWEST OF NEWCASTLE, WYO. 

Prominence due to erosion.
STRATIGRAPHY OF THE LARAMIE RANGE. 55

the fault parallels the monocline and Laramie and Carboniferous beds are in 

contact. To the east the monocline develops into an anticline with granites and 

schists in its center, and this flexure develops into complex 'corrugations toward 

Wagonhound Cveek. -On La Bonte Creek and in the big bend of North Platte 

River there is an extensive series of Mesozoic .and Paleozoic formatiojis which soon 

pass beneath White River deposits to the east. The anticlinal structure is well 

exhibited on La Prele Creek, above the'natural bridge, in a high arch of the limestone,'south of which there is a synclinal valley occupied by (Jhugwater red beds, 

mostly, overlain by White River deposits. East of La Prele Creek the main 

anticlinal ridge curves to the southeast and passes beneath Ctiugwater and overlying formations in the big bend of North Platte River. To the south there are 

several corrugations exhibiting. Chugwater and overlying formations to the Niobrara,'ending in a monocline in which the Carboniferous limestones rise on the 

slopes'of the older, granites and schists. ' ' . .

' - ' 0

 ' STRATIGRAPHY. . 

The rocks exhibited in -the uplift at the north end of the Laramie Range, 

from Casper Mountain.eastward, are as follows: . .

Table of sedimentary 'forfnationi at the north end of Laramie Range.

Age. '.. " . '', '

i

.Turas'sic" .1 ........ . v l :.. 

Triassic (?) or.Permian'.'; .

Carboniferous. ..........

. ' . Q y " ' - '

' . Formation.

Fox Hills.... ;.....

Niobrara ..........

Dakota:Lakota.. . -. . .

Sundance: ........ '. .

Spearfigh'.; '". ' -

' . ' " " Chug-' 

rMinnekahta water.

1 Opeche .-- . . . « 

rTcnslGGD " ''

 ".-'-'.'-

 > ', - ; 

Principal 'Character.

Sandstones' with coal and shales. . .'.

f ~ .

Buff massive sandstone and con- 

' glomerate, with -shale ,-intercala-, 

tions. . - , . .

.Light-colored-massive shale and 

gray sandstone.' ' ' _' ' i ,

(3reenish. shales- c and yfiuff sand^ 

,. stones, local gypsum bed.

[ Red shales and1 sandstone, with gypsum and limestone. ' ' .

Red shale .. .... ...:.. L ./...;..-.....

 Coarse, hardj.. 'massive, gray, con-' 

glomeratic sandstone. ', '; . '" -

Or^nitps and srhist',s -~ - ' '

Thickness.

' Feet. 

1 500 . or more. 

200±'' ; 

1,000 or more. 

, 100± 

800-1-

 200±

" 475 .."',' '.'

v 450 ' ' " V_.

"20.. to '25. 

- ;-/80. . ' ..."''-'_ 

'60 " ' 

200+' ;' '' ; '. 

.-'100' or'less.'-_
56 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

^

CAMBRIAN (?).

The sandstones underlying the Carboniferous limestones in Casper Mountain and in some of the ridges eastward are supposed to be of Cambrian age, 

but no fossils were observed. It is possible that they are shore deposits of 

Carboniferous* age. The rocks are gray and brown sandstones, conglomeratic at 

the base, but of varying degrees of coarseness above. They-lie on a smooth 

erosion plain of granites and schists. Their thickness, averages about 100 feet, 

but they thin out to the east, and in some of the slopes west and south of Douglas 

disappear, the Carboniferous limestones lying directly on the old schists.

" CARPONTFEKOUS.

The summit .of Casper Range and the slopes of the ridges at .the north end of 

the Laraniie Range consist of a series of limestones and sandstone's of Carboniferous'age.0 The thickness varies considerably, but averages about-250 feet in most 

portions of the area.-

The usual succession is a series of gray massive limestones, lying on Cambrian 

sandstone and in some cases overlapping'on the old'granites and schists, capped 

by an upper member of gray massive 'sandstone 60 feet thick, which is correlated 

with the Tensleep sandstone of the Bighorn and Hocky Mountain ranges. On 

Casper Mountain, as shown in cross sections (tig. 2), this series dips gently southward from the fault ^scarp on the north face of the mountain, under a basin occupied by a considerable thickness of Mesdzoic rocks. On the south side of this basin 

.the. limestone again appears and rises on the slopes of the ridges which.constitute 

the north end of the main Laraniie Range.- To the east there are exposures in 

many small canyons which head in the mountain, and especially in the canyons of 

Boxelder and La Prele creeks. In the syncline west of Douglas the limestones are 

mostly covered.by the Chadron formation of the White River group, but are 

conspicuous again about the head of La Bont.e Creek. They disappear to the'i 

east, being concealed' by the Tertiary deposits which abut against the old granites 

 and schists in the northwest .corner of Laramie Count}7 .

 ' .'*-"' "" ' Hayden 0 has referred to some features of this region, describing the limestone

on Boxelder Creek as having irregular bedding in greater part and being colored

.. from,-light-yellow to deep-rusty, with some brick-red layers. "Athyris subtiUta is

: reported from some cherty beds. In the blue limestone on,La Prele Greek, Haj'den

found the fossils Hewipronites crassus, Producpus nodosus, Myari.na 'perattenuata,

and states: "The-underlying limestone is very cherty." . .

a Fourth Ann. .Kept. U. S. Gepl. and G'eog. Survey Terr.,-pt. 1,1871, pp. 23-25..
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XIX

A. LAKOTA SANDSTONE, LYING UNCON FORMABLY ON UNKPAPA SANDSTONE, IN NORTH 

WALL OF SHEPS CANYON, SOUTH OF HOT SPRINGS, S. DAK.

View shows channeling at contact.

B. SUNDANCE FORMATION LYING UNCON FORMABLY ON SPEARFISH RED SHALES, 

7 MILES SOUTH OF HOT SPRINGS, S, DAK.
* TRIASSIC OF THE LARAMIE RANGE. 57

eep sandstone. The Tcnsleep sandstone is continuous throughout, consisting of a massive, coarse-grained, porous sandstone, usually of light-gray color, but 

in some of the ridges west of Douglas dark-gray to brown, especially on weathered 

surfaces. Its thickness appears to he .over 50 feet. Its outcrop on the east end of 

Casper Mountain,is shown in PI. XXXII, A and B. It is in this formation that the 

natural bridge on La Prele Creek has been eroded, as shown in PI. XXXI.

TKIASS1C (?).

V

C/aigwater formation. Throughout this region the red beds, comprising the 

Chugwater formation, consist of the usual succession of Opeche red shale, Minnekahta 

limestone, and Spearfish red sandj' shales, with gypsum deposits, as in the Black 

Hills.. The Opeche shale averages 80 feet in thickness; the Minnekahta limestone 

is 20 lo 25 feet thick; and the Spearfish red beds are upward of 450 feet thick. 

These formations "are cut off by the fault south of Casper, but they appear again on 

Muddy Cveek-and its branches in the syncline south of Casper Mountain. There 

are excellent exposures in. a gorge at the east end of Casper Mountain and southwestward, where the beds dip steeply to the southeast.

The Minnekahta limestone.is mostly thin-bedded and of purplish tint, a characteristic aspect which it has in the Black Hills. It is overlain by about 80 feet of red 

" shales, extending to a 15-foot layer of oherty limestone (a feature often seen in the 

Bighorn section), followed by about 850 feet of typical red shales and sandstones, 

. the whole capped by- a 20-foot limestone -layer which marks the top of the formation 

and probably represents the alternation of-limestones and,red shales at the top of 

the red beds in "-the Bighorn region. No gypsum is present in this section. In a 

portion of the area, at the east end of Casper Mountain, the top limestone gives 

1 rise to a prominent wall, in which the beds stand vertical.

The red beds extend along -the slopes south of Muddy Creek Valley, but are

cut off by the fault southwest of (jlen Rock. Their next appearance is on Spring

Creek. 2 miles west of La Prele'Creek, just below, the natural bridge, where the

fault 'bends slightly northward and 'passes between "the red beds and the Laramie

sandstone. In this section about 15 feet of 'Minnekahta limestone is exposed, above

about 80 feet of Opeche red shales', which lie on typical Tensleep white sandstone.

Oir La Prele .Creek, just below-the, natural bridge, the fault is'in the Spearfish red

- beds. A - short distance south of this the Minnekahta limestone appears, 20 feet

" ' thick, above about 80 feet of typical Opeche red sandy shales (with the 'characteristic

" purple shales at the top, as in the Black Hills region), which is underlain by 80

feet or more of the Tensleep,white sandstone that crosses the creek at the natural

bridge. A short distance east, the White River beds extend to the Carboniferous
58 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

limestone slopes and for "some distance the red beds are concealed. They appear 

again south of Douglas and extend up the valleys of YV^agonhound and La Bonte 

creeks, where the Spearfish rod beds are seen to contain considerable gypsum.

One of the most extensive exposures'in this region is on* North Platte River in 

the big bend 7 miles due south of Douglas. At this point the river cuts through an 

anticline, exposing a small area of Minnekahta limestone and about.50 feet of Opeche 

red shale. In the exposure the Miuriekahta limestone is massive in general appearance, but is .very thin bedded and weathers out in thin slabs; Its upper portion is 

mottled dark gray, but'at the top there are 5 feet of more massive limestone of light 

color, which is rather-an -unusual feature. The Opeche formation, SO feet thick, is 

seen again in'a gorge'of Wagonhound Creek 9 miles south-southwest of Douglas, 

lying on the Tensleep. sandstone, here very dark. ~ . . . ...

.. ' . . JURASSIC. . ^ _ ,

S-undance "formation. Typical marine Jurassic is, exposed on both sides of 

the syncline south and.- southeast of Casper Mountain, but it .is cut off by the 

fault along the-north side of .-Casper Mountain and eastward for some, distance. 

It .appears again on Wagonhound Creek and North Platte River south of Douglas.

The section at the east end of Casper Mountain presents most of the usual 

features of' the formation, which here .has a thickness of about 350 feet. At the 

base, overlying the limestone which is supposed to represent .the top of the 

Spearfish.^red" beds, -"there- are 20 feet or more of white to red sandstones, then a 

few feet of buff .sandstones'and shales,'with an 8-foot bed of gypsum, which may 

belong in the Spearfish formation. The principal rocks are dark shales, with 

limestone layers and concretions filled with characteristic fossils, including many 

Belemnites deiisus. ' -' ', ' -. . .

There are extehsiv.e exposures of the -.formation along Platte .River in the big 

bend south of Douglas and. just-west'on Wa'g.onhound Creek. The succession 

here is';seen.to be 30 feet or more of massive -gray sandstone at the bottom, 

overlain -by pale-greenish sandy shales 30-feet thick, succeeded by 5 feet of soft, 

greenish, massive'Sandstone, 40 feet of bright-reddish sandy beds, and 15 feet of 

massive buff sandstone, and topped - by about 200 feet .of green shales, with a few 

thin beds of. sandstone and limestone containing man3r .later .Jurassic fossils. 

.'..'- , ' f . . CRETACEOUS. , . ' ' : - '

 ' Morrison 'fwfnatiml: This -characteristic member of .the 'sedimentary series' 

outcrops extensively on-both sides of-the, syncline of the Muddy Creek basin and 

along the -inner'slopes of .the -Hogback-Range south, of Douglas. It presents its 

usual chai'acteris'tics of, a- "'joint clay " or massive shale, mostly of -greenish-gray
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XX

DAKOTA SANDSTONE. FUSON FORMATION, MINNEWASTE LIMESTONE, AND LAKOTA 

FORMATION, NEAR EVANS QUARRY, SOUTH WALL OF FALL RIVER CANYON, 4 

MILES BELOW HOT SPRINGS, S. DAK.

Capping rock of Dakota sandstone in typical massive beds; lower outcrops are Lakota sandstone, showing nearly entire

thickness of that formation.
CRETACEOUS OF THE LARAMIE RANGE. , 59

color, with some portions of maroon tint. Some thin beds of light-colored sand 

stones are .included. The thickness is about 100 feet. /

Dakota-Lakota formations. The sandstone series which has usually been designated the Dakota is well characterized in the region at the north end of the Laramie 

Kange, on the southern side of Casper Mountain,;-in Muddy Creek Valley, and 

in the basin south of Douglas. It is cut off by -a -fault on the north side of'Casper 

"Mountain" and along the ridge south of'Glenrock. At the east end of Casper 

Mountain sandstones appear iii the outlying ridge (shown in PI. XXXII, _Z?), from 

which they extend to the southwest in a prominent ridge, rising like a wall for 

some distance where 'the; beds stand vertical. At .the base of the series there 

is a brown conglomerate lying on the Morrison shales, 25 feet thick in places, with' 

pebbles one-half inch to 1 inch in diameter, partly of' jasper. ' This rock merges 

upward into a coarse butt' sandstone, which .doubtless represents the Lakdta. 

formation of the.' Black Hills region. Above this, are dark .shales,'indistinctly - 

* exposed, which include,' at a1 horizon about 50 feet above the conglomerate,; a -

bright, purglish-red 'clay bed,'all strongly suggestive of ,,the- Fuson formation. 

x In the hogback (shown in PL XXXII, .B) there are two sandstone beds above 

the basal conglomeratic member. These are separated by shales, and .the. upper, 

probifbly representing the Dakota sandstone, is immediately, overlain by black ' 

shales of the Benton group. Its uppermost beds are thin bedded, rusty colored,' 

and intercalated with very thin-bedded brown sandstones and shales. South of 

Douglas- there are three sandstones, the basal one coarse grained and. conglomeratic, 

as on Muddy Creek; Near Guthrie post-office -the upper sandstone is prominent 

and is underlain by 20-feet or more of reddish clay, .strongly suggestive of the 

Fuson formation. 'The series here forms a prominent ridge rising above Red

Valley on the west and'badlands of "Benton formation on the -east. Farther east

. ° - - -

 is an overlap'^ of'White River deposits.. .. ' . .. 

'Benton group. The Benton group is extensively exhibited in the valley of 

Muddy Creek .southeast of.-Casper -and-on some branches of the La'Bonte south of . 

'-..--' ' Douglas.' The typical Mowrie-beds of .hard shales are included, lying 500 'feet - 

above-the Dakota sandstone, at ; the e'ast end of Casper Mountain and appearing 

prominently on the south-Hank of the first .anticline south of Douglas. /Fhe underlying rocks are dark shales with-thin beds of rusty, sandstone, typical of the lower - 

... portion- of the Grarieros formation. . . -.,..' .' ' ,- ' ~' 

The Mowrie beds comprise a total of': 50' feet .of- hard sandy shales, --which.- - 

.,' - ' weather'to a-light-gray color a'nd/rise in .low but sharp ridges bearing scattered"'

 pines and cedars, as in the" Bighorn, and BlacK Hills 'regions: '.-. Next above are

 'about. 500 feet of ,dark shales, extending-to" a very conspicuous sandstone Jayer 20

.;-' feet or more..'in thickness, partly inas'sive"and partly thin"bedded, which is very
60 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OE CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

fossiliferous in Mudd\' Creek Valley. The following fossils obtained in-this 

horizon were determined by Mr. T. W. Stanton: Iiwcera-'inuii frag ilia, M.. & H.. and 

C'ardiiim piinperc-idina. Meek, twhich indicate a horizon in the upper p&rt of the 

Benton. This sandstone; is overlain by several hundred feet of dark shales, with 

some, thin layers of sandstone,.jind horizons of concretions, but the thickness of

 this upper series was not accurately measured.

N-i.obrara-formation. Some areas of this formation are exposed in the syncline 

southwest of Glenrock and 12 miles.south of Douglas, on La Bonte Creek. The 

material is a limy shale or impure chalk, some of the beds of which are moderately 

hard. It is'characterized by the light straw color which it presents on weathered

 outcrops and by the occurrence of thin beds of limestone filled with Ostrea congesta. 

A small outcrop of'beds supposed to belong to this formation 'appears southwest of 

Casper-at the foot of Casper Mountain, lying on the north side of the fault under the 

upturned edge of the Pierre shale, but is too indistinct'for conclusive identification. 

-Pierre sAafe. The Pierre shale is extensively exposed :about Casper, extending 

to the foot of Casper Mountain, where it is upturned somewhat and cut off abruptly 

by the great "east-west fault. Its dips are mainly to the northeast, and east "of 

Casper it soon, passes .under the .Fox Hills sandstone.' To the northwest it-extends 

from Casper to the .base of the Bighorn uplift in continuous outcrop: The material 

is dark-gray shale in which occur numerous concretions, mostly of small size, some 

of them-containing- distinctive Pierre fossils. The relations to the Fox Hills fornia-

 tion are somewhat obscure, for apparently to the.north the upper Pierre beds contain 

sandstone intercalations which closely resemble Fox Hills beds.

F-ox Hills and Laramie format-ions. Between .Casper-and Douglas there are' 

extensive exposures of the' Laramie formation, underlain to the west by the Fox 

Hills sandstone, and traversed by the Casper .Mountain fault, which brings them 

in contact with the series of older rocks lying- to the south. "On*North Platte 

River and in the vicinity of Casper and Glen Rock the Pierre shale appears: to be 

. clearly separable, from the Fox Hills, if the lowest series of light-colored sandstones 

is to be -regarded as the base of, the latter.. ' *

In-this lower sandstone series, 2 miles south'of Glenvock, the following fossils 

were obtained, according, to determinations by Mr. T. W. Stanton: -A.wm.ia> sp.,

 'Avicula lingniformia,-^-. & S.; A. 'wibraacaw^ E. & S.; Modiola meeki, .E. & S.; 

- Ltmat-M occidentalix, M-. & H. (?); Haminea occidental. ^ M. & H.; Callikta deweyi, 

.M. &-H,, and Scaphites, nodositx. - These,sandstones are regarded-as either high in/ 

the Pierre shale or as representing the-lower portion of the Fox Hil|s. The latter is 

a more acceptable interpretation," for the sandstones lie not .far below the base of the 

Laramie coal measures-of "the mines at Glen Rock, the dip being'very gentle between 

the two places. ' " .-. .'," .' " ' 
THE HARTVILLE UPLIFT. . 61

GEOLOGY OF THE HARTVIiLiLE UPLIFT.

STRUCTURAL RELATIONS.'

The Rocky Mountain Front Range and the Black Hills uplifts are connected 

by an anticline which would .have considerable prominence were it not for the thick 

covering of Tertiary deposits. It branches from the main Laramie uplift north of 

Iron Mountain, is extensively bared by erosion along North Platte River and northward for some- distance in the Hartville region, and is marked by the prominent 

peak of granite known as Rawhide Butte and by, numerous minor outcrops of 

schists, limestone, and Cretaceous rocks in the eastern portion of Converse County. 

This anticline is separated from the main Black Hills uplift by a low, transverse, 

syncline in which it is crossed by Chej'enne River.

As compared with the Laramie Mountains and the Black Hills this uplift is low 

and narrow, but has sufficient prominence to expose the pre-Cambrian rocks in 

places, and doubtless has raised in other places ridges of these rocks that are 

now concealed under Tertiary deposits. The syncline tying west of this uplift is 

deeply cohered by these Tertiary deposits along the flank of the Laramie Range, but 

reveals an extensive area of Carboniferous limestones to the south, Morrison to 

Niobrara and probably younger formations in the northwest corner of AlbanyCounty, and Fox Hills and Laramie formations, to the north, where it merges into the 

great syncline tying between the Black Hills and the Bighorn Mountains. On the east 

side the covering of White River and late Tertiary deposits is so heavy, especially 

in the high range of Pine Ridge and on the divide between North and South Platte 

rivers, that the relations are difficult to ascertain. In Goshen Hole, where the 

Tertiary formations have been removed, it is seen that there is a basin of Laramie 

shales and sandstones, undoubtedly the northern extension of the great area of this 

formation which underlies the northeastern portion of Colorado. To the north this 

basin rises so that thei'e appear in succession the Pierre shale, Niobrara chalk, and 

the other Cretaceons an'd underlying formations on the flanks of the Black Hills 

uplift in the southwest corner of South Dakota.

The most extensive exposures of the Hartville uplift are along North Platte 

River, above Guernsey, and about Hartville and northeastward.. Some of the general 

relations are shown in section 4, PI. X. It will be seen from this section that the 

old granites and schists are exposed in a narrow zone, on the eastern side of which 

the overlying Carboniferous limestones dip eastward under a district heavily covered 

by Arikaree formation, but doubtless underlain by the regular succession of Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks. West of the 'axis there is a broad plateau of Carboniferous limestones dipping very gently westward for some distance, then rising in a low 

arch with steep dips on its west side which carry it into a syncline containing upper
62 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Carboniferous, Permian,'and Cretaceous rocks up to Graneros shales. These forma 

tions are all clearly exposed in the deep gorge cut by North Platte River. To th« 

south' there is a great thickness of Arikaree formation extending to the base of 

Laramie range and far up its flanks. On Laramie River, some distance below 

the Colorado and Southern Kail way crossing there are. small exposures of granites 

and schists, which again outcrop in high ridges in Rawhide Butte, which rises 

prominently above theihigh plains south of the head of Niobrara River. Near Lusk, 

at the head of this'river, the old schists again appear at a number of points in the 

vicinity, with overlying red quartzite and limestones aud a small exposure of Red 

Beds just east of Manline station. Along the northern face of Pine Ridge therg 

is a continuous covering of Arikaree formation, but in some of the can}T ons at th§ 

head of Oldwoman Creek and its branches in the northern face of the great escarpment there are several exposures of the 'older rocks. On the east side of Pldwomari 

Creek there is exposed,' by the removal of the White River beds, an anticlinal ridge 

of considerable prominence, consisting- mainly of Dakota-Lakota sandstone, which 

pitches downward to the north and- disappears in the plains south of Lance Creek. 

It has gentle dips on "the east and nearly vertical dips on the west side.

; , STRATIGRAPHY.

The rocks of the Hartville uplift are given in the following table:

Generalized section of the rocks.of the Hartville uplift.'* ^

Age. '_

Cretaceous. -----

Jurassic . .....

Formation.

Carlile ............

'Sundance.....!. ...

Principal character. ^

layers.

sandstone.

limestonei 

Buff sandstones and erav olavs ...................

Thickness.

Feet. 

1,200

OCfl

425

50

+6Q 1

fin

100

100

200

" A detailed description of the' geology of the Hartville region appears in folio No. 91 of the-TJ. S. Geol, Survey, by 

W. S. Tangier Smith and >".- H. Barton.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XXI

TYPICAL CLIFFS OF DAKOTA SANDSTONE, NORTHEAST SIDE OF SALT CREEK, 2 MILES SOUTH OF NEWCASTLE, WYO. 

View showing massive bedding and large columnar structure. Looking southeast.
CARBONIFEROUS OF THE HARTVILLE UPLIFT.

Generalized section of the rod's of the Hartville uplift Continued.

63

Age.

Triassic? or Permian.

Carboniferous...

Formation.

I mian).

Opeche (Permian) .

Hartville (Pennsylvanian to Mississi ppian).

Guernsey (Mississippian).

Principal character.

bedded sandstone with gypsum.

Bright-red thin-bedded sandstone, with red, sandy 

shale.

Massive gray limestone, in part cherty. some beds 

 very sandy; also white, gray, buff, and red sandstone, red shale, and gray limestone near base, 

and,^at base, red quartzite.

Conglomeratic quartzite, with overlying sandstone 

and massive gray limestone, lying on quartzite, 

schist, limestone, gneiss, and granite dikes.

Thickness.

Feet. 

450

20

60

630

150

CABBONIFERCH7S.

formation. The name Guernsey formation has been applied to the 

basal member of the Carboniferous in the Guernsey-Hartville region. It consists 

mainly of limestone, but has a thin series of alternating sandstones and limestones at its base, the lowermost member, a white to pinkish conglomeratic 

quartzite, lying unconformably on a planed-off surface of Algonkian schists 

and granites. Its thickness ranges from 75 feet to about 200 feet, the smaller 

amount being due to the removal' of upper members by erosion prior to the 

deposition of the overlying formation. The following typical section was made 

by Dr. W. S. Tangier Smith, west of Guernsey, °on North Platte River:

^Geologic section of Guernsey-format'on icest of Guernsey, Wyo- ' * '

Feet. 

Bed quartzite of the Hartville formation, unconformity.

Dark-gray fine-grained limestone bed.......-.-..-...--......--.--..----.-.--. 30

Light-gray fine-grained limestone bed ........................................ 40

Fine-grained gray limestone, with purplish tinge, about-...................... 30

Yellow, fine-grained, massive limestone ...................................... 18

. Red fossiliferous sandstone.. ...........'....................... ................ 6

Fine-grained gray limestone .............".................................... 5

Moderately coarse-grained, limy sandstones, of dull-reddish or yellowish color.. 4.

Jsearly white conglomeratic quartzite lying on Algonkian schists................ 10

This formation probably is represented farther south on this uplift, near the 

junction of the Laramie Range, but it has not been differentiated in that portion of
64 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND. WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

the area. It extends to the northward for some distance and is believed to represent 

part of the Pahasapa limestone of the" Black Hills. The following fossils were 

collected from the Guernsey formation iii the Platte Canyon and determined by 

Dr. G. H. Girty:

Eumetria verneuiliana?. Pugnax sp.

Fish tooth. ' Serninula subquadrata.

Productus gallatinensis. Spirifer cf. Keokuk.

Productus Itevicosta. Spirifer striatus var. madisonensis.

Productus sernireticulatus?. . Zaphrentis sp.

These are Mississippian (lower Carboniferous) forms.

Hartville formation. The Hartville formation consists of a thick mass of'limestones having at the base a characteristic deposit of brownish-red quartzite from 

50 to 100 feet thick lying on_the irregularly eroded surface of the Guernsey 

formation. The erosion separating these two formations represents a portion of 

earlier Carboniferous times. The limestones contain sandy beds, some sandy 

mixture, and occasional thin layers of shale. The limestones are tine grained and 

compact, generally of light-gray color, and, at some horizons, contain .thin 

sheets of chert and chert nodules. The sandstones are medium grained and occur 

mostly in beds less than 10 feet thick, although locally they are thicker. Thejappear to have calcareous cement and probably, where not weathered near the 

surface, are too compact to be water bearing.

The Hartville formation is extensively exposed in the. region north of Guernsey, about Hartville, and westward, and especially in the deep canyon which has 

been cut by North Platte River above Guernsey. It gives rise also to an extensive plateau extending northward from Platte Canyon to the Elkhorn Railroad. 

The.limestones about Lusk, with the basal red sandstone lying on the Algonkian 

schists, probably belong to the Hartville formation, which doubtless represents the 

Minnelusa formation of the Black Hills. The following fossils, obtained from 

between 300 and 500 feet above the base of the formation in the canyon of Platte 

River, were determined by Dr. G. H. Girty. by whom they are regarded as 

upper Carboniferous (Pennsylvania!! division):

Ambocoslia? sp. Productus sequicostatus.

Arahaepcidaris spines. Productus cf. inflatus.

AT iculopecten occidentalis. . , Productus pratteniaiius.

Derbya crassa. . ^ Productus punctatus.

Euomphalus sp. Productus sernireticulatus.

Fusilina cylindrica. . Seminula subtilita..

 Marginifera splendens?. Spirifer rockymontanus. 

Orthothetes (or Derbya).
GREENHORN LIMESTONE LYING ON GRANEROS SHALES, COTTONWOOD CREEK, SOUTHWEST OF EDGEMONT, S. DAK. 

View showing characteristic thin bedding and shale intercalations in Greenhorn limestone, and the abrupt change from Graneros shale.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XXIII

1. MONOCLINAL RIDGES OF GREENHORN LIMESTONE AND SANDSTONE IN CARLILE FORMATION, AT DAM OF CLIFTON

RESERVOIR, SOUTH OF NEWCASTLE. WYO,

Dakota hogback in distance, to right Looking north.

B. MESAS CAPPED BY GREENHORN LIMESTONE, SOUTH OF EDGEMONT, S, DAK, 

Slopes of Graneros shale. Looking east-
JUBASSIC AND TRIASSIC OF THE HABTV1LLE UPLIFT. 65

From the lower portion of the formation" there were obtained several of the 

lower Carboniferous (Mississippian) forms given on page 64.

A series of red shales in the lower portion of this formation. and its basal 

red quartzite may represent the basal red shale member of the Minnelusa formation in the Black Hills region. . . . ,

Opeche formation. The chief exposures of- the Opeche formation in this uplift 

are in the vicinity of North Platte River, on the west side of the uplift, 15 miles 

northwest of Guernsey, and in a few scattered oulufo'ps to the north. Apparently it is also exposed near the beginning of the uplift north of Iron Mountain. 

It has a thickness of about 60 feet, and consists of "thin-bedded, fine grained, brightred sandstone. It rests conformably upon a massive white sandstone at the top 

of the Hartville formation, a relation similar to that which it presents throughout 

the Northwest. , .

Minnekahta limestone. This limestone doubtless extends under the Arikaree 

formation along both flanks of the uplift "from Laramie Range to the foot of Pine 

Ridge, but was observed only in one small area, together. with the Opeche 

formation, northwest of Guernsey. The rock usually outcrops in a massive ledge, 

but is made up of thin layers, which, on weathering, break up into plates or 

thin slabs. . "

-TRIASSIC (?).

Spearfish formation. The Spearfish red beds are exposed in the small basin 

15 miles northwest of Guernsey, at the head of South Fork of Sybylee Creek north 

of Iron Mountain, in the upper portion of Chugwater Valley, and near the railroad east of Manline station. The rock's are the typical red sandy shales, grading 

into soft thin-bedded sandstone, some layers of which are distinctly ripple marked. 

Some of the lower beds contain thin layers of white limestone from a few inches 

to several feet thick, and intercalations of thin beds of gypsum. The total thickness 

exposed northwest of Guernsey is estimated to be 450 feet.

JURASSIC.

Sundance formation. In the basin northwest of Guernsey the Sundance 

formation is exposed in small areas, mainly in the banks of North Platte River 

and oii some .of the slopes north, and in the forks of Muddy Creek. Soft finegrained sandstones of light-buff color predominate. A thickness of 200 feet is 

exhibited, of which the lower 140 feet are sandstones and the upper 60 feet 

interbedded slabby sandstones and clays. The rocks contain typical marine Jurassic 

fossils in moderate number. A section of the middle and upper beds of the 

10001 No. 32 05 5
66 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATKR OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

formation exposed near Muddy Creek has been reported by the late Prof. Wilbur 

Knight" as follows:

Geologic section of Sundance formation near Muddy Greek, Wyoming.

Feet. -

Variegated clays and marls with bands of sandstone.......:......... .*".-....... 43J"

r Yellowish sandstone ...... I...........-.....................-."... .......... 8}

Dark shale beds with remains of Baptanodon, Belemnitea, Osti-ea, Tancredia,

Comptonectes, and a few septaria. ..-. ......._......:........ .^............. 38}

Yellowish sandstone ...»..............:................-.................. 2}

Gray sandstone............................................................ 5}

Yellowish sandstone alternating with thin clay bands ........................ 6}.

Thin-bedded gray sandstones with a few bands of clay ....................... 5J

Total thickness exposed ..................................^........... 110}

A small exposure of the top of the formation occurs in a small side ravine 

in the anticline on the east side of Oldwoman Creek.

CRETACEOUS.

Morrison formation. T^he Morrison formation appears in the banks of North 

Platte Eiver and adjoining slopes, in the basin northwest of Guernsey, and in the 

draw in the anticline on the east side of Oldwoman Creek. It consists of "joint 

clays," or massive shales of various colors in which pale green predominates, but of 

which some portions are purplish, reddish, and black. Some thin beds of limestone are intercalated. The rocks in a section on Muddy Creek .northwest of 

Guernsey are described by the late Prof. Wilbur Knight* as follows:

. Geologic section of Morrison formation on Muddy Creek, .Wyoming.

Feet.

Dakota conglomerate and sandstone...............................................

' Variegated marls and clays shading from yellow to dark maroon, with dinosaurian remains............................:....................."........... 38}

Calcareous sandstone.........................................'.............. 2

Bluish and yellowish marls, containing Brontosaurus at top and Morosaurus at 

. base .............--...........................'................"............. 22}

Drab calcareous sandstone. ..................^.............................. !} 

Light-colored clays and marls, with thin bands of sandstone ........... ......_ 24

Clays and marls varying from light gray to brown............................ 23}

Hard band of light-gray clay ...........-........-.......:................-. 4}

Drab and greenish clays.......................................... ........... 22} .

 Drab sandstone........................,..........!......................... 2

Yellow, greenish, and light-brown marls! shading .into" maroon in the upper 

portion.. ................... ........-.....'................................ 38}

 -Gray sandstones .-......................................:-..-..---.-........ 3

Bluish gray clay .......................................................^... 4

Bluish and drab clays interstratified with yellowish bands.................... 38J

Total thickness ............;.......................................... 234}

a Bull. Geol. See. America, vol. 2, pp. 377-38*. l>Loc. Cit.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XXIV

CHARACTERISTIC FOSSILS OF NIOBRARA CHALK (A) AND GREENHORN LIMESTONE (S), IMPORTANT GUIDES

A. Ostrea congesta: £>t Inoceramus labiatus.

IN WELL BORING.
CRETACEOUS OF THE HAKTVILLE UPLIFT: 67

Dakota-Lakota formations. The sandstones of these formations are prominent 

features in the basin northwest of Guernsey, and constitute the higher part of 

the anticlinal range on the east side of Oldwonian Creek. The series is from 

250 to 350 feet thick, comprising hard, massive, coarse-grained sandstones which to 

the north are separated by a succession of clays and thin-bedded sandstones, 

believed to belong to the Fuson formation of the Black Hills series. In the sandstones there are thin, conglomeratic streaks, general cross bedding, and colors predominately buff to dirty gray. In the uppermost sandstone there is usually more or 

.less ironstone in thin layers and concretions. On the east side of Oldwoman 

Creek the Fuson formation is underlain by a thin bed of limestone, which probably 

represents the Minnewaste limestone of the southern Black Hills.

Benton group. In the basin northwest of Guernsey only the Graneros member 

of this group is exposed to a. thickness of about. 120 feet, but the,entire group 

is exhibited in the anticline on the east side of Oldwoman Creek, where the 

lower formation (the Graneros) consists of dark shales 800 feet thick at the 

greatest measurement, but apparently somewhat crushed and faulted in places, so 

' that the full amount is not exhibited at all points. . A thin bed of hard sandstone 

occurs about 100 feet above the base,- a feature also seen northwest of Guernsey,- 

 where this sandstone is the uppermost member exposed. Above the sandstone 

there are dark shales with occasional thin sandstone layers, capped \>j the Greenhorn limestone, a member consisting of about 50 feet'of thin-bedded impure 

limestone, weathering out in slabs of dirty buff color and 1 usually containing 

large numbers of the characteristic fossil, Inoceram-us 'lahiatus. This member is 

succeeded by the. uppermost member of the group, the Carlile, which has a 

thickness of about 425 feet, and consists of shales of gray color, with occasional 

thin beds of sandstone, and, toward the top, contains a characteristic horizon of 

biscuit-shaped concretions.

There are extensive exposures of the upper members of the Benton formation on. the west side of the anticline on Oldwoman - Creek, the beds dipping 

very steeply to the west. ' .

Nidbrara 'formation. This formation is-exposed along the Oldwoman Creek 

anticline. Its thickness is 250 feet, and the rocks consist of impure chalk and 

limy shale, which are of lead-gray color in fresh' exposures, but weather to a 

bright, pale-straw color, a highly characteristic feature which renders the outcrops 

very conspicuous. The formation contains-occasional thin layers of limestone 

filled with the characteristic fossil, Ostrea congesta. . 

Pierre shale. This formation probably underlies the Arikaree formation 

along. the east side of the uplift from Iron Mountain station northward, and 

doubtless also the western side 'of the -uplift north of Orin Junction, but it is 

exposed only in the lowlands north of the foot of0 Bine Ridge.. There it is
68 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

found on both sides of the anticline of Oldwoman Creek, extending to Cheyenne River and thence along the slopes of the Black Hills uplift. The beds dip 

steeply along the Oldwoman Creek Valley, where a cross-section- measurement 

gave a thickness of 1,200 feet. The rocks consist of a monotonous series of 

dark-gray shales, with occasional thin concretions, and, 200 feet below the top, a 

zone of concretions of limestone filled with Lucina occidentalis. As in other 

regions, the limestone concretions-of this upper zone weather out in .characteristic 

tepee-shaped forms, which' have been designated tepee buttes.

The Pierre shale is overlain by the Fox Hills , and Laramie sandstones, 

which extend far to the north and west in the great basin lying between the 

 Black Hills and the Bighorn Mountains.

GEOLOGY OF THE LARAMIE FRONT RANGE.

' GENERAL STRUCTURE.

The - Laramie Front Kange is composed" chiefly of schists and granites of 

Algonkian and Archean age, against which lie the regular succession of upper 

Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks. Originally the front of the range was entirely 

covered by -the Arikaree formation, but now this formation has been removed 

by erosion in places along the range, allowing the older sedimentary strata to 

appear. There are still, however, wide areas to the north in which they are 

hidden. Hayden mentions u locality at the head of Cottonwood Creek where 

the limestone appea'rs, and in the Report of the. Fortieth Parallel Survey Mr. 

Arnold Hague describes the sedimentary rocks extending southward from the 

head of Sybylee Creek. Between this creek and Iron Mountain station a projection of the schists of the Laramie Range extends northeastward along the 

axis of the Hartville uplift. On the north side of this projection, in which 

the schists are exposed for about 10 miles northeast from the main mountain 

mass, lies Sybj'lee Valley,' in which is a considerable area of Red Beds (Chug- 

" water formation), ove~rlying Carboniferous limestone to the west and apparently 

abutting against the schists to the east. Possibly the apparent overlap is due in 

part to faulting. « -

Near Iron Mountain station there are several flexures in which the Paleozoic 

and Mesozoic rocks are extensively exposed, the station itself^ being on an anticline 

which extends southward diagonally out of the mountain. To the west of this 

anticline there is. a-narrow synclinal basin, exposing all of the rocks up to the 

Benton. To the south for some distance there is an interval in which the 

Tertiary deposits abut against the schists in the mountain slopes, but at Horse 

Greek and thence southward -to Lodgepole Creek there are extensive exposures of 

the older sedimentary rocks lying west of the railroad. On Horse .Creek these 

rocks include all the formations up to and including the Fox Hills. Southwest of
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER MO. 32 PL. XXV

A. LIMESTONES OF WHITE RIVER GROUP IN RED VALLEY, 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF HERMOSA, S. DAK.

B. CONGLOMERATE IN CHADRON FORMATION ON EAST SLOPE OF BLACK HILLS, SOUTH OF FAIRBURN, S. DAK.

View showing cross bedding.
CARBONIFEROUS OF THE LARAMIE FRONT RAHGE. 69

Islay a small area of granite rises east of the small'basin of,Carboniferous limestones, 

but the succession east of the granite is covered by Tertiary deposits. On Crow 

Creek the granite is. offset to the east for some distance, and in Granite Canyon, 

on the .railroad, and thence southward to the Colorado line, the succession of sedimentary rocks is exposed, comprising at the State line all rocks from the Carboniferous limestone to the Dakota sandstone.

STRATIGRAPHY.

CARBONIFEROUS.

The following section was measured by Dr. W. S. Tangier Smith on the Chugwater at Iron Mountain station, Wyoming: ' 

Geologic section 'at Iron Mountain station, Wyoming.

Feet.

Limestone...._..._........_..._........_.........._............_.___..._..._ 5

Reddish sandstone.......'... j.... J".... J..................................... 15

Limestone ...................... ^........................... I..'..:.......... 40

Redsandstone..................:........................................... 25 "

,. 'Massive limestone.........'..-...... ....:...........;..... ..:..........;...... 135

Reddish qnartzitic sandstone ........:.................. ^.................... 12 '.

Massive gray limestone...................................................... 40

Quartzitic red sandstone conglomerate.. ...................................... 25 -

Compact limestone....'.............. .............'.'.."..-.......':-.....-...... 25

Red, rather coarse-grained sandstone and medium-grained conglomerate........' 25

Conglomeratic quartzite, light colored..............................."......... 10

Granite. - 

The lower sedimentary members in .this section may possibly be older than 

Carboniferous, but no evidence on this point is obtainable, and the upper series of 

85 feet, consisting of red sandstones with included limestones, probably belongs 

in the Red Beds.

In Horse Creek-Cany on, where the beds stand nearly vertical, a thickness of 

'about 500 feet was measured. The basal bed is a sandy limestone lying directly 

on the granite. The rocks are mainly limestones, with several intercalated beds 

of brown sandstone, as in the Chugwater section.

At Table Mountain, between North Crow Creek and Lodgepole Creek, the. 

following section is given by Mr. Hague:

Geologic section at Table Mountain, Wyoming.

Feet.

Pink and cream-colored limestone, alternating with thin sandy beds .......... '. 650

 Bluish limestone, highly siliceous...!........................................ 650

Conglomerate (thin bed)..................................................... 650

Gray and bluish sandy limestone ...............'............................. 650

Red saudy limestone................ ........................................ 50

Pink sandstone ............................................................. 50

Gray sandstone, fine grained, but with some conglomerate, very compact....... 100
70 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

^At Granite Canyon, just north of the Union Pacific Railroad, Mr. Hague 

reports the following succession:

0 Succession of beds at Gh'anite Canyon, Wyoming.

Light-gray limestone, with sandy beds.

.Massive blue limestone

Bright red sandy limestone.

Reddish-gray sandstone, compact, fine pebbles.

East of Signal Peak, 3 or 4 miles south of the railroad, the following section 

was measured by'Mr-.'Hague: .

 , . Geologic^ section east of Signal Peak] Wyoming. ',' - '

Feet. 

Blue limestone. .....'...... ....''..'........-...-......................-.......". 300

1 ' Fine conglomerate (thin bed-) ............... 1............................... 300

. ' ."Red sandy limestone......................... .'.'.:.........:................... 300

. ; -Bluish-gray- limestone.........................-......'.-......-..-.:...........- 400

,Bed sandstone, limy near top................................................ 100

The sandstones are all somewhat limy and the limestones carry, more or'less 

sand, and in the heavier bedded rocks there frequently occur thin intercalated, 

sandstones and fine conglomerates. The lower sandstones vary from a hard rock 

to a loose friable conglomerate, and all have a reddish ,tint. The upper sandstones 

are generally coarse and of bright-red color." Many of the limestones are of dark 

bluish-gray color, with bands of various colored beds. The upper members are 

usually lighter in color, often pink and white. At Granite Canyon, the lower 

limestone is dolomitic. The uppermost limestone and the bed immediately 

underlying the red beds at Horse Creek is a very fine-grained homogeneous 

rock of deep flesh-red color, and is a nearly pure dolomite. The red arenaceous 

limestone at -the base of the limestone series appears to be a constant horizon. 

The fossils reported are as follows.: Productm semiretiffulatus, P. com, -and 

iSeminula subtilita, the first being the most abundant. These indicate that 4he 

beds are upper Carboniferous, or 'Pennsylvanian, doubtless representing part of 

the Minnelusa formation of the Black Hills or the Hartville limestone of the 

Hartville-Gruernsey region.

TKIASSIC (?).

' Chug<watei'formation. -The red-bed series on the Chugwater about Iron Motin-

" taiu, as measured a short distance north of Iron Mountain station, has a thickness of

between 700 and 800 feet in beds dipping from 43° to 78°. The rocks are mostly red

sandy shales grading into soft re4 sandstones, which, in.most of' the beds, contain
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO 32 PL. XXVI

A. CLOUD PEAK, THE CULMINATION OF THE BIGHORN MOUNTAINS. ' * 

View showing typical glacial erosion in granite. Cloud Peak and top of glacier slightly to right of center distance. Looking west.

B. EAST SLOPE OF BIGHORN MOUNTAINS, FROM ACROSS WOLF CREEK CANYON.

Granite on left, overlain by Deadwood shafes and sandstone, Bighorn limestone (the most piominent ledge in distance), and Littlehorn limestone; beds

all steeply arched to right of center in distance.
BED BEDS OF THE LABAMIE FRONT BANGE*. 71

considerable clay. Their brilliant red color is their most striking feature. Near the 

middle of the formation are two thin layers of limestone, and at the base the following section : _ i.

Section just north of Iron. Mountain station, Wyoming.

: '' ',.' -: , Feet. 

Typical red beds ..................................... ....__......._._.... Many.

Brownish-red soft sandstone,' massive .. ...................._ ................. 10

 Limestone, white, massive...............'..........'........................... 5

Brownish-red sandstone, moderately soft, massive.._.... .____..._____......... 40

Thin-bedded limestone .....'.__........-..............'..:.....-.......__...... 6

Reddish-brown sandstone ....... .........^................................... 3

Limestone with Carboniferous fossils ...................................... Many.

The Minnekahta limestone, probably, is not represented in Chugwater Valley, a 

most unusual feature. The brownish-red sandstones with- limestone layers in the 

basal series presumably represent the Tensleep sandstone. The top of the red beds 

on" the Chugwater consists of a massive bed of pale-red sandstone, a characteristic 

member from there southward. to and through Colorado. Gypsum does not occur 

in the'section on the' Chugwater, but appears farther south.

On Horse Creek.the Chugwater formation is extensively exposed and the following section was-measured across vertical strata: . ;

Section on Horse Creek, Wyoming.

'' ' ' . Feet. . 

Pale reddish-brown, massive sandstone..................................... 40

Bright-red sandy shales and soft thin-bedded sandstones..................... 700

White limestone, massive...............1......:........................... 5

Bright-red shale .:.......'...........:...............-...............'.....-.. 100

Porous sandy limestone .................................................... 4+

Bright-red shale ...:.........:L........................................... 70

Limestone, sandy and massive above, thin-bedded and purplish below ......-' 20

Bright-red shales and sandstones ........^..........^.1..................... 260

s' u Pale-reddish, massive,-soft sandstone..:,.......:. ................. ......... -20

 " . White,, hard,'massive-limestone........................................... .'.. 5

Pale red'disti-browiv,;massivej soft sandstone ........."....................... 40

Massive limestones, Carboniferous ..."...............:........ '............ Many. , 

The 20-foot limestone bed in this'section gives rise to a conspicuous ragged wall 

rising 20 feet or more oh the red-shale slopes. ' The whole strongly suggests Minnekahta limestone'with red Opeche beds below. The basal "sandstone bed, 60 feet, 

thick with the included 5-foot limestone- layer, is similar to the basal series on Chugwater Creek and probably represents the Tensleep sandstone.
72 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

JURASSIC.

Simdance formation. This formation extends all along the foot of Laramie 

Range in Wyoming and is exposed on the Chugwater about Iron Mountain station, 

on Horse Creek and for some distance southward, and near the State line. Near 

Iron Mountain station it is well exhibited, consisting of an upper series, 30 feet 

thick, of soft slabby sandstone, gray at the base and buff toward the top, with ripplemarked layers and much intercalated shale,' and of a lower series, 50 feet thick, 

mostly-of green to gray shale, with layers of soft, thin-bedded, greenish-gray 

sandstones, lying on the red beds of the Chugwater formation.

In,the vicinity of Horse Creek the exposures are not plain, but at the base 

are seen about 30 feet of greenish-gray sandy shales, overlain by 10 feet of bright, 

buff-colored sandstone, capped by the Morrison formation.

CRETACEOUS.

Morrison farmation. The Morrison beds are exposed extensively on the 

Chugwater, to some extent on Horse' Creek at the head of the Lodgepole, and on 

head branches of Boxelder Creek near the State line. The rocks are mainly 

shales with several limestone layers, especially in the lower members. Much of 

the material is a "joint- clay" or a massive shale of pale, greenish-gray tint, and 

some beds in the middle of the -formation present bright maroon and chocolate 

colors. There are several limestone layers in the lower 50 feet of the formation, 

varying from a few inches to 3 feet thick. In one of these, near Iron Mountain 

station, as in other districts, many remains-of fresh-water algas were observed. 

The thickness on the Chugwater and near Horse Creek is 300 feet.

'"''Dakota/'' sandstone. The Morrison formation is overlain by sandstone, which 

gives rise to distinct hogback ridges. The thickness of this sandstone varies from 

100 to 150 feet in. greater part, but is much less at .some points. At the bottom there 

is usually more or less conglomerate, grading up into buff sandstones, massively 

bedded, and often more or less cross-bedded, a member which probably corresponds 

to the Lakota sandstone of the region north. It is overlain by clays with thin sandstones, capped by a series of hard, massive, buff sandstones of typical .Dakota 

aspect, outcropping in prominent cliffs and containing more or less ironstone in 

streaks and concretions. Near Horse Creek the Dakota sandstone is less conspicuous-than the sandstone in the Benton, owing partly to its diminished thickness and 

partly to its being less hard. - "

Benton group. The Benton rocks are exposed to a moderate extent on the 

Chugwater near. Iron Mountain.station and on Horse and Lodgepole creeks. They 

consist of about 1,200 feet of dark clays, hard and fissile below, lighter colored and
U. 6. GEOLOGICAL SURVEV PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XXVII

CANYON OF TONGUE RIVER BIGHORN MOUNTAINS, WYOMING, 

Snowing Littlehorn limestone with characteristic castellated erosion forms and canyon walls. Looking west, upstream.
BENTON OP THE LAEAM1E FEONT EANGE. 73

softer above, with a conspicuous bed of hard sandstone about 150 feet aboVe their base. 

The group usually is separable into Graneros shales, Greenhorn limestone, and 

Carlile formation, but the Greenhorn limestone is very thin and not everywhere 

recognizable. The sandstone in the Graneros is well exposed north of Iron Mountain 

station, having a thickness of 25 feet and rising in a conspicuous minor hogback 

outside of the Dakota hogback. It lies on 140 feet of dark shale. Above it are 

50 feet of dark shale, merging upward into the series of hard gray shajes and thinbedded sandstones, weathering light gray and filled with fish scales, that is so conspicuous along the Bighorn and Black Hills uplifts. The Carlile beds near Iron 

Mountain station contain thin sandstone beds and numerous concretions near their 

tops, which present the usual sandstone layers. Near Horse Creek station the con-, 

cretions in the upper part of the Carlile beds, about 40 feet below the basal massive 

limestone of the Niobrara, contain Prionotropis, an occurrence of this characteristic 

form similar to that in other districts. The following section gives the succession 

of Benton rocks in the slopes"west of Horse Creek station:

Geologic section of Benton beds west of Horse Greek station, Wyoming.

. ' . ' Feet. 

Jfiobrara.......Limestone.

[Black shale ....:..............._......... 1................... .10

Carlile .......|Sandstone and sandy shale .........'.......................... 20

(.Gray shales, with concretions containing Prionotropis near top .. 200

Greenhorn.... Sandy limestone with Inocemmus labiatus...................... J

Shales, dark and fissile below.............:......-.....-...-.. 450 . -_ 

Hard shales and thin-bedded,hard sandstones, weathering light ' .

gray, with fish scales (Mowrie beds) ....................'.*.. 80 " Graneros .....-.' Dark shale ........,.......... ..........:.................-.. 30

Hard coarse sandstone, massive................................ 25

Dark shales, fissile to soft ..................................... 150 '

, Dakota ........Sandstone, buff, coarse, mostly soft,--.:.-,--...--..--.------.. 20+

Some of these measurements are uncertain, owing to talus or to crushing, for 

the beds stand nearly vertical. The 25-foot bed of hard sandstone in the Graneros 

formation rises in a sharp hogback, more conspicuous than the Dakota ridge, which 

is there very slightly marked, owing to the thinness and softness of the rock. The 

hard shale, weathering light gray, beginning 30 feet'above the Graneros sandstone . 

(Mowrie beds), is the characteristic horizon so conspicuous in regions farther north.

Niobrara formation.~Tl\\\s formation, appears in the vicinity of Horse Creek 

and on the Chugwater northeast of Iron Mountain station. - It consists of limestone and. impure chalk, grading into limy, shale and 'having all the typical 

.features which it presents in.Colorado. Its basal member is a soft, .light-gray, 

massive limestone, tilled with the typical Tnocerramm deformis, and there are two
74 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

other beds o'f limestone above, separated by limy shales. At the top is the usual 

chalky bed, which weathers to a bright-straw or pale-ocher color, and contains 

thin limestone masses consisting of colonies of Ostrea congesta. The thickness of 

the formation is 375 feet on Horse Creek and somewhat less on the Chugwater. 

Pierre shale. The Pierre shale appears extensively for some distance on 

both slopes of the Horse Creek and Chugwater valleys, in a zone approaching a 

half mile in-width in some -places. As the beds dip nearly vertically, this indicates 

great thickness. All the material is dark shale, containing occasional calcareous 

concretions with typical fossils. 

Fox Hills /carnation. The Fox Hills beds outcrop along the railroad just

.north of Horse Creek station and possibly at other points in the vallej^s. The.

formation consists of soft -impure sandstones and sandy clays with an incipient

concretionary structure. No fossils were observed and the beds are provisionally

classih'ed as Fox Hills because of their sandy character. ,

PALEOZOIC A1STD MESOZOIC GEOLOGY OF EASTERK COLORADO.

GENERAL RELATIONS.

The eastern half of Colorado is underlain '\>j an extensive series of sedimentary 

formations from Cambrian to Tertiary in age. They are in widely extended sheets,. 

which lie nearlj' level under the plains, but are upturned steep!}7 against the front 

ranges of the Rocky Mountains. The largest surface areas are the later Cretaceous 

and Tertiary formations, the latter covering most of the region north. The general 

structure of the region is indicated in sections 6, 7, 8, and 9, PI. XI. From these it 

will be seen that there is a general steep monoclinal dip along the mountain front 

into a basin east of which there is a low arch extending to and beyond the east line 

of the State. The broader structural features are shown in PI. LVIII, which shows 

the contour of the Dakota sandstone. In the southeastern portion of the State the 

principal arch east of the main uplift is an anticline which extends southeastward 

from the Greenhorn and Wet Mountain ranges and passes under the Mesa de Maya. 

By this uplift the Dakota sandstone is brought to the surface over a wide area south 

of Arkansas River, especially in localities where .there has been deep erosion by the

 transverse streams. The deep' basin, west of Trinidad passes diago.nally to the northwest behind the Greenhorn Mountain range, and the Florence basin lies in a sharp 

depression between the southern prolongation of the anticline of the Pikes Peak 

range and that of Wet Mountain, which coalesce a short distance .south west of Pueblo. 

- It will be seen from these statements that the monocline of the Rocky Mountain

. front is by ho means continuous throughout. North of Denver it presents some 

small offsets^ of which a series of three en echelon are finely exposed west of
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. xxvm

A TYPICAL CROSS-SECTION VIEW OF EAST SLOPE OF FRONT RANGE OF BIGHORN MOUNTAINS, WEST OF

SHERIDAN, WYO.

Granite to left, overlain by Deadwood beds; knob capped by Bighorn limestone; plains of Laramie formation in distance to right.

J?. EAST SLOPE OF BIGHORN MOUNTAINS, WOLF CREEK, WEST OF SHERIDAN, WYO.

Showing granite in gap and Deadwood to Sundance formations, Tensleep sandstone on slope; Chugwater red beds in valley; cliffs to right capped by

Sundance beds (ovei tents).
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XXIX

A. EAST SLOPE OF BIGHORN MOUNTAINS, ON NORTH SIDE OF WOLF CREEK. NORTHWEST OF bH^K.^AN, WYO. 

Hogback of Cleverly sandstone; slopes of Morrison formation to left.

B. EAST SLOPE OF BIGHORN MOUNTAINS, AT ROCK CREEK. NORTHWEST OF BUFFALO. WYO. 

Limestone layer in Red Beds; dips nearly vertical; Tensleep sandstone to left; granite in distance, brought up by cross fault.
STRATIGRAPHY OF EASTERN COLORADO. 75

Greeley. These are insignificant compared with the great offsets due- to the 

south-pitching anticlines at the southern end of the Pikes Peak and the Greenhorn 

Mountain ranges, which extend transversely to the southeast out into the plains.

STRATIGRAPHY.

The sedimentary formations in eastern Colorado maintain great uniformity 

throughout their course, but occasionally present certain regional variations which 

areiOf importance, particularly in the lower formations, some of which'occur only in 

limited areas. *The principal variations of this class are due to the fact that there 

are numerous embayments and protuberances in the floor of granites on which the 

sedimentary rocks lie, giving rise to overlaps of various kinds. Two of these protuberances west of Denver have been described by Eldridge," who found that they 

not only cut off some of the lowermost formations, but also mark zon,es of movement 

on which uplift has taken place at various times, as indicated by the local absence of 

some of the formations at different horizons. W. T. Lee has found similar relations 

in the vicinity of Perry Park southward, and they exist in the great Manitou 

embayment west of Colorado Springs, where several hundred feet of the older 

formations are present in a local basin overlapped by later beds on either side. 

South of this embayment the granite mass of Cheyenne Mountain extends to the 

east for several miles diagonally across the edges of several thousand feet of nearly 

vertical beds, a relation which indicates a great fault, some features of which have 

been described by Prof. W. O. Crosby. This fault extends to the Pierre shale, 

which appears to lie against the' granite for some distance south. In the deep 

embaj'ment northwest of Pueblo all the formations again appear, from Cambrian 

to Laramie, with various overlaps and considerable faulting. It is stated that south 

of Florence the Laramie beds are faulted into contact with the granite. Southwest 

of Canyon the progressive overlap from Silurian to Morrison onto the granite is' 

clearly exposed. There are numerous overlaps southwest of Wet'Mountain, which 

indicate migrations of shore lines along relatively steep granite slopes at various 

geologic periods. Southwest of Denver there is also more or less overlap of the 

Laramie and overlying formations beyond the edges of lower strata, reaching the 

granite for some distance along the Arkansas divide. There appears to be a similar 

overlap on the west side of. Wet Mountain range. , , '

5 uEldndge, Q. H., Mon. D. S. Geol. Survey, vol. 27, 1S96.
76 GEOLOGY AND UNDEBGBOUND WATEB OP CENTBAL GKEAT PLAINS.

Table of Paleozoic and Mesozoic formations of eastern Colorado.

Age-.

*-

Triassic (?) or Permian . . 

o 

Pennsylvania!! ..........

Formations.

{

.Denver

Fox Hills.. ........

Oarlile ............

"Dakota".........

Upper AVyoming 

(.Ohugwater).

(Fountain). 

Millsap ............

^

Principal character. "

erates.

beds.

layers.

limy clays.

layers in lower part.

eratic; fire clay in middle.

limestone and sandstone layers.

Bright-red sandy shales, with thin 

limestone layers and gypsum; reddish sandstone at top.

erates.

grain.

. stone; some shale.

Thickness.

Feet. 

1, 450

800

1, 000

100-1,' 000

1, 500-7, 500?

 350-700

200

30

400-500

" 100-350

20

200

400 

600-1, 200

30-200

ion

100

100-270

40-100

CAMBKIAN.

Rocks of Cambrian age underlie the Ordovician limestones in the Manitou 

embayment west of Colorado Springs and in a small area north of Canyon. 

Elsewhere along the Front Range post-Cambrian rocks appear to lie directly on the 

old granites or schists, the most extensive development being found on Trout 

Creek, in Manitou Park, where Dr. A. C. Peale" gives two sections having the 

following succession: .

a. Hayden,F. V.,'Seventh Ann. Kept. U.S.Geol. and Geog. Surv. Terr., 1873, p. 208.
CAMBRIAN WEST OF COLORADO SPRINGS. 77

Sections on Trout Creek, Manitou Park, Colo.

Granite.

I.

feet.

1 54

4

ID

1 73

II.

Feet.

60

3

13

65

Fossils found in the red sandstone near the top are Lingulepis and Oboliis, and

from the top limestone were reported Orthis cf. desmopleura and Euomphalus,

Asap?Ms. (Megalaspis), Conocoryphe, Lingula, Bathyurus, and Paradoxides or

Olenus, a mixture of Cambrian and Ordovician forms. Dr. C. W. Cross a visited

this area and from East Branch of Trout Creek obtained fossils which were identified

-by Mr. C. D. Walcott, as follows: " From'reddish-brown sandstone 45 feet above

,the granite, Lingulepis sp. ?, an elongate form allied to L. pinnasformis of the

Potsdam of Wisconsin."

From red calcareous sandstone, alternating with white limestone farther up, an 

Ordovician fauna was obtained. A similar basal sandstone series, which appears 

at Manitou and extends for some distance north along the west side of the Garden 

of the Gods to beyond Glen Eyrie contains upper Cambrian fossils. According to 

W. T. Lee, a quartzite, which is presumably of the same age, appears on Deadman 

Creek. The basal quartzites and immediately overlying cherty limestone of the 

Garden Park area are of Canibrian age, the cherty limestones having yielded an

O

upper Cambrian trilobite, Ptychoparia. A section of basal beds west of Colorado 

Springs is given as follows: 6

Geologic section west of Colorado Springs, Colo. _,

Feet. 

Brick-red sandstone, with green layers .......'................................ 20

Coarse gray sandstone....................................................... 6

Coarse dark-green sandstone......-..--..-.-...-............................. 4

Coarse grayish-white sandstone ............................................... 26

Granite.

This series yielded no fossils here, but it underlies Ordovician (Manitou) limestone, as in Manitou Park, and a few miles farther north yielded fossils of upper 

Cambrian age.

aEmmons, S. F., Mon. U. S. Geol. Survey, vol. 12, 1886, p. 62.

t> Hayden. F. V., Seventh Ann. Kept. U.S.Geol.and Geog.Surv.Terr., 1873,p.201. .
78 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS. ' 

. .ORDOVICIAN.

The only Ordovician rocks which reach the surface on the eastern side 'of 

the Rocky Mountains are some limestones and sandstones that lie in the Manitou 

embay men t,.Trout Creek Valley, Perry Park, and in the district extending-from 

Arkansas River north for some miles in the vicinity of Canyon.

In these localities the deposits, as above mentioned, usually lie on a thin 

mass of Cambrian sandstone or quartzite, but sometimes they overlap on the 

granite and schists. In the Canyon district the Ordovician is represented by the 

Manitou limestone, Harding sandstone, and Fremont limestone. These have been 

described in detail by Mr. C. D. Walcott," mainly in connection with the occurrence 

of fish remains,, and by Dr. W. C. Cross in describing the region northeast of Canyon 

in the Pikes Peak folio. The following members are described by Doctor Cross:

Manitou limestone. This limestone is extensively exhibited in Oil Creek 

Valley, Garden Park, where it consists of fine-grained pink or reddish dolomite 

less than 100 feet thick. It occurs also in the Manitou rdgion, where it contains 

Ophileta, Gamerella, and other characteristic Ordovician fossils.

Ifarding sandstone. This formation consists mainly of fine, even-grained, 

granular sandstone in alternating bands of light-gray and pinkish or variegated 

colors, with a few,bands of dark-red or purplish sandy shale, having a maximum 

thickness of about 100.feet. The lower part is sometimes calcareous and develops 

laterally into a thin fine-grained dolomite. This formation contains fish remains 

at the Canyon locality. In Garden Park the sandstone rests with apparent 

conformity on the- Manitou limestone, but to the southeast it overlaps' on the 

basal sandstone and near Canyon, on the gneiss. At Canyon the formation is 

86 feet thick and consists of gray, reddish, and purplish-brown sandstone and 

shales with many "fossils of early Trenton age. A small outlier of sandstone, 

apparently of this formation, is mapped by Gilbert, underlying the Millsap 

(Carboniferous) limestone in the slopes west of Beulah.

Fremont limestone. Overlying "the Harding sandstone with apparent conformity, there occurs a bliiishrgray or pinkish dolomite of uneven grain, sometimes 

arenaceous, which gives rise to very rough weathered surfaces." Its thickness in 

Garden Park is about-100 feet,"bat increases southward to a maximum of 270 

feet near Canyon, partly through the development of .an upper fossiliferous 

member. In Garden Park it is characterized especially by the coral Holy sites 

catenulatus, and'also contains a molluscan fauna like that of the upper Trenton 

in New York. ' It appears to be restricted to a small area- in Garden Park and 

vicinity and a narrow^outcrop extending southward past Canyon. These formations 

all end a short distance southwest of Canyon by overlap of later deposits.

a Bull. Geol. Soc. America, vol. 3, pp. 153-167.
U. 6. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XXX

CONGLOMERATE IN LOWER PORTION OF LARAMIE FORMATION, NORTH SIDE OF ROCK CREEK, NORTHWEST OF

BUFFALO, WYO.

Conglomerate, largely of Deatiwood, Bighorn, and Litllehorn materials, limestone and granite in Bighorn Mountains in distance. Looking west.
ORDOVICIAN IK THE COLORADO FRONT RANGE. 79

At Manitou and for some distance northward and in Trout Creek Valley 

(Mariitou Park) there are other areas of Manitou limestone underlying the red 

beds. On Trout Creek this limestone has yielded distinctive Ordovician fossils, 

as noted on page 77.

Doctor Peale gives the following section of the exposures of Manitou limestone 

and associated formations ^on Camp Creek, at Glen Eyrie:"

Geologic section of basal rocks near Glen Eyrie, Colo.

Feet. 

Carboniferous (?) . .Gray, purplish, and yellow limestones ..................... 297

Red shaly limestones, with fragments of Ordovician fossils.. 4

Limestones with interlaminated shales .................... 7

Red limestone with flint nodules ......................... 7

Red limestone ........................ .° ................. ' 2

Ordovician.......

Red shaly limestone

Cambrian .

Red limestone ............................................ 1

Irregularly laminated limestone ........................... 3

Red and greenish limestone .............. ............... 5

Brick-red sandstone with green layers .................... 20

Coarse gray sandstone. ......................'.............. 6

Coarse dark-green sandstone .....'.--....'-.............-... 4

Coarse grayish-white sandstone ........................... 20

Granite.

On Deadman Creek, 6 miles south' of Perry Park, a small outlying area has 

-fefeen investigated b37 "Mr. Willis T. Lee. 6 The rocks are cherty limestones in 

layers inter'stratified with red clay, overlying. a few feet of deep-red quartzite of 

supposed Cambrian age. The fossils obtained were examined by Doctor Weller, 

who found the best preserved specimens to be Dalmanella testudinaria of Ordovician age. A second exposure of this limestone, similar to the first, occurs in 

the southern portion of the Perry Park area at the head of the easternmost 

prong of West Plum Creek, as noted by Doctor Peale of the Hayden. Survey. 

Mr. Lee found no fossils at this locality.

. Silurian and Devonian rocks appear to °be entirely lacking in. the Rocky 

Mountain Front Range, although possibly they were laid down in the' region 

and afterwards removed by the vigorous erosion preceding the Carboniferous 

deposition.

. CARBONIFEROUS-TRIASSIC.

. Milhap limestone and Wyoming formation. Along the Front Range in Colorado there are three series of deposits representing, respectively, the Carboniferous, probably the Permian, and possibly the Triassic.. The lowest of these .is a

. ' . '- aLoc. cit.,p. 201- ;

- & Lee, W. T., Geology of the Castle Rock region, Colorado: Am. Geologist, vol. 29, pp. 96-97.
80 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND' WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

limestone the Millsap containing a lower Carboniferous fauna, which outcrops 

in a few small areas and is separated from adjoining formations by an erosional 

unconformity. Next comes an extensive series of sandstones predominately of red 

color, which to the north and to the south in part merge into and in part overlie 

.limestones with an upper Carboniferous fauna; this series comprises the lower 

Wyoming formation of Eldridge_, which is the Fountain formation of Cross and 

Gilbert and the Badito formation of Hills. The third or uppermost member (the 

upper Wyoming of Eldridge) consists mostly of fine-grained red shales and sand}r 

shales, with deposits of gypsum and thin beds of limestone, which are believed to 

represent the southern extension of the Spearfish and Opeche red beds and included 

Minnekahta limestone of the Black Hills and other regions.

The lower. Carboniferous, or Millsap, limestone outcrops in detached basins 

in Perry Park, about Manitou, and in the district north of Canj^on, and to a 

limited extent near Beulah, southwest of Pueblo; possibly there is a continuous 

sheet of it out under the Plains. It is everywhere distinctly separable from the 

overlying and overlapping red beds.

The Fountain, or lower Wyoming, formation extends for many miles along 

the Front Range, lying directly on the irregular surface of the ciystalline rocks 

for the greater part of its course. The upper Wyoming, or g-ypsiferous red 

beds, appears not to extend quite to Arkansas River, although probably it reappears ' 

again farther south and southeast.

The upper Carboniferous limestone, which is found in the northern portion 

of the Front Range near the Wyoming State line and in the Culebra Range, 

appears to merge into the Fountain red beds, which I believe are precisely 

equivalent to the lower Wyoming of Eldridge and the Badito formation of Hills, 

and represent the Amsden formation and overlying Tensleep sandstone of the 

Bighorn Range and the Minnelusa formation of the Black Hills. The gray sand- 

'stone which generally marks the summit of these lower red beds appears to be 

the same as the Tensleep sandstone of the Bighorns and the sandstone which 

usually occurs at the same horizorf (upper Minnelusa) in the Black Hills.

Upon this sandstone there lies the principal upper series of red beds, the 

upper. Wyoming of Eldridge, a formation clearly separable in the Front Range 

zone in central and northern Colorado. This series has been found to contain, 

near its base, a persistent and characteristic layer of limestone, usually very thin 

in Colorado, which separates a thin series of fine-grained red beds below from 

a thick overlying mass of fine-grained gypsiferous beds above, presenting precisely the succession .of Opeche and Spearfish red beds with intervening Minnekahta limestone found in the Black Hills and in eastern Wyoming. This
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XXXI

NATURAL BRIDGE IN TENSLEEP FORMATION, LA PRELE CREEK, SOUTHWEST OF DOUGLAS, WYO.
CARBONIFEROUS OF NORTHERN COLORADO.' 8.1

sequence is clear at' Laporte, Lyons, Boulder, Morrison, Perry Park, and the Garden of the Gods, in Colorado, but, approaching Arkansas River, the region of 

i the typical Fountain formation, this upper gypsiferous series appears to thin and 

end. Probably it is represented again farther eastward in the canyons of the 

Purgatory, Cimarrou, Muddy, and other streams by the occurrence of gypsiferous 

beds .between the Morrison ^formation and the coarser-grained red sandstones 

believed to represent the Fountain formation.

The age of this upper series of red beds is not definitely known. It has 

usually been regarded as Triassic for the reason that some known Triassic beds 

, west of the Rocky Mountains consist of similar rocks. The Hayden Survey 

classified the lower Wyoming beds as Triassic and the upper Wyoming, together 

with the overlying Morrison, as Jurassic. From fossils found in the Minnekahta 

limestone in the Black Hills region, a horizon which appears to be continuous 

through the lower' portion of- the upper Wyoming beds in Colorado, it is 

believed that at least the lower third of these beds is Permian, but even if this 

be the case the upper portion may be Triassic and represent either all or a part 

of that period. -At their top there is' an unconformity which may represent 

Triassic time _ together with Jurassic, as Jurassic beds are absent to the south. 

Southward from Colorado Springs, where .the upper Wyoming beds appear to be 

. absent, this unconformity at the base of the Morrison comprises all Permian, 

Triassic, and Jurassic times.

Some features of the Carboniferous deposits and "red beds" in eastern Colo- < 

rado are as follows:

In Boxelder Valley, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, at the Wyoming 

State line, there are exposures of limestones containing Pennsylvanian fossils, 

overlain by fine-grained gypsiferous red beds of the Chugwater formation, which 

~in~£urn"are capped unconformabry by the Sundance formation, or marine Jurassic. 

These upper red beds continue far to the south, but the Pennsylvanian limestone 

rapidly gives place tb coarse sandstones,- mainly of red color, which extend-for 

many miles south as the basal member of the sedimentary series. These coarse 

beds are always separated from the Chugwater formation by a sandstone which 

overlies the Pennsylvanian limestone in Wyoming, where I have designated it 

the Tensleep sandstone. This sandstone is mostly a fine-grained regularly bedded 

rock from 50 to 200 feet thick, varying in color from gray to red. I believe it to 

be an important horizon marker. The most northern exposures that I examined 

in Colorado were in Owl Canyon, which is a small branch of the Cache la Poudre 

10001 No. 32-M35 6
8.2 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATBE OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS!

drainage that is followed by the old main road from Denver to Laramie. The 

section is approximately as follows: ^

"... . ' , \ 

Section of red beds at Old Canyon, 17 miles northwest of Fort Collins, Colo.

Feet.- 

Gray shale and buff sandstone with .Jurassic fossils. .. '

".'/ .Chugwater formation: . . , .. . . Massive pale-red sandstone, partly cross-bedde d......:.^....._....._..... 40+

Red sandy shales with gypsum at. top and thin limestones near bottom ...;. 200+ 

Gray limestone, in part thin bedded.:.......!........-....:....!:..'......' 5

Red sandy shales with several beds of gypsum near bottom...... .......... 120

Gray cross-bedded sandstone ......-.. .-_ -.'.-.-- ....-.....----..-.---...- 15

Red sandy shales with two thin layers of limestone ....................... 150±

Pink sandstone, mostly fine grained, regular bedded (Tensleep).............. 50

Fine-grained light-gray limestone .......................................... 20-

Reddish sandstone..-..:.................................:....-........... 25

Fine-grained moderately light-gray limestone..........................-.'..... 15

 Reddish to buff sandstone ....- ........ ........ :.....................;;.'..- ..>.; 30

.Limestone-.--.......-...--...-...-......-.......-...---.--..-:-.-..-.-...- 6

Coarse red sandstone with red shale. _ I......... ^...._...-........._..:....... 150+

Coarse reddish and gray conglomerate....................................... 100±

Granite. . . ' " . ^ . .

The massive reddish sandstone at the top of the Ohugwater formation in this 

section is a feature which extends southward to beyond South Platte River. It 

a is overlain uncomformably by. the marine Jurassic at the north" and by the 

Morrison at the south. The underlying series of gypsiferous red shales of the 

Chugwater formation contains a local bed of coarse sandstone, which is unusual, 

and a prominent limestone horizon, which is believed to represent the Minnekahta 

limestone of the region north. As above stated, the 50-foot bed of pinkish sandstone next below probably represents the 'Tensleep horizon. The underlying"red'" 

beds contain the southern extension of .the Pennsylvaniah limestones, which were 

traced south to beyond Belleview, where, they gradually thin= out.

In another section measured a short distance northwest of Laporte I found the 

features to be .very .similar.to -those given in the above section. The supposed representative of the Tensleep horizon is prominent, overlain by about 150 feet of soft 

red shales, on which there is a series of limestones 30 feet thick. This series consists 

of a bed of massive limestone at the base, then, red limestones and shales alternating, 

and at the top a 10-foot bed of limestone almost precisely similar in aspect and 

relations to the Minnekahta limestone of the Black Hills and at the north end of the 

Laramie Mountains. Above are several hundred feet of typical red sandy shales 

of the Chugwater red "beds, surmounted by.60 feet of pinkish red sandstone, mostly 

massive, extending=to'th~e^unc"onfb~rmity^at the base of typical Morrison beds. Mid-
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO 32 PL. XXXII

A. EAST END OF CASPER MOUNTAIN, SOUTHEAST OF CASPER, WYO.

Typical slopes of Tensleep sandstone 10 left, Red Beds come in \o left over house; great fault above corral, where Pierre shale abute against Tensleep

sandstone. Looking westB. VALLEY OF MUDDY CREEK, AT EAST END OF CASPER MOUNTAIN, SOUTHEAST OF CASPER, WYO. 

Slopes of Tensleep sandstone or right; hogback of Dakota and associated sandstones on left- Looking south, up creek.
BED BEDS IN NORTHERN COLORADO. . 83

way in the red shales below the limestone is a thin bed of gray sandstone, which 

continues south from the Owl Creek Canyon section described above.

The '' red beds " in northern Colorado were first examined in detail by Mr. A. Marvine, of the Hayden Survey. He states" that their thickness is from 2,000 feet to 

possibly as little as 400 feet, and that thej' vary from coarse grits'and moderately 

coarse sandstones, usually cross-bedded, to fine-grained and shaly layers; the latter 

are intercalated to some extent among the former and also constitute a separate upper 

.portion of the series. Dark red is the prevalent color, although light-red and yellow 

layers are frequent. They lie on an irregular surface of granite and many of their 

variations in thickness are due to the absence of the lowermost members, for there 

is usually an overlap of -the higher beds to the west and much lateral 'overlap and 

variation locally. On Little Thompson Creek the following section is given :

Section of Red Beds on Little Thompson Creek, Colorado.

Feet.

Soft, rather massive, sandstone .............................................. 100

Soft, red, shaly sandstone with cherty limestone near the base................. 250

- Massive red sandstone constituting the top of the principal inner hogback ....... 250

Soft, red, shaly sandstone.................................................... 260

.Soft, massive, red sandstone .................................................. 110

Coarse granitic sandstones and conglomerates, white and red................... 125

Granites and schists. '

The upper 350 feet are placed by Mar vine in the Jurassic and the lower portion 

in the Triassic. The top member is a pinkish.and gray sandstone, a characteristic 

feature in the region west and north of Denver, everywhere unconformably overlain 

by Morrisdn beds. The next underlying series, consisting of soft, red, shaly sandstones, are also characteristic upper Wyoming beds, including the limestone laj'ers 

near the base. This limestone was examined at several points in the region and found 

to resemble very closely the Minnekahta limestone, a horizon which it is believed to 

represent. The massive red sandstone in the middle of the section is strongly suggestive of the Tensleep sandstone of the Bighorn region, except" that it is reddish. 

Generally it is parted into two or three prominent layers, with thin shaly strata. 

It abruptly gives place above to the soft red shales of the upper Wyoming beds. 

To the south the lower beds become heavier. Toward Lefthand Creek the series 

thickens slightly, the top member contains much yellow sandstone, the shales diminish 

in amount, and the lower beds are less conglomeratic, characteristics which continue 

to Boulder. It is reported that chert pebbles in the lower red beds contain lower 

Carboniferous fossils. 6 

There are extensive exposures of. the red beds at Lyons, clearly illustrating the 

stratigraphy. At the base, lying on the granite, are several hundred feet of coarse,

"Seventh Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. and Geog. Surv. Terr., ]873.

&Girty, G. H., Carboniferous of Colorado: Prof. Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. J6, 1903, p. 226.
84 GEOLOGS AND UNDERGROUND1 WATEK OF CENTRAL GREAT' PLAINS.

arkosic, red sandstones'with some gray mottlings and gray layers. These are capped 

by 80 feet or more of fine, even-grained, pale-reddish sandstone, in part thin bedded, 

which is extensively quarried. It weathers into ridges and is believed to represent 

the Tensleep sandstone of the Bighorn region. It is overlain by the usual soft, red, 

sandj' shales of'the typical upper Wyoming in the following succession:

Section of the Chugwater formation at Lyons, Coio.

Feet. 

Red and green "joint clays" (Morrison).

Talus ...................'.......................................-........... 25

Buff and yellowish-buff sandstone.....'....................................... 30

Dirty red 'sandstone...........'...................................... 1........ 30

Red sandy shales ................................................"........... 200±

Limestone, thin-bedded (Minnekahta?) ..--..--..__-..__-...--.._.__..._..... 15

Red shales or sandstone _.-...---...-.....-.-.-...--.._.-..__..__...__.._.__. 80

The thin-bedded limestone, which is very similar to the Minnekahta limestone of 

the Black Hills and central-eastern Wyoming, yielded a few poorly preserved fossils, 

which unfortunately afforded no decisive evidence as to the age of the beds. They 

comprised a small gasteropod, supposed to be Natica or JVaticopsis, and some small, 

indeterminate pelecypods, which may be either Triassic or Carboniferous.

Tu the steep-dipping beds west of Boulder a thin bed of similar limestone occurs 

70 feet above the top sandstone (Tensleep) of the lower Wj-oming series, from which 

it is separated by the usual series of bright-red sandy shales; it is overlain by gypsiferous red shales. The lower Wyoming ledges south of Boulder are shown.in 

PI. XXXIV, A, from a photograph by Mr. J. B. Walker, jr.

Marvine a gives the following section at Bear Canyon, 3 miles south of Boulder:

Section of Red Beds at Bear Canyon, Colorado.

Feet, 

Shales, limestone, and sandstone (Morrison).

Soft, white, massive sandstone .............................................I 30

Soft, red, shaly sandstone ................................. 400

Upper Wyoming Limestone (Minnekahta?)................................. 25

Red shaly sandstone (Opeche?)............................ 200

Yellow granular sandstone, rather soft (Tensleep?).......... 300

Lower Wyoming Hard, massive, red sandstones, with intercalated shales and

some conglomerates..................................... 800

Granite.

At Ralston Creek the yellow siliceous sandstone (Tensleep) is stated by Marvine 

to be 125 feet thick, overlain b}^ 100 feet of red sandy shales (Opeche?), 25 feet 

of cherty limestone (Minnekahta?), and this by 150 feet of red sandj- shales 

(Spearfish?). On Bear Creek he reports a thickness of 900 feet for the basal

aSeventh Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. and Geog-. Surv. Terr,. 1»73.
RED BEDS OF THE DENVER BASIN. 85

series,_consisting of soft, red, massive sandstones, with some shales and conglomerates, .100 feet of yellow massive sandstone (Tensleep?). 150 feet of red sandy 

shales (Opeche?), 25 feet of limestone (Minnekahta?), and 300 feet of red sandy 

shales (Spearfish ?). On South Platte River, at. the mouth of Platte Canyon, the 

supposed Minnekahta limestone is reported near the base of the upper Wyoming 

red beds.

"In the monograph on the geology of the Denver basin the red beds are 

described in their extension from the vicinity of Boulder to south of Deer Creek. 

They are termed the Wyoming formation and are divided into upper Wyoming 

and lower Wyoming, as mentioned above, the latter lying directly on the granite 

throughout, as in 'the region northward. The thickness is said to be. exceedingly 

variable, ranging from 200 to 2,400 feet in the lower series and 400 to 600 feet 

in the upper, although the upper Wyoming disappears for a short distance near 

Boulder and Golden. The variations in thickness of the lower division are due 

mainly to the inequalities of the granite floor on which it lies, the thicker portions 

lying in deep basins and the thinner portions where there is overlap of the 

higher beds up the slopes of these basins. At the granite contact at all horizons 

 there are usualty hard coarse sandstones and conglomerates of moderately coarse 

material, extensively cross-bedded.

Succeeding the basal deposit there is a series of heavily bedded sandstones and 

grits, with small local bodies of sandy shale. The normal thickness of this series is 

about 1,200 feet, and" its color varies from prevailing red to gray, the finer grained 

beds being,.as a rule, the most highly colored. Cross-bedding is a marked feature 

from base to summit. Toward the upper part of the lower Wyoming there is a 

transitional zone of lighter red and more quartzose sandstones,- which is terminated 

by a characteristic member of heavily bedded creamer-white sandstone from 200 to 

400 feet thick (the supposed equivalent of the Tensleep sandstone). This member 

usually forms a well-marked ridge 50 to 100 feet high along the middle of the valley 

of the Red Beds. Its lower half is less compact and often is more or less tinged with 

red in the irregular patches. Two small bands of dark-brown quartzose limestone 

from 2 to 8 feet thick are present, one near the base and the other farther up. The 

intervening sandstone is heavih' cross-bedded, and contains in some layers conglomeratic pebbles in a matrix consisting generally of quartz, occasionally of an arkosic 

nature, containing some brown or cherty limestone fragments.

Near the middle of the "creamy sandstone" there is usually a conglomeratic 

streak, but the materials become fine grained above and consist of quartz of great 

purity, which is extensively employed for silica in the pottery and fire-brick 

establishments at Golden. Toward the top some portions are conglomeratic and 

disintegrate easily-
86 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

The upper Wyoming formation consists mainly of fine-grained sediments of 

a bright-red color, the typical red sandy shales of the Red Beds of the Black 

Hills, Bighorn Mountains, and southeastern Wyoming. The lower half of this 

formation "consists of bright, brick-red, arenaceous shales and sandstones with 

intercalations of limestone. The limestone occurs within 75 feet of the base; usually 

3 or 4 beds of it from 6 to 18 inches thick are in the lower 15 feet, and a bed 5 feet 

thick .50 feet higher up, with red sandy shale intervening. The upper bed is overlain by a bed of thin, wafer-like layers of white limestone and red inud, in all 5 or 10 

feet; these present in'cross-section a wavy structure with sharp contrast of color and 

texture. The surface weathers in delicate corrugations," 61 this feature being also 

present in the .limestone itself. Cherty concretions of purple color and- small geodes 

of calcite also occur. The.following analysis 6 of the upper Wyoming limestone by 

L. G. Eakins, of the United States Geological Survey, is given:

Analysis of upper Wyoming limestone from Morrison, Colo.

Per cent.

Lime, CaO............................................................... 48.73

Magnesia, MgO .......................................................... 2.95 ,

Manganese oxide ........................................................ .49

Alumina, A1203" --........--....---..'...-----.-.. .1...................... .53

Iron sesquioxide, Fe203 -..---__-.--.--._-.-----.-.-.-----..---.---..-...-- .38

Phosphoric acid, P205 .................................................... .03

Water...........--........-.....-.-....:-............-................-. .11

. Carbonic acid, C02 ..........................^............................ 41.71

Insoluble.........-!.-...-........-.........-.-.................-.......- 5.32

100.25

The principal members above the limestones are red sandy shales, with the 

amount of sand increasing gradually in the higher beds. "About 60 feet up are a 

number of layers of fine-grained, compact, red sandstone, 2 to 6 inches thick, characteristically marked with white dots. A heavy-bedded fine-grained sandstone occasionally appears in this series, notably in the vicinity of .Turkey Creek."* Higher 

up, or from 150 to 200 feet below the top of the formation, the strata become more 

clayey and present a variety of tints, gray, yellow, green, pink, and lilac, while 

gypsum and brown earthy limestones are common. The gypsum occurs in small 

le'ns-shaped deposits, mainly in connection with limestones. Near Morrison and 

Deer Creek, at this horizon, there is a thin band of sandstone carrying white and red 

'grains of jasper-like material. ~ 

The top of the upper Wyoming beds is marked by a sandstone 15 to 25 feet 

thick, varying from compact and massive to thin bedded and friable, of'which the 

lower 8 feet is usually brown, the middle 10 to 15 feet pink,- and .the upp'er 4 feet

aSeventh Ann. Kept. U. S. Geol. and Geog. Surv. Terr., 1873, p. 54. 6Loc. cit., p. 55.-
RED BEDS OF THE MORRISON REGION. 87

brown-, all fine grained, delicately cross-bedded and ripple-marked. The stratum is 

very distinct, especially at its contact with the overlying Morrison, which "is somewhat undulating, apparently the line of an unconformity, or at least of interrupted 

deposition."" A typical section at Morrison is given as follows: 6

Section of Wyoming formation at Morrison, Colo.

UPPER DIVISION.

Feet.

Sandstone, fine.grained, often massive, pink and brown; persistent....- 15-25

Clays, bright colored, gray, yellow, green, pink, and lilac; gypsiferous and 

calcareous, especially at 40 feet below their summit ................. 125-175

Clays, more arenaceous than above; transitional in color, from grays 

"above, to prevailing brick reds below............................... 150-200

Sandstone and shale, alternating; brick red to pink; white dots; sandstones prominent.................................. 1................ 50

Sandstones and shales ................................................. ' 60

Shales, sandy and argillaceous, brick red, carrying narrow bands (3 to 6 

feet thick) of white crystalline limestone............................. 75

LOWER DIVISION.

i

"Creamy" sandstone; quartzose; conglomeratic at base; two sandy limestone bands in lower part; round ferruginous concretions near top; 

forms prominent outcrop in valley between Archean and Dakota 

(average 250 feet)................................................... 200-400.

Eed Beds; conglomerates, sandstones, and shales, the last of minimum 

development; color, red; outcrops, lofty spires and pinnacles and towering masses of irregular shape...................................... 270-2,000

Some features of the Red Beds of the Morrison region are shown in PL 

XXXI11, which are reproduced from photographs by Mr. J. B. Walker, jr.

I visited the Morrison .locality in 1901 in order to compare this section with 

those in the Black Hills and Bighorn Mountains. I found the "creamy sandstone" 

series strongly suggestive of.the Tensleep sandstone of the Bighorn Mountains and 

of the top sandstones of the Minnelusa of the . Black Hills. The overlying red

.shales begin abruptly, and they are very closely similar to the Opeche in aspect 

and relations. The limestone bands have the character of the Minnekahta limestone, especially the upper bed. which is 5 feet thick and lies, as .stated by Eldridge, 

70 feet above the "creamy limestone," a position similar to that of the Minnekahta 

limestone in the northern part of the Lararnie Range in eastern Wyoming and 

elsewhere north and west. A careful search- for fossils yielded a few indistinct

. forms similar in appearance to the Bakeioellia of the Minnekahta limestones of the 

Black Hills. The overlying red sandy shales with gypsum are very like the

aSeventh Ann.Rept'. U. S. Geol. and Geog, Surv. Terr., 1873. p. 5(i. . 6Loc. cit., p. 52.
88 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Spearfish formation of the region north. The pinkish sandstone at the top..underlying the Morrison, is the same as the top member at other ^localities north.

Peale" and Marvine 6 have described some features of the red-bed exposures 

on South Platte Eiver at the mouth of the can\T on. The basal beds lying .on 

the granite consist of coarse, white and red mottled sandstones, overlain by finer 

grained red sandstones, in all 1;500 to 2,000 feet thick, capped by 600 feet of 

white sandstone corresponding to the "creamy sandstone" of Eldridge (Tensleep 

sandstone). This member has reddish bands 4 to 6 feet thick separating the 

white portions into bands 20 to 30 feet thick, in part conglomeratic. The upper 

Wyoming red beds are not well exposed, but are reported to contain a layer of 

compact red limestone near their base and thin limestones and limy shales 

higher up. The beds dip east-northeast at an angle of 65°.

Doctor Peale has "given a section similar to that on p. 87 for Willow 

Creek, and Eldridge c has supplied some details regarding the succession of limestones in the upper Wyoming beds in that vicinity. He says: "There are four 

distinct layers of limestone, one lying immediately on the 'creamy sandstones,' 

and the others 30, 60, and 70 feet above. All are white and crystalline. The 

lowest is 1| feet thick, without banding, and has an angular fracture. The 

second is 2 feet thick, gray, faintly banded. The third is 2 to 4 feet thick, 

banded and cherty. The fourth is 10 feet above the third limestone, the two 

being united by intervening banded lime and shale beds. The upper layer is 

banded faint purple and white, and is overlain by strata of lime and red clay."

For Perry -Park (formerly Pleasant Park) on Beaver Creek there are sections by 

Doctor Peale rf and Mr. W. T. Lee/ Doctor Peale's section is as follows:

Section of red beds, etc., at Pleasant (Pen-y) Park, Colo.

Feet. 

Thin limestones (at base of Morrison probably).

Gypsum.................................................................. 81

Slopes with few outcrops of thin limestone beds, four in all, averaging 4 feet 

thick (probably in red shales) ........ ......................... .......... 461

Mottled yellow and red sandstones, light colored above, mottled reddish below.

Massive red sandstones. 1,500

Slope apparently underlain by red sandstones.............................

Coarse white sandstone, loosely cemented in upper part; bands of red sandstone

varying from 1 to 3 feet thick............................................ 80

Small outcrop" of limestone with chert pebbles and fossils (Terebratula and

Spiriferina) overlain by purplish sandstone and gray sandstone ............ 6

Irregular bed of limestone w'ith pebbles of greenish chert and limestone ...... 3

Red calcareous sandstone, very hard, and with cross-bedding thin layers ..... 3

a Seventh Ann. Kept. U. S. Geol. and Geog. Surv. Terr, lor 1873. by F. V. Harden, r-195.

t>Ibid., pi. opposite p. 93.

c Geology of the Denver basin in Colorado: Mon. U. S. Geol. Survey, vol. 27, 18%.

rflbid., pp. 197-199, and PI. II.

e Am. Geol.. vol. 29, 1902, pp. 97-98.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XXXIII

A RED VALLEY AT MORRISON, COLO.

Lower Wyoming red sandstones in foreground; valley of soft Chugwater red beds, with gypsum, in middle-ground; hogback of east-dipping Dakota 

sandstone, with Mornson-shale slopes, in center and left. Looking south. Photograph by J. B. Walker, jr.

7? LOWER WYOMING RED CONGLOMERATIC GRITS IN GATEWAY OF "GARDEN OF ANGELS," NEAR MORRISON, COLO. 

Showing rock texture and massive bedding. Underlying granite in distance. Photograph by J. B. Walker, jr.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEV PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XXXIV

A. LOWER WYOMING RED BEDS LYING ON GRANITE IN FRONT RANGE OF ROCKY MOUNTAINS, JUST SOUTH OF

BOULDER, COLO.

Showing steep dip and massive character of rocks Looking southwest. Photograph by J. B, Walker, jr.

B. GATEWAY TO PERRY PARK, COLORADO. 

Nearly vertical tower Wyomirg red grits: cliffs of "Dakota sandstone " surmounting slopes of Morrison formation in distance. Looking east.
CARBONIFEROUS OF FERRY PARK AND SOUTHWARD. 89

Feet. 

Compact red sandstone in 1-foot layers veined with calcite................... 15

Dark-purplish cherty limestones ........................................... 3

Red limy sandstone*......................................... ^...'.......... 4

Very coarse white sandstone lying on granite ............................... 80

The 80-foot bed of coarse, loose sandstone in this section is regarded as the same 

as the basal member in the Platte Canyon section, where the underlying 114 feet of 

beds of the Perry Park section are thought to be absent. The upper red beds, 

including the 81-foot bed of gypsum, are stated to have a thickness of 542 feet, an 

estimate which probably is too great. The lower limestone in this upper series 

strongly resembles the Minnekahta limestone and has the same stratigraphic relation 

in lying near the base of the upper Wyoming and in being separated from'the gray 

sandstone at the top of the lower Wyoming (Tensleep apparently) by red shales 

corresponding to the Opeche. The heavy gypsum bed at the top of the formation 

extends for several miles, but varies greatly in thickness.

Mr. Willis T. Lee obtained fossils from the limestone near the base of the 

Perry Park section, as follows: Orthothetes inequalis, Spirifer centrona.tus, Spirifer 

sp., Spiriferina solidirostris(T), Seminula subqitadrata (?), Cransena n. sp., My anna 

arkamasana, Aviculopecten sp. a fauna regarded as lower Carboniferous and probably of its middle portion. This limestone is an outlier of the Millsap limestoneof the region farther south. Mr. Lee describes, at the base of the formation, 40 

feet of coarse-grained crumbling sandstone, conglomeratic in places, and mottled in 

varying shades of .red and gray, a member which may be older than Carboniferous. 

Above this sandstone is a series 10 to 15 feet thick of deep-red to white, cherty 

limestone in layers alternating with red shale, and. near the top is the layer yielding 

 the fossils. Above are several hundred feet of coarse-grained sandstones and conglomerates in conformable succession. " They are colored irregularly in various 

shades of red and gray to an extent which gives the series a conspicuous mottled 

appearance."" Gray predominates toward the base and the amount of red color 

increases toward the upper portion of the formation.

In the extensive exposures which are to be seen in many places in the vicinity 

of the "GardeTi of the Gods some of the stratigraphic features present considerable 

variation. The basal limestone, with Ordovician fossils, is succeeded by gray, 

purplish, and yellowish limestones from 200 to 300 feet thick, in the upper beds 

of which M. A. W. Grabau has found Carboniferous fossils, presumably Millsap. 

These limestones are conspicuous about Manitou, especially in Williams Canyon, 

and extend north to beyond the Garden of the Gods, where they appear to abut 

against the granite and are overlapped by the overlying lower Wyoming sandstones.' 

Five miles north of the Garden of the Gods the lowest pink limestones, containing 

Ordovician fossils, are overlain by a massive gray limestone, which, in turn, is

" Lee, W. T., The areal geology of Castle Rock region: Am* Geologist, vol. 29, p, 97,
90 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND "WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

'X

succeeded by a limestone breccia strongly suggestive of 'uncpnformity. The lower 

Wyoming sandstones have a thickness of 1,000 feet or more, and are coarse 

grained, massive, often cross-bedded, and predominately, red, They give rise 

to the picturesque-features of the Garden of the Gods, the "Gateway," which is 

shown in PI. I .(p. 21), marking the outcrop of the uppermost, hard, red stratum. 

Next above there are some softer, striped-red sandstones about 100 feet thick, not 

well exposed at the Gateway, and then the white sandstone bed, which outcrops 

in the sharp low ridge in the middle-ground of the picture. This bed is about 100 

feet thick, moderately fine grained, massive, and cross-bedded, and almost surety 

represents the "creamy sandstone" of Eldridge at the top of his lower Wyoming. 

As before explained, the occurrence of this lighter colored, finer grained sandstone 

at 'this horizon is general along the foothills of the Kocky Mountains from Manitou 

'north and in the Laramie Eange, Black Hills, and Bighorn Mountains, being the 

Tensleep -sandstone in the Bighorn slopes. Near the Garden of the Gods it is 

similarly succeeded abruptly by soft red shales, including, near the base, thin limestones believed to represent the Minnekahta limestone and gypsum deposits above, 

and extending to typical Morrison shale. This upper series of red shales, limestone, 

and gypsum undoubtedly is equivalent to the upper Wyoming of Eldridge. At its 

base, overlying the white sandstone, are 55 feet of soft red shale, and red claye}7 

sandstone (Opeche horizon), a series 25 feet thick of thin limestone layers with red 

shale intercalations (Minnekahta), and 30 feet of red shales surmounted by a 30-foot 

bed of gypsum overlain by Morrison shales. The following section was measured a 

short distance north of the Gateway to the Garden of the Gods:

Section of upper Red Beds between the Gateway of Garden of the Gods and Glen Eyrie, Colo.

Feet. » 

Shale and clay (Morrison).

 Gypsuui... ..-..... .................;.._...,_..._._. . 30

Bed shales ............:........................... 30

Upper Wyoming beds...

Limestone ......................

Bed shales with thin limestones .

3

(Minnekahta)|... 22 

, . Limestone, purple, thin layers... 1

Soft red shale and sandstone .............. _... =. . 55

Top of lower Wyoming massive, white sandstone (Tensleep).

To the south the two series of Eed Beds preserve the same general features 

to the foot of Cheyenne Mountain, but there are local variations. At the Gateway 

the 30-foot bed of gypsum is a conspicuous feature, as shown in the foreground 

in PI. I; there is another thin bed a short distance below its base. Just below 

the Gateway these beds are offset and. twisted, so that they are locally deflected to 

some distance west of the general line of strike. On the roadside south of the 

Gateway are very coarse cross-bedded materials in the upper part of the lower 

Wyoming formation, giving .place abruptly to the fine-grained red sandstones and
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XXXVI

CATHEDRAL SPIRES, GARDEN OF THE GODS, COLORADO, 

Vertical strata of lower Wyoming red grits. Looking north.
RED BEDS FROM COLORADO CITY TO CANYON. 9.1

red gypsiferous shales of the upper Wyoming, all vertical or dipping steeply east- , ward (PI. XXXVI).

In a railroad cut at .Colorado City the following 'section is exposed:

Partial sectioq of Bed Beds <tt Colorado City.

Feet. 

Sandy shales, etc. (Morrison).

Talus-and red beds..................................s...................... 50

Impure gypsum ................'............................................ 5

Red shales and soft sandstone with 3 feet of thin beds of gypsum near top.. 60

Soft, massive, red sandstone................................................. 55

The section consists of upper Wyoming red beds, except 'perhaps the basal 

member, which may possibly be the upper part of the lower Wyoming' division.

When the Bed Beds next appear, southwest of the village of Fountain, after 

the -first one or two miles they are seen to .consist almost. entirely of coarsegrained materials without the uppermost gypsiferous red shales, and are overlain 

directly by'Morrison beds. This coarse series, or the entire Red Bed succession 

of this region, was designated the Fountain formation by Cross, a name which 

has been employed by Gilbert in the region still farther south. It lies unconformaLly on Millsap limestone and overlaps widely on the granite and schist. 

The coarse red grits and sandstones in the Garden of the, Gods region are precisely the same as 'the typical Fountain formation and, special investigation in the 

field affords no suggestion but that the Fountain and lower Wyoming formations 

represent the same period of deposition. They are alike in character, representing the same "conditions as to origin; they are similarly underlain unconformably 

by remnants of Millsap limestone; and there is not the slightest evidence that 

they overlap.

The Fountain formation in the region extending from southwest of Fountain 

- to Canyon consists mainly of' coarse-grained, crumbling, arkosic sandstone in 

massive beds, usually cross-bedded. Many conglomeratic streaks occur, and a basal 

conglomerate often appears, notably on the road northwest of Canyon where it lies 

on an eroded surface of Millsap limestone. The beds are prominently reddish, but 

some are gray and others are mottled gray and red. Finer grained materials often 

occur, which are nearly all' of a bright brownish red colo'r. The thickness is 

estimated at 1,000 feet, but varies considerably. Nearly everywhere the formation 

is separated from the granites and gneiss by limestones of Ordovician age, but-in 

places it overlaps the crystalline rocks, and in some localities the underlying limestones are faulted out. In the vicinity of Canyon, and at a small locality on 

Cripple Creek, at the head of Garden Park, o the underlying Millsap limestone 

appears. It is a thinly bedded, variegated;. dolomitic limestone, with a few thin 

sandstone layers,- and in its upper portion there are chert nodules which carry 

Spirifera rockymcmtana and Athyris siibtilita, lower Carboniferous (Mississippian)
92 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

forms. This limestone outcrops again on the slopes west "of Beulah, 25 miles southwest of Pueblo, as described by Mr. Gilbert. In this locality its thickness is 200 

feet, and it consists of gray and purplish limestones, with some shale in its lower 

part. Spirifera rockymontana occurs near its middle.

In the region southwest of Pueblo the Fountain formation, as measured by 

Mr. Gilbert, is 2,100 feet thick, but to the south it thins out and is absent for some 

distance along the foot of Greenhorn Mountain. At the south end of this mountain 

appears a similar series of rocks, which Mr. Hills has named the Badito formation. 

It comprises an upper member about 100 feet thick, generally massive or thick 

bedded, but sometimes shaly on the weathered surface, corresponding to a part 

of the Fountain forriiation. The lower member consists of about the same thickness 

of very coarse conglomerate of a brownish red color. To the south this series 

appears again in the Culebra Range, where it lies on the granites and gneisses and has 

a great thickness. The Carboniferous limestones appear again on this range about 

La Veta Pass and extend southward into New Mexico. This area ^was described 

in considerable detail by Mr. Endlich, of the Hayden Survey, who mapped the 

lower portion of the series as lower Carboniferous, and several thousand feet of 

overlying beds as upper Carboniferous.

In 1902, Mr. Willis T. Lee a collected fossils and made a section southwest of 

Spanish Peaks. These fossils, obtained mostly from the lower hundred feet of the 

series, were identified by Dr. Stuart Weller and found to be upper 'Carboniferous. 

The species were as follows:

Zaphrentis sp. nudet. Bellerophon montfortiaiius N. &-P.

Orbiculoidea convexa Shum. Bellerophon sp. undet.

Orbiculoidea missourieusis Shum. Rotella verrucelifera White.

Chonetes mesoloba N. & P. Soleniscus brevis White

Productus longispinus Sow. Soleniscus sp. undet.

Productus costatus Sow. Sphwrodetna texana Shum.

Productus cora D'Orb. ' Sphterodema sp. undet.

Spirifer caineratus Morton. Trachydomia wheeleri Swall. var.

Spirifer rockymontana Marcou. Naticopsis altonensis McCh.

Reticularia perplexa McCh. Naticopsis altonensis var. gigantea M. & W.

Seminula argentea Shep. Pleurotomaria perizomata White.

Aviculopecten carboniferus Stev. ' Pleurotomaria (several species undet.).

Astartella concentrica McCh. Murehisonia copei White

Nucula ventricoaa H. Orthoceras ap. undet.

Nuculana bellistriata Stev. . Syringopora sp.

Bellerophon percarinatus Con. ' Campophyllum torquium Owen.

Bellerophon carbonarius Cox. . , Straparolus catilloides Con.

("Lee. Willis T., Note on the Carboniferous of the Sangre de Cristo Range, Colorado: Jour. Geol.. vol. 10, 1902, pp 

393-3%.
UPPER CARBONIFEROUS OF. THE CULEBRA RANGE. 93

Several other fossils were-found in loose fragments, which were 

Derbya crassa M. & H. , Belleropbon (large sp. undet. ) 

Hustedia mormoni Mareou. Temnocheilus winslqwi M. & 'VV. 

Allorisma subcuneata M. & H. Phillipsia sp., large flsh spine. 

Schizodus wheeleri Swall.

The following section id given by Mr. Lee: ,.

Section at crest of Culel>rn Runyt, between Middle fork and North Fork of Purgatory River, Colorado.

Feet. 

Hard rjuartzitif conglomerate ...".......... ................................... 10

Dark shale .................................... '.^.......................... 5

Limestone, fossiliferous...................................................... 2

Red sandstone, with bands of red shale and irregular masses of limestone....... 12

 . Greenish argillaceous sandstone.............................................. 4

Pink sandstone, argillaceous above, conglomeratic below....................... 18

Fossiliferous limestone ....................................................... -4

Deep-red sandstone, conglomeratic at the base, shaly near the top.............. 10

Limestone, arenaceous near the base ................-........_..............._. 20

Massi ve light-colored grit, coarse and conglomeratic........................... 13

Banded sandstone and limestone intimately commingled. The limestone is oftenin more or less rounded masses. Irregular beds of gravel occur in places...... 6'

Nodular limestone .......................................................... 3

Massive limestone.... . .................. ...................:.......-....... 8

Shale, with limestone nodules................................................ 3

Massive limestone........................................................... 23

Coarse sandstone, conglomeratic in the lower half............................. 20

Massive grit (local unconformity)............................................ 8

Calcareous shale, passing to black shale, with limestone nodules near the top ... 10

Fossiliferous limestone, with sandstone layers; cup corals abundant,............ 15

Massive limestone ..I..............i.......-..'......-....-.................... 6

Shale ...................................................................... 8

Coarse grit ............ '..................................................... 2

Sandstone, with large nodules arid irregular masses of limestone................ 10 . .

Shale, with bands of sandstone and limestone................................. 25

Banded limestone.......................................................... 4-12

Soft black shale, fossiliferous ................'................................ 28

Coarse grit.................................................................. 9

Black shale. .... ..........;..........................................'...... 6

Coarse grit, conglomeratic in places ......................................... 2-20

Dark shale, with limestone nodules and thin seams "of sandstone; runs to massive

limestone in places; becomes red and arenaceous near the base .............. 45

Coarse grit.................................................................. 7

Dark:red shale,, with nodules and irregular masses of limestone ............:... "ju

Limestone.....-...-....-...-....-.-.....-.......-.-.-.....---..-............ t

Red to black micaceous shale, with bands of sandstcflie near the base and limestone nodules near the top................................................... 12

Coarse grit ...............-....................-..-.'......-.-............... 10

Red grit and conglomerate ................................................... ?

Crystalline rocks of the mountains.
94 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

A small collection of fossils was also obtained from the western slope of La Veta 

Pass, 5'miles above Placer, in a succession consisting of sandstones, limestones, 

shales, and conglomerates similar to those above described. The following upper 

Carboniferous forms were found in this locality: - 

Zaphrentis sp. . Seminula argentea Shep. 

Orbiculoidea sp. ' ' Hustedia mormoni Marcou. 

Derbya crassa M. & H. . Aviculopecten occidentalis.

Chonetes granulifera Owen. Astartella concentrica McOh.

Ohonetes mesoloba N. & P. Schizodus wheeleri, Swall. 

Productus nebrascensis Owen, Bellerophon percarinatus Con. 

Productus costatus Sow. ' Bellerophon inspeoiosus White (?). 

Spirifer cameratus" Morton. - Soleniacus sp. 

Reticularia perplexa McOh. ' Orthoceras sp.

Mr. Lee did not observe the Millsap and underlying limestones in the Oulebra 

Range, although possibly, there may be small outliers of them in portions of the 

range which he did not visit. The strata overhung the section given above consist 

of several thousand. feet of red and gray sandstones, mostly coarse, extending to 

the base of the Morrison formation,, and representing the Fountain 'series'.

In the canyon of Cucharas River, near the north line of Huerfario County, the 

upper portion of the Red Beds is exposed, being here termed the Badito formation 

by R. C. Hills." At. Red Rocks in the canyon of the Purgatory, in the northern 

portion of Las Animas County,-there are extensive exposures of the Red Beds and of 

an overlying bed of gypsum, which appears to belong with them. Several hundred 

feet are exposed, consisting at the top under the gypsum of a coarse, conglomeratic, 

massive, red sandstone, which merges 'downward into more regularly stratified red 

sandstones, with occasional layers of sandy red shales. In the uppermost sandstones 

I found a small" bone" fragment,'apparently a portion of a shoulder blade of abolodont, 

which suggests that the formation is of Triassic age.

Mr. W. T. Lee 6 has published also the following section:

Partial section of Red^Beds in Plum Canyon, near Purgatory Rii-er, ,L'ix Animas County, Colo. '

Two massive sandstones with clay between (Dakota)........................ 140

Variegated shales with thiu limestone layers (Morrison) ..................... 85

Dark shales with irregular masses of gypsum .............................. 15

'Gypsum with streaks of clay..................'............................ 1J

Variegated shale with much gypsum in masses up to a foot in diameter..... 8

Gypsum in layers sometimes separated by layers of clay ... 1................ 25

Massive gypsum ............../..... :..............._. 1.................. 5

a Walsenburg district:"Geologic Atlas U. S., folio 68, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1900. 

& Morrison formation of Colorado: Jour. Geol., vol. 9,1901, p. 346.
BED BEDS IN SOUTHERN. COLORADO. 95

" Feet. 

Bed gypsiferous shales, soft and regularly bedded.......................'... 30-40

. Red calcareous sandstone, oolitic, cross-bedded, layers variable in thickness

and- character, shaly near top, grading into gypsiferous shales ..,'......... 60 . .'

Red sandstone, massive, cross-bedded .....___....__......_......-...__..._ ] 75--200

Red arenaceous shales.................................................... - 6 

Red sandstone........."......'............................................ 1

Fine red shale ....-....-....:..-....-....................... ............ 4

Even-bedded red'sandstone. ....... --.................._................... 9

Red arenaceous sbale .................................................... 2

Red sandstone, cross-bedded ....--- --...---.........---...-.............. 40

Loose red sandstone alternating with shale ..............................'.. 15

Massive red sandstone..................................................... 5'

Soft red sandstone containing ripple-marked hard layers.................... 30

White, hard, argillaceous limestone, thin layers, contorted ............. 1... 4

Red sandstone to river bottom...................... ...............:..... 15

The correlation of these Red Beds with the Wyoming formation is.reasonably 

certain when their character and relations are considered; apparently the upper, 

gypsiferous series .represents, the upper Wyoming.. They underlie a wide area in ' 

southeastern Colorado and have.been penetrated by some of. the wells. The well - 

at La Junta reached, them at 605,_feet and continued in them to 1,150 feet., The 

well at Bloom penetrated them from 400 feet to 1,162 feet without reaching their 

bottom. They also appear in some of the deep canyons south of the west end of 

Mesa de Maya, but ; their character, in that region was not ascertained..

The Red Beds are exposed in an area of about 3 square miles in the Two 

Buttes uplift on Butte Creek, in Prowers and Baca counties.. .They are--described , 

by Mr. G. K. Gilbert, a who estimates, that over 600 feet are exhibited. The 

lowest beds are sandstones and shales, the latter predominating.somewhat. Some, 

of the beds are orange or yellowish. These are overlain by white limestone 5 to 10 

feet thick, which I found to be very like the Minnekahta limestone in its thinbedded character and general aspect in the outcrops. It .is overlain by brick-red 

shales about 150 feet thick, becoming sandy at the top'and merging into a massive 

red sandstone more than 300 feet thick, which forms prominent bluffs along the 

creek and caps the butte that was uplifted by .the laccolitic intrusion of igneous 

rock. At one place this sandstone is parted by 40 to 50 feet" of shale. Parts of 

the sandstone are buff, yellow, or gray, somewhat resembling Dakota sandstone, for 

. whicli it has been mistaken here and elsewhere. It is, however, .separated, from the 

Dakota by typical Morrison. shales and probably represents the Exeter sandstone 

of Mr. Willis T. Lee, which appears extensively along Cimarron River to the 

south. No fossils were discovered in any of the rocks.

« Gilbert, G. K.. Laecolites in southeastern Colorado: Jour. Geol., vol. 4,' 1896. pp. 816-825.
96 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER Ol<' CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

JUKASSIC.

The Sundance formation extends only a few miles into Colorado from the 

northward, finally thinning out. Doctor Hayden" discovered fossils, " Ostrea and 

fragments of Pentaorinus asterlsticus on Boxelder Creek in yellow sandstones 

and clays," with scattered layers or nodules of limestone. He suggested that 

the limestone sometimes found at the base of the Mormon may be a representative 

of the marine Jurassic, a suggestion based on its similarity in character and relations 

to a limestone on the Laramie plains which contains Apiocrinites, As these limestones characterize typical Morrison beds where the marine Jurassic is represented, 

I feel certain that those in the Front Range are all of Morrison age.

CRETACEOUS.

Morrison formation. This formation extends along the entire Kocky Mountain 

front through Colorado, outcrops frequently, and presents very characteristic 

features. In a few localities it is cut off by faults or locally buried under 

overlaps of younger formations. It is also exposed in some of the canyons 

eastward, notabry in the deeper ones- of eastern Las Aniinas County and in the 

Two Buttes uplift. Its general character is nearly uniform throughout, being a 

series of light-colored massive clays, or "joint clays," with thin beds of limestone 

and sandstone of fresh-water origin, containing bones of saurians of the so-called 

Atlantosaurus fauna. Its thickness averages less than 200 feet in most cases. It 

presents frequent and rapid variations in the local succession of beds, but the 

predominance of joint clays of chalky aspect and the occurrence of maroon and 

purplish layers among them are characteristic features. The name Morrison was 

given by Eldridge, from the town of Morrison, where the formation is extensively 

developed.

South of the. end of the marine Jurassic deposits (Sundance formation) the 

Morrison beds lie unconformably on the upper Wyoming or Chugwater formation 

for many miles, and, southwest of. Colorado Springs, overlap the red grits of the 

Fountain and Badito formations. In eastern Las Animas County they lie on a 

bed of gypsum. Mr. W. T. Lee has traced them into western Oklahoma and 

found that they either merge into or are displaced by lower Cretaceous marine 

beds, containing fossils of Comanche age. an observation which I have found 

verified on Butte Creek, east of Two Buttes, in Prowers County, Colo.

The saurian remains which have been obtained so abundantly from the 

Morrison beds west of Denver and north of Canyon are regarded as latest Jurassic 

by some paleontologists and earliest Cretaceous by others; but, from the stratigraphic relations of the formation to the later Comanche, it is preferable to class 

them even later in the lower Cretaceous.

aHayden, F. V., Third Ann. Kept. U. S. Geol. and Geog. Surv. Terr, (for 1869), p. 119.
MOREISON FORMATION. IN NORTHERN COLORADO. 97

*

The Morrison beds in the foothills of the Eocky Mountains'in northern Colorado 

were described by Marvine as a variable series, consisting of variegated shales, 

sandy shales, siliceous shales, and soft, white, massive sandstones, with several thin 

layers of limestone. The thickness indicated is less than 100 feet, and the beds were 

classed as Jurassic, together with the underlying gypsiferous red beds (upper 

Wyoming formation). The basal unconformity is one of widespread planation. 

with local shallow channeling, but no perceptible discordance of dips. In a section 

measured northwest of Lapqrte I found the following beds:

Geologic section of Morrison formation northwest of Laporte, Colo.

Feet. 

Dakota ....Coarse sandstone, with conglomerate at base.

Gray massive shales, with thin limestone bed about 20 feet below 

top ....-......... '.............................................. SO

Morrison.. Limestone, gray, with algse

Sandy shale, reddish to buff, partly massive....................... 20

. Pinkish and buff sandstones at top of Chugwater formation,........ 60

The basal, reddish, sandy member of the Morrison at this place is an unusual 

feature in Colorado, and may' possibly belong to the Chugwater formation; more 

likely, however, it consists partly of deposits derived from that.formation, a feature 

occasionally observed along the southern portion of the Black Hills. The 6-foot 

limestone layer outcrops in a prominent ledge. The only fossils observed are 

many algse in one of its lower laj'ers. The basal sandstone somewhat suggests a bed 

often seen at the base of the Sundance in Wyoming. Along the creek and ditches 

east of Lyons there are excellent exposures of the entire series, having the very 

unusual thickness of about 420 feet and consisting of the following beds: .

Geologic section of Morrison formation east of Lyons, Colo.

Feet. 

"Dakota ....Sandstone, hard, massive, buff.

. « Olive-green massive shale, with some sandstone layers ............. 150

Light grayish-green, massive shale. .............................. 30

Soft to hard gray sandstone, fine grained................."..-....... 15

Red, maroon, and green massive shale......_...".'..............._. 150

Massive buff sandstone, moderately fine.......................... 10

v 

Grayish-green tOjinaroon massive shale, with thin layers of fine--

 grained sandstone..-.-...-.-.....................".............. 40

Covered ..........;..-.........-.-...-..-...-...-.-.-.-.-.-..-.- 25

Soft buff sandstone on Chugwater formation...................... 30

The typical Morrison formation in the region west of Denver has been defined 

by Eldridge a-as consisting of fresh-water marls, 'having an average thickness of 200 

feet, the amount varying somewhat. Its upper "limit-is sharply defined by the 

Dakota sandstone, while the brown aiid pink sandstone, regarded as the top member

Morrison..

aEmmons Cross, and Eldridge. Geology of the Denver basin. Mon. U. S Geo!. Survey, vol. 27. 1890, pp. 61-C.2. 

10001 No. 32 05 7 ;
98 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATEB OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

«

of the upper Wyoming, clearly marks its lower limit. Mr. Eldridge's description 

of the formation is as follows:

"The marls are green, drab, or gray, and carry in the lower two-thirds numerous lenticular bodies of limestone of a characteristic drab color and a texture compact 

and even throughout. A small but persistent band of sandstone and limestone in 

thin alternating layers occurs about 20 feet above the base; in some places the arenaceous elements largely predominate, and near Mount Vernon, 3 miles north of 

Morrison and in the vicinity of.Van Bibber Creek, there are at about this horizon 

from 10 to 15 feet of dull-gray or yellowish sandstones carrying small pebbles of 

flint of various colors. - The clays of the lower two-thirds are remarkable for their 

reptilian z-emains.

"The'upper one-third of the formation is generally a succession of sandstones 

and marls, of which the former predominate; locally, however, either may prevail 

to almost the entire exclusion of the other. The most important sandstone occurs 

just above the lower clays, is very persistent, and from contained saurian remains 

has been called the Saurian sandstone. It varies in thickness between 5 and 35 feet,

* '

and in its distance below the Dakota from 10 to 125 feet, although more'generally it. 

lies 50 to SO feet below. The chief constitutent is quartz.

"The sandstone is everywhere marked with small rusty dots, round and sharply 

defined, one-sixteenth to one-fourth inch in diameter, the result of spherical stains of 

brown oxide of iron; occasionally the appearance is one of irregular mottling. The 

sandstone is loyally divided into several layers by narrow-intercalations of drab clay. 

In the vicinity of Turkey Creek these clays reach the unusual thickness of 20 to 30 

feet; the sandstones aggregating about 20 feet. The bed may be locally calcareous, 

especial!}7 in the northern half ,of the field, the lime being uniformly distributed 

throughout the mass. At the base is generally a conglomerate having a maximum 

thickness of 8 feet, in which the pebbles so closely resemble those of the Dakota that 

but for a slight admixture of red jasper and the characteristic brown dots the 

two layers could with difficulty be distinguished from each other. The shales overlying this sandstone are similar to those comprising the bulk of the formation, but 

carry through them, a number of minor sandstones and occasionallyoone or two 

strata of limestone.

"A variation in the Saurian sandstone occurs in the vicinity of Van Bibber 

Creek, which, on account "of its determinative value in connection with the structural 

features about Golden, is of considerable importance. The bed is essentially a sandstone, but is divided into minor layers by bands of hard white clay from H to 2 feet 

thick. Occasionally the clay also is specked with rust spots, and upon becoming 

coarser grainecL is directly identifiable with the mottled or specked sandstone 

described above.. It is also sometimes conglomeratic.

"The cause of the variation in the thickness of the upper half of the formation 

could not be determined from conditipris existing in the Denver field, but an 

oft-suggested unconformity at ^the-base of the Dakota maybe the explanation.'1

Doctor Peale refers to some features of .the Morrison formation in the district 

between South Platte "River and Colorado City, and Mr. Lee mentions its occurrence 

in Perry Park. It is well exposed a short distance north of the gateway to the
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO, 32 PL. XXXVII

A. TWO BUTTES, SOUTHWESTERN PROWERS COUNTY, COLO. 

Exeter sandstone, uplifted by a laccolith; adjoining plain covered by later Tertiary deposits. Looking south.

BONE-BEARING SANDSTONE IN MIDDLE OF MORRISON FORMATION, IN GARDEN PARK, NORTH OF CANYON, COLO.

Photograph by I. C. Russell.
MORKISON FORMATION IN SOUTHERN COLORADO. 99

Garden of the Gods, where I found its thickness to be 130 feet. The basal beds here 

lie on the thick deposit of 1 gypsum at the top of the Chugwater formation, and consist 

of ash-gray massive shales with several thin limestone layers and a few streaks of 

shales with clay pebbles. These grade up into typical, pale-greenish and maroon, 

massive clays with a few othin layers of fine-grained light-colored sandstone 

abruptly overlain by coarse-grained buff-colored Dakota sandstone.

At Colorado City the Morrison beds are exposed only in part in the railroad cut, 

the top and bottom members being covered by talus. The beds stand nearly orquite vertical. To the west are 5 5-feet of pale greenish-gray, sandy shale, mostly 

massive, with thin layers .which are overlain (to the east) by a 15-foot- bed of soft, 

pale greenish-gray sandstone.

The formation is cut off by the overlap and fault south of Colorado City, but 

reappears again in the embayment north and northeast of Canyon. In Garden 

Park, on Oil Creek, it has a thickness of about 350 feet, according to Cross/' and 

consists mainly of greenish, pinkish, or gray shales or marls with sandstone layers 

at various horizons. It usually lies on the Fountain 'formation, but overlaps locally 

onto-the granite. It this region the formation has yielded large numbers of dinosaur 

remains. The late J. B. Hatcher 6 described the formation and its relations in the 

Garden Park area, and gave some details regarding the fossiliferous horizons. He 

, estimated the thickness at 450 feet, placing the upper limit higher than Cross, so as 

to include some "Dakota" sandstones and shales with dinosaur remains. The bones 

have been obtained in- largest number from a thick sandstone layer about 150 feet 

above the base of the formation shown in PI. XXXVII, B, but, some occur 30 feet 

below this stratum and others have been found at various horizons above, both in 

shale and sandstones." Just below the main bone-bearing, sandstone bed there »is a 

layer of clay with thin limestone beds containing numerous freshwater Gastropods, 

and at a somewhat lower horizon is a marly layer with abundant remains of Unios. 

These shell fossils hav3 been described bycC. A. White, who classes them as Jurassic, 

because" they occur with supposed Jurassic dinosaurs, but states that otherwise they 

might be much younger, so that they throw no light on- the age of the beds. 

Hatcher reported the discovery of an Inocerainus at the Garden Park locality.

South of Canyon these beds are faulted out .or overlapped by younger strata, 

and they do not reappear again until in the vicinity of Beulah, southwest of 

Pueblo, where they extend fort a few miles along the foot of the mountains. North 

of Beulah for several miles the Dakota sandstone lies directly on the Fountain formation, but probably the Morrison beds formerly covered the region and were 

removed by pre-Dakota erosion. South of Beulah, according to Mr. Gilbert," the

a Cross, Whitman, Description of the Pikes Peak district: Geologic Atlas U. S., folio 7, U. S, Geol. Survey, 1894, p. 2.

6 Hatcher, J. B., Annals of Carnegie Museum, vol. 1,1901. pp. 327-341,

c Gilbert, G. K,, Description of the Pueblo district: Geologic Atlas U. S.', folio 36, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1897.
100 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAIN'S.

Morrison be is consist chiefly of red .shale with a few layers of hard red sandstone 

beds about 7.0 feet thick. They are faulted against the gneiss and also overlap that 

rock for a portion of their course. Near the contact they are paler in color, white 

and orange predominating, and no hard beds appear.

The formation comes up again for 5 miles at the south end -of Greenhorn 

Mountain, lying partly on gneiss and partly on the Red Beds. Its thickness here,

Hills," is 270 feet, the lower portion consisting of about 60 feet of soft

}ne,~ conglomeratic at base; The middle portion is a series of pinkish

massive clays and' the upper beds are variegated shales and clays alterbands" of fine-grained limestone, often containing vermilion-colored

s states that there" is considerable doubt as to the true position of the

the time scale and assigns it to 'the Jurassic provisionally.

lis T. Lee 6 has made a special study of the Morrison formation in the*

orado region, and his work has thrown much light on its distribution

according to 

.white sandst 

and greenish 

nating with, 

cherts. Hil 

formation in 

Mr. Wi 

southern Co

and components. He describes its continuation southward along the foot of the 

Rocky Mour tains west of the Spanish Peaks into New Mexico, and its existence in 

the deep canyons of Las Ariimas County, Colo., and to the south. He has found 

that in this region it presents its usual characteristics of regular stratigraphic 

position and dinosaur remains. The first exposures east of the foot of the mountains 

are in Cuchira and Huerfano canyons in western Huerfano and southern Pueblo 

counties, where Hills reports the formation as 100 feet thick and consisting of 

variegated siales and clays alternating with layers of fine-grained limestone. In 

Apishapa Canyon, north of Thatcher, the typical Morrison is reported by Lee 

underlying ;he "Dakota" sandstone. There are extensive exposures in the 

Purgatory and adjacent canyons where the Red Beds are uplifted. Mr. Lee gives the 

following section in Plum Camron near its mouth:

Geologic section of Morrison formation in Plum Canyon, Las Animas County, Colo,

I - .. Feet. ,

Dakota '... .Massive sandstones ............................................. 140

Greenish clay shale, soffrand fine grained ........................ 11

Dull-red clay, soft and fine grained............................... 12

Brown to yellow shale ................................ ; ......... 10

Argillaceous limestone; fine, dark laminEe........................ J

Morrison.. Buff-colored shale .............................................. 1J ,

Argillaceous limestone; flue, dark laminEe._-......_._............. J

Variegated joint clay.......................'...".................. 18

Argillaceous limestone, flnegrainedand hard, with contorted laminEe. 2' 

» Variegated shales, very soft..................................... 30

Red Beds .. Dark shale, with gypsum and gypsum beds on Red Beds. ...

a Hills, E. C., Description of the Walsenburg district: Geologic Atlas U. S., folio 68, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1900. 

SJour.Geol., VO179,1901,pp.343-352,and vol. 10,1902,pp.-36-58.
MOKRISON FORMATION IN SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO. 101

In Red Rocks Canyon, a small side canyon of Purgatory River, Mr. Lee gives 

the following section: ,

Geologic section of Morrison beds in Red Rocks Canyon, Lo,s">Animas County, Colo.

Feet.

Dakota ....Massive sandstone. . 

 Brick-red sandy shale, with bands of hard, fine-grained sandstone .

Morrison..

25

Reddish limestone; conchoidal fracture ........_._."....':....... 3-5

Soft, dark, clay shale ......................................... 30

Light-brown clay shale ......................_...__..:_.._._... " 11

"Argillaceous limestone ......................... .............. J

Brown shale .................................................. 7

Concretionary limestone ....................................... 1

Variegated joint clay .......................................... 7

Yellow paper shale............................... '-. ..._ ...... 3

Argillaceous limestone; thin layers ...............?.i..C .- -.-... J

Fine shale .. '..................................^l. ..5c.r..-..'..... - 1J. -

White limestone....-....---..-...-..--..-.....-..-.---.--.-.... .1

Variegated clay-ghale .......................................... 15

Argillaceous limestone; thin layers............................. f

Yellow shale.............-..--..--.---.....................".. 4

Sandstone with agate masses .................................... 1

Sandstone, soft, thin bedded -.-..--...--....--..--.-..'-.-.-.. 8

Massive sandstone, soft .................1..................... 2

Paper shale ...............-...-...--..-...-..-..--..-........ 2 .

Massive sandstone, soft...... ..--...--.-...--...--..-.--.- --.... 7

Red Beds .. Gypsum and clay on red sandstone ..--...-....... .>...'....... 12-20

In Red Rocks Canyon the thickness of the formation is 132 feet; in Chaquaqua 

Canyon, 10 miles from the mouth of Plum Canyon, it is 175 feet (by barometer), 

the predominating- material being a variegated ^ clay shale popularly termed "joint 

clay." Lee says: "

"A subordinate amount of sandstone occurs in plac'es, but there seems to be no 

particular horizon at which this is likeh' to be found. In Red Rocks Canyon it 

occurs at the base; in Plum" Canyon none is found; in a side gulch east of Plum Canyon 

a brecciated layer occurs near the top containing angular fragments one-quarter inch in 

diameter; in Chaquaqua Canyon, 4 miles from the mouth of Plum Creek, a coarse 

cross-bedded sandstone layer 15 feet in thickness occurs about 50 feet from the top; 

just across the canyon from this point," perhaps 2 miles distant and at the same horizon, 

about 30 feet of limestone is found in place of the sandstone.. In many places the 

sandstones are friable and composed of nearly pure quartz. * * * The occurrence 

of the limestones, most of which are more or less argillaceous, is as erratic as that of 

the sandstones. The relative amount and position of sandstone, shale, and limestones 

vary locally."

Dinosaur bones were observed by Mr.. Lee in the shales at nearly every 

horizon, but no invertebrates were found.
102 . GEOLOGY AND TJNDEBGKROUJSTD WATER OF CENTRAL GKEAT PLAINS.

It is reported that the formation is sharply separated from adjoining formations, 

but without evidence of unconformity by erosion. The gypsiferous shales appear to 

be distinct and are regarded as a portion of the Red Beds series. The formation 

extends' down the Purgatory to the west line of Bent County, where it passes 

beneath the, Dakota sandstone. In Muddy Creek Valley, in the southern corner of

e

Bent County and adjoining portion of Las Animas County, the Morrison formation 

is bared of Dakota sandstone over an area of several square miles, in which the same 

general features are presented as in Purgatory Valley. It again appears in Longs 

Canyon, and I found it exposed in the Two Buttes uplift on Butte Creek, where it is 

thin, but consists of gray and purplish clays with layers of light-colored sandstones 

and limestones overlying buff and red sandstones at the top of, the Red Beds. In a 

paper presented to the Geological Society of America in December, 1902, Mr. Lee 

announced that he had .traced the formation eastward down Cimarron Valley and 

-found^that it appeared to-merge into sandstones representing.the upper part of the 

Comanche series,- a relation which I also found exhibited on Butte Creek, 5 miles 

east of Two Buttes, in Colorado.

Comsm'che series. The only point at which this series is known to be exposed 

in Colorado is on Butte Creek, 5 miles east of Two Buttes. At this localit}- the 

creek crosses a low anticline in which' the Dakota sandstone 1 is underlain Jby 20 

feet or more of sandy shales containing numerous Grypheea corrugata Say, a 

fossil characteristic of the upper part of the Comanche series. The locality is 

just above Mechling's ranch, in bluffs along the south bank of the creek. Farther 

westward on the creek, and generally through southern Colorado, the Dakota 

sandstone is immediately' underlain by typical Morrison deposits. Doubtless the 

upper Comanche beds underlie the greater part of Baca County, for they were 

found by Mr. Lee along the' Cimarrou near the New Mexico-Oklahoma line. 

Possibly they are exposed along Bear and Horse creeks, but these streams have 

not been examined for outcrops of beds underlying the Dakota sandstone. 

' ' Dakota^ sandstone. Under this heading will be described the entire sandstone 

series overlying the Morrison formation, for this series always has been known as 

the Dakota sandstone or Dakota formation. It generally consists of two bodies of 

sandstone, each 100 feet or more in thickness, -separated-bj* a deposit of clay or shale 

10 to 100 feet or more thick. This clay and the top sandstone have yielded abundant 

plant -remains of the Dakota flora (upper Cretaceous), but there is no conclusive 

paleontologic evidence, as to the age of the basal sandstone series. The tripartite 

succession strongly suggests the Dakota sandstone, Fuson clay, and Lakota sandstone 

of the Black Hills, and it is believed that probably these formations are represented.

The Dakota sandstone is remarkably uniform in character throughout eastern 

Colorado. The sandstones are mostly-hard and massive, giving rise to a well-marked 

hogback range (shown in Pis. XXXIII, A, and XXXIV, J?) along the foothills
DAKOTA SANDSTONE -IN EASTERN COLORADO. "- 103

and plateaus, with steep-walled canyons in the 'southeastern part of the State. The 

predominating color is light buff, but some portions -are light gray or white,-and 

darker tints are not infrequent, especially in the upper beds. Cross-bedding is 

. almost general and conglomeratic streaks frequent, especially at or near the base of 

the lower sandstone. The'contact.with Mo'rrison beds is abrupt and often presents 

evidence of unconformity by erosion. There is often a very rapid change to 

Benton deposits, but in most areas there are a few feet of transition beds consisting 

of an alternation of shales with thin-bedded brown sandstones. The lower sandstone series is thicker and often somewhat softer than the upper, and contains shale 

partings at some localities. -The middle shale member appears to be present 

throughout, but is generally covered by talus. ' . 

In the region west of Denver the formation is described by Eldridge as having 

a thickness of 225 feet and as consisting of two or three nearly equal benches of 

massive sandstone separated by thin bodies of cla}7 , a characteristic conglomerate at 

the base, and a zone of hard, white, slaty shales 10 to 30 feet thick at, the top, tran: 

sitional to the Benton. Fossil plants, mainly leaves of deciduous trees and enormous 

fucoids, occur from base to summit. The sandstones vary from cross-bedded to 

slabby and often some layers of them are ripple-marked. The basal conglomerate 

varies from almost nothing to 30 feet in thickness and is composed of well-rounded 

pebbles from,the*size of a pea to a diameter of one-inch. They comprise a variety 

of materials, including quartzites, quartz, flints, jaspers, limestones, granites, and a 

few materials of Ordovician age identified by-fossils. Thin local streaks of conglomerate sometimes occur at the-base of the upper sandstone and also near its summit.' 

There are generally-two beds of clay, one midway in the formation and the other 

nearer the summit.- The thickness varies from 2 to 8 feet and the material is in part 

a typical fire clay of blue or blue-gray color, fine, even grained, and very compact, 

but in:places carrying intercalated sandy shales. The Dakota formation thins out 

and disappears for several miles in the vicinity of Golden.

Doctor Peale" gives the following section of the Dakota at the, mouth of 

South Platte Canyon :;-. . - .

Geologic'section of Dakota sandstone at mouth, of South Platte Canyon, Colorado.

.-'-'. . Feet. ' 

. Gray- and yellow sandstones ................................................. 70 ,

Shaly sandstones, fossiliferous .................;.'............................. 12

Fine-grained white sandstones ..'. I............................ ...-11 .:..._... - -3

. Rusty yellow sandstone '. ....-............................... 1. ... ...'......... . 245.

The total thickness of these members is 330 feet. The fossils referred to w-ere

determined by Professor Lesquereux and included a Proieoides very near P. acuta^TL.

At Perry (Pleasant) Park.Doctor Peale measured 213 feet of Dakota sandstone,

a Seventh Ann. Kept. "U.S. Geol. and Geog, Surv. Terr., 1873. .,
104 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

but found its upper and lower contacts obscured by talus. The sandstone appears 

again for several miles in the Garden of the Gods region, where Doctor Peale reports 

257 feet of exposed beds, consisting of 200 feet of massive sandstones above, underlain by a finer grained sandstone, in part yellow, containing fragments of Lingula 

and a lignitic, layer with vegetal fragments. My own measurement in vertical beds 

near the Gateway gave considerable less thickness, and I* found the formation to 

consist of two massive beds of sandstone, apparently with a thin series of shales 

between. " ' .

The great fault cuts off the formation southwest of Colorado Springs, but 

it appears, again in . the Canyon region, where Cross describes it as having a 

thickness of 300 feet and as consisting mainly of pure-white or gray sandstone, 

usually friable, of uniform texture, with a thin basal conglomerate. Dark-shale 

layers are reported , midway in the formation. Fossil leaves are stated to occur 

in thin shale layers at various horizons. Hatcher found saurian remains in the 

lower portion of the series in this region, and, on this account, was inclined to place 

that portion of it in the Morrison formation. This, however, gives too indefinite a 

stratigraphic limit to the formations.

Dakota sandstone is prominent at the foot of Wet Mountain, southwest of Pueblo, 

where it has been described by Mr. Gilbert. a Its greatest measured thickness is 

650 feet near Beulah, where it consists almost entirely of sandstone;, elsewhere in 

the area it contains beds of shale and is from 300 to 350 feet thick. The basal 

portion usually is conglomeratic, sharply separated from the Morrison clays and the 

Fountain formation, which it overlaps' locally. At the top there is a transition into 

the Benton (Graneros) shales, through an alternation of shale and thin-bedded 

brown sandstones.

In the northern portion of Huerfano County and along the foot of the Greenhorn 

Mountain the formation is described by Hills as consisting of 350 feet or more, of 

sandstone, of which the lower two-thirds is generally a yellowish-gray rock of 

coarse porous texture, with some layers of fine conglomerate, comrnonty crossbedded, and is separated from the upper one-third by gray shales from 8 to 10 feet 

in thickness. The upper sandstones are from 100 to 150 feet in thickness, are light 

g-ray when fresh, fine grained, of close texture, and regularly bedded. The sandstone 

lies in part on the Morrison formation, but in places along the mountain front 

overlaps onto the granites and schists. In the canyons of Cue-ham and Huerfano 

rivers it lies nearly level, and presents steep canyon walls surmounting slopes of 

Morrison clay.- The Dakota sandstone is a prominent feature in the foothills, 

extending between the Spanish Peaks and Sangre de Cristo Range, giving rise for

a Pueblo folio: Geologic Atlas.U. S., folio 36, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1897.
DAKOTA AND BENTON IN COLORADO:' ' 105

man\' miles to a "stone wall," where the sandstone is vertical and rises prominently 

above the adjoining softer beds. In this district there are always two sandstone 

members separated by 20 feet or more of fire clay as in the reg-ion northward.

In the extensive' exposures of Dakota sandstone in the eastern half of Las - 

Animas County is presented a -regular succession of the two massive sandstones 

with their intervening shale series. Referring to the formation in Purgatory 

Canyon, near longitude 101°, Hills 3 states the following- facts: The thickness is 

about 375 feet. The lower two-thirds consists of massive, mostly cross-bedded 

sandstones with a few shale partings between the beds and more or less fine 

conglomerate. .This basal member is overlain by a layer of fire clay, the position 

of which is marked by a narrow shelf, due to the projection of the underlying 

sandstone. The upper sandstone is grajdsh white, thinner bedded, with more 

numerous shale partings and generally finer grain and greater compactness than 

the lower more porous sandstone. These features prevail over the wide area of 

Dakota outcrop1 in southeastern Colorado, in Baca, Prowers, and Bent counties, but 

with many variations of thickness and local details of stratigraphy.

The thickness diminishes considerably in southern Prowers and Baca counties^. 

In the vicinity of the Two Buttes uplift the sandstone has been extensively eroded. 

These buttes are capped by a thick massive sandstone (Exeter?), which is"the upper 

member of the Red Beds, and is separated from the Dakota sandsto'ne by distinct 

Morrison shales with limestones. ' 

Senton group. The formations of the Bentori group extend across eastern 

Colorado, outcropping in a narrow zone lying next west of .the' Mobrara outcrop 

as far south- as Arkansas' Valley, down which they extend for some distance, 

presenting outcrops of greater or less size, mainly on the north side of the yallej'.

The thickness of the group is given as 600 feet at Platte Canyon, 590 feet 

at Deer Creek west of Denver. 500 feet on Turkey Creek, 580 feet at Morrison, 

400 feet 1 .mile north of Morrison, 440 feet at Ralston Creek, 348 feet at Bear 

Canyon 3i miles south of the town 'of Boulder, and about 500 feet at Fourmile 

Canyon. It is about 640 feet. east of Lyons.. In the Arkansas A7 alley region it 

varies but little from 410 feet. The three formations, which Mr. G. K. Gilbert 

has differentiated as Graneros shale, Greenhorn limestone, and Carlile shale in 

Arkansas Valley, have been found to be easily traceable all along the Front Range 

northward through Colorado.

The Graneros shale is a fissile dark-colored shale usually uniform in composition. It contains lime .concretions and a few thin limestone laj'ers with shells,-

" a El Moro folio: Geologic Atlas U. S., folio 58, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1899.
106 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

the Jatter occurring more abundantly in Arkansas Valley than elsewhere. The 

Graneros shale is usually about 200 feet thick', though it increases considerably 

in the region west of Denver. In this region prominent zones of* iron concretions occupy a thickness-of from 40 to 50 feet at a horizon about 200 feet above * 

the "base of the formation. They are from 1 to 3 .feet in diameter and contain a 

considerable .proportion of iron oxide. East of Lyons, on Little Thompson Creek, 

the formation has a thickness of 525 feet or more, with the following components:

Section of Graneros for motion-on Little Thompson Creek, Colorado.

Feet.

Shales, dark above, lighter below.......................................... 125

Fossiliferous limestone .................................................... £ 

Dark shales .............................................................. 225

Sandstone, partly thin bedded......-...--...-....--...-......-.-...-....... 15

Dark shales, with a few thin beds of sandstone ............................. 160+

The widespread Greenhorn limestone consists of impure shaly limestones 

25 to 40 feet thick, occurring in layers from 3 to 12 inches thick, separated by 

several inches of shale. The deposit is of light-gray color when fresh and is 

relatively soft when moist, but it usually hardens on weathering, becoming' 

sufficiently hard to constitute a low but distinct ridge. The limestone is characterized by containing large numbers of Inoceramus labiatus, which may occasionallj7 

occur in other beds but are extremely abundant at this horizon. The formation 

outcrops in a wide area.in Arkansas Valley in.Colorado and Kansas. It is 20 to 

75 feet thick and' rises prominently in a ridge at the gateway to the Garden of 

the. Gods and appears frequently in the Denver*region and northward. East of 

Lyons it appears between the Dakota and Mobrara ridges with a thickness of 

25 feet, consisting, of limestone layers 4 to 10 inches thick, separated by a few 

inches of dark shales and filled with Inoceramus labiatus. West of Laporte it is 

20 feet thick and presents its usual characteristics and fossils.

The Carlile shale, in its tj-pical development about Pueblo and along Arkansas Valley, is from 175 to 200 feet thick. . West of Colorado Springs it is 240 

feet, and east of Lyons. 125 feet. It consists mainly of shale of gray color, 

slightly darker below than above, with more or less sand, especially to the west 

along the Eockj^ Mountain front, where its upper member is usually a gray 

sandstone'6 to 15 feet thick. East of P.ueblo,.in Arkansas Valley, the sandstone 

is. replaced by a purplish sandy limestone 2 to 3 feet thick, containing ,fossils, of 

.which the most characteristic is the Prionocydas wyomingensis; about 125 feet 

lower down' there is usually a thin bed of impure limestone 'also containing 

fossils. Near the top of the formation the shales usually confain numerous
- ' NIOBRARA FORMATION IN EASTERN COLORAJXX ' 107

lens-shaped lime concretions, in greater part from 2 to 4 feet in diameter, containing 

JPrionotropis woolgari. ' " . - ' - v - , , Niobraraformation.- The Niobrara formation extends from north to south 

across, central Colorado a short distance east of the foothill ranges of the Eocky 

Mountains. To the east it underlies the greater part of .-the State north .of 

Arkansas River, but to the northeast is deeply buried beneath Tertiary and later 

Cretaceous deposits. It rises to the south and has extensive surface outcrops 

along Arkansas Valley in Pueblo,,. Otero, Bent, Prowers, and Kiowa counties. ' 

It contains much lime in the form of limestone and impure chalk, usually with 

considerable clay admixture, which increases in amount to the west. The upper 

members consist mostly of chalk and calcareous shale; at the base there is generally a bed of moderately .pure hard limestone, or dolomite.

The thickness of the formation in the Pueblo region and for some distance 

down Arkansas Valley is 700 feet, but west of Denver and in Kansas it is 

"about 400 feet, apparently diminishing gradually .to the north and to the east. 

The upper portion of the Niqbrara -formation, consisting of calcareous shale, has 

a thickness.pt' about 500 feet° in the Pueblo region and half as much in'the 

Denver region. The material is dark'gray in color when fresh, but weathers'to 

a distinctive bright-yellow tint. Occasional thin sandy beds occur;- and nearly . 

everywhere are thin beds of light-colored limestone containing large numbers of 

Ostrea congesta, as shown, in PI. XXIV. .. : - - . -. ' 

In Arkansas Valley the formation contains concretions which are often of 

considerable size. In this valley there is also an intermediate member of lightgray, s'hales and *marls containing a large amount of lime, with occasional thin 

beds of limestone containing Ostrea congesta.- This member is from 100 to 125 

feet thick, grading downward into a persistent bed of hard limestone, which 

is the westward continuation of the Fort Hays limestone of Kansas, a rock 

extensively employed as a building stone at many localities. This last-named bed 

averages about 50 feet in- thickness, and consists of beds for 'the most part 

from 8 inches to a foot thick, separated by thin layers of gray calcareous" shale. 

It is of light-gray color, weathering nearly white on' some of the surfaces,. close 

textured and fine grained, containing sufficient magnesia to be - classed as a. 

dolomite. Its characteristic fossil is J;he Inoceramus deformis, .but Ostrea congesta . 

occasionally occurs 'also. Its upper 15 or 20 feet are usually thinner bedded, softer,^ 

and impure, owing to admixture with shale or fine sand. It is usually distinctly 

recognized in well borings by its hardness and purity, a thickness of from 25 to 

40 feet generally being reported. ' ' . : ' -

Pierre shale. Nearly all of the Great Plains' portion of Colorado north of . Arkansas * River is underlain-by a sheet of this formation, which extends along
108 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL . GREAT PLAINS.'

the^flanks of "the Rockv Mountains from Florence to Trinidad., Its thickness is 

great, ranging from 4,000 to over 7,000 feet adjoining the mountains to much less 

to the east. About Denver and to the south and north it is overlain by Laramie 

and -still later formations, and in the high divides eastward, between Arkansas 

and Platte rivers, it is mantled to a greater or less depth by Tertiary deposits. 

In character it is a remarkably uniform dark-colored clay or shale, weathering 

into a brownish-buff gumbo; there are local slight variations in color and stratigraphic components, but these are - subordinate, to the general uniformity. Lime 

concretions of various sizes are of'frequent occurrence. Some local beds of sandstone and sandy shale are included,-which, in the vicinity.of Boulder, yield petroleum in considerable amount.

The lime concretions begin to be abundant above the first 400 or" 500 feet.of 

basal members - in the formation and continue to its top. The" ordinary type 

consists of lens-shaped masses, with a coat of rusty material on the "outside and 

dark-colored fine-grained - limestone within. Often the concretions are traversed * 

by cracks filled-with calcite. They ,varjr in size from a few inches to "5 or'6 feet 

in-.diameter, but most of them are less than 2 feet in'diameter and from 4 to 8 

inches thick. They weather into the angular fragments with rusty surfaces that 

are usually 'found scattered over the surface of Pierre outcrops.

In,the Pueblo region these concretions, which are particularly abundant in a 

zone about 600 feet thick lying from 400 to 500 feet above .the base of the 

formation, carry fossils typical of the Pierre shale. Above this zone the shale is 

paler in color and finer grained, and concretions are abundant, generally larger, 

and much more - fossiliferous. The fossils are often well preserved, showing the 

actual shells with much of their original pearly luster. Baculites com.pressus, a 

conspicuous form, often several inches in diameter, and large Inocerami sagenxis 

abound. ,

In the zone to the south there are found occasional large concretions which 

give rise to "tepee buttes." These masses consist of ''coarse, gray, fossilif erous 

limestone, irregular or rudely cylindrical in form, and standing vertical within 

the shale - mass. Ordinarily they are from 5 to 30 feet in horizontal diameter,, 

and their vertical extent is greater. As the wash of the rain carries, away the 

.'shale, these cores, being more resistant, are left projecting from the surface.' 1 '1 

"In a measure they protect the shale from erosion' and so give rise .to -conical 

hills -with shale 'slopes and a mass of the limestone at'the top. On account of. 

their-form they have been called '''tepee buttes."' (See PI. XXXVIII, B.) The 

characteristic fossil in the limestone is a small shell about an inch wide known as.

Lucina -oecidentaUs. - . ~ . . ~ - 

 ' a Gilbert, G. K., Geologic Atlas D. S., folio 36, D. S. Geol. Survey, 1897.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XXXVIII

A. GREENHORN LIMESTONE IN BENTON GROUP NEAR THATCHER, COLO. 

View showing alternation of limestone and shale. Photograph by G. K, Gilbert.

B. TEPEE BUTTES IN PIERRE SHALE NORTH OF NEPESTA, COLO, 

Photograph by G- K Gilbert.
FOX HILLS FORMATION IN EASTERN COLORADO. 109

Above the zone of shales containing the limestone lenses of tepee buttes there 

are several hundred feet of dark shales.

In the Florence oil-field basin the formation is 4,000 feet thick, and contains 

many thin beds of hard shale carrying -the oil. According to E. C. Hills, it is from 

1.200 to 1,300 feet thick to the south about Trinidad. West of Denver it has'a 

thickness of 7,700 feet, greater than is observed anywhere else in the Great Plains 

region. . There the formation contains thin local beds of limestone' and a local bed 

of sandstone about 2,500 feet above its base, which varies from. 100 to 350 feet in 

thickness. This sandstone is a soft, friable, yellowish-gray rock composed of quartz 

sand and more or less clay, intermixed and intercalated.

Fox. Bills formation, The' Fox Hills formation, although of wide distribution beneath younger formations in the Denver region and through northeastern 

Colorado, generally outcrops in a narrow zone. This _ outcrop appears near the 

Wyoming State line-not far east of the"foothills,- and extends continuously along the 

western margin of the Denver basin, dipping steeply to the east. It emerges from 

beneath the Tertiary for some.distance in the vicinity of Colorado Springs, south of 

the Platte-Arkansas divide, and it occupies a small circular area in the syncline near

 Florence. In the syncline of the Spanish Peaks basin the supposed southern 

extension of its upper sandstone member, which has been separated as the Trinidad 

sandstone, forms a prominent escarpment bordering the Laramie outcrop.

The maximum thickness of the Fox Hills is from 800 to 1,000 feet in the 

Denver region, thinning locally to 500-feet at Golden, where, apparently,.its lower 

member is absent for a short distance. In the Florence district the thickness is 430

'feet- and yet farther south its upper member (the Trinidad sandstone) ranges from

 175 feet about Walsenburg to 150 feet at the type locality about Trinidad.

In the Denver basin the formation is made up of a series of arenaceous shales 

with occasional bands of clay, all of a yellowish color and surmounted by a persistent 

50-foot bed of sandstone of greenish cast, weathering to light-gray color. In the 

Florence district the cap of yellowish sandstone, though persistent, varies from 

10 to J50 feet in thickness. The Trinidad consists of two members an upper one of 

massive, greenish-gray sandstone, weathering to graj^, with prominent joint planes, 

75 to 80 feet in thickness; and a lower one, 80 to 90 feet in thickness, made up of 

thin-bedded dark-gray sandstone in strata 2 to 4 inches in thickness, with thinner 

partings of shale.

Cone-in-cone structure is common in the Fox Hills beds, and 'a varying quantity 

of sandy, limestone concretions, resembling those of the Pierre shale, occur abundantly and are fossiliferous. Poorly preserved Baculites are found in many places 

in the shaly member, and the fucoid, Halymenites major, occurs everywhere in the
110 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATEE ' OF -CENTBAL GEEAT PLAINS.

upper sandstone. In the Denver region this sandstone yields a rich invertebrate 

fauna, as follows:

Mytilus subarcuatus. Crenella elegantula.

Nucula cancellata. Cardium (Ethmocardiurn) speciosum.

Solemya subplicata. Sphasriola cordata.

Veniella humilis. - Callista deweyi. '

Callista (Dosinopsis) owenana. ; Mactra alta. ;

Tellina scitula. Tancredia americana.

Liopistha (Cymella) undata. Fasciolaria cheyennensis.

 Pyrula bairdi. ' Fusus sp.? .

Pseudobuccinum nebrascense. Anchura americana.

Turritella sp.? Dentalium sp.? 

Cylichna sp.? 

Laramie formation. The Laramie is the surface formation in wide areas on 

both sides of South Plat'te Valley,' and, extending southward beneath the more 

recent formations which cap the Platte-Arkansas divide, reappears in extensive 

outcrops in the vicinity of Colorado Springs. A small' outlying area of the Laramie, 

bordered by the Fox Hills, occurs in the Florence syncline. The Laramie and a 

thick series of overlying formations occupy the extensive syncline of the Spanish 

Peaks region south of Walsenburg. '

In the Denver region the Laramie formation is from 600 to 1,200 feet in 

thickness, and, like the Fox Hills, consists of- two members, one of sandstone and 

the other largely of shale; but, unlike the Fox Hills, the sandstone member is the 

lower one, lying immediately over the Fox Hills sandstone, and ,often forming an , 

escarpment in connection with it. The two sandstones a-re easily distinguishable by 

the mixture of mica with the sand in the Fox Hills, while the lower Laramie sandstone is exclusively, quartz. A horizon of marine fossils also occurs near the top 

of the Fox Hills: '

 The lower division of the Laramie comprises at the base two beds of white 

sandstone, each about 60 feet thick, separated by 2 to 4 feet 'of shale.. A third 

bed of sandstone, 8 or 10 feet thick, occurs 60 feet above the last mentioned, the 

intervening space being occupied by alter nations of shale and beds of lignite, which 

are extensively worked. A 'distinctive feature of this middle sandstone is the 

occurrence of large concretionary forms,-some as much as 30 or 40 feet long, of 

the same material as the surrounding rock, but extremely hard."

The upper division of the Laramie formation in the Denver basin varies from 

400 to 1,000 feet in thickness, the smaller thickness being due to uneven denudation. 

It consists chiefly of. clays, through which are distributed small lenticular bodies of 

sandstone, from "6 to 30 feet in diameter-and from' 1 to 6 feet in thickness, .and
STRUCTURE OF EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. Ill

innumerable concretionary ironstones, from 2 to 4 feet in diameter, which .invariably contain plant remains, often well preserved. The coal of this division is not 

important.

In the Florence basin the Laramie formation is composed of- a succession of 

heavy bedded sandstones with intercalated shales, and, -in its lower portions, of 

workable coal. The sandstones form 'an escarpment surrounding the mesa southwest of Florence and constitute one or two small outliers. - o -;

In the vicinity of Walsenburg the Laramie has a thickness of 1,000 feet, 

which increases to the south, due to thickening of the upper member and to less 

erosion at its top, until, at the State line south of ^Trinidad, its thickness is 2,500 

feet. A massive bed of sandstone a hundred feet or' so from the base of the 

formation is persistent, and overlies an alternation of arenaceous shale, clay 

shale, and coal. Above this massive sandstone the formation is predominantly 

sandstone, but the sandstones and clay partings vary greatlv" in thickness.

The fossil remains of the.Laramie formation are limited to the characteristic 

' Ostrea glabra, a unio, and a dinosaur of undetermined genus. Contrasted with 

this there is . a rich subtropical flora, similar to the present-day flora of the 

Gulf States, consisting of figs (15 species), oaks, ferns, palms, poplars, willows, 

and tulip. In the region about Golden there are 83 species which are peculiar 

to the Laramie.

GEOLOGT OF EASTEBN SOUTH DAKOTA.

GENERAL STRUCTURE., 

The greater part of eastern South Dakota is heavily covered by glacial drift 

and outcrops df the underlying'formations are rare. Fortunately, however, there 

are numerous deep wells, and from the records of these it has been possible to 

ascertain some of the broader features of structure and stratigraphy. The Missouri has cut a deep valley which affords extensive exposures of the older formations, but the prominent feature for many miles in this valley is a great succession 

of high banks of Pierre shale.. .Below the Great Bend Niobrara chalk -exposures begin, and continue in the lower slopes as far as the mouth of James 

River. At this'place the Benton shales and sandstones appear, and, approaching. 

Sioux City, Iowa, the Dakota sandstone finally outrops in the .extreme southeast 

corner of the State. -..','.

In the o'utcrops .the rocks appear to lie horizontally, but when the relations 

are studied it is found "that there are low dips in various directions. The principal feature is a general rise to the southeast, which, together with "the diminishing height of the land, brings .to view the lower formations in succession in.
112 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OP CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

that direction. There is also a low anticline with its axis extending westward 

through Mitchell toward Chamberlain, which brings the Niobrara and Benton 

formations and the Sioux quartzite to the surface over an area of considerable 

extent in James- River Valley. This uplift 'is coincident with an old ridge of 

Sioux quartzite which was a shore during the deposition of the Dakota sandstone and, to a less extent, during Benton time, but apparently was -almost,, if not 

-entirely, covered by Niobrara waters. It was an outlying ridge completely separated 

from the main shore of granites and gneisses which rise in Minnesota Valley 

and northeastward.

STRATIGRAPHY.

ARCHEAN AND ALGONKIAN.

The pre-Cambrian crystalline rocks which underlie the Central Plains' rise 

rapidly in the eastem'part of South-Dakota and finally reach the surface. One area 

of outcrop extends from James River Valley, near Mitchell, eastward to the vicinity of Eipestone, its appearance being mainly due to an anticlinal uplift; another 

is in Minnesota Valley, where the rocks rise ou the slope of the great uplift 

of the Minnesota area. The configuration of the "bed-rock" surface, as it is 

termed in eastern South Dakota, is shown in PI. XXXIX by contour lines 

deterriiined partly b}- outcrops, but mainly from numerous wells which either 

have reached older rocks or failed to reach them, and thus, in a measure, have 

delimited its depth. ; ,

In addition to' the general gradual rise of the "bed-rock" surface to the 

east, there is a conspicuous!}* high underground ridge or promontory, which 

extends through Salem and Mitchell toward Chamberlain. This ridge, so buried 

beneath later sediments that it has no effect on the present topography, has steep 

slopes several hundred feet high, so that it would have considerable prominence 

topographically if the surrounding clays and sandstones were removed. The 

structure of the younger formations abutting against this underground ridge 

indicates that while it is partly due to anticlinal uplift it was also a ridge of 

considerable height at the time of the deposition of the Dakota sandstone. The 

rock of this ridge, known as ''Sioux quartzite" throughout the area, outcrops 

extensively along Big Sioux River near Sioux Falls arid at other poinls to the 

west and to the northeast. This quartzite consists mainly of rounded or subangular 

sand grains cemented by silica, arid to a greater or less extent built into -quartz 

crystals. It is usually very compact and intensely hard, so that steel of high 

temper is - generally required for drilling it, though some portions, are locally 

much softer. The predominating color is pale pink, but some portions are
S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO 32 PL XXXIX

 r _L__L._L_ 

] 1OWER ptirjJE

NOTE:

Contour interval, 100feet 

Datum is mean sea level

MAP SHOWING CONTOUR AND ALTITUDE OF'BED-ROCK1'SURFACE IN A PORTION OF SOUTH DAKOTA

BYN.H.DAKTON,J.E.T(J|JD,AN1) C'.M.HALL,1904

JULIUS BIEN«CO.UTH.N-Y.
SIOUX QTJARTZITE IN EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. 113

gray; or buff. The bedding varies from slabby to massive. The thickness of the 

formation is not known, but a well at Sioux Falls 575 feet deep and one at 

Mitchell 225 feet deep were in typical quartzite throughout. In Hanson Count}7 

the quartzite ridge rises steeply about 400 feet above an a underground plain or 

valley, whose floor several of the wells have reached and found to be of granite, 

an occurrence which probably indicates that the present thickness of the quartzite 

rising to the south is less than 400 feet. As the surface of the quartzite was 

exposed to extensive erosion, especially during Glacial times, as shown by its 

being deeply scarred7Jfc; glacial 'scratches, the original thickness doubtless was 

greater than it is at present. " . . '

To the northeastward, in the vicinity of Pipestone, the" Sioux quartzite is 

overlain by or merges into a very compact red clay known as " catlinite,'.1 or,"pipestone," a material which has been long employed by the Indians for the manufacture of pipes and other articles. A few impressions resembling Cambrian 

fossils were .reported from these deposits by Prof. N. H. Winchell, but it is believed 

that thje-Sioux quartzite as a whole is Algonkian, from its similarity to quartzites 

farther to the northeast, which are known to underlie Cambrian rocks.

The Sioux quartzite' is penetrated by dikes in- the vicinity of The Dells, nearGarre'tson, Minn., and an igneous mass has been found in well drillings in the 

southwest corner of Minnesota, and possibly also in sec. 25, T. 104, R. 58'in South 

Dakota. Outcrops of the Sioux quartzite occupy a considerable area at Sioux Falls 

and vicinity, and it rises in extensive and very picturesque walls, often 50 feet high, 

in The Dells, .near Garretson, and on Split Rock Creek. The vertical, cleavage 

which the rock presents in these-two localities is a characteristic. feature, and is 

the principal factor in the palisadal structure that it exhibits. To the west therock outcrops in most of the deeper valleys between Sioux Falls and Mitchell. 

notably on Vermilion River southeast of Parker, along East Fork of Vermilion 

River below Montrose, West Fork of Vermilion River near Salem, south of Salem 

on Black Earth Creek, on "Wolf Creek near Spencer and. near Bridge water, on'- 

Pierre Creek northeast and southeast of Alexandria, on Johnson Creek and its 

branches north and east of Fulton, on Rock Creek northwest of Fulton, on James 

River west of Alexandria, at Rockp'ort. and. on Enemy Creek near its mouth.

Beyond the area of outcrop the quartzite has been reported from numerouswells of moderate depth in Minnehaha, Moody, Turner, Lincoln, McCook, Hansou, 

Hutchinson, and adjoining counties. It has-been reported in deep wells in Aurora 

and Beadle counties, and at Scotland and Tyndall, in Bonhomme County. 

In the records of borings which are claimed to have reached bed rock the nature 

' of the material has not always been ascertained, some of 'the drillers reporting "hard 

10001 No. 32 05 8 '," ' '
114 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

rock," or "very hard rock," which gives no clue to its nature. In a few cases 

samples have been obtained and submitted to persons qualified to determine the 

nature, but more often there has been only the judgment of the well drillers. Ordinarily these persons have been able to recognize the typical Sioux quartzite without 

much doubt, but with other rocks their judgment is open to considerable question. 

It is asserted also that in .several instances rocks collected on the prairie have been 

placed in the wells and afterwards churned up by the boring machine, either for 

mischief on the part of some foolish person, or by the driller for the purpose of 

.giving the impression that he had reached "bed rock" an^^ould abandon further, 

boring. In the following list are given all the data so far obtained regarding the 

occurrence of "bed rock" in the borings in the eastern portion of the Dakotas and 

in the immediately adjoining portions of the adjacent States. In this list are not 

included the many shallow wells which have reached the Sioux quartzite where it is 

near the surface in the eastern portion of Hanson County, central McCook County, 

and in the counties to the east.

List of wells to or into bed rock, mainly in South

Location.

Budlong well, T. 114, R. 62, sec. 18 ................

Glidden well, three-fourths of a mile west-north west' 

of Hitchcock ......... ..I..................... '. .....

Motlev well, TV 115, R. 61, sec. 7..... ..............

Wolsev ............... :.i..... ....................

Bohri well, near Raymond. ........................

T. 102, E. 61, sec. 18 ....;...---........:........

T. 102, E. 62, sec. 25 :.... _........... .;;..........

White Lake .;........... v ........................

Henneau's well, T. 103, E. 66, sec. 34 ..............

T. 103, R. 61, sec. 17 ..............................

T. 104, R. 58; sec. 24 ..............................

T. 104, R. 58, SW..isec. 25. ..'..:. I-...:. ........ .

' Rook.

iGranite. ................. . .

j-Quartzite .....................

IGranite. ................

" Very hard rock ".....'....

.....do..................... ..

.....do................;.......

"Quartzite".... ...

.....do......-.............'....:

"Granite" ..............

"Quartzite"..............

Diabase. .................;

Depths. .

Feet. 

. 1,505-1,524 

. 1,221-1,267 

. 1,267-1,300 

922-995 

995-998J 

1,083-1,142 

1, 142-1, 150 

 . 1, 050 

928-930 

1, 070-1, 139 

1, 198-1, 200 

280 

280 

- 556 

 900 

1,250-1,256 

842 

312 

 ' 745-830 

512-518 

506

^Another well nearby found no !'bed rock" to a depth of 1,537 feet.

SNettleton, E.-8.,'Artesian and underflow investigation: Report to Secretary of Agriculture, pt. 2,1892.
WELLS TO BED BOCK ON THE GREAT PLAINS.

lAst of wells to or into bed rock, mainly in South Dakota Continued.

115

Location.

T. 104, K. 58, sec. 36 ..............................

T. 104, R. 60, sec. 29 ........ .....................

T. 104, R. 57, sec. 13 ................................

T. 104, R. 57, NE. J sec. 17.... ....................

T. 104, R. 57, NW. 1 sec. 19. .......................

Fulton ........--...--..---.--.-...-...--........-

T-,,1 J >- I/

 T. 104,' R. 60, sec. 25 ..............................

Mitchell. . -...---...---.--.-.-.--...-...-...--.---

Doxheimer well, T. 103, R. 57, sec. 11. ..............

T. 103, R. 61, sec. 25 .............:................

T. 102, R. 60, sec. 20 ..'.......................,.....

. ' K

T. 104, R. 59, sec. 29 (?)..............'.............

County well, T. 100, R. 62, sec. 18. .................

County well, T. 100, R. 64, sec. 26. .................

Do.....-.-.-..--.-..--.-.-....-.......-....-.

Fort Randall .................. '. ................

Tyndall« ............'..............................

Vermilion, University well ...........:...........

Rock.

.....do........................

'" Hard rock ".................

.....do.... ....................

"Hard rock "...:........''.....

.....do........................

"Jasper"...........'.......!..

" Quartzite" ..................

1 low, and in one well hard

Quartzite .....................

.....do........................

.....do .......................

.....do .......................

.....do........................

.....do........................

.....do ............"...........

"Granite" ...................

Quartzite .....................

Depths.

Feet. 

480

228

204

510

557

' 30

320

115

540-765

153

' ' 500

195

40"

490-496 '100

247-412

100

. 170

220-247

300

140-153

0-575

1,025

937

140

510-522

542

410-417

[ 510-513

J nT*

I 556-559 

140

576-610

535-587

735

898-942

- 480

860

630

 aNettleton, E. S., Artesian and underflow investigation: Report to Secretary of Agriculture, pt. 2,1892.
116 GEOLOGY AND UNDEEGEOUND WATEE OF OENTEAL GEBAT PLAINS.

. .. , , List of wells to or into bed rock, mainly in South Dakota Continued.

Location,

Layson well, T. 94, R. 61, sec. 22« .................

Elk Point ^..... .......... .......................

Do...... I.'....................;.............:

Whiterock, Roberts Countv, S. Dak. ..............

-Canbv, Minn .....................................

Moorehead, Minn. e ...............................

Ponca N"ebr ^ '

' ,

d

Rock.

"Hard rock".........;......'.

.....do .......................

..- -. do .........:.....';....."..

.....do............ ...........

Granite (?) ...................

"Granite" ...................

.'....do .......................

j Sandy shale and green clay ....

Quartzite (?)......"...'.........

Depths.

Feet. 

1, 074-1, 075*

303

367

280-303

, - 168

500

425-465

400'

360-1,750

505-505}

 420-455

455-498

335-1,255

1, 255-1, 320

1, 510-1, 525

1, 525-2, 071

a.Nettleton, E. S., Artesian and underflow investigation: Report to Secretary of Agriculture, pt.>2, 1892. 

fcWinchell, N. H.. Notes on some deep wells in Minnesota: Fourteenth Report Geol. and Nat. Hist. Survey Minnesota, 

1888, p. 14. ' . . . 

cWinchell, N. H., Natural gas in Minnesota: Bull. Nat. Hist. Survey Minnesota No. 5, pp. 27-31. 

dTodd, J. E., Notes on geology ol north-northwest Iowa: Proc. Iowa Aoad. goi., 1891. '

These data, in the main, satisfactorily agree with one another and with the 

general structure. A few indicate rather unexpected details of configuration of 

the "bed-rock" surface, but, on the whole, the apparent distribution of the 

various rocks and the underground contour of the surface on which the waterbearing beds of Dakota sandstone lie are everywhere in reasonable accord (see 

PI, XXXIX). The general form of all the larger featured is indicated, at least 

approximately, by the experience of more than one well. It is undoubtedly the 

case that more complete data, or different interpretation of certain well records, 

might suggest modification of the contours shown, but it is thought that it would 

be in respect to minor details only.

The high quartzite ridge extending underground nearly due east and west 

through Minnehaha, McCook,'and Hanson counties, and prolonged with diminished 

height to White Lake and beyond, is perhaps the most noteworthy feature shown. 

Its extent and altitude are deduced- very obviously from the experience of a 

large number of borings which are fully in accord in nearly every respect. In 

several wells. the Sioux quartzite, with its unmistakable texture and pink 'color, 

was penetrated for a number of feet, and between James River and Enemy
BED' BOOK IN EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. ' . 117

Creek, near Mitchell and the- Minnesota line, are numerous exposures of the rock 

in the depressions which cross this buried ridge. As previously stated, at Sioux 

Falls the typical Sioux quartzite was penetrated by a boring to a depth of 575 

feet without reaching its base, and at a number of other points as far west as 

White Lake it has been penetrated to a considerable depth.'

I examined a sample of the material penetrated between 512 and 518 feet, 

from the boring in T. 104, K. 58, sec. 24, and found that it was a dark. granite. 

This - was at the base of the north side of the buried quartzite ridge above 

referred to, and would indicate' that the quartzite is underlain by granite. In 

two county wells in the northern part o'f Douglas County granite was reported 

in a similar position' on the opposite side of the quartzite ridge, but the identity 

:of the rock is open to some question. The deep valley in the bed-rock surface 

lying north of the buried quartzite ridge is indicated by the fact that the Huron, 

Iroquois, Woonsocket, and Madison wells did not reach bed rock.

i At Madison the boring penetrated to a point about 587 feet above sea level, 

and was discontinued in shale. The evidence of the line of borings from Brookings to Wolsey indicates some 1 interesting features of .underground topography in 

the bed-rock surface. In none of the borings is there definite evidence as to the 

nature of the rock penetrated. In the case of the De Srnet well, it was at one 

time supposed that the quartzite had been reached in a hard rock at a depth of 

1,456 feet; but at 1,470 feet the drill passed out into soft sandstone, presumably 

of Dakota age, which carried water. As no bed rock was reported in the 800:foot 

boring at Arlington, the bed-rock surface evidently slopes down gradually from 

1,160 feet above sea level at Brookings to less than 200 feet above sea" level at 

Iroquois, where no,-bed rock was reached. At Huron the occurrence of bed rock 

at slightly less than 200 feet above sea level indicates the position of the deeper 

portion of the basin, for the bed-rock surface appears to rise rapidly to Wolsey. 

Colonel Nettleton is authority for the reported occurrence of the rock in the Wolsey 

well at an altitude of 420 feet above sea level, as he states in his "log" of this 

well that at 928 feet the boring entered very hard rock, into which it penetrated 

2 feet. This would indicate the presence of a ridge terminated on the west by 

a steep slope, as shown by the deep wells around Miller and St. Lawrence; on 

the south, as indicated by wells north of Wessington Springs; and on the east; 

as .indicated by the deep wells southwest and southeast of Huron, none of which 

reported bed rock. '.-' '

The presence and prolongation of this ridge to the north is fully borne but 

by the .experience of three .wells north and northeast. of Hitchcock. In two of 

these, the Budlong and Glidden, quartzite was 'bored through and the granite 

.entered for a short distance. In the third well, on the farm of Mr. Moxley, bed
118 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

rock is reported at about the same altitude above tide level as in the Budlong 

well, but it was not penetrated, and its nature was not stated. I examined borings 

from both the. Glidden and Budlong wells, and there is no doubt as to the nature 

of both the quartzite and the granite as indicated in the logs and stated in the table 

given on pages 114-116. The middle portions of the quartzite in the Budlong 

boring were not so distinctive in character as the upper and lower beds, for they 

appear to be of a somewhat softer material. The borings from the granite contained 

unmistakable feldspar fragments of jagged outline and in very fresh condition, 

together with some scales of mica and a large amount of quartz, mainly showing1 

sharp edges. Some of the quartz grains were rounded, possibly by water action, 

but just as likely by the churning of the drill. It is also possible that some or 

all of these rounded grains 'were of sedimentary origin, but in this case they 

were undoubtedly derived from the overlying quartzite. It should be borne in 

mind in making a judgment on material of this character that there is more or 

less detachment of the, overlying materials by the'drill in both its descent <and 

ascent, below the bottom of the casing. As the process of drilling in such a hard 

rock as granite is relatively slow, there is much more chance for admixture of 

material detached from above than in the case of rapid progress through soft beds.

The precise course of this ridge, which passes north of Hitchcock, probably to 

Wolsey, and its relations to the adjacent slopes of the bed-rock floor eastward are 

not definitely known, but the experience of the Bohri well, near Kaymond, and the 

absence of bed rock in the 1,200-foot boring at Clark indicate approximately the 

features shown in PL XXXIX: The Doland, Redtield, Ashton, Turton, Conde, 

Mellette,.and Northville deep borings, which did not reach bed rock, indicate that 

it is not prolonged to the northward. The Bohri well penetrated supposed bed 

rock for 2 feet, but no report was given as to the nature of the rock except that 

it was very hard. The deepest boring at Aberdeen found the water-bearing beds 

and some underlying shales and sandstones underlain by 46 feet of quartzite lying 

on granite, which was penetrated 33 feet. This relation of the quartzite to the 

granite is in accord with the experience of the wells near Hitchcock. The position 

of bed rock in the Aberdeen well, in relation to that in the Hitchcock region, 

indicates a relatively gentle slope from the top of the Wolsey ridge to Aberdeen. 

 To the east of Aberdeen there is but little evidence as to the nature and rate of the 

bed-rock slope, but the relations of the Groton, Andover, and other wells which 

did not reach it indicate that- its rise is very gradual.

The boring at Milbank, in 'which the granite was penetrated for some distance, 

the surface outcrops of the formation in Minnesota Valley below Ortonville, and 

the presence of granite at a depth of 168 feet at Albee, all bear out the' idea of 

regular slope. The Brown Valley well appears to have reached the granite on this 

slope and to have penetrated it for a short distance. The material is not stated to
BED BOCK CONTOUR IN EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. . 119

be granite by Professor Winchell, but as part of the borings were' "greenish, 

micaceous, kaolinic clay.or shale," and "white, opaque, and wholly unwaterworn 

angular quartz grains," it seems exceedingly probable that the material represented 

granite in at least the lower 40 feet .of the boring. The well at Jamestown Asylum 

in North Dakota is reported to have penetrated for 19 feet at^jts bottom into hard limestone, which probably was either the Carboniferous or the Silurian, both of which 

come to the surface in Manitoba. The underground contours from Jamestown 

to Moorehead are constructed on the assumption of a regular slope. The edge of 

the limestone does not extend to Moorehead, where the deep boring passed through 

drift and possibly Cretaceous beds far into the granite:

Returning to the southeast corner .of South Dakota, it is reported that the 

quartzite was penetrated in a number of wells, including those at Parkston, Scotland, 

Tyndall, Menno, and a well southwest of Parker. At Yankton the granite was 

reached. At Fort Randall the nature of the hard rock, which was penetrated for 34 

feet according to Colonel Nettleton, is not stated, but presumably it was quartzite. 

The nature of the hard rock found in two borings at Elk Point is not known. 

The Ponca and'Sioux City borings found Carboniferous limestone underlying the 

Dakota water-bearing series, possibly with a thin intervening representative of 

some intermediate formation. The Sioux City boring passed'through a great mass 

of the limestone, through some limestone and sandstone, through 15 feet of a hard, 

brown rock, which, according to Professor Todd, may be the Sioux quartzite, and 

then penetrated nearly 550 feet into hard, gray granite. The borings at Parkston, 

Menno, and southwest of Parker indicate that the buried quartzite ridge which is so 

prominent from near Mitchell to Sioux Falls sinks almost as rapidly to the south as 

it does to the north, and this slope is further delimited by the experience of borings 

near Parker and in central-western Turner County. The steep slope in the Canton 

region is indicated by the relation of the surface outcrops, the rapid increase of 

thickness of the Dakota and overlying Cretacous sediments, and the experience of 

one or two borings in the southern part of Lincoln County. To the south of the 

steep southern front of the buried quartzite ridge there appears to be a relatively 

gentle slope intersected by two valleys, one of which heads near Menno, as indicated 

by the failure to reach bed rock in a 747-foot well, and by the relations of the wells 

in eastern Douglas County.

The irregular contour of the bed-rock surface, as shown in PI. XXXIX, is no 

doubt partly due to subaerial erosion prior to the deposition of the Dakota sandstone. It has been suggested that the quartzite ridge which extends through 

Mitchell is a portion of the Dakota sandstone.locally lithified, but the evidence of 

overlap and many other relations appear to indicate that this can not possibly be 

the case. . .
120 OKEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATEK OF CENTRAL GEEAT PLAINS. 

 PALEOZOIC.

While, it is probable that the Paleozoic rocks extend some distance east from 

the Black Hills, south from Manitoba, and north from Nebraska, they are absent 

in the greater part of the area of South Dakota lying east of Missouri River. 

The deeper wells at Aberdeen and Pierre found materials, apparently all of Greta-, 

ceous age, lying directly on the old crystalline rocks. South and east of these 

localities the same conditions prevail, and on the underground ridge of the Mitchell 

region even the Dakota sandstone is absent in an area of considerable size. To 

the south of this ridge numerous wells, as far south as Yankton and apparently 

also at Elk Point, have found the Dakota sandstone underlain by quartzite and 

granite without suggestion of intervening rocks. At Ponca, however, the Dakota 

sandstone is underlain by a series of limestones- and sandstones which undoubtedly 

represent the Carboniferous and possibry still older sedimentary rocks, and at 

Sioux City, Iowa, similar relations were found. These indicate that the Paleozoic 

rocks, especially the Carboniferous, which is ao extensively developed in Iowa and 

Nebraska, extend at least to the southeast corner of South Dakota.

' EARLY MESOZOIC. .

The red beds and marine Jurassic formations probably do not underlie eastern 

South Dakota-. 'It is possible, however,-if not probable, that the formation there 

termed Dakota may include in its lower members the "Mor'rison, Lakota, and Fuson 

formations of the Black Hills and of the Rocky Mountain region. There is, however, 

no direct evidence on the subject, and it is mentioned here as a suggestion merely.

LATER MESOZOIC.

Dakota sandstone. The Dakota sandstone underlies the greater part of eastern 

South Dakota, rising to the surface in the extreme southeast corner of the State. 

The predominant material is soft sandstone, moderately fine grained and porous for 

the most part, and'of light-gray color. There are intercalated beds of clay or shale, 

of greater or less extent, separating the sandstone layers. The sandstone lies directly 

on crystalline rocks granite or quartzite but is absent on the higher part of the 

underground ridge of quartzite in the Mitchell region eastward. Although it rises 

in approaching this quartzite ridge, due mainty to anticlinal uplift, it does not arch 

over, but appears to be terminated by a shore line, beyond whicn there is an overlap 

of the Benton formation.

The configuration of the base of the Dakota sandstone, or "bed rock," is represented in PI. XXXIX, and that of-the upper surface in the map, PI. LVIII, in which 

it will be seen that the contour lines represent considerable difference in slope from 

that of the bed-rock surface, a difference indicating variations in thickness of the
DAKOTA FORMATION OF'EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. 121

formation. This is an important condition as affecting water resources, but there 

is great scarcity of precise .data bearing on the .subject. The formation thins 

'rapidly on the slopes of the quartzite ridge in the Mitchell region, and apparently 

also about Kimball and Hitchcock, but in other portions of the region appears 

to average from 150 to 300 feet in thickness. In no two sections is there found 

. the same succession of beds having any constant thickness. The deepest well at 

Aberdeen penetrates the formation to the underlying "bed rock," indicating a c 

thickness of 301 feet, lying between 920 and 1,221 feet and presenting the following succession:

Geologic section of Dakota formation in well at Aberdeen, S. Dak.

^ ' Feet. 

Dark-gray sandstone, water..... !............... J........................... 15

- Brownish and gray sandstone, pebbly in part, gome pyrites and shale... 1'.'...... 142

Fine gray sandstone....-.........'.»...... .................................. 23

Fine, hard, brown, shaly sandstone .....'.....'.............. 1.................. 72

Fine white clay............................................................. 15

Fine gray sand, no water.................................................... 34.

Quartzite. " . ' .

Another report gives 77 feet of clay as constituting the" lower part of the 142-foot 

series and 37 feet of clay the lower part of the 72-foot series.

In Spink County many of the deep wells penetrate the sandstone for from 40 

to 208 feet, traversing thick masses of sandstone with thin bodies of shale. .The 

Frankfort well -penetrates the formation from 800 to 1,008 feet, with the following 

succession: . .,, .. , 

Partial geologic section of Dakota formation in well at Frankfort, S. Dak.

, . _ - - - ~ Feet. 

'Conglomerate, at 800 feet.................................................... 3

Sandstone ................ ^.................................. ^.:............. 122

Hard shale .........................'.......................:................ 20

Sandstone ...........'...................... .................-... ..'.....'..... 40

Hard shale .................................. . '. ..'. ...... J.......... '......... 15

Sandstone .............. .^.............................. ^....-..'............. 8+

Near'Hitchcock are two wells, the Glidclen' and the Budlong, penetrating to the 

granite of an underground ridge of. the older rocks on which there is thinning 

and change'of character of the Dakota beds. The succession is as follows, beginning at the first sandstone below a very thick mass of FJenton shales:

Geologic section of Dakota formation in Glidden well, three-fourths mile west-northwest of Jfitchcock, S. Dak.

.,.'' ' .' Feet. 

Sandstone, at 881'feet ......................... 1..........',...:....... ........ 6

Shale and limy conglomerate .. i.'........ 1.........................:......... 30

 ' White "limestone"....................x:-..... :..:..... ....".. ..............i. 20 '

Yellow sandy shale . ............. ...................................... ....:. :34
122 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OV CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Feet. . White sand, main flow ..................................................... 3

Shale and limestone ..........'........... .........................-. ....... 62

Coarse sand ............................................................... 10

White shale and limestone. ................................................ 38

Quartzite.

This record was furnished by P. J. Stacy, the borer, whose identification of 

materials is exceptionally reliable. The section presents some features unusual for 

the Dakota formation. *

Geologic section of Dakota formation in Budlong well 5 miles northeast of, Hitchcock, S. Dale..

v Feet. 

Sandy shale, at 776 feet ......--..--...--........ . ... ........................ 10

Hard sandstone. ........................................................... 3

Conglomerate. ............................................................. 30

Sandstone, soft ......-........-..-....-................-..--..........;.... 5

Dark' shale .........."...................................................... 10

Sandy shale ..,............................-.................'.'............. 12

White shale........-...-...-...--...-...-...--...-... .................... 19

Conglomerate. ............................................................. 25

Sandstone, dry ............................................................. 12 

White shale ............................................................... 19

Quartzite.

Bohri well in Clark County, a short distance northeast of Raymond, 

entered water-bearing sandstone supposed to be Dakota at the depth of 1.005 

feet and was bored to "hard rock," presumably quartzite or granite, at 1,200 

feet. The following record is given, which, if accurate, shows a remarkably 

thick body of shale below the sandstone:

Geologic section of Dakota? formation in Bohri well near Raymond, S. Dak.

Feet. 

Sand rock and shale, at 1,005 feet. .......................................... 20

"Lime rock ".........:................................................... 25

Sandstone ................................................................. 3

Shale .................................1.................................... 90

Green shale with rock layers ............................................... 55

Hard rock ("quartzite"?).

Two wells at Huron in Beadle County have bored through the Dakota sandstone into the underlying quartzite and granite; the following is the record in 

one of them:

Geologic section of Dakota formation in city welli Not. 3 and 4 at Huron, S. Dak.

Feet. 

Sandstone, with strong flow, at 740 feet. . ..................................... 5

Sandy shale ........................................................... '. .... 50

Hard sandstone. . ...................................;....................... 12
DAKOTA FORMATION OF EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. 123

- Feet. 

Sandstone; much water ..................................................... 65

Gray limestone ............................................. 1......:........

Shale ...................................................................... ,

Sandstone, thin............... .............................................

Shale ......................................................................

Sandstone .................................................................. 3

Black shale.................................................................. 125

Pebbly sand and water..................................................... 9

Coarse sandstone on quartz rock or granite .................................. 30

At Wolsey, 12 'miles west of Huron, is another well which is claimed to have 

gone to the base of the Dakota formation; the following strata are reported:

Geologic section of Dakota sandstone in well,at Wolsey, S. Dak.

Feet. 

Sandstone, with flow', at 808 feet............................... .............. 30

"Limestone" (?)............................................................. 20

Sandstone.............^.............................................;...... 20

Hard shale ................................................................. 15

Sandstone ..................... . ............................................ 10

"Limestone" (?) ........................................................... 25

At De Smet, on the highlands 30 miles, east of Huron, a deep boring passed 

through a thick series of sandstone with shale intercalations, probabl}T comprising 

the greater part of the Dakota formation and including in its upper beds the 

lower, portion of the Benton formation.

Partial geologic section in lower part of boring at De Smet, 'S. Dak.

Feet. . ' 

[Hard sandstone, at 840 feet..................................... 25

- Benton (?). .1 Sandstone ......................................'. .............. 120

 [Shale........................................:......-............ 200

[Sandstone ..................................................... 271

Dakota.... .< Hard sandstone ................................................. 14

[Sandstone ............................................ i-........ 140

In Sanborn County many wells have reached the Dakota sandstone;' the well 

at the mill at Woonsocket penetrated a solid mass of it from 697 to 775 feet, but 

had no need to go to the base. A well 2 miles southwest of Letcher reports Dakota 

beds from 400 to 863 feet without reaching their base; the material is mainly 

clay, including several sandstone layers with flowing water. In the Ashmore well, 

southwest of Artesian, the Dakota appears to have been entered at a depth of 

626 feet; its upper members are 6 feet of sandstone and 67 feet of shale, lying 

on sandstone, which was penetrated 2 feet.

In Davison County the thicknesses are variable and diminish rapidly to nothing 

in an irregular area on the higher slopes of the underground ridge of Sioux
124 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

quartzite, south and southwest of Mitchell. At Mitchell the Dakota formation 

appears to extend from a depth of 445 feet to the quartzite at 540 feet, comprising 

39 feet of sandstone above and 11 feet of sandstone at base, separated by 50 feet 

of shale. In the Smith and Davison well, 4 miles southwest of Mitchell, in a 

valley in the buried quartzite ridge, the formation is represented by 40 feet of 

sandstone and 10 feet of shale lying on quartzite, the top of which lies at a depth 

of 475 feet. At Ethan only 8 feet of sandstone, which may be Benton,. occur on 

the quartzite. In the Lowrie well, northwest of Ethan, the formation appears to 

be 92 feet thick, lying on quartzite at a depth of 477 feet- and consisting of a 

top member of sandstone about 30 feet thick and a lower series of shales. The 

formation thickens rapidly to the west and south, and in the J. K. Johnson well, 

3 miles due north of Mount Vernon, the section, without reaching the underrying 

bed rock, is as follows:

Partial geologic section of Dakota formation, north of Mount Vernon, S. Dak.

Feet. 

Sandstone, aF350 feet.............. .........i............................ 70

Shale ........................ ..........-.-.-...........................: 50

Sandstone .-.,..-...--..-...-.---..----..................,..........._... 36

Shale .................................................................... 95

Sandstone......................................... .......,.....:........ 44+

In Aurora County several wells penetrate the formation a hundred feet or more 

and find alternations of sandstone and shales. The well at Plankinton is said to 

have reached granite at 756 feet; the overlying Dakota, beginning at a depth of 538 

feet/appears to comprise 218 feet of beds consisting largely of shale, with several 

thin sandstone bodies. At White Lake, beds from a depth of 790 to 850 feet are 

reported as sandstone and shales lying on supposed granite. The Storla w.ell, in 

the northeast corner of the county, reports beds apparently Dakota from a depth 

of 457 to 760 feet, as follows:

Partial geplngic section of Dakota formation in Storla well, Aurora Count;/, S. Dak.

Feet. 

Sandstone, at 457 feet.........................:.... '. ...................... 13

" Shale ..............-......;-....--....................................... 60

Sandstone ......I................. ....................................... 5

1 Shale .-.-.-...-.-..-...-...........................;................._.. 30

Sandstone................................................................ 10

, . Shale .................................................................... 45

Sandstone................:.......................-........................ 10

Shale ...................^............................................... 110

. - ' Sandstone ........................ -...i........... .I......................" 20+
DAKOTA FORMATION OF EASTERN SOUTH'.DAKOTA. 125

In the Dougan well, 4 miles northeast of the Storla well, there were 23 feet of 

sandstone on 60 feet of shale, lying on sandstone. In the Bartow well, 3 miles 

northeast of Plankinton, the following beds are reported:

' Partial geologic sectivn of Dakota formation in Bartow well, near Plankinton, S. Dak. " '.

' . .' . ' Feet. ' 

. Sandstone, at 455 feet............'....L..'.._.._t_.... ........._......._..__. 61

Shale .1...........-.:.........'....-................':........-.....'........ 104 ' '

Sandstone...1.. ............................... ....... ..:......'........... Few. ., -

Shale; etc .... 11.1.......................................................... 133 o ' '

Sandstone .......-.-.-.-.'-.....-..-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-........-.-.... 2+

In the Besley well,. 4 miles southeast of Plankinton, tKe section is- as follows:

Partial geologic section of Dakota formation in Resley well,'near, Plankinton, S. Dak.

_Feet. 

Sandstone, at 477 feet......................:............................... 12

Shale .................................................................... 116

Sandstone ................................................................. 5

'?........................................................:............... 24

Shale ............................ i...................................... 45;

Sandstone ......................'................... .....................,. '39+.

The formation is absent in the central and southern portion of Hanson Count}', 

but in its northern and northeastern part has been penetrated by several deep wells 

and found to consist of from 20 to 53 feet of sandstone lying on granite or quartzite. 

Apparently it thickens rapidly to the north under the .western part of Miner County 

and in the southeastern part of Sanborn County. . . - 

In the northern' portion of Hutchinson County the formation thins out .against 

the Sioux quartzite slopes, but is more" than a hundred feet thick to the south 'and 

to the west. At Parkston -it appears to have been entered at a depth of 460 feet and 

found to end at "very hard rock," probably quartzite, at 542 feet. Its upper .member is a 12-foot Jaed of sandstone, below which there are alternations of'shales.and 

sandy shales. A later boring gives 35 feet of sandstone on 20 feet of shale, lying on 

the quartzite at a depth of 520 feet. At Tripp 110 feet of sandstone are reported, 

extending from 729 to 824'feet in depth without reaching the bottom of .the formation. . In the Morris well, 5 miles north by west of Tripp, the formation was penetrated from 505 to 595 feet without reaching its bottom. It consisted of sandstone 

with muddy layers below a 7-foot shale bed, with a very hard sandstone cap 28 feet 

thick at the top. . :

But little is known of the thickness or character of the formation in the southwest half of Turner County, which it underlies. A well at Hurley appears to have 

reached its top at a depth, of 400 feet; 3 miles west of that town a well 513-feet deep.
126 GEOLOGY AND UNDEBGBOUND WATEB OF CENTBAL GBEAT PLAINS.

is -reported to have passed through 93 feet of sandstone, with some pyrites and shale, 

and to have penetrated the underlying quartzite 3 feet.

In Clav County the Dakota sandstone is reached by many wells, but none of 

them appear to penetrate it for more than 30 to 40 feet.

In Yankton County several wells have been drilled 150 to 200 feet into the formation. At Yankton one of the later borings in the city has reached the underlying 

granite at a depth of 898 feet; in the Asylum well, 3 miles to the north, it is reported 

that Sioux quartzite was reached at 825 feet. These data indicate a thickness of 415, 

to nearly 500 feet for the Dakota formation. The following record 8 is given of the 

lower beds in the city deep well:

Geologic section of Dakota formation in well at Yankton, 8. Dak.

Feet.

fSand rock, at 353 feet............................................. 20

Benton?..{

\Shale............................................................ 37

Hard rock.................................................................. 3

Sand with water ..........._................._.............,................. 15

Shale........................-..-.................'.........................'.. 17

. Sand with water .... .........................'............................... 30

Hard rock.................................................................. 4

Shale ...................................................................:.\ 27

Flint....................................................................... 2

Coal ....................................................................... 1

Shale ..... ................................................................ 26

Hard sandstone.....................................:...._\................. 10

Sand with water............................................................ 15

Shale ...................................................................... 20

Sandstone............. .................................................... 29

Fine sand'.................................................................. 196

Clay...................................................,.................;. 2

Sand...........................:........................................... 62

Greenish clay............................................................... 7

Tough green rock.

In Bonhomme County the Dakota sandstone varies considerably in thickness and presents the usual variability in character. At Springfield it appears to 

have been penetrated to depths of from 440 to 592 feet without reaching its bottom, 

the upper part consisting of sandstone and shales and the lower 62 feet of a solid 

mass of very permeable sandstone containing a vast volume of water. In the 

Layson well on the highlands northwest the formation was entered at a depth of 810 

and supposed bed rock found at l,075i feet; the beds consist of an upper member 

of 230 feet of sandstone with very little water and. a lower series of sand, gravel,

oTodd, J. E., Bull. South Dakota Geol. Survey No. 2,189S, p. 101. '" '
DAKOTA FORMATION OF EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. 127

and sandstone lying on 38^ feet of black mud at the base of the formation. In the 

well at Scotland a depth of 680 feet was reached, passing about 80 feet into Sioux 

quartzite and obtaining .only a moderate supply of water from the Dakota sandstone. 

The following record begins below a thick body of shales and a succession of limestone and shales and thin sandy layers which continue to a depth of 476 feet.

^Partial geologic section in well at Scotland, S. Dak. 

' ' ' Feet.

Sandstone and shale streaks with flowing water............;.................. 34

Red shale and hard sandstone................................................ 8

Gray sandstone with flowing water ........................................... 40

Pyrites:.......................-.-.-...'.......-...-.................:...... 1

Pinkish sandstone........................................................... 31

Limy pinkish sand rock on soft Sioux quartzite .......... . .................... 12

Some of the wells in Charles Mix County have penetrated the Dakota formation 

for greater or less distances without reaching its bottom. The usual irregular alternations of sandstones and clays are reported, the sandstones often thickening to 

70 feet, as in the Lake Andes well. In the Hammer well, west of Castalia, a hard 

rock with pyrites, supposed to be the top of the Dakota formation, is reported at 

from 725 to 755 feet. Next below are 30 feet of shales and 181 feet of waterbearing sandstone.

As most of the Brule County wells obtain abundant water supplies from the 

upper sandstone of the Dakota formation they do not penetrate it very deeply. At 

Chamberlain the formation has been explored for over a hundred feet; some drillers 

report, it solely as sandstone, while other's state that heavy masses of shale separate 

the sandstone layers. At Kimball sandstone was entered at 900 feet and owing- to 

the upper beds not yielding as much water as desired the well was continued to 

over 1,200 feet, all in sandstone. , .

In Buffalo, Jerauld, Hand, and Hyde counties the Dakota sandstone has been 

drilled for water, but only its upper beds have been penetrated. In Faulk County 

many wells pass into the formation for from 150 to 200 feet and find sandstone predominating, with shale alternations in some areas. No well has reached the bottom 

of the formation. At Gettysburg, in Potter County, the formation appears .to 

extend from 1,780 to 2,130 .feet, and to be overlain, by 310 feet of sandy shales 

with pyrites. The formation consists of-sandstone at the top, then 20 feet of sandy 

shale, 40 feet of sandstone, and 90 feet of alternating sandstones and shales to the 

bottom of the well. 

At Pierre, in Hughes ^County, two deep wells have recently been completed 

which throw light on the stratigraphy of the Dakota sandstone, one of them, it is. 

claimed, having reached bed rock. The top of the formation lies 1,130 feet below 

the surface.
128 GEOLOGY' AND UNDERGROUND WATEE OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

/

. Geologic xection of Dakota formation in wells at Pierre, .8. Dak.

./ - Feet.

Sandstone, yellowish, at 1,130 feet ........................................... 10

Sandstone and limestone .................................................... 35

Sandstone, yellowish .......................................... 1............... 10

'Shale, limestone,-and sandstone. .............................I............... 30

White sand, soft ..............................'.............................. 30

White shale and limestone . ...............'...............'....'... ........... 25

Granite (supposed), at 1,260 feet....................... ...................... 260

In another well 900 feet west of this one a depth of 1,537 feet was attained without finding granite. Below 1,325 feet there were penetrated 125 feet of gray shale 

and 87 feet of highly carbonaceous shales with some.pyrites and lignite. . From 

these two borings a thickness of over 600 feet is indicated,.but the lowermost formation may be older than Dakota.

In the well on,the Rosebud Reservation the Dakota sandstone appears to have 

been entered at a depth of 2,240 feet and was found to continue to 2,'500 feet,, a 

thickness of 260 feet, without reaching its bottom. All the rock was fine-grained 

sandstone with a few thin layers of shale and some pyrites.

The Dakota sandstone contains abundant plant and molluscan remains in its 

out-crops along Missouri River near Sioux City, and in Nebraska and Kansas. An 

extensive flora is represented, constituting the typical "Dakota flora" of upper 

Cretaceous age. The mollusca are fresh-water forms, which occur in considerable 

variety, but are .not very distinctive as- to age. According to Professor Todd 

Goniobasis, a fresh-water mollusk, was found in considerable numbers at a depth 

of 785 feet in wells near Esmond. The form is one typical of the formation in the 

outcrop region south. Professor Todd also reports that plant impressions were 

found in a well near Hitchcock.

Benton group. Nearly all of eastern South Dakota is underlain by the Carlile, 

Greenhorn, and Graneros formations, constituting the Benton group, the exception 

being on the higher portions of the underground ridge of Sioux quartzite extending 

eastward from Hanson County, and along Minnesota River; The group has a thickness of several hundred feet, consisting mainly of dark-colored shales or hard claj^s, 

with thin beds of sandstone, parted near its middle by the very characteristic Greenhorn limestone, presenting a'succession of beds similar to that in the Black Hills, 

but of greatly decreased thickness. Over a considerable area a notable bed of waterbearing sandstone occurs at or near the top of the Carlile formation, being either 

immediately overlain by the Niobrara chalkstone or separated by a small amount 

of black shale. - ^ , ,

Rocks of the Benton group outcrop extensively along the south bank of 

Missouri River .below the mouth of James River and in the valley of the Big
GROUP OF EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. / 129

Sioux below Canton. One of its most typical exposures is on the south side 

of the Missouri, opposite Vermilion, where the thickness is about 250 feet, 

and where there is exhibited in the lower medial portion a very characteristic 

bed of slabby limestone, 30 to 40 feet thick the Greenhorn limestone of the 

Black Hills and Rocky Mountain region filled with the typical fossil Inoceramus labiatus. (See PI. XXIV.) The basal beds are dark shales, similar to the 

Graneros shales of the region west, 50 to 90 -feet thick, and the upper beds are 

Carlile shales," about 160 feet thick, containing several thin sandstone layers and 

zones of concretions. Th'e group is also exposed at intervals in the bluffs along 

the east side of the Big Sioux and southward to Sioux City, Iowa, where'its 

included limestone has been mistaken for the Mobrara, possibly on account of a 

small amount of chalk associated with it. The formation also appears to be near 

thei surface under the drift in Minnesota Valley, as indicated by the occurrence 

of Prionotropis'woolgari in shallow wells about Milbank. ~ Other outcrops, due to 

uplift and erosion, appear along James River and some of the tributary valleys in 

Davison, Hanson, and Hutchinson counties. The most extensive of these exposures 

are along Twelvemile, Enemy, and Firesteel creeks and on James River in the 

vicinity of the quartzite.

« The principal material seen in these outcrops is a buff or brown massive sandr 

stone, exposed for a thickness of 15 to 20 feet at the greatest. The sand is coarse, 

there is more or less cross-bedding, and often small pebbles are included all very 

suggestive of the Dakota sandstone.' Heretofore, in fact, these sandstones have been 

regarded as a part of the Dakota formation. In well borings near by, however, it 

is found that they are" underlain by several hundred feet of shales of typical Benton 

character, in some cases containing distinctive marine fossils and underlain' by 

typical Dakota sandstone. These sandstones contain some fragments of wood 

and occasional leaves, and undoubtedly are the products of shallow waters, which 

continued even as late as the beginning of Mobrara time along the shore 

afforded by the ridge of Sioux quartzite. Sharks'teeth are reported from the 

associated shales, also indicating marine conditions. Benton shales, associated with 

these sandstones, are exposed at a number of points along Eneni)', Twelvemile, and 

Firesteel creeks.and James River. 

The formations of the Benton group; as shown by the 'records of the wells, 

present considerable variation in local character and thickness.. Apparently they 

thicken considerably to the north and to the west, being thinnest in the area of 

outcrop in the southeast corner of the State. 'In the vicinity of the quartzite 

ridge, in Davison and the counties eastward, they appear to thin out and disappear, overlapping the edges of the Dakota formation considerably. Probably, 

10001 No. 32 05 9 ' ' .
130 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

however, there are some small outlying areas under the drift on portions of the 

quartzite ridge.

In the northeastern portion of the State, unfortunately, the Niobrara deposits are not clearly recognized, so that the limits of the Benton group can not 

always be ascertained. In the wells at Aberdeen the formations appear to be 

400 feet thick, if certain limestones that are given in the records really belongto the Niobrara, and, on the same basis, the formation is 480 feet thick in the 

Andover wells. In Spink County the amount is somewhat less, but it' appears 

to be 310 feet in the Cayanaugh well near Hitchcock, and 380 feet in the Grlidden well, measured downward from the bed of sandstone which appears ...to be 

the one that characterizes the summit of the Carlile formation of the Benton 

group in other portions of the region.

In Beadle and Kingsbury counties the thickness of the Benton group appears to 

vary from 400, to 500 feet, probably increasing to the west, although the limits 

of the formations are not denned in that region. In eastern Jerauld County the 

Benton beds are 540 feet thick in the Feistner well, 510 feet in the Beug well, 

and 471 feet in-the Schmidt well.

In central and southern Sanborn County, where the formation is uplifted 

to.ward the surface, the thicknesses varj* greatly, diminishing rapidly toward the 

south. In Davison County the relations are clearly ascertained by numerous 

well borings, in which the thicknesses are found to vary mostly from 200 to 300 

feet, and the upper sandstone continues to be a characteristic feature. This sandstone thickens and thins locally from 20 to 85 feet in the southwestern portion of 

the county, and is usuallj7 directly overlain by the Niobrara-chalkstone, although 

in portions of the area there is an intervening mass of shale, which sometimes 

attains a thickness of 50 feet.

In the northern part of Hanson County, where the formations of the Benton 

group vary in thickness from 250 to 300 feet, the upper sandstone is a conspicuous 

feature. In the vicinity of Ethan, in Davison County, the formations are 190 to 

200 feet thick, and at Ethan 182 feet £hick from the chalk above to a basal sandstone 8 feet thick, which may be Dakota lying on the quartzite. The stratigraphy 

varies considerably in this region, there being at various horizons occasional thin 

layers of sandstone, some of which yield a flow of water under moderate pressure.

In Miner County the formations of the Benton group have been penetrated at 

Carthage, where the chalk was found to be underlain by 30 feet of the Carlile 

upper sandstone, and this by 250 feet of shale, with considerable P3rrite in layers 

lying on typical Dakota sandstone.

In Hutchinson Count}' the formations of the Benton group present their
GROUP OF EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. 131 

characteristic features, but thin considerably on the slopes of the buried quartzite

s

ridge in the northern portion of the county. At Tripp .a thickness of 400 feet is 

reported, comprising 100 feet of sandstone immediately underlying- the chalk; at 

Scotland a thickness of 285 feet, with 25 feet of the top sandstone; and at Vodnany, 

a thickness of 305 feet, with the top sandstone very thin. In Turner County the ' 

formations of the Beiiton group are 265 feet thick in two wells near Hurley, 

'consisting entirely of dark shale. In Aurora County they average about 300 feet 

thick and usually have from 20 to 70 feet of sandstone at the summit immediately 

overlain by the Kiqbrara chalkstone. In Charles Mix County the Lake Andes 

well has the following record in formation of the Benton group: ' ,

Geologic section of Benton group in well at Lake Andes, South Dakota.

Feet.

Black shale, at 237 feet._....._-._......_.__._.'_......._..._.._............_. 30

Yellow sandy shale ...'......................................'................ 39

Dark shale .'...............'.................... I _...._:.. ....':".............. 145

Blue shale, with limestone streaks ................. ...:.. ...... I.... J. '....... 50

Shelly lime rock .......................I'............-.. .'__.__ _.:_ _ . ;'..-.-....... 25 '

Blue shale (on Dakota sandstone)'........ __.__ ___.__.__.__.. _-;-,-- ............. 70

In Brule Countjr the Benton group appears to be from 400 to'500 feet thick and 

includes sandstone layers at some localities. At the Crow Creek %'ell in Buffalo 

County it is 350 feet thick, with the usual thin bed of sandstone at ! the top j ust 

below the Mobrara chalk. In Bonhomme County the group varies considerably in 

thickness, being about 300 feet in the Springfield well and 420 feet in the Laysoh 

well on the highlands northwest of Springfield. In Douglas County 350 feet are 

indicated, including a top sandstone of general occurrence underlying the chalk 

and a great mass of shales below with a few thin layers of limestone. These thin 

layers of limestone are mentioned in many of the well records in the southern 

townships, and probably represent th§ characteristic Greenhorn limestone horizon.. 

To the south this limestone includes some chalky deposits like those of the: 

Niobrsra, but of no great thickness. The top. sandstone is from 38 to 60 feetthick in wells about Armour. In the wells about Yankton the group appears tobe not over 300 feet thick; and apparently it thins considerably eastward to its out- 

 crop area.in Clay County. .. . '

' In Grant County, as recently ascertained by Professor Todd, the upper portion 

of the Benton group Carlile formation appears to come to the surface beneath 

the drift, for in shallow wells about Milbank numerous Prion-otropis woolgari 

occur. The outcrops of sandstones that are reported by the Minnesota geological survey in Lyoii County and northwest along the eastern slope of the coteati. 

appear to be the upper sandstone of the Carlile formation. One exposure, 2
132 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

miles northwest of Taunton, is a thin-bedded quartzitic rock. According to H. H. 

Adair. the following- beds are penetrated in the vicinity of Marshall, Minn.:

Geologic section of wells about Marshall, Minn.

Feet. ' ... 

0- 70 ........-...--.-.. blue clay, with sand streaks.

70-170 .................."soapstone," light colored:

170-270 .................."soapstone," dark colored.

270-295 ............ ......"black sand," or sandy shale, with flow, of soft water.

295-415 ............ ......"soapstone."

415-425 f._._.-.._--......-. sandstone, with hard water under high pressure. i

The bed of light-colored rock from 70 to 170 feet may represent the Mobrara 

chalk rock, and the lowest sandstone appears to be Dakota.

The shale exposures on the east side of Bigstone Lake, a mile from- its 

lower end, have been examined by Prof. J. E. Todd, who finds that they are leadcolored shales containing biscuit-shaped concretions, but no fossils. Probably they 

are of upper Carlile age.

At Whiterock, in the northeast corner of Roberts County, about 20 feet of 

white "chalk" is reported, extending from a depth of 280 to 300 feet, underlain 

by 200 feet of "soapstone" lying on granite. This white "chalk" probablj- represents the Greenhorn- limestone of the Benton group.

In the, outcrops of the formations of the Benton group fossils occur in considerable number. Along Missouri and Big Sioux rivers the Greenhorn limestone 

member contains vast numbers of Inocerainus labiatus, and the associated shales 

are often highly fossiliferous, notably in the bluffs of the Missouri opposite Vermilion. In the exposures of the upper sandstone in Davison County Professor 

Todd has found many sharks' teeth, and reports the occurrence of a fragment 

of Prionotropis taken out of the shale on the east side of James River 1£ miles

north of Elm Springs. Fossils are reported from some of the wells, notably the

.. t. 

Ashmore well southwest of Artesian, from near the bottom of which a Hactro,

and Fasciolaria were obtained. In the well at Farwell sharks' teeth were obtained 

at a depth df 400 feet. .In the well 2 miles north of Woonsocket abundant 

fragments of fossiliferous limestone were thrown out from 580 feet below the 

surface, which. Mr. T.. W. Stanton repprts, contains a small Nucula with 

striated surface, which may be the young of N. cancellata M. & H., a young 

Jfactra, and numerous Lucinse, of undetermined species. These were found 250 

feet below the chalkstone and 100 feet above the main flow.

Niobrara formation. The chalkstone of this formation is a prominent feature 

in the bluffs of Missouri River above Yankton, as shown in PI. XLI, especially 

about the mouth of Niobrara River, and shows almost continuously as far as the 

Great Bend, where it passes beneath the Pierre shale at water level. It under-
NIOBRARA OF EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. . 133

lies the drift along James Eiver Valley as far nor-th as Letcher, and west to 

bej^ond Plankinton, and extends eastward to Big Sioux River in Hutchinson, 

Turner, Lincoln, Yankton, Clay, and Union counties, although probably, in the 

higher part of Turkey Ridge, it is overlain by a small outlying area of Pierre shale. 

In .central Davison, northern Turner, and Lincoln counties it abuts against .the 

quartzite of the underground quartzite ridge, on top of which it also lies in detached 

areas in portions of Hanson, McCook, Minnehaha, and Moody counties, > It also 

appears to extend across the greater part of the northwesternmost counties of 

Iowa, and along the Iowa-Minne"sota State line. The formation is cut through by 

the Missouri below the mouth of James River, by the Big Sioux below Canton, 

and by the James from north of Mitchell to the center of Hutchinson County. 

It appears to extend along the east slope of the coteau in the valley of the 

Minnesota in Grant County, bvit is there covered by drift.

The formation consists mainly of chalk in the southeast portion of the State, but 

portions of it grade into shale, which appears to replace the chalk to the north. It 

is owing to this change in character that very few well borings in the north-central 

counties report any chalk at all. The purer material is .of white or gray color when 

dry, although often of a dull drab when freshly excavated. It weathers to a brightstraw color, or in some cases a bright buff, which is a conspicuous feature in its 

exposures. It is in greater part massively bedded, arid is very fine grained and 

uniform in texture. It is extensively employed for building, being easi^ quarried 

and readily shaped by an ax or a saw into suitable building blocks. The chalk consists largely of tests of minute animals, foraminifera, and coccoliths similar to those 

of the chalk of Europe, mixed with varying amounts of clay and very fine sand. 

The material was deposited in moderately deep nearly clear water, without strong' 

currents or other conditions which would bring much admixture of land waste.

In the bluffs al'ong'the Missouri, near the mouth of Niobrara River, the locality 

from which the formation was named, it rises in cliffs 50 to 80 feet high, of which 

the light-buff color is in striking contrast to the dark slopes of the Pierre and Benton 

shales. Exposures, are frequent along the river from the mouth of the James nearly 

to the Great Bend. On James River and the lower portions of its larger branches 

the chalkstone is exposed at intervals from Scotland northward to Firesteel Creek in 

Davison County. There are numerous exposures on the Firesteel northwest of 

Mitchell, and on Enemy and on Twelvemile creeks southwest and south of Mitchell. 

It also appears on Wolf Creek, on Dawson Creek near Scotland, on James River 

below the mouth of Wolf Creek, and 'east of Mitchell. It is reported in extensive 

exposures on Clay Creek 12 miles northeast of Yankton, on Brule Creek northeast 

of Vermilion, to the northwest of Canton, and on the Split Rock 2 miles north of 

Brandon. .
134 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREA.T PLAINS.

This formation has been .included in or mistaken for the Greenhorn limestone 

bed of the Bentou by some geologists, an error which has produced considerable 

confusion in the literature relating to the geology of the eastern portion of this 

region. The Niobrara formation is characterized by the occurrence of small 

oysters known as Ostrea congesta (see PI. XXIV), which usually occur in colonies, 

and sometimes on the shells of large fossils, constituting an impure limestone. 

The Gi;eenhorn limestone,"as has been explained, is characterized by the occurrence 

of large numbers of Inoceramus labiatus, a form which occurs infrequently, if at 

all, in the Niobrara. ' ' ^

The thickness and structural relations of the Niobrara formation have been 

determined in part by well borings. The chalkstone is a prominent feature in 

the wells in Davison County and in the regions south, but to the north, as before 

stated, it appears to give place to shale, so that, though undoubtedly existing in 

the northeastern..portion of the State, it is seldom recognized by the well borers. 

In Yankton County the wells begin in lower beds and soon pass into the underlying 

.Benton deposits. In Bonhomme County the Layson well in the highlands 

northwest of Springfield appears to have entered the top of the formation at a 

depth of 90 feet and to have continued in it for 300 feet, including 20 feet of 

hard limestone at the base. In the town well at Scotland 120 feet of chalk are 

reported, but in that region some of the top of the formation has been removed 

by erosion. At Turkey Ridge, in the northeast corner of the county, in one well 

215 feet of chalk was reported; at Hurley 100 feet were passed through, and 

in numerous wells in the central and southern portions of Turner County equal 

amounts of chalk were recorded. . .

In Hutchinsou County the thickness is considerably diminished as the uplift 

is approached, but in the western portion of the count}-, where the Pierre shale 

overlaps, the full amount remains. In the well at Tripp 300 feet were reported, 

extending from 25 to 300 feet in depth, but probably there was included in this 

much of the yellow clay of the lower part of the.drift. In Douglas County the 

formation appears to average nearly 100 feet. It is reported to extend from a 

depth of 190 to 300 feet in a well 4 miles north of Dehnont, consisting of blue 

shaly chalk above and white v chalk below, lying on Carlile sandstone. In Charles 

Mix County the formation is not very definitely reported by any of the well drillers, 

except in the Hammer well, west of Castalia, where it is claimed that chalk extends 

from the depth of 87 to 630 feet, surely a great exaggeration of its true extent. 

In Brule County the formation appears to average 200 feet in thickness. In Aurora 

County from 100 to 150 feet are reported, except in the northwestern portion of the 

county, where the formation has suffered considerable erosion, and only from 40 to 

60 feet remain. In Davison County nearty the entire surface has been subjected
PIERRE AND MOBRARA OF EASTERN SOUTH .DAKOTA. 135

to erosion, for it lies next below the drift. It is usually entered at from 20 to 50 

feet below the surface, and varies in thickness up to 260 feet, which is 4'eported in 

wells .in the southwest corner of the county. In Hanson County the formation 

is very thin, and is absent over the greater part of the summit of the buried 

quartzite ridge.

In Sanborn County the formation varies greatly in thickness. To the southeast it has been partly removed by erosion, and it appears to thin under the 

Pierfe shale to the north. In the McCurdy well, at Letcher, it is reported to be 

175 feet thick, and in the Ryan well'near by only 70 feet. The latter estimate 

is probably nearer the truth, for the limits of the chalk are clearly indicated by 

the underlying characteristic sandstone of the Carlile formation. In the Woonsocket' well the only chalk reported is a layer 24 feet thick, extending from a 

depth of 412 to 436 feet.

In Miner County the chalk appears to be well characterized, having a 

thickness of from 70 to 120 feet or more, lying under drift to the southwest 

and under the Pierre .shale to the north. At Canova it is reported at a depth of 

120 to 150 feet, lying under drift or a small thickness of shale and having a 

thickness of from 50 to 80 feet. In Kingsbury County the onh' reference to 

chalk in any of the records is in the Matthews well, 4 miles northeast of Carthage, where it is reported as extending to 493 feet, and in the Welch well, 3 

miles northwest of Carthage, where its top is 420 feet deep. In Beadle County 

chalk is mentioned in a few of the records, but apparently it has given place 

mostly to shale which is not distinguished from the adjoining Pierre or Ben ton. 

In Spink County some limestone is reported at an average depth. of about 450 

feet, underlain by sandstone reported to be at the top of the Benton, and this 

may be the chalk horizon. In the wells at Aberdeen "limestone" from 515 to 530 

feet, and in Andover from 575 to 590 feet, may possibly represent the Niobrara. 

In Missouri Valley above Chamberlain the chalk is not reported by the well 

borers, 'doubtless giving place rapidly to gray shales, as in the northern James 

River Valley region just described.

In the northeast corner of the State chalk rock, which appears to be Niobrara 

in age, is reported from some wells in southeast Grant County on slopes above 

shales yielding Prionocyclas woolgari. The wells in which this rock is found are 

from 10 to 12 miles south of Milbank.

0 *

Pierre shale. This formation extends across the greater part of eastern South 

Dakota, appearing extensively in the slopes of Missouri Valley, but being mostly 

covered by drift deposits in the country eastward. Its maximum thickness is probably near the mouth of Cheyenne River, where it is overlain by Fox Hills sandstone. 

To the east its surface has been more or less deeply eroded, especially in the area of
136 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

uplift adjacent to the lower portions of James and Big Sioux valle}^, where it has

been entirely removed from a zone of considerable width. » "

The formation consists almost entirely of dark-gray clay, hardly sufficiently compact to be termed a shale, and presenting but little variation in its character from 

top to bottom. It contains occasional concretions, frequent masses of pyrites, 

thin streaks of sandstone, and some local chalky deposits to the south. Many of 

the deep wells pass through the formation for several hundred feet, the amount 

increasing gradually to the north and west of Davison County. In the slopes of 

Missouri Valley above the Great Bend 500 -feet of the formation are to be seen, 

but below the Great Bend, as the underlying Niobrara chalk rises in the banks, the 

shale diminishes, and a short distance below the mouth of Niobrara Kiver thins out 

and disappears. The many variations in its thickness are due mainly to erosion, 

the Pierre shale having been extensively and irregularly eroded previous to the 

deposition of the glacial drift by which it is now mostly covered.

It is several hundred feet thick in the ridge lying between James and Missouri 

rivers, in Charles Mix, Douglas, and Brule counties. At Armour there are probably 170 feet of the formation; at 10 miles north of Armour, 300 feet; in the western 

portion of Aurora County, 350 feet; in Brule County the amount diminishes somewhat, owing to the local uplift; in approaching the uplift in eastern Aurora County 

it thins out entirely; in the highlands of Jerauld County 300 feet are reported. The 

amount increases on the higher .lands, and the increase continues northward in the 

highlands between Missouri and James rivers; but owing to the indefiniteness of the 

well records as to the limits of the Niobrara formation in that direction the precise 

thickness can not be stated; apparently it is over 1,000 feet.

In James River Valley about -500 feet are reported in the wells at Aberdeen 

and Andover and about 400 feet in Spink County; but owing to the uncertainty as 

to the position of the Niobrara formation the lower limit of the formation is not 

clearly recognized in the reports of the well borings. In Beadle Countjr the amount 

is materially less and diminishes to the south until finally the formation ends in the 

center of Davison County, on the anticlinal uplift of the Mitchell region.

East of James Kiver Valley, north of this uplift, the formation extends eastward 

to the margin of Minnesota Valley, underlying the high cotea,u, where it has a 

thickness of several hundred feet. In Kingsbury County it appears to have a 

thickness of about 100 feet in the highlands eastward, although its limits in the 

De Smet well are not indicated by t'he record. It appears to extend south through 

Lake County to the (-quartzite ridge, for it presents considerable thickness in the 

well at Madison. It also appears to extend east into Minnesota, for Pierre fossils 

haVe been found in the west slopes of Minnesota Valley; and although it has been
TERTIARY OF EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. 137

stated by Professor Todd that probably all of these fossils so far reported were 

found in the glacial drift, yet they have not traveled far. About Taunton, in Lyon 

County, the fossils are found below the level of the Benton group, and there, as 

about Milbank, they are inclosed in drift deposits.

Exposures of the formation are exceedingly rare east of the immediate slopes 

of Missouri Valley. In the region of thin drift about Ree Heights and southward 

the formation outcrops for some distance, and it appears again south of Swan Lake 

in Potter County, northeast of Gann Valley, and on Turtle Ridge, near Wessington 

Springs. Professor Todd informs me that shallow streams cut into it in western 

Brown County, northwest of Aberdeen, and on Willow Creek and its north branch 

northwest of Westport: in southeastern Brown County, 5 to 8 miles south of Groton; 

along James River northeast of Redfield; in northwestern Day County, 2 miles and 

4 miles north of Pierpoint; and extensively north and south of Groton. Dark shale, 

probably of the Pierre, is reported in the northeast corner of Yankton County, 

where it lies on the Niobrara at an altitude of 1,510 feet, and is believed to extend 

thence under a considerable portion of Turkey Ridge, beneath the drift. At the 

cement works. 3 miles west of Yankton, it caps the Niobrara chalk rock, a relation 

which it presents in frequent exposures for many miles along the river.

Fox Hills formation. :There is no good evidence of the existence of Fox Hills 

sandstone east of the Missouri, south and east of Campbell County. It is suggested 

by Professor Todd that,some sand on the high hills north of Forest City and the fine 

yellow sand along Swan Creek southwest of Bangor may be Fox Hills, and that 

remnants of them may be found in the Faulkton, Bowdle, and Koto hills.

TERTIARY DEPOSITS.

Evidence as to the existence of the Tertiary formations in eastern South 

Dakota is meager. On the summits of the Bijou Hills are caps of distinctive 

green quartzite of later Tertiary age lying on light-colored sands and sandy clays. 

Another area of the quartzite is found on the high ridge due east of Greenwood.

Fossil fish of .supposed Oligocene age have been obtained from the high ridge 

southwest of Ree Heights, but the extent of the deposit in which they were 

found has not been determined. According to Professor Todd, the high ridge just 

west of Wessington Springs contains deposits of sandstone supposed to be older 

than the drift and probably of the same age as the quartzite on the Bijou Hills. 

It shows the same general structure, even to 'occasional beds of grit between the 

finer layers, and lies on lead-colored Pierre clay. Doubtless much of eastern 

South Dakota was covered by Tertiary deposits originally, but they were removed 

by the deep and widespread erosion of early Pleistocene times, although in some 

areas they may remain, mostly covered by the glacial drift.
138 GEOLOGY AND UNDEKGKOUND WATER OF CENTRAL GKEAT PLAINS.

QUATERNARY DEPOSITS.

The portion of South Dakota lying east- of the Missouri is covered in greater 

part by a thick mantle of Pleistocene deposits, mainly of glacial origin. There 

are several lines of morainal ridges, a nearly continuous sheet of glacial till, 

extensive glacial lake deposits, and alluvial accumulations of Glacial and of more 

recent age. These formations have been described in detail by Prof. J. E. Todd, 

to whose publications the reader is referred. The greater part of the information 

is given in "The moraines of the Missouri Coteau and their attendant deposits," 

U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin No. 144, 1896; "The moraines of southeastern 

South Dakota and their attendant deposits," II. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 

No. 158, 1899; and "Geology and Water Resources of a portion of southeastern 

South Dakota." U. S. Geological Survey Water-Supply and Irrigation Paper No. 

34, 1900.

GEOLOGY OF1 EASTERN NEBRASKA.

GENERAL RELATIONS.

Eastern Nebraska is underlain by Carboniferous and Cretaceous formations 

bearing a superficial mantle of Pleistocene deposits. The older formations have a 

'gentle slope toward the west, and the overlying deposits are in general conformable 

to the easterly slope of the land. Along the Missouri, from Burt County south. 

Carboniferous rocks appear and, in the region south of Lincoln, extend west to 

Lancaster and Gage counties, whereas to the north they pass beneath the Dakota 

sandstone. They are frequently exposed in the valleys in the southeast corner of 

the State, but on the higher lands are deeply buried under the drift. Toward the 

west their gentle dip and 'the rapid rise of the land carry them far beneath the 

surface, not to appear again until the Black Hills and Rocky Mountains are reached. 

The series of Cretaceous formations which lie on the Carboniferous beds comprise 

the Dakota sandstone, the Benton group, the Niobrara limestone, and the Pierre 

shale. The lower member, the Dakota sandstone, reaches the surface to the east 

in a zone that passes near Lincoln and occupies Missouri Valley 'above Omaha. 

The Red Beds, the Jurassic, and the lower Cretaceous formations of the mountain 

regions are lacking in eastern Nebraska.

The greater part of the surface is occupied by a 'thick mantle of Pleistocene 

deposits, comprising glacial drift and a thick cover of loess. West of longitude 98° 

there intervenes, between the Pleistocene deposits and the Cretaceous formations, a 

series of later Tertiary, "Loup Fork" deposits, which gradually thickens toward the 

west. The glacial drift is thickest in Lancaster County, and thins rapidly toward the 

Missouri and to the west, its attenuated margins passing under a thick sheet of loess
CARBONIFEROUS OF EASTERN NEBRASKA. 139

in both directions. Toward the west the glacial drift presents an obscure morainal 

front along the eastern side of Seward County, from which a continuous thick 

mantle of loess extends far westward. Under this loess mantle there is a thin sheet 

of gravels and sands, apparently extending out from the front of the glacial drift to 

about longitude 102°. The position of the east margin of'the late Tertiary deposits 

has not been definitely ascertained, owing to the cover of superficial materials, and 

its representation on the map, PI. XXXV, may be several miles in error in some 

localities. The loess has a thickness, in greater part, of from 60 to 90 feet. 

The larger depressions which traverse the region contain deposits of alluvial 

formations, which are of great width along Platte River. In some portions of the 

area there are accumulations of dune sands, of greater or less extent, which, 

except for the sand banks in the river and the recent wash and talus, are the most 

recent formations of the region.

STRATIGRAPHY. 

CARBONIFEROUS.

Carboniferous limestones, sandstones, and shales reach the surface in many of 

the valleys of southeastern Nebraska and along Missouri Valley as far north as the 

southern part of Omaha. The rocks consist of a variety of limestone beds, with 

intercalated shales, sandstones, and clays in a succession which appears to present a 

thickness of 1,500 feet or more. The structure and stratigraphic relations of the 

Carboniferous formations have not been ascertained as yet. except in a most general 

way. Doubtless the investigations now in progress by the State survey will result 

in a complete determination of their relations. It is not practicable here to review 

the several papers which touch on the geology of the Carboniferous of Nebraska, 

but they agree that the age of the beds exposed is Pennsylvanian and Permian, 

the latter appearing in Gage County. The Cottonwood limestone of the Kansas 

survey has been traced across a portion of the southeast corner of the State, and 

the associated succession of rocks appears to be constant for some distance from 

the Kansas line.

In a deep boring at Lincoln the Carboniferous beds are reported to have 

been entered at a depth of 269 feet, and distinctive fossils were obtained as low 

as 1,090 feet. Below this depth Magnesian limestones were reported to a depth 

of 1,813 feet, presumably in part at least of Mississippian age. They were 

underlain by rocks believed to' represent the Trenton. St. Peter, lower Magnesian, and Potsdam to 2,192f feet, where supposed Sioux quartzite was entered 

and continued to the bottom of the well at 2,463 feet.
140 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

CRETACEOUS.

Dakota sandstone. The outcrop zone of this sandstone extends across eastern 

Nebraska on a nearly due north-south course, passing- through Lincoln and up 

Missouri Valley into the southeast corner of South Dakota. It is mostly covered by

 glacial drift and loess, but appears to have a width of 10 to 20 miles underneath these 

superficial deposits. To the west the formation passes under the Benton shales along 

a line that has been only approximately determined, and underlies the region to 

the west at gradually increasing depths. It lies directly on Carboniferous limestones, the contact being exposed at a number of points, notably at Beatrice, 

at Roca, and at several points on South Platte River below Ashland. One of 

these localities is shown in PL XL, B.

The thickness of the formation probably varies considerably, but appears to 

average nearly 300 feet. In the well at Lincoln it is penetrated for 269 feet.

The contact line between the Dakota sandstone and the Carboniferous beds in 

eastern Nebraska presents many steep slopes, indicating an irregular shore line 

against which Dakota sediments were deposited. The sandstones are mainly of gray 

and brown colors and contain extensive bodies of intercalated clays of various light 

colors and local beds of conglomerate. Owing to their softness the clays are 

infrequently exposed, while the sandstones often give rise to prominent bluffs. 

Portions of the sandstone contain so much iron as to be frequent!}' mistaken 

for iron ore. The coarser san<|y members usually are cross-bedded. The texture 

varies irregularly from rock that is quite firm, to sand that is hardly consolidated; 

in most cases the material is so soft that it can be excavated easily with a pick. A 

bed of light-colored quartzitic sandstone 3 feet thick is reported on Whisky Run,

. about 5 miles northeast of Fairbury. Fossil leaves occur in considerable abundance 

at many localities, notably in the bluffs at Dakota City, the place from which the 

formation was named and where there were obtained the original extensive collections of upper Cretaceous plants of the characteristic Dakota flora described by 

Heer and Lesquereux. Two other notable localities for leaves are 5 miles south of 

Endicott, in Jefferson County, and near Decatur, in Burt County.

Outcrops of the Dakota sandstone are mostly small and widely scattered. 

Beginning at the south, there are exposures about Fairbury, about Jansen, and at 

Beatrice. "The largest single area is south from Little Blue River, near Endicott 

and Fairbury in Jefferson County, just be3rond the line of glacial drift. The second 

largest is probably Iron Mountain, a few miles southeast of Beatrice.'' " Hayden 6 

described the exposures along Little Blue River and gave the following section from 

the last exposure, which extended from i miles below the mouth of the Big Sandy 

to 2 miles south of the State line of Kansas.

aGould, C. N., Am. Jour. Sci., vol. 9,1900, p. 429. t> First Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr., 1867, p. 29.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XL

A, PULPIT ROCK, KANSAS. 

Dakota sandstone.

S. DAKOTA SANDSTONE IN BLUFFS ON WEST SIDE OF PLATTE RIVER, 1 MILE BELOW ASHLAND, NEBR. 

Massive porous sandstone with coarse and fine beds and cross-bedding; Carboniferous limestone outcropping in weeds at base.
DAKOTA SANDSTONE OF EASTERN NEBRASKA. 141

* Geologic section at Little Blue River, Nebr.

Feet. 

Yellow and dark-brown rust-colored sandstones with a few leaves........ 50-100

Moderately coarse yellowish-white sand, irregularly bedded .............. 50

Dark-colored laminated clays with particles and seams of carbonaceous.

matter and beds of carbonaceous clay in beds of 18 inches to 3 feet; 

» much pyrite and wood .......'.......................................... 30-50

Variegated sandy clays; some seams of excellent potters' clay; probably.. 50-70 

Dark-bluish shaly clay, Permian.

Bones of extinct, saurians are frequently found in these beds, .and many 

leaves occur in the sandstones of the upper bed.

In the vicinity of Lincoln there are numerous small outcrops at intervals 

along the valley of Salt Creek and its branches; at Pleasantdale, in Seward 

County; and at Bennett, at the head of the Little Nemaha. The most extensive 

outcrops near Lincoln extend along the Burlington Railroad from Lincoln nearly 

to Roca. Some of the largest of these are about the penitentiary and in the 

vicinity of' the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad crossing. The brown 

sandstone appears on Antelope Creek in the southeastern corner of Lincoln ' 

County and at the "cave" in the southern margin of the city. Between Emerald 

and Pleasantdale the Dakota sandstone rises as a moderately high ridge under 

the drift and is exposed in railroad and stream cuts. The beds are extensively 

cross-bedded and in some of the exposures consist of highly ferruginous sandstories with complex concretionary structure. There are several exposures of the 

 usual brown sandstone on both slopes of Haines Branch Valley and along the 

hollow beginning- 2 ^miles southwest of Rokeby. At the brick and tile works a 

mile southwest of the insane asylum the formation is represented by clays mainly 

of mottled pink, brown, and gray, with streaks of sand and sandstone, lying on 

a bed of dark-gray clay containing a large amount of organic material; 30 feet 

are exposed. There is another excavation" in a similar mass of clay in the 

southern edge of West Lincoln, just east of the lake. The exposures of Dakota 

sandstone north of Lincoln are along Little Salt Creek and some of its branches 

south and southwest of Davey, along Rock Creek north of Waverly. and in 

depressions along the head branches of Rock Creek northeast of Davey.1 In all 

of these exposures there is seen brown sandstone, excepting in the railroad cut 

northeast of Dave}', where a mottled clay is exposed. The only exposures discovered east of Lincoln are in a small branch of Stevens Creek 6£ miles east of 

Lincoln post-office, at an old quarry in the north side of Stevens Creek a mile 

and a half above its mouth, and in the hollow just north of the railroad a mile 

west of Prairie Home.

The exposure of the Dakota sandstone just south of Bennett, at the head of 

Little Nemaha River, is very interesting. The formation consists of very regular
14'2 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER .OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

beds, 1 foot to 2 feet thick, of beautifully cross-bedded sands hardly sufficiently 

cemented to be classed as sandstone. The exposure is across a depression from a 

bluff of Carboniferous limestone. The relations indicate that probably there was a 

steep shore of the limestone here during the deposition of the Dakota sandstone, 

although possibly the two formations are separated by a fault.

The Dakota sandstone has been reported in "many of the wells in Lancaster 

C3unty, and in fact it is one of the principal sources of water supply in the deeper 

wells. Extensive springs flow out of it at many localities, notably at Case's and 

Price's, near-Endicott; at Robinsons Spring, 4 miles south of Beatrice; and at Golden 

Spring, between Takama-h and Decatur, which last runs a 6-inch stream.

In the boring made by the State near Lincoln in 1886 the lower portion of 

the Dakota formation was penetrated. According to Mr. B. P. Russell, the materials 

covering- the Carboniferous limestone were as follows:

Geologic section of materials covering Carboniferous limestone near Lincoln, Xebr.

Feet. 

0-4 sandy loam. .

4-20 angular greenish sand.

20 - 24f coarser whitish sand. .

241 - 48} coarse gravel.

48} - 52 sand, whitish, even grained, in part rounded.

52 - 57 coarse gravel.

57 - 74 fine yellow sand.

74 -100 lighter sand.

100 -112£ coarser dark yellow sand; gravel and iron pebbles.

112J -133J white sand and gravel, with brine at 119 feet.

133| -135 yellowish-white sand.

135 -147|^ yellow sand; small pebbles.

147f -164J coarse yellow sand and gravel. '

' 164J -179| yellow sand.

179f -195 white sand; gravel.

195 -202 very coarse gravel...'.....

202 -205 coarse gravel and conglomerates.

205 -206J coarse conglomerate with chalky, flinty pebbles.

206J -208f soft gray sandstone.

208| -209£ reddish clay.

209J -214!,- light-drab clay.

2141 -244J fine-grained, gray, very soft sandstone.

244J -247} greenish-drab clay.

247} -267TV fine-grained, reddish, very soft sandstone.

267TV-269,-12 sandy gray clay lying on chert, shale, and limestone.

It is thought that the top of the Dakota formation was entered at a depth of 48i 

feet, but the evidence is by no means conclusive.

" >Containing brine, 35°; strong flow.
DAKOTA SANDSTONE OF EASTERN NEBRASKA. 143

s

The Dakota formation outcrops at intervals along the bluffs of Platte River, from 

just below Ashland nearly to Plattsmouth, lying on an irregular surface of Pennsylvanian limestones and shales. The rocks consist of sandstones, clays, and gravels. 

Along the railroad cuts on the south side of the river between Ashland and South 

Bend there are high bluffs of the massive cross-bedded sandstone, at the base of which 

the older limestones often appear. PI. XL, J?, shows a typical portion of this exposure. On the opposite side of the river, at Santee Caves, 60 feet of sandstones are 

exposed. Below South Bend the Pennsylvanian rocks rise higher, and the Dakota 

clays, sandstones, and gravels are from 5 to 50 feet thick under the drift. Both contacts are extremely irregular, especially the lower one. Near Cedar Creek and 

Springfield there are extensive gravel beds, probably marking old stream courses in 

the Dakota deposition. Professor Gould" gives the following description of a typical 

exposure in the quarry a mile west of Cedar Creek: "The lower 15 or 20 feet consist of an extremely hard, conglomerate, usually cross-bedded. The pebbles composing the conglomerate are smooth, waterworn, usually white or yellowish quartz. 

They vary from the size of a walnut to a very fine sand." Over this lie 30 to 40 feet 

of material of similar composition, but mostly very loosely cemented and containing 

smaller pebbles and some sand layers, which is extensively excavated for ballast on 

the railroads. The most westerly exposure of the sandstone in the Platte Vallej7 is in 

the south bank of the river, near the bridge, 2 miles south of Fremont; this is probably 

near the top of the formation. / .' ,

Along the right bank of the Missouri are frequent exposures from above Blair 

to Ponca, the formation sinking beneath the valley floor a short distance above the 

latter place. A mile north of Decatur, at Blackbird Hill and'at the old Blackbird 

Mission, the river cuts into banks of Dakota sandstone. According to Hayden, 60 to 

80 feet, consisting of soft sandstone with some very hard layers and considerable clay, 

are exposed near the Mission. At Tekamah the creek exposes 50 feet of the formation, consisting entirely of dark-brown sandstone. In a section 5 miles southeast of 

Homer Professor Condra reports 37 feet of Dakota beds, the upper half consisting 

of thin beds of sandstone and brown clay and the lower half of massive cross-bedded 

sandstones, varying in texture from sand to hard rock and presenting various tints of 

light gray, buff, arid brown. In the quarry just northwest of Homer the following 

section is reported:

Partial geologic section of Dakota formation in quarry northwest of Homer, Nebr.

' Feet. 

 Clay of yellowish color....................................................... 2

Sandstone, light colored, .porous, massive, and not cross-bedded.................. 7

Clay, light colored, concretionary ............................"....._-._._._.... 2

1 ;* / 

"First Ann. Kept.U.S. GeoI.Surv. Terr., 1567, p. 431. '
144 GEOLOGY AND UNDEKGKOUND WATEK OF CENTRAL GEE AT PLAINS.

X

Page. 

Sandstone, light colored, porous, massive, and not cross-bedded.................. 10

Clay, light colored, sandy, yellowish in places, with hard layers of iron concretions 1 to 12 inches thick.........-.-.................,................;..... 28

 Clay, yellowish, with a few iron concretions................................... 5

Sandstone, light gray to rust colored, massive, cross-bedded, with several layers of 

clay.........................."............................................ i 20

The lower bed of sandstone in this section rises high in the blufl's some 6 or 7 

miles southeast of Homer. Professor Condra gives- the following section in the 

quarry at Jackson. Dakota County:

. Partial geologic section of Dakota beds at Jackson, Nebr.

Feet. 

Glacial clay.

Sandstone, rusty ........................................................... J-l

Sandstone, light colored, loosely cemented ................................J. 2

Sandstone, rusty to light color, soft beds 2 to 8 inches, with thin partings of

light-colored ciay .................. ...................................... 8

Clay, sandy, light color ..................................................... J

Sandstone, soft, light colored ..-..............................'.............. li

Sandstone, clay or sand, color rusty to light .................................. 3

A thin bed.of coal is reported 30 feet below the floor of the quarry.

The Dakota formation is reached by numerous wells in northeastern Nebraska, 

mainly in the northern portions of Cedar. Knox, and Holt counties and in Boyd 

County. Its top in some of these wells is at the following altitudes: Miller well at 

Aten, 840 feet; Santee, 750 feet; Mobrara, 700 feet; Lynch, 680 feet. This indicates 

a rise of 7 feet to the mile easterly from Niobrara to Ponca, where the top of the 

formation reaches the river at an altitude of 1,135 feet. Between Niobrara and 

Lynch, the beds appear to be nearly horizontal, and west ,of Lynch they appear to rise 

slightly. By combining the thickness found in a well with the surface outcrops the 

thickness of the formation at Ponca appears to be 375 feet. At least 300 feet are 

found in the well and outcrops at Sioux City, Iowa.

Benton group. The Benton group immediateh^ underlies the drift in eastern 

Nebraska in a belt of considerable width, but owing to the softness of most of 

its materials and the heavy covering of superficial deposits, exposures are very 

rare and limited. South of Platte Kiver there are only a few outcrops, and 

north of that river there are no exposures until the banks of the Missouri are 

reached, where for several miles the formation shows in occasional bluffs of 

considerable prominence.

The succession of beds is similar to that which is seen in the Eocky Mountains 

and in the Black Hills, but presents local modifications and greatly diminished 

thickness. At the base there are black fissile Graneros shales lying on the Dakota
BENTON GROUP OF EASTERN NEBRASKA. 145

sandstone and apparently averaging about 60 to 200 feet thick. These are capped 

by a thin but characteristic and persistent series of limestones tilled with the casts of 

shells of Inoceraimts labiatus, and therefore believed to be the precise equivalent 

of the Greenhorn limestone of the Black Hills and of southeastern Colorado. 

(See PI. XXIV.) This limestone appears in the bluffs opposite Vermilion and 

at intervals south of Platte Elver, notably on Coon Creek at Milford. on Big 

Blue River below Milford, on West Blue. River in the northern portion of Saline 

County, on Turkey Creek, on Little Blue River in Thayer County, and east of 

Ppwel and south of. Rose Creek in Jefferson! County. Overlying the limestones 

there are about 200 feet of dark shales, with a few thin sandstone layers, which 

appear to be exposed only along the Missouri; they present the characteristics of 

the Carlile formation of the region west, usualty having at or near the top a 

distinct bed of sandstone sometimes separated from the Niobrara chalkstone by a 

small thickness of shale.

The relations of this series along the Missouri, in Dakota, in Dixon, and in 

Cedar counties, has : recently been studied by Prof. G. E. Condra, who has 

furnished the following details: The Graneros formation in its outcrop zone is 

from 50 to 60 feet thick, but thickens to the west, shr/wing 78 feet in the Niobrara 

well (at 442-520 feet), 98 feet in the Santee well (at 502 to 600 feet), and 90 feet 

in well at Lynch (at 610-700 feet). It consists mainly of veiy dark-gray to 

bluish-gray clay or soft shale somewhat harder in texture in its upper and in its 

lower portions. The Greenhorn limestone usually is from 18 to 20 .feet thick, 

not including some shaly transition beds. Its rocks consist largely of carbonate 

of lime with admixture of clay and some sand. The upper beds are moderately 

hard, somewhat iron stained, weather to a dirty gray, and are filled with the 

impressions of the fossil everywhere so characteristic of this formation, Inoceramus labiatus. (See PI. XXIV.) This member gives rise to local cliffs often of 

considerable prominence. The lower beds of the Greenhorn limestone are more 

massive, softer, and more chalky, some portions resembling the Niobrara chalk 

rock. Owing to this resemblance several geologists have confused this formation 

with the Niobrara. . The Greenhorn ledge was found capping high hills in Dakota 

County, from which it gradually descends on a westerly dip and passes beneath 

the river level northeast of Newcastle.. In a bluff three-fourths of a mile northwest of Ponca 19 feet of Greenhorn limestone is exposed over 50 feet of 

Graneros black shale. A similar exposure occurs in the river bank at tl»e line 

between Dixon and Dakota counties. The Greenhorn limestone has been recognized b\- Condra in the wells at Niobrara at from 410 to 422 feet; at Santee, 

445^ to 502 (?) feet, and at Lynch,' 588 to 610 feet. > 

10001 ^0. 32 05 10 -
146' GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

The Carlile formation appears in eastern Dixon Count}', overlying the Greenhorn limestone, and attains a thickness of about 170 feet where it passes under 

 the Niobrara chalk rock. In the well at Niobrara it is 210 feet thick and in 

that at Lynch 288 feet, extending from 282 to 570 feet in depth. The materials 

are principally dark-gray and bluish-gray stratified clays with two zones of f ossiliferous chalky shale: Sandstone beds of variable extent and character usually 

occur at different horizons, but generally near the top, as just west of Vermilion 

Ferry. Large calcareous concretions mark two horizons, respectively 50 and 60 

feet below the top of the formation, the upper carrying numerous concretions 

from 2 to 8 feet long and a foot or more thick, and the lower others less numerous and smaller. These horizons pass beneath the river level between St. James 

and St. Helena. Considerable iron pyrites occur in the shales in thin layers and 

concretions. In a bluff at the "Ionia Volcano," near Ionia, ,137 feet of the formation are exposed, lying on a few feet of Greenhorn limestone.with 15 feet of 

bluish shaly passage beds. The top of the formation emerges from beneath the 

river level at a point about 4 miles above St. Helena, and rises gradually to 140 

feet above the river a short distance west of Newcastle. The contact with the 

overlying Niobrara chalk is defined by a very abrupt change in the character of 

the materials from soft shale to compact chalk rock, a feature well exposed in 

the high bluff northeast of St. James. The Carlile beds contain numerous fossils 

at some localities, comprising Prionocydas, Ostrea, Inocerami, and Serpula. Some 

further features of the formation in Missouri Valley are given in the well records 

on pages 277-278 and in the following general section by Prof. J. E. Todd:

. Generalized geologic section of Benton group and associated formations along Missouri -Valley from the 

mouth of Sow Creek to just below the mouth of Ayoway Creek, Nebraska.

Formation.

Carlile .............

\

Dakota .............

Materials.

Blue shale with, zone of large lenticular concretions below and

< smaller concretions above.

Blue shale with scattered concretions containing Prionocydas, 

[ Ostrea, large Inocerami, Serpula, Pinna, etc. , merging into

fBlue chalky shale with few. Inoceramus labiatus, merging into . . 

jHard slaty limestone and hard calcareous shale with many

[ Inoceramus labiatus, merging into ' 

Blue chalky shale with some Inoceramus labiatus, merging into .

Thickness.

Feet. 

40

35

 10

100+

4

12

' 12

* ' 9Q

.,<! ' 2

13

' - ' 7+
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 HL. XLI

A. PIERRE SHALE LYING ON NIOBRARA CHALK ROCK ON BANK OF MISSOURI RIVER, NORTHEAST OF LYNCH, NEBR. 

The Niobrara is the more massive rock below; the ^lustration shows the abrupt change to Pierre shale. Photograph by G, E. Condra.

B. NIOBRARA CHALK ROCK LYING ON CARLILE SHALE ON BANK OF MISSOURI RIVER, NORTHEAST OF ST. JAMES, NEBR.

The contact is at the man's hand; the illustration shows the abrupt change from one formation to the other and the massive character of the chalk.

Photograph by G. E. Condra.
NTOBRARA OF EASTERN NEBRASKA. ' ' 147

In southern Nebraska the'Benton series has not been examined, except at a few 

points. The outcrops of Greenhorn limestone have already-been 'referred to. a The 

Graneros shales outcrop in a few areas in Jeiferson and Thayer counties. In a' well 

in the southwestern corner of Jefferson County 200 feet of dark shales, probably 

 representing the Graneros formation, were penetrated, lying between the base of the 

Greenhorn ^limestone, at a depth of 50 feet, and the top of the Dakota sandstone, 

at a depth of 250 feet.

Niokrar a formation. This formation appears to extend across eastern Nebraska 

in a broad band under-the Tertiary and later deposits. It is exposed for'125 miles 

along the valley of Republican Eiver, from Iridianola to Superior, but to the north 

is seen only in Loup Vallej7 near Genoa until Missouri and Niobrara rivers are 

reached in Holt, Knox, Cedar, and Dixon counties, where there are extensive, 

exposures.

The material is mainly -a soft limestone,- chalk rock, or limy clay, presenting 

considerable variation in composition from place to place. It appears to average 

about 200 feet thick so far as could be estimated, but data bearing on this point are 

few. The rocks weather to a very characteristic light-cream to straw color, which 

is conspicuous in the bluffs about the mouth of Niobrara Eiver, where the formation 

, received its name. .'

The principal fossil is a characteristic small oyster, Ostrea congesta, occurring 

in colonies, with the individuals so tightly packed. together that th.ey give rise to 

limestone layers. (See PL XXIV. A.) Some other shells also occur and large 

numbers of remains of fish-and reptiles. The purer-varieties of the chalk rock 

consist mainly of the tests of cocoliths and foraminifera similar to those which occur" 

in the chalk of Europe. . ' .

The formation has recently been studied in detail in Missouri Valley by Prof. 

.G. E. Condra, who .has furnished the following data: The principal material is. 

a lead-gray clmlk rock, which weathers yellowish. There is a variable mixture 

of sand and clay, and thin local laj'ers of- hard limestone tilled with Ostrea 

cmif/fista abound in its upper ( beds. The base of the formation usually is a 

moderate^ firm sandy. limestone. The purer chalk occurs in irregular-bodies 

varying in thickness from 1 inch to 6 feet and merging laterally into .mixed 

deposits. It has a tine texture, low specific gravity, and a characteristic hollow 

sound when struck with the hammer. The first exposures eastward are in the

' > 

hills southwest of Vermilion Ferry, about 100 feet above the river. 6 Northwest 

of St. James a thickness of about 130 feet remains lying TO.feet above the 

river. There is a low westerly dip from this place to Niobrara, bej-ond which

.nln his -report for 18S7 Haydcn refers to the limestone on hilltops in western Jefferson County composed of closely 

packed Iiwccmm »* problcMificits.

!>The chalky rock capping hills in Dakota County, referred to as Niobrara by Meek and Hayrten and others, proves 

to be Greenhorn limestone, a* already explained.
148 .GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

the formation appears to lie leve^ for some distance and then to rise gradually. 

At St. Helena the base of the Niobrara chalk rock is 30 feet above the river; 

a few miles above that place it passes beneath the river level. Its full thickness 

to the overlying Pierre shale in this district is about 200 feet, being 195 feet in, 

the boring at Lynch and 205 feet in the well at Santee. In northern Cedar 

and Knox counties and westward up the river there are frequent high bluffs of 

the formation, the bright-yellow color of which is a conspicuous feature in the 

landscape. The formation passes below the surface to the southwest, its top 

being 105 feet deep at Lynch.

Pierre shale. The eastern margin of the Pierre shales extends into eastern 

Nebraska, probably approximately to a line extending from Indianola, in Redwillow 

.County, to the western margin of Cedar County, but, as it is overlain by Tertiary 

and later deposits in the interval, no details of this margin can be outlined. 

There are exposures along Republican Valley from near McCook westward and 

along the slopes of Missouri and Niobrara valleys in Knox, Holt, Boyd, Rock, 

and Brown counties. The principal material is a dark-colored shale or clay, 

presenting some local variations in character in its lower beds. Its surface has 

been extensively exposed to erosion in eastern Nebraska, and only a small thickness remains there, but as its base descends under the central and westernportions of the State it attains a thickness of a thousand feet or more.

Along the. Missouri, in Ponca and in Niobrara valleys, in Knox, Holt, and 

Cedar counties, there are numerous exposures, these valleys being largely 

excavated in the formation. In this region there is a lower member lying on the 

Niobrara chalkstone, consisting of very dark clays varying in thickness from 10 

to GO feet or more, to which Hayden has called attention. This is overlain bv 

lighter-colored clays with thin seams of iron oxide averaging about 100 feet thick. 

Next above is an umisual feature in Pierre stratigraphy a series of light-colored 

clays containing impure chalky beds weathering to buffish and reddish tints, about 

100 feet thick, and in many outcrops somewhat resembling Niobrara formation.

TERTIARY DEPOSITS.

Very few facts have be'en obtained as to the extension of the Arikaree and 

other later Tertiary formations in eastern Nebraska. They are absent east of 

longitude 97, and to the west of this meridian there is such a deep covering of 

loess and sand that the underlying formations are' rarely exposed. In Knox, in 

Boyd, and in northern Holt counties, on the slopes of Missouri and of Niobrara 

rivers, there appear sandstones, grits, and clays of various kinds, which probably 

represent the Arikaree formation. The most extensive exposures are in the Twin 

Buttes, west of Butte, and in hills south of that town.
STRUCTURE OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN KANSAS. 149

The rock is a massively bedded, light-colored sandstone of very drregular 

structure cemented by carbonate of lime, underlain by a mixture of sand and 

clay of light-greenish, grayish, and pinkish tints. At some points a fine-grained 

dark-greenish-gray to olive-colored quartzite occurs in irregular masses, a rock 

similar to that reported on Minnechadusa Creek near Valentine. This green 

quartzite again appears at intervals south of Mobrara River, in the northeastern 

-corner of Holt County, and on the high ridge east of- Verdigre, and has been 

reported by Professor Todd a as capping a butte in the northeast corner of Knox 

County. ' '

This peculiar rock, with its characteristic fine grain, green color, and conchoidal 

fracture, appears to be the same as that occurring on the Bijou Hills and on their 

west extension in South Dakota. It is stated that soft sandstones of supposed 

Arikaree age outcrop at Fullerton, and possibly the formation will be .found at 

various points along the north side 'of the lower portion of Loup Valley.

In* the vicinity of the ninety-eighth meridian, all the way across Nebraska, 

sands, which in most- cases are doubtless of later Tertiary age, are reported in many 

of the well records, lying beneath the superficial formations. Their identity is not 

yet established.

QUATERNARY DEPOSITS.

The Quaternary deposits which cover the greater part of eastern Nebraska with 

a thick mantle have not been studied in detail. Prof. J. E. Todd, in a report on the 

moraines of southeastern South Dakota, gives much information regarding the 

contiguous portions of northeastern Nebraska, and to this publication the reader is 

referred. b

GEOLOGY OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN KANSAS. 

GENERAL STRUCTURE.

The geology of Kansas has many features similar to those of Colorado and 

Nebraska, but several of the formations present important differences in structural 

relations and stratigraphic components, due to gradual change to the south and east. 

The eastern part of the State is crossed by a broad belt of Carboniferous limestones, 

shales, and sandstones from Mississippian to Permian in age, dipping gently to the 

west or slightly north of west under the younger formations. These latter comprise 

a series of upper Cretaceous members from Pierre shale to Dakota sandstone,'which 

lie directly on the Permian beds, excepting locally, where they are separated by upper 

members of the Conmnehe series of the lower Cretaceous. In general they dip 

gently to the northwest, and, owing to this dip, together with the rise of land to the

«Todd, J. E.. Agreen quartzite from Nebraska: Am. Geologist, vol. 3, p. 60. 

l> Todd. J. E., Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 158, 1899.
150 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

west, the-mass "of formations thickens to the -northwest. West of the ninety-eighth 

meridian nearly all the higher lands are covered by Tertiary and Pleistocene deposits 

to a thickness of from 150 to 250 feet. ' ^

STRATIGRAPHY.

The following list sets forth the order, age, and principal characteristics of the 

 formations: <.',' ' 

Table of geological formations in central and western Kanscus.

Age. Name. Principal characteristics.

Quaternary.

Pliocene:.

Upper Cretaceous .

Lower Cretaceous .

Carboniferous.

Sand hills 

Alluvium.

Loess.

Equus beds....:.-..-.....-..

Ogalalla formation, comprising 

Tertiarygrit, inortarbeds, etc.

Pierre shale..................

Niobrara formation...........

Benton group................

-Dakota sandstone ...".........

Kiowa-Cheyenne (later Comanche) series.

-Cimarron series (Permian) 

Permian.....................

Cotton wood limestone........

Waubaunsee group...........

Sand, mainly in dunes due to wind action. 

Sand, loam, and gravel in valleys; talus on

Fine sandy loam, 'of pale brownish-buff 

color.

Sands and sandy clays.

Calcareous grit, sandy clay, and sand.

Dark-gray shale or clay. 

Chalk, soft limestone, and shales. 

Shales, limestones, and sandstones. 

Sandstones and shales. 

Do.

Bed sandstones and shales. 

Shales and limestones. 

Limestone.

Limestones, shales, sandstones, and thin 

coal beds.

, PKRMO-CARBONIFKfiOTJS.

Limestones and shales of this age extend in a wide belt across central eastern 

Kansas. There they are comprised' in several formations, the uppermost of which 

are the Wellington shales and the Marion formation. The Wellington beds are 

mainly slate-colored shales which have a thickness of about 200 feet to .the north 

and of 445 feet in the southern, part of Sumner County. They pass beneath the

o

Dakota sandstone north of Reno County and merge into the Eed Beds southward. 

The Wellington shales are underlain by the Marion formation, which consists of 

light-colored limestones, shales, and marls, containing extensive deposits of salt and 

gypsum. The thickness of the formation is 300 to 400 feet. In some portions of its 

area a considerable proportion of its beds is salt.
CRETACEOUS OF KANSAS. 151

 Cimarron formation. In the southern part of Kansas, from Sedgwick and 

Sumner counties westward, the Dakota sandstone and the Comanche series are 

underlain by Red Beds which thicken rapidly to the westward. They are the 

surface rock in Harper and in the greater part of King-man, Barber, and Comanche 

counties, but pass under the younger formations to the north and the west. The 

material is mainly sandstone and shale of dark-red color, containing thick beds of 

gypsum. The total thickness in western Kansas is not known, but is probably at 

least 2.000 feet. The Comanche and Dakota formations lie unconformably upon 

the surface of the Red Beds. According to George I. Adams" these Red Beds 

merge into the Wellington shales and other Permian beds in Sedgwick and 

Sumner counties. How far they extend under the Dakota sandstone to the 

northwest is not known, well borings not having given decisive evidence in this 

regard much bej-ond Arkansas River.

CRETACEOUS.

Comanche' series. The upper formations of this series of lower Cretaceous 

rocks underlie the Dakota sandstone in a portion of central-southwest Kansas, outcropping under the edge of the» Tertiary deposits in Clark, Comanche, Kiowa, and 

Barber counties. Another .small area underlies the Dakota formation in the 

northwest corner of McPherson County. In southwestern Kansas there is an 

upper member, consisting mainly of shales, known as the Kiowa shales, which ' 

has a thickness of from 125 to 150 feet. The upper beds of this formation are 

yellowish-gray shales, with thin layers of fossiliferous limestone, which are either 

yellowish or, pinkish in color. These beds are underlain by black and bluish-black 

to gray shales, having a thin hard stratum of sandy and calcareous matter at the 

bottom. The lower formation is the Cheyenne sandstone, which is composed 

mainly of coarse materials, usually of light color and of relatively soft texture. 

Its thickness varies, from 40 to 60 feet. It is not unlike the Dakota sandstone 

in appearance and weathers with somewhat similar aspect, but usually is of lighter 

color. The lower Cretaceous in McPherson County consists of the "Kiowa shales, 

which are calcareous and contain much shale or limestone; they lie on the Wellington shales without the intervening sandstone.

Dakota formation. The Dakota formation underlies the western half of Kansas, 

outcropping in a zone 12 to 20 miles wide, extending from Washington County south 

and southwest to Arkansas River, in Rice and Barton counties, and thence up Arkansas 

"Valley to Ford County, where it passes under the Tertiary deposits. It again 

appears in the valleys of Cimarron River and some1 of its branches near the Colorado

________________________________ __________________________________(__________________________:_________

nAdams, George I., The Carboniferous and Permian age of the Red Beds of, eastern Oklahoma, from stratigraphic 

evidence: Am. Jour. Sci., -tth ser , vol. 12, 1901, pp. 383-356. i
152 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

State line. North of Arkansas River, in northwestern Kansas, it passes beneath 

the Benton, Niobrara, Pierre, and Tertiary formations, probably lying more than 

2,000 feet below the surface in the northwest corner of the State. In north-central 

Kansas it lies on the dark shales and salt beds of the Wellington formation and to 

the south and southwest on the red beds of the Cimarron formation, in places,with 

intervening masses of the lower Cretaceous (Kiowa and Cheyenne).

The Dakota formation consists mainly of sandstone, but there are also associated 

shales of considerable extent. The stratigraphy varies so that no very distinct subdivisions can be established. At the top of the formation, as defined by the Kansas 

geological survey, there is a thin bed of sandstone, usually not much more than a 

foot thick. Next below are shales containing so much gypsum in loose crystals and 

thin seams that this member has been called the "gypsiferous horizon." Its 

thickness varies from 10 to 20 feet. Next comes a series of shales containing much 

salt, which gives rise to many salt lakes and marshes and saline springs. The shales 

vary in thickness from 15 to 30 feet and are often underlain by a thin bed of lignite, 

which is sometimes 2 feet in thickness. The lignite is associated with shale, but often 

lies on or between sandstone. The characteristic member of the Dakota formation 

lies next below. It is a thick mass of sandstones with intercalated beds of clays of 

various kinds. The relations of the shale to the sandstone are exceedingly variable, 

but in the eastern part of the State well borings show first a series of .sandstones, 

. next a mass of shales of considerable thickness, often amounting to 100 feet, then 

a second sandstone, 50 or 60 feet in thickness, and then an alternation of sandstones 

and shales, amounting in all to 300 feet or possibly somewhat more.

The colors of the sandstones are usually gray or buff, but in places they are 

very red and sometimes portions are perfectly white. The material is quartz sand of 

varying degrees of fineness. The cementing material is calcareous and varies considerably in amount, portions of the stone being hard and resistant and other 

portions soft and crumbling. As a rule, the rock is very porous and presents most 

favorable conditions for the storage of underground waters. Some outcrops of sandstone in the head of Medicine Lodge River, in the southeast corner of Kiowa Countv, 

are doubtfully referred to the Dakota; they lie directly upon upper members of 

the Comanche series.

Benton group. The Benton group consists' largely of alternations of shales, 

limestones, and sandstones, most of the shales being of dark color... The formation 

extends in a wide belt diagonally across the State from Republic County into Ford 

and Finney counties, where it passes under the Tertiary deposits, reappearing again' 

along the valley of Arkansas River in Kearney and Hamilton counties. The thickness of the formation is probably somewhat variable, but averages about 400 feet.
BENTON GROUP OF KANSAS. 153

The following table gives the components of th'e Benton group in Kansas, as 

described in the Kansas geological survey reports, with indications of the formational equivalents:

Table of members'of Benton group.

Formations.

' '

Greenhorn limestone ..........

^ . .

Local subdivisions. .

lOstrea shales. .........................................

Shales ................... ....^ .....................

Shales ......"............'......................-........

Thickness.

feet. 

100

150

' I

40

10

45

The uppermost formation of the Benton group in Kansas consists almost entirely 

of shale. Two local divisions are recognized: The upper one, the Victoria, or Blue 

Hill, consists of loose shales of dark-bluish-gray color, characterized by the occurrence in their upper portion of numerous concretions, a feature which continues 

throughout the formation in Kansas as well as in adjoining States. These concretions 

are lens-shaped and vary in size up to 4 or 5 feet in diameter. They are dark colored 

and consist largely of carbonate of lime, some of them exhibiting cone-in-conestructure. Often they are hollow, or consist of geodes lined with calcite crystals, or 

are traversed by cracks filled with calcite or other minerals. They frequently contain fossils of typical late Benton forms, including several Sca/phites, Prionotropis 

woolgari,. and Inocerami. The upper division is underlain by another series of 

shales, termed the Ostrea shales in the Kansas 'reports. These consist of clay of soft 

shale of dark-blue-gray color, containing occasional thin beds of limestone, and have 

an average thickness of about 150 feet.

They are underlain by a series of limestones and shales, of which the upper 

bed is known as the "Fence-post" horizon. 'This is a sheet of limestone averaging 9 inches thick, which readily splits into masses suitable in size and shape 

for fence posts and flagstones. . 

Next beneath is the Inoceramus horizon, consisting- of limy shales, including 

several thin beds of limestone separated by thin beds of shale. The limestone is 

filled with impressions of Inoceramus labiatus (shown in PI. XXIV), a fossil which 

occurs also in other, medial members of the Benton group, but characterizes the 

Inoceramus horizon by its great abundance.
154 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATEB OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

The Inoceramos beds are Underlain by the "Flagstone" horizon, a member 

consisting of several layers of limestone, separated hy thin beds of shale, having 

in all a thickness of about 10 feet. The limestone is white or of light cream 

color, fine grained, and hard, and has been used extensively for flagstones at 

many places in central Kansas. It is underlain by the Lincoln marble, a more 

massive bluish-gray limestone about -15 feet thick, which, although hard and 

flinty, weathers easily.- ' . :

Underlying the marble horizon there is a series of bituminous shales which 

have a thickness of 25 to 30 feet in central Kansas, but probably thicken 

considerably to the west. They are dark, moderately hard, break into thin flakes 

on weathering, and are regarded as the basal member of the Benton group.

Niobrara form.ation. The Niobrara formation underlies a wide region in 

Kansas west of the ninety-eighth meridian and north of A rkansas River. Its 

eastern margin lies in a series of slopes rising above the rolling topography of 

the formations "of the Benton group and trending southwest across the State from 

Jewell County to the northeast corner of Finhey County. It is thickly overlain by 

Tertiary deposits to the west, but some of the larger valle3*s, notably that of Smoky 

Hill River, are so deeply cut that they afford extensive exposures of the Niobrara.

The formation consists of a lower series of limestones, which has been termed 

the "Fort Hays limestone," and an upper series of chalks, which has been designated 

as the "Pteranodon beds," or "Smoky Hill chalks." The total thickness of the 

formation is about 350 to 400 feet, of which the Pteranodon beds comprise between 

300 and 350 feet. These beds immediately underlie the Pierre shale, but the two 

formations have not been observed in contact in Kansas owing to the overlap of 

Tertiary formations. The Pteranodon beds in unweathered condition appear as a 

massive light-bluish-gray clay, but on weathering usually become yellow or buff, 

and, in some cases, light red, a change due to the oxidation of the iron. contained 

in the deposits. In well borings the material is a pale-blue chalky clay, not very 

sticky when wet.

Some rather pure chalk occurs in the formation, notably in the vicinity of Norton in the valley of Prairiedog Creek, where it has been quarried to some extent. 

The chalk beds present their best exposures in the valley of Smoky Hill River, 

where they give rise to many prominent buttes and castellated cliffs. A small 

exposure has been observed northwest of Horace, near the State line. The prin-, 

cipal. fossils of this series are .the Ostrea congesta, shown in PI. XXIV,. and the 

Inoceramus deformis. Crystals of gypsum are not uncommon in the weathered 

beds, and & large amount of pyrites weathers out in nodules in many, localities.

The Pteranodon beds are underlain by the 'Fort Hays limestone, which has 

an average thickness of 50 feet. It is a soft, massive, light-colored rock, which
CRETACEOUS AND QUATERNARY OF KANSAS. ' J55

weathers out in bluffs of moderate prominence. In well boring it is generally 

distinctly recognized by its increased, hardness over the Pteranodoii chalk. Its 

outcrop extends all along the margin of the Niqbrara area from Jewell County 

to Finney County and up Smoky Hill Valley into Grove Count}-. It is again 

seen in Hamilton County north of Coolidge and at some other points south of 

Arkansas River.

The Niobrara formation has been penetrated by numerous wells, which throw 

light on" its position and thickness underground. At Horace, in Greeley County, 

the deep boring found the top of the formation a short distance below the surface 

and apparently about 650 feet thick, although a portion of its topmost beds has 

been removed by erosion. ' .

Pierre shale. In the northwest corner of Kansas the upper members of the 

Niobrara formation are overlain by Pierre shale, which is exposed at intervals in the 

valleys of Republican and A'rikaree rivers and their branches in Cheyenne County, 

notably in the banks of Hackberry'Creek, 15 miles south of St. Francis; on Beaver 

Creek, in Rawlins County; and on Prairiedog Creek, in Norton County. The shale 

is of dark-grayish-blue color, but-weathers to a rusty yellowish-brown tint. The 

beds are soft and clayey. Lens-shaped concretions of various sizes occur in some of 

the beds and carry distinctive Pierre fossils.

1

TERTIARY AND LATER DEPOSITS.

For a discussion of Tertiary deposits see Ogalalla formation, page 178.

LoesH. The loess covers wide areas of the high plains between the valleys in 

northern Kansas. It is a smooth-surfaced thick mantle, lying on a somewhat 

irregular surface composed of Tertiary deposits and the several upper Cretaceous 

formations.

Alluvium. There are in Kansas many wide valleys which are floored to a 

greater or less depth with deposits of alluvial materials brought by the streams at 

various stages of their development. The valley of Arkansas River is the most 

extensive of these, having a width of 6- to 10 miles and crossing the entire State. 

All the river and creek valleys contain more or less alluvial material of relatively 

recent origin, and most slopes are mantled with talus washed from above.

Scmd hilh. Fine-blown sand is found mostly in central Kansas and in the 

valley of Arkansas River from Ford to Great Bend and on the adjoining slopes to' 

the southeast. The sand constitutes 'hills and ridges of moderate height, with intervening irregular basins and flats. It has been derived from the alluvial flats along 

the river and blown out by the prevailing winds, of which the stronger are from the 

northwest. .. ,
156. GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

RESUME OF PALEOZOIC AND MESOZOIC GEOLOGY OF THE CENTRAL

GREAT PLAINS'REGION.

CAMBRIAX.

The Cambrian rocks appear to be the least extensive of the sedimentary 

formations uplifted along the western margin of the Great Plains, but probably 

they underlie a considerable area of the plains, especially- to the northwest. The 

small outcrops of upper Cambrian in the Manitou and Canyon embayments in 

Colorado may be narrow extensions of a wider area to the east, but until some 

very deep wells are sunk in eastern Colorado and eastward we can have no knowledge on this point.' The well at Lincoln, Nebr., is supposed to have penetrated 

St. Peter sandstone and. in eastern Kansas and western Iowa, upper Cambrian 

sandstones appear to have been reached. In eastern South Dakota there is no 

Cambrian, as the Dakota sandstone lies directly on the Sioux quartzite, which is 

believed to be of Algonkian age. Carboniferous beds lie directly on the old crystalline rocks along the Rocky Mountain front north of the Arkansas divide through 

Colorado and Wyoming to and possibly including tlie Casper Range and also in 

the Hartville uplift. In the Black Hills the Cambrian is thin to the south and 

gradually increases to 400 feet in the Deadwood region. The fossils are all middle 

Cambrian.

Deadivood formation. In their thicker portion the rocks comprise a medial 

series of shales and thin-bedded limestones, with layers of a very peculiar flatpebbled limestone conglomerate. This conglomerate is precisely similar to one 

extensively developed in the Bighorn Mountains and northwest, where it has similar 

associations and fossils. In the Bighorn uplift the Cambrian beds average about 900 

feet in thickness, and comprise, successively, a basal sandstone series, green shales 

with sandstone layers, shales and limestones with the flat limestone-pebble conglomerate, and, locally, a thin sandstone series at the top; middle Cambrian fossils 

occur in most of the beds. The entire sequence has been designated the Deadwood 

formation, because of its resemblance to the Cambrian of the northern Black Hills 

region; probably it represents the .Gallatin limestone and Flathead formation of 

south-central Montana, but the medial limestone marking the base of the former 

is absent or too thin to be noticeable.

ORDOVICIAN.

In the Bighorn Mountains, the northern Black Hills, and at a few detached 

localities along the Rock}- Mountain front range the Ordovician rocks appear 

overlying the Cambrian sandstone. In the Bighorn Mountains thej7 extend 

continuously around the uplift and are termed the Bighorn limestone. The lower
RESUME OF EARLY PALEOZOIC OF THE GREAT PLAINS. 157

massive members, which are several hundred feet thick, have a fauna of Trenton 

age, and the thin, overlying, softer beds carry a Richmond fauna of upper 

Ordovician age. The upper limits are indefinite, for although there is no transition 

to the lower Carboniferous limestone, no marked evidence of unconformity has been 

observed so far. In the Black Hills the Ordovician, which has been designated 

the Whitewood limestone, appears in the northern portion of the uplift and to a 

limited extent in the Bear Lodge Range. It carries an upper Trenton fauna, and

probably from this fact and from the close lithologic similarity is believed to be i

equivalent to the-lower massive member of the Bighorn limestone. The few feet 

of green shales which lie above the Whitewood limestone are of undetermined age. 

No evidence of Ordovician could be detected in the Casper or Laramie ranges, in . 

the Hartville uplift, or in the Rocky Mountain front ranges north of Denver. I 

feel confident that they are absent in the outcrop zone, although they may have 

been deposited and removed .by pre-Pennsylvanian erosion. The Ordovician rocks 

which appear in the central portion of the Front Range in Colorado (the Manitou 

limestone, the Harding sandstone, and the Fremont limestone) contain a Trenton 

fauna, the Harding sandstone representing the lower Trenton and the Fremont 

limestone the upper Trenton.

SILURIAN AND DEVONIAN.

No deposits representing these two great periods of geologic time have been 

discovered in the area to which this report relates. They are certainly absent in the 

Front Range exposure's in Colorado, but may possibly be represented in the green 

shale of the northern Black Hills and in the zone of apparently nonfossiliferous 

limestones lying between the Bighorn and Little Horn limestones of the Bighorn 

uplift. I think, however, that it is much more likely that they are entirely absent 

along the east .side of the Rocky Mountain uplift, although they may underlie a 

portion of the Great Plains eastward.

LOWER CARBONIFEROUS.

The lower Carboniferous rocks are exposed principally in the Black Hills and 

in the Bighorn uplifts and in a few small areas that occur along the foot of the 

Front Range in Colorado. It is probable that they extend widely under the Great 

Plains, but have been reached by no borings except in east Kansas and southeast 

Nebraska.

In the Black Hills the Mississippian is represented by two limestone formations, 

the Englewood and the Pahasapa, each containing an abundance of characteristic , 

fossils, those of the Englewood being equivalent to the lowest Mississippian 

(Chouteau or Kinderhook) and those of the Pahasapa equivalent to the Madison
158 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

9

limestone of the Northwest. The Leperditla in the concretions in the red shale at 

the base of the Minnelusa are of a type characteristic of the Mississippian, especially 

at about the horizon of the St. Louis limestone, indicating that at least the lower part 

of the Minnelusa is also of Mississippian age; probably it is equivalent to the 

Hartville limestone. The great limestone series of the Bighorn uplift consists 

mainly of a representative of the Madison and Pahasapa limestones. Doubtless the 

Englewood is also included, but the upper limit of rocks of Mississippian age in 

the uplift has not = as yet been ascertained.

Along the Laramie Range the apparent absence of lower Carboniferous is 

" an interesting feature, indicating either nondeposition or removal by the very 

profound later Carboniferous erosion. A short distance eastward, in the Hartville uplift, the Mississippian comprises the Guernsey formation, which is 150 

feet or more in thickness, and' the lower members3 of the Hartville formation, 

the two being separated by strongly marked erosional unconformity. The basal 

sediments of the Hartville formation are red sands, and there is strong suggestion that these are of the same age as the red shale at the base of the Minnelusa 

formation of the Black Hills and at the base of the Amsden formation in the 

Bighorns. The representative of the lower Carboniferous in Colorado appears in 

small areas at Perry Park, about Manitou, about Canyon, and southwest of Pueblo, 

and is known as the Millsap limestone. It lies unconformably on the Cambrian, 

Ordovician, and pre-Cambrian, and .is unconformably overlain by the Fountain 

formation, or lower Wyoming division, which overlaps directly on the granites and 

schists in most portions of the region. Its fauna is thought to be of moderately 

earl3- Mississippian age.

UPPEK CARBONIFEROUS AND RED BEDS. j

The classification of the formations representing later Carboniferous to Triassic 

time in this region is one of its most interesting problems. Upper Carboniferous 

and Permian fossils occur at several localities, but some of the sediments have 

yielded either no organic remains or only fossils that do not afford satisfactory 

evidence as to age. The stratigraphy .presents much diversity in different portions 

of the region, but by extended field work it has been found possible to correlate 

most of the rocks in the various uplifts.

More or less of the Red Beds, especially their upper members, have generally 

been classed in the Triassic, but there is no definite proof whether a representative 

of this period is present-or not. The fossils which I discovered in 1901 in the upper 

limestones of the Red Beds on the east slope of the Bighorns are thought to be. 

Permian, but may possibly be Triassic. The fossils of the upper Red Beds of southern Kansas and Oklahoma are regarded as Permian, but the precise relations of these
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER MO. 32 PL. XL1I

Black Hills Bighorn ilts. Casper Range Hartville uplift Laramie 

Range

Arkansas 

Valley

EXPLANATION

Sundance , ^r^=^i t 

formation 1 ^^-^f x/

(Marine Jurassic A-~^= ~= _ _ _

J__ _ Chugu!ater]]ESS^r= 

j;i^ jsi formation' ^fL^f^

Spearfsh, 

red beds

Minnehahta

lime 

Opeche

f =Fosslls 

c= Cambrian 

--=Top of Mississippiaii 

E = Exeter sandstone?

COLUMNAR SECTIONS OF CARBONIFEROUS AND "RED BEDS."
RESUME OF CARBONIFEROUS OF THE GREAT PLAINS. . 159

deposits,to the Red Beds of Colorado is not determined. In 1901 I found at Red 

Rocks in Purgatory Canyon in southern Colorado a fragment of a shoulder 'bone, 

which Prof. F. A. Lucas regarded as a portion of a bolodont, an opinion sustained 

by Dr. E. Fraas. This genus is considered typical of the Triassic.

The lower Red Beds of the Rocky Mountain Front Range, which have yielded i 

no fossils, undoubtedly merge into upper Carboniferous limestones both to-the north 

and"the south, and can be correlated with formations in the Bighorn Mountains and 

Black Hills. According to George I. Adams, whose evidence appears entirely satisfactory, the Red Beds of south-central Kansas and southward merge into the limestone 

and shales of the Permo-Carboniferous series. It is certain that the Red Beds represent a considerable, interval of. time, and that the discovery of fossils at one 

horizon does not settle ^the age of the whole series.

Throughout the Black Hills, the Bighorns, and much of the region south the 

'upper Carboniferous and Red Bed series presents a general succession as follows, 

beginning at the top: A thick mass of gypsiferous, red, sandy shales; a thin mass of 

thin-bedded limestone; a thin mass of reel sandy shales; a thick, hard, light-colored, 

fine-grained sandstone; and, at the base, limestones and sandstones giving place to 

sandstones and conglomerates, the basal series lying unconformably on Mississippian 

_ limestones, on Cambrian, or on old granites and'schists. (See columnar sections 

in PI. XLII.)

In the Bighorn and Black Hills uplift the assignment of formations to the upper 

Carboniferous or Pennsylvanian is somewhat provisional. A few fragmentary 

fossils were observed, but they were hardly determinative. The Minnelusa 

formation, which succeeds the Pahasapa (lower Carboniferous), is a strongly marked 

series, supposed from a few fossils that I obtained in its upper beds near Hot 

Springs to be, in part at least, Pennsylvanian. These fossils were Pmducttts 

semireticnlatus and Seminula subtilita('!). In the slopes, of the Bighorn Mountains 

there is a series somewhat similar to the Minnelusa beds, which I have designated 

the Amsden formation and the Tensleep , sandstone. The former contains a basal 

red-shale member, probably representing the thin 'one which occurs at the base of 

' the Minnelusa formation of the Black Hills, and alternations of limestone, and ' 

sandstone with much chert, suggesting the lower two-thirds of the Minnelusa 

formation, but with purer limestone deposits. The lower limestones have so far 

yielded only some fragmentary indeterminate fossils, but the higher cherty limestones contain Pennsylvanian forms. Next above is the Tensleep sandstone, very 

like the top sandstone of the Minnelusa in most portions of the Black HiUs, and 

similarly overlain by a great body of Red Beds. It contains Pennsylvanian fossils.

In the Black Hills these Red Beds have three distinct subdivisions, the Opeche 

formation at the base..60 to 120'feet thick; the Minnekahta, or "purple limestone," 

as it was termed by Newton, about 50 feet thick and of very characteristic aspect;
160 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

and at the top tne several hundred feet of red sandy shales that I have designated 

the Spearfish formation. This is succeeded unconformably by the marine Jurassic. 

In- the Minnekahta limestone fossils occur at many localities, comprising forms 

which are regarded as Permian in age.

In the Bighorn uplift the Red Bed series is slightly thicker, but its character is 

nearly the same as in the Black' Hills; it has been designated the Chugwater 

formation. The basal Opeche beds appear to be present in 'this formation, but only 

20 feet thick, and succeeded by a few feet only of limestone, probably a representative of the Minnekahta, but unfortunately without fossils, so far as observed. 

This limestone is succeeded by a thousand feet or more of red sandy shales, believed 

to represent the Spearfish formation; they are unconformably overlain by marine 

Jurassic. These Red Beds similarly contain gypsum deposits, but differ from the 

Black Hills rocks in including several thin beds of limestone near their top. .Fossils 

of several species are abundant in these limestones, but they do not indicate whether 

the age is Triassic or Permian.

Passing south in Wyoming toward the Laramie Range the lower members of 

the upper Carboniferous series change considerably, but the Red Beds present the 

features which characterize them in the Black Hills. The limestones on Casper 

Mountain and ranges southwest of Douglas are of upper Carboniferous age and seem 

to represent the Amsden formation of the "Bighorn uplift. Localh' they lie on a sandstone which is probably Cambrian, but may be younger, and they are separated from 

the Chugwater red beds by typical Tensleep sandstone. The tripartite subdivision 

of the Chugwater red beds is established by the occurrence of typical Minnekahta 

limestone^ notably in the big bend of North Platte River 6 miles south of Douglas, 

and farther down the river in the basin northwest of Hartville. In the Hartville 

area the Opeche red shales are underlain by the Hartville limestone, which is Pennsylvanian in its upper part and Mississippian at base. The top beds are sandy, 

suggesting Tensleep sandstone, and the lower beds limestones "with cherty and sandstone layers,' doubtless representing the Amsden formation of the Bighorns and the 

Minnelusa of the Black Hills. No special search has been made yet for evidence of 

unconformity in.the Hartville limestone at the top of the Pennsylvania!!.

In -the Front Range, northwest of Cheyenne, vthe stratigraphy is somewhat 

variable. The lower limestones lie directly on the granites and are apparently upper 

Carboniferous, although no fossils were observed in the lower 100 feet. It has.been 

suggested that the nonfossiliferous basal beds may represent the lower Paleozoic 

series, but the overlap relations north and south do not sustain this, except that, if 

the limestones represent all of the Hartville formations of the Hartville region, the 

lower-beds may possibly include rocks of later Mississippian age. The limestone 

series contains several red-sandstone members, but at the top gives place rapidly to 

the thick Chugwater red beds. . The Tensleep sandstone appears to be represented,
RESUME -OF UPPEB CARBONIFEROUS OF THE GREAT PLAINS. 161

\

containing thin layers of limestone in its middle, and on Chugwater Creek another 

layer near its top. - Then succeed typical, soft, red sandy shales of the Chugwater 

formation, which, on Horse Creek, include a 20-foot bed of limestone' apparently 

representing the Minnekahta horizon a bed not found on Chugwater Creek.

Near the Colorado-Wyoming State line the upper Carboniferous limestones may 

be seen to merge into red sandstones, apparently by the expansion of included reddish sand}* Ia3r ers observed northwest of Cheyenne and a corresponding thinning of 

the limestones. A mass of red sandstones and conglomerates, which lies at the base 

of the limestone ft>r some distance, is seen also to thicken gradually to the south. 

The product of this' change is a great lower series of coarse red beds containing 

three thin limestone layers, .which persist for several miles.

All through northern Colorado the supposed Tensleep sandstone horizon is well 

marked, and it was traced without difficulty southward to beyond the Garden of the 

Gods. It is the "creamy sandstone" at the summit of the lower Wyoming of Eldridge, as described in the Denver monograph, and I feel certain that the conspicuous 

white sandstone ledge lying immediately in front of the gateway to the Garden of the 

Gods is the upper part of the southern extension of the same bed, so that it is an 

important horizon marker. Throughout its course in Colorado it marks the transition from the coarse deposits of the lower coarse red beds (lower Wyoming) to 

the bright-red gypsiferous shales of the Chugwater formation (upper Wyoming), 

although it is quite sha'rply demarked from both. Jt is possible that in the Denver 

region it comprises more of the upper Carboniferous column than is included in the 

topmost sandstone northwest of Laporte. for the two thin beds of limestone which it 

contains west of Denver suggest that it comprises the extension of the thin limestones underlying the supposed Tensleep sandstone northwest of Laporte.

The thick mass of red-sandstone sediments of the lower Wyoming division is 

believed to represent upper Carboniferous only, but as it includes also an expansion 

of shore deposits lying beneath the limestones near the Colorado-Wyoming State 

line, it may possibly comprise older rocks, though this is very doubtful. These 

lower Wyoming beds, in their southern extension into Perry Park, lie unconformably on fossiliferous limestones of Mississippian age, and a similar relation exists 

in the region west of Colorado Springs and at intervals southward. The presence 

of the unconformity between the Guernsey and Hartville formations in the Hartville 

region and its possible extension in the Black Hills and the Bighorns suggest that 

the same unconformity may extend south to, and along, the Laramie and the Rocky 

Mountain fronts, especially at the top of the Millsap limestone. In this case the 

lower Wyoming red beds would comprise some sediments of late Mississippian age. 

10001 No. 32-
162 GEOLOG5T AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

The name "Fountain formation" has been used to comprise all of the red 

beds in the region northeast of Canyon and southwest of Pueblo, and if, as I 

believe, the Chug water. (upper Wyoming) formation thins out a short distance 

south of the Garden of the Gods, the Fountain formation corresponds in the 

main to the lower Wyoming, and is the product of similar conditions at the same 

geologic epoch. I do not see the slightest reason for supposing that the two 

formations are not equivalent. The character of the beds northwest of Pueblo 

and in the Garden of the Gods region is precisely the same as in the district 

west and north of Denver, and although I made special search I could find no 

evidence of overlaps or unconformities of any kind within* the great uniform 

mass of red grit deposits.

The upper and the lower Wyoming are very distinct from each other from 

the Garden of the Gods north to the State line, as recognized by the geologists 

of the Hayden survey and clearly set forth in the Denver monograph, where 

the terms "lower Wyoming" and "upper Wyoming1 " were introduced. The upper 

Wyoming consists mainly of fine-grained sediments,extending from the "creamy 

sandstone," which I believe to be the equivalent of the Tensleep, to the base of 

the Morrison formation. It consists mainly of tbright-red shales, alwaj-s with a 

thin limestone layer or series toward its base, and from Platte Canyon northward 

with a massive pinkish sandstone at its top. The included limestone is believed 

to represent the Minnekahta horizon of -the Black Hills and other regions, indicating a short but widespread interval of limestone deposition at this epoch in 

the West. The few fossils found in this limestone unfortunately do not settle 

its age, but there appears to be but little doubt that its representative in the 

Black Hills is Permian. The overlying red shales, with gypsum, in northern 

Colorado may be Permian or Triassic, for the fossils in the limestones which 

occur near the top of the extension of this series into the Bighorn uplift do not 

indicate whether the beds are Paleozoic or Meaozoic.

The Chugwater formation (upper Wyoming red beds) is only 140 feet thick at the 

Garden of the Gods and appears to thin out and disappear a few miles south, bringing the Fountain fromation into contact with the Morrison, a relation due either to 

nondeposition of the Chugwater beds or to their removal by erosion in pre-Morrison 

times. As it is, the hiatus probably represents part of the later Carboniferous, the 

Permian, the Triassic, and all of the Jurassic periods. South of Arkansas River 

some of the Chugwater beds probably appear again, although at present their 

identity is not established.

The Badito formation of Hills appears to be simply the Fountain formation of 

Cross and Gilbert. The Sangre de Cri!x> formation to which Hills refers in the 

Walsenburg folio appears to represent a great development of Fountain (or lower 

Wj^oming) deposits. It is stated that remains of an upper Carboniferous fauna and
RESUME OF EARLY MESOZOIC OP THE GREAT PLAINS. 163

flora occur in this formation, which is added evidence as to the age of the lower .Red 

Beds (Fountain-lower Wyoming) series. These beds overlie or merge into the 

basal limestone series on the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo (Culebra) Range, 

in which Mr. Willis T. Lee has discovered an extensive upper Carboniferous (PennS3^1vanian) fauna.

The Red Beds revealed in the canyons of southeastern Colorado can not be classified with certainty from the present evidence. On Purgatory River and Muddy 

Creek the principal body of Red Beds is separated from the Morrison formation by 

gypsum or gypsiferous shales, strongly suggestive of the Chugwater (upper Wyoming) formation. It was immediately under this gypsum in Purgatory Canyon 

that I found the shoulder bone of a supposed Bolodont. Mr. Willis T. Lee has 

traced the Red Beds farther south into northeast New Mexico, where the gypsifer- 

. ous horizon gives place to a massive sandstone, .termed the Exeter sandstone, con 

stituting the summit of the Red Beds, a member which may represent the distinctive 

top sandstone of the Chugwater formation in northern Colorado and in "southern 

Wyoming. This sandstone is prominent in the Two Buttes uplift, constituting the 

summit of the Red Beds, and is underlain by red shales, which contain a thin bed of 

limestone, noted by-Mr. Gilbert, strikingly like the Minnekahta horizon. I have 

not made observations on the Red Beds in' Kansas and do not feel that a comparison 

of the published statements with my observations in the region north and west would 

aid in the correlation.

JURASSIC.

Sunda/nce formation. The . Jurassic appears to exist only in the northwest 

portion of the region to which this report relates, apparently owing, to nondeposition in other portions of the region. In the Bighorn Mountains and in the Black 

Hills it is represented by 300 to 400 feet of deposits, but .thins gradually to the 

south in the Laramie Range and disappears in the northern portion of Colorado. The thinning appears to be general and the upper beds probably disappear 

first, but this point has not been definitely determined, and it may be that the 

upper shales merge into sandy beds, which thin out gradually together with the 

underlying sandstones.

The formation is evidently of marine origin, as indicated by its numerous molluscan remains, and its age is regarded as late Jurassic. It has not been divided 

into subordinate members, but in its regular succession presents a general order 

of beds and faunas which are constant over a wide area, especially as to the sandstone near the base and the green shales above, containing numerous Belemnites 

densus. It is probable that the Sundance formation does not extend far east of the 

Black Hills nor southeast of the locality at which it disappears in surface outcrops 

in northern Colorado, but there is no direct evidence on this question.
164 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OP CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

'TJnkpapa sandstone. This sandstone, which succeeds the. Sundance- along the 

eastern side of- the Black Hills, is relatively a local feature of unknown age. - It 

appears to represent a local shore deposit of late Jurassic times laid down prior to 

the- deposition of the Morrison beds. The horizon may possibly be represented in 

poi-tions of the uplift by the almost general occurrence of the yellowish sandy bed 

at the top of the Sundance formation, although where it appears- to be absent 

there may be a small unconformity or hiatus. There is always a very abrupt 

change from the Sundance to the Morrison sediments, but no direct evidence of 

unconformity has ever been found. n ' ' .

 ' - CKETACEOTJS. .

Morrison formation. As the western portion of the Great Plains is explored 

it is found that the Morrison formation is very extensive in its distribution. It 

' outcrops nearly all the way around the Black Hills uplift, extends along both 

sides of-the Bighorn Mountains, appears extensively in the Hartville uplift, and 

is traceable along Laramie Range into Coloi-ado and far south into New Mexico. 

Mr. Willis T. Lee has found that it extends east in the canyons of southern Colorado and down Cimarron River, where, near the Oklahoma-New Mexico line, it 

either merges into the upper formations of the Comanche series or occupies the 

same horizon relative to the adjoining beds. I have recently found a similar relationship on the eastern side of the Two Butte uplift in the southeast corner of 

Colorado.

The character of the formation is strikingly uniform throughout, consisting 

mainly of a mixture of clay and fine sand having a.massive structure like joint clay, 

mainly gray or pale-greenish-gray in color, with portions which are purple, maroon, 

or chocolate. Beds of fine-grained light-colored sandstones also occur, and in many 

districts, especially in, the lower portion of the formation, thin beds of limestone 

appear, in which I have lately discovered remains of fresh-water algse at various 

horizons. In both the clays arid sandstones saurian remains occur, sometimes int 

large quantities. They have been collected extensively near Canyon and on the east 

side of the Black Hills. I have recently observed them along the eastern foothills 

of the Bighorn ranges and along both sides of the Bighorn basin as well.

The extent of the formation to the east and especially, to the northeast is not 

known. Probably it would be found in deep borings for some' distance east of the 

Black Hills, but not in the east part, of South Dakota nor in Nebraska nor Kansas.

Comanche series. I have made no special examination of the marine deposits 

representing the upper part of the Comanche series in the south Kansas region. In 

their western extension, as stated above, they are apparently represented iri whole 

or part by the Morrison beds, which, to the north, end against the margin of a 

basin. If equivalent to the Morrison these upper Comanche beds are older than
RESUME OF EARLY MESOZOIC OF THE GREAT PLAINS. 165

the Lakota of the Black Hills and Bighorn uplifts, which is contrary to the opinion 

of some paleobotanists tnat the Fuson-Lakota flora is older than the flora- that 

occurs in Texas in one of the medial members of the Comanche series. In this "case, 

. owing to the great difference in latitude and the consequent probable difference 

in climate, I think that the criteria of a few fossil plants are open to question.

Dakota-Lakota formations. In 1893 Prof.'Lester Ward discovered that the 

sp-called Dakota sandstone of the Black Hills contained not only a Dakota flora, 

but in its lower beds an extensive flora of later'Cretaceous age.- As the Dakota' 

sandstone in its type region is characterized by a distinct upper Cretaceous flora, 

it became necessary to restrict the term "Dakota" in the Black Hills to the upper 

sandstone carrying the upper Cretaceous plants. t In investigating the stratigraphy 

of the uplift it was found that the upper sandstone is separated from the lower 

sandstone, which was designated the Lakota sandstones, by a persistent body of 

shale which has been designated the Fuson formation. In tracing these formations 

northward it was found that the principal plant-bearing horizon in the northern 

Black Hills was in the Fuson formation, which has yielded' a large and beautiful 

flora of -lower. Cretaceous plants, which Professor Ward has described. The 

tripartite composition of the old "Dakota" group in the Black Hills is very 

distinct throughout the uplift and apparently is a widespread feature in adjoining 

regions.

Along the eastern base of the Bighorn Range there is a sandstone which 

appears to represent the Lakota overlain by typical clays of the Fuson, but the 

Dakota sandstone .does not appear, unless it is represented by some sandy layers 

among the shales in the base of the next succeeding formation. This same relation is found on the west side of Bighorn Range and appears to extend far 

south in Wyoming. .

In.tracing the beds through southern Wyoming the outcrops of this horizon are 

so discontinuous, owing to the overlaps of Tertiary deposits, that the stratigraphic 

conditions could not be definitely ascertained. Southeast of -Casper is found some 

suggestion of the regular succession of Lakota, Fuson, and Dakota, appearing 

at intervals to the south, although at some points there is onty one sandstone,,which,

-. . j . r ' - .- *.

so far as its character goes, might belong to either member.

In Colorado there'are usually two sandstones separated by a bed of lire clay, 

which, strongly suggest the- Dakota-Fuson-Lakota succession, bu.t it has been 

supposed that all the rocks are of Dakota age. The intercalated fire-clay series 

extends far south through Colorado and east in the exposures of the Purgatory' 

and other canyons. .

Throughout Colorado and eastern Wyoming, as in the region northward, 'the 

sandstones are underlain by' the Morrison formation, excepting at a very few 

localities, and, although there is general unconformity, it is difficult to believe
166 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

that this represents Lakota and Fusori time. The Morrison materials are soft 

and, if they had been exposed to erosion for such a long period, would undoubtedly 

have suffered deep and widespread degradation. It is unlikely also that the 

Lakota and Fuson could have been deposited in regular order and then so completely and evenly removed as to leave, the Morrison overlying sandstones in 

their present uniform stratigraphic relations. A discovery very significant in this 

connection has been made by J. B. Hatcher that dinosaur remains of Morrison 

type occur in the lower members of the overlying "Dakota" sandstone beds north of 

Canyon, which indicates that there could have been .no great time break at this 

horizon. For these reasons it is-- probable that the Lakota-Fuson-Dakota series 

extends south through Wyoming and Colorado, and that careful search in the 

medial fire clays and lower sandstones may yield lower Cretaceous plants.

Benton group. The rocks of this group are" the most widespread and constant 

in characteristics of all the sedimentary deposits of the Central Plains region, their 

salient feature being a thick succession of shales overlying the Dakota sandstone. 

They present, however, persistent subdivisions or horizons of variation. The 

thickness is variable, ranging from about 400 feet in the southeast to 1^600 feet 

in the Black Hills.

In nearly all the half-million square miles under consideration the group comprises three members a basal, dark-shale series known as the Graneros shales, a 

medial limestone known as the Greenhorn limestone, and an upper shale series with 

sandy layers known as the Carlile formation. Toward its base the Graneros 

shale includes a horizon marked by local deposits of sandstone; the Greenhorn 

limestone always presents alternations of slabby limestone and shales; the Carlile 

formation generally has a sandstone bed at or near its top. not far below which concretions usually occur. The Greenhorn limestone is characterized by great colonies 

of Inoceramus labiatus, a species rarely found at all in other horizons; the upper 

portion of the Carlile contains Prionotropis woolgari, which appear to be restricted to 

that horizon and to characterize it throughout the region and even in the Bighorn 

basin; Throughout east Wyoming and the Black Hills region the middle part of 

the Graneroa shales includes, not far above the local sandstone horizon, a series 

of hard gray shales and fine-grained thin-bedded sandstones filled with fish scales, 

which weather light gray and from their hardness often give rise to a ridge or 

cliff. These have been termed the Mowrie beds and are conspicuous along both 

sides of the Bighorn uplift, all around the Black Hills, and along the Laramie 

Front Range to the Colorado line.

In PI. XLIII sections are given showing the principal stratigraphic features

of the Benton group in different districts. As these sections are drawn on. a° large

. scale, the variations in thickness are very striking, especially between the 400 feet
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XLIII

KANSAS S.E.COLORAOO N.E.COLORADO S.E.WYOMING BLACK HILLS BIGHORN MTS.

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SECTIONS ILLUSTRATING VARIATIONS IN STRATIGRAPHY DF BENTON GROUP.
RESUME OF BENTON GROUP OF THE GREAT .PLAINS. . 167

in Kansas and the 1,300 feet which is the awrage thickness in the Black Hills 

region. The salient feature in the Kansas section, is the Greenhorn limestone, 

comprising several layers having, in all, a thickness of 60 feet, 40 feet of which 

near the middle are characterized by large numbers of the typical Inoceramuslabiatus. The Kansas geologists have included about 50 feet of the basal shales 

- in the top "of the Dakota, but the reasons for this inclusion are not convincing, 

and I should be inclined to regard these saliferous and gypsiferous shales as comprising the lower portion of" the Graneros.

The three subdivisions are readily distinguishable throughout eastern Colorado, 

where the formation gradually increases in thickness, mainly by the expansion of the 

lower beds. In this region also there first appears - near the base of the Graneros 

formation, a bed of sandstone which varies greatly in thickness from 50 to 15 feet, 

often giving rise to a conspicuous subordinate hogback ridge lying east of the main 

Dakota hogback, or on its slope.

In southeast Wyoming a further increase of thickness is exhibited, but the ' 

Greenhorn limestone finally becomes thin and discontinuous on approaching the end 

of the Laramie.Kange, and'is not recognizable at all in the sections along the Bighorn 

uplift. It is, however, a conspicuous feature in the slopes adjoining the Black Hills, 

extending entirely around that uplift and often attaining a thickness of 50 feet. The 

sandstone in the lower portion of the Graneros seems to extend almost continuously 

through southeast Wyoming, and appears at intervals around the Black. Hills, 

notably at Newcastle, Hermosa, and the north end of the uplift, but does not appear 

in the Bighorns unless possibly at one locality.

The Mowrie beds, consisting of hard shales and thin sandstones with fish scales,t 

weathering light gray, appear first in southeast ^Wyoming, whence they are a 

conspicuous feature north at a horizon a short distance above that of the sandstone in the lower part of the Graneros, and attain their- greatest prominence along 

the Bighorns and around the Black Hills.

The Carlile formation does not vary greatly in thickness through Colorado and 

southern Wyoming, but expands greatly in the Black Hills to over 500 feet in most 

parts -of the uplift. It is not, however, characterized in the Bighorn uplift, though 

doubtless represented in the gray shales lying not far above the Mowrie beds. Owing 

to the absence of the Greenhorn limestone in this area, the lower limit of Carlile sediments is not indicated, but its upper portion is characterized by a zone of sandy concretions containing Prionotropis arid Prionocydas, a horizon characteristic of the 

proximity of the upper limit of the -group throughout its course.' The top x>f the 

Carlile formation is usually marked by sandy sediments, and a top sandstone is a 

prominent feature in eastern South Dakota, through Colorado, and in southeastern 

Wyoming. Around the Black Hills and in Kansas the place of this top sandstone
168 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS,

is taken by numerous concretions, jvhich also occur under the sandstone in some 

other districts. In a portion of Arkansas Valley the upper sandstone of the 

Carlile formation is often replaced' by a thin bed of purplish limestone carrying 

Prionocyclas.

The Benton group in eastern South Dakota comprises a thin mass of Graneros 

black shales, Greenhorn limestone apparently associated with some chalkstone, and a 

considerable thickness of Carlile shales containing, at or near the top, concretions 

and a nearly general bed of sandstone from 15 to «50 feet thick and in places 

considerably thicker. As elsewhere, Prionotropis occurs in the concretions.

Niobrara formation. This deposit occupies a wide area in the central Great 

Plains region, succeeding the Carlile without suggestion of unconformity and, 

except in the vicinity of the Bighorn Mountains, consisting largely of carbonate of 

lime.. Its thickness varies considerably from apparently less than 100 feet in some 

portions of eastern South Dakota to 700 feet in central-southeast Colorado.

At the type locality on Missouri River at the mouth of the Niobrara the formation is represented by a chalk rock having a thickness of about 200 feet. In southern Nebraska and Kansas, where it appears extensively, the amount is considerably 

greater, 350 feet being the estimate of the Kansas geologists. The formation 

usually presents purer and harder carbonate of lime deposits near its base, constituting the Fort Hays limestone in Kansas and the Timpas formation in Colorado. 

The characteristic fossil of this horizon is the Inoceramus deformis, which is a conspicuous feature in Colorado and for some distance north into Wyoming.

Along the foot of the Rocky Mountain and the Laramie Front Range the formation usually 'presents three limestone layers, a lower massive bed and two upper 

layers, separated by limy shales, the uppermost overlain by impure limestones, 

which weather to a bright-yellow color and always contain flat masses of limestone 

consisting of colonies of Ostrea conqesta. The formation thins to the north in 

Colorado and Wyoming, becoming about 400 feet thick northwest of Cheyenne, 

and about 200 feet on the slopes of the Black Hills. The bright-yellow color of the 

weathered beds is a conspicuous feature. The point farthest west at which the 

formation was noted is southwest of Casper. It is not characterized along the 

slopes of the Bighorn Mountains, although doubtless it is there represented by some 

gray shales not distinguishable from those of the adjoining°formations, for there is 

no suggestion of hiatus in the sedimentary series.

Pierre shale. The great shale series of the Pierre formation occupies a vast 

area in the central Great Plains and was probably originally of eveu greater extent, 

for it appears to have been removed by erosion in the mountain uplifts, in eastern 

Nebraska, and in southern and eastern Kansas. No special investigation has been 

made of the Pierre stratigraphy, and, although the beds seem to be uniform in composition, probably a careful study of the distribution of its numerous fossils would
RELATIONS OF TERTIARY OP THE GREAT PLAINS. 169

show widespread stages. One of these is the upper horizon of'concretions with 

Lucina occidentalism giving rise to;"tepee buttes," which appears to extend from 

Arkansas Valley through Colorado to' and all around the Black Hills. In places 

along the western margin of the area great variations in thickness are presented, 

the shales becoming thicker .and local sandstone beds being included. West of 

Denver the formation appears to have a thickness of over 7,700 feet, and of considerably over 3,000 feet a"t Florence and near Boulder.

Fox Hills formation. The Fox Hills formation appears to be present everywhere betwe'en the Pierre and the Laramie, merging into both formations and constituting beds of passage between them. In some districts the Fox Hills beds begin 

abruptly with a- sudden change from the dark shales of the Pierre to sandstones or 

sandy shales of the Fox Hills containing some distinctive species. It is probable, 

that this change does not take place at the same horizon throughout, and the Fox 

Hills fauna appears in connection with the sandy sediments. /-

Usually the Fox Hills deposits are less than 300 feet thick, but, in the Denver 

region, where they comprise a thick mass of sand}' clays in their lower portion, they 

attain a thickness of a thousand feet. The top member in this region is a persistent, 

characteristic sandstone, 50 feet thick, which appears to be the same as the Trinidad 

sandstone in the Spanish Peaks district in south Colorado. The top of the Fox Hills 

formation is not always clearly definable, and, in most cases, can only be placed 

arbitrarily at the horizon where the first deposits of evident freshwater origin 

appear.

Laramie formation. This great formation received no special study in the 

present investigation, and has been separated from the adjoining formations only in 

a few localities. The work of Cross in the Denver basin and of Hills in the Spanish 

Peaks region has shown that it is of less thickness than originally, supposed, and that 

the great mass of coarse sediments 'overlying it are of early Tertiaiy age'. The thickness of the formation, as thus delimited, averages about a thousand feet in the' 

Denver region and nearly twice as much in southern Colorado.

LATER TERTIARY FORMATIONS OF THE CENTRAL GREAT PLAIJSTS.

GENERAL RELATIONS.

A large portion of the central Great Plains is covered by deposits of. Miocene 

and Pliocene ages, underlain to the west and northwest by formations of the 

White Eiver group of Oligocene age. All these formations lie mainly on the Pierre 

shale, but overlap other formations to a greater or less extent. The 'average 

thickness is 200 to 300 feet in east Colorado and west Kansas, but increases to 

nearly a thousand feet in portions of west Nebraska and southeast W3'oming. It 

is probable that originally the entire region was covered with later Tertiary 

deposits that extended far up the flanks of the Rocky Mountains, the Bighorn
170 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER-OF CENTRAL GEEAT PLAINS.

V,

Mountains, and the Black Hills, as indicated by the occurrence of outliers at high 

altitudes, but a vast amount of the formations have been removed from the higher 

lands and in the region, of glaciation eastward. The formations have not received 

. "systematic study as a whole,-but they have been investigated at various localities 

and some of their general relations ascertained. On -the geologic maps heretofore 

they have all been grouped together and their distribution shown in a most 

general way. On the map, PI. XXXV, there is represented for the first time 

the distribution of the White River group, and, although many minor details of 

boundaries have not yet been accurately mapped, the outlines as shown are 

approximately correct.- The most'doubtful feature is as to the eastern margin of 

the later Tertiary aFea across eastern Nebraska, and data are not yet available for 

separating the Pliocene deposits from the Oligocene deposits in the Monument 

Creek area,'south of Denver.. The.Miocene and Pliocene deposits comprise several 

formations, but as these have .not been differentiated throughout the area they 

are not separately shown on the map.

White River -group. Early in the study of Great Plains geology the Tertiary 

formations were divided into the White River group below and the Loup Fork above. 

This distinction is a clearly recognizable one, although, as now well known, there were 

confused under the name of Loup Fork a number of separate formations ranging in 

age from Miocene to early Pleistocene.

The White River group has been studied mainly in the Big Badlands, lying 

southeast of the Black Hills, where three principal subdivisions were defined, the 

the lower one as the Titanotherium beds, the middle as the Oreodon beds, and the 

upper as a series consisting of the Protoceras sandstone and some overlying clays. 

This classification is distinctly set forth by Doctor Wortman." In the Oreodon clays 

there is often a marked sandstone horizon known as the Metamynodon beds.

In mapping the geology of western Nebraska, in 1897, I had need to subdivide 

the formations in the valley of Platte River and Pine Ridge, where 1 found that the 

White River group consisted of the usual basal series, the Titanotherium beds, which 

I designated the Chadron formation, and the usual overlying series of flesh-colored, 

sandy clays, the Oreodon beds, to which the name Brule clays was applied. These 

clays were locally overlain by sandstones whic'h .appear to belong to the Miocene 

rather'than the Oligocene and are almost certainly higher stratigraphically than 

the Protoceras sandstone and overlying beds in the Big Badlands. A reconnaissance 

in the high region lying south of White River in the Pine Ridge Reservation brought 

out the 'fact that the Protoceras horizon was overlain, by several hundred feet of 

clays and sandstones, which, when traced along the Pine Ridge front, appeared to

a Wortman, J. L., On the divisions of the White Kiver or lower Miocene of Dakota: Bull. Am, Mus. Nat. Hist., vol 6. 

1893, pp. 95-105. ' '
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL- XLV

A, BIG BADLANDS, SOUTH DAKOTA. EAST OF FLOUR TRAIL.

Characteristic rounded forms of Chadron clays, overlain by Brule clay (Oredon beds) in distance; remnants of plateau out of which badlands were carved in

foreground and in outlying buttes. Looking east.

. "TOADSTOOL PARK," IN BADLANDS WEST OF ADELIA, NORTHERN SIOUX COUNTY, NEBR.

Sandstones overlain by Brule clays.
OLIGOOENE OF WESTERN NEBEASKA. 171

merge into the typical Brule clay. It may be, however, that to the south this 

upper horizon either never was deposited or has since been removed by erosion. 

'A typical section of the Oligocene deposits in Scotts Bluff is given in fig. 4, 

and another at Round Top, west of Adelia station, 75 miles north of Scotts Bluff, 

is given in fig. 5. In Pine Ridge and the divides southward to the valley of North 

Platte River the Oligocene deposits are deeply buried beneath the Arikaree forma-

 V---466S

V- - -tszo

FIG. 4. Columnar section of Oligocene and Miocene formations in Scotts Bluff and vicinity,-Nebraska.

tion. North Platte River has removed this formation for many miles, and in this 

valley the Oligocene beds are exposed in their entire thickness near the NebraskaWyoming State line. . *

The Chadron formation appears extensively in Groshen Hole, where it is 

exposed lying on the Laramie sandstones, and extends down Platte Valley into 

Nebraska nearly to Scotts Bluff. The predominant materials are sandy clays and 

greenish-gray sandstones, mostly of soft texture, in which' characteristic Titanotherium remains are of frequent occurrence. The upper limit to the formation is
172 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OP CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

placed arbitrarily just below some, pink clays lying below a thin bed of limestone, 

which is believed to be at the same horizon as one in the Big Badlands, where it 

immediately overlies the last of the beds of Chadron character. The thickness 

of the formation appears to be about 200 feet at most, but, as it lies on a very 

uneven surface, the amount varies greatly. The sandstones, which occur at various 

horizons, appear to lie in narrow belts, doubtless indicating channels of deposition.

FIG. 5. Columnar section of Oligoceno and Miocene formations between Adelia and Bound Top, Sioux County, Nebr.

The lineal'character of some of these channels is Very distinctly exposed in the 

western portion of Groshen. Hole.

-In Platte Valley the Brule clay consists mainly of a hard sandv clay of 

pale-pink color and massive structure, having near the base a thin laver of 

limestone. Locally some portions are sandy and contain beds of sandstone. 

Extensive exposures of Brule clay occur in the northern face of Scotts Bluff, where 

from the base of the overlying Goring beds to the surface of the river there is a 

vertical interval of 500 feet continuous outcrop. The formation also has a "small
U. E. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XLVI

HEAD OF COTTONWOOD DRAW, IN CENTER OF BIG BADLANDS OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

A, Protoceras sandstone underlying Leptauchenia clays; showing alternations of sandstones and clays, extreme development of badlands and typical 

nodule-beanng clays in upper clay series Jl. Protoceras sandstone overlying Orednn clay; layers of sandstone mark courses of currents interrupting clay deposition at irregular intervals.
OLIGOCENE OF NEBRASKA AND. COLORADO. 173

additional thickness below the level of the river. The appearance of this exposure 

is shown in Pis. IX and XLVII. . The badlands topography is a characteristic 

feature of most exposures of the Brule clay, and -is extensively developed in the 

area at the foot of Scotts Bluff. The massive structure of the formation gives 

it the necessary solidity to preserve details of configuration, its softness permits 

ready carving by the rain and rivulets,1 and the slight variation in the hardness 

of its beds gives rise to unequal slopes. The basal portion of the formation 

generally includes a thin bed of limestone, and at various horizons there are 

occasional irregular lens-shaped masses of sandstone. The greatest development 

"of the limestone is seen near Caldwell, near Sunflower, south of Gering, and 

northwest of Larissa. It is a very thin bed of compact cream-colored rock 

lying on a series of pinkish and greenish clays which are regarded as the base 

of the formation. t . 

Beds of volcanic ash occur in the Brule clay, some of them of wide extent 

and apparently at constant horizons. One bed,, conspicuous in many outcrops 

lies at 60 to 70 feet below "the top of the formation in the district south and 

southeast of Gering. It is about 150 feet below the top at Scotts Bluff, a position 

which it holds for some distance to the west. Another higher bed often occurs. 

Fossil bones of various mammals and turtles characteristic of the Oreodon fauna 

of the Oligocene occur in the Brule clay. The principal forms collected in 

'North Platte Valley in the Scotts Bluff region, as determined by Prof. F. A. 

Lucas, of the National Museum, and in part by Dr.. W. B. Scott, are: Oreodon 

graoilis, 0. culbertsonii, Palseolagus_ haydeni, Oynodictus gregarius, Posbrotherium 

wilsoni, JZlotkerium-mortoni, Hyracodon nebrascensis, Lcptomeryx evansi, Mesohvppus 

bai/rdi, Aceratherium occidentale, Stylemys, and Testudo.

As before stated, the top of the formation is 500 feet above the river at 

Scotts Bluff. Its surface drops gradually to the west and more rapidly to the 

east, and appears to sink beneath the bottom of the valley -a short distance east 

of longitude 102°. .The upper portion of the formation again appears in Lodgepole 

Valley from near the State line to its mouth.

Along the northern margin of Colorado the White River beds appear in the 

lower slopes of the high cliffs from a point south of Cheyenne nearly to Julesburg, 

presenting extensive exposures in the Chalk Cliffs and'at .intervals eastward, notably 

on the headwaters of Horsehead Creek, as shown in PI. LIV. They lie on the 

Laramie sandstones throughout and are overlain by the Arikaree formation, which 

caps the high plains in the divide between the Platte and the Lodgepole. The usual 

succession is presented of Titanotherium beds (Chadron formation) at the base, and 

the flesh-colored, massive, sandy Brule clays above. These clays are constant in 

character throughout, but the Chadron formation varies greatly, in some places
174 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GEEAT PLAINS.

being a greenish-gray sandy clay and in others a very coarse hard sandstone, usually 

containing large numbers of fragments of Titanotherium bones and teeth. In PI. 

LIV are ^hown two prominent exposures of typical Brule clays with characteristic 

erosion forms.

Mr. W. D. Matthew 0" has described the succession in the region north of the 

Pawnee.Buttes. He writes: "The lower.part of the White River formation, the 

Titanotherium beds, * * * consists of hard, white, or grayish-white clays with 

considerable horizontal cleavage and containing some layers of sandstones, apparently 

of limited extent." This formation he designates the Horsetail Creek beds. It is 

stated that the fauna is a scanty one, but several species of Titanotherium and also 

Elotherium were collected. The overlying beds, designated the "Cedar Creek and 

Martin Canyon beds," are described as fine, light-colored, pinkish or buff-colored 

clays, much softer than the Titanotherium beds "and becoming progressively softer

* -

toward the top of the formation. No horizontal cleavage or fine lamination is 

discernible in these beds, but from a distance the horizontal color bands are sometimes

y

marked and very uniform. They do not, however, present any wide variations in 

color. The fauna is large and varied. The upper part of the formation is separated 

on account of the difference in fauna, but no stratigraphic demarcation can be made 

out, the beds becoming gradually finer and softer as we ascend, but retaining all 

their characters to the top." Some thin local layers of sandstone were noted lying 

unconformably on the clays and filling little erosion valleys cut by streams during 

the deposition of the formation. The total thickness of the White Eiver beds in 

this area is stated to be 300 feet. ' "

The Titanotherium beds (Chadron formation) and part of the overlying Brule 

clays occur under the Ogalalla beds on the south side -of North Platte Eiver 

and are traceable southward through Washington and part of Adams counties. 

Their precise southern termination was not located. There are extensive exposures about Fremont Butte just west of Akron, where sandstones in the Chadron. 

formation contain abundant titanotherium and elotherium remains. As suggested 

by Cope many years ago, the Monument Creek formation appears to belong to 

the White Eiver beds. Together with its beds of sandstone, it includes clays of 

characteristic Chadron and Brule character, from which have been obtained a few 

fragments of bones of Oligocene age.

The White Eiver outcrops extend along the foot of Pine Ridge through east 

Wyoming: and end against slopes of Laramie sandstones north of Douglas. The 

Chadron and Brule clays are extensively exposed in the valley of North Platte 

River about Orin Junction and extend westward up among the ridges on La 

Bonte, Horseshoe, and La Prele creeks. To the east they . extend through the

aTertiary mammal of the Tertiary of northeastern Colorado: Mem. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. 1, pt. 7, 1901, 356.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER HO. 32 PL. XLVII

NORTH FACE OF SCOTTS BLUFF, NEAR PLATTE RIVER, WEST OF GERING, NEBR.

Upper cliffs of Arikaree formation; lower slopes and badlands of Brule clay. Typical erosion forms of Brule clay in

western Nebraska.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XLVMI

JAIL ROCK.

Showing castellated form of weathering of Gering sandstone; slopes of Brule clay. Valley of North Platte in distance. View from Court-house Rock. Looking east.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. XLIX

A. ARIKAREE FORMATION ON BRULE CLAY, SOUTHWEST PART OF SIOUX COUNTY, NEBR. 

Showing character of Brule clay and occurrence of concretions which characterize the Arikaree. Looking east.

B. GERING FORMATION ON BRULE CLAY, NORTHWEST OF REDINGTON. NEBR. 

Unconformity at man's hand; bowlders of clay in base of Genng beds.
WHITE KIVEB BEDS OF THE GEEAT PLAINS. 175

Rosebud Indian Reservation to the ^vicinity of longitude 100°, where they appear 

to thin out and disappear. There are extensive exposures of characteristic titanotherium beds overlain by Brule clays on Little White River a short distance below 

the Rosebud Agency. Hatcher has reported the discovery of titanotherium remains 

in the valley of Longpine Creek near Longpine, probably from a small outlier lying 

between the Arikaree sandstones and Pierre shale. Deposits of fuller's earth 

reported east of Valentine appear to indicate the occurrence of another outlier 

or southeast prolongation of the formation in Niobrara Valley.

White River formations occur on several of -the divides west of Cheyenne 

River, as ascertained by Newton in the Black Hills survey, and' have been 

found to extend far up'the flanks of the Black Hills in the divides adjoining 

Spring, Battle, and French creeks, in some cases reaching the granites of the 

central area. Small outliers have been discovered at intervals along the western 

slope of the hills, notably at a locality 18 miles northwest of Hot Springs, where 

fuller's earth is mined. At Lead, at an altitifSe of over 5,000 feet, there occurs 

an outlier of the formation which has yielded numerous remains of oreodon, and 

a few miles northwest Doctor Jagger has mapped another similar deposit. In 1900 

I found that there were Tertiary deposits extending up to altitudes of 6,000 feet 

about the Bearlodge Mountains, which are either of White River or Miocene age. 

In 1895 Prof. <T. E. Todd made an expedition into the high divides lying between 

the headwaters of the Owl, the Grand, and the Little Missouri in the northwest 

corner of South Dakota, where he found outliers of White River formation lying 

on Laramie beds. During the past spring -Prof. C. C. O'Harra has ascertained 

that there are similar outliers on the west side.of Little Missouri River in the 

southeast corner of Montana.

Gering 'formation. In studying the Tertiary deposits in North Platte Valley 

it was found that the Brule clay is overlain in some localities by sands and sandstones constituting a series sufficiently distinct to be separated as a formation. 

Accordingly it has been so represented in the Scotts Bluff and Camp Clarke 

folios of the Geologic Atlas of the United States and given the name "Gering 

formation." In several districts there seems to be an unconformity at the top 

of the Brule clays representing a considerable interval. The Gering formation 

consists of river deposits laid down in channels upon this old surface, probably 

at the beginning of Miocene times. Its most extensive development is seen in 

the ridge between the valleys of North Platte River and Pumpkinseed Creek, 

and at intervals-along the northern face of Pine Ridge in Sioux County; it also 

appears in the valley of Lawrence Fork and in northeastern Colorado.

The formation attains a thickness of 200 feet near Chimney Rock, in North 

Platte Valley, but is "usually much less than. this. The principal material is soft
176 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GBEAT PLAINS.

sandstone with pebbly layers and often with,two or three members of sandstone 

with more or less conglomerate at the base of each. The formation lies on an 

irregularly "eroded surface of Brule~ cla}- and includes pebbles of Brule materials. 

A contact of this sort is shown in PI. XLIX, A. 

In sec. 4, T 15, JR, 54, in the valley of Lawrence Fork, there .is an exposure 

in which the Gering beds are seen to lie in a very irregular channel in the Brule 

clay and to consist almost entirely of conglomerate of local origin. Some 

features of the stratigraph}' and relations of the formation are shown in figs." 4 to 8.

A small number of fossil bones were collected from Gering- sands in North 

Platte -Valley i According to determinations by Profs. W. B. Scott and F. A.

.* «

yqrV 4160

FIG. 6. Columnar section of Gering and associated formations 6 miles south-southwest of Gering, Nebr.

FIG. 7. Columnar section of Gering and associated formations 7 miles due south of Gering, Nebr.

Lucas the following forms occur: Dienictis major, Mer-ycochcerus rusticus, Leptaiwhenia decora, L. nitida, Aceratherium platycephalwm, and rhinoceros.

Arilmree formation. A large portion of the higher lands .of western Nebraska 

and southeast Wyoming extending south" from Pine Eidge is capped by sands 

and soft sandstones which have been designated the "Arikaree formation." It is 

the principal component of the series formerly termed "Loup Fork." . Generally 

it lies unconformably on the Brule clay but overlaps the margins of that formation 

in some portions of the area. It attains a -thickness of over 800 feet in southeast 

Wyoming, and, judging-from the occurrence of outliers, formerly extended far up 

the slopes of the mountains to the north and west.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. L

A CHIMNEY ROCK, NORTH PLATTE VALLEY, NEBRASKA. 

Gering sandstone on Brule clay; volcanic ash stratum under horse's feet. Looking west

B. CONGLOMERATE IN ARIKAREE FORMATION, 3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LARISSA, NEBR. 

Showing irregularities in base of conglomerate
. ARIKABEE FORMATION OF THE GREAT PLAINS. 177

The 'predominant material is sand loosely cemented into a soft sandstone. 

The colors vary from white to light gray. Characteristic, partly calcareous concretions occur throughout the formation and greatly predominate in its lower 

members. They are mostly of elongated cylindrical form, usually occurring in 

layers connected to a greater or less extent into irregular sheets. Their character 

is indicated with a fair degree of distinctness in PI. LII, B. From observations 

by Professors Barbour and Fisher it has been found that these concretions are 

due to the growth of calcite crystals in certain portions and layers of the sandstone. 

It is owing to these hard concretions that the formation gives rise to prominent 

topographic features, notably such as the high escarpment along the northern 

face of Pine Ridge. - - -

In portions of North Platte Valley in western Nebraska and along Pine 

Ridge the formation is underlain by Gering sands and sandstone, and, although 

in some cases the two formations are separated by unconformity, they usually 

so merge that it is believed that the Gering' beds represent the first deposits of 

Arikaree times, separable only in areas where they consist of coarse material 

laid down in channels. The southern margin of the Arikaree formation appears 

in the high cliffs extending eastward from Chalk Bluff along the northern margin 

of eastern Colorado. To the east it appears to constitute the surface of the 

greater part of western and central Nebraska, while "to the south it thins out and 

disappears under the Ogalalla formation from northeast Colorado to the southwest 

corner of Nebraska. The Arikaree is the formation which constitutes the 

northern portion of the High Plains, which are continued south by the overlapping Ogalalla formation.

According to Hatcher" the Arikaree formation in the western portion of Pine 

Ridge is divisible into three distinct horizons, comprising the Monroe Creek beds, 

which overlie the Gering sandstones . north of Harrison, Nebr.; the Harrison beds, 

which constitute the surface of Pine Ridge in the vicinity of Harrison; and the 

Nebraska beds of Scott, which occur along Niobrara River south of Harrison. 

The Monroe Creek beds are stated to consist- of 300 feet of very light-colored, finegrained, not very hard, but firm and massive sandstones, which decrease in thickness rapidly to the east and increase to the west. They have yielded fossils, which 

appear to represent the upper "John Day" and lower "Deep River" faunas.

The Harrison beds are composed of about 200 feet of fine-grained, rather incoherent sandstones, with numerous siliceous tubes, arranged vertically rather than 

horizontally, and large numbers of Dsemonelix. From these beds Hatcher reported

"Proc. Am. Philos. Soc., vol. 41, p. 113. 

10001 No. 32 05 12
178 GEOLOGY AND UNDEBGEOUND WATEE OP CENTRAL GEEAT PLAINS.

a large number of -fossil mammals belonging to characteristic Miocene genera; believed 

to represent the hiatus between the lower and upper Deep Eiver.

The Nebraska beds consist of buff-colored sandstone of varying degrees of 

hardness and undetermined thickness, with occasional layers of siliceous, not calca-- 

reous, grits, which protrude as hard, indurated, or shelving masses in the base of 

the cliffs. They contain large numbers of fossil bones, regarded as belonging to 

upper Deep River fauna.

Ogalalla formation. In studying the geology of North Platte Valley in west 

Nebraska it was discovered that the Arikaree deposits were overlain unconformably 

by deposits of sand, gravel, and calcareous grits, which" on being traced south, were 

found to be the north extension of the Tertiary grit and mortar beds of the-Kansas 

and east Colorado region. They were given the local designation Ogalalla formation, 

and in the Scotts Bluff and Camp Clarke folios of the Geologic Atlas of the United 

States their distribution and relations were set forth. The formation was found to 

overlap to the east and south on the Brule clay, and in southwest Nebraska, west 

Kansas, and east Colorado to lie directly on Pierre shale, Niobrara, Benton, and 

Laramie formations. .

In the vicinity of North Platte River the formation is thin. To the north and 

northeast it apparently thins out entirely, but to the south it constitutes the"surface 

of the High Plains over many thousand square miles, taking the place of the 

Arikaree formation, which has similar topographic relations to the north. Its 

distinctness from that formation was clearly ascertained both along the south side 

of North Platte Valley'in west Nebraska and in exposures in northeast Colorado, 

where the Arikaree beds are well characterized and are seen to be unconformably 

overlain by the Ogalalla beds. Moreover, the overlying formation contains 

numerous - bones of Pliocene age at many localities in Kansas and in adjoining 

regions.

The materials of the Ogalalla formation are mainly sands merging into gravels, 

and gravelly sands more or less cemented by carbonate of lime into a grit rock 

which often has the appearance of rough mortar, from which the name "mortar 

beds" is derived. Sometimes the lime rock contains but little sand, and usually 

it varies from grit to conglomerate or conglomeratic grit.

This rock outcrops extensively in west Kansas and southwest Nebraska. To 

the west in Colorado it usually contains less lime, while the high plains in that 

State are mostly mantled by a deposit of sand and gravel, which extends west to the 

foot of the Rocky Mountains on the Arkansas divide. In the region about Denver 

and northeast down the valley of the South Platte the formation has been removed 

over a wide area, but on the north side of that" valley it again appears, capping the 

High Plains and probably extending to the foot of the mountains in the southeast
CAMBRIAN HISTOEY OF THE GEEAT PIAINS. 179

r>

corner of Wyoming. It is extensively exposed in the High Plains divides in both 

sides of Lodgepole Valley all the way to its head, lying on typical Arikaree beds 

throughout. In the divide south of Arkansas River the Ogalalla formation extends 

on the High Plains surface to beyond longitude' 103° and is found at intervals 

farther west on some of- the higher summits in the "Nussbaum" formation of 

Gilbert. Near the south line of Colorado it is overlain, according to W. T. Lee, by 

lava flows of Mesa de Maya and other areas.

The southeast margin of the Ogalalla formation in Kansas is exceedingly 

, irregular, extending far out on the divides and retreating far west up the valleys of 

Smoky Hill and Solomon rivers. In Arkansas Valley the formation descends to 

low levels from longitude-98° to 101° in a syncline, probably of post-Ogalalla age. 

The Ogalalla -formation extends far eastward in southern Nebraska, but its north 

and east limits in this State are hidden by the great deposits of loess which extend

across the central and eastern counties.

i

OUTLINE OF GEOLOGIC HISTORY.

The .sedimentary rocks of the Great Plains region afford a record of physical 

geography from middle Cambrian, time to the present, but owing to the lack of 

knowledge of the relations of some of the deeply buried rocks and to our imperfect 

interpretation of many features of different geologic epochs, only a general outline 

can be offered as to the general sequence of events. One significant feature is that 

most of the conditions were widespread, for there is remarkable uniformity in the 

^resulting products. There were undoubtedly many marine submergences and 

several periods of emergence in which the surface was sculptured by running 

waters, especially in the later epochs. '

CAMBRIAN SUBMERGENCE.

One of the great events in early North American history was the wide expansion of an interior sea over the west-central region. The submergence reached the 

Rocky Mountain province during middle Cambrian times, finding an irregular shore 

line about a great series of archipelagoes. From the ancient crystalline rocks of 

these shores waves and streams gathered and concentrated sands and pebbles, \vhich 

were deposited as a widespread sheet of sandstone and conglomerate on sea beaches, 

partly in shallow waters offshore and partly in estuaries. We now find numerous 

exposures in which these sediments, containing much local material, may be seen 

. abutting against the irregular surface of the crystalline rocks which formed these 

shores. The central portion of the Black Hills was probably an island in the earlier 

stages of this period, and, as Mr. Emmons has shown, the Laramie Range and the 

Rocky Mountain Front Range were highlands rising out of the Cambrian sea.
180 GEOLOGY AND UNDEEGBOUND "WATEE OP CENTRAL GEEAT PLAINS.

As middle Cambrian time progressed submergence increased, and in the"region 

west and northwest of the central Black Hills, at least the thick mass of finergrained muds now, represented by the middle Cambrian shales and limestones in 

the,region to the north was deposited. The.conditions in later Cambrian times 

are much less-clearly indicated, for there appear to be no sediments of this age in 

the region north, and the .small areas- of .upper Cambrian rocks west of Colorado 

Springs throw but little light on the problem. Possibly the submergence to the 

north was so -deep and the shores became so distant that the conditions for sedimentation were unfavorable, so that the upper Cambrian is represented by a very 

fthin deep-sea deposit which we either have not recognized or which was removed 

before the deposition of the .Ordovician sediments.

. - ORDOVICIAN.

 . Apparently in Ordovician times there was widespread submergence over the 

entire .Great Plains region, and also deposition of a considerable mass of limy 

sediments '-to the west and limy and sandy sediments to the east. The rocks 

now exposed in the mountain uplifts northwestward appear not to represent the 

. entire' period, being .older to the south and .younger to the north, but the

 interpretation, of this distribution is difficult, owing to our lack of knowledge of

 the relations and sequence/of b'eds'in the great deeplj7 buried area away from

 -the uplifts. The present Bighorn and - northern Black Hills areas appear to have 

been completely submerged, but the Laramie range, Rocky Mountain front range, 

. and'.the ridge .now extending ,underground past Hartville to and including the 

southern Black Hills probably was a. shore line. The Ordovician rocks now 

visible .west of Colorado; -Springs appear to have' been . deposited in estuaries or 

embayments, which extended west bej^ond the general line of the JRocky Mountain 

front, - and persisted through all or nearly all of Ordovician, and possibly into 

earliest Silurian, time. Of course it is possible that some of this area, in which 

there are now no Ordovician rocks, - received deposits which were removed by 

'erosion in -Silurian,' Devonian, or early Carboniferous times.

. SILURIAN-DEVONIAN .CONDITIONS.

From the close of Ordovician time to the early Carboniferous sea the uplifts 

along the western margin of the Great Plains region present no geologic record, the 

Silurian and Devonian being absent throughout. This is probably because there 

was an extensive but very shallow, sea, or land so low as to leave no noticeable 

.evidence of. erosion. Whether it remained land or sea, or alternated from one to 

.the. other condition, the region shows no~ evidence of having undergone any consid- 

^erable uplift or .depression until early in Carboniferous time, when there was a

 decided subsidence; which established relatively deep water and marine conditions 

generally throughout the region.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER HO. 32 PL. LI

BUTTE CAPPED BY BED OF SANDSTONE JN ARIKAREE FORMATION, NORTHEAST OF BOXELDER SPRINGS, NEAR HARTVILLE, WYO.
CARBONIFEROUS HISTORY OF. THE GREAT PLAINS. 181 

CARBONIFEROUS SEA.

\

Under the marine conditions of the early'Carboniferous there were laid down 

calcareous sediments, which are now represented by several hundred feet of nearly 

pure limestone, known as the Pahasapa and Englewood limestones in the Black 

Hills, the Little Horn limestone in the Bighorn Mountains, and the Guernsey and 

lower Hartville limestones in the Hartville uplift. As no coarse deposits occur it is 

probable that no crystalline rocks were exposed above water in the northern part of 

the region, but to the south, between ^latitude 41° and 42°, the limestone, or its 

stratigraphic equivalents, was deposited immediately upon them. In the southern 

Black Hills the limestone lies directly on a thin sheet of Cambrian sandstone, the 

thinness of which and the absence of Ordovician beds possibly being due to pre-- 

Carboniferous erosion.

Along the Rocky Mountain front the lower Carboniferous beds' appear only at a 

few points, apparently in estuaries which extended west of a general shore line now 

buried under the later Carboniferous sediments by the overlap of the latter on the 

crystalline rocks. In the later part of earlier Carboniferous time there: appear to 

have been shallower waters with sediments of mixed limy and -sandy nature in some 

portions of the r-egion to the northwest, while ,in the Black Hills and Bighorn 

districts some red shales of nonmarine character appear to have been deposited in 

an area of wide extent, if the lower portion of the Minnelusa and Amsden formations 

are to be regarded as lower Carboniferous in age. In later Carboniferous times, 

prior to the Permian, the conditions presented considerable diversity, with limy and 

lime and sand deposition northwest and southeast and coarse red beds along the 

Rocky Mountain front, while in southern Colorado and southward there was an 

alternation of coarse red beds and limestones.

Assuming that the upper Red Beds are all of Permian age^ there was in the 

earlier portion of this period still further emergence, resulting'in a shallow basin, 

which extended across the western portion of the central Great Plains region and 

far northwest. In this basin were laid down the great mass of red shales of the % 

Chugwater red beds, with their extensive interbedded deposits of gypsum, presumably products of an arid climate. The sandy clay of this formation accumulated in 

thin layers to a thickness of 500 to 1,000 feet, and there is such uniformity of the 

deep-red tint that this is undoubtedly the original color. This color is present not 

only throughout practically the entire outcrop of the formation, but also throughout 

its entire thickness, as is shown by deep borings. It is, therefore, not due to later 

or surface oxidation. This deposition of red mud was interrupted from time to time 

by chemical precipitation of comparatively pure gypsum in beds ranging in thickness 

from a few inches to 30 feet, and often'free from mechanical sediment. It is apparent 

that these beds are the products of evaporation while mechanical sedimentation was 

temporarily suspended, a condition indicative of greatly diminished rainfall; other-
182 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND. WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

I

wise it is difficult to understand their nearly general, purity. Most of the red 

deposits were laid down in, shallow water, so that there must have been a subsidence 

which kept pace with-deposition most of the time.

At an early stage of deposition of the gypsiferous Ked Beds in the western 

portion of the region there .was a widespread interruption.of the shale sedimentation, and carbonate of lime was precipitated in the thin but wonderfulh- persistent 

bed now represented by the Minnekahta limestone. In the Bighorn region also 

there was an alternation.of lime and red clay deposition toward the end of the epoch. 

To the southeast, in Kansas and Oklahoma, there was deposited simultaneously with 

the gypsiferous Ked Beds a part at least of the dark shales into which they merge. 

These shales, which are of Permian age, contain thick deposits of salt and scattered 

deposits of gypsum at various horizons. Apparently, also, to the southeast, some of 

the lowest Red. Bed deposits are represented by limestones of the lower membersof the Permian, the products of deeper marine'waters. Whether this deposition of 

the Red Beds extended -into or through Triassic times in the central Great Plains 

region is not. known, but evidently it was ended by the uplift which brought the 

region above the water. Probably this' condition extended through the latter part 

if not all of the Triassic, and well into Jurassic time,-during which there "was no 

deposition and probably some slight erosion.

JURASSIC SEA. .

In later Jurassic time a sea covered the region in which the Laramie and 

Bighorn mountains and the Black Hills now rise, and doubtless extended for some 

distance into northeast Colorado. The conditions varied somewhat from shallow to 

deep waters, but marine waters prevailed. The materials are nearly all fine-grained 

and indicate the absence of strong currents, except along some portions of the 

. shores, where coarse sandstones were laid down, some of them of bright-red color, 

which probably derived their sediments from adjacent land surfaces of red .beds. 

.Generally, however, clay was the first sediment, and it was followed by ripplemarked sandstone, evidently laid down in shallow water and probably the product 

of a time when sedimentation was in excess of subsidence, if not during an arrest of 

subsidence.' The red color in the medial part of the Jurassic deposits in some 

districts may represent a transient return to arid conditions similar to those under 

which the gypsiferous red beds were laid down, this condition being indicated by a 

local Jurassic gypsum deposit in Casper-Range. The next series, a thick mass of 

shales with thin limestones filled with marine fossils, is indicative of deeper waters. 

After this stage there was widespread uplift, at least in the northern portion of the 

. region, and the sands of the Unkpapa sandstone were deposited in the Black Hills 

region apparently in shallow fresh waters with moderate currents. There was no
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER HO. 32 PL. Lll

A. CONGLOMERATE LYING ON ARIKAREE SANDSTONE, AT BASE OF OGALALLA FORMATION, 

5 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF REDINGTON, NEBR.

B. TYPICAL PIPY CONCRETIONS OF ARIKAREE FORMATION, SCOTTS BLUFF COUNTY. NEBR.
, ' CRETACEOUS HISTORY OF THE GREAT PLAIN'S. - 183 

i

erosion of the surface of the marine Jurassic deposits at this stage in the region 

north, but.if these deposits originally extended farther south in Colorado than \ve 

now find them they were eroded from that area at this time. Probably, however, 

the region along the eastern foot of the Rocky Mountain range was a land surface 

throughout Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous time, as shown by the general unconformity between the Morrison formation and the Red Beds in that region.

CRETACEOUS SEDIMENTATION.

On the assumption that the Morrison formation is equivalent to the upper, 

members of the Comanche series, there is a long interval of earlier Cretaceous time 

not represented by deposits in the central Great Plains north of latitude 37°. 

Morrison sedimentation was in a long, relatively narrow trough extending along the 

Rocky Mountain region, as shown in PI. XLIV. This trough was occupied by a 

shallow body of fresh water which deposited very fine-grained sediments, mixtures 

of clay and fine sand, with thin, irregular bodies of coarser sand deposited by 

streams or along shores, and with occasional thin beds of limy sediments. Huge 

saurians were abundant, as shown by the frequent occurrence of their remains in 

the deposits, although it is possible that this abundance is 'due mainly to increased. 

mortality or more favorable conditions of preservation, or both.

Morrison time was succeeded abruptly by a change to conditions under which 

coarse-grained, cross--bedded, massive Dakota-Lakota sandstones, were deposited.. 

Although the deposits change abruptly and there was local" channeling of the surface of the soft Morrison deposits, the erosion appears to be of remarkably small 

amount and no more than would be expected to result from the strong currents 

bearing, coarse, sands and pebbles. "

It is believed, that there was no great uplift-erosion intefval'following Morrison 

deposition, for if there had been the soft deposits would have been widely removed. 

As "it is, the Dakota-Lakota sandstones lie on a uniform series of. Morrison sediments fr.om Montana to New .Mexico and Oklahoma. It is a significant fact also in 

this connection that some of the saurians of the Morrison time continued into the 

next epoch. In southeast Colorado, west Kansas, and south, where Morrison deposits 

. appear-,- to be represented by upper Comanche sediments, marine conditions prevailed in the early Cretaceous time, and these gave place to an alternation of marine 

and fresh-water conditions probably "estuarine of which the products are the 

lower members of.the ."Dakota series."

The Dakota-Lakota sands were derived from \arious sources not fully located 

and.spread by strong, currents in thick beds, with intervening shales in some areas.. 

In the earlier stages local coal beds were accumulated in the Black Hills region.
184 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT \ PLAINS.

i

Midway in the series a thin, widely extended clay body was laid down. Just prior 

to this, in the Black Hills region, a thin local bed of limestone was deposited. The 

extent of the Lakota as separated from the Dakota not having been .ascertained, 

excepting that both are-present in the Black Hills region and that the Lakota is 

surely absent in east Nebraska and east Kansas, their relative areas of deposition 

can not yet be indicated. The vast extent of this coarse-sandstone series is a wonderful feature, and it is difficult to picture the conditions under which it accumulated. I formerty thought that there might have been a shore line progressing 

gradually;westward, with coarse deposits.near shore and fine deposits in the deepening waters east, so that the Dakota sandstone in western Kansas, for instance, might 

be represented by shales, in central Kansas, but since the Benton stratigraphy and 

the Dakota-Benton relations. are so uniform, over the entire, area this hypothesis is 

untenable. ....... ...

Following the deposition of this great sheet of sandy sediments there was a 

rapid change to clay deposition, of which the first representative is the Benton shale, 

a formation even, more extensive than the underlying Dakota sandstone. This represents the later Cretaceous submergence, in. which marine conditions prevailed, and 

it continued until several thousand feet'of clays were deposited, during the Benton, 

the Niobrara, and the'Pierre epochs. In Benton times there were occasional deposits 

of sand, and one thin but very widespread deposit of lime, the Greenhorn limestone, near the middle of the Benton sediments. The shale -of the Benton is followed by several hundred, feet of impure chalk, now constituting!the Niobrara formation, .and" this in turn by many hundred'feet of Pierre shale, which thickens rapidly 

to the west, attaining 1,-2QO feet or more in western South Dakota and over 7,000(?) 

feet adjacent to the Rocky Mountains in a limited .area west of Denver.

The'retreat of" the Cretaceous sea, which corresponds with the Fox Hills 

epoch, resulted in extensive bodies of brackish waters, which spread sands over the 

clay beds';..and then'of fresh waters,' which deposited the sands, clays, and marsh 

material .of. the Laramie.- Apparently these last-mentioned formations were, not laid 

down much east of longitude 101 p; "for they thin rapidly to the east, although, as 

we do not know the extent of post-Laramie erosion, their former limits can only 

be conjectured. .'.... . '.' , .

In the Bighorn ;Range, at least, there was an uplift of moderate prominence 

in early Laramie times^ possibly-consisting: only of a Jmdt of local extent. It 

was of sufficient magnitude, however, to afford erosion products from beds down 

to the; Cambrian, some of the materials of which appear in a long lens of conglomerate extending for 40 miles along the east side of the range.' "
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. Llll

ARIKAREE SANDS FILLED WITH DXEMONELIX, AT HEAD OF LITTLE MONROE CANYON, SIOUX COUNTY, NEBR.
TERTIARY HISTORY OF THE GREAT PLAINS. 185 

- EARLY TERTIARY MOUNTAIN GROWTH.

There was extensive uplift in the Rocky Mountain province in early 

Tertiary time. This fact is clearly indicated in the Black Hills and the Laramie 

ranges, where the Oligocene deposits lie on an eroded surface having the general 

outlines of the present configuration, a relation which indicates that some of the 

mountain uplifts were truncated and the larger outlines of topography. established 

in earlier Eocene time. It is probable, that the main uplift of the Rocky 

Mountain Front Range and the Bighorns also occurred in this same epoch. Where 

the great mass of eroded material was carried is not known, for in the lower 

beds to the east and the south there are no early Eocene deposits nearer than 

'those on the Gulf coast and the Mississippi embayment, excepting the relatively 

small areas of Denver and Arapahoe formations in the Denver basin and- their 

possible representatives north through eastern Wyoming. The early Eocene 

erosion was effected - by streams which had strong declivities due to the uplifts.

.OLIGOCENE FRESH-WATER DEPOSITS.

- Later in Tertiary time, after the outlines of the great mountain ranges to the 

north and west had been carved,'there was a long period in which streams of moderate 

declivity flowed across the central Great Plains region. These, with frequently 

varying channels -and extensive local lakes due to damming and the sluggish flow 

of the waters, laid down the widespread mantle of the Oligocene or White River 

deposits. These began with the sands of the Chadron formation, which show clearly 

the course of old currents by channels filled with coarse sandstone, and areas of slack 

water and^ overflow in which fuller's earth and other clajT s were laid down. The area 

of deposition of this series extended across east Colorado and Wyoming and west 

Nebraska and South Dakota, and probably also farther north, for the deposits have 

been found in west Canada. Doubtless the original" extent was much wider than 

- the area in which we now find the formation, for much has been removed by erosion. 

The White River ^epoch was continued by the deposition of the Brule clays under 

conditions in which the currents were less strong and local lakes and slack-water 

overflows were more extensive: The Brule clay has about the same area as the 

the Chadron, and originally was much more extensive than it is at present.

At the beginning of Miocene time the general conditions had not changed 

materially, but doubtless for a while an extensive land surface existed in the 

central Great Plains-area. In the stream channels extending across this surface 

the Gering formation was laid down, one channel extending across west Nebraska 

for some miles just south of North Platte River. Next came the deposition of a 

widespread sheet of sands derived from the mountains to the west, probably spread
18.6 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

over the entire central Great Plains region by streams, aided to a minor extent 

by winds. The streams of this time shifted their courses across the Plains, 

spreading the debris from the mountains in a sheet which in some parts of the 

area attained a thickness of 1,000 feet a flat alluvial fan of wonderful extent. 

This is the Arikaree formation, which buried some of the lower ranges of the 

uplifts, as shown by the high altitudes to which it extends on the slopes of 

Rawhide Butte and along the front of the Laramie Range. It has been so widely 

eroded since its deposition that we do not know its original extent, but doubtless,, as suggested on PL'XLIV, it covered most of the central Great Plains 

far to the east..' It was followed by uplift and erosion erosion which removed the 

Arikaree and parts of. underlying formations from the south and the east, leaving 

the, thickest .mass of the deposit in west Nebraska and east Wyoming. Probably, 

however, it never was thick nor widespread to the south, erosion predominating .in 

that .part of the area during .deposition to the north. Next came the epoch in which 

the streams began depositing the thin mantles of sands of the Ogalalla and other 

late Pliocene formations, especially in south.Coldrado, in south Nebraska, in Kansas, 

and in regions-farther south. The deposition at this time appears to have been 

mainly in the southern region above described, erosion probably predominating 

in the district lying farther north. ' .

These alternating, conditions of later Tertiary deposition and erosion, first .in 

the north and next in the south, were undoubtedly determined by differential 

uplift, the uplifted region suffering erosion and the depressed or stationary region 

receiving deposits from streams which did not have sufficient declivity to carry 

off their loads. This condition also is a feature of the semiarid climate of the 

Plains, the mountain torrents" and resulting vigorous erosion furnishing large 

amounts of debris, which the streams of low declivity and constantly diminishing 

volume on the Plains were unable to carry to the sea. Even if such a region is 

traversed by valleys cut during a time of uplift or increased rainfall, when cutting 

ceases these valleys are soon filled by sediments, and when they are full the 

streams at times of freshet, and to a less extent in the dry portion of the year, 

shift their courses so as finally to spread a wide mantle of deposits over' the 

entire area in which there is sluggish drainage.

During, the early-portion of the Pleistocene there was uplift and floods from 

increased precipitation, which resulted in widespread denudation of the preceding 

deposits, .so that the later ones were entirety removed in the eastern portion of the 

area, where there were glacial floods, and widely and deeply.trenched in. the west 

portion.. To the west there extended to the foot of the mountains a great high 

. plain of wonderful. smoothness, mantled mostly by the Arikaree. to the north
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. L1V

A ARIKAREE SANDSTONE ON BRULE CLAY, IN PAWNEE BUTTES, WELD COUNTY, COLD. 

Strong unconformity due to erosion, typical beds of concretions in Arikaree formation.

B. ARIKAREE SANDSTONE ON BRULE CLAY, 18 MILES NORTH OF STERLING, COLO. 

Strong evidence ot erosion between, and typical features of, both formations
U. 6. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. LV

OGALALLA CONGLOMERATE ON BRULE CLAY, AT MOUTH OF ASH CREEK, DEUEL COUNTY, NEBR.
QUATERNARY DRAINAGE OF SOUTH DAKOTA. 187

FIG. 8. Outlines of the drainage of South Dakota during the earlier portion of trie Glacial epoch, by J. E. Todd. 

^ ' The dotted line shows approximately the present course of Missouri River.

Fie, 9. Outlines of drainage ol South Dakota during the period of maximum advance of the ice sheet ol the later

 "Glftcial epoch, by J. E. Todd.
188 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

"and by .the Ogalalla and possibly "some later deposits to the south, the product 

of later Tertiary deposition. As the Black Hills dome rose somewhat higher than 

the general uplift, there -was deep erosion around it, so that the High Plains, 

whatever their extent may have been in that region, were largely removed, and 

their northern edge left, as at present, in the great escarpment of Pine Eidge 

facing toward the Black Hills uplift. Farther south, across Nebraska, Colorado, 

Kansas, and Texas, the High Plains still present wide areas of tabular surface,

though the streams of Pleistocene time.cut into them deeply 

 and removed them widely. 

Numerous changes in stream 

courses took place in Pleistocene times, some of the valleys 

still presenting relations which 

clearly illustrate their history. 

One of the most important 

causes of changes in drainage 

was the presence of the great 

ice sheet during the Glacial 

epoch, especiallj' in eastern 

South Dakota. As shown by 

Prof. J. E. Todd,« the Missouri 

originally flowed down the wide 

valley now occupied by the 

James; the Grand, Cheyenne, 

White, and others, were then 

at a higher level, flowing across 

the region now occupied by the 

divide between the James and 

the Missouri. The original drainage relations, according to this idea, are shown 

in fig. 8. - - ' ,

Later.in the Glacial epoch the margin of the ice sheet advanced to the west, 

filling up James River -Valley, shortening the branch streams from the west, and 

giving rise to a new river having the course of the present Missouri, which at 

once began to-cut a deep vallej^ in the soft Pierre shales. The relations at this 

period are shown in fig. 9.

When the ice sheet retreated the new valley had been cut so deeply that the old 

course could not be resumed, and the new one has persisted until the present time.

FIG. 10. Outline map showing relations of upper Belle Fourehe and 

Little Missouri drainages.-

nTodd, J.'E., Hydrographie history ol South Dakota: Bull. Geol. Soc. America, vol. 13, 1902, pp. 27-40, pi. 3.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. LVI

ARCHWAY ERODED IN MONUMENT CREEK SANDSTONE, AT " ELEPHANT ROCK," NEAR

MONUMENT, COLO.

Showing massive charactei of sandstone.
NEW DRAINAGE NORTH OF THE BLACK HILLS. 189

Along the east side of the Black Hills many of the streams are cutting new 

valleys, some of which have tapped the heads of former valleys, causing considerable complexity in the topographic relations and affording many striking examples 

of stream robbery. One of the most extensive stream diversions in the Black Hills 

has been that of the upper waters of the Belle Fourche into the Cheyenne River 

drainage at the peculiar sharp bend at the north end of the Black Hills uplift. 

Originally this stream above the bend was the main head branch of Little Missouri 

River, the connection 

with the present Little 

Missouri Valley being at 

A in fig. 10.

At this locality, A, 

there is a wide, flat-bottomed valley, which to 

the north merges into 

Little Missouri Valley, as 

shown north of S in fig. 11. 

At the bend in the Belle 

Fourche the stream now 

occupies a new canyon, 

cut about 50 feet below 

the floor of the older valley. This robbery was 

due to a small branch of 

Cheyenne River, which 

had steep declivity and 

was in greater part cutting along the strike of 

soft shales, so that it had 

greatly the advantage of 

the original headwater branch of Little Missouri River, and finally tapped it. The 

water now flows to Missouri Valley in central South Dakota by a course 300 miles 

shorter than the roundabout one that it formerly followed down the Little Missouri 

far to the north and then back to the southeast through central South Dakota.

In most portions of the central Great Plains erosion is still in progress, especially 

in the smaller streams, where the water has sufficient declivity to carry away its 

load; but in some of the larger streams the valleys are building up, as in the later 

Tertiary periods, through the volume of water not being adequate to carry away the 

waste from the adjoining slopes. Without further uplift the valleys will in this way 

in time be filled, the streams will again wander over the divides, and the Great Plains 

receive a new mantle similar to those of Tertiary time.

FIG. 11. Sketch showing abandoned valley through which the Belle Fourche 

formerly joined Little Missouri River. S, Stoneville Flat; M, Little 

Missouri River; B, Belle Fourche Elver.
190 GEOLOGY AND TJKDEKGROUND WATEB OF CENTRAL GKEAT PLAINS. 

UNDERGROUND WATERS OF THE GREAT PLAINS.

GENERAL CONDITIONS.

'The thick succession of sedimentary formations underlying the Great Plains 

includes porous strata containing large volumes of water. These. water-bearing 

deposits comprise widespread sheets of sandstones or sand from Cambrian to Teitiary in age, the alluvial sands in the bottoms of valleys, and the .sands of the and 

hills The sandstones of the older formations are in sheets often several hundred 

feet thick, alternating with bodies of relatively impermeable shales or limes ones, so 

that they present favorable conditions as water bearers. To the west they are 

upturned by the great uplifts and outcrop along the high momitaia slopes; to the 

east most of them rise gradually to the surface, while m the central and northern 

regions they lie at great depth under the heavy mantle of younger depots 

Although most of these general relations are shown in the ten cross sections of 

Pis. X and XI, the simplified section in fig. 12 will show more plainly the problem 

of the artesian waters. .

F». 12.-CroSs section of the Great Plains, showing general

Part of the surface water passes into the pndstones in their elevated outcrop 

zones along the foot of the western mountains and flows east through the permeable 

rocks in most cases finally escaping in springs in the low-level areas of outcrop 

eastward and southward. In such water-bearing strata as the Dakota and underlying beds, which are overlain by a thick mass of impermeable deposits the water, 

are under great pressure, for the intake .one has an altitude of from 4,000 to 6,000 

feet and the region of outflow is only from 1,000 to -1,200 feet above sea level. 

The existence of this pressure, as found in many wells in eastern South Dakota, 

is the strongest evidence'we possess that the waters flow underground for many 

hundreds of miles. Several wells show surface pressures over 175 pounds to the 

square inch and two are slightly over 200 pounds, the latter indicating a pressure 

of 780 pounds at the bottom of the well. Such pressures can only be explained
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. LVII

ERODED SANDSTONES, MONUMENT PARK, COLORADO. 

Photograph by W. H. Jackson.
GENERAL RELATIONS OF UNDERGROUND WATERS. 191

by the hydrostatic influence of a column of ""water extending to a high altitude 

west. If it were not for-the outflow of the water to the east and south the initial

 v

head which the waters derive from the highlands of the intake zone would continue 

under the entire region, but owing to this leakage the head is not maintained, and 

there is a gradual diminution to the east known as ''hydrostatic grade," a slope 

sustained by the friction of the water in its passage through the strata. In 

fig. 13 there is shown a simple apparatus which illustrates the general conditions.

FIG. 13. Diagram of apparatus for illustrating the declivity of head of liquids flowing from a reservoir. The shaded 

, portions are water.

Another factor which undoubtedly somewhat influences the hydrostatic grade 

in the Great Plains region is a certain but unknown amount of general leakage 

through the so-called impermeable strata, all of which permit the passage of an 

appreciable proportion of water, especially when under great pressure. The 

conditions shown in fig. 13 are closely similar to those found in the Dakota sandstone, which is the principal water-bearing stratum underlying the Great Plains. 

From the altitudes of outcrops of this sandstone and pressures observed in many 

wells the lines in PI. LIX have been constructed o to indicate the observed and 

probable head of the artesian waters. In areas of flow the pressure in pounds 

at any point may be ascertained by subtracting the altitude of the land from the 

altitude of head and dividing by 2.3 (the height in feet of a column of water 

1 inch square, weighing "1 pound). In areas too high for flow the depth to the 

point to which the water may be expected to rise may be found by subtracting the 

altitude of head from the altitude of the land.

WATER HORIZONS. 

CAMBRIAN.

The basal sediments in the Great Plains region consist mainly of sandstones, 

which probably underlie nearly the entire area and contain water. They outcrop 

extensively in the uplifts of the Bighorn Mountains and the Black Hills and have 

been reached by some of the deep wells in the lower Missouri Valley, but, owing
192 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

to the great depth at which they lie in the central region, nothing is known of 

their relations or capabilities. In a few districts immediately'adjoining the Black 

Hills the sandstones of the Deadwood formation may be reached by wells, but 

as, in most portions of the area, the depth would be considerably over "2,000 feet 

and as there are excellent prospects for water at a less depth, it is not likely 

that these sandstones will be tested except possibly at a few points in Red Valley. The deep boring at Minnekahta appears to have failed to reach them at a 

depth of 1,348 feet. At Lincoln, Nebr., a red sandstone 7li feet thick, ly.ing on 

supposed Sioux quartzite, was found at a depth of 2,121 feet, which may pos- 

,sibly be of Cambrian age. It yielded no water supply.

OKDOVICIAN.

The Ordovician rocks in the Bighorn Mountains, northern Black Hills, and 

west of Colorado Springs are mostly limestones not likely to contain water, and 

their steep dips soon carry them far beneath the surface. In Mississippi Valley the 

important water-bearing St. Peter sandstone is the source of water in numerous 

deep wells, but how far to the west this water-bearing horizon extends is not 

known, for- under the central Great Plains it lies too deep for ordinary deep 

wells. At Lincoln a sandstone 60£ feet thick, supposed to represent the St. Peter, 

was entered at a depth of 1,947 feet, but apparently yielded no water.

CARBONIFEROUS.

Excepting in the greater portion of east South Dakota the Great Plains are 

probably underlain by rocks of Carboniferous age, although in much of this

o -,

district these rocks lie too deep for wells. In the vicinity of the Black Hills 

uplift, in portions of southeast Colorado, in Kansas, and in east Nebraska they 

are at moderate distances beneath the surface. The rocks consist mainly of limestones, but water-bearing sandstones also are included. In the vicinity of the 

Black Hills the sandstones of the Minnelusa formation probably will prove to be 

a source of supply for deep wells in Red Valley, although these sandstones failed 

to yield water at Minnekahta and at Cambria. At the base of the Minnelusa 

formation more or less water usually occurs, and from a horizon within the 

Pahasapa limestone there is obtained-a large supply of excellent water tapped by 

(.the wells at Cambria. Along the Rocky Mountain front and east in Colorado 

some deep wells have been sunk into the red sandstones in the upper portion 

of the Carboniferous, but, although in several cases a water supply -has been 

found, the water has been too saline for use. Such also has been the experience
WATER HORIZON'S OF THE GREAT PLAINS. 193

of numerous wells in east' Kansas and in the deep wells at Lincoln and other 

points in east Nebraska.

JURASSIC.

Along the slopes of the Black Hills and in parts of southeastern Wyoming the 

sandstone bed in the lower part of the Sundance formation contains water of some 

importance. Several wells in Hay Creek Valley west of Belle Fourche flow from 

this horizon. . '

CKETACEOUS.

Dakota-Lakota formations. The Dakota water horizon "is the most widely 

extended and most useful in the Great Plains region. The sandstones appear to 

extend under the entire area in a sheet generally from 150 to 300 feet thick, underlain by Red Beds or Carboniferous limestones and shales, or by the Sioux quartzite 

in east South Dakota, and overlain by the great mass of clays and shales of the 

Benton, JSfiobrara, and Pierre formations. The sandstones outcrop extensively along 

the uplifts of the Black Hills, the Bighorns, and the Rocky Mountain front ranges, 

and in the Arkansas Valle3T in southern Colorado, where they receive large volumes 

of water, not only directly from the rainfall, but by the sinking of water from streams: 

In some portions of the central Great Plains the Dakota water horizon lies too deep 

to be reached by ordinary deep wells, but in the greater part of the area in which 

this condition is found there is, owing to the height of the lands, no prospect for 

a flow. In the map, PI. LXIX, there is shown the depth at which this water 

horizon lies, as determined by all available data, and in the following portions' of 

this chapter there will be described the experience 'of wells and the prospects for 

obtaining water in the various localities. It will be seen that the most important 

prospects for waters from the Dakota-Lakota sandstones, so far undeveloped, are in 

the central and western portions of South Dakota and in the region north of the 

Black Hills.

fox Hills-Laramie formations. The Fox Hills sandstone and the various sandstone beds in the Laramie contain considerable water, although artesian flows are 

obtainable only in restricted areas. In the Denver basin there is a mass of 

sandstone at the top of the Fox Hills and the base of the Laramie formation 

which undoubtedly contains a large volume of water, but it has not yet been drawn 

upon to any considerable extent, although eventually it may be the source of large 

artesian flows. The sandstones of the Laramie formation furnish considerable 

water along the line of the Burlington and Missouri Rivei1 Railroad in northeast 

Wyoming, but do not give prospects of flows. 

10001 No. 32 05 13
194 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

TERTIARY DEPOSITS.

 Arapahoe formation. The conglomerates and coarse sandstones at, the base of 

this formation in the Denver basin afford the greater part of the very large underground water supply from deep wells in the city of Denver and its vicinity. Formerly the waters flowed with considerable pressure, but now the wells are so large and 

numerous that in most cases the waters have to be pumped.

White River group. Most of the deposits of the White River group are too 

fine grained to yield water, but in some areas the base of the lower member (Chadron 

formation) is a coarse sand which yields water to pump wells of moderate depths in 

portions of west South Dakota, in Nebraska, and in the Goshen Hole in Wyoming.

Arikaree-Ogalalla formations. These great sand deposits, constituting the 

surface of the High Plains, contain a large volume of excellent water, which usually 

accumulates in the lower beds, where it is available for pump wells, generally at 

depths of about 200 to 300 feet. Such wells are numerous in the upland region of 

west Kansas, west Nebraska, and east Colorado, where they are the principal sources 

of supply. Ordinarily these waters rise for some distance in the wells and in central 

Nebraska afford flows in a few districts. They also flow in & small area west of 

Cheyenne.

QUATERNARY DEPOSITS.

More or less water is contained in the alluvial deposits along the streams, in the 

gravel deposits underlying .the loess in central and east Nebraska, in the glacial 

^deposits of east South Dakota and east Nebraska, and in the various sand-hill districts. 

The waters in the alluvial deposits aiford the principal water supplies of the Great 

Plains regions, for .most wells are in the valleys. These obtain water at depths from 

5 to 50 feet in most cases, drawing supplies either from the underflow of a surface 

stream or from a sunken watercourse, or from sheet water in the alluvium. In 

the more arid regions west these waters often contain alkali in greater or less proportion. The waters in the gravel beds beneath the loess are available under many 

thousand square miles in central Nebraska, mostly at depths of from 30 to 50'feet, 

and afford veiy satisfactory supplies. The waters of the-glacial drift occur mainly 

at the base of the till, at depths varying from 100 to 300 feet in greater part, and 

these waters are the principal sources of supply for tubular wells in portions of east 

South Dakota and to - a considerable extent in east Nebraska. . In the sand-hill 

districts nearly all of the water that falls sinks. into the ground and, at many 

localities, especially in central Nebraska, is found'available in large amounts in wells 

from 5 to 100 feet in depth.
UNDEBGBOUND WATERS OF THE CENTRAL GBEAT PLAINS. 195

DEEP WELLS AND WELL PROSPECTS IN SOUTH DAKOTA.

GENERAL CONDITIONS. .

In its wide extent under this State the Dakota sandstone carries a large 

volume of water which has been extensively utilized by artesian wells. This water 

is under pressure so great that in the eastern portion of the State flows are obtainable in all but the very highest lands, except in the southeast corner, near 

the zone where the head is lost by the sandstone reaching the surface. Over a 

thousand deep wells have -been sunk east of Missouri River, most of which are 

from 500 to 1,000 feet in depth and generally yield a large supply of flowing water, 

much of which is used for irrigation. The aggregate flow from these wells is 

estimated to be about 7,000,000 gallons a day. .

It is believed by some persons that owing, to this great draft upon the resources 

the available supply is diminishing, but there is as yet no valid evidence that this is 

the case, excepting locally where there are numerous wells. Individual wells often 

diminish in efficiency owing to leakage, clogging, and other causes, but. ordinarily 

new wells in the same vicinity show the same pressure and flow as were found in the 

older ones. But it is probable that if this large flow is permitted to continue, the 

available volume of artesian supply will eventually be greatly diminished.

The source of water is believed to be in the Black Hills and in the Rocky 

Mountains, for the sandstone appears to be a continuous stratum or a series of 

strata, permeable throughout and containing water which to the east has much of 

the initial head or pressure .due to the high altitude of the zone of intake on the 

mountain slopes. There are extensive areas in central South Dakota in which 

the underground waters have not yet been developed. Apparently in these areas 

the Dakota sandstone lies deep, but not at an impracticable depth for well boring. 

Probably further drilling will show that flowing waters may be obtained all the way 

up Cheyenne Valley and its two branches to the Black Hills, -and up the valleys 

of White, Bad, and Owl rivers nearly to longitude 102°. 

AURORA COUNTY.

Aurora .County lies mainly 'on the divide between the valleys of James and 

Missouri rivers. Its surface is largely covered by glacial deposits, which lie on 

Niobrara chalkstone to the east and on Pierre shale to the north, west, and south. 

The Dakota sandstone underlies the entire area and contains a large volume ofwater under pressure sufficient to afford artesian .flows, except possibly in the 

highest hills in the extreme northwest townships and a small area in the southcentral part of the county. The sandstone dips gently to the south in the southern 

portion of the county and to the north in the northern part, arching over a gentle
196 GEOLOGY ATSTD UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

a-nticline which rises over the underground ridge of Sioux quartzite that extends 

westwaud from the Alexandria and Mitchell region.

The depths to the sandstone vary from 400 feet near the center of the eastern 

margin of the county to 550 feet at Plankinton, 800 feet or more in the central, 

north-central, and southern portions of the countj7 , and somewhat over 1,000 feet 

in the northwest corner. The Dakota sandstone contains several flows of water, 

the lowest ones having the largest volume and highest press_ur.e. The volume 

varies considerably and appears to be less over the underground quartzite ridge 

which extends east and west in the center of the county. The following is a list 

of the principal wells, with statements as to their depths and other features:

List of representative artesian wells in Aurora County, S. Dak.

Location.

3. Asmuss, T. 101, E. 64, N W. J sec, 1 ............

Peter Mathig] T. 101, E. 66, SW. J see. 17 .'.......

Anton Hettinger, T. 101, E. 66, ME. \ sec. 3 ......

James Dunbar, T. 101, E. 66, SW. i sec. 6 ..'.......

T. 102, E. 63, sec. I ........... .1. ..............:

T. i.02, E. 63, sec." 10 ..........':............".....

J. W. Eyan, T. 102, E. 63, NE. J sec. 10..........

T. 102, E. 63, see. 11 ............................

Crystal Lake Township, SE. \, sec. 17 ............

Sam Edelman, T. 102, E. 64, N W.. } sec. 19 .......

Do .......................................

John Scales, T. 102, E. 64, SE. £ sec. 29 ..........

Wm. Edelman, T. 102, E. 65, sec. 25. ............

Gco. Severance, T. 102, E. 66, SW. \ sec. 7 .......

Mike Galles, T. 102, E. 66, sec. 17 .......:........

Philip Eyer, T. 103, E. 63, 5. miles southeast of

Evon Eaesley, T. 103, E. 63, sec. 28 ..............

George Saville (?) , T. 103, E. 63. ...... '. ..........

Sam Swenson, T. 103, E. 63, sec. 13 ...... 1 .......

J. D. Barton, T. 103, E. 63, SW. J sec. 3..........

J. E. Mabbot, T. 103, E. 63, sec. 26. .'.............

L. Mabbot, T. 103, E. 63, sec. 26 .................

Leonard Scott, T. 103, E. 63, sec. 35 ..............

C. E. Cook, T. 103, E. 63, sec. 32...... ...........

T. 103, E. 63, sec. 4....... .......................

T. 103, E. 63, sec. 8 .............................

T. 103, E. 63, sec. 9. .............................

Depth.

Feel. 

630

960

.800

730'

.300

536

613

460

850

800

800

600

. 795

800

835

705

716

530

420

755

530

490

484

623

500

755

470

Diameter.

Inches.

2

2

2'

2

4J

3-2

3-2

o

2

2

4*

3

3

o

o

3

9

2

4-3

3-2

Yield per 

mmute.

Gallons.

60

50

30

3

600

40

40

8

 10

120

400

200

200

30

30

100

10

10

15

Kemarks.

\

_
DEEP WELLS AND WELL PEOSPECTS IN. SOUTH DAKOTA. 

List of representative artesian wells in Aurora County, S. Dak. Continued.

197

Location.

T. 103, R. 63, sec. 10 ............................

Do .........................................

T. 103, R. 63, sec. 11 ............. : .. ...........

T. 103, R. 63, sec. 12 ..............................

T. 103, R. 63, sec. 13 .............................

T. 103, R. 63, sec. 24 ............................

Do........... ..............................

T. 103, R. 63, sec. 25 ............................

T 103, R. 63, sec 35 ......>............'..........

City of Plankinton, T. 103, R.-64, sec. 22 .........

Plankinton Township well, T. 103, R. 64, sec. 22 . .

Thos. Mulli'van, T. 103, R. 64, NW. J sec. 29......

T. 103, R. 64, sec. 27 ............................

HansHanson, T, 103, R. 65, SW. J sec. 31........

A. H. Henneaus, T. 103, R. 66, sec. 34...... ......

White Lake, T. 103, R. 66 .......................

White Lake, T. 103, R. 66, sec. 10...... ..........

White Lake, T. 103, R. 66, sec. 11.. '...... .. ......

James Ryan, T. 104, R. 63, sec. 22. ...............

O. Scott, T. 104, R. 63, sec. 1. ....................

A. D. Dougan, T. 104, R. 63, sec. 21 ..............

B. H. Sullivan, T. 104, R. 63, sec. 21 ..-...."......

T. 104, R. 63, sec. 2 ........................ s ....

T. 104, R. 63, sec. 3 .............................

T. 104, R. 63, sec. 10 ............................

T. 104, R. 63, sec. 15 .....'...............I......".

T. 104, R. 63, sec. 17 ............................

T. 104, R. 63, sec. 20 ............................

T. 104, R. 63, sec. 21 ............................

T. 104, R. 63, sec. 23 ............................

T l O4. "R fi3 «pp 9fi

T. 104, R. 63, sec. 35 ............. ..............

Do..... ..........--------.-.......-.--.----

T. 104, R. 64, sec. 34 ............................

Do.... ............--------.---.......-..-.-

H. Koemen, jr., T. 104, R. 65, sec. 26'.. ..........

A. W.,f!1nsRnn. T. 104. R. 66, sec. 3. ..............

Depth.

Feet. 

900

425

. 440

OQA

380

425

378

420

507

795

775 

8.30

715

745-

765

830

, 842

863

900

'830

525

470

523

525

740

508

440

465

540

530

575

364

426

400

450

590

545

728

922

Diameter.

Inches. 

o

41

4J 

4J-3

4

 2

6

4

2

2

4J-3

2

4*

' 4J

2

2

2

Yield per 

minute. '

Gallons. 

4+^

o

200 

225

1,-200

60

,40

150

4

4

" 168'

'. 4

150

' 150

2J

84

' 75

' Remarks.

e

Pressure, 55 pounds.

city well No; 2. 

Pressure, 10-i- pounds;

city well No. 3.

 Pressure, 45 pounds.

-

. . .

5.

- '.

: -
198 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATEK OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

List of representative artesian wells in Aurora County, S. Dak. Continued.

Location.

S. H. Bullock, T. 104, E. 66, sec. 2...............

T. 105, E. 63, sec. 24 ............................

George Scott, T. 105, R. 63, sec. ...............

T. 105, E. 63, sec. 2 .............................

T. 105, R. 63, sec. 7 .............................

T. 105, E. 63, sec. 24 ............................

T. 105, B. 63, sec. 26 ....?.......................

Do.........................................

T 105 E 63 sec °8

Do.........................................

T. 105, E. 63, sec. 35 ............................

T. 105, E. 64, sec. 2 .............................

T Ifl 1! "R fi4 spn V>

M. E. Lewis, T. 105, E. 66, sec. 32 ...............

Mullen Bros., T. 105, R. 66, sec. 247. .............

Depth.

Feel. 

844

487

475

400

580

500

490

475

508

560

620

640

563

1,222

953

Diameter.

Inches. 

t>

2

 2

3

2

Yield per 

minute.

GaUons. 

150

32

5

Few.

60

Remarks.

flows.

-

Some representative deep well records in Aurora Count}7 are as follows:

Record of well of J. W. Ry'an, NE. J sec. 10,' T. 102, R. 63. 

Feet. 

0- 80........................................drift.

80-104........................................shale (Pierre?)

104-214 ...................................... .chalk rock (Mobrara).

214-324.......:................................sand rock and sand, soft water.

324-536........................................shale.

536-566......................................... sandstone.

566-576........................................ shale.

576-580....................................... .sandstone with large flow of water.

580-614........................................shale.

The sand-rock from 211 to 324 feet is at the top of the Carlile formation of the 

Benton group, which extends to' the probable top of the Dakota sandstone at 536 feet.

Record of well of Mr. Raesley in SW. i sec. S8, T. 103, R. 6S.

Feet.

0- 90.........:...............drift.

- 90-230.........................chalk rock (Niobrara).

230-260........................ .sand rock, with soft water.
WELLS OF AURORA COUNTY, S. DAK. 199-

Feet. 

' 260-308......................... blue shale.

308-328......................... hard layers (probably Greenhorn limestone).

328-477.........................shale...........................1

477-489...-. ................... hard sandstone, first flow of water. >(Graneros.)

489-605...............'......... .blue sandy shale ................ j

605-610.........................sand rock with second flow of 100 gallons

610-675........................ .shale, with hard layers .................

675-705......................... .sandstone, third flow, of 100 gallons .....

705-716.........................gray shale.

(Dakota.)

In this record the sandstone' at the top of the Carlile formation at 230 feet is only 

30 feet thick, and its amount is found to be very variable in other wells in the 

vicinity.

Record of well of J. Asmvss, NW. J sec. 1, T. 101, R. 64. 

Feet.

0-250. ................-.-....-._.. .........---- - -drift and clay.

250-398............................................... chalk rock (Niobrara).

398-430...............................................sandstone, with soft water.

430-630..............................................shale.

630-632...... ...........-.'-..---....-.---.....-......sandstone and flow. 

It is not certain that this well reaches the top of the Dakota sandstone, and it 

may flow from a first-flow sandstone low in the Graneros formation.

-Record of well at Plankinton. 

Feet. 

0-145................................... .drift and clay.

145-256.................................. .chalk rook (Niobrara).

256^266.1-................................sand and soft water.

266-538...................................shale; some sandy layers.

538-543..................................sandstone, with flow.

543-763...........---.---....-.....-.... -shale, probably with a flow at 646 feet.

763-793.......--.---.-.-...---.-...---...sandstone, with main flow.

,793-795................................. .quartzite (Sioux quartzite probably).

It is believed that the top of the Dakota is at a depth of 538 feet in this well. 

Quartzite is reported at a depth of 850 at White Lake, with the top of Dakota 

sandstone at a depth of 790 feet.

The deepest well in the county, so far reported, is on the ranch of M. E. 

Lewis, SW. i sec. 32, T. 105, E. 66, having a depth of 1,222 feet, but only a light 

flow, probably owing to the height of the land on which it is situated. Samples 

of borings at 1,218, 1,220, 1,221, and 1,222 feet were found -to be hard sandstone 

with iron-oxide cement, undoubtedly Dakota sandstone.
200 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

BEADLE COUNTY.

Beadle County lies mainly in James River Valley, but its southwest corner 

extends up the slopes of the higher lands tying to the west. The surface is covered 

by glacial deposits varying in thickness from 50 to 300 feet, lying on Pierre clay. 

This clay is several hundred feet thick and is underlain by the usual succession of 

Niobrara formation, Benton shales and sandstone, and Dakota sandstone lying on 

granite and quartzite. The Niobrara formation becomes so shaly in this county that 

ordinarily it is not recognized by the well borers as distinct from the adjoining 

formations. The Benton formation comprises a bed of sandstone at its top and 

other thin beds of sandstone lower down, which, contain water supplies, the upper 

sandstone yielding water for pump wells and the lower sandstone yielding small 

first flows in the deep wells.

The Dakota sandstone contains a great volume of water under high pressure 

and affords a supply for a number of wells in all portions of the county. The sandstone lies nearly level, and, as the country is relatively flat, the variations in depth 

are not great. The depths of the majority of wells range from 750 to 1,100 feet, 

the deeper ones extending into "the lower beds of the formation, where the flows 

usually have somewhat greater volume and higher pressure than those in the upper 

sandstone layers.

The following is a list of the artesian wells in Beadle county:

List of artesian wells, by townships, in Beadle County, 8. Dak.

Township.

109

109~

109

110

110

110

110

110

110

110

111

Eange.

62

63

64

59

' 60

61

62

63

64

' 65

-59-

Depth.

Feet.

785-916

806-856

830, 910

850

857

930

790

770

879

900

784-1, 139

840

847

870

1 940

Average yield 

per minute.

Gallons.

35-250

Many.

45

 45

50

930

111

' 35

150-200

500

350-2, 250

100

50

20

Remarks,

-

Pressure, 125 pounds.

 .

Pressure, 100 pounds.

Pressure, 60 to 100 pounds.

Pressure, 125 pounds.

Pressure, 120 to 165 pounds. Huron town wells'.

-^
WELLS OF BONHOM11E COUNTY, S. DAK. 

List of artesian wells, by townships, in Beadle'County, S. Dak. Continued.

201

Township.

Ill

HI

111

111

111

'ill

112

112

112

112

112

112

113

113

113

113

113

113

114

Range.

59

61

62

63

64

65

59

.60

61

62

63

64

. 60

61

62

63'

63

64

59

.Depth,

Feet.

925

. 792

836

744-788

780-918

784-870

930

1,000

913, 933

779

778-917

777.

793-817

601-870

900

810

750-810

815

890

900-912

953

980-1, 118

1,038

Average yield 

per minute.

Gallons.

50

200

360

300

45-114

43-100

330

80

33,36

400-600

35

,600

40-240

, 16-200

45

200

60-125

120

300

' 50

1,260

20-1, 435

8

Remarks.

t

,

Pressure, 137 pounds. Wolsey well.

Pressure, 120 pounds. .

Pressure, 125 (?) pounds.

Pressure in one well, 50 pounds.

In one well the pressure is from 60 to 90 pounds, and in 

another 20 pounds,

Pressure, 115 pounds. ' 

Pressure, 100 (?) pounds.

. '

Pressure, 150 ppundk Hitchcock well.

Pressure in one well, 175 pounds.

BONHOMME COUNTY.

Bonhomme County extends northward from Missouri River into a region of 

plains and ridges, the greater part of the county is heavily drift covered, but there 

are extensive exposures of the underlying Niobrara chalkstone in the bluffs along 

Missouri River. The higher lands of the ridges east of Choteau Creek are underlain by Pierre shale. The county lies1 in the Dakota artesian area, but the higher 

lands in its western portion are too high for 'flowing wells, in the valleys and on 

the broad plain in the central and eastern portion of the county there are numerous 

flowing wells, which obtain large supplies of water at moderate depths. There is 

considerable variation in the volume of water, a well at Springfield yielding 3,000 

gallons a minute (see PI. LX), while at Scotland the flow is small, owing to local conditions of diminished thickness and porosity of the sandstone. The following list
202 GEOLOGY AND TJNDERGKOTJND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

gives the principal features of the deeper wells in this county from which reports 

have been received.

List of artesian wells, by townships, in Bonhomme County, S. Dak.

Township.

92

93

93

93

93

93

93

93

94

94

94

94

95

96.

96

Range.

60

58

59

60

60

60

61

62

58 .

. -59.

-59

61

59

58

59

Depth.

Feet.

885, 920

630-665

530-855

620

592

828

735-1, 000

862(7), '897

576-645

552-752

857

1, 0742

 730-828

590-680

590-700

Average yield 

per minute.

Gallons.

95-100

 15-252

' 700

3,292

72

25-70

1,400-1,600

11-100

13-150

1, 000

i

26-97

9

Few.

. Remarks.

Pressure in 885-foot well, 30 pounds.

Pressure, 42 to 45 pounds. '

Pressure, 40 to 66 pounds.

Springfield city well.

Pressure, 86 pounds. In Springfield mill.

Pressure, 86 pounds. City well.

Pressure, 12 to 14 pounds.

Pressure, 62 and 58 pounds.

Pressure, 40 pounds.

Pressure, 40 pounds in 752-foot well. .

Pressure, 30 pounds. City of Tyndall.

Pressure, 2J pounds.

Scotland wells.

/

The well at Springfield is a phenomenal one, "with its flow of 3,292 gallons per 

minute, although its closed pressure is not so great as that of many other wells in 

the State. It furnishes power for a 60-barrel flour mill by day and for an electriclight plant by night. For a while it threw sand, and when this finally ceased the 

flow was thought to have slightly decreased. The city well when.finished was for 

some time allowed to run at full head, and it was then observed that the flow of the 

mill well was noticeably weakened for the time being.

The well at the mill at Tyndall became clogged some time ago, but it was 

recently cleaned out and the former flow and pressure regained.

The first well at Scotland was sunk to a depth of 582 feet, of which the last 52 

feet were in "quartzite." The water supply, found in sand on the surface of this 

quartzite was. so small that the well was regarded as a practical failure. Not far 

from the old well another was recently sunk through a hard sandstone bed into clear 

white sand at 590 feet, but obtained no increase in flow. The Layson well was sunk 

on the high ridge between Emanuel and Choteau creeks to a depth of 1,074 feet. 

Only a feeble.flow was found, and the pressure was sufficient to raise the water only 

about 7 feet above the surface. The wells at Tyndall, those in the southeast corner
U. 6. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIOMAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. LX

A. ARTESIAN WELL AT SPRINGFIELD, S. DAK. 

Well flows more than 3,000 gallons of water per minute.

B. ARTESIAN WELL AT WOONSOCKET, S. DAK. 

Well throws a 3-inch stream to a height of 97 feet.
WELLS OP BONHOMME COUNTY, S. DAK. 203

of the county, and those in the Missouri bottom near the mouth of Choteau Creek 

yield more satisfactory supplies.

The artesian waters in Bonhomme County, excepting those at Scotland, Layson, 

and the mouth of Choteau'Creek, all appear to come from approximately the same 

horizon. At Scotland the waters appear to be largely cut off by a ridge of the 

quartzite bed rock. The Layson well appears to have been sunk to a horizon 

considerably below that of the group of successful wells to the east and south. The 

low pressure in this well is due to the height of the land on which the well is sunk, 

while the small volume of water is no doubt due to some variation in texture, such 

as occasionally occurs in the Dakota beds. The wells at the mouth of Choteau Creek 

appear to draw their waters from a horizon somewhat lower than that at Springfield 

and Tyndall. Probably it is the same horizon as that which furnishes the small flow 

at the Layson well on the ridge to the northeast, but here the sandstone is of such 

porous character as to furnish a larger volume of water.

The head of the waters in Bonhomme County is considerably less than it is 

farther north, for the amount decreases rapidly to the south and east in this region. 

It appears, however, to be sufficient to bring the water to the surface over all of the 

county with the probable exception of the high ridge between Emanuel Creek and 

Choteau Creek.

The records of wells in Bonhomme County show much diversity in the underground geology. After passing through the drift they enter the chalk rock, which, 

having an irregular surface and thickness, varies considerably in amount. It is 

usually underlain by upper Carlile sandstone, sometimes separated from the chalk by 

clay, which yields considerable water to some of the deeper pump wells in the county. 

The underlying Benton shales include beds of limestone and sandstone, the latter 

sometimes yielding small first flows. The thickness of this, formation and of the 

underlying Dakota appears to vary considerably. Under Scotland the Dakota sandstone is very thin. At Springfield it is penetrated for 50 feet, and in the Layson 

well, on the high ridge west of Springfield, a continuous bed of sandstone is reported 

from 810 to 1,043 feet,'containing but little water, and separated from a very hard 

rock, presumably granite or quartzite, by a small mass of shale. The record of the 

Scotland well, kindly furnished by Mr. A. E. Swan, is as follows:

Record ofivell at Scotland, Bonhomme County, 8. Dak. 

Feet. 

0- 15..............yellow clay. ,

15- 20..............hardpan.

20- 42..............blue clay.

42 75.............-gray clay.

" 75- 90.............. black clay, gravelly.
204' GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GKEAT PLAINS.

Feet. -

90-130..............chalk rock.

130-155..............yellow sandstone, hard.

155-195..............blue shale.

195-350...."...:...... gray'shale.

350-380.............. yellow lime rock.

380-415.............. shale and lime. ,

415-445............. .sand and shale.

445-451..............lime rock.

451-456.......--..-..sandy mud.

456-476..............lime rock, shale, and marl. '

476-510.............. sand rock, with shale streaks.

510-518.............. red shale and quartzite.

518-558..............gray sand rock; 80-gallonflow; one-foot layer of pyrites at "base.

558-589.............. sand rook, pinkish.

589-601.............. calcareous sand rock, pink.

601-674............. .quartzite, pink, with calcareous beds.

674-680.............. Sioux quartzite.

This record is probably more accurate than some others which have been published in indicating a thickness of 120. feet of chalk under the drift.

BROOKINGS COUNTY.

. Brookings County is in the drainage basin of Big Sioux River, on -the east 

coteau, and varies in altitude from about 1,600 to 1,800 feet. The region is 

heavily mantled by glacial drift and underlain by a Considerable thickness of 

Pierre shale. To the south and east, the Sioux quartzite appears to rise rapidly, 

and probably the Dakota sandstone is cut off by it in all of the area east of 

Volga and south of White. In the area underlain by the Dakota sandstone the 

altitude of the land is too high for the water to flow.

At Brookings a boring was made several years ago which is said to have 

reached the quartzite at a depth of about 556 feet. It obtained a small amount of 

water in overlying sandy beds, probably'in the Ben ton formation, but the pressure 

was not sufficient to afford a flow. A well at Elkston is 230 feet deep, with the 

last 30 feet in sandstone, which is probably at the top of the Benton group.

BROWN COUNTY. '

Brown County lies in James River Valley and consists almost entirely of a 

level plain traversed by a few shallow depressions carrying the drainage. It is 

covered with glacial deposits, but, from numerous well borings, these are known 

to "be underlain by a thick mass of Pierre shale and underlying Niobrara, Benton,
WELLS 'OF BKOWN COUNTY, S. DAK. 205

and Dakota beds, the latter lying on quartzite and granite. The strata lie very 

nearly level and the average depth to the top of the Dakota sandstone is between 

850 and 1,000 feet. The sandstone contains a large volume of water, yielding 

large flows and having in most cases a pressure considerably over 100 pounds to 

the square inch, the amount varying somewhat in different portions of the county. 

In the summer of 1903 it was estimated that there were 170 artesian wells-in 

active operation in the county. The depth and other data of these wells arc given 

in the following table:

List of artesian wells, by townships,. in southern half of Brown County, S. Dak.

Township.

121

121

121

121

121

121

121

122

122

122

122

122

123

123

123

123 

123

123

123

123

123

124

124

124

124 

124

Range.

60

61

62

63

64

64

65

60

61

63

64

65

60

60

fil"

62 

63

64

64

64

65

. 60

62

63

64 

65

Depth.

feet.

940

900, 940

930, 960

898-980

1,000

903-1, 015

 1,070

940-1, 000

900-960

920-940

1,000

1,080

920-977

. 922, 960

920-935

900

918-1, 117

1,300

1,300

1, 070-1, 167

942

900

945

975,

Yield per 

minute.

Gallons. f

.57

14,43

106, 306

33-96

96

35,96

46

15-76

39-70

25-34

30

' 37

10-105

830

15-123

95 

31-96

250-1, 060

1,350

1,000

25-53

150

25

123

31

Remarks.

(

"Pressure, 168 pounds. ' - >-

Warner town well.

Pressure, 20-60 pounds.

Town of Ferney.

Pressure, 125 pounds.

Pressure, 120 pounds.

Pressure, 80 pounds. k

-Pressure, 135 pounds. (Groton town wells Nos. 1 and 2.)

'

Pressures, 40 to 138 pounds. Town wells (Aberdeen). The 

1,117-foot well.is in T. 123, R. 63.

Aberdeen, city_well No. 3.

Aberdeen, city well No. 4.

Pressure, 137 pounds.

These wells passed through a great thickness of gray and-blue cla3rs, representing 

the Pierre, Niobrara, and Benton formations. In the latter there was generally found 

a thin bed of sandstone yielding a small amount of first-flow water. The Dakota
206 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS."

sandstone is visually overlain by bard cap rock, and consists of a succession of 

soft sandstone layers, with bodies of shale and sandy shale varying in thickness from 

a few feet to 50 or 60 feet in some cases. All the sandstones contain water, but the 

volume and pressure usually increase in the lower beds. In the city well No. 4, at 

Aberdeen, the base of the formation was found to consist of 49 feet of sand without 

much water, underlain by quartzite and granite, the top of the latter being entered 

at a depth of about 1,267 feet.

BRULE COUNTY.

Brule County extends eastward from Missouri River and is in greater part an 

elevated plateau, or region of gently rolling plains," from 300 to 400 feet higher than 

the river. In the southern portion the Bijou Hills rise still higher, their altitude 

probably being something over 2,000 feet. All of -the highlands are covered by 

glacial drift lying on Pierre shale. The Bijou Hills are capped^ by Tertiary sands 

and green quartzite. Missouri River cuts through the Pierre shale and exposes the 

Niobrara chalkstone in the lower valley slopes.

The artesian waters of this county have been extensively developed, for.over 60 

wells are reported, most of them between 800 and 1,000 feet in depth. They nearly 

all furnish large flows of excellent water, which is used mainly for irrigation. One 

of the wells near Chamberlain is reported to have a flow of 3,000 gallons per minute. 

The average flow of a 6-inch well is about 500 gallons, and of a 2-inch well, of which 

here are many, from 50 to 150 gallons per minute. On the higher lands the pressures are moderate, but in some cases rise above 50 pounds per square inch. Wells 

on the lower lands have greater pressure, one of the city wells in Chamberlain 

having over 100 pounds and developing 10 horsepower.

The greater part of the water is obtained in the upper part of the Oakota sandstone, but, in a region extending through Kimball, the upper beds are too compact 

to yield much water and it is necessary to sink to a looser sandstone below. Artesian 

waters appear to be available throughout this county, except on the higher portions 

of the Bijou Hills. The following is a list of wells in Brule" County, arranged by 

townships:

List of artesian wells, by townships, in Bride County, S. Dak.

Township.

101

. 101

102

102

102

Range.

67

68

- 67

68

69

Depth.

Feet.

750- 950

815- 962

750- 880

800-1, 050

900

Yield per 

minute.

Gallons.

18- 60

20-1, 098

18- 100

9-1, 000

50- 800

Remarks.

Pressure 20 to 40 pounds.

Pressure 12 to 25 pounds.

Pressure 40 pounds in some wells.

In one well pressure is 10 pounds.

Pressure varies from 5 to 40 pounds.
WELLS OF BEULE COUNTY, S. CAK.

List of artesian wells, by townships, in Srule County, S. Dak. Continued.

207

Township. Range. Depth. Yield per 

minute. Remarks.

102

102

103

103

103

103

104

104

104

104

70

71

67

68

69

71

70

71

105

105

105

67

68

69

Feet.

1, 027-1. 230

1,230-1,270

840- 956

900-1,210

1,254

983-1, 210

1,063,1,100

960

940-1,200 

927

600-1,186 

645, 670

540- 600 

815, 960

940

930- 987 

1,075

Gallons.

400- 900

45- 605

40- 90

60- 750

185

12- 60

25-1, 000

128

60- 70

1,385

3- 300

4,500

1,450-5,000 

537, 700

80

. 300- 815 

30

Pressure 2 to 40 pounds.

Kimball city wells. Original pressure 7 to 20 pounds. 

Pressure 40 pounds.

Flows at 890 and '903 feet.

Chamberlain Electric Light Co.'s wells Nos. 1 1 and 2; 

supply and pressure diminished.

Quarnberg's 4 wells. Flow decreasing.

Chamberlain city wells Nos. 1 and 2; supply greatly 

diminished.

Pressure from 5 to 75 pounds.

Flows at 990 and 1,060 feet. Pressure 16 pounds.

Two representative well sections in this county are as follows:

Record of well on Carpenter farm, near PuJcwana, 8. Dak. 

Feet. 

0-60.-.....----....--....-.---.-.-.-:...-.-.---black loam.

60- 72.....................--.-.."...--.-....... - -yellow sand. *

72-196..-...-......-.:.......-----...-.---....'-- .blue clay.

196-435...............................:.-.....-.. .chalk rock. .

435-536............ .............................. .black clay.

536-559...........................................first sand.

559-749. .......................................... .blue-black clay.

749-771..........................'.-.......--- .....second sand.

771-845 .-.................--.......---......---- -light chalky clay.

845-907....'....-.......---..-........-..--....-.. -third sand (Dakota sandstone).

This well is on high land and the chalk rock is overlain by over 100 feet of

Pierre clay.

Record of power well in Chamberlain, S. Dale. 

Feet. 

0- 22............................sand and gravel.

22-42........-.-....--.-.....---.-blue clay.

42-132............................ chalk rock.
208 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATEK OF CENTRAL. GREAT PLAINS.

Feet. 

132-498........................... .blue clay, tough and dark below.

498-507.................1..........sand.

507-555............................tough dark clay.

555- 584.._..._'................-.... sand and clay with flow.

584-612........................... .find dark sand, very fine below.

 612-619............................ hard sand rock.

619-633............................compact sandstone.

633-689. .......................... .sandstone under capstone yielding a flow of 4,350

, gallons per minute from an 8-inch pipe.

The chalk rock in this section is in the lower portion of the Niobrara, and the 

Benton shales appear to extend from 132 feet to 555 feet in depth.

In its lower part the deep boring- at Kimball penetrated very hard dry 

sandstones, which, it was thought, might possibly be Sioux quartzite. Samples 

forwarded by the driller from 1,157, 1,175, 1,190, 1,210, 1,225, 1,240, and 1,246 feet 

represented hard butf sandstone with considerable oxide of iron in their cement, 

especially in the-1.24-6-foot sample. Irony sandstones were also penetrated from 

1,130 to 1,138 feet and 1,140 to 1,150 feet; hard sandy clay from 1,150 to 1,155 

feet; buff sandstone at 1,143 feet; and buff clay from 1,153 to 1,170 feet.

BUFFALO COUNTY.

\ 

Including part of Crow Creek Indian Reservation.

In this county the geologic conditions are similar to 'those in Brule Countv, 

but the depth to the Dakota sandstone is slightly greater, the strata dipping 

gently to the northwest and the land rising slightly as the river is ascended. It 

is probable that the depth to the sandstone is about 900 feet at the northwest 

end of the county in Missouri Valley, and 1,100 to 1,200 feet in the higher 

lands.

Judging from the pressure observed in wells in this county and in the surrounding counties artesian flows may be expected throughout the area, except 

possibly on the very highest summits northwest of Gann. Several wells are 

reported; one at Crow Creek Agency, another in sec. 1, T. '108, K. 70, and a 

third on the south branch of Crow Creek below Vega. ^.The latter has a depth 

of 875 feet and a flow of 135 gallons per minute of hard water, with a pressure 

estimated at 75 pounds. It is a 2-inch well, and the first flow was reported at 

800 feet. The well in T. 108, E. 70, is in the southwest quarter of section 1. It is 

said to be 1,450 feet deep, 2 inches in diameter, and has a flow of 27 gallons per 

minute. The water rises 20 feet or more above the ground.

Crow Creek Agency. The well at this agency was sunk in 1896 by the United 

States Indian Bureau. It has a depth of about 78U feet and is 6 inches in diameter. The flow is very large, and it is stated that the column of water rises 5
WELLS OF BUTTE COUNTY, 'S. DAK. . 209

feet above the surface when the well is wide open. The closed pressure exceeded 

ISO pounds, the total registering capacity of the gage. With a If-inch nozzle 

outlet the remaining pressure is 85 pounds; with a l£-inch nozzle outlet, 70 

pounds; arid with a 2-inch nozzle, 65 pounds. The temperature of the water is 

72°, and its specific gravity 1.004. The .-well at first threw out white sand, but 

this discontinued after a while, and its subsequent behavior has been entirely satisfactory. The first flow was found at 409 feet, but its head was barely sufficient 

to bring the water above the surface. The final flow was reached at 760 feet, 

and the water-bearing sand was penetrated to a depth of 20 feet. The following 

record is based on a few samples; with explanatory notes by the agent:

Record of artesian well at Crow Creek Agency, on, Missouri River, Buffalo County, S. Dak.

Feet. ' \ * ' ' 

40-. 78........... .................. ...gravelly beds, some clay.

78- 88. .............................. -gray clay on thin bed of small gravel.

88-242...............................gray shale. .

 242-252......................... I.....gray limestone.

252-409.1-...-.....-..'..-......-....-.. .gray chalk, etc., with first flow at 409 feet.

' 409-435.'....................... 1......pyrites.

435-700.............................. .shale (?) on 3-foot layer of pyrites.

700-760..................:........... .shale, with pyrites.

760-780. -..-......-....--.-.--..-...". .sandstone, main.flow.

BUTTE COUNTY.

This county occupies the northwest corner of the State, with an area of over 

8,500 square miles, lying mainl3T on" the Great Plains. Its southwest corner is 

crossed by the Black Hills uplift, exposing formations from the Spearfish red 

beds upward. The north, central, and east portions of the county are occupied 

by a considerable thickness of Laramie and associated formations, the Dakota sandstone lying, more than 2,500 feet below the surface in the lowest valleys. The 

Laramie sandstones contain local water supplies which may be available in deep 

wells, but their capabilities in this respect have not yet been tested.

The greater.part of the region lying, between Indian Creek and Owl River 

is underlain by Pierre shales, and the. Dakota sandstone appears to be within 

reach of deep borings; but judging from the pressures exhibited in the wells at 

Belle Fourche the country is too high for artesian flows. Between Indian Creek 

and the hogbacks of Dakota sandstone south of Belle Fourche there is a district 

extending northwest and -southeast in which the Dakota sandstone waters are 

available at depths ranging from slightly over 30.0 feet just south of Belle Fourche 

to about 2,000 feet on Indian Creek, the rate increasing as the formation descends, 

in its dip to the northeast. . . . , . 

10001 No. 32 05^ 14 -
210 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OP CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Belle Fourche. There are several excellent wells at Belle Fourche and in the 

adjoining region which obtain water under considerable' pressure from the Dakota' 

and, underlying sandstones. The first well at Belle Fourche was sunk in 1894, 

and is reported to be 525£ feet deep. Its original flow was 60 'gallons per minute. 

Its head raises it into a tank (see PI. LX; A) 72 feet above a small knoll just south 

of the railroad station, and it is" claimed is- sufficient to raise -it very much higher. 

Owing to some unknown cause its flow is now much diminished; probably it is 

partly choked or its' casing leaks. The materials penetrated_were shales, 207 feet; 

sand, 100 feet, yielding a small flow at 245 feet: soft clay, 118 feet, containing- a 

thin layer of sand of 23 feet, jdelding a small second flow; and .sandstone to the 

bottom, containing water at various horizons, with gradually increasing volume and 

head, the maximum flow being at ab,out 510 feet'. A second well, on somewhat 

lower land near the center of town, had the following record:

Record of well at Belle Fourche, S. Dak. 

Feet.

0-300.................:....... .shale.

300-330.......................... hard sandstone, small flow.

330-410..........................soft sandstone, with flow at 410 feet.

410-435.....I....................red, white, and mottled clay (Fuson formation). ;

435-470......................... -gray sandy clay and sand with lignite fragments.

A third well was bored, in 1903, to a depth of 881 feet, which found waterbearing strata at. intervals from 297 to 560 feet. The well is 4 inches in diameter 

and has a flow of 30 gallons per minute. Several small wells in the vicinity and 

up Hay Creek to the west obtain flows at. depths of 300-380 feet. On Belle 

Fourche River, 3 miles below. Belle Fourche, Mr. F. M. Fuller has a well, completed in 1901, which has a depth of 736 feet and obtains a water supply from 

726 feet, flowing 60 gallons per minute from a 3-inch hole. The pressure is 

said to be sufficient to raise the water 40 feet' and apparently considerably more.

On the Barbour ranch on the Belle Fourche, 6 miles above the village, there is 

a well with a large flow from a depth of about 350 feet. At Minnesela, in Redwater Valley, a well finished in 1904 has a depth of 381 feet, obtaining a 10-gallon 

flow from sandy Dakota beds, which extend from 360 to 381 feet.

In Hay Creek Valley, near the Wyoimng State line, there are several wells 

about 350 feet deep, which obtain satisfactory flows from the sandstone near the 

base of the Sundance formation..

CHARLES MIX COUNTY. -

Charles Mix County extends- along the east bank of Missouri River .for 75 

miles or more and onto the High Plains to the northeast. These plains are elevated 

about 300 feet above the river and have some ridges upon them which rise considerably higher. The high lands are covered by drift, but 1 along the river banks
WELLS OF CHAELES MIX COUNTY, S. DAK. 211

and in some of the -valleys the Niobrara chalkstone appears overlain by Pierre 

shale. The Dakota sandstone underlies the county and is the source of water in 

numerous wells. Artesian flows are available in all but the very highest lands, 

there being one' small nonflowing area west of Geddes and another on the morainal 

hills south of Wagner; possibly there are a few other localities too high for flows. 

Wells are most numerous on the plains in the northern townships; others are 

sunk at intervals along the river bottom and in some of the southeast townships. 

The following nearly complete list includes all wells from which returns have been 

received:

List of artesian wells, by tmcnships, in Charles Mix County, S. Dak.

Township. .

94

OXyo

o£yo

95

96

96

96

96

96

96

97

97

97

98

.,98

98

98

98

noyo

98

99

99

99

99

99

100

100

100

100

100

Range.

64

63

64

65

62

63

64

65

67

68

63

66

 67

.64

. 65

66

67 '68

68

69

66

67

68

69

70

67

68

69

70

71

Depth.

feet.

651

795

1,020

730

350

151-

144

7751, 802

266

810

150

800-905

700-900

772

 920, 940

'820-950

800-991

800-1, 110

1, 220

250, 64,4

840

730-950-

720-1, 006

944, 966

840-1, 000

734-875

720-930

856-1, 030

. 890, 900

688-868

Average yield 

per minute.

Gallons.

3,000

16

t ' ,

' 8-15

"*

1(500

- 37

4-20

 5-150

200

6,11

50-65

6-65

10-150

50

 . 20

4-50

2-78 *60

10-30

20-120

7-311

15-125

16

500-2, 352

Remarks.

Pressure, 119 pounds.

Sec. 15: No flow.

Pressure, 40 pounds.

Pressure, 70 pounds..

Pressure, 10+ pounds.

Pressure, 5 pounds.

Pressure, 52 pounds.

Pressure, 2 to 8 pounds.

Pressure, 24-30 pounds.

Various pressures are reported, the greatest being 63 pounds.

Pressure, 3 to 80 pounds.

Sec. 14. No flow.

'Pressure, 24+- pounds. -

Do. . ....

The greatest pressure reported is 50 pounds.

The greatest pressure reported- is 40 pounds.

Pressure, 50 pounds.

Pressures, 20 to 26 pounds.

The greatest pressure reported is 87 pounds.

The greatest pressure reported is 1 3 pounds.-

In one well the pressure is 15 pounds.

Pressure, 30 pounds.

" -
212 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

The materials penetrated in wells in Charles Mix County vary considerably. 

On the higher lands they consist of more or less drift and Pierre shale, underlain by 

chalk rock, and this in turn by the Benton formation, with layers of sandstone and 

limestone. The Dakota sandstone is usually entered for some distance to obtain a 

sufficient large volume of water, and on the higher lands for increased pressure. 

The following record is given of well No. 2, sunk by the Government at Lake

Andes:

Record of well No. '3, Lake Andes, Charles Mix County, 8. Dak.

Feet.

0- 20 ...................................... - .yellow gravelly clay.

20- 45 ....................................... .blue clay and hardpan.

45- 55 ..... ....................'............. .sand and gravel.

55-130 .......................................-blue bowlder clay.

130-163 .....'................................. . .sand and gravel.

163-180 ........................................black shale (Pierre?).

180-265 .-...........-----.--.....-------...... .blue shales, with limel

265-280 ........................................lime rock ...........I

280-335 ...................................'... . .yellow sandy shale.

335-475 .----.........--.........---............gray shale. ° 

475-520 ........................................ blue shale, with lime.

520-550 ........................................shelly lime rock.

550-615 ............. ..........................blue shale.

615-623 .-----.......-.-....-.....---.......... .sandstone, light color.

623-725 ..................... .-................. .blue shale, with sand and pyrites.

725-773 ....................................... .sandstone, light color.

773-775J.-------.-...----.--.---..--............soapstone.

The sandy beds that lie a short distance below the supposed chalk probably 

represent the sandstone member, which is persistent under a wide area in southeast 

South Dakota. The layers of lime rock, which extend from 520 to 550 feet, may 

represent the Greenhorn limestone horizon in the Benton formation. The precise 

boundary between the Benton and Dakota is difficult to discern in the record as 

given, but probably it is at a depth of 725 feet, the sandstone extending from this 

depth to 773 feet and yielding a 1,500-gallon flow of water.

The following record is given for the well at the Yankton Agency:

Record of well at Yankton Agency, Greenwood, Charles Mix County, S. Dak. 

Feet. 

0- l........soil.

1- 25..--.... yellow sandy clay.

25- 44.......-gray shale.

44- 75........ blue shale.

75- 91........blue shale, with chalk and gravel.

91-114........ yellow sand and gravei.

114-117.......-gray rock.
WELLS OF CHEYENNE RESERVATION, S. DAK. 213

Feet. 

117-123........gray shale.

123-144....... -gray limestone and pyrites.

144-178........sandy shale and sand.

144-150....... .much water, which rises to 65 feet.

178-199........blue shale.

199-275....... .'black shale, with pyrites and shells.

275-380....... .blue shale, tough.

380-420........ black shale, with pyrites and shells:

420-421........sand, with flow of 10 gallons per hour; temperature, 56°.

421-448........brown shale, with streaks of sand and lime rock.

448 497-.....:.black shale, with thin sandy streak; flow, 7 gallons per minute at

482-495 feet; soft water. 

497-500........ gray sh ale.

500-531........black shale, with lime and pyrite streaks.

531-552........gray shale. ,

552-556........sandstone; third flow, 15 gallons per minute.

556-577.... L .. -gray shale.

"\ 577-579........sandstone; fourth flow, 30 gallons per minute; soft water.

-579-641........gray shale full of lime and pyrite streaks 2 to 12 inches thick.

641-651........ sandstone, very soft; 3,000-gallon flow, hard water; temperature, 70°.

CHEYENNE INDIAN RESERVATION.

This reservation is in north-central South Dakota, lying north of Cheyenne 

River, between Missouri River and longitude 102°. It comprises the deep valleys 

of Cheyenne, Missouri, and Owl rivers, together with Fox Ridge and the range 

of high hills north of Owl River, a region having considerable diversity of 

topography and a range of over a thousand feet in altitude. The high ridges 

are capped by the Fox Hills sandstone and to the west by the Laramie formation, 

while the valleys are excavated deeply in the Pierre shale. This shale has a thickness 

of about 1,000 feet, as nearly as could be ascertained, and is underlain bj a regular 

succession of Niobrara and Benton shales and Dakota sandstone. The latter has 

been reached at the Cheyenne Agency at a depth of 1,317 feet and found to contain 

a large volume of water 500 gallons per minute under a pressure of 205 pounds to 

the square inch. As the mouth of the well is at an altitude of about 1,500 feet 

above sea level, the pressure indicates a head of 1,970 feet one sufficiently great to 

afford a flow far up the slopes of the high ridges in the central and northern part of 

the reservation and throughout the valleys. As the hydraulic gradient rises to the 

west toward the Black Hills, the altitude at which flows are obtainable and the 

pressures in the lowlands, both gradually increase also in'that direction.

Owing to the slight westerly dip of the formations and the rise in the land 

the Dakota sandstone doubtless lies much deeper in the western portion of the
214 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER "OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

county than at Chejrenne Agency. On Chej^enne River, at the west border of the 

county, its depth is probably nearly 2,000 feet. On Owl River, which is in a 

somewhat higher valley, it is estimated to be at a depth of at least 2,200 feet.

Cheyenne Agency. The well at Cheyenne Agency is.in Missouri Valley, on a 

terrace about 40 feet above the river. The flow was found at a'depth of 1,317 feet, 

under a cap rock 1 foot thick. The pressure when the well was first closed was 187 

pounds, but the amount increased to a maximum of 205 pounds in four days. The 

well contains 530 feet of 8-inch casing, 1.015 feet of 6-inch casing, and 1,337 feet of 

4-inch casing. The water has a temperature of 79° or 80°, is similar in salinity to 

that at Pierre, and also contains much illuminating1 gas, which was encountered by 

the 8-inch casing and amounts to about 2,400 cubic feet per day. The log of the 

boring, kindly furnished by Mr. A. E. Swan, is as follow

Record of artesian well at Cheyenne Agency, Cheyenne Indian Reservation, 8. Dak.

Feet.

0- 21....................yellowish gravelly clay.

21- 26......-..--..-...... sand, bowlders, and shale fragments.

26- 40....................shale, hard.

40- 280.--..-..--..-.......blue shale, firm.

280- 390. --...-..-...-..... .blue shale, soft.

390- 485........:.'......... Iblack shale.

485- 500....................sandy shale. . 

500- 515..-..................gray shale.

515- 575.-....-......---...-hard shale.

575- 700. --..-...-...-..... .dark-gray shale; gas at 650 feet.

700-1, 050....................black shale, with occasional beds of hard sandstone.

1,050-1,200...........1....... -blue shale.

1, 200-1, 311.................... dark-gray shale; gas.

1, 311-1, 317. -....-......--..-. .yellow lime rock, soft. ]

1,317-1,323................... .white sandstone; flow.

1,"323-1, 337................... .brownish shale.

Although the water of this well is somewhat saline, the boring is to be regarded 

as a great success. The pressure is phenomenal and could, if necessary, be 

utilized for running extensive machinery.

CLARK COUNTY.

Clark County extends from the east margin of the James River plain far up 

the western slope of the east couteau, having a range in altitude from about 1.400 

feet to 1,800 feet.

Raymond. The first flowing well bored in the county was on the farm of Bohri 

brothers, in SE. \ sec. 22, T. 117, R. 59. about 14- miles northeast of Raymond, at an
WELLS OF CLABK COUNTY, S. DAK. . 215

altitude of about 1,490 feet .above sea level. The total depth of the- boring was 

1,200 feet, but the casing extended only to 1,075 feet. The diameter was 6 inches, 

and the lower 40 feet were perforated. Flows were found in sands from 1,005 to 

1,025 feet and from' 1,050 to 1,053 feet. The well was finished in the spring of 

1892, and the water continued to flow with a closed pressure of 80 pounds until 

the winter of 1893, when the casing became clogged up and the flow diminished to 

a small drip. The log of the boring is as follows:

Record of well 1% miles northeast of Raymond, 8. Dak. 

Feet. ' ' 

0- 37................yellow clay.

37- ' 66.................blue clay.

" 66- 80................sand, gravel, and clay.

80- 100.....-....:.....sand and clay,-sand and gravel.

100- 126................hardpan. '

126- 184................gray shale. 

184- 194.................blue shale.

194- 199................slate.

199-' 279..-.---.........blueshale.

279- 344...........'.....gray shale.

344- 434.............I..blue shale.

434- 524................dark-brown shale. .. ' -

524-1,005..-...-.....'-.-. blue shale, with thin layer of sand, rock, and shale.

1.005-1,025....:.......... .sand rock, with flow.

1,025-1, 053............... .lime rock, with thin layer o£ sand containing small flow.

1,053-1,143................shale. 

1,143-1,198.......'.........green shale (rocklayers).

1,200................:hard rock.

-The water-bearing horizon is in the top of the Dakota sandstone, and probably 

is the same as the one which supplies the.Doland, Andover, Conde, Groton, Turton, 

and many other wells. This water and a smaller flow are obtainable .all along 

the western margin of the county up to altitudes of 1.600 feet.

Several wells near Raymond obtain flows at 1,013 to 1.075 feet, and several 

in the southwest corner of the county averaging from 1,000 to 1'.040 feet deep have 

moderately-large flows under considerable pressure.

Clarlc, Two attempts have been made to obtain the deep-seated waters at the 

village of Clark, but in both cases the tools were lost at a depth of about 1,200 feet 

and the borings abandoned. The water-bearing beds probably lie at a depth of 

about 1,300 feet, at Clark, but the head is not sufficient for a surface flow at that 

locality." No doubt a well to this depth would obtain a large volume of water, which 

would rise to within about 110 feet-of the surface and afford very satisfactory forcepump wells. . 
216 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATEK OP CENTRAL GBEAT PLAINS.

CLAY COUNTY.

Clay County lies in the valleys of James and Missouri rivers near the southeast 

corner of South Dakota. Its surface is mostly covered by glacial and alluvial 

deposits, but the undertying formations chalkstone in the higher lands and Benton 

shales in the lower valleys southward occasionally appear. The Dakota sandstone 

lies at a moderate depth below the surface, 600 feet in the northwest corner of the 

county and about 200 feet in its southeast corner, the beds rising gradually to the 

southeast.

The sandstone contains water throughout the county, but, owing to the diminution of head to the southeast, flows are obtainable only in the lower lands. The flow 

area comprises the southwest quarter of the county, the valley of Vermilion River 

and its larger branches, and the lowest lands of Missouri-Valley below the mouth of 

Vermilion River. In this area there are many flowing1 wells, mostly from 250 to 

500 feet in depth, which yield large supplies of excellent,water. Most of the wells 

are small and many obtain their waters from the top of the Dakota sandstone. 

Some first flows are also obtained from sandstone near the bottom of the Benton 

formation. The following is a list of the wells in Clay County:

List of artesian wells, by townships, in Clay County, S. Dak.

Township.

91

92

- 92

92

. 93

93

93

94

94

95

Range.

51

51

52

53

51

52

53

52

53

52

Depth.

Feet.

210-280

300-400

289-507

205-367

312-410

243-400

240-367

400

402

260-500

260-507

Yield per 

minute.

Gallons.

6-20

6-90

2-200

2-25

1-20

4-20

1J-150

li

5

Few.

1-3

Remarks.

Water usually rises a few feet above the surface.

Water rises to +20 feet in some cases.

Some chalk penetrated.' One '35-pound arid one 

pressure reported.

In one well the pressure is 4 pounds.

Pressure 15 pounds.

20-pound

Pressure 6 to 40 pounds. One well contains alkaline water.

Some irony water.

Alkaline water in one well. Pressure 8 pounds.

CODINGTON COUNTY.

Codington County is on the summit of the east coteau, at an elevation varying, 

from 1,700 to over 1,900 feet. At the surface is a thick mass of glacial drift 

lying on many hundred feet of Pierre shale. The county is underlain by Dakota 

sandstone, which is doubtless water bearing, but has a head only sufficient to 

cause the water to rise to about 1,650 feet above sea level, so that no flows are
WELLS OF.CUSTEB, COUNTY, S. DAK. ' 217

to be expected. The sandstone lies at a depth of about 1,100 feet at Watertown 

and correspondingly deeper in the highlands of the surrounding hills; as it slopes 

downward to the west, it lies deeper in that direction also.

CUSTER COUNTY.

All the rocks from the Algonkian granites and schists to the Pierre shale and 

White River formation outcrop within Custer County, which extends across the 

greater part.of the Black Hills uplift and east to Cheyenne River. There are many 

running streams in the higher lands within its borders, but in the lower regions 

to the east and southwest increased water supplies are greatly needed. On the 

east side of the crystalline-rock area the formations dip steeply to the east and 

pass beneath the surface in rapid succession, the Dakota and associated sandstones 

reaching a depth of 2.600 feet under the higher lands in the eastern part of 

the county. The top of the Dakota sandstone reaches a depth of 500 feet within 

about a mile from the foot of Hogback Range and keeps descending at about the 

same rate for the next 5 miles. Then the dip gradually diminishes, until in the 

extreme eastern part of the county the beds lie nearW Iev7 el. At Hermosa the 

depth to the top of the sandstone is probably, not over 600 feet; at Fairburn, 

about 900 feet. Along the lower portions of Spring, Battle, and French creeks 

the Dakota sandstone probably lies from about 2,300 feet to 2,500 feet below the 

surface, and correspondingly deeper in the higher lands of the intervening divides. 

Along Cheyenne River the depth probably averages from 2,200 to 2,400 feet. 

These calculations are based on the measurements of the thickness of the Benton, 

formation, about 1,300 ,feet, and the Mobrara formation, about 200 feet, and from 

the occurrence of the Tepee zone in the Pierre shale, apparently at a horizon of 

about 1,000 feet above the base of that formation. It is probable that flowing 

water could be obtained throughout the, lower lands east of the Hogback Range, 

but not on th.e divides. In the southwest corner of the county there is a small 

area underlain by Dakota sandstone which may be expected to yield flowing wells, 

as indicated by the experience of the 550-foot flowing well at Argentine, in the 

adjoining county to the south.

It is possible that underground waters may be found under Red Valley in 

this county in the Minnelusa formation or in the underlying Pahasapa limestone 

and Deadwood sandstone. These horizons have not yet been explored for water in 

this district, but may prove to be sources of supply, as in the case of the Pahasapa 

limestone at Cambria, a short distance northwest. The unsatisfactory results of 

the boring at Minnekahta junction are discouraging as to the prospects for water in 

these horizons to the southeast, although that boring did not test the question 

conclusively, as it apparently did not reach the Deadwood sandstone. It is thought
218- GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

that this sandstone lies at a depth of about 1,000 feet along the center of Red Valley,, 

the amount increasing slightly toward the Hogback Range and decreasing, toward 

the Minnekahta limestone outcrop.

Buffalo 'Gap. At this place two attempts were made to reach the Dakota 

sandstone. Both borings were slightly over 700 feet in depth, entirely in the Benton formation. One was on the crest of a low ridge in the western part of the town, 

and the other was on the lower land on the main street. As the latter began in the 

middle of the Carlile beds, it would probably have reached the Dakota sandstone 

within the next 500 feet, and have obtained a flow, although -the altitude is just 

about at the limit to which the water should be expected to rise in that vicinity.

DAVISON COUNTY.

A

This county lies entirely in James River Valley, near the eastern margin of the 

Dakota artesian basin. Owing to uplift of the formations the water-bearing beds 

are near the surface in a portion of the county, and the waters have been extensively 

developed by many wells, mostly of moderate depth. In the region south of Mitehell 

the underground ridge of Sioux quartzite has considerable prominence, its slopes 

intercepting the Dakota sandstone, so that in several townships the waters from the 

latter are not available. This is the case south and southwest of Mitehell for several 

miles, although in a portion of the area sandstones in the Benton formation overlap 

the quartzite and yield flowing wells, in which, however, the pressure is sufficient to 

afford flows onlv in the lower lands. Several wells in this district have been bored 

to the "bed rock," and, although in some cases obtaining water, have not had sufficient head to afford a flow. In the north, west, and south portions of the countj* 

there are wells in nearly even* section, most of which find water supplies at less than 

500 feet below the surface. Some obtain flows from the sandstones underlying the 

chalk, others from sandstones low in the Benton group, but most of them have 

penetrated to the top of the Dakota sandstone. In the southwest corner of the 

count}' the land rises considerably and the sandstone dips toward the southeast, so 

that the depth to the Dakota water rapidly increases. In the extreme southwest . portion of the countj' the depth is between 750 and 800 feet below the surface, and 

in the valley of Enemy Creek between 350 and 450 feet. About Mount Vernon 

many wells obtain water, apparently from Dakota sandstone, at depths from 300 to 

420 feet in greater part, in most cases also finding upper flows in sandstones of the 

Benton formation. Halfway between Mount Vernon and Mitehell there is an area 

of considerable size in which the Dakota sandstone reaches its maximum uplift and 

affords flows in wells from 250 to 300 feet deep. On Firesteel Creek and along 

James River the sandstone is also reached by wells from 200 to 300 feet in depth.
WELLS OF DAVISON AND DAY COUNTIES, S. DAK. 219

In the northern portion of the county the Dakota sandstone dips to the north and 

the depths increase, but only to 460 feet in the extreme northwest corner. The 

following- is a list of the principal borings in the different townships of Davison 

County:

List of artesian wells, by toirniships,' -in Davison County, S. Dak.

Township.

101 

101-

101

102 

102

102

103

103

103 

103

1 AO

103

104 

104

104

Range.

60 

61

62

60 

61

62

60

60

60 

60

61

'62

60 

61

62

Depth.

Feet. 

315-525 

350-640

480-775

195, 360 

250-500

250, 375

350-535

330-550

, 765

433-586 

294

250-375

300, 425

315-495

646

237-507 

260-415

585-653 

300-601

Average yield 

per minute.

Gallons.

10-45

60

- No flow.

20-600

700

10-100

Many.

Remarks.

Deepest wells are in southwest corner of township.

this township.

Flowing water only in southwest corner of township.

280-foot well reached bed rock in southeast corner of 

township (no flow).

In Mitchell flows at 285, 376, 445, and 540 feet. Quartzite

at 540-765, feet. °

In Mitchell and vieinity; pressures, 13-28 pounds.

Flows at 350, 470, 620. feet.

Water beds rise to the east. Some water also in Benton 

sandstone.

" Deep into Dakota sandstone. Several flows (235, 480, and 585 

feet.

flow from Benton sandstone.

DAY COUNTY.

This county lies mainly on the high coteau, but, to the west, extends to the 

plain of James River Valley. The coteau consists of - a ' high ridge of glacial 

deposits underlain by a great thickness of Pierre shale. The Dakota sandstone 

underlies the entire county, having a depth of about a thousand feet.at Andover, 

but being very much deeper under the .high lands east. It appears to dip gently
220 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

to the west, judging from its difference in altitude in the well at Milbank and 

at other places in James River Valley. The formation is undoubtedly water 

bearing throughout, but as the maximum head of the water is only about 1,680 ' 

feet and the land on the summit of the coteau has an elevation of from 1.750 to 

1,900 feet, flowing wells are not obtainable far east of Andover. There are 

several successful wells in the vicinity of Pierpoint and at Andover; but on the 

coteau at Webster, although the Dakota sandstone appears to have been reached, 

the altitude is too great to afford a flow.

Andover. This well has a flow of 300 gallons per minute, a pressure of 90 

pounds to the square inch, and a bore of 6£ inches. Its log is as follows:

Record of welt at Andover, 8. Dak. . 

Feet.

0- 50.---......--..---..----..--.--...--..soil, sand, and clay.

50- 75..-.--..--.-.------.--..--..--..---.-blue clay.

75- 575----...-..---...----.---.--.----..--. blue shale.

575- 590.----.---..-.-...-..---..--.-.-...--- limestone.

590-1, 070...................--..-.-.-'...-.... .shale with streaks of limestone.

1, 070-1, 075-.................................... .sandstone with water.

The water contained 150 grains per gallon of saline ingredients, of which 20 grains 

are chloride of "sodium.

Pierpoint. The Potter well, 2 miles west of Pierpoint, has a depth of 970 

feet, a diameter of li inches, a flow of 35 gallons per minute, and a pressure of 

90 pounds to the square inch. The Lemmon well, a short distance east of the 

village, has a depth of 1,200 feet, a diameter of 1J inches, and a 15-gallo.i flow 

under 93 pounds pressure. The first flow is at 1,070 feet.

Webster. In the boring at Webster, it is claimed that a depth of 1,550 feet 

was reached, but by some it is asserted that only 1.400 feet was attained. By 

some also it is claimed that-a small flow was found at 1,100 feet in 1896. It is 

improbable that this flow is derived from the Dakota sandstone, for that would 

indicate a head of 1,840 feet, an amount very much greater than the head in the 

wells in James River Valley to the west and at Milbank to the east. It is 

reported that the principal formation underlying the drift was shale, with some 

beds of pyrites, limestone, and sandstone, and it is also stated that sand supposed 

to be Dakota sandstone was penetrated, which yielded a large amount of water 

that did not rise to the surface. Some samples of borings submitted were mainly 

fine sand, but, as they are evidently washings from the drillings and there is no 

statement furnished as to their thicknesses, they throw no light on the stratigraphy.
WELLS OF DAY AND DOUGLAS COUNTIES, S. DAK.

List of artesian wells in Day County, S. Dak.

221

Location. 

?

Jno. Marso, T. 122, E. 59 ...........................

Pierpont station, T. 123, R. 58. ......... .". ...........

T. 124, R. 58, northeast of Pierpont. . ...............

J. C. McComiell, T. 124, R. 58, sec. 6 ...'..............

T. P. & W. H. Lemmon, T. 124, E. 58 ................

Thos. Burridge, T. 124, E. 59, see. 2 ..................

V. R. Potter, T. 124, R. 59, sec. 36 ....................

Depth.

Fed. 

1, 550

1,080

1,240

1,240

930

1,200

930'

970

Diameter.

I-nchet-. 

 2

1}

- 3

il

U

H

H

Average 

yield per 

minute.

Gallims.

40

28

15

40

35

Remarks.

_

DEUEL COUNTY.

Deuel County lies on the east side of the east coteau, embracing the ridge which 

lies between Sioux and Minnesota rivers. The altitudes are about 1,600 feet in the 

southeast corner, 1,800 feet in the center, and 1,300 feet in the northeast corner. 

The high 'lands are thickly mantled by glacial drift lying on a thick mass of Pierre 

shale. Dakota sandstone underlies the entire county at depths from 1,200 to 500 

feet, being nearest 'the surface in the lowest land in the northeast corner of the 

county. The formation probably contains water having a head from 1,400 to 1,500 

feet, which would yield a flow in the extreme northeast corner of the county. So 

far as known, no wells have been sunk to test the conditions of the deeper seated 

underground waters.

DOUGLAS COUNTY.

Douglas County' is on the high lands between the valleys of James and Missouri 

rivers. It is covered thickly by drift, which is underlain by several hundred feet 

of Pierre shale. This formation is penetrated by wells which also pass through 

the Niobrara chalkstone and the Benton shales and sandstone to reach the Dakota 

sandstone. This sandstone lies nearly level, or has a slight dip to the southeast, but, 

owing to the irregular topography, varies considerably in depth below the surface.

-Most of the wells are between 750 and 1,000 feet in depth and obtain abundant 

supplies of excellent water, under pressure sufficiently great to indicate that flows. 

are obtainable in all parts of the county, unless possibly on some of the very highest 

points in northwest and northeast townships. In the following list are > given facts 

relating to all of the wells in this county from which returns have been received:
222 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATEK OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

' List of artesian wells in Douglas County, S. Dak.

Location.

O. H. Bush, T. 98, R. 63, sec. 20 .................

L. W. Wheelock, T. 98, R. 64, sec. 2 .............

Jno. J. Walsh, T. 98, R. 64, sec. 24..... ..........

C. O. Knapp, T. 98, 'R. 65, sec. 2 .:'..:...-.........

J. A. Wilson, T. 99, 'R. 63, sec. 35 ................

County well, T. 99, R. 65,, sec. 14. .."..............

F. E. Van Zee, T. 99, R. 65......................

Ernest Bertram, T. 100, E. 62, sec. 16 ............

Countv well, T. 100, R. 62, eec. 18 ...............

County.well, T. 100, E. 63, sec. 15.... .............

County well, T. 100, R. 64, eec. 26 ...............

County well, T. 100, R. 64, sec. 26 ................

J. Markin, T. 100, R. 65, sec. 9 ...................

Depth.

Feet. 

821

757

722

800

901

736

860

703*

925

1,010

600

1,025 'en

651

775

750

937

975

80

Diameter.

Inches. 

2

6

' li

8

'8-6

O

6

s 6

4

6

- 2

o

2

2

4'

6

4

12

Average 

yield per 

minute.

Gallons. 

60

1,500

1,500

1,200

20+

900

2, 100.

600-700

1,000

1,025

60

65- 70 -

600-700

900

1,000

Few '

Remarks.

The wells appear to draw their supplies from the upper portion of the Dakota 

sandstone in most cases, but others go deeply into it so as to gain additional pressure 

and volume. The sandstone appears to be 150 feet or more in thickness, lying 

mostly in one body, but locally there are intercalated masses of shale. At the 

county well in sec. 26, T. 100, R. 64, it is reported that the sand 'rock was entered at. 

800 feet and was found to be underlain by granite at 937 feet. For the first 60 to 

140 feet the wells pass through drift deposits, then through 100 to 200 feet of Pierre 

shale, and 50 to 80 feet of chalk rock, into a bed of upper Carlile sandstone which 

persists over a wide area and jaelds water to several pump wells 300 to 450 feet deep. 

The Benton shales beneath this sandstone contain a layer of lime rock in their lower 

portion, and occasional layers of sandstone, which at some localities yield slight flows.

EDMUNDS COUNTY.

Edmunds County extends from the summit of the Bowdle Hills eastward into 

James. River Valley, comprising lands in altitude from 1,400 to slightly over 2,000 

feet. Under a mantle of glacial drift there is a thick mass of Pierre shale and the 

underlying formations, including several hundred feet of Dakota sandstone.. The
WELLS OF EDMUNDS COUNTY, S. -DA'K. 223

first deep boring in the county was at Ipswich, where a large volume of water was 

found at a depth of 1,265 feet under a pressure claimed .to have been 120 pounds. 

In 1891 a pressure of 106 pounds was measured, indicating a head sufficient to raise 

it to 1,775 feet above sea level. This is somewhat greater than is found in, the wells 

at Aberdeen just east and 140 feet less than in the well at Shelby. The head is 

sufficient, however, to afford artesian flows in all the east part of the county, and 

probably, from the indication of the Shelby well, as far west as the base- of the 

Bowdle Hills, some distance west of Roscpe, where there are altitudes of from 1,900 

to over 2.000 feet. . The first well at Ipswich did not prove satisfactory and another 

one, sunk in 1902, obtains a 150-gallon flow from a depth of 1,245 feet. In the 

summer of 1903 it was reported that there were 83 deep artesian wells in the 

county, mostly of medium size but furnishing an abundance of excellent water for 

farm and stock purposes. Some data of these wells are given in the following table, 

grouped by townships: .

List of artesian wells in Edmunds County, 8. Dak.

Township.

121

'121

121

121*

121

121

122

122

122

122

122

123

123

123

123

123

124

124

124

124

Range.

66

67

68

69

70

71

66

67

68

69

71

66

67

68

69

70

66

67

68

69

Depth.

Feet.

987-1, 100

1, 025-1, 155

1, 155-1, 250

1,240

1, 300-1, 370

1, 500-1, 569

1,000-1,087

1, 000-1, 140

1, 145-1, 170

1, 305-1, 360

1,526

1, 075-1, 115

l", 160

1, 195-1, 245

l\ 370-1, 420

' 1,498

1, 125-1, 148

1,150-1,175

1, 225-1, 350

1,356

Average 

yield per 

minute.

Gallons.

12-35

20-50

40-50

25

35

20

15-70

. 5-35

20-35

. 35-70

2

-25

35

97-150

30

3i

40-41

35-120

25-45

 60

Remarks.

"

,

-
224 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

FALL RIVER COUNTY. 

This county'lies on the south slope of the Black Hills uplift, with Dakota 

sandstone and underlying formations outcropping to the west. Cheyenne River 

cuts a deep vallej- across the uplift, but is deflected by it considerably to the south. 

The land presents much variety of configuration, having wide areas of undulating 

plains to' the south and hogbacks of Dakota sandstone to the north. There is great 

diversity of geologic structure and distribution of the formations, there being to the 

south broad areas of Pierre shale, from under which the regular succession of Niobrara, Benton, Dakota, and underlying formations rises to the north. The general 

rise is to the north, but there is a main anticline which extends up Hat Creek Valley 

and pitches beneath Pine Ridge to the south. Another steeper but less extensive 

arch lies east of Maitland, and two smaller arches extend, respectively, southeast

Brule cl(ty 

 Cliadron aund 

1'ierre shale ~- 

Niobrarn chalk 

Carlile shal 

Grwnliom I. 

Grannros shale - 

Dakota saudsto, 

Juratriaa ^ 

Sea level___...

FIG. 14. Section from the Black Hills to Pine Ridge,' across Fall River County, showing relations of the water-bearing

Dakota and associated sandstones; looking west.

from Edgemont, and into the'southeast corner of the county from Pine Ridge 

Reservation. Between these anticlines are synclines, or basins, which in the vicinity 

of Oelrichs and southward hold fully 1,200 feet of Pierre shale, with Dakota 

sandstone more than 2,500 feet beneath the surface. The basin west of Hat Creek 

is much shallower, the greatest depth to the Dakota sandstone probably not being 

much over 2,000 feet on the highlands west of Ardmore. In fig. 14 is given a north 

and south section across the county.

A number of wells have been sunk in Fall River County, some of which have 

reached Dakota sandstone, while others have failed to do so. At Argentine a well 

in Dakota sandstone yields a flow, and at Edgemont wells obtain a water supply 

which has not sufficient head to reach the surface. At Minnekahta a deep boring 

begun in the Red Beds penetrated deep into the underlying formations, but was 

unsuccessful. It is probable from the results in these wells that in all of the 

county underlain by Dakota sandstone water supplies may be obtained, though flows
WELLS OF FALL RIVER COUNTY, S. DAK. 225

can be had .only in the extreme .northwestern .portion, and on the slopes between 

the hogback and Cheyenne River in the northeastern portion.

Edgemont. In this city and its vicinity a number of wells were sunk several 

years ago for water from the Dakota sandstone. Nearly all obtained supplies for 

pumping, but owing to the low level of the outcrops of'the Dakota, sandstone a 

short distance east the water does not have sufficient head to flow. The water did 

not prove satisfactory for use in locomotives, and all but the deeper well at the 

railroad roundhouse have been abandoned. This well at the roundhouse, of which 

the record is given below, had a depth of 1,125 feet, but is now filled to the depth 

of 700 feet. ' '

Record of deep well at Edgemont, S. Dak. . Feet. . , ' *. 

0- 295.......................shale. '

295- 325 .......................sand, white; water.

325- 350.......................soft white bed.

350- 430.......................Fusonshale.

430- 455 -....-.-...-.....i..-.. sand, white, with 10-foot soft white bed at base.

455- 497 ............ .....1.....shale, light colored'.

497- 509 .'...................-..limestone.

509- 604 ...--. .................sand, white; water.' 

 604- .612 .............. 1........sand, dark.

612- 652 ...............'.....-..sand, white above, red below; , .

652- 705 .---.....-.-..-........ shale, with 7-foot layer 'of limestone at base.

705- 752 .......'.......-.... .....shale, light colored. . .

752- 802 _......._........_._.- .'soft white bed.

802- ,957 .......................Sundance,-upper dark shale.'

957- 977...lj........-.---......sandstone, red. ' .

977-1, 012 ...-......-..-- ......sandstone; bad water.

1,012-1,125 ....--......-.--..-... .Sundance, lower shale.

Water of bad quality was found in the white sand at 295 feet and in the 

sandstone at 977 feet. Fairly good water, rising to within 60 feet of the surface, is 

now obtained from the sandstone that begins at a depth of 509 feet. It contains 

239 grains of solid matter per gallon, of which 9.33 grains are lime. The log 

appears a fairly reliable one, indicating the Dakota sandstone from 295 to 350 feet; 

the Fuson formation, from 350 to 430 feet; the Lakota formation, from 430 to about 

652 feet; the Morrison shales, 652 to 802; the characteristic red series in the 

Sundance formation, 957 to 977 feet; the bed of buff Sundance sandstone, 977 to 

1,012 feet; and the basal dark Sundance s'hales, 1,012 to 1,125 feet, probably-not 

far above the red beds of the Spearfish formation. The well at the north end of 

the Y across the river from Edgemont has a depth of 960 feet, and probably ends in 

Sundance shales, but the record appears not to be reliable in its details. Some 

water was found in the white sand at 230 feet and in sandstones at. 290 and 430 feet. 

10001 No. 32 05 15 > - 
226 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

S

At 578 feet a sandstone begins which yields a good supply of water, rising to within 

30 feet of the surface. A thin sand rock at 700 feet also yields water, but its

volume is small.

Record of deep boring at the Y, near Edyemonl, £>. Dak. 

Feet.

0-30....................................sand and gravel. '

30-230....................................shale.

230-260........... A........................ .white sand water.

260-300................................... .shale, with 10-foot sandstone layer at base.

300-430................................... .shale..

430-460...............................'.....sandstone, etc.

460-485...................................-sand and shale.

'485-505....................................sand.

505-578......................:............. .shale.

578-618................................... .sand, white, with 5-foot layer of shale.

618-643.1....:.............................sandstone; water.

643-703................................... .shale, with 5-foot layer of sandstone.

703-960....................................shale. '

Minnekahta. Several years ago the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad 

Company made a deep boring at Minnekahta station to obtain a water supply for 

locomotives. A depth of 1,348 feet is said to have been attained, but no promising 

amount of water was reported. The record, which is given below, is clearly an 

unreliable one and very unsatisfactory for the identification of the geologic formations. No clue is given as to the location of the Minnekahta formation,'which 

should be expected to begin at about 300 feet below the surface at Minnekahta 

station. The red sands, from 743 to 908 feet, are doubtless in the Minnelusa 

formation, and possibly the red shale at 1,105 feet is the one at its base. At a depth 

of 1,348 feet the boring should be near the granite or schist bed rock, for the thickness of the formations from the lower half of the Spearfish through the Deadwood 

is not much more than this in the surface exposures in' the region to the north. 

The references to gypsum at various depths in the boring are mistakes, as to the 

identity of the material, except possibly those near the top. It is to be deeply 

regretted that the record is not more accurate, for it could have thrown important 

light on .the stratigraphy.

Record of deep boring at Minnekahta, 8. Dak. 

Feet.

0- 12..........................soil and gravel.

'12- 47...........................gypsum (?),

47- 62..........................sandstone. - °

62- 107........................ ..gypsum (??).

107- 173........................... red gypsum (?).

173- 308..........................whitegypsum (??).

306- 378..........................red sand.

378- 388..........................flint.
WELLS OF FALL RIVER COUNTY, S. DAK. 227

Feet.

388- 428.:........................redrock. 

428 443.....;..__.___:______ .....white gypsum. '

443- -523-..........................red sands. . ' - 

523--538..............:..:..........quartzite (?).

538- 558...... .......:...-....;_._.red sand.

558- 5811.........................limestone (?).

58]- 611...........................blue sand and rock.

611- 643...........................limestone (?).

643^ 663.......................... sand rock.

663- 743..........................gypsum (?). . -

743- 908..........................red sands.

908- 990..........................gypsum (?).

990-1,022..........................white sand.

1,022-1,082.......................... marble.

1,082-1,105......................... -gypsum.

1,105-1,190..:...... ................red shale.

1,190-1,232..........................pebble rock, with layer of pyrites, 8 feet (?).

1,232-1,284.............. ..............black gypsum (?).

1,284-1,307......................... .crystalline gypsum.

1,307-1,325..........................redsand. '

1,325-1,348....'............-.........white sand. " s

Ardmore. At Ardmore, on the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad, 26 

miles south of Edgemont, the railroad company has made a boring to a depth of 

1,500 feet without obtaining water. The hole is entirely in shale, except about 40- 

feet of white sand containing thin partings of black shale. This boring begins 

about at the surface of the .Niobrara formation, and apparently penetrates very 

nearly to the Dakota sandstone, the sandstone bed' reported probably being in the 

Graneros shales. As Ardmore is at the altitude of 3.557 feet, and the water-bearing 

Dakota sandstone outcrops about Edgemont are at an altitude of 3,400 feet, there is 

no possibility of a flow at the former place, but probably a supply of water for 

pumping could be obtained by deepening the boring into the Dakota sandstone. 

The. estimated altitude to which the water would rise in such a well is about 3,450 

feet. (See tig. 14, p. 224.)

Argentine, This station is a water-tank siding on the Burlington and Missouri 

River .Railroad, 17 miles northwest of Edgemont. The well is on the south side 

of Pass Creek, a short distance west. It is a flowing well, 550 feet, deep, yielding 

a fairly large volume of water, but of a quality not satisfactory for locomotives,, 

as the following analysis will show: . .

Analysis of artesian water at Argentine, S. Dak.

Grains per gallon. 

Sodium sulphate................................................I......... 39.90 

Potassium sulphate ................. 1_. ..............................,_;.... .90

Lime sulphate ............................................................. 4.20
'228 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Grains per gallon. 

Lime carbonate............................................................ 6.00

j Magnesia carbonate ....................................................... 4.00

Alumina and iron oxide ...................^.........................~...... -05

Silica .........-........-....-.-.-...-.-....---------....--------..------- .19

Total solids................................................................ 56.60

Organic matter............................................................ .55

t 

This -analysis was kindly furnished by the railroad company. The log of the

boring was not obtainable. The well begins in Graneros shales and undoubtedly 

obtains its water supply from the Lakota sandstone, which outcrops in the high 

ridge to the east.

Hot Springs. At the Soldiers' Home, a short distance west of the town, a 

well was sunk some time ago to a depth of 223 feet. It began just above the top 

of the Minnekahta limestone, and obtains a moderate water supply from the 

sandstones in the Minnelusa formation.

FAULK COUNTY.

The geologic relations in Faulk County are almost precisely similar to those in 

Edmunds County. To the west it lies high on the slopes of the morainal hills of 

the Bowdle Range, and to the east extends far out on the low level lands of James 

River Valley. Many wells bored in the county within the last few years indicate 

that the Dakota sandstone is water bearing throughout and that waters are under 

sufficient head to afford flows,' except possibly at one or two very high points in the 

extreme southwest corner. As the strata lie nearly level, dipping very gently 

toward the west from near Faulkton, the depths of the wells increase mainly with 

the rise of the land, which swells slightly toward the center of the county. There 

appears to be considerable variability in the horizon of the principal flow, many of 

the wells having had to be sunk considerably below the, top of the sandstone to 

obtain water in satisfactory volume. The only reports of pressure which have 

been received are from the old well at Faulkton, which indicated 25 to 34 pounds 

per square inch at a time when it was parti}7 clogged up. The old well 4 miles 

north of east from Orient is reported to have had a pressure of 130 pounds to the 

square inch before it was clogged, which would indicate a water head of about 

1,865 feet above sea level.. It had a depth of about 1,215 feet, a flow of 950 

gallons, and a diameter of 6 to 5i inches. Flows were reported in a thin bed of 

lime rock at 394 feet, at 1,070, and at 1,165 feet, where the principal supply wag 

obtained. The materials penetrated are reported to have been as follows:
WELLS OF FAULK AND GRANT COUNTIES, S. DAK. 229

"Record of well in T. 117, R. 68, sec. IS, near Orient, Fcmlk County, 8. Dak.

Feet.

0- 20...... yellow clay. '

20- 47......blue clay. - '

47- 394......shales, black, blue, and gray, with thin layer of lime rock at base

furnishing small flow. 

394-1,07:0......shales, gray, blue, and black.

1,070-1,110...... hard sandstone. ,

1,110-1,165..... .sand, lime, pyrites, and shale.

1,165-1,215......sandstone; 950-gallon flow.

List of artesian wells, by townships, in Faulk County, S. Dak.

Township.

117

' 117

117

118

118

118

119

119

119

119

119

120

120

120

120

120

120

Range.

66

68

69

67

69

. 70

' 67

68

69

' 70

71

67

68

69

70

71

72

Depth.

Feet.

913-1, 054

1,095-1,156

1,232

1, 016-1, 075

1, 220-1, 466

1, 183-1, 608

1, 030-1, 117

1,165

1, 206-1, 456

1, 367-1, 402

1,545

1, 039-1, 060

1,025

1, 197-1, 287

1, 342-1, 512

1, 505-1, 570

1, 580-1, 650

Average yield 

per minute.

Gallons.

45-65

90

.60

' 60-75

25-40

45-100

20-

-150

25-100

100-185

45

50-150

25

10-125

12-100

27-35

30-70

Remarks.

\

-

First flow at 850 feet.

Pressure, 60 pounds in one well.

r-

"*

"

,

.Pressure, 85 pounds (?). ?

GRANT COUNTY.

Grant County lies on the eastern slope of the east coteau, extending from 

an altitude of over 2,000 feet near Summit to less than 1,000 feet at the foot of 

Bigstone Lake, in Minnesota Valley. To the east there is a thick mass of 

glacial drift constituting the coteau, underlain by the Pierre shale, which extends 

nearly to the old granites exposed in the vicinity of Bigstone. . Dakota sandstone 

underlies the greater part of the county and appears to abut against the granite 

floor as this old rock surface rises to the northeast, but the position of its margin 

is not known. A boring at Milbank is said to have reached a depth of 303 feet,
23.0 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

the lower 20 feet of which was in granite. A thin deposit of water-bearing 

gravel is reported lying on this rock, containing fossils, and overlain by 200 feet 

of shale capped by 75 feet of blue clay doubtless of Pleistocene age. It has been 

supposed that the basal bed is Dakota sandstone, but possibly it is in the Benton. 

A number of other wells in the valley bottom to the west and south obtain 

satisfactory flows at various depths, but the pressure is. too low to afford a flow 

on the upper slopes and summit of the coteau.

' List of artesian wells in Grant County, S. Dak.

Location.

Mrs. -Johanna Sohultz, T. 118, R. 47 SW. \ 

sec.' 30.

Ed. Redman,T. 118, R. 48 SW. £ sec. 14....

Will Marquette, T. 118, R. 48 NE. } sec. 9 . .

W. H. Koepke, T. 120, R. 48 NE. } sec. 22..

J. W..Newenburg, T. 120, R, 49 SE. \ sec. 18.

W. B. Saunderson, T. 120, R. 49 NW. \ sec. 7.

Mehegan & Fairchild, T. 120, R. 49 NE. \ 

sec. 11.

Julius Runge, T. 120, R. 49 NE. J sec. 13 ...

Depth.

Feet.

. 155

57 

303

206

407

.422

510

379

459

Diameter.

Inches.

2

1,2

3

2

2

'- 2

2

r>

Average 

yield, per 

minute.

Gallons.

65

40 

Several.

2

10

30

i

45

Remarks.

Water rises to +25 feet. \

20 feet into granite.

Water rises to +4 feet.

Water rises to +36 feet.

Water rises to +17 feet.

Water rises to +32 feet.

Water rises to +2 feet.

Water rises to +38 feet.

GREGORY COUNTY.

Gregory County lies in the southwest corner of the portion of the State west 

of Missouri River. It extends along the west side of the river for about 50 miles, 

and comprises the high plateaus extending southwest to Ponca Creek and beyond. 

On the river banks and on some of the slopes westward the Niobrara chalk is 

exposed, overlain in the highlands by Pierre shale, which is capped to the south by 

Tertiary and Pleistocene deposits.

The thickness of the Niobrara formation appears to be about 200 feet. It 

is underlain by 400 feet or more of Benton shales lying on Dakota sandstone. 

 This sandstone contains,artesian waters which have been tapped by a number of 

.wells on Whetstone Creek and by the old well at Fort Randall. The pressure in 

these wells indicates -that .the head of the waters along the river is about 1,800 

feet to the north and slightly over 1,500 feet to the south and probably increases 

to.1,850 feet in the southwest corner. This head is only sufficient to afford flows 

along Missouri and Whetstone valleys and in the lower and middle slopes rising 

from them to the plateau. It is insufficient to give a flow at Bonesteel, at Fairfax, 

or in Ponca Valley.
WELLS OF GEEGOEY AND HAND . COUNTIES, S. DAK. 231

The depth to the Dakota sandstone averages from 700 to 800 feet along 

Missouri River, 1,200 feet on the east portion of the plateau, and somewhat over 

1,500 feet in the higher lands in the central, west, and southwest townships The 

wells in Whetstone'Valley are from. 714 to 890 feet deep and yield large flows 

of good water.

fort Randcdl. The well at Fort Eandall, sunk by the Government many 

years ago, has a depth of 610 feet and is reported to have the following record: 

I -

Record of well at Fort Randall, Gregory County, S. Dak. 

Feet. 

0-100.-.--..---.--..--..--..--...-.. ..............'..gumbo and clay.

100-460...............................................soft stone.

460-520.. .............................................sandstone; 600-gallon flow.'

520-576.........."..................................... .blue clay.

576-610...........................i...................very hard-rock.

This record is probably a very inaccurate one, but it appears to indicate that 

the Dakota sandstone was entered at a depth of 460 feet, or very much nearer 

the surface than' would- be expected from the experience. of . wells on the other 

side of the river. Possibly the flow is from a sandstone in -the Benton group, 

but the large volume of water is difficult to account for on this supposition. It 

is claimed that the hard rock in the bottom of the well was granite or quartzite, 

but this also is very uncertain.

HAMLIN COUNTY.

N

This county is on the summit of the east coteau, between James and Minnesota Eiver valleys. Its surface consists of a great thickness of glacial drift 

lying on Pierre shale. Apparently it is underlain also by Dakota sandstone at a 

depth averaging but little more than 1,000 feet throughout. As the altitude of 

the land is from 1,650 to about 1,900 feet, it is too high for an artesian flow, 

the probable head of the water in the Dakota sandstone being about 1,600 feet. 

So far as known no endeavors have been made to reach the formation.

ttAND COUNTY.

Hand County lies partly on highlands of drift and on the lowlands of James 

Eiver Valley, the former rising to an altitude of somewhat over 2,000 feet in 

Ree Heights, and the latter- having an average elevation of 1,400 feet. The surface 

is entirely covered by glacial materials, but these are underlain.by a thick mass' 

of Pierre shale and by the usual succession of N'iobrara and Benton shales and 

Dakota sandstone. The latter has been reached by numerous wells, which afford 

flows in the central, northern, and eastern portions of the 'county. The head of 

the water averages slightly over 1,850 feet about Miller and due north, increasing
232 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATEE OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

somewhat to the west and decreasing to 1,700 feet in the northeast corner of the 

county. In the highlands of the southern half of the county the elevation is 

considerably too great to afford flowing wells, but the precise extent of the 

nonflowing area has not been ascertained. A well 1,611 feet deep, in NW. i of 

sec. 21, T. 110, K. 68, is in this area, and although it penetrated the Dakota 

sandstone the water failed to reach the surface by 80 feet. The water-bearing 

sandstones in the Dakota formations occur at several horizons, and the principal 

flows are found at some distance below the top bed of the formation. Different 

wells in the region vary somewhat as to the horizon of the principal flow. The 

strata lie nearly level or undulate very gently. A faint anticline appears to 

extend north and south through Miller, but it is a very low uplift.

Record of town well in Milter, Hand County, S. Dak.

Feet.

0- 220..........................................soil, clay, and gravel.

220- 930..*.......................................blue shale.

930- 975........................................ .hard sandstone and pyrites.

975-1,105.........................................shale (cap rock at 1,105 feet).

1,105-1,145.........................................sandstone, 460-gallon flow.

The following is a list of the artesian wells of the county:

List of artesian wells in Hand County, S. Dak.

Location, etc.

L. L. Eiles, T. 110, R. 68, NW. J- sec. 21.

Peter Myers, T. 110, R. 68, NE. J- sec. 28.

C. Rowen, T. Ill, R. 66, NE. J- sec. 8...

H. D. Ellis, T. 112, R. 66, NW. J sec. 30.

M. N.Strickling,T. 112, B. 67, S\V. isec. 26

St. Lawrence, T. 112, R. 67, sec. 7......

R. T. Sedam. T. 112. R. 67, sec. 18 .....

John Baldwin, T. 112, R. 67, sec. 33.... 

J. McCullam, T. 112, R. 68,SW.J sec. 2.

Township well, T. 112, R. 68, sec. 7 ....

W. H. Smith, T. 112, R. 68, sec. 10.....

Miller, T. 112, R. 68, sec. 10 ...........

Miller, Lost Creek Ranch Co. ..........

Joseph Koeck, T. 112, R. 69, sec. 11.... 

N. Noble. T. 113, R. 66, SW.i sec. 20...

Depth.

Feel. 

1,611

838

1,269

1,246

1,272

1,343

1,375 

1,158

1,200

1, 140.

1,139

1 142

1,207 

1.058

Depth to 

water.

Feet.

f 1,070

1 1, 272 

1, 315

1, 343 .

i,aio

1,112

1,142

1

1,030 

1,100 

1,207

Diameter.

Inches. 

2

It

It

2 -1*

h~-

3

3 

U

4

01

fil.l I

3 -2

1 , 

]

li

Average 

yield per 

minute.

Gallons.

50

40

40

Few.

350 '

1,350 

135

50

360

40

100 

35

Remarks.

Pressure, 119 pounds.

Pressure, 60 pounds.
WELLS OF HAND AND HANSON COUNTIES, S. DAK.

List of artesian wells in Hand County, S. Dak. Continued.

233

Location, etc.

A. B. Holmes, T. 113, K. 66, sec. 11 .... 

Ick Brown, T. 113, R. 66, sec. 24. ......

Will. F.-Pantsah,T. 113, E. 66,SW. jW. 15 

D. Conkey, T. 113, E. 67, SE. 1'sec. 14.. 

A. B. Piper, T. 113, R. 67, SE. J sec. 15..

Township well, T., 113, R. 67, sec. 25...

W. W. Cotton, T. 113, E. 67, SE. 1 sec. 25.

Mr. Escher, T. 113, R. 68, SW. i sec. 29. 

Gus Merion, T. 113, E. 69, SE. J sec. 33. 

Chas. Fuller, T. 113,'R. 69. NE. J- sec. 13. 

Mr. Wyland, T. 113, R. 69, NW. J sec. 14. 

Township well, T. 113, E: 69 ...........

Sam Bushong, T. 114, E. 66, sec. 11...-'-'. 

Frank Yodes, T. 114,^-66, W. J'sec. 35. 

Thomas Jones, T. 114, -R. 68, SE. J sec. 27. 

A. Gilmore, T. 114, R. 68, NE. J sec. 12 . . . 

Thos. E. Eaton, T. 114, R. 68, SW. 1 sec. 9. 

J. C. Harris?, T. 114, E. 69, SE. t sec. 14. . 

Oliver McGee, T. 114, R. 70, sec. 15 ......

Jno. J. Stornif . . .......................

H. Schoefers, T. 115, R. 69, SE. i sec. 10..

Nabor Bros., T. 115, R. 69, NW. i sec. 24. 

J. B. Carl, T.U5, R. 70, SW. t sec'28. . . . .

D. Countryman, T. 116, R. 67, sec. 26. . . . .

Depth.

Feet. 

980 

980 

967 

1, 155 

800

1,137

1,140

1,125 

1,214 

1,162 

1,215

_;-i; 200

1,070 

1,010 

1,272 

1,050 

1,185 

1,197 

1 1,303

1,242 

1,300 

853

Depth to 

water.

Feet.

( 1,087 

I 1,127 

' 1,100 

1,112 

, 1,129 

1,105

1,190

'l, 185

Diameter.

Inches. 

2 

H 

1* 

2} 

2

}.......

3

3

14

2

2

li 

It

It 

li 

2 

3 -li 

3 

2

2 

H

Average 

yield per 

minute.

Gallons. 

100? 

35

400

60 

100

35 

35

40 

30

15 or 25

16 

100

Remarks.

Water rises to +20 feet 

Pressure, 128 pounds.

In progress, 1903.

HANSON COUNTY.

Hanson County is in James River Valley, its northern portion extending into the 

artesian basin. As the greater part of the county lies on the summit of the old buried 

ridge of Sioux quartzite, the Dakota sandstone is mostly absent. In the part of 

this area northeast.of Mitchell, northwest of Spencer, east of Ethan, and on 

James River about Elm Springs, overlapping sandstones in the Benton formation 

are sources of small artesian supplies. Small flows are also obtained from the base 

of the drift, probably due to leakage from the'Benton horizon. East of Mitchell 

the upper beds of Dakota sandstone appear to lie, in a valley in the quartzite ridge
234 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

for some distance, and to contain water which affords flows on the lower lauds along 

James River and on the slopes and upland just north of the mouth of Rock Creek.

In the northwest corner of the county there is an area of about 30 square miles 

in which excellent flows are obtained from the Benton sandstone in wells 80 to 200 

feet deep, and from the base of the drift, in shallower wells. These conditions 

continue to the east at intervals through the northern tier of townships, especially 

in the district north of Spencer.

List of artesian wells in Hanson County, S. Dak.

Township.

. 101

103

103

103

103

103

103

103

103

104

104

104

104

104

x !04 

104

104

Kange.

58

56

57

57

57

58

59

59

59

56

56

' 57

57

-57

58 

58

58

Depth.

Feet. 

412

112, 150

165, 260

127

- 155-290

400

140

135-176

400-470

410

- 80-145

167-260

152-170

170-365

508-600

90 

175-365

440-555

Average yield ' 

per minute.

Gallons.

Several.

Several.

Several. - 5-40

Many.

Several.

Several.

Many.

None.

Several.

Several.

Several.

, 4-5

4-50

Several. 

Several.

30-150

Remarks.

Flows from base ef drift north of Spencer only.

Flows fiom upper sandstone of Benton north of Spencer only.

Flows from base of-drift in section 11 only.

Flows from upper sandstone of Benton in northeastern sections only.

In section 4, from* sandstone in Benton group.

~-~,

Flows from base of drift. "V-. ^

Flows in northwestern sections only. >..-- 

Insufficient head for flow in section 18.

Flows from base of drift in western sections.

Flows from upper sandstone of Benton in western sections.

Flows from base of 'drift.

Flows from sandstones of Benton.

^

Flows from base of drift. 

Flows from sandstones of Benton.

No flows in sections 30, 31, 32, and 33.

The main artesian basin extends under the greater part of townships 10i, ranges 

57 and 58, in the northeast and north-central part of the county, where there are 

numerous wells 400 to 589 feet deep. They furnish large flows and usually have 

first flows also from Benton sandstone, which is the source of small flows in numerous 

wells 200 to 300 feet deep. ' . . -
"WELLS OF HAH'SON COUNTY, S. DAK.

A typical deep-well section in Hanson County is as follows:

Log of Knapp well, in sec. IS, T. 104, R- 58, Hanson County, S. Dak. 

Feet. 

0- 20. -..----...--.yellowclay. .-i

20-123........--.-..blue clay. ...)

 123-188.............. coarse sand with small flo w.

188-208..............black shale ................

208-218.......----.. r coarse sand with water .....

218-230. ............. .blue shale..."...............

230-235............. .sand.......................

235-535..............shale, dark above, lighter tbelow. .

535-550.....'........ .soft sandstone, with 150-gallon flow from 2-inch pipe (Dakota).

R. 59 W. R. 58 W. ~R. 57 W.

LEGEND

235

>Benton.

R. 59 W. R. 58.W. R. 57 W.

FIG. 16. Map of Hanson County, showing artesian conditions, etc.. hy the late C. M. Hall.

HUGHES COUNTY.

Hughes County extends from Missouri Valley eastward onto the highlands. 

Most of the surface is covered with glacial deposits which are underlain by several 

hundred feet of Pierre shale. Under this is the usual succession of Niobrara formation, here mostly shale, Benton shales and sandstones, and Dakota sandstone lying on
236 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATEK OP CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

granite or quartzite. The sandstone is water bearing, and the water appears to be 

under sufficient head to afford flows throughout the county. Its depth varies from 

1,000 feet in Missouri Valley at the south margin of the county to about 1,600 

feet in the highest lands in the northwest portion. The beds dip gently to the 

northwest.

There are several wells at Pierre and vicinity, one at Harrold, and another just

north in Sully County. The three wells at Pierre are 1,160, 1,256, and 1,537 feet

1 deep, respectively, the two latter having, it is asserted, passed through the sandstone

' to granite. The greatest pressure reported is 210 pounds to the square inch,

sufficient to raise the water to an altitude of 1,920 feet above sea level. The

Pierre wells yield large flows of water, with cpnsiderable gas, which has been

found useful. The following record is reported by Mr. Swan, the driller:"

Record of well at Pierre, Hughes County, S. Dak. 

Feet. 

0- 62..sand and gravel.

62- 87..gray shale.

87- 275. .black shale. .

275- 325.-blue shale.

325- 425..light-gray shale.

425- 476..dark-gray shale. ' «,,

476- 479..lime rock, hard.

479- 530..blue shale.

530- 533..lime rock, hard. ,

533- 650..blue shale, soft above, with gas.

650- 654..hard sandstone. '

654-1,085..blue shale. Small first flows at 870 and 890 feet. 

1,085-1,130..streaks of lime and shale. 

1,130-1,140..sand rock, yellowish. Flows of water and gas. 

1,140-1,175. .streaks of lime and sand.

1,175-1,185..sand rock, yellowish. Flows of water and gas. 

1,185-1,215..streaks of shale, lime, and sand.

1,215-1,245. .white sand, soft. Main flow, 210 pounds pressure. Temperature, 89°. 

1,245-1,250..streaks of white shale and lime.' 

1,250-1,256.. granite.

Professor Todd reports that there is no question as to the identity of the granite 

claimed to have been penetrated 6 feet at the bottom of the well. Another well 

sunk recently a short distance west, found the granite at a depth of 1,537 feet, a 

'discrepancy difficult to account for.

The well at Harrold is at the altitude of 1,801 feet, and the water is under

a Bull. South Dakota Geol. Survey No. 2, 1898, pp. 93-94.
WELLS OF HUTCHINSON COUNTY, S. DAK. 237

sufficient pressure to rise 62 feet higher, yielding a flow of 84 gallons per .minute 

from a 4-inch pipe. The well is 1,453 feet deep and has the following record:

Record of well at Harrold, Hughes County, 8. Dak. Feet. 

0- 125........J..__......glacial deposits. . _

.125- 280.................. blue shale.

280- 282............ ......limestone.

282- 450...................blue shale.

450- 550................. -gray shale, with limestone layers.

550-1,435..__..._--_-.._..-gray shale, with limestone layers in its lower portion. 

1,435-1,451.................. sandstone.

1,451-1, 453..................brown shale.

HUTCHINSON COUNTY.

Hutchinson County is partly in James River Valley and extends up the slopes of 

the adjoining high lands to the east and to the west. The surface is mostly covered 

by glacial drift, but in some of the valleys there are outcrops of Niobrara chalkstone 

and the sandstone at the top of the Benton formation. The Dakota sandstone underlies the greater part of the county, but to the north abuts against the Sioux 

quartzite and ends, the overlying formations extending beyond, up the slopes of an 

underground ridge. The formations all dip gently toward the southwest along tW 

slope of this ridge.

The depth to the Dakota sandstone is slightly less than 300 feet along James River, 

gradually increasing in the higher lands to the west and to the east. In the southwest corner of the county the sandstone lies nearly 800 feet beneath the surface, and 

in the southeast corner 700 feet. It contains large volumes of water under considerable 

pressure, which is sufficient to afford flows hi the lower lands but not in the higher 

areas in the east and extreme southwest portions of the county. There are several 

horizons of flow in the region, beginning with sandstones in the Benton shales and 

comprising two or three thick sandstone layers in the Dakota. These are tapped by 

numerous wells in the northwest, central, and south portions of the county. Some 

of the wells obtain their waters from the top of the sandstone, and others penetrate 

to lower horizons to obtain increased volume and pressure. .,

In the east portion of the county are several wells which have been sunk to the 

quartzite without obtaining water or only finding supplies in the Benton sandstones 

that lacked sufficient head to flow. Flows, are obtained from the Benton sandstones 

at Elm Springs and at some other points in the area in which the Dakota sandstone is 

absent, and from this source several wells in the region to the west have obtained 

first flows of moderate volume. The principal features of the representative wells in 

this county are set forth in the following table:
238 GEOLOGY AND UNDEEGEOUND WATER O.F CENTEAL GEEAT PLAINS.

Lift of artesian wells, by townships, in Hutchinson County, S. Dak. .

Township.

. 97

97

97

97

97

98

98

no yo

98

.98

98

99

99

99

99

99

99.

100

100

100

Range.

56

57

59

60

61

56

57

58.

59

.60

61

56

57

58

59

60

-61

59

60

61

Depth.

Feet.

445-480

122

65-154

417

406-630

747

480-620

300

500

540-614

648^-760

 842

30-62

945

53-54

55-65

420'

40-200

370-450

470-580

120-189

482-560

64-130

54-95

150

,270-335

280

 365-490

' . 118

470-540

100-130

360-440

542

515-535

140

490-572

180-220.

240-345

560

370-462

296-340

419-585

Average yield 

per minute.

Gallons.

27-60

3-10

Few.

Many.

6

30-50

Few.

1

40-50

50-100

700

6

4-9

1-3

Several.

. 1-15

.16-120

Several.

13-60

6-10

10-12

1-10

Many.

Many.

5-150

Many.

. , -30

10-50.

8-50

10

. 3-10

Many..

1-90

Remarks. :

No flow.

Mows from base of drift.

Flows only in valleys, from base of drift.

Low pressure. Menno town well.

Pressure 25 pounds.

Pressure 25 to 35 .pounds; several flows.

Flows from Benton sandstone.

Sec. 26. - '

Pressure 35 to 60 pounds.

Pressure 9 pounds. Tripp town well.

Flows from base of drift.'

Do. ' ' '

Do. ' -- .

Flows from base of drift and upper Benton sandstone.

Do. .

Flows from base of drift.

Do.. ' 

Wolf Creek. . 

No flows in northern sections.

Flows from base of drift.

Do. " '

First flows from lower Benton sandstones.

Pressure 20 pounds. Parkston town well.

Pressure 13 pounds and over.

Flows from base of drift. '

First flows from lower Benton sandstones.

No flow. . , .

First flows from lower Benton sandstones.

Flows from upper Benton sandstone.
WELLS OF HYDE COUNTY, S. DAK. 239

Record of well at Tripp, Hutchinson County, S. Dak. 

' Feet.

0- 25............drift.

25-325............chSlkstone (probably a portion of these 300 feet comprises lightcolored clays in the lower part of the drift deposits). 

325-425. -.--...... .sandstone (top of the Benton).

425-525............shale.

525-529............sandstone.

529-729... J........shale.

729-764............sandstone and shale.

764-824........... .sandstone with flowing water.

Record of well at Parkston, Hutchinson County, 8. Dak.

Feet.

0-40............yellow clay.

40-225............sand with water.

22.5-434............blue shale.

434-444............gray shale with water.

444 160............gray shale.

460-472............fine sandstone.

472-542............shales, with hard layers above and sand layers below, with flow.

542.. _.________.__ _ ."very hard rock.

HYDE COUNTY.

This county extends north and south along the summit of the high divide between 

Missouri and James river valleys, the higher portions of which attain an altitude of 

over 2,000 feet above sea level. The surface is thickly covered with glacial drift, 

with underlying Pierre, Mobrara, and Benton shales over 1,400 feet thick, lying on 

Dakota sandstone. Two borings have been reported one at Highmore, with a depth 

of 1,552 feet, and another at the Mitchell ranch, 8 miles northeast, with a depth of 1,397 

feet. Both obtain flows from the Dakota sandstone. The pressure in the Highmore 

well is stated to be 12 to 15 pounds to the square inch, indicating a head of 1,920 feet 

above sea level, a pressure insufficient to afford flows on the high summits south of 

Highmore and on the high ridges northwest.

Highmore. The well at Highmore is at an altitude of 1,890 feet; its depth 

is 1,552 feet, diameter 6 inches, and flow about 9 gallons per minute. The principal flow was obtained from a depth of 1,537 feet. Nonflowing-water was found 

in a bed of sandstone, probably in0 the Benton formation, extending from 1,430 to

1,442 feet. The following is-the log of this well: 

/

Record of town well at Highmore, Hyde County, S. Dak.' . Feet. 

0- 240 .....................................soil, clay, and gra^7 el.

240- 740.....................................blueshale.'

740- 815 .....................................hard gray shale, pyrites.
240 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTBAL GREAT PLAINS.

Feet. 

816-1,086 .................................... -blue shale.

1,086-1,310 .......-..-.....--.-.-.------------.-gray shale mixed with sand.

1, 310-1,314 ......--....--.-.--.--.-..-......... .shale and«pyrites.

1,314-1,430.......................... v .........blue shale.

1,430-1,442 .......----......-.-----------.----. .sandstone; no flow.

1,442-1, 537 .....................................sandy shale on bed of hard sand.

1,537-1,552 ...............................'..... .soft sandstone.

JERAULD COUNTY.

1 Jerauld County extends from the western part of James River Valley onto 

the high drift ridges westward. The surface is covered with drift lying on Pierre 

shale. Under this shale there is the usual succession of Niobrara chalkstone, 

Bentqn shales and sandstone, and Dakota sandstone lying on granite and quartzite, 

the beds dipping gently to the north.

The Dakota sandstone contains water under pressure sufficient to afford flows 

except on the highlands in the central portion of the county. There are numerous 

wells with large flows in the eastern third of the county, which average for the most 

part from 715 to 850 feet in depth and furnish large volumes of water under pressures of 90 to 132 pounds, indicating that flows may be expected in all portions of 

the area having an altitude of less than 1,700 feet. The following is a list of the 

wells which have been reported:

List of artesian wells in Jerauld County, S. Dak.

Township.

106

106

107

107

108

108

108

Eange.

63

64

64

65

63

64

65

Depth.

Feel.

715-760

735-880

860

1,200

785

799J

. 865, 840

1,057

Average yield 

per minute.

Gallons,

200-280

5-280

35

1

500

2

45

200

Remarks.

Pressures, 110-132 pounds.

Pressure, 114 pounds.

1

Water, irony.

Pressure, 90 pounds.

Records of some typical wells in Jerauld County are as follows:

Record of well of 8. H. Abert, T. 108, R. 65, sec. 5, Jerauld Count;/, S. Dak.

Feet.

0- 47......drift.

47-400...... shale, with pyrites layers, and with a layer with many shells at 290 feet.

400-415...... chalkstone.

415-460...... shale (top of .Benton).
WELLS OF JERAULD COUNTY, S. DAK. 241

Feet. ' - -

460- 490......sandstone; contains water.

490- 586..... .shales, with sandstone layers. i

586- 705.... ..shale.

705- 725....... hard rock.'

725- 899..... .shale, with thin limestone at 801 and thin sandstone at 845 feet.

899- 914..... .sandstone; small flow.

914-1,00?>.....-compact shale.

1,003-1, 04t>..... .hard sandstone (top of Dakota).

1, 043-1, 057...,. .sandstone, with 200-gallon flow.

In the well of P. Schultz, T. 106, R. 64, sec. 9, the first water was found under 

chalk at 290 feet below the surface, and Dakota sandstone was reached at 836 feet 

and yielded a 280-gallon flow at 880 feet.

Record of well of E. Schmidt, T. 108, It. 64, we. 14, Jernuld County, S. Dak.

Feet.

0-100... i...................................... .drift. i

100-104........................................... limestone.

104-254.................-.....'....................shale (Pierre).

254-349................................ ..........chalk.

349-369...............................;.......... .chalk or sandstone, with water.

369-649...........................................shale.

649-654.......,.-.-.--.----.-..-..................sandstone1, with flow.

654-840...........................................shale.

840-841...........................................sandstone, with main flow.

Record of well of L. Feistner, NW. i sec. S, T. 106, R. 63, Jerauld County, S. Dak.

Feet. _ i 

" 0- 40.................................drift.

40-100............I.....................shale.

100-160.................................chalkstone.

160-170. ................................ .sandstone at top of Benton.

170-500.................................shale.

500-501...-.-..-.- ..................... sandstone with flow. N

501-701................................. shale. t

701-721.................................top sandstone of Dakota, with main flow.

> . * '

KINGSBURY COUNTY.

The artesian conditions in this county present considerable variety, the lower 

lands in the west portion of the county lying sufficiently low to be within the reach 

of flowing water, while to the east, in the higher coteau country, the land is too 

elevated for flows from the Dakota sandstone horizon. The entire country is 

underlain by Pierre1 shale overlain by Pleistocene deposits, which have considei^ble 

thickness in the coteau region eastward. Many wells, most of which yield large 

10001 No. 32 05 16 *
242 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

flows, have been bored in the western part. The first one sunk was at Iroquois, 

where, at a depth, of 1,115 feet, 1,000 gallons per minute were obtained. The 

well penetrated shales of the Pierre, Mobrara, and Benton formations. Small 

flows were found in thin sandstone layers at 400 and 600 feet, and the main flow 

in the Dakota sandstone, which was entered at 847 feet. The pressure was reported 

to be 67 pounds per square inch in 1890, but a determination in 1899 gave 71 

pounds. > Other wells have since been sunk, mostly in the western portion of the 

county, which have depths from 815 to 1,120 feet and yield from 20 to 100 gallons 

a minute, with surface pressures of from 8 to 50 pounds to the square inch. Several 

wells in various places obtain water supplies from a sandstone horizon just below 

the first great body of shales, probably at the top of the Benton group, but these 

have to be pumped-to the surface. The surface of the Dakota sandstone slopes 

gently northwest, with slight local undulations. East of aline passing north and 

south near Manchester the land rises rapidly to the northeast from an average 

altitude of 1,500 feet to-oyer 1,800 feet on the summit of the coteaur As the head 

of the water in the Dakota sandstone is from 1,550 to 1,615 feet on the west and 

1,680 at De Smet, it is evident that no'flows are obtainable in the wide coteau area. 

The following is a list of the deep borings so far reported in the county:

List of deep borings in Kingshuri/. County, S. Dak.

Location.

S. E. Matthews, T. 109, R. 57, sec. 30 ..........

K. Singerson, T. 109, R. 58, sec. 8..............

F. H. Horton, T. 109, R. 58, sec. 29 .............

 , T. 109, R. 58, sec. 29.....................

H. H. Welch, T. 109, R. 58, sec. 35 ............

, T. 109, R. 58 ............................

 , T. 109, R. 58 .............. .......^.....

6

E. Gulbransere, T. 110, R. 57, sec. 18..: ........

Spear well, T. 110, R. 57, sec. 19 ...............

A. K. Waters, T. 110* R. 58, sec. 28 ............

 , T. Ill, R. 56, sec. 32. ....... L ............

 , T. Ill, R. 57, sec. 5...... ................

 ; T. Ill, R. 57, sec. 28.....................

 . T. 111. R. 57. sec. 31.....................

Depth.

Feet. 

925

815

870 "840

'845

906

600, 640

400-500

786

970

, 940

1,115

850

1,610

500

600

1,090

970

Average 

yield per 

minute.

Gallons. 

80

 90

75

100

50

20

fifl

1,000

35

30

Remarks.

Pressure, about 20 pounds.

AV&tGi* i~iG3,i*lv to surftw p

^PVPTfll Wpllc:' WiltAV lf»T7pl ^Ifl

to -50 feet.'

Pressure, 8 pounds.

Pressure, 27 pounds.

Pressure, 67 pounds. Main

flow from 850 to 900 feet.

Water to 20 and 40 feet from

several strata.

T)n
WELLS OF KTNGSBUKT COUNTY, 8. DAK.

List of deep borings in Kingsbury County, S. Dak. Continued.

243

Location.

DeSmet, T. Ill, R. 58, sec. 22 .................

J. Burcheding, T. Ill, E. 58, sec. 24.............

C.'G. Swefford, T. Ill, R. 58, sec. 34 ...........

Hetland; T. 112, R. 53, sec. 19 .................

 , T. 112, R. 56 ............................

Win. Rusche, T. li2,'R. 57, sec. 7......... .'....

W. Solcey, T. 112, R. 58, sec. 3 ................

Andrew Mears^ T. 112, R. 58, sec. 14 ...........

Brooks' s well, T. 112, E. 58, sec. 21 ............

S. Mann, T. 112, R. 58, sec. 30. ................

R. 0. Purington, T. 112, R. 58, sec. 35 ..........

- Depth.

Feet. 

943

1,010

850

' 710

375, 600

1, 120

1,000

1,030

1,045

947

1,040

Average 

yield per 

minute.

Gallons.

18

50

4

'40

20

Many.

, 10

45

Remarks.

Water level, -100 feet.

The following records show the principal geologic features in some representative wells in Kingsbury County: l

Fe'et.

Record of artesian well at Troquois, S. Dak.

0- 45........................................ clay.

45- 400........................................shale.

400- 402....................................... .sand, with water. /

402- 600.......:...................-......---...shale. "'

600- 602.......... I............................. .sand, with water.

602- 847.........................................shale.

847- 900........................................ sandstone, with 1,000-gallon flow. ' '

900-1,100........................................shale.

The shale from 45 to 400 feet is probably comprised in the Pierre and Mobrara 

formations, the latter ('here consisting of materials not sufficiently calcareous to be 

reported as chalkstone, a deposit which characterizes the formation farther south in 

the State. In this well the formations of the Benton group extend from 400 to 

847 feet, wheie the top of the Dakota sandstone was entered.

Another well 4 miles northeast of Iroquois, on land 100 feet higher than the Iroquois well, obtains a large flow from a depth of 916 feet with a pressure of 50 pounds.

Record of Brooks'* well, T. 112, R. 58, east aide, sec. 81, Kingslntry County, S. Dak.

Feet. - ' ' 

0- 113.... .^................................yellow and blue clay.

113- 400.....................................shale.

400- 450..'................................... sandstone, with'water.

450-1,030.....................................shale.

1,030-1,045..........-......--.-....-.-..---... .sandstone, with large artesian flow.
244 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL' GREAT PLAINS.

This record is very similar to that of the Iroquois well. 9 miles southwest. The 

sandstone extending from 400 to 450 feet probabfy represents the sandstone bed 

which usually characterizes the top or upper portion of the Benton group in eastern 

South Dakota, and furnishes water for many deep pump wells in portions of

Kingsbury County and,elsewhere.

/

Record of Spern- artesian.iuett, T. 110, R. 57, NJH. J of sec. 19, -Kingsbury County, S. Dak.

Feet.

0- 36..............................................yellow clay.

36-140............. _\..............................blue clay and sand.

140-390................>..........-................ .black shale.

390-485............... j.. 1".........................gray shale. ,

485-505............................................ .sandstone; water to 111 feet.

505-862.............................................gray shale.

862-863±...............1........................... sand; some water.

863-932.............................................shale.

932-937.............................................sandstone; 60-gallon flow.

937-940................... .........................hard rock.

The black shale from 140 to 390 feet is undoubtedly Pierre, and apparently the 

gray shale below represents the Niobrara. The water-bearing sandstone extending 

from 485 to 505 feet is the usual feature at or near the top of the Benton group, and 

the sandstone entered at 932 feet is the Dakota, with a large volume of water 

showing a surface pressure of 27 pounds.

Record of deep boring at De Srnet, S. Dak. 

Feet. 

0- 44....................clay.

44- 104....................sand.

104- 840....................shale.

840- 865.................-..hard rock.

865- 985............'........ sandstone, with water to 40 feet.

985-1,185....................shale, or "soapstone," with fish teeth at 1,145 feet.

1,185-1,456................... .sandstone, with water to 40 feet.

1,456-1,470....................hard rock. ""

1, 470-1,610...... .<-........... .sandstone, with water to 20 feet.

This boring was sunk with the hope of finding an artesian flow, but was 

unsuccessful, owing to the height of the land. Large volumes of water, it is 

claimed, were found, but failed to reach the surface by 20 to 40 feet. The first 

104 feet in the boring are in drift, and from 104 to 1,185 feet in Pierre, Niobrara, and Benton clays. In one log the first water-bearing sands were reported 

from 763 to 793 feet, and in another from 865> to 985 feet; probably both were 

in the top of the Benton group. The hard rock from 840 to 865 feet may be a 

limestone such as sometimes occurs in the lower part of the Niobrara formation in
 - WELLS OF K1NGSBUKY COUNTY, S. DAK. , 245

some regions. > A stratum, said to be 1 foot thick? largely composed of fish teeth, 

was reported at a depth of. 1,148 feet, apparently in the lower formation of the 

Benton group. The Dakota sandstone appears to have been penetrated" from 1,185 

to 1.610 feet, a thickness of 425 feet, without reaching its base. This boring 

probably shows that no flows are obtainable on the coteau.

A well at Arlington is reported to have reached a depth of 786 feet without 

obtaining a. flow. It is almost certain that it did not reach the Dakota sandstone, 

which probably lies at a depth of 1,100 feet. As the altitude of the town is 1,846 

feet and the head of the water in the Dakota sandstone is probably less than 

1,700 feet, a flow could not be expected.

The following record of the Arlington boring has been reported:

Record of deep boring at Arlington, 8. Dak.

Feet. - \ 

0- 10....................................... ..................loam and clay.

10- 50................"..........................................dark-yellow clay.

50-210 .;................................................ ...... blue clay.

210-370........................................................grayish clay.

370-785 ........................................................ blue shale.

785-786........................................................ sandstone.

Another similar deep boring was sunk at Hetland, in sec. 19, T. 112, R. 53, 

but was entirely dry.

Record of deep_ boring at Hetland, S. Dak. 

Feet. 

0- 2.........................................................black loam.

2-50.....--....-..--..----------...---...---.-------..--.....yellow clay.

50-285.........................................................blue clay.

285-310....................................... ..-.....1.........soft yellow clay.

310-360.........................................................shell rock.

360-420......................................................... yellow clay. \

420-710............................L............................ blue shale.

Record of deep boring-in T. 109, R. 58, SW. i sec. 35, Kingnbury County, '8. Dak.

Feet.

0- 80.....-...-...-...--.-....-....--.-..yellow and blue clay.

80-420....................................shale.

420- ?' ................................. ....chalk rock.

-760....................................soapstone and shale and hard layers.

at 760....................................first flow. ' '

760-836.................................... sandstone, shale. ^

836-883....................................cap rock. ',

. 883^893.................................... water-bearing sandstone,

893-906........-........-....---..-..-...--no more water.
246 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Record of'deep boring in T. 109, R. 57, 8E. \ sec. 30, Kingsbwry County, 8. Dak.

Feet. ^ . .

0- 40.......................................... -yellow till. ' ' .

40- 60..........................................blue clay.

60-282..........................................black shale.

282-493.........................................."soapstone " and chalkstone.

493-593.......................................1..shales with hard streaks.

593-746..........................................gray shale.

746-770..........................................sandstone.

770-907..........................................soapstone, sandstone, and shale.

907-915..........................................cap rock.

915-928 .......................................... .sandstone.

LAKE COUNTY.

A buried valley in the quartzite and granite which extends north and south 

through the center of this county apparently contains the Dakota sandstone, but 

the altitudes of the land are too great for the formation to afford a flow.

Madison. At Madison a^boring was sunk to u depth of 1,082 feet, which 

appears to have been mainly in shale and to have obtained no water supply. 

Lime rock, which was reported from 490 to 570 feet, resting on sandstone, suggests the Niobrara chalk, but aside from this there is no evidence as to the 

geology of the boring. As the bed-rock surface is known to rise rapidly to the 

west, southland east, it is evident that there is a deep trough at Madison, probably opening to the north, as shown in PI: XXXIX. Whether this trough contains Dakota sandstone or not remains to be demonstrated, but if it does it is 

not to be expected that its water will have sufficient head to reach the surface,

which at Madison is 1,.669 feet above .sea level.

**

LAWRENCE COUNTY. '

-This'county is on the northeast slope of- the Black Hills uplift, extending far 

into the region of crystalline rocks to the south and out on the plains of Benton 

shale to the northeast. 'In the northern half of the county the rocks dip mainty to 

the north and northeast and pass underground in regular succession from the old 

crystalline schists to the Benton shale. In. the extreme northeast corner of the 

county the Dakota sandstone lies about 1,000 feet below the surface in a shallow 

syncline which pitches north. Probably its greatest depth in the county is 900 feet, 

in the ridges northeast of St. Onge.

Doubtless the sandstone would yield flowing water in the lower lands, as 

indicated by the experience of wells at Belle Fourche, a short distance north. It is 

probable that in Red Valley in this county underground waters could be' obtained 

by sinking into the sandstone of the Minnelusa formation, and possibly also in the
WELLS OF LYMAN COUNTY, S. DAK. 247

underlying Pahasapa limestone and Deadwpod sandstone. The depth from the 

middle of the Spearfish red beds to the top of the Minnelusa sandstone is about 500 

feet, the Pahasapa limestone lying 500 feet deeper and having a thickness of 500 feet 

to the top of the Deadwood sandstone. No deep wells are reported in this county.

LINCOLN COUNTY.

Apparently only the extreme southwest corner of this county is underlain by 

the Dakota sandstone, and it is believed that the water of that formation does 

not have sufficient head to reach the surface in flowing wells. The Sioux quartzite 

rises to the.surface in the northeast portion of the county, and slopes gently to 

the southwest, where it is overlain by a greater or less thickness of Benton shale 

and Niobrara chalk.

LOWER BRULE INDIAN RESERVATION.

(See Lyman and Stanley counties.)

LYMAN COUNTY. 

Including Southern Portion of Lower Brule Indian Reservation.

This county extends from.Missouri River 85 miles"west over the plains lying 

between Bad and White rivers. It is underlain almost entirely by Pierre shale, 

except along Missouri River and in its vicinity,-where the underlying Niobrara 

chalkstone is exposed. A few of the higher points are capped by remnants of 

Tertiary deposits, notably at White Clay and Medicine buttes. Under the Pierre 

clay there is the usual succession of Niobrara chalkstone, Benton shale', and Dakota 

sandstone, the latter lying on the granite or quartzite to the-east, but possibly 

overlapping rocks of Paleozoic and early Mesozoic age in the western portion of 

the county. .., ,. .

The Dakota sandstone contains water "in large volume and under-sufficient 

pressure to afford a flow in all the valleys and probably for some distance up the 

slopes. Owing to our lack of knowledge of th~e topography of "the county and the 

precise head of the waters in its western part, the nonflowing areas ..can not be 

accurately delimited. The waters have been developed by several wells in Missouri 

Valley opposite Chamberlain, and in the McClure well on Cedar Creek, 18 miles 

south-southeast of Pierre. The wells opposite Chamberlain are of moderate depth. 

One on the farm of G. S. Grant, in T. 104, R. 72,-sec. 14, has a depth of 563 feet 

and a diameter of 2 inches. The first flow was reported at 360 feet, the second 

flow at 460 feet, and the main flow at the top.of the Dakota sandstone ,at<560 feet. 

Another well, on the farm of E. A. Barlow, on a bench a mile back from the river 

in the southern part of T. 104, R. 71, has a depth of 600 feet and a diameter of
248 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

2 inches. Its flow is small. The Adams-Brinkehoff well, on the NW. ,i of sec. 7, 

T. 104, R. 71, "has a 2-inch bore, is 737 feet deep, and flows several hundred gallons 

per minute. The pressure of the water in these wells is not given, but. judging 

from the wells at Chamberlain, it is probably sufficient to raise the water to 1,800 

feet above sea level.

The Dakota sandstone in this county appears to dip gently west and its depth 

increases to the west by the gradual rise of the land in that direction. The wells on 

 Missouri River reach it at a depth of about 550 feet, the amount increasing somewhat 

both up and down the river and rapidly in the highlands to the west. In the divide 

between.Medicine Creek and White River it lies at least 1,4:00 feet below the surface 

to the east and at White Clay Butte somewhat over 2,000 feet. On White River, 

at the western border of the county, probably the depth is nearly 2,000 feet and on 

Bad River 1,600 to 1,700 feet.

The McClure well is in sec. 31 or *32, R. 78, T. 108, and has a depth of 1,653 

feet. The inner tube is li inches in diameter and is reported to yield a flow of 4:0 

gallons per minute with a pressure of 20 pounds. A special line of levels was run 

to this well, and it was found to be at an altitude of 1,917 feet, so that the pressure 

of 20 pounds indicates that the water>at this place has sufficient head to rise to 1,963 

feet above sea level, which,"with the probable slight increase to the west, is sufficient 

to afford flows in portions of the county not on the higher divides. The record of 

the McClure well is reported as follows: , /

Record of McClure well, sec. SI or 32, T. 108, R. 78, Lyman County, S. Oak.

Feet. 

 0- 20......................yellow shale.

20- 820..'.;........-.........blueshale.

820-1,090...................... black shale.

. 1,090-1,094............ .......... hard shale.

1,094-1,294......................black slate with layers of hard lirnestont

1, 294-1,320......................sandy shale.

1,320-1,470......................black shale with sandy streaks.

1,470-1,510.--'--.--.-.-...-...... muddy sandstone, black shale, and shelly limestone.

1,510-1,550......................gray shale and fine sandstone mixed.

1,550-1,552............ ..'........very hard rock.' ,

1,552-1,555......................shale.

1,555-1,585...................... sandstone.

1, 585-1,623......................sandy shale.

There is some uncertainty in this record as to whether the Dakota sandstone 

was reached at 1,4:70 feet or 1,555 feet.
WELLS OF McCOOK COUNTY, 8. DAK. 249

McCOOK COUNTY.

The area of artesian flows in this county appears to be restricted to the west 

half of the northwesternmost townships, where, in an area of about 35 square miles, 

there are several small flowing wells. These derive their waters either from the 

basal drift gravels, or from the chalk below in an extension of the shallow artesian 

region of Sanborn Corn^. To the east and south the quartzite rises nearly to the 

surface and cuts off the source of supply.

The following list comprises all the flowing wells in McCook County from

which returns were received:

j

^ " Liit of artesian wells in McCook County, 8. Dak.

Location, etc.

J. N. Dickens, T. 104, R. 56, sec. 8 ...........................

J. F. Gurney, T. 104, B. 56, sec. 17. ..... '. ....................

N. G. Hall, T. 104, B. 56, sec. 21 .............................

John Madkins, T. 104, B. 56, sec. 30 .........................

F. J. Butler, T. 104, R. 56, sec. 6V. ...........................

Jacob Wahl,' Bridgewater. ...................................

Robert Glen, Bridgewater. ....................._ ......._._...

Depth.

feet. 

123

86

175

172

95

113

160

196

Average 

yield per 

minute,

Gallims. 

30

150

A

, 25

40

U

Remarks.

In chiilli rook

Do.

No flow

Do.

These wells, which are all 2-inch bore, usually supply hard waters. The yield 

of those that flow is reported to be decreasing.

The quartzite lies at only 100 to 154 feet below the surface about Spencer, and 

at various depths from 150 to 500 feet or more in the region south and east. At 

Salem, according to Colonel Nettleton, it was found at a depth of 222 feet and was 

penetrated 25 feet. Water which rose to within 75 feet of the surface was found 

in this boring in sand at a depth of 215 to 220 feet. At Bridgewater a similar water 

horizon was found at a depth of 224 feet, but the bottom of the boring at the depth 

of 229 feet did not reach the quartzite.

MEADE COUNTY. 4

Meade County extends northeast from the flanks of the Black Hills to the 

divide between the Owl and Sulphur Creek. To the east it extends for some 

distance along .the west side of Cheyenne River, and it comprises the lower 

portion' of Belle Fourche Valley. A wide range of formations is included 

within its limits, extending from the granites and schists in the Black Hills uplift 

to Laramie sandstones and shales in the highlands north of the Belle Fourche.
250 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

On the slopes of the Black Hills the older rocks are exposed, dipping so steeply 

to the northeast that they are soon carried to a considerable depth. The dip 

diminishes away from the hills and thence, to the northeast, the strata lie 

nearly horizontal.

The Dakota sandstone is exposed in the hogbacks on the flanks of the Black 

Hills; it passes beneath the surface and, along the Belle Fourche, lies at a 

depth of 1.900 to 2,000 feet or more in the lowlands and of more than 2,500 feet on 

the divides. Probably it lies still deeper in the northeastern portion of the county. 

This sandstone contains artesian water, which enters it at a high altitude, and, 

as indicated by the flowing well 6 miles north of Sturgis, has sufficient head to 

afford artesian, flows in the lower lands eastward.

Fort Meade. Several years ago a well, which was sunk \>\ the quartermaster's 

department at Fort Meade, just east of the Dakota Hogback Eange, developed a 

12-gallori flow of excellent water at a depth of 322 feet. With the expectation 

of finding additional supplies it was continued deeper and penetrated the Speartish 

red shales to the Minnekahta limestone, where',,unfortunately, it was discontinued 

without testing the prospects of obtaining water in the upper sandstones of the 

Minnelusa, formation. The record of this boring, based mainly on samples 

furnished by the quartermaster, is as follows: ~~\

 ^

Record of boring at Fort Meade, Meade County",-S. Dak. ^ 

Feet.

0- 25..sandstone and gravel. 

25- 50..buff sandstone, fine grained. 

50- 75..buff sandstone, coarser. 

75-' 100..buff sandstone, medium grained. 

100- 125..gray shale.

125- 153..yellow"sandstone, fine grained. _=. '. 

153- 185..gray shale. " . 

185- 200..coarse sandstone, dark colored. 

200- 225..gray sandstone; some shale.

225- 250. .light-gray shale. . """-- 

' 250- 288..dark shale with pyrite.

288- 322.-.sandstone, fine-grained basal Lakota, with shale layers. 

At 322..water oi good quality, which rose 2 feet above the surface, and flowed

10 to 12 gallons per minute. N 

322- 600..light-greenish-gray shale. 

600- 603..very dark shale. i 

603- 745..blue shale. 

745- 770..red shale.

770- 771..blue shale. -

771-1,440..red shale with -gypsum at 890 feet,'and some gray shale at 850 and

940 feet; gypsum, 910 to'930 feet. 

*w

1,440-1,450. .limestone (Minnekahta).
WELLS OF MEADE AND MINER COUNTIES, S. DAK. > 

. It is probable that in Red Valley, in the western part of this county, the 

sandstones of the MinneJusa formation would be reached at moderate depths and' 

would furnish water supplies, and it is possible also that waters under considerable 

pressure might be obtained from the underlying formations, the Pahasapa limestone and Deadwood sandstones. .

 Sturgis. In a well completed in February, 1904, an excellent supply of flowing 

water was obtained 6 miles north of Sturgis, in the south-central portion of sec. 8, 

T. 6 N., R. 5 E. T from a depth-of 600 feet. The boring has a diameter of 3f inches, 

was' sunk to a depth of 750 feet, and obtains its water from an 85-foot bed of white 

sand of the Lakota formation. The flow is said to run in large volume and have 

sufficient pressure to rise to a height of 35 feet or more above the surface. The 

following record was furnished:

Record of well 6 miles north by west of Sturgis, S. Dak. 

Feet. . 

0-275..................dark shales. " - -

275-435..................light shales and sand.

435-505...................red clay. . '

505-585....'.............."rocks." ' ' .

585-670.................. soft sandstone with large flow of water at about 600 feet.

At 670..-.....-... ......coal, 1 inch thick. -

670-685............. 1....dry sand.

685-705.................. black shales, with 2 inches of coal.

705-755..................green shales, with thin limestone layers.

A small flow was found at 440 feet.

This, boring was begun in the Graneros shales, passed through 70 feet of the

-Fuson formation from 435 to 505,'then through 180 feet of Lakota sandstone, and

penetrated 70 feet into the Morrison. The altitude of this boring is 3,225 feet,

and the occurrence of flowing water indicates that flows are obtainable over a wide

area of the lowlands adjoining the east slope of the Black Hills.

MINER COUNTY.

Miner County lies on the east side of James River Valley and extends up the 

slopes of the coteau eastward, its western half lying in the Dakota artesian basin. 

The surface of the county is covered by glacial deposits, which lie on Pierre clay

in the central and northern parts and on Niobrara chalkstone in the south part. \

There is the usual succession underground of Niobrara and Benton formations 

underlain ..by .Dakota sandstone, except, in the east-central and southeast portions 

of the county, where this sandstone abuts against-an underground ridge of Sioux 

quartzite, on which the overlying formations overlap .eastward. In the western 

half, of the county the formations dip gently to the northwest away from the 

quartzite ridge.
GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

The depth to the Dakota sandstone is 375 feet in the southwest corner of the 

county; it increases gradually to the east and then to the north to from 750 to 800 

feet along the north margin. The .sandstone contains water throughout its extent 

under sufficient head to afford vigorous flows in the lower lands comprising the 

'western half of the county. There is an 884-foot well at Carthage which obtains a 

flow from a depth of 768 feet, and there are numerous deep wells in the southwestern 

townships which obtain flows from the Dakota sandstone at depths of from 380 to 

550 feet. In the two southwest townships flows are also obtained at depths of from 

150 to 250 feet from sandstones in the Benton shales, and also at depths of from. 

50 to 140 feet from the base of the drift deposits. These shallow wells are numerous in the southwest corner of the county, and afford excellent water supplies for 

local use. Ordinarily the deeper wells are sunk only when the shallower horizons 

do not afford sufficient supplies. In the central-west portion of the county there 

are numerous wells about 400 or more feet deep which obtain water from the sandstone underlying the Niobrara chalkstone; it has, however, to be pumped to the 

surface. The following is a list of the wells in this county:

List of representative artesian ivells in Miner County, S. Dak.

Township.

105

 105

105

106

106

106

107

107

108

108

Range.

56

57

58

56

57

' 58

56

58

57

58

Average 

depth.

Feet.

 73-146

225-320

55-150

175-490 

100-140

170-396

80, 126 

450, 465

66-120

145-176

84-100

 450, 580

60

884

408-450

405-430

Average 

yield per 

minute.

Gallons.

5- 75

100

2- 50

2-100 

10- 60

15-150

50- 90

3-100

5- 50

Many

Many

Many

60

Many

 Many

Remarks.

Flows from base of drift.

Flows from Benton upper sandstone.

Flows from base of drift.

Flows from sandstones in Benton group. 

Flows from base of drift.

Flows from sandstones in Benton group.

Flows from base of drift. 

Nonflowing wells at Howard and Vilas.

Flows from base of drift.

Water from upper Benton sandstone.

Flows from base of drift.

No flow; good pump supply; soft water.

Flow from base of drift in section 31 only.

Carthage city well.

No flow; good pump supply; soft water.

Do.
WELLS OF MINNEHAHA, MOODY, AND PENNINGTON' COUNTIES, S. DAK. 253

MINNEHAHA COUNTY.

The Dakota sandstone appears not to .extend into this county at all, unless 

possibly under a small area in its northwest corner. The Sioux quartzite has been 

reached by numerous borings at no great depth, and in many places is overlain by a 

greater or less thickness of Benton shale and Niobrara chalk. The quartzite outcrops extensive!}? along Sioux River and some of its branches. In some places wells 

in this quartzite obtain a small amount of water from crevices, but a boring 575 febt 

deep.at Sioux Falls failed to obtain any useful .amount .of water and was in quartzite' 

throughout. It was found that the formation varied somewhat in hardness.

MOODY COUNTY.

The Dakota sandstone appears to be entirely absent in Moody County. The 

formations, comprising the Pierre, Niobrara, and Benton shales lie on the Sioux 

' quartzite, which outcrops in the southern portion of the county and has been reached 

by numerous wells to the north. Some of the sandy beds in the Benton yield small 

amounts of water, but without sufficient head to flow at the surface. Seven miles 

southeast of Flandreau the pipestone of the Sioux quartzite series was penetrated 

for from 230 to 236 feet under sand, shale, and sandy shale. Five miles west and 

1 mile south of the same town a well 455 feet deep found water in sand, and water 

is obtained at Flandreau in sand at a depth of 126 feet. Sioux quartzite is reported, 

at a depth of 100 feet north of Flandreau and at about the same depth 10 miles 

northeast of that place. .

A well about 2 miles east of Trent is reported to have the following record:

Record of well in sec. 8, R. 48, T. 105, near Trent, S. Dak.

Feet. . ' . 

0-180...-............._..................yellow clay and blue clay.

180-192................................... .sand; no water.

192-220.....................:..............sandy clay.

220-230.. ...........................'...'... .sand; with some water. ' '

230-360....................................clay, with thin bed of sand at 300 feet.

360-363....................................sand, with main water supply.

' , . PENNINGTON COUNTY.

The geologic 1'elations in this county are very similar to those in Ouster 

County, except that the dips on the east side of the Bla'ck Hills uplift average 

somewhat less. They are sufficient, however, to carry the Dakota and associated 

sandstones rapidly beneath the surface, so that at a distance of 10 miles east of the 

Hogback Range their top is at a depth of 2,000 feet. In the valley of Rapid Creek, 

in the east portion of the county, the sandstone is believed to lie at a depth of about 

2,400 feet, and along Cheyenne River, at depths of from 2,100 to 2,300 feet, as
254 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

nearly as can be estimated from a determination of the structure of the Pierre shale 

based on the distribution of the u tepee" zone. Several borings of moderate depth 

have been made east of Rapid, but they have not been sufficiently deep to reach the 

Dakota sandstone. "It is stated that in one boring a half mile southeast of Rapid 

a sandstone, probably a sandy layer in the Benton formation, was penetrated at a 

depth of 400 feet and yielded a small flow. It is probable that the Dakota 

sandstone would yield flows throughout the portion of this county east of the 

Hogback Range, except on the higher divides. The prospects for underground 

waters in the Red Valley are the same as in Custer County.

PINE RIDGE INDIAN RESERVATION.

This large reservation extends from the valleys of Cheyenne and White rivers 

onto the high table land of Pine Ridge, comprising broad valleys, extensive badlands 

districts, and wide areas of high plains. The altitudes range from about 2,100 feet 

in White River Valley in the extreme northwest corner of the reservation, to 3,800 

feet or more in the high ridges east of the agency. The high plains are heavily 

mantled by soft Arikaree sandstone, and the lower slopes are mostly of the underlying White River formations exposed by erosion and giving rise to extensive badlands-. In the northeast and the west portions of the reservation the Pierre shales 

are cut into by White and Cheyenne rivers, and in the extreme southwest corner the 

Niobrara and the Benton formations appear. The geologic structure probably is 

relatively simple, the strata in the eastern portion of the area dipping 'gently to the 

west and those in the western section dipping gently to the east on the slope of the 

Black Hills uplift.

Along White River, in the southwest corner of the reservation, a sharp local 

uplift exists by which the Niobrara and the Benton formations are exposed. The 

depth to the Dakota sandstone varies considerably iii the reservation, owing largely 

to variations in the altitude of the land. As the thickness of the overlying Benton, 

Niobrara, and Pierre beds has not been very accurately ascertained, the depth to 

Dakota sandstone, as indicated on the map, PL LXIX, can be given only approximately, and for. the south-central part of the reservation, where the Arikaree 

formation hides the underlying strata, no estimates can be made. The 'thickness 

of the Pierre shale doubtless reaches a thousand feet in the northwest corner of 

the reservation, but the amount diminishes gradually to the east. The Benton 

group, which has a thickness of somewhat over 1,300 feet on the southeast slopes 

of the Black Hills, undoubtedly thins rapidly to the east, for it has less than half 

of that amount on Missouri River. ' The Niobrara chalk and associated deposits 

probably -preserve a thickness of about 200 feet throughout. The White River 

beds lie on a somewhat uneven surface of Pierre shale, eroded so that its thick-
1 WELLS OF. POTTEK COUNTY, S. DAK. 255

ness varies considerably. From these factors it is believed that the Dakota sandstone lies at a depth of about 1,800 feet along. White River in the extreme 

northeast portion of the reservation, and that the amount gradually increases west 

to, 2,300 feet near Interior, a thickness which probably is uniform nearly to the 

mouth of White Clay Creek.. Thence to the south the uplift brings.the Dakota 

sandstone very much nearer the surface, so\ that, near the State line on White . 

River, it is probably not more than 1,100 or 1,200 feet deep in the center of the 

anticline. At the Pine Ridge Agency the sandstone- will probably be found at a 

depth of 1,400 to 1,500 feet. In the divide between White and Cheyenne rivers, 

and in the bad-lands slopes south of White River east of the mouth of Wounded 

Knee Creek, the Dakota sandstone lies 2,500 feet or more .below the surface.

Judging from the general slope of the head of the water in the Dakota sandstones 

between the Black Hills and Missouri Valley and eastward, it is probable that 

flowing water may be expected on the Pine Ridge Reservation in the valleys of 

Cheyenne and White rivers, up to an altitude of 3,000 feet in the northwest corner, 

2,600 feet in the north-central portion, and 2,200 feet in the eastern portion. This 

comprises all of the bottom lands, a moderate proportion of the slopes, and the 

lower portions of the valleys of the side streams of Cheyenne River and White 

River valleys below Interior post-office. According to the best estimates the Pine 

Ridge Agency is at an altitude of 3,300 feet, so that there is no probability ,of 

obtaining a flow in White Clay Valley at that place.

POTTER COUNTY.

This county extends east from Missouri River, comprising a narrow area of 

lowlands in the valley, with a rapid rise east to an elevated undulating district 

of drift hills. Along-the river the altitude is in the neighborhood of 1,500 feet; in 

the highlands it is mostly at about 1,800 feet, though in portions of them it is 

considerably above, 2,000 feet. The region is underlain by a thick mass of Pierre « 

shale mantled by glacial deposits and underlain by Benton and Mobrara shales 

and by Dakota sandstone. The latter contains a large volume of water under great 

pressure, as demonstrated by the experience of the well at the Cheyenne Agency on 

the opposite side of Missouri River and the well at Gettysburg. . The agency well, 

having a pressure of 205 pounds to' the square inch, indicates a head sufficient to 

raise the water to an altitude of 1,970 feet. The Gettysburg well, which is on. land 

having an altitude of 2,082 feet, has a water level 108 feet below the surface, 

indicating a head of 1,974 feet. In the adjoining county to the east, the head is less, 

indicating a'rise to the west. Two wells on the highlands just east of Missouri 

River obtain satisfactory flows^one east of Forest City at 1,604 feet, and the other, 

south of Forest City at 1,761 feet.
256 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

From these features it is seen that artesian waters would be available in Potter 

County in all but the very highest lands, which comprise the elevation on which 

Gettysburg is situated and the Bowdle Hills along the eastern margin of the county.

Gettysburg. The Gettysburg well has a depth of 2,130 feet. It is 3 inches 

in diameter and yields soft water, the principal supply being found at a depth 

of 1,780 feet. The following record has been furnished by Mr. C. L. Kicholson.

the driller:

Record of well at Getlysburg, S. Dak. 

Feet

0- 2.......................................black soil.

2- . 30............----....:.............-...yellow clay.

30- 180......................................blue clay.

180-1,430...................................... blue shale.

1,430-1,470......................................very hard rock.

1,470-1, 780......................................sandy shale with much pyrites.

1, 780-1,980..-.......-...-.. -..........'........sand rock with water.

1,980-2, 000......................................sandy shale.

2,000-2, 040........................ .............sand rock.

2,040-2,130..................................... .sandstone and shale alternating.

ROSEBUD INDIAN RESERVATION.

This reservation comprises about 5,000 square miles of the plains lying south 

of White River in the south-central portion of South Dakota. The greater part 

of the surface is rolling, with numerous deep 'valleys draining into White River 

to the north or Missouri River to the east. It also contains the headwaters of Ponca 

Creek and Keyapaha River. The 'altitudes range from somewhat less than 1,200 

feet on Missouri River to 3,000 feet in the southwest corner of the reservation.

The predominating formation of the region is the Pierre shale, overlain in 

the higher lands of the south by White River and Arikaree deposits, and cut 

4 through by the Missouri, which exposes the underlying Niobrara chalkstone 

along the east side of the reservation. The beds lie nearly horizontal, dippingvery slightly to the west. Beneath the Pierre shaie there is the usual succession > 

of Niobrara chalkstone, Benton shales, and Dakota sandstone. In the lower lands 

to the east this sandstone is less than a thousand feet below the surface, but lies 

deeper to the west, and, in the higher lands southwest of the Rosebud Agency, is at, 

least 2,500 feet deep. On White River, in the northwest corner of the reservation, 

the depth is probably about 1,900 feet. )

Only one boring has been sunk in the area. It is located on the high lands 

at the head of Oak Creek, on the divide between the White River and Keyapaha 

drainages.- It was sunk by the Indian Bureau with the expectation of obtaining 

a flow, that would fill some of the creeks with water, but this project was not
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL- LXI

A WATER TANK AT BELLEFOURCHE, S. DAK., FILLED BY DIRECT FLOW OF 500-FOOT ARTESIAN WELL.

B. TYPICAL DEEP-WELL RIG AT DEEP BORING, ROSEBUD RESERVATION, S jAK., 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF AGENCY.
WELL OF ROSEBUD RESERVATION, S. DAK. ' " 257

realized. A depth.of 2,500 feet was attained and the Dakota sandstone penetrated for several hundred feet, finding water in moderate volume, which rose 'to 

within 500 or 600 feet of the surface. . The ground at the well has been found 

by recent leveling to have an altitude of 2,626'feet, so that the water level at 

the well is between 2,026 and 2,126 feet above sea level. This head indicates 

that flows might be expected all along White Eiver Valley and for some distance 

up the adjoining valleys and slopes, probably to the western margin of the 

reservation. This altitude of head probably increases slightly to the west, 

approaching the Black Hills, and decreases to' the east, as shown by the experience of wells along Missouri Valley. Adjacent to this valley' there is sufficient 

head to afford flows far up the slopes, but not on the' wide areas of high plains 

in the eastern portion of the reservation. (See PI. LXI, B.)

Rosebud well. This boring was made in 1895, 1896, and 1897, and, while a 

costly experiment, has thrown very important light on underground-water' conditions over a wide area of south-central South Dakota. The depth of the boring 

is'2,500 feet. It was cased with 8-iuch casing to 2,145 feet, then with 6-iuch 

casing. The following record is given, based on samples kindly furnished by 

Mr. Wright and Dr. McChesney, the Indian agents:

Record of the "Rosebud well," Rosebud Indian Reservation, S. Dak. , 

Feet. ' . - 

0- 350..Tertiary sands and clays. . ' 

350-1, 390. .dark-gray shales.

at 1,390- .water which rose to -1,140 feet. . - " 

1,390-1,550. .light-gray 'shales, with water at 1,490 feet. 

1,550-1, 730. .light-gray limy shales. 

1, 730-1, 860. .dark shales.' 

1,860-1,880. .sandstone and limestone.

1,880-1,885. .hard sandstone, with water to -600 feet. ' v 

1,885-1,920..shale, darker below: . ' '. f 

1,920-1,950..hard sandstone. . - , 

1,950-2,075. .soft shales, with thin limestone bed at 2,060 feet. 

2, 075-2,100.. (unknown). , 

2,100-2,140. .gray sandstone, hard at top.

2,140-2,150..soft shale. ' 

2,150-2,175..porous sandrock, with considerable water which rose to within 500 (?)

feet of the surface. 

. 2,175-2, 210..(unknown).

2,210-2,240..shale. ' ' >

2; 240-2,290.. sandstone. ,,

2,290-2,292..gray shale. 

2,292-2, 500. .fine-grained sandstone with some shale and pyrites, with water mainly

at 2,295 feet. 

10001 No. 32 05 -17
258 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

The uppermost beds belong to the Arikaree and White River formations. The 

Pierre shale underlies these formations to a depth of about 1,550 feet, a thickness 

of 1,200 feet, to. the Niobrara chalkstone, which appears to begin at a hard limestone layer and to comprise nearly the next 200 feet of limy clays to 1,730 feet. The 

underlying shales with thin beds of sandstone and limestone belong in the Benton 

formation, which extends to at least 2,100 feet, where thick beds of sandstone begin 

and continue thence-to the bottom, probably representing the Dakota sandstone 

for the lower 200 feet at least. The volume of water in the sandstone in this well 

was not thoroughly tested, but it was the idea of the drillers that it was moderate, 

which is surprising when the large flows in some of the wells to the north and east 

are considered.- The sandstones in the well are very fine grained and on this account 

much less permeable than in some other localities. It is unfortunate that this boring 

was not continued through the Dakota sandstone to test the water' pressure in the^ 

lowermost beds, and to explore-underlying formations in which waters might be 

expected to have still greater head.

It is possible that this region is underlain by the eastern extension of some of 

the sedimentary formations older than Dakota sandstone,, which are so prominent 

in the Black'Hills.

SANBORN COUNTY.

Sanborn.County lies in James River Vallej^ and comprises a very important 

portion of the Dakota artesian basin. It is underlain by Pierre shale, Niobrara 

chalk, Benton shales and sandstone, and Dakota sandstone, lying on a floor of 

quartzite and granite, all dipping gently to the north. The surface is deeply covered 

by drift and superficial deposits and there are no outcrops of the underlying rocks, 

all knowledge of them being derived entirely from well records. The Pierre shale 

underlies the northern portion of the county only, the drift in the southern portion 

of the county being underlain by the Niobrara chalk.

The depth to artesian water increases nearly regularly from north to south, 

except that in .James River Valley, which is excavated to a depth of about 100 feet 

below the surrounding plains, the depths are correspondingly less. Dakota sandstone, usually near its top, is the principal source of water suppl}T , though sandstones at various horizons in the Benton formation also afford flows of moderate 

volume. In the east-central portion of the county about Artesian there is an area 

of considerable extent in which flowing waters are obtained from the base of the 

drift at depths mostly from 50 to 110 feet, the water probably having- its source 

through leakage from the upper sandstone of the Benton formation. This sandstone is a persistent member throughout the greater part of the region and is 

reached b}' many wells of moderate depth, especially in the district about Letcher.
WELLS OF SANBORN COUNTY, S. DAK. 259

The depths of wells to the Dakota sandstone averages from/ 340 to 450 feet along the 

southern margin of the county, increasing to 475 feet in the higher lands to the west 

and diminishing to less than 300 feet in the valley of James River. To the north 

the increase in depth is regular; along the northern margin of the county it is 

about 750 feet on the higher lands and 700 feet in the trough of James River Valley. 

The waters have considerable head, the altitude of which is about 1,400 feet in the 

southern part of the county, 1,500. feet in the central and eastern portion, 1,600 feet 

about Woonsock'et and northward, and about 1,550 feet in the northeast corner. 

.This head is indicated by a pressure of 130 pounds to the square inch at Woonsocket, and 90-130 pounds,to the square inch in the vicinity of Letcher. A view of 

the Woonsocket well is given in PI. LX, B, which clearly shows that the water is 

under high pressure, for vit is being jetted to a height of over 100 feet above the 

surface of the ground. The volume of the water varies considerably, but,, in. 

general, increases to the north. At Woonsocket a flow of 1,150-gallons per minute 

is reported from a well 6 inches in diameter. The-following is a list of the principal 

wells in Sauborn County:

List of artesian viells, liy townships, in Sanborn County, S. Dak.

Township.

' 105

105

105

105

106

106

106

Kange.

59

60

61

Letcher. 

62

59

Artesian. 

60'

61

o

Depth.

Feet. 

312

380-476

75-100

'400

360-630 

250-420

348-670

585 

300-410

400-490

80-201

625-701

708 

60-118 -

580-686

68-72

350-373

560-576

Average 

yield per 

minute.

Gallons*.

15-165

. 4-125 

80

-120

Remarks. 

,j

Flow from Dakota sandstones. One well has a 35-pound 

pressure.

Flow from Dakota sandstone. One well, 80 pounds 

pressure.

90-pound pressure.

' Do. '

Flow from Dakota sandstone.

"X.
260 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

List of artesian vjells, by townships, inSanborn Count,;/, 8. Dak. Continued.

Township.

107 

107 

107

108 

108

Range.

59 

60 

'62 

Woonsocket.

Woonsocket. 

60 '. 

C2

Depth.

' Feet. 

47-110. 

70-125 

689-750 

725

775 

74-80 

530 

792

Average 

yield per 

"minute.

Gallons.

1,150

Many.

23

Remarks.

Flow from Pleistocene deposits. 

Do. ' "' 

Flow from Dakota sandstone. 

Flow from Dakota sandstone; 130-pound pressure.

Pressure 125 pounds (mill well). 

Flow irom Pleistocene deposits. One 40-gallon 

Mow from Ben ton formation.

Flow from Dakota sandstone. 

X

flow.

Records of some representative wells are as follows:

Record of mill well at Woonsocket, S. Dak. .

Feet.

0- 25.............................yellow clay and hlue clay.

25- 45..................J..........sand." ' '

', 45- 58...... '. ......................hlue clay.

58- 65.............................hardpan.

65- 95.........'................... .sand.

95-165 ............................hardpan and gravel.

165-412............................ .shale with pyrites on top, " soapston'e" helow.

" 412-436.............................hard sandstone on brown sandstone.

436-637.............................soapstone and shale with pyrites.

637-645.............................hard lime rock.

645-690.............................shale. ' -

690-697.................."........'.. .hard rock on shale.

... 

697-775. -.............,......---..-. .sandstone with water.

Record of well on. farm, of H. K. and E. O. Ashmore, near Artesian, S. Dak.

Feet. , " 

0-130..drift. 

130-140. .chalk rock. 

140-190..shale. -

a

190-235..sandstone; no water.

235-690..shale, with first flow at 530 feet, layer of sand rock with water at 830 feet, 

rock, not very hard at 690 feet.
Ben ton'.

WELLS OF SPINK COUNTY, 8.- DAK. ' ' 261

" * . Record of well in northwest quarter sec. 18, T. 106, R. 59.

Feet. ' ' 

.0-130.. '. ...................glacial deposits _...."..........._........_..

130-140..........'.......... .chalk.:.....................................

. .140-200 '......:............. .shale ..........................:...........

200-262...................... sandstone*...............................'.:

262-525.'. ................... .shale. At 525 feet, sandstone with first flow.

525-626.......................shale .......................1.....:......'.

 626-630................ j. ....sandstone with second" flow..........:......

 630-699...........I..........shale .....................................

699-701..........'.....-..... .".sandstone. ;

Apparently the first, two -flows in ibis well are from the-thin sandstones in the 

Benton formation, and, in fact, characteristic Benton fossils were obtained near its

bo.ttom. - . .

Record 'of the Ryan well at Letcher, S. Dak. 

Feet. - . 

1-100.................................,........(?).

100-170..........................................chalk.'.

170-200.............-............".............-. .sandstone.

200-300........-.....,..................:.........shale. ' '.

300-314. .......,'..'....... ... .^ .................. .sandstone with first flow.

- 314-513......".............-.........:............shale.

513-521..................:.-....................'. hard sandstone.

521-561.......................'.......:...........sandstone, with 125-gallon flow.

In this well'the Dakota sandstone evidently begins at a depth of 513 feet, and the 

usual first flow is found in the second sandstone in the Benton formation, at 300 feet.

Record of city-well at Artesian, S. Dak. Feet. " 

0-63 ........drift deposits. i

63-123....:... dark shale.

123-250....... .dark shale with lime rock and p"yrites, thin bed' of sandstone at base.

250-675........dark shale. ;. ' .

675-680.....'...sandstone, with 50-gallon flow.

680-684....... hard sandstone (?).

684-708...... 1 .sandstone, with 120-gallon flow.

SPINK COUNTY.

t

Spink County is in James Kiver Valley and consists mostly of a level plain with 

an average altitude of about 1,300 feet, traversed ~by the shallow valleys of the 

river and the creeks. The surface is mantled with drift deposits, mostly stratified, 

but presenting a few morainal .hills. The underlying formations are Pierre shale, 

below which there is the usual succession of Niobrara, Benton, and Dakota formations lying on granite and possibly quartzite in some places. The Niobrara appears 

/ to be represented by shale, or by chalk so mixed with clay that its distinctive
262 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

features are not recognized by the well borers. The entire county lies within the 

Dakota artesian basin and its waters are tapped by numerous wells, there being 

probably nearly 75 in all. They average about 900 feet in depth, in most cases 

obtaining their water from the upper portion of the Dakota sandstone, though a 

few of the deeper ones reach lower strata. The beds lie nearly horizontal, but rise 

slightly to the southeast, owing to an underground ridge of quartzite and "granite 

which extends across the southeast corner of the county. Some of the wells in 

the vicinity of this ridge which have not obtained satisfactory water supplies have 

been sunk to the granite in the hope of obtaining greater volume. The waters have 

high pressure, averaging over 100 pounds to the square inch throughout the county, 

rising to 165 pounds at Mellette and to 177 pounds at Redfield,. and diminishing 

to 50 pounds in the Glidden well, a short distance northwest of Hitchcock, where 

granite was reached. The principal features of the wells in Spink County are 

given in the following list:

lAst of artesian wells, by townships, in Spink County, S. Dak.

Township.

114

114

114

114

 --115 

116

116

116 

116

116

116

117

117

117

117 

117

117-

118

118

- 118

Range.

- 62

63

64

65

61 

61

62

 63 

64

64

64

60

61

62

63 

64

65

60

"61

. 62

Depth.

Feet.

890-1,000

909 and 1, 150

921

940

1,050 

940

910-920

895 

1,008

. 880-923 

960-1, 060

956

858-965

964

. 1, 025

897 and 957

952

950

908-1, 052 

957-987

890-955

850-986 ~920

873-988

863-1, 012

Average yield per 

minute.

Gallons.

30-1, 000

550 and I, 200

35

35

75

35-40 '

600

25-80

300

. 45-175

- 1,260

1,900

370 and 600

110

350

21-45

35-65

25-35

1,300

35-40

25-120

Remarks.

" 9 ' 

Pressures of 125 and 150 pounds. f

Pressure, 50 pounds.

Pressure, 87 pounds.

Blaine well. ) 

\ Frankfort. Town well. )

Kedfleld city wells, Nos. 2 'and 3.

Institution for feeble-minded. 

Pressure, 177 pounds (Bedfleld town well).

Well of Hassell & Myers in Kedfleld.

Pressure, 122 and 112 pounds (Doland town wells) .

Turton towi well.

0 
WELLS OF SPINK AND

List of artesian wells, by tmmship;

STANLEY COUNTIES, S. ,DAK. 263

i, in Spink County, S. Dak. Continued.

Township.

118 '118

118 'l!9

119

119

119

119

119 

120

120

120

120

120

Eange.

63

64

65

60

61

62

63

64

64 

60

62

63

64

65

Depth.

Feet.

870-882

870-1, 021

925, 1, 003

932, 960

891-925

825-970

910-975

920-958

920-1, 065

980, 1, 020 

. 960

950-1, 170

920

900-948

918

Average yield per 

, minute.

Gallons.

10-200

40-160

100 and 2, 000

. 36

. 30-150

2-60

-26-45

60-894

467-1, 320

1, 900 and 150

20-30

180

12-84

278

Remarks.

.

Pressures, 60 pounds and 150 pounds. C., M. anrt St. 

P. R. R. well, and mill well at Ashtbn.

Pressure, 150 pounds.

Pressure, 130 pounds. '

-Pressures, 141 pounds and 153 pounds.

Pressures from 156 to 165 pounds (Mellette town 

wells).

Northville wells. 

Well in" Conde.

*

Pressure, 120 pounds.

The records of borings in Spink County are very uniform. There are 800 feet or 

more of shales representing the Pierre, Niohrara, and Benton formations; the latter 

usualh' containing some thin beds of sandstone and limestone, with small flows. 

The'Dakota sandstone has not been penetrated deeply in the northern portion of the 

county. At its top there is usually a thick mass of sandstone and sometimes bodies 

of shale. In the southern part of the county, where the^ciystalline rock has been 

reached, the sandstone was found to be of variable thickness, being about 200 feet 

in the Glidden well a short distance northwest of Hitchcock, and only 150 feet in the 

Budlong well 5 miles northeast of Hitchcock. In both of .these places the sandstone 

was in thin layers separated by considerable shale, mostly of light color, in marked 

contrast to the - conditions in other wells not far distant, in which thick masses 

of sandstone were found, as, for instance, in the boring at Frankfort, in which 

200 feet in one nearly continuous mass was penetrated.

STANLEY COUNTY, 

Including northern part of Lower Brule Indian Reservation.

This county comprises an area of nearly 5,000 square miles in the central part 

of South Dakota, extending West from Missouri River Valley south of Cheyenne 

River, and in its southwestern portion reaching White River. Very nearly all of 

its area is underlain by the Pierre shale, except in small areas of overlying Fox 

Hills sandstone west of Grindstone Buttes, and along the eastern margin of the 

White River badlands formations in the southwest corner. Under the Pierre shale
264 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

there is the usual succession of Mobrara chalk, Benton shale, and Dakota sandstone, 

underlain to the 'cast by granite or quartzite and probably overlapping to the west 

onto the.eastern extension of some of the earlier Mesozoic and Paleozoic rocks that 

extend underground from the Black Hills region. - The beds appear to lie nearly 

level under the greater part of this county^ or to dip gently to the west.

The depth to the Dakota sandstone at Pierre is about 1,150 feet and gradually 

increases as'the land rises westward. In the northeast corner of the county, at the 

mouth of Cheyenne Kiver, the depth is probably about 1,250 feet. On this 

river, in the northwest corner of the county, the depth is probably nearly 2,000 feet, 

or possibly more, if there is any unusual thickness of the formations in this direction. 

In the southwest corner of the county, on White Kiver, ;the depth probably is 

somewhat greater and reaches very nearly 2,500 feet, and on the head of Bad River 

this amount must be considerably exceeded. On the high divide between the rivers 

the depths are from 300 to 500 feet greater than in the valleys:

Judging by the pressure of the waters in the wells at Pierre asid the probable 

increase in head to the west, flowing' waters may be expected in the large valleys and part of the way up the slopes all across the county, but it is exceedingly, important that a well be sunk in some portion of this outlying region to 

ascertain the head of the artesian waters in the country midway between Pierre 

and the Black Hills.

SULLY COUNTY.

Sully County extends eastward from Missouri Kiver part way across the high 

ridges lying between Okobojo and Medicine Knoll creeks. The highlands are 

covered more or less thickly by glacial drift and the entire region is underlain 

by a thick mass of Pierre shale. The-Dakota sandstone lies deep, even in Missouri 

Vallev, but has been reached by a number of wells and found to contain large 

volumes of water having sufficient head to afford a flow throughout the area. 

The following list indicates the principal conditions under which the waters are

obtained:

List of artesian wells in Sully Count//, S. Dale.

Location, etc.

Mr. Wadleigh, TM13, E. 79, SE. i 

sec. 32.

Oneida, town well, T. 114, B. 77, 

NW. i sec. 11.

Pearl Township "No. 2," T. 115, 

B. 79, SE. J sec. 3.

Pearl Township "No. 1," T. 115, 

B. 79, NW. i of NE. J sec. 28.

A. Hallam, T. H6, R. 78, sec. 19..

Depth.

Feet.

1,565

} 1, 717

1,645

1,781

1,595

Depth to 

water.

Feet.

1, 565

/ 1,560 

\ 1, 630

1,640

1,600

1,595

Diameter.

Inches.

- 3-2

}' 2

2

2

2

Average 

yield per 

minute.

Gallons.

200

1 Remarks.

'

Water saline.

Q c /Pressure 21 pounds; hard, no 

85 [\ gas.

20

65

85

Water soft, warm, gassy.

Pressure 25 pounds; soft, gassy.

Pressure 6.5 pounds; soft, gassy.
, ' WELLS OF SULLY COUNTY, S. DAK. " - 265 

The following records of.Sully County wells have been furnished:

Record of deep well in. T. 113, S. 79, SE. } sec. 32, Sully County, S. Dak.

Feet. '

0- 2.............. ....black soil and gravel. ' ; . "

2- 30... i .............. yellow clay, gravelly. .-

 30- 190.......'...........blue clay (part till). . . 

190- 610.................-.blue shale, with slabs.

610- 680. ................. black shale, with occasional slabs.

680- 720..'............... .coarse gravel.

' 720- 783.................".shale (?)! ,

783- 785.............:....very hard sandstone, with gas. , '

785-1,000..................blueshale, with "shells" of limestone.

1,000-1, 060..............'... .gray shale.

. 1,060-1,400..................blue shale, with some limestone and slate..

1,400-1,402..................hard stone. ' . ' 

1, 402-1,510..... .1.......... .shale and sandy streaks, with first flow at 1,402 feet.

1, 510-1,565...... .........'...fine sand rock, with hard shells; second flow, gas.

"Record of deep well in T. 114, R. 77, NW. \ sec. 11, the town of Onida, 'S. Dak.

Feet. -' - .... 

0- 3:........................... black soil.

3- 34............................yellow-clay.

34- 170............................blue clay and gravel pockets.

170- 950............................blueshale,°with hard shells.

950-1,200........................... .black shale, with slate.

' 1,200-1,260.......................\.....gray shale.

1,260-1,400............................blueshale. ' 

1, 400-1, 560............................shale, sandy in streaks. . '

1,560-1, '630...............'-............. sandstone, with a few hard "shells," first flow.

1, 630-1, 717.--.........................sand rouk, second flow.

Record of well No. '1, Pearl Township, Sully County, S. Dak. 

'Feet. i 

0- 3J.......................black'soiL

3- 34-.....:........:...,. ....yellow clay. ' .

34- 210........................'blue clay.

210- 968........................blue shale, with slabs 2 to 20 feet thick.

968- 970......-...-.........---..shaly limestone.

970-1,020..;......-..........;....shale. ~ .

1,020-1,028........................limestone.

1,028-1,080........................shale.

1,080-1,585.. ..................... .blue shale, streaks of gray shale, and limestone.

1,585-1, 780......."........-..-.-.. .sandstone; water; flows not definite.

1, 780-1, 781....;. .-. -....-..... ....very hard rock.
266 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Record of deep well No. 2, Pearl Township, Sully County, S. Dak.

Feet. 

0 - IJ.'.blaok soil.

~" 1J- 32 ..yellow clay. 

- . 32 - 200 ..blue clay (till and Pierre ?). 

200 - 210 ..sand. 

210 -1,240 ...shale, with hard layers. 

1,240-1,265 .."many hard layers of limestone." 

1,265 -1,295 . .hard cap rock. 

1,295 -1,525 ..shale, with few "shells" (i. e., hard streaks, some gray below, blue

and black above).

1, 525 -1,531 ..sandstone and water; no flow.

1,531 -1, 600 . .alternating shale and sand rock, 5 to 10-foot layers; water. 

1.600 -1,645 . .sandstone and flow of water, with gas. 

1, 645 -1, 646 . .very hard stone; probably granite.

TURNER COUNTY.

Turner County comprises a portion of Vermilion River Valley and the adjoining 

prairies to the summit of Turkey Ridge. Its surface is mostly covered with glacial 

drift which lies in thick masses On the higher lands. The Sioux quartzite rises in the 

north and northeast portions of the county, where it is 'exposed at a number of points 

and reached by numerous wells of moderate depth. To the south the drift is 

underlain by the Mobrara chalkstone and probably by more or less Pierre shale 

in Turkey Ridge. The Benton formation and Dakota sandstone underlie the central 

'and south portions of the county, and abut against the slope of Sioux quartzite, 

the edge of the younger formation probably extending for several miles northwest 

beyond the margin of the older one.

Owing to the diminished pressure of water in the Dakota sandstone, artesian 

flows, from this source are available in this county only in the southeast corner of 

Vermilion River Valle}*. There are, however, at numerous localities, small flows 

from the base of the drift at depths mostly of from 50 to 100- feet. A number of 

deep wells, which have been sunk in Turner County, have found in the Dakota sandstone water which rises several hundred feet, Hut not sufficiently to flow. One 

well 4 miles west by south of Hurley has a depth of 513 feet, passing through 

drift, 80 feet; chalkstone from 80 to 150 feet; Benton shales, 150 to 417 feet; and 

Dakota sandstone to the bottom, which apparently is in Sioux quartzite. At 

Hurley, a well passes through 35 feet of drift, 100 feet of chalk rock, and 2(35 

feet of Benton shale to. the top of the Dakota sandstone. North of this are a 

number of moderately deep wells which apparently obtain water supplies from 

sandstone at the base of the chalk rock, which is underlain at no great depth by 

Sioux quartzite.
WELLS OF UNION, WALWOKTH, AND YANKTON COUNTIES, S. DAK. , 267

UNION COUNTY.

The Dakota sandstone appears to underlie all of Union County, outcropping to 

the southeast in the bluffs on the Iowa side, near the mouth of Big Sioux Riyer. 

The sandstone has been-reached by a number of wells of moderate depth in the 

western portion "of the county, but the head of the artesian water is' so low thatthere are no surface flows.

WALWORTH COUNTY.

This county extends east from Missouri River, and, except for a narrow strip of 

bottom land, consists of highlands, with altitudes from 1,800 feet to slightly over 

2,000 feet. The altitude of the river bottom' is in the neighborhood of 1,500 feet, 

being 1,552 feet at Evarts. The county is underlain by Dakota sandstone, which 

has an altitude above sea level of about 300 feet in the eastern part and 150 feet in 

the western part.

Selby. A well recent!}' sunk at Selby reached the Dakota sandstone at a depth of 

1,747 feet, penetrated it to a depth of 1,897 feet, and obtained a flow of 17 gallons 

per minute, under sufficient pressure .to rise about 38 feet above the surface, or to 

1,915 feet above sea level. The first 90 feet in the well are glacial drift, below 

which are 1,662 feet of shales, comprising the Pierre, Niobrara, and Bentori formations. The diameter of the well is 1J inches inside. The water is alkaline and-tepid, 

and contains sufficient gas to afford a constant flame several feet high. The principal flow was from a depth of 1,880,feet. This well indicates that artesian waters 

are available in Walworth County up to altitudes slightly above 1,900 feet in the 

vicinity of Selby, with the head diminishing somewhat to the east, as indicated by 

the lower pressure at Ipswich, and increasing to the south, as shown by the head 

of 1,974 feet in the Gettysburg- well, in the adjoining county. These fac.ts would 

indicate that about half of the county is sufficiently low for a flow, while the ridge 

. north of Swan Creek, between Selby and Byron, together with some smaller areas, 

are too high for flowing wells.

YANKTON COUNTY.

Yankton County extends northward from Missouri River onto a region of rolling 

plains traversed \>j the valley of James River. The" higher lands are covered by 

glacial drift and the underlying formations appear only in bluffs along Missouri 

River. Nearly all of the area is underlain by Niobrara chalkstone, but this formation is cut through by the Missouri, below the mouth of the James, revealing the

. underlying Carlile shales of the Benton series. The entire count}^ is underlain by 

Dakota sandstone, containing a large volume of water, under pressure sufficiently

 great to afford flowing wells in" all the townships, except on the divide between
268 GEOLOGY AND UNDEBGEOUJSTD WATEE OF CENTEAL GEEAT PLAINS.

James River and Clay Creek and in the northeast corner of the county. Along 

the bottom lands of Missouri and James rivers these waters have been developed by 

numerous wells which obtain flows at moderate depths. There is considerable variation ih the volume of water, one well in Yanktori i93 feet deep having at one time 

produced 3,000 gallons per minute from-an 8-inch casing, while others in other portions of the district produce very much less, owing to locally increased compactness 

of the water-bearing rock and diminution of pressure. The decrease of pressure is 

gradual and regular from west to east across this county, owing to the fall of hydrostatic head toward the zone of leakage in the area in which the Dakota sandstone is 

at, or near, the surface in Union County and southward. The following list gives 

the principal features of the deeper wells in this county from which reports have 

been received:

List of artesian wells, by townships, in Ynnkton County, 8. Dak.

Township.

93

 93

93

93

94

94

95

95

 . 95

96

96

96

Range.

54

55

55-56

. 

57'

54

55

54

55

56

55

56

57

> Depth.

 Feet.

250-450

212-483

520, 521

493 

600

615 r 

942

672

524

500

521

400-475

530, 585

268-510 

435-648

545, 580

535, 554

266

544-640

145, 590

700

505

-Average 

yield per 

. minute.

Gallons.

- 6-120

36-140

95, 350

3,000 

' 1, 450.

880

 165

2,600

1,300

350

6-95

Many.

5-150 

3-100

8

Many.

90

43-80

Several.

Many.

5

Remarks.

Pressure, 10 to 60 pounds.

Pressure, 15-30 pounds.

Pressures, -45 and 49 pounds; several flows.

Excelsior Mill, Yankton; 8-inch; several flows; pressure, 52 

. pounds.

Fountain Roller Mill, Yankton; 6-inch; pressure, 48 pounds. x

City well, Yankton ;v 6-inch; pressure, 18 pounds. 

City well, deepened; no additional flow.

Asylum well near Yankton.

College Hill, Yankton; 2-inch well.

Cement company's well, near Yankton; 5 flows; 5-inch well; 

pressure, 50 pounds.

Whiting nursery, Yankton; 3-inch well; pressure, 49 pounds.

Small wells.

Pressures of 30 pounds or more.

Numerous small wells; pressure, 12 to 60 pounds,.

Three flows; pressure, 6 pounds.

Several flows.

First flow well.

Pressure, 15 pounds.

No flow.

Two flow. v -
WELLS OF YANKTON COUNTY, S. DAK. 269

One of the most noticeable features in .this table is the great variation in the 

volume of water in wells in the vicinity of Yankton. This is particularly "the case 

in the relatively small volume afforded by the city well at Yankton. In order to 

obtain a larger suppl}', this well was deepened some years ago from 625 to 942 feet, 

but no material increase of flow was obtained. It is stated that the last 44 feet were 

in crystalline''bed rock." In all of the deeper wells, several flows are found in 

sandstone beds occurring at intervals in alternation with clay beds in the Dakota 

formation. The thickness and position of these sandstone strata appear to be very 

variable. In general the deeper-seated waters are more uniform in volume and 

furnish large supplies, mainly in Yankton and its vicinity. Higher horizons furnish 

water for local use in many small wells, which are sunk only sufficiently deep to 

reach a moderate supply.

 In Yankton the waters are used to a considerable extent for power in mills, in 

some cases developing a pressure of 50 pounds to the square inch. The wells on the 

higher lands are considerably over 600 feet in depth, while those on the low lands 

near the river are of correspondingly less depth. The pressure varies,' partly on 

account of differences of altitudes of the wells, but gradually decreases to the east, as 

above explained. It is claimed that the pressure in-the wells is diminishing, and, as 

a very large amount of water has been flowing from them for many years; doubtless 

this is the case in portions of the area where wells are numerous. At one of the 

mills in Yankton the original pressure was 45 pounds, but. after the water had been 

flowing freely for two years it was found to be losing pressure. The practice was 

then begun of shutting off the flow when the mill was not running, since when the 

pressure has remained constant at 37 pounds. In many cases the apparent diminution of. pressure in the wells is due to t'he caving in of the lower portion, which cuts 

off the lower and stronger, flows, and' in some cases also to the fact that the pipes are 

corroded and permit the water to escape underground into strata where the pressure 

is less. ' 

The geologic conditions in the wells of Yankton Count}' are very similar to

those of Bon Homnie County, most of the borings beginning in the Niobrara chalk

rock,- passing into the Benton series at a depth of from 50 to 200 feet, and thence,

"through 300 feet of this series, to the Dakota sandstone. Some typical sections are

as follows: . Remrd of city well at Yaiikton, S. Dak.

, Feet. . - , . 

0- 25.......--.--....yellow clay.

25- 55..-.....-.--..-- .blue clay.

55-115 ................. chalk.

115-415.........--.--..Benton clays.

415-615............... .alternations of sandstone and clay, the latter predominating.

615-625.-. .1.............principal water-bearing horizon.

~ 625-898................ alternations of sandstone and clay.

898-942................. "granite."
270 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

In the asylum well, 3 miles north of the city, a very similar record was 

observed, with a large body of water-bearing sand extending from 609 to 672 feet. 

It is stated that in another well at the asylum the Sioux quartzite was reached at a 

depth of 825, feet. At the mill well, in Yankton, a somewhat- different series of beds 

was reportedv as the following record shows:

Record of mitt well, Yankton, S. Dak. 

Feet. 

0- 38...... soil, sand, and gravel.

-38-100......chalk.

100-126...... shale.

126-130......hard rock.

130-164......sand. .

" 164-229......shale.

229-254.... .'.sand.

254^389..\-.... shale.

389-489...... .sand and clay in alternating strata.

489-595......water-bearing sandstone yielding a flow of 1,450 gallons per minute

through a 6-inch casing; with a surface pressure.of 48 pounds to the

\ , square inch.

/ ' - . 

It is probable that the sand beds reported between 130 and 254 feet occur in

the other .wells in this vicinity, but were not reported. The upper sand stratum is 

probably the one that usually occurs a short distance below the Mobrara chalkstone, 

and the hard rock stratum doubtless a concretion such as 'characterizes the upper 

portion of the Carlile formation.

At the Yankton cement works, west of Yankton, the top of the Dakota formation 

appears to have been reached" at a,depth of 450 feet and penetrated 50 feet, yielding 

a flow of 1,300 gallons per minute through a 5-inch casing.

DEEP WELLS AXI) WELL PROSPECTS I1ST NEBRASKA.

WESTERN NEBRASKA.

' Under this head will be presented statements regarding the underground water 

conditions in the portion of the State which lies west of longitude-102°. The region. 

is in greater part covered by thick mantles of sands and clays of later Tertiary 

age, which have a thickness of several hundred feet and so hide the underlying 

formations that the geologic structure of the older water-bearing formations can 

not be ascertained, except in a general way. Although North Platte Eiver has cut a 

deep valley in the younger formations, it does not expose the underlying rocks, 

except in the extreme western portion of the State, where the Laramie sandstones are 

bared. In Colorado, not far south of the State line, South Platte Eiver cuts through 

to the Laramie formation which it exposes as far eastward as longitude 102° 30'.
WELL PROSPECTS IN WESTERN NEBRASKA. 271 

v

These exposures indicate that Kimball, Banner, Scotts'Bluff, and the greater parts of 

'Cheyenne and Deuel counties are underlain by the Laramie formation tying in a 

shallow synclinal trough.

°As the Laramie consists of sandstones which rise to a considerable altitude to 

the west, the area'which they underlie may yield artesian waters. A well sunk 

some years ago at Harrisburg, in the central portion of Banner County, to a depth of 

70ii feet, appears to have passed 500 feet or more into this formation, and although 

it found water, the head was not sufficient to afford a surface flow. At Gering, a 

well was sunk to a depth of 300 feet or more, which it is claimed afforded a vigorous 

flow of water for a short time, but was soon choked up with sand. The source of 

this water was undoubtedly a sandstone in the Laramie formation and its discovery 

is a most encouraging, circumstance. As Gering is 600, feet lower than Harrisburg 

it is much more likely that flowing waters would be found there.

The thickness of the Laramie beds is not known, but probably they thin rapidly 

to the north. They are underlain, by the Fox Hills sandstone and the Pierre~shale, 

which last may be expected, to be about 1,200 feet thick, and the usual succession of Niobrara chalk,- 200 feet, and Benton shales, 500 feet or more, tying on 

. the Dakota sandstone. It is almost certain that this sandstone lies at a very great 

depth in the region south of Niobrara River and under Pine Ridge to the north, 

but in the lowlands north of Pine Ridge-where the, Pierre shale is exposed it 

may be expected at a moderate depth. In northern Sioux County, along the 

valleys, the Dakota sandstone is probably not over 1,600 feet below the surface, 

but the land is probably too high for the sandstone to afford flowing wells. The.' 

well at Ardmore, -a short distance -north of the State line, reached a depth of 

1,500 feet, and was discontinued apparently only a short distance above the top of 

the Dakota sandstone. (See fig. 14, p. 224.) In the northern portion of Dawes 

County there is a synclinal basin .to the west and an anticlinal arch to the east, 

the Dakota sandstone tying more than 2,500 feet deep in the former and probably 

rising to within 1,100 feet of the surface in the highest part of the latter on 

White Kiver, "10 miles northeast of Chadron. . .

It is very unlikely that the head of the water in the ' Dakota sandstone is 

sufficiently great to afford' a flow in White River Valley north of Chadron, 

but there is considerable uncertainty as to the precise height to which the water 

should be expected to rise in this region. A- boring was made -a short distance 

north of Chadron to a depth of 1,800 feet, but was discontinued in the-Benton 

shale and sandstone, probably' 200 feet or more above the top of the Dakota 

sandstone, so that it was not successful.

In the lower portion of the Arikaree formation, which underlies all of the high 

divides of western Nebraska from Pine Ridge south, there is a supply of excellent
272 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

water which is available for pump wells from 200 to 500 feet deep. It is reached 

by numerous wells and affords an important source of water supply for cattle, and,. 

in some1 cases, for the irrigation of small'garden patches.', In the underlying Brule 

clays .of the White River group, water is almost entirely absent, although a small 

quantity is usually available in the basal Chadrbn sands which lie on the Pierce shales" 

to the north and on the Laramie formation to the south.

A well at Gordon, bored by the Northwestern Railroad, found considerable 

water at various depths from0 25 to 182 feet, but from 182 feet to the bottom at 

580 feet no further supplies were obtained. Apparently the base of the White 

'River group was not reached, so that .the basal Chadron beds were not tested.

Record of deep boring at Gordon, Nebr. 

Feet. . 

0- 12..firm gray clay. ' '

12- 151.fine yellow sand. ' . *.

15-40..hard sandy clay.

40-180..sandy clay, with some water. 

180-182..white sand,.considerable water.

182-580..sand and clay, the former predominating; in alternate layers. Colors, 

' white, yellow, and gray, with limestone concretions.

V i

CENTRAL NEBRASKA,

Comprising Blaine, Brown, Buffalo, Cherry, Custer, Dawson, Grant, Garfield, Hooker, Keith, 

Lincoln, Logan, Loup, McPherson, Sherman, Perkins, Thomas, and Valley counties.

Central Nebraska is so widely covered by Quaternary and Tertiary deposits that - 

the geology of the Cretaceous formations and the relations of the deeper underground 

waters are not known. No wells have yet been sunk sufficient!}7 deep to throw light 

on the prospects for obtaining water from the Dakota formation, but the greater 

part of the district is too high for flowing wells from this formation, which probably 

lies so deeply buried that a boring sufficiently deep to reach it would not repay its 

cost. There is considerable water in the Tertiary formations, which affords satisfactory supplies for many pump wells and in certain areas for artesian wells of 

moderate depth, for stock and domestic use, so that there is no great need for the 

development of further resources by deep wells.

Apparently the entire area is underlain by Pierce shale at no great depth, and 

this, in turn, is underlain by the usual succession of Niobrara chalk and Benton 

shales, lying on the Dakota sandstone. In the vicinity of longitude 99°, from ' 

Platte River to the Northwestern Railroad, this sandstone probably lies at a depth 

of about 1,500 feet below the surface. Probably it goes-no deeper to the northwest, 

because, apparently, there is a widespread local uplift covered by the Tertiary 

deposits under the region, in which the strata dip gently northeast into a very 

shallow basin.
WELLS OF CENTRAL NEBRASKA. . 273

Very few attempts have been made to reach the deep-seated waters in central 

Nebraska. It is claimed that at Kearney a well was sunk 2,600 feet, entirely in 

shale except for about 100 feet of superficial materials, but it is believed that the 

depth has been greatly exaggerated. It is probable that the top of the Dakota 

sandstone would be reached at a depth of 1,250 to 1,500 feet at Kearney; moreover, 

it is asserted that the apparatus at Kearney when the well was being sunk was not 

suitable for boring to any such depth. If the Dakota sandstone lies at a greater 

depth than 2,600 feet at Kearney, there must be in that vicinity a sudden downward 

pitch of the beds which should not be expected, considering the structure in 

Kepublican Valley and east Nebraska. . 

There are several wells of moderate depth north of Hyannis, from which there 

are abundant flows of soft water. The Abbott well, 10 miles northeast, is 475 feet 

deep, and has a 12-gallon flow under sufficient head to rise 11 feet above the surface. 

The Plumer well, 12 miles north of Hyannis, is 480 feet deep, with about the same 

conditions as the Abbott well. The Gently well, 14 miles north of Hyannis, is 500 

feet deep, and has a 10-gallon flow under several pounds-pressure. The BartlettRichards well is 300 feet deep, and has a 10-gallon flow which will rise over 10 feet, 

above the surface. All these wells are 1£ inches in diameter. They appear to draw 

their waters' from lower beds of the Arikaree formation, but possibly reach a lower 

horizon. A typical record is. as follows:

Record of well of A. J. Abbott, 10 miles northeast of Hyannis, Nebr. 

Feet. ' . ' 

0- 32...... '.............................................. sand.

32-200.... ^................................................blue clay.

200-250....................................................sandstone.

250-300....................................................quicksand.

300- ? .................................................. -.sandstone.

at 460......---.---...----..----.-....-.-.-.-.-..-.....-..very coarse red sand.

In 1896 a deep boring was made at Marsland, on the^banks of Niobrara

qo-> River, with the expectation of obtaining artesian water or finding some other 

product of value. It reached a depth of 927 feet and found nothing except a water 

supply of moderate volume, which rose to within 50 feet of the surface and is now 

pumped by a windmill. The following record has been furnished by the driller:

Record of boring at Marsland, Nebr. ' ^ 

Feet. ' 0- 5.--......---.---....-,....-..--.----..-.....clay.

5- 45....................................'. .'..'... -;gravel, clay, and sand.

45-51...... ..........-.-.'---......-...--..----...-hard rock.

51-151.......................~..:....-........'..."butte" rock. "

151-171...........-.-........--.-........:......-..slate.

171-250... ......'....... ...<-.......................rock and slate alternating.

10001 No. 32 05 18 - ' . .
274 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGBOUND WATER OP CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Feet.

at 250..................... '......'.................6 inches of coal.

250-280............................................ slate.

280-450............................................. rock.

450-470.............:......:..........-.....-...... slate.

at 470........................................... .6 inches of coal.

470-620............'...... .\........................rock.

at 750........................................... .6 inches of coal.

750-780............................................slate.

780-800.......... ....... I......................... very hard sandstone,- reddish.

800-900............................................ softer sandstone.

900-927............................................ harder sandstone.

It is reported that the slate was of a very light-blue color and that the sand rock 

varied from brown to deep red, gradually becoming harder and redder as the drilling 

continued. The coal at 250 feet and at 750 feet appeared to be hard and of unmistakable coaly nature. It is very difficult to interpret this well record, for the materials * v ~^ \ 

described below 151 feet strongly suggest the presence of the Laramie formation, and

are very unlike anything that we might expect to find'in the lower part of the Arikaree, 

Gering, Brule, or Chadron formations. If the beds are Laramie, this formation 

extends under the Tertiary formations from North Platte Valley near the State 

line, where its summit has an altitude of 4,000 feet, northeast with the same altitude, 

to Marsland. From here north,'however, the floor of the, Tertiary formations 

must drop rapidly, for it has an altitude of only about 3,600 feet at Crawford.

_ NORTHEASTERN NEBRASKA.

Under this heading will be comprised the region lying north of Platte and 

Loup rivers as far.west as longitude 99°. In this portion of Nebraska there is 

a thick mantle of Pleistocene deposits, but occasional outcrops of the underlying 

.rocks indicate that the structure is relatively simple, a regular succession of 

Pierre, Niobrara, Benton, and Dakota formations rising gradually to the east, 

the Dakota sandstone reaching the surface along Missouri River Valley from 

west of Omaha to the mouth of Big Sioux Eiver. The depth to this formation 

increases gradually to the west with the dip of the strata and the gradual rise 

of the land, but, for a wide area, the formation is usually within reach of deep 

well borings. Owing to the relatively low head of. the water to the southeast 

conditions favorable for flowing wells are found only in the lowlands along Missouri 

River above Ionia, in Niobrara and Ponca valleys, and possibly in Platte Valley 

from Fremont to Central City.

The waters of the Dakota sandstone have been explored in this region by a 

number of deep borings in Cedar, Knox, and Boyd counties, where, on the lowlands, they afford flowing wells of excellent water>in large volume. At O'Neil
WELLS OF NORTHEASTERN NEBRASKA. 275

they appear to have been reached by the deep boring made some years ago, but 

the land was too high for them to flow. At Norfolk a boring was sunk to 472 

feet, which is claimed to have passed through the chalk and shales for 60 to 70 

feet and into sandstone; in .this, although water was found, it would not rise 

nearer the surface than 100 feet. It is probable that the well did not reach the 

Dakota sandstone, though possibly there is a local uplift in this region that 

brings~this sandstone nearer the surface than would be expected. At Tilden "a 

large amount of water which rises to within 90 feet of the surface is obtained 

from a well "more than 400 feet deep." Judging from the pressures in the 

wells to the north, it is probable that the head of the water in the Dakota 

sandstone is not sufficient to afford a .flow in. Elkhorn Valley, at least not as : far 

west as Norfolk. In the region where the Dakota sandstone is at or near the 

surface many wells have been sunk which usually obtain large volumes of water, 

and the water-bearing character of the formation is further shown by the occurrence of frequent springs, some of which are of great volume. It is the escape 

of the water in the outcrop of the formation eastward that so greatly diminishes 

the head that it has farther west. This is illustrated very clearly in Missouri 

Valley, from Yankton to Ionia, where the pressure, decreases rapidly as the outcrop 

of the sandstone is approached. The last of the flowing wells are some distance 

west of Ionia, where the pressure is scarcely sufficient to lift the water above the 

level of the river.

The artesian area extends west for many miles up Missouri River Valley and 

for some distance up Niobrara and Ponca valleys. It is not ascertained just now 

far up these valleys artesian flows are obtainable, but apparently they may be 

expected in Niobrara Valley nearly as far west as Rock County, in Ponca Valley 

nearly to the State line, and in Keyapaha Valley possibly for a few miles above 

the confluence of that valley with the Niobrara.

' List of artesian and deep wells in Knox County, Nebr.

Location.

T.31,R. 6, sec. 29. .............

T. 32, R 6, sec. 12 ..............

T. 32, R. 7, sec. 21.... ..........

T. 33. R. 2. sec. 13 .. ~ .........

Depth.

Feet. 

770

548'

656

600

500

. 700

Diameter.

Inches. 

2

2

8

2

2

2

Average 

yield per 

minute.

Gallons. 

14

240"

1,900

280

Manv.

Pressure 

to square 

inch.

Pounds. 

34

82

95

107

No flow.

Remarks.

Pressure diminished to 11 

pounds.

Pressure 120 pounds in 1896.

now, owing to leak. 

In progress. No flows expected. 

200 feet above Missouri River.
276 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATEE OF- CENTRAL GKEAT PLAINS.

List of artesian and deep wells in Knox County, Nebr. Continued.

Location.

T.33,E. 2, sec. 15...... ........

T. 33, E. 2, sec. 16-.. ............

T. 33, R. 2, sec. 17..............

T. 33, E. 2, sec. 19 ..............

T. 33, E. 2, sec. 20. .............

T. 33, R. 3, sec. 13 ..............

T.33,E. 3, sec. 15. .............

T.33,E. 3, sec.16..... ............ 

Santee Agency ................

T>o.. .....................

T. 33, E. 8, sec. 18.... ..........

Depth.

feet. 

405, 425

395, 400

400

550

650

504

400

400 

600+

604

740

700

Diameter.

Inches. 

2

1-2

2

. 2

41-

2

2

2 

6

3

8

2

Average 

yield per 

acre.

Gallons. 

9

3-9

3

10

' 30

2

8

1,699

420'

Pressure 

to square 

inch.

Pounds. 

14

11

25

64

Few

Few.

Few. 

Few

Few

55

Remarks.

age.

pressure.

Leaks. - Do.

Pressure now 27 pounds and 

. yield 800 gallons.

to leakage. 3 flows.

List of artesian and deep wells in Cedar County, Nebr.

Location.

T.-32, E. IE .................

T. 32, E. 2 E .................

Do.......................

Do .......................

Do .......................

T. 32, E. 3E .................

Do.......................

Do.......................

Do............. ..........

T. 33, E. 1 E .r ................

T. 33, E. 1 W. ................

St. Helena. .....*..............

Depth.

Feet. 

535

241

300-400

400-500

500-600

40

245-300

300-400

530-600

360-630

365-648

4fifi

Diameter.

Inches. 

3

2

2

2

0

2

2

2

 2

-t i n it-*

11 _ ql

Average 

yield per 

minute.

Gallons. 

2

- 2-60

- Few.

Few.

1J-31J

Few.

5-25

7-44

Pressure 

to square 

inch.

Pounds.

Few.

Few.

Few

5 16

4-16

Few.

8-15

Remarks.

den. Temperature 60°.

about 60°.

poses.

Temperature 58° to 60° . Water

used for stock and domestic 

purposes.

Temperature 59°.

ture about 60°. Used for 

stock and domestic purposes.

Temperature 58° to 60°. Used

for stock and 'domestic purposes.

Wntpr nt 4OO fppf
WELLS OF NORTHEASTERN NEBRASKA.

'List of artesian wells in Dixbn County, Nebr.

277

Location. Depth. Diameter.

"Average 

yield per 

minute.

Pressure

to square

inch.

Remarks.

Feet. Inches. Gallons. Pounds. 

T. 31, R. 6, sec. 20............. 484 ' 3 Few. ........ Flowed 3 weeks, now-3 feet.

T. 32, R. 4, sec. 19 ............. 300 2-li. 2 Few. Two wells.

T. 32, R. 4, sec. 28 ............ 177 2 Few.. Few.

Do....................... 277-290 . 2 Few. 54-8 Do.

T. 32, R. 4, sec. 29"......,..... 280 2 1 8 Pressure. 2 pounds now.

T. 32, R. 4, sec. 34 ............ 300 2 1 Low. Leaks. '

T. 32, R. 5; sec. 28 ............ 265 . 2 ......... 10 First flow at 160 feet. .

T. 32, R. 5, sec. 32 ............ 265 2 38 Pressure 2 pounds now.

Do ....................... 400' 2 3 . 12J Flowed 50 gallons originally.

Record of artesian well at St. .Helena, Cedar County, Nebr. 

.Feet. 

0- 25.......... chalky limestone.

25-59..........shale. . . .

59-329..........dark-blue clay. . ,

329-369.......... shale. '

369-418.....".... .black shale with hard layers, and beds of lignite 6 inches thick at

399 feet and at 418 feet. 

418-466..........sand with flow, underlain by clay. Principal flow is from 420 feet.

Record of artesian well at Santee Agency, Knox County, NeOr. 

Feet. 

0- 23.............................. soil.

23-240............................-.Niobrara chalk rock, some blue clay.

240-445:............................ .Carlile blue shale with thin layers of pyrites.

445-502..........-.-..;-...-.-.......Greenhorn limestone.

502-600........------...-.-.--..-.-. sandstone with large flow of water.

This well is 143 feet above Missouri River.

Record of artesian well at packing house, Niobrara. Nebr. 

Feet. . 0- 70.................. .-.soil and sand.

70-200........---.-.... .-.Nlobrara chalk rock. . - . .

200-410......:......-..---.Carlile shales with thin layers of pyrites.

410-442.....................Greenhorn limestone. - . ,

442-520--...--....."..-.---.Graneros dark shale.

520-600.1. ..............1..Dakota sandstone with 1,900-gallon flow in 8-inch well.

This well is reported to have a pressure of 95 pounds to the square inch. 

Another report gives 120 pounds and a depth of 645 feet, but probably these 

relate to another well. It is 40 feet above- the river and furnishes power for a 

flour mill.
278 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAIJNS.

Record of well on ranch of John Lytle, % miles east of Herrick, Knox County, Nebr.

Feet.

0- 6.--.-........-.---.--....----..*..soil. . ;

6- 88................................ .Niobrara chalk rock.

88-380.................................Carlile shales with some sandstone layers.

380-400................................. Greenhorn limestone.

400-490.........-...-.--......-.------..Graneros dark shale.

490-530................................ .Dakota sandstone and clay.

Record of new artesian vxll at Lynch, Nebr. 

Feet. 

0- 18........sand and gravel.

18-105........ Pierre clay.

105-300........Niobrara chalk rock, sandy and hard below.

300-588........Carlile shale with beds of pyrites.

588-610........Greenhorn limestone.

610-700........Graneros shales.

700-923.. rr.... Dakota sandstone and clay alternating; four or five different flows.

This well has a flow of 3,100 gallons a minute from an 8-inch casing, with a 

pressure of 85 pounds to the square inch. A first flow was found at 740 feet 

and a second at 875 feet.

The first well at Lynch was 797 feet deep, 4^-inch bore, and produced 465 

gallons with 52 pounds pressure. The power has been utilized in running a 

flouring mill. The well is shown in PI. LXVI1. The pressure is sufficient to 

raise water to an altitude of 1;590 feet above sea level, which indicates that 

flowing water is available from deep wells up Ponca Valley to Spencer and up 

Niobrara Valley nearly to Badger. If the pressure increases west in the same 

ratio as it does from the east, about 5 feet per mile, the artesian area should 

be expected to continue farther west than these points.

Record of deep boring at Dannebrog, Howard County, Nebr. 

Feet. 

0- 8............................clay.

8- 12............................sand.

12- 26............................sandy clay.

26- 41............................red clay.

41 - 56............................sand and gravel.

56- 94........................... .clay, yellow and darker.

94-104............................sand and gravel.

104-118............................soft sandy lime rock.

118-132...... ......................soft red sandstone.

132-135..... .......................sand.

135-161............................shale, yellow, sticky.

161-211............................shale, blue. ' ' 

211-401. ........................... shale, black.
WELLS OF NORTHEASTERN NEBRASKA. 279

Feet. ' " . 401- 426............................sandy shale, gray; small, flow at 426 feet.

426- 626............................shale, blue.

626- 776............................shale, light blue.

776-1,001............................shale, soft, sticky, black.

1,001-1, Oil............................shale, harder.

Record of boring at Norfolk, Madison County, Nebr. 

Feet. 

0- 20.......................................soil and clay.

20- 35........................:..:...........quicksand with water.

; 35- 95...................................... .chalk rock with water to 7 feet. -'

. 95-395............'...........................blue shale.

395-398...................................... .sandstone with water to 20 feet.

398-402.......................................shale.

402-472. ....I................................ .sandstone with water to 100 feet.

At Monroe, on Loup River, a 4-inch boring has been made for artesian water 

to a depth of 580-feet without obtaining water below the supply which lies near 

the surface. Shale was entered under 90 feet of sand, gravel, and clay, and found 

thence to be the prevailing material. Some hard layers of sandstone and pyritiferous white rock were encountered, and the boring was abandoned, owing to the 

drill getting fast in one .of them. Doubtless this boring had penetrated the 

Niobrara formation and the greater part of the Benton group, so that it would 

have reached the Dakota sandstone at no great distance. As shown on PI. IAK, 

it is estimated that the head of the water in the Dakota sandstone at Monroe is 

somewhat over 1,500 feet, and, as the boring is at an elevation of about 1,525 feet,' 

there is possibility that an artesian flow would have been obtained. It is unfornate that the sandstone was not reached, so as fully to test its capabilities in this 

region.

A deep boring at Albion attained a depth of 827 feet, when it was discontinued by accident to the drill. It is stated that the entire distance was in shale; 

which represented a portion of the Pierre, probably all of the Niobrara, and part 

of the; formations of the Benton group.

At Ericson a boring about 750 feet deep was all in shale, and found no water.

Many years ago a deep boring was made at Ponca in exploring for coal, oil, 

gas, and water. It began in the Dakota sandstone and reached a depth of 498 feet. 

Only a few facts have been supplied as to its record. From 420 to 450 feet it is 

reported to have passed through sandy shale and' green clay, and from ,455 to 498 

through limestone, probably all of the Pennsylvania division of the Carboniferous. 

Nothing of value was, obtained and the boring was abandoned.
280 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

In the vicinity of Omaha a number of deep wells in the Carboniferous limestones have found a supply of water of excellent quality, having sufficient head 

to afford surface flows over a wide area. The depths vary from 664 to 1,845 

feet, there being several flows which vary considerably in head' and distribution.' 

The following is a list of the principal wells:

List of artesian wells in Omaha, Nebr.

Location.

Thirty-second and O streets. . . :

Depth.

Feet. 

664

1,044

1,800

1,845

. 1, 120

1,065

1-, 700

1,115

1,303

1,383

1, 310

840

998

Diameter.

Inches.

10-6

6-5

Average 

yield per 

minute.

Gallons. 

125

800

Many.

600

Many.

500

70

Height of 

water.

Feet. 

+ 52

+ 65

- 70

50

138

+ 100

Flows.

-f 35

Flows.

142

+40(?)

Remarks.

Temperature 58°. . '

Flows at 650 and 800 feet also;

temperature 55°.

Temperature 62°. ^

perature.60°.

PI. LXII shows the area near Omaha in which artesian waters will afford 

flows and gives some further information regarding them. Some of the wells on 

the higher lands have reached water, but do not flow on account of the insufficiency of the head to cany the water more than about 1,150 .feet above 

sea level. 0 One of the most remarkable wells in the area, located on the property 

of Doctor Miller at Deer-field, 7 miles west of Omaha, is 1,430 feet deep, 10 inches 

'in diameter, has a pressure of 15 pounds, and is said to flow over a million

gallons a day.

SOUTHEASTERN NEBRASKA. 

Under this heading is comprised the portion of the State lying south of Platte 

River and east of the ninety-ninth meridian. This region consists of two distinct 

geologic, provinces, having on the west of Blue River a wide area of smooth plains 

with a few wide shallow valleys, and on the east a country of rolling hills separated 

 by numerous valleys. The plain to the west is covered by loess lying on Cretaceous 

clays. The hilly region to the east is mantled by glacial drift lying mostly on 

Dakota sandstone to the west and Carboniferous limestone to the east.
S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL.LXII

Area of flow from wells 

565-lsoofeetdeep

Areain which walersurfaceis 

more than 10O feet deep below 

ground in wells 75O-160O feet deep

CONTOUR MAP OF OMAHA AND VICINITY SHOWING RELATIONS OF ARTESIAN WATER

BYN. H.DAKTON 19O4

SCALE

JULIUS BIEN RCO.LITM N.Y.
WELLS OF SOUTHEASTERN NEBRASKA. '281 

WELLS TO DAKOTA SANDSTONE.

The entire region is relatively well watered above ground and has numerous 

shallow wells drawing waters from coarse beds at the base of loess or drift. In the 

belt of country in which Dakota sandstone immediately underlies the drift exceptionally good water supplies are obtained from the sandstone in wells mostly from 

60 to 150 feet deep. The Dakota sandstone, with its great store of underground 

waters, descends to the west, passing under -Benton and other Cretaceous shales, and 

lies over a thousand feet below the plains surface in Adams County. West of the 

ninety-seventh meridian its water supplies have not been developed,, partly on 

account of their depth, and because they do not have sufficient head to afford surface 

flows. The formation probably was reached in the 1,145-foot well at Hastings, but 

its capabilities were not tested, as abundant supplies are obtained in the gravels 

nearer the surface. The following record of the boring has been given:"

Record of deep boring at Hastings, Nebr.

Feet. ' . .- . . 0- 100.....................................soil and loess.

100- 160 ................;............."..... .gravel and sand, full of water.

160- 164................'..........'.......... .clay, with boulders, very compact.

164- 224....................................gravel and sand, full, of water.

224- 230...................... .............'1 yellow clay.

o

230- 940..-....-..-..-:..-..--.-..--.... ...'.blue shale, gray near top.

at 940............... 1 ..".............: ... .strong salt water to 300 feet.

 940-1,144. --........-....'..--......'..........blue shale.

1,144-1,145 ............. ......-.....-...... --. .fine round sand; water probable.

According to another authority the total depth was l,346i feet, the lower 370 

feet being reported as "soft shale limestone with sand and gravel containing 

seashells at 1,300 feet." Hard limestone li feet thick .was reported at 775- feet, 

soft limestone and shale from 776 to 801£ feet, and light shale and lime rock from 

. 930i to 976i feet. The great body of shale above was stated to be hard from 250 to 

500 feet, and soft from 500 to 775 feet. Both of these records indicate a steep 

inclination of the beds north from Republican Valley, as well as west from Lancaster 

County. .

Some years ago a boring 610 feet deep was made at Seward, without success, in 

the hope of obtaining an artesian flow. The following is its record:,

, Record of boring at Seward, Nebr. 

Feet. . ' . . 

0- 4......-.:..-...,-...-... .................................soil.

4-56.... l...........-..--..-...--; ............... -- .-.---.....blue clay.

56- 60..................... .'.............-........'...........-I.sand.

; ' a Water-Sup, and Irr. Paper No. 12, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1898, p. 38.
282 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Feet.

60-385...........-..........-..........:...-.... '. .... A........blue clay.

385-392..........................................................sand and gravel.

392^492.............................:...........................blue clay.

492-610......................................................... "red ocher."

Probably the red material from 492 to 610 feet is red sandstone of the Dakota 

formation, here too fine grained to yield a water supply. It is unfortunate that the 

boring was not deepened to lower beds in which there are better prospects for water.

About .ten years ago a boring was made at the Russian mill just south of York, 

and at a depth of 530 feet a flow was found which it is claimed spouted 2 feet above 

the top of a tube extending M feet out of the ground. A small flow was found at 

290 (or 390?) feet. A somewhat uncertain record reports clay or fine sand to 93 feet, 

sand and gravel 93 to 100 feet, shale for some distance from 199 feet down, and at 

the bottom a sandstone which presumably is Dakota sandstone.

At Beaver Crossing, in the southwest portion of Seward County, artesian waters 

are found in West Blue Valley, from 6 miles below the town to about the same 

distance above. The wells are 90 to 14:0 feet in depth, nearly every farmer having 

one or more. The water may be derived from the Dakota sandstone by leakage 

from a considerable depth, and possibly the formation may be uplifted somewhat, 

but more likely the water is from the younger formations. In Jefferson, Gage, 

Saunders, and western Cass counties the Dakota sandstone is reached at many points 

by wells varying in depth upward to 300 feet. In some cases formations of the 

overlying Benton group are penetrated, and in others the drift or loess deposits. 

In nearly all localities an abundant water supply of excellent quality is obtainable.- 

Owing to the low level of the outcrops of the formation in these counties the water 

does not reach the surface, but generally it rises considerably above the level at 

which -it is found. In PI. LXIII there is shown the depth to the top of the Dakota 

sandstone in Lancaster Count}-, based on a detailed canvass, made by J. E. 

Macfarland in 1896, of all the wells within its borders.

The city water supply for Lincoln is obtained from pumping stations in the 

city limits, which draw from wells from 50 to 14:0 feet deep sunk in the Dakota 

sandstone. In the western portion of the city the waters are somewhat salty, but 

in.the east, whence the present supply is drawn, the quality is satisfactory.

WELLS IN CARBONIFEROUS AND OLDER ROCKS.

In southeast Nebraska the Carboniferous rocks which underlie the Dakota 

sandstone rise to the surface. These .older rocks have been bored into at several 

points for water and other minerals, with varying results. The best known 

borings are at Lincoln, where salt water was obtained in several wells. The 

deepest boring was sunk by the State, at the edge of the salt lake on the
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO.32 PL.LXlll

MAP OF LANCASTER COUNTY, NEBR. JUUIJS1"""

SHOWING DEPTHS TO DAKOTA SANDSTONE, WHICH USUALLY YIELDS ABUNDANT WATER SUPPLIES

Scele of miles

LEGEND 

U to 50 feet K Jt 150 to ZOO feet.

B(l " ICO 

 3 100 » 15(1

2OO ' 25O 

250 ' ."!(«)

Waters aLsoare foundinsatisfiic.lwrysupplie6mtlie ovedying glacial drift

Lilt tHrir occurrence is too irregular for representation on « map.

19O4
WELLS OF SOUTHEASTERN NEBRASKA. 283

western side of the city. The following record is given, mainly on authority of 

.Mr. B. P. Russell," who examined the borings and deposited them in the Museum 

.of the State University.

Record of bormg 1 mile west of the post-office, Lincoln, Nebr. 

Feet.

0- 25..soil, sand, and 'gravel. 

25- 269..sandstones, sands and clays, with brine 21° at 119 feet and 35° at 195

feet. - . 

269-1,099..limestones and shales with occasional beds of sandstone. Brine, 12° at

600, and 16° at 828 feet.

1,099-1,813. .magnesian limestones, .probably in greater part of Mississippian age, 

15 feet of sandstone, 1,218 to 1,233 feet, and 13 feet of red shale, 

1,427 to 1,440 feet. 

1,813-1,847.. very fine blue limestone................................ 1

1,847-1,867. .heavy dark magnesian limestone........--.......':..... /Trenton ?'

1,867-1,947..very fine blue limestone..........--.-.----....-....--.]

1,947-2,008..sandstone (St. Peter?).

2,008-2,121..magnesian limestone. * 

2,121-2,192..red sandstone (Potsdam ?).

2,192-2,463..quartzite and metamorphosed shale, with quartz veins. Color,-dark- 

- red to flesh (Sioux quartzite ?).

The principal flow of water, which is very saline, is from a reddish sandstone in the Carboniferous - limestone at 600 feet. A similar flow is obtained 

at a depth of 570 feet at the Sanitarium in Lincoln, and at 560 feet in the 

1,050-foot well in the post-office square. In the State well at the salt lake, 

another saline flow was obtained at a depth of 828 feet. The pressure of water 

at the sanitarium is 1.5 pounds to the square inch.

A number of borings have been sunk in the Carboniferous formations in the 

region south and southeast of Lincoln. One of these, at Beatrice, having a depth 

of 1,200 feet, yields a small flow; two others on farms in the vicinity of that city, 

found small supplies of water at depths of about 1,240 feet. At Nebraska City 

there are several wells, which yield mineral waters from 448 to 570 feet in depth. 

One well 448 feet deep, 4 inches in diameter, yields a flow of 20 gallons an hour, 

rising 6 feet or more above the .surface. Another similar well is 5 miles north of 

the town o°f Loyds.

The water of the mineral well at Nebraska City is reported to contain 400 grains 

of solid matter per gallon, of w.hich nearly half is sulphate of soda and 174 grains 

is common salt, with small amounts of magnesia, lime, potash, and lithia. At 

Tecumseh, in Johnson - County, a diamond-drill boring 520 feet in depth, for 

coal, was unsuccessful, and no water was reported. Samples of the formations

agixth Bien. Kept. Com. Public Lands and Buildings to Governor of Nebr., 1888, pp. 57-84.
284 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OP CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

traversed are -preserved in the court-house. There were similar experiences at 

Dubois, in Pawnee County, with a 562-foot boring; at- Falls City, in Richardson 

County, with a 1,300-foot boring; and 2 miles west .of Rulo, in Richardson County, 

with a 1,370-foot boring. .A 725-foot boring, at-Hubbell, in Thayer County, is 

said to obtain some water but no flow. At Brownville a test boring for coal was ' 

sunk to a depth of 1,001 feet, in which the rocks penetrated were shales, limestones, 

and sandstones. A coal bed 8 inches thick was found at a depth of 93 feet, one 

of 14 inches at 242 feet, one of 10 inches at 376 feet, and one of 30 inches at 820 

feet. Flows of salty water were found with the coal at 242 feet, and in magnesian 

limestone at depths of 599 and 820 feet..

In 1891 a 4-inch diamond-drill boring was sunk 500 feet in the northeast corner 

of sec. 4, T. 2 N., R. 2. 3 miles northeast of Fairbnry, to explore for coal. The 

following materials are reported:

Record of boring near Fairbury, Nebr. 

 Feet. 

, 0- 25................soil and sandstone.

25- 65................fire clay.

' 65-125............... .mixed clay, red, white, and yellow; micaceous.

125-225................ dark clay with 4 or 5-foot bed of impure 1 ignite 'near middle.

225-233................ dark-gray soft sandstone.

, 233-238................ sandstone with salt water, 30 per cent. - ,' ...

238-475...... i.........limestone.

475-500...----......:. .flinty rock with salt water.

The salt water at 500 feet flows from the 4-inch casing in a stream rising 

6 inches above the top of the hole and sometimes much higher. This boring began 

in the Dakota formation, which apparently continued to a depth of 235 feet.

In the boring at Dubois in Pawnee County it is reported" that the formations 

to 532 feet were an alternation of red and black shales and magnesian limestone. 

At 552 feet a.crystalline rock was found which was penetrated to 562 feet. Much 

of it is flesh-red color and it has a hardness of about 6 on the mineral scale. Its 

chief ingredient is feldspar with particles of hornblende or pyroxene, and hematite. 

Probably it is an intrusive rock in the Carboniferous, although possibly part of the 

pre-Cambrian "bedrock." There is some doubt whether the sample really came 

from the boring. . . °

 SOUTHERN NEBRASKA.

Under this heading there is presented a description of the underground water 

conditions in Republican Valley, from Nuckolls County westward to Chase and 

Dund}-. counties. This region is extensively covered by Pliocene and Quaternary 

deposits, which form a mantle often 100 feet thick in the valleys and over the highF. W. Russell, Am. Geologist, vol. 1, pp. 130-131.
DEEP WELLS AND WELL PROSPECTS OF SOUTHERN NEBRASKA. , 285

lands. The underlying formations are Pierre shale to the west, from under which 

there rise in succession to the east the. Mobrara and the Benton formations. Under 

the Benton lies the Dakota sandstone, which undoubtedly continues to the western 

margin of the State, where it lies at a depth of over 2,500 feet. In Nuckolls and 

Webster counties the formations appear to dip gently to the north and, as the land 

rises to the west, the top of the Dakota sandstone gradually sinks to a depth of about 

1,000 feet in the "northwest corner of Webster County, and 500 feet on. RepublicanRiver east of Rivevton. West of this place the formations rise, at about the same 

rate as the rise of the land, toward an anticline crossing the valley near Cambridge, 

which extends from Kansas across the south portion of Nebraska, and probably far 

to the north. West of Indianola the strata sink again at a rate of about 16 feet to 

the mile near McCook and probably at a somewhat less rate west'Of Culbertson. On 

the eastern slope and crest of the anticline, from Cambridge to Bloomington, the 

Dakota sandstone lies about 500 feet below the surface in Republican Valley and 

correspondingly deeper on the adjoining highlands. A short distance west of 

Indianola the sandstone is probably about 1,000 feet below the surface; at Culbertson 

1,500 feet; and at Benkelman 2,250 feet, as nearly as can be estimated from the data 

obtained.

Whether the sandstone will yield flowing wells in Republican Valley remains to 

be determined. Undoubtedly the water will come near to the surface throughout, 

but, judging from the low head in the wells in northwest Kansas, flows can not be 

deiinitel3T predicted for Republican Valley. The only deep well so far reported is 

one at McCook, having a depth of only 400 feet 800 feet less than the estimated 

depth to the Dakota sandstone. The materials overlying the Dakota sandstone of 

Republican Valley are the limy shales and the limestone of the Mobrara formation 

and the dark shales, with thin sandstones and limestones, of. the formations of the 

Benton group. West of Indianola, the Niobrara is overlain by Pierre shale, which 

gradually thickens to at least 1^000. feet at the Colorado State line. These materials 

are all difficult to penetrate in well boring and, in order to attain a depth of 1,000 

feet or more, it is usually found necessary to 'begin with casing of large diameter, 

10 inches at least, and to use several strings of casing down to 4-inch. - . 

DEEP WELLS AND WELL PKOSPECTS IN CENTRAL AND WESTERN

KANSAS.

GENERAL CONDITIONS. 

The greater part of Kansas is underlain by nearly level sedimentary rocks, 

several members of which are water bearing. The central, northern, and western 

portions of the State are underlain by the Dakota sandstone, which appears to 

contain water throughout its course. It has been developed to a moderate extent in
286 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

areas in -which it lies not far below the surface, but in the northwest corner of the 

State, where there is great need for water, no wells have yet been sunk sufficiently 

deep fully to ascertain its resources. -During the last year drilling operations have 

been begun, in this section to explore for oil and gas and may go sufficiently deep to 

test thoroughly the underground-water problem. Probably the greatest depth to 

the Dakota sandstone will be found to be not over 2,500 feet in the northwest 

counties; in an extensive area of the central-northwestern counties the depth is 

between 1,000 and 1,500 feet. Owing to the low altitudes of outcrops to the east 

and south the Dakota waters have but little head, and flows should be expected only 

in the lowest valleys.

The Red Beds which underlie the Dakota sandstone in the greater part of central 

and western Kansas contain much rock salt and gypsum, so that the waters which 

they yield in most localities are too highly mineralized to be useful, a condition 

found also in the shales into which these Red Beds merge in central and north-central 

Kansas. In the underlying limestones to the east, water supplies are scarce and in 

most cases unsatisfactoiy, as shown by the results of numerous deep borings for oil 

and gas.

BOKINGS IN CENTRAL AND WESTERN KANSAS.

The following list comprises all borings in Kansas west of the ninety-seventh 

meridian that appear to throw light on the deeper seated underground waters, 

especially those in the Dakota sandstone. The list is thought to be nearly complete, for it is the product of an extended canvass of the region.

List of deep borinys in Kansas west of the ninety-sixth meridian.

Location.

Town.

Do...........

Banner (near) ....

Cactus (6 miles 

south).

Caldwell .........

County.

Wabaunsee ......

.....do ..........

Keno ............

Mitchell. ........

Trego ...........

Rush ............

Phillips .........

Depth.

Feet. 

1, 260 

2,000

1,912 

2,335

1,000 

638 

438 

1, 403 

480

800

Formations penetrated.

Permian and Carboniferous.

.....do ..............

Red beds and Carboniferous.

Dakota to Permian. . . 

Niobrara and Ben ton . 

Graneros to Permian. 

Niobrara and Benton.

Results, etc.

Mineral flow. 

Salt water and gas.

Do.

Salt well.

Salt. 

Salt water. 

No water supply. 

Flow of salt water.

Salt well with some 

water.

feet. 

i salt
DEEP WELLS AND WELL PROSPECTS OF KANSAS. 

List of deep borings in Kansas west of the ninety-sixth meridian Continued.

287

. Location.

Town.

Canton (5 miles 

northeast).

Cawker City (2 

miles northeast). . .

Cawker City (10 

miles north).

Cedarville (near) .

Danby (6 miles 

southwest) .

Dodge City (1J 

miles east).

Elkador ..........

Elkador (7 miles 

south).

Ellsworth ........

Do...........

Fall River ........

Do...........

Garden City (J 

mile north west).

Garden City (8 

miles south).

Great Bend (4 

milesnortheast).

Hays ( 14 miles 

south).

Hill Citv (3 miles 

from)"

Howard ..........

County.

Mitchell.i... ....

1 Jp wfjll

Smith ..:........

Ford............

Scott ............

.....do ..........

.....do ..........

.....do ..........

.....do ........... 

Gove ."...........

TTflYTlpT

Ellis ............

" Greeley .......'..

Elk.......:.....

Jewell...........

Decatur .........

GOVR .__'__

D.epth.

Feet. 

500

468

416

400+ 

225-300 

385

800

408 

500

1, 300 

2,005

. 503 

1, 100+ 

' \ 986 

1,480 

1, 000+

1,250

501 

1, 365

1,000 

1, 177

400 

1,350

(1, 000- 

. \1, 410

800+ 

432 

1,050 

400

Formations penetrated.

Dakota and Permian. . 

Benton and Dakota. . .

.....do ..............

Niobrara a>nd Benton. 

Ben ton and Dakota. . . 

.....do ..............

Dakota and Permian . . 

Niobrara and Benton.

.....do :.............

Permian and Carboniferous.

.....do ..............

.....do ..............

.....do ..............

.....do ..............

Benton to Permian. . .

Tertiary to Red Beds .

Tertiary to Benton . . . 

Dakota? to Permian . .

Benton to Permian ...

Niobrara and Benton. 

Niobrara to Red Beds.

"1 Permian and Carbonj iferous.

Pierre to Dakota. .....

Benton ..............

Results, ete.'

Salt water and fresh water to 227 feet.

No water supply. 

Flowing wells. 

Water to -110 feet.

No water below Dakota!

No water supply. 

Do.

Salt water.

Unsatisfactory. 

Not reported.

Little water. 

Salty flow.

Water in Dakota; artesian 

flow of salt water in 

Permian.

No water.

Water to 700 feet; from 

Dakota sandstone.

Salt wells. 

Salt water. 

Water to 400 feet. 

Not ret)orted.
288 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND. .WATER OP CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

List of deep borings in Kansas west of the ninety-sixth meridian Continued.

Location.

- Town. County.

Ellsworth .......

Hamilton

Kingman ......... Kinornan . . ...

Kingman (IJmiles 

north).

Little 'River.......

Long Island (4i 

miles northeast).

Love well ( 3 J miles 

northwest).

Lyons (Bemis Salt 

Co.).

Marysville (near) .

Ness City (Smiles . 

southwest).

Ness City (12 miles 

 west-southwest).

Oakley ............

Osborne ..........

.....do'.-.....--.

Phillips .........

Rush...... ......

Clark ...........

Phillips .........

Jewell..i........

Rice ............

.-.;.. do'.... ......

Marion ......

' Ness ...'..........

Osborne ........:

Depth.

Feet. 

700-1, 000?

337

420

355 

1,620 

881 

537

800 -r 

1,410

430 or 514 

444 

743 

300 

485' 

1,000

650. 

300-400 

1,625 

.1; 896J

500 

1,360 

1,100 

1,800 

400

800 

_450 

437 

910-1, 076

725

800-1, 000 

'301

Formations penetrated.

Benton to Red Beds . .

Late Tertiary to Dakota.

Benton to Red Beds . .

.....do....:..........

Niobrara and Benton . . 

Benton and Dakota . . . 

Dakota to Permian. . . . 

Red Beds .....:......

Niobrara and Benton.

Dakota to Permian, etc.

Permian and Carboniferous.

Niobrara and Benton. .

.....do...............

.....do...............

Late Tertiary and Red 

Beds. *

Benton and Dakota. . .

..'..:do.-... .......... :

Late Tertiary to Benton. :

Benton ...........

Results, etc.

Good water in Dakota; 

salty water in Red Beds.

Good water to -^150 feet.

No water. 

Water to 600 feet. 

Salt well.

Water in Dakota for 

pumping. 

Salt shafts. 

Salt

,

Flows mineral water.

"VVafdi* trv 9(V1 ffidf

Mineral water flows. . ; 

Salt water only. 

Water for pumping.

\VatfiT' tn d-ftfl fofif 1' fVipyi

salt and shale. 

No water.

Salt water only.

Good water at 45 feet; 

salt below.

"For gas; unsuccessful.

Strong flow salt water. 

Not reported.. 

For coal; no success.

Salt water to 70 feet; 

rock salt, 368-400 feet.

Red Beds at 200 feet; salt 

below.

Water; no flow. 

Do^

Several borings; unsuccessful.

Water near top.

Flow of mineral water. 

Saltv water to - 30 feet.
DEEP WELLS AND WELL PROSPECTS OF KANSAS. 

List of deep borings in Kansas west of the ninety-sixth meridian Continued.

289

Location.

Town.

Osborne (9 miles 

south by east) .

Peru.............

Peru (near).......

Ph i 11 ipsb urg 

(northwest of).

Portis (6 miles 

northwest)".

Portis (8 mi les 

northwest).

Pratt

Ravanna (north) .. 

Richfield .........

 Russell ...........

St. Marys ........

Santa Fe .........

Shields ^3 miles 

north)'.

Smith Center (12 

miles southeast).

Sterling ..........

Stockton (9 miles 

south).

Sun (southwest) . . .

Wallace (vicinity).

Wakeeney (12 

miles westsouthwest).

Washington ......

County.

Ellsworth .'......

.....do ..........

Phillips .........

Smith ...........

.....do ..........

Pratt.. ..........

Ness ............

Riley. ...........

Morton.... .......

Kussell .......'...

Pottawatomie .... 

 Haskell .........

Republic ........

Smith...........

.....do ...........

GrGGlcv

Tregb ...........

Pottawatomie 

Washington .....

Depth.

Feet 

" 360

336

fl,240-

. \1, 700

1,190 

' 430

546 

543

800± 

653 

400 

400+

600-701 

'997

1, 123 

1,300±

1,110

1,700 

400

600

540

916, 946 

460

1,000

,600s 

500 

400, 448, 800 

438

1,000 

2.200

Formations penetrated.

Benton and Dakota. . . 

}.....................

Niobrara and Benton. 

Benton and Dakota . . 

.....do ..............

Dakota to Permian... 

Niobrara to Dakota..

Late Tertiary to Benton. »

Late Tertiary to Red 

Beds.

Benton to Permian. . .

Late Tertiary to Red 

Beds.

Niobrara to Benton . . .

Niobrara and Benton . 

.....do ..............

Niobrara and Benton 

to Dakota.

Benton to Red Beds.. 

Red Beds......?.....

Pierre to Benton? .... 

Niobrara. and Benton.

i

Dakota toPermian. etc .

Results, etc.

Salty water to 45 feet. 

Water to 176 feet.

No water. 

Salty water. 

Salty water to 200 feet.

Salt below 600 feet. 

Water to 60 feet. 

Not reported.

Water to 200 feet; 

abandoned.'

Flow of salty water.

Good water at 360 feet 

Salt below.

Flow of salt water. 

No flow.

Good water at 1,000 feet 

to 16 feet.

Small amount of water.-

Salty water at 590 feet. 

Salty water to 140 feet.

Salt well.

Much good water to 60 

feet.

No water supply below 

Dakota.

For coal; no success. 

No water. 

No water supply.

Small water supply for 

puinp.

Salt water only.

10001 No. 32 05- -19
290 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

IAf(t of deep borings in Kansas icest of the ninety-sixth meridian Continued.

Location.

Town.

Wichita ..........

Do ...........

Wilson ...........

Winfield .........

Vulcan Iron 

Works.

County.

.....do ..........

Ellsworth .......

Cowley ..........

Depth.

Feet. 

1,605

1,025 

1,375 

900,-L, 200 

1,356 

1,000

Formations penetrated.

.....do..... ........

.....do..............

Pierre to Graneros . . .

Results, etc.

Salt water in large 

amount at 500 feet 

which rises to 70 feet.

Salt. ' 

Salt- water, flow. 

Dry hole. 

Salt shafts.

BARTON COUNTY.

The south half of this county is underlain by the Dakota sandstone and the north 

half by the Benton shale. Along Arkansas Valley the Dakota sandstone is covered 

by a considerable thickness of alluvial materials, and also by large deposits of dune 

sands on the south side of the river. The sandstone is penetrated by numerous wells, 

to which, in most cases, it furnishes satisfactory supplies of water. Some of these 

wells begin in the sandstone and are- bored or dug into its lower beds. The wells 

in the highlands in the north part of the county pass through a greater or less 

thickness of Benton shale and thence into the sandstone. A well 245 feet deep, 

8 miles north and 2 miles west of Hoisington, penetrates 222 feet of shale before 

reaching the sand rock, where it obtains a large supply of water, which rises to 

within 212 feet of the surface. Southwest of Galatia the shale is 260 feet thick 

and the underlying sandstone furnishes a good supply of water, rising to within 

236 feet of the surface. At Olmitz a well of 202 feet passes through the Benton 

shales into the sandstone and obtains a supply of very soft water, which rises to 

within 142 feet of the surface. A well 3 miles north of Verbeck has a depth of 

244 feet, and the water rises to within 144 feet of the surface. These representative wells indicate that satisfactory supplies of water are obtainable from 

the Dakota sandstone 'through most of the north portion of the county, but that 

there are no prospects for flows. Several wells about Roberts, from 175 to 300 

feet deep, in most cases obtain only salty or brackish water, of which the source 

is probably the transition salty series at the base of the Benton shales. In the 

south portion of the county the wells are shallower and mostly successful. The 

only unsuccessful well which has been reported is one in sec. 17, T. 18, K. 12,
WELLS OP BABTON COUNTY, KANS. 291

which penetrated the Dakota sandstone 200 feet without obtaining a water supply.' 

Four miles northeast of Great Bend a deep well was sunk some years ago to a 

depth of 1,365 feet to test the water supplies of the formations underlying the 

Dakota sandstone. Flowing water was obtained at 344 feet and at somewhat over 

700 feet. The first water is still flowing at the rate of 10 gallons per minute, 

but it is too salty to be of any use. From 1,202 to 1,365 feet a large amount of 

rock salt was penetrated, and some of the overlying beds were highly gypsiferous. 

The following record is given:

Record of deep well 4 miles northeast of Great Bend, Barton County, Kans.

Feet.

0- 60..........................surface materials.

60- 75. ........................ .red sandstone.

75- 140.-.-..-....--.............red shale.

140- 155..........................blue shale.

155- 255........---.......-..--... sandstone, brown near top, hard near bottom.

255- 258:.........................shale.

''258- 275.................'.'........hard sandstone.

275- 310..........................conglomerate, water.

310- 360------..-...-...---.-.--.. gray sandstone; artesian flow of salt water.

^

360- 400......................... -gray sand and shales; salt water.

400- 420......................?....red shale.

420- 425..........................blue shale.

425- 475......................... .sandstone.

475-1,110..........................red shale with some sandstone.

1,110-1,240..........................blue shale.

1,240-1,365......................'....salt and shale.

This well was mainly in the Permian rocks, and it is doubtful if the red 

sandstone from 60 to 75 feet belongs in the Dakota.

An analysis of this water by E. H. S. Bailey 3 is, in round numbers, as follows:.

Analysis of mineral water from well at Great Bend, Kans.

Grains per gallon.

Chloride of sodium......"...-.............................................. 3,186

Sulphate of sodium ....................................................... 175

Sulphate of lime .......................................................... 131

Sulphate of magnesia....................................................... 86

Bicarbonate of magnesia................................................... 142

Silica .....................................'................................ 2

Total .............................................................. 3, 722

aKans. Univ. Geol. Survey Kept., vol. 7, p.'197.
292 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GEEAT PLAINS.

CHEYENNE COUNTY.

This county occupies a region of high plains traversed by Republican River, 

which has cut a valley about 200 feet below the general plain surface. The 

highlands are occupied by Tertiary grit, which is underlain by the Pierre shale, as 

revealed in Republican and Arikaree valleys. - The Niobrara chalk and limestone 

lie at a depth of a thousand feet or more, but their precise position lias not been 

ascertained". The thickness of this formation and the. underlying Benton shales 

is about 900 feet - in northwest Kansas, and the depth to the Dakota sandstone 

probably over 2,300 feet in Cheyenne County. 'Undoubtedly this sandstone contains water under sufficient pressure to rise several hundred feet in a well but not 

enough to afford a'flow even in the deeper valleys. Apparently the beds lie nearly 

level or dip slightly to the west. So far as'is known, there have been no borings 

in the county sufficiently deep to reach the chalk. On the high plains good water 

supplies for pump wells are usually obtained by sinking deeply "into the "mortar beds," or Tertiary grit, and in the valleys the alluvial deposits usually yield

considerable water. ' CLARK COUNTY.

Clark County extends from the High Plains on the divide south of Arkansas 

River into Cimarron Valley. The plains are capped by Tertiary deposits underlain 

to the north by Dakota sandstone and to the south by lower Cretaceous sandstones 

and shales. To the south the underlying Red Beds are exposed' over a wide 

area. To the north water for pump wells is obtained from the basal portion of 

the Tertiary deposits and from the underlying sandstones. In the Red Beds area 

the alluvial deposits in the valleys are the only sources of supply. Some years 

ago an attempt was made near Lexington to obtain water in the Red Beds by a 

boring 300 feet deep, but only salt water was obtained. No artesian fresh waters 

are to be expected in this county, from the Red Beds, and, as this formation is 

probably very thick, the outlook is discouraging.

CLOUD COUNTY.

In this county. the divide between Solomon and Republican rivers is capped 

by Benton shales and the lower lands are.excavated in. Dakota sandstone. This 

sandstone yields water to many shallow wells, both in the area of its outcrop and 

in borings on the divide, which pass through from 25 to 150 feet of Benton shales. 

There are_no prospects for artesian waters, for the conditions are- unfavorable for 

sustaining a head. The Dakota sandstone is underlain by shale, sandstone, and limestone of the Permian, which are probably several hundred feet thick. Although 

these usually co'ntain water under considerable pressure, it is generally too salty 

for domestic use.
WELLS OP DECATUR COUNTY, KANS. ' 293 

COMANCHE COUNTY.

The conditions in this county are precisely similar to those in.the" adjoining 

county of Clark on the west.

DECATUR COUNTY.

This county is an undulating region of high plains intersected by the valleys, 

200 to 300 feet deep, of Beaver, Sappa, and" Prairiedog creeks. The entire area 

appears to be mantled by the Tertiary." mortar .beds" and other deposits, although 

possibly these have been cut through in the deeper portions of some of the valleys. 

The county is underlain by Pierre shale, which is'thin to the east but thickens 

rapidly to the west. The underlying Nlobrara chalk and the Benton group have a 

thickness of about 900 feet, and dip gently to the west.' From these statements it 

may be seen that the Dakota sandstone probably lies at a depth of about 1.000 feet 

in the east portion, of the county and considerably deeper, on the higher lands in 

the west. Three deep wells have been bored in the county, at Jennings, Kanona, 

and Oberlin, which throw considerable light on the underground geology.

Jennings. This boring was sunk to a depth of 1,050 feet, in 1903; in hopes of 

finding oil, but, owing to difficulties 'in-continuing it farther, the first boring was 

abandoned and another of larger diameter is now in progress. The following record 

is^given by the drillers:

Record of boring at Jennings, Kans. 

Feet. 

0- 28....................................sand and gravel.

28- 203........--.................--.'..... .black shale (Pierre).

 203- 209.................................... .yellow limestone......

209- "289...... .............................chalkstone ...........

289- 439.................................... light-gray shale .......

439- 519................................... .dark shale............

519- 579....................................chalkstone...........

579- 594......... J......................... -gray sandstone with water

594- 734......................................black shale ..............

734- 754................................... .hard shale with rock layers

754- 960.-........------_-----......-------.- brown shale .....'........

960-1,050.................................... .soft sandstone with water, Dakota.

A large volume of water, rising to within about 400 feet of the surface, was found 

in the lower sandstone, which is probably the Dako'ta. Many Benton fossils were 

obtained from a depth of about 735 feet in this well, which were reported by Dr. 

T. W. Stanton to comprise 'Inoceramu-s labiatus and Prionotropis woolgari, but, owing 

to the immature, condition of the specimens, the specific identification is not- absolutely positive. A sample of water from a depth of 1,050 feet was examined in the 

laboratory of the United States Geological Survey, and found to contain 280 grains

Niobrara.

Benton.
294 GEOLOGY AND rjNDEBGBOrjND WATEB OF CENTBAL GREAT PLAINS.

per gallon of soluble constituents, consisting mainly of chloride of sodium, together 

with some lime and magnesia salts and chloride of potassium.

Kanmia. At this place a deep boring was in progress in 1903 with the expectation of finding oil or gas. The following record was supplied by the drillers:

Record of boring at Kanona, Kans. . ' 

Feet. 

0- 200.................... ____loarn, clay, and sand; water at base.

200- 800........................shales, dark in upper part.

800-'940........................limestone. . -

940- 990........................ dark shales.

990-1,000......................... white limestone.

1,000-1,100........................I iglit-colored shale, with water nearly to surface.

1,100-1,150........................ .black shale.

1,150-1,400........................light-colored shale.

1,400-1,415...--.........--.... ....sand, with water in small amount.

1,415-1,450..---- ----...-------... black shale.

1,450-1,550;....-----._..-..-__.....sand (Dakota).

 1,550-1,595........................shale.

1,595-1,610....................... .brown sandstone.

 1,610-1,620....................... .brown sandstone, with soft fresh water.

The sand, extending from 1.450 to 1,550 feet, contains water in considerable 

amount, rising to within about 450 feet of the surface. The limestones from 800 to 

940 feet and from 990 to 1,000. feet undoubtedly represent the Niobrara beds; according to one report limestone extends also from 480 to 600 feet. It is probable that 

the Niobrara formation extends from 480 to 1,000 feet, indicating a thickness of 520 

feet. The Benton extends from 1,000 to 1,450 feet. The shales from 200 to 480 feet 

are Pierre.

These borings prove that the Dakota sandstone extends west in Kansas and contains a water supply, but, unfortunately, has too low a head to afford prospects for 

flowing1 wells, even on the lowest lands.

Oberlin. This well is said to have a depth of about 1,000 feet, through chalk 

rock and shale, to a bed of sandstone. It yields a small flow of water so highly 

mineralized that it is not suitable for domestic use. It is thought this well is not 

deep enough to penetrate the Dakota sandstone, and that it obtains its supply from 

saliferous shales at the base of the Benton, a water horizon, not reported in the boring 

at Kanona. The top of the Dakota sandstone lies 1,400 feet below the surface at 

Kanona, which is at an altitude of 2,Y26 feet, so that at Oberlin, only 200 feet lower, 

it would be at a depth of 1,200 feet if the beds were level. Owing, however, to the 

westerly dip of the formation, they are probably at least 100 feet deeper.
WELLS. OF EDWARDS 'AND ELLIS COUNTIES, KANS. . 295 

EDWARDS COUNTY.

Edwards County lies in Arkansas Valley, and is mainly underlain by Dakota 

sandstone. On the bottom lands the sandstone is largely covered by alluvium while 

the highlands are mantled by Tertiary deposits. In the extreme north portion of 

the county there is a small area of Benton shale.

The principal water supplies are derived from the lower portion of the alluvial 

and the Tertiary deposits, though some of the w%lls penetrate the Dakota sandstone 

and obtain good waters at moderate depths. So far as known, no attempts have been 

made to sink deeper wells, and, as the Eed Beds lie at no great distance below the 

surface, are of great thickness, and yield only saline waters, there is no encouragement for deep boring in this county.

ELLIS COUNTY.

Ellis County is underlain mainly by the Benton formation, but the high divides 

to the west are capped by the Moferara formation and some Tertiary deposits. 

The Dakota sandstone lies at a moderate depth, averaging from 300 to 400 feet 

through the greater part of the county, but increasing to over 500 feet in the 

highest lands to the west and diminishing to less than 200 feet in the deeper valleys 

to the east and South. The rocks dip gently to the north. A number of wells have 

been sunk to the Dakota sandstone, but no reports have yet been obtained as to 

their results.

In 1903 a deep boring was sunk on Smoky Eiver, 15 miles due southwest of 

Hays, on the south half of sec. 10, T. 15, E. 20. A depth of 1,777 feet was reached, 

passing through the Benton shales and Dakota sandstone into the Eed Beds, which 

were reached at a depth of 628 feet. Considerable water, which rose to within 

70 feet of the surface, was found at the top of a thick bed of sandstone, presumably Dakota, at a depth of 215 feet. Near the bottom of this sandstone, at 

a depth of 500 feet, there was a strong artesian flow of fresh water, which is still 

flowing vigorously and under sufficient pressure to rise 15 inches above the top 

of the casing. Artesian salt water was found a short distance below and at intervals 

to a depth of 993 feet. The following record has been furnished by Mr. S. Motz:

Record of boring on Smoky River, Ellis County, Kans. 

Feet. 

0 - 30 ..................... sandy soil, lime-rock fragments.

30- 215 .....................shale ('Graneros).

215 - 505 .................... .sand rock, with water (Dakota).

505- 545 ............-----....black shale.

545 - 556 ...-...........----.-light-colored sand rock, with artesian saltwater.

556- 597'.................... -blue shale.
296 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF.CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Feet. .. ' . 

597- 600 .....................hard sandstone, white.

600- 628 .....................blue shale.

628'- 634 .......................red shale. . 

' 634 - 638 .....................white sand rock; artesian flow of salt water.

638- 663 .......1.............red shale, hard. - - 

663 - 669 ..................... white sand rock; soft, strong flow of mineral water.

669- 672 ......................reddish shale.

672 T- 673J..................... white sand rock.

673J- 703 .....................soft red shale.^

703 - 993 ...................:. soft fed sand rock, with strong flow of saltwater.

993-1,177 ......................reddish sandstone "full of shells" (?).

ELLSWORTH COUNTY.

The Dakota sandstone is at or near the surface throughout this county, except 

in the deeper portion of Smoky Hill Valley to the southeast, where the underlying Permian rocks are cut into. The sandstone affords a water supply, in 'most 

cases of satisfactory quality, for many wells of various depths. On some of the 

lower lands between Ellsworth and Black Wolf the water flows in small volume 

in wells which reach the lower sandstone of the Dakota formation.

At Palacky, which is on the Benton shale, ~a well 336 feet deep obtains a large 

supply of slightly salty water, which rises to within 176 feet of the surface. 

The following record, which apparently is not reliable, was furnished:

Record of .well at Palacky, Ellsworth County, Kans. 

Feet. 

0- 33....... .limestone.

. 33-165........blue shale. ' . :

165-175........" soapstone."

, 175-335........red, yellow, and white clay and sand, probably Dakota formation.

In the northeast corner of T. 14, K. 9, which is also on the Benton shale, a 

well 384 feet deep obtains a small supply of fine water, which does not rise 

materially in the well, at a depth of 170 feet. The following record is furnished:

Record of ..well in T. 14, R. 9, Ellsworth County, Kans.

Feet. ' , 

0- 40...'..; ...................... ^.......... .limestone.

40-170......:..-.-...:.-.......---........... .black shale.

170-316.......-----------.-------............. .gray sandy clay and sand, Dakota.

316-346........--.--------.-.-.---........... ..reddish'and yellowish-clay.

346-384----...------...-.----------.--.-.........red shale.

A number of borings in this county have penetrated deeply into the Permian 

rocks underlying the Dakota sandstone and found only salt water, so that probably there are no prospects for fresh artesian waters. Just north of Ellsworth
WELLS OF FINNEY COUNTY, KANS. : '. . 297

a shaft 250 feet deep encountered a heavy flow of salt water, which rose to within 

30 feet of the surface. From 730 to 880 feet .a solid bed of salt was penetrated, 

at 1,100 feet a gas-bearing horizon with no, water, and at 1,300 feet a large 

volume of water, of which the-quality is not, stated; it was presumably salty. 

At Kanopolis a well 881 feet, with .the following record, is reported:

Record of well at Kanopolis, Elhworth County, Kans. 

Feet. 

0- 30............... '.......... .sand.

30- 40......................... .sand and gravel, with a small amount of water.

40- 45.......................... yellow clay..

45-645......'.-....:.....-----... ahale of yellowish colors.

645-881...........................salt. . 

This boring was apparently entirely in the Permian rocks. 

At Wilson, on the south side of the village, a boring of 1,375 feet has the 

following1 record: ' . ...- 

Record of deep well at Wilson, Ellsworth County, Kans. ' . 

Feet. . * 

J 0- 65............ ............sand, with water at 52 feet.

65- 465.... ....................blue shales, with "flowing salt water near base.

465- 865......................'..Red Beds. . - 

865-1,165........................rock salt. r

1,165-1,275........................blue shale. ' , , . 

1,275-1, 375........................rock (?).

FINNEY COUNTY. ,

There are comprised in this county a region of high planes to the north, a 

portion of Arkansas Valley across the center, and an extensive district of plains 

and sand hills to the south. The only running water is Arkansas River and some 

small streams in the headwaters of Pawnee Creek. Springs are very rare. Shallow 

wells obtain variable supplies from Tertiary deposits, vallej- alluvium, and dune 

sands. Some deeper wells reach the Dakota sandstone, which underlies the county at 

a depth -of 200 feet in the southern portion, 400 feet at Garden, and 1,000' feet 

or more in the northern and northwestern portions. In the northeast corner the 

Dakota sandstone has been reached by several wells about 400 feet deep and a large" 

supply of water found. The quality, however, has been somewhat variable and at 

some localities is too saltj^ for use. It rises considerably, but does not reach the 

surface. A well at Kalvesta, 355 feet deep, failed to reach the top of the Dakota 

sandstone.. In a boring half a mile northwest of Garden it is claimed that a 

depth of over a thousand feet was attained without obtaining a-satisfactory supply. 

The following record was taken from the Garden City Sentinel: . . .
298 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Record of boring at Garden, Kans. 

Feet. 

0- 12............ ^..............:-...'...........-.................. soil.

12-311............................................................... quicksand.

311-461.........................-.-..........-.-.........../...-.-.. .'black sh ale.

411-466 .....................'.............................^.......... sandstone.

466-476 .^...................'......................................... white slate.

476-481................................................................dark sands.

481-550......... '.................................................... .soapstone.

This record is somewhat difficult to interpret, but apparently the boring entered 

the Dakota sandstone at a depth of 460 feet and probably continued in it for 250 or 

300 feet It is reported that another well was sunk 8 miles south of Garden to a 

depth of 1,250 feet, passing into the Red Beds, but nothing has been learned of 

the result.

Two wells, 400 feet or more in depth, are reported north of Ravenna, in the 

northeast corner of the county. They found water in shales, but its quality was 

unsatisfactory. .

FORD COUNTY.

Dakota sandstone underlies the southeast half of this county, and Benton shales 

the northwest half. Both formations are { extensively covered by Tertiary deposits 

on the higher lands, and by alluvium and dune sands along the Arkansas. Shallow 

wells obtain water supplies from the younger formations, and, in some cases in the 

eastern part of the county, reach the Dakota sandstone and find water. No artesian' 

flows are promised in this count}', unless possibly from the Red Beds which underlie 

the Dakota sandstone, and the 'waters of these rocks are invariably salty. The 

formations below the Red Beds might present different conditions, but probably 

lie too deep for ordinary well borings. It is said that in 1886 a boring for coal, 

1,000 feet deep, was made at Dodge, but it found neither coal nor water, and 

undoubtedly ended in the Red Beds.

GOVE COUNTY.

Gove County extends from Smoky Hill Valley north to the south side of 

Saline Valley, a region of high plains intersected by several branches of Smoky 

Hill River and the head of Big Creek. The highlands are covered by Tertiary 

deposits, but the valleys have cut through this mantle and have widely exposed the 

underlying Niobrara chalk. The depth to Dakota sandstone ranges from about 600 

feet in the southeast corner of the county to slightly over 1,100 feet in the northwest corner, as nearly as can be calculated on the assumption of a thickness of 400 

feet of Niobrara formation and 450 feet of Benton formation. A few wells have 

been sunk in the county, which attempted to penetrate the shale, but they were not 

successful. One well in the southwest corner, 3 miles south of Smoky Hill River,
WELLS OF GKAHAM AND GRANT COUNTIES, KANS. 299

reached a depth of 400 feet, 48 feet3 of which were reported as surface materials and 

the remainder as chalk, of which the lower 52 feet were white. At the depth of 400 

feet a supply of fine water, reported to amount to 20 barrels per day, was obtained. 

In the vicinity of Catalpa a well of 400 feet had about the same result. Near Goodwater a well of 501 feet deep penetrated TO feet of surface materials, 398 feet of 

blue shale, and 33 feet of. light-colored chalk, from which, at a depth of 501 feet, a 

small amount of water was obtained. These borings, of course, were all too shallow 

to reach the Dakota sandstone. It is probable that in the lower lands of this county 

this sandstone would yield flowing water of moderate volume and of satisfactory 

quality.

- GRAHAM COUNTY.

The High Plains of Graham County are thickly mantled by Tertiary deposits, 

which are cut through in the valleys of South Fork of Solomon River, of Bow Creek, 

and of Saline River, which lies a short distance south. The Niobrara chalk presents 

a thickness of considerably over 100 feet in the highlands and is underlain by about 

400 feet of Benton shales lying on the Dakota sandstone. This sandstone is not over 

500 feet below the surface in the southeast corner of the. county, but, with the 

northeasterly dip of the beds and the rise of the land to the west, is about 1,000 feet 

deep in the highest ridges between Bow Creek and North Fork of Solomon River.

The only deep well that has been reported is 3 miles from Hill and a mile 

south of South Fork of Solomon River. It passed through the Niobrara formation, reached Benton shales at a depth of'165 feet, passed through these shales 

for 300 feet more or less, and was discontinued at a depth of about 1 465 feet, 100 

feet or more above the surface of the Dakota sandstone, without obtaining water. 

Probably all of this count}* is too high for an artesian flow from the Dakota 

sandstone, unless possibly in the lowest part of Solomon Valley.

^ . GRANT COUNTY.

This county extends from the valley of the Cimarron up the divide between 

that river and the Arkansas. The surface is covered by Tertiary deposits, which 

are known to be underlain by the Dakota sandstone at no great depth; in the 

northeastern part of the county, the sandstone is overlain by 100 feet or more of 

Benton shales. The only deep boring reported is the State well, 6 miles south by 

east of Ulysses. A depth of 231 feet was reached and an excellent water supply 

obtained, rising to within 123 feet of the surface. The following i-ecord is given:

Record of vjell 6 miles south by east of Ulysses, Grant County, Kans. 

Feet. . 

0-2 ..........................................top soil.

.2-8 ................-.------..................clay and gypsum.

8-16 ....................-.-.........-'.........ashy material.

16 - 21 '.........-.......-----.---..----.-;--..-. .red sand, hard.
300 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND. WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

*

Feet. 

21 - 35 ......................................... .gypsum, very hard.

35 - 70 ....'..".........................."......... .red sand.

' 70-79 ..........I........................;........ clay and gypaum, very hard.

, . 79 - 91 -.-.-....-.-...-....-.-.-.........-. ......red sand, hard.

91 - 93 ...........,.-.....:.... ....................gray sand, soft.

93 -100 ..... ....................................red sand, hard.

100 -109 ..........................................red sand, soft.

109 -120 ........"................................. .sandy clay, hard.

- "-' ' 120 -124 ;_:_.......r...............................clay.

124 -144 ................I...........................joint clay, water bearing.

144 -148 ..........................................hard red clay, dry.

148 -153 ........................................_..red sand, water bearing.

153 -154 ..............._......................... .hard red clay, dry.

154 -157 ........i ......................... j.... ..gypsum, hard, dry.

157 -165 .......................................... sand, water-bearing.

165 -170 ..........-.........-..--......".......... .joint clay, water-bearing.

170 -172J...........................................coarse sand, water-bearing.

, ,- 172J-185 ...........................................red clay, dry.

185 -199 .......................................... sand, water-bearing.

199 -202 ......................................... .joint clay, water-bearing.

202 -212 ........'................................. .sand, water-bearing.

212 -220 .....:........'..'-..-'.'..".^.................. .rock, dry.

220 -231 ..........................................blue shale, dry.

This section is difficult to reconcile with our knowledge of the succession of beds 

in the Dakota sandstone, but, if the gypsum is present and the sand and clays are 

bright red in color, the Red Beds, have been entered and are the source of good 

water a very unusual condition.

GRAY COUNTY.

 Gray County lies mainly in Cimarron Valley, but extends southward to the head 

of Crooked Creek. The entire area is thickly covered by Tertiary and younger formations, but is known to be underlain by the Dakota sandstone, covered by a greater 

or less thickness of Benton shale, which is exposed southeast of Montezuma. The 

depth to the sandstone is not known precisely, but is not great in any portion of 

the county. Apparently some of the deeper wells in the county have reached it, 

but no satisfactory records have been obtainable. No flowing water is to be 

expected, unless possibly from the underlying Red Beds, the water from which 

would 'probably be too salty for use.

GREELEY COUNTY.

: Greeley-County, on the High Plains of western Kansas, slopes eastward from 

an altitude of about 4,000 feet above sea level on the State line, to 3,500 feet on its 

eastern margin. The surface. is covered more or less deeply by Tertiary deposits,
WELLS OF WESTERN KANSAS. ' . ' 301

but the Niobrara chalk appears to lie at no great depth throughout the area, 

although possibly near the extreme north margin of the county there may be an 

overlap of Pierre shale. The dip is gently to the northeast. The Niobrara 

formation probably is from 600 to 700 feet thick, and is separated from the 

Dakota sandstone by 400 feet of Benton shales. In the southeast part of the 

county this sandstone lies from 800 to 1,100 feet deep, the depth increasing 

gradually from southeast to northwest until it is about 1,400 feet in the northwest corner of the county. In a well recently bored at Horace, Kans., the Dakota 

sandstone was reached at a depth of 1,050 feet and was found to have a thickness 

of 300 feet. Layers of clay were-intercalated in-the sandstone. The well was 

continued to 1,350 feet, where the Ked Beds were found. The water rises to 

within 700 feet of the surface and pumps 40 gallons per minute! This well 

throws most important light on the position and capabilities of the Dakota sandstone in western Kansas. The thickness of the overlying beds is shown and the 

head of the water is ascertained.

An attempt to obtain water was made some years ago at Tribune, and it is 

stated that a depth of 500 feet was attained, all in, chalk and shale. The top of the 

chalk was found at 44 feet below the surface. The low head of water in the Horace 

well indicates that there are no prospects for flowing water in the higher lands of 

western Kansas.

HAMILTON COUNTY.

Hamilton County is in Arkansas Valley, in the extreme 'western portion ,of the 

State. It is underlain by Dakota sandstone, Benton shale, and Niobrara formation," 

all dipping gently to the northeast; the higher lands have a thick cover of Tertiary 

deposits. The Dakota sandstone is exposed in the southwest corner of the county, 

and the Benton shales appear in Arkansas Valley and at some isolated points south. 

The northern third of the county is underlain by Niobrara formation, which is 

exposed in some of the depressions north of Coolidge and Syracuse.

The Dakota sandstone furnishes water to a number of wells in Arkansas Valley, 

some of which' flow in the eastern margin of the Arkansas Valley artesian area, 

which extends into the center of this county. At.Coolidge there is a group of flowing wells, varying in depth from 226'to 300 feet, which furnish flows of from 27 to 

over 100 gallons per minute under slight pressure. Farther down the valley there 

.are a number of wells, especially near Syracuse, where the water rises to within,30 

feet of the surface. Several wells, have been sunk in portions of the county away 

from Arkansas Valley, but have not reached the Dakota sandstone. Even at Coolidge flowing water is obtainable only in the lower part of the valley. The state 

well, 6 miles due north of Kendall, reaches a depth of 196 feet and obtains a water 

supply from Tertiary gravel and fine sand at 180 to 192 feet, lying on the surface
302 GEOLOGY AND UNDEEGBOUND WATEE OF OENTBAL GKEAT PLAINS.

of Mobrara chalk. A number of wells in various parts of the county obtained 

supplies for pumping from this horizon, which is the principal source, the shales 

below rarely containing any water. . . At Coolidge two of the wells have the following record:

Records of two viells at Coolidge, Kans. 

Feet. . 

0- 38..........'................superficial materials; hard water.

38-200..........................shale (Benton).

200-300..........................Dakota sandstone, with 20-gallon flow at 268 feet.

At Kendall there is a well 537 feet deep, which does not flow, but yields 70 

gallons a minute to pumps. It passes through the Dakota sandstone and some underlying shales of unknown age into the Eed Beds. The following record is given:

Record of well at Kendall, Kans.

Feet. ^'-/'" - " 

0-'53: .-^............................................. superficial materials. ^ - . c.< 

53-109...".-................--..........................sandstone.

109-111.....^':............................................ lignite.

111-114.......'..................!............ ............clay.

114-152................................................gray sandstone; soft water.

152-154................................................very hard clay.

154-167.. ..............................................gray sandstone.

167-215................................................shale, very hard in center.

215-268.-................'....-.........................gray sandstone; soft water.

s 268-291......................'..........................shale..

291-297................................................sandstone.

297-332................................................shale.

332-334................................................black sandstone.

334-348................................................shale. -

348-367..................................................gray sandstone; soft water.

367-425................................................light to gray shale.

425-430................................................brown sand.

430-453..........'...................................... clay, brown below.

453^76................................................ sandy clay.

476 193................................................ light-gray sandstone.

493-496.............................'........~...........fire clay.

496-530............ ....-.............................:..red clay.

530-533................................................hard layer.

533-537................................................red'shale.

Record of well at Syracuse, Hamilton County, Kans. 

Feet. . . ' 

0-21...................................superficial materials.

21-185.......................I............shale, with bad water at 45 and 115 feet.

185-193....................................jointclay. '
WELLS OF HASKELL AND HODGEMAN COUNTIES, KANS. 303

Feet. " 

193-197................................... sandstone; soft water.

197-225.....................................shale.

225.................................. .thin limestone streak.

225-240...................................shale. _

240-250...................................white clay.

250-279.I................................. sandstone; soft water.

279-284...................................shale.

It is reported that a boring was sunk 1,000 feet at this place several years ago, 

but yielded no satisfactory result. Doubtless it passed deep into the Red Beds.

HASKELL COUNTY.

This county, which is situated on the High Plains between Arkansas .and 

Cimarron rivers, has its entire surface covered by a mantle of Tertiary deposits 

from 20 to 100 feet or more in thickness, underlain in greater part by Benton 

shales. . It is probable that in the southern portion of the county the underlying 

Dakota sandstone is not far below the surface. This sandstone is reached by 

several wells, in which'the water rises somewhat but gives no promise of a flow. 

At Santa Fe a well was bored 1,300 feet or more through Tertiary deposits, Benton 

shale, Dakota sandstone, and far into the Red Beds, but no flowing water was 

obtained. A representative well to Dakota sandstone has the following record:

Record of well 10 miles northwest of .Santa Fe., Kans.---

Feet. . . " ' .'..'' 

. 0- 3...........................i..:. soil.

3- 45................................Tertiary grit.

45-305............ ....................blue clay (Benton).

305-325A... .......:....................hard blue rock.

325-330..-......-.--......---..".--.-.. .sand with much water rising to 210 feet.

HODGEMAN COUNTY.

The greater part of this county is underlain by the Benton shales, but the 

-higher divides are capped by Tertiary deposits, and Pawnee-Valley, in the eastern 

portion, cuts into the Dakota sandstone. Wells are numerous, some of them 

penetrating Dakota sandstone and obtaining satisfactory supplies of water; this is 

especially the case in Pawnee Valley below Jetmore. In the extreme northwest 

corner of the county the Dakota sandstone lies about 400 feet below the surface; 

in the extreme southwest portion, about 200 to 250 feet, so that throughout 

the county the sandstone is within reach of wells of moderate depth. In a well 2 

miles northwest of Jetmore, Dakota sandstone was entered at a depth of 186~feet 

and penetrated to a depth of 227 feet, yielding a large supply of water which
30.4 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GKEAT PLAINS.

rises considerably in the well. It was sunk by the State as a test well, and the 

following record is given:

Record of well £ miles northwest of Jetmore, Hodgeman County, Kans.

Feet. . . .......

0- 26 ........................................soil and "magnesia."

26-44 ........................................limestone, dry. -1

44- 55 .I............ .............................black shale, dry.

55- 99'........................................gray shale, dry.

- - 99-104 ...... .. ........... .........-.... .......-.-"soapstone," dry.

104-a26 ........................................sand rock, dry.

126-129 ....................................... -gray shale, dry.

129-186........................................ black shale, dry.

186-210 ..-.-'.-.....-........--.....-.........- .Dakota sand rock, water bearing.

 " "210-218..;:....'........-.....'..................white clay.

-. 218-223 ..^....i.............................. ...red clay.

. 223-243 ...... ........'....*.-..... ...............;.white clay.

. 243-250 ..r^.................................... .sand rock, water bearing.

250-264 .... .:>:............................... .white clay.

264-275 ........i...............................sand rock; strong flow of water. '

 275-277 ..........'........................ ......blue clay, depth unknown.

Six miles west, of. Jetmore a well 325 feet .deep has the following record:

Record of well 6 miles west of Jetmore, Hodgeman, County, 'Kam. 

Feet. 

0-40..............................soil. , '

40-240 ................. .............Benton clays. 

240-260 ...............................joint clajv - -

260-263 ..............................sandstone.

. 263-283 .....-.......-.......-.......-"soapstone" (base of Benton).

283-303 ............................. .compact sandstone with water to 112 feet.

At' Jetmore a boring was sunk to a depth variously -reported as 700, 800, 

and 1,000 feet, to ascertain the water resources of the formations underlying the 

Dakota sandstone. Good water was found in the Dakota sandstone and some 

salt water in the underlying beds. No record is obtainable. Doubtless the rocks 

penetrated beneath, the Dakota were Red Beds, and the boring was not 

sufficiently deep to reach the bottom of these. Their thickness in this region is 

not known, but probably is considerable. Whether the underlying formations 

would yield water or not. has never been, ascertained.

JEWELL COUNTY.

Jewell County is situated on.the high divide between Solomon and Republican 

rivers. The high ridges in its northwestern portion are capped by Tertiary grit 

The central, northern, and western portions are underlain by Niobrara chalk, and,
WELLS OF WEST-CENTRAL . KANSAS. ' 305

in the lower lands to'the south and east, the Ben ton shales reach the surface. The 

Dakota sandstone, which outcrops in Republican and Solomon valleys, underlies 

the entire county, lying nearly level m dipping gently to the northwest. In the 

east and south portions of the county it lies but a short distance below the surface, 

but the depth increases gradually as higher lands are ascended to the north and west, 

so that probably it lies 700 or 800 feet deep in the northwest, portion of the county. 

Apparently the main body of the sandstone has not been reached by deep wells 

in this county, although several, borings from 300 to 500 feet deep have been sunk to 

a water-bearing horizon underlying the Benton shales. This is the stratum which 

contains considerable salt in this region and has yielded salty waters which have not 

been useful. One well near Jewell, 337 feet deep, found salt, water which rose

_'

to within 25 feet of the surface" At Ionia a well 432 feet deep has a similar condition. At Mankato a well '500 feet deep found an abundance of salt water which 

rose to within 50 feet of the surface. Three and one-half miles northwest of 

Lovewell borings 380 and 400 feet deep found salt water, and there are a number of 

other similar borings in the county. ' . '

It is unfortunate that these borings were not made sufficiently deep .to test the 

water conditions in the Dakota sandstone, for, although it is not likely that they 

would obtain a flow, except possibly -on the .lowest lands, the water may be 

expected to be of good quality. . . -

KEARNY COUNTY.

This count}7 is in Arkansas Valley and has similar geologic relations to those 

in Hamilton County, but the formations are mostly obscured .by a heavy covering

'of Tertiary and.alluvial deposits. The county is underlain by the Dakota sandstone, 

which lies at a depth of about 300 feet along Arkansas Valley, and is' deeper 

in the northern portion, owing to the northeasterly dip of the beds and the rise of

' the land. No deep wells are reported, but abundant water supplies are obtainable 

from the Dakota sandstone at moderate depths in Arkansas Valley, though 

without prospects for flows. The underlying Red Beds may yield flowing water,- 

but probably it would be too salty for use.

V

KIOWA COUNTY.

Kiowa County extends from Arkansas Valley southeast across the divide to 

the Medicine Lodge. Its surface is covered with younger formations, alluvium, 

and sand hills in the northwest corner, and Tertiary deposits on the higher lands to. 

the south and east. The Dakota sandstone is at no. great distance beneath the 

surface, and is exposed on the opposite side of Arkansas River and in the southeast 

corner of the county. The formation thins rapidly to" the southeast, owing mainly 

. " 10001 No. 32 05 20 - '
306 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

to the erosion of its surface, and in Medicine Lodge Valley the underlying 

lower Cretaceous sandstones and Red Beds are exposed.

Most of the wells in the county obtain a water supply from the basal portion 

of the Tertiary deposits, but some have been bored into the underlying Dakota 

sandstone and obtain their supplies there. One well 9 miles southwest of Greensburg has a depth of 202 feet, and the water supply rises to 112 feet. There are 

no prospects for flowing waters in this county, not even from the Red Beds which 

underlie the Dakota and lower Cretaceous sandstones. Possibly these Red Beds 

contain water, but it would be too salty for use.

LANE COUNTY.

This county is mantled by Tertiary deposits lying on several hundred feet of 

' Niobrara chalk, which is exposed in some of the deeper depressions to the north 

and east. * The Dakota sandstone lies at a depth which gradually increases from 

about 500 feet in the southeast corner of the count}* to 700 feet in the northwest 

corner, the beds dipping very gently to the north and the land rising very 

gradually to the west.

Apparently no attempts have been made in this county to reach the Dakota 

sandstone. A well 3 miles north of Shields, having a depth of 400 feet, 

obtains a very limited supply o.f water from a thin sandstone bed, probably in 

the upper part of the Benton formation. This county lies too high' for an 

artesian flow, but the Dakota sandstone may be expected to yield water. that 

would rise to within 300 or 400 feet of the surface and yield an abundant

supply to pump wells. , > ,

- LINCOLN COUNTY.

Lincoln County includes a portion, of the valley of Saline River and th 

adjoining slopes. In the river valley and along the east side of the county the 

Dakota sandstone is exposed and the higher lands are capped by a few hundred 

feet of, Benton shales. There are numerous wells, most of them obtaining their 

water from the Dakota sandstone, in some cases from a depth as great as 280 

feet. The- water rises nearly to the surface and has considerable volume.

LOGAN COUNTY.

Logan County includes a portion of Smoky Hill Valley and adjoining high 

plains. The Tertiary deposits have been extensively removed by the river, which 

has cut a wide valley into the underlying Pierre formation to'the west and into the 

Niobrara chalk to the east. The west and north portions of the county are underlain by the Pierre shale, and the southeast portion by the Niobrara formation. 

The Dakota sandstone underlies the count}' at a depth of 800 to 1,000 feet in the
WELLS OF CENTRAL KANSAS. 307

southeast part of the county, and 1,000 to 1,5.00 feet in the higher lands in the 

north and west portions of the county, the dip of the beds being gently to the 

north. It is probable that the head of- water in the Dakota sandstone is sufficient 

to raise it to an elevation of about 3,000 feet, so that it should be expected to 

yield a flow in wells in the valleys of Smoky Hill River and Twin Butte Creek. 

Several attempts have -been made to reach the deeper-seated waters in this 

county, the, deepest boring being one recently sunk by the Union Pacific Railroad Company at Winona. The depth of the Winona boring is 1,356 feet, all 

belo\v 160 feet being in shales, and it is reported as a dry hole. White shale was 

penetrated^ from 1,100 to 1,175 feet, probably representing a portion of the 

Niobrara formation. This hole undoubtedly would have reached the Dakota' 

sandstone within a short distance and found a water supply which would have 

risen to within 300 or 400 feet below the surface. It is to be regretted that the 

boring was not continued to the Dakota horizon. Two deep borings on Hell, 

Creek, in the extreme southeast corner of the- county, reached a depth of 500 

feet, all in the Niobrara formation and the top shales of the Benton. without 

obtaining any water supply, and a 408-foot boring- at Elkador had a similiar 

result. A boring at Oakley is said to have reached a depth of 700 feet and 

obtained a small amount of water which rose to within 30 feet of the surface. 

It is reported that some water was found at 90 feet and at intervals down to 

350 feet in alternating sands and clays in part of the Tertiary deposits. The 

underlying shales extend to the bottom, which lacks about 450 feet of reaching 

the Dakota sandstone. Oakley is slightly too high for a flow.

MEADE COUNTY.

In Crooked Creek Valley from Meade to Milburn numerous flowing wells 50 to 

250 feet deep obtain water from Tertiary and Quaternary deposits. The water is 

much used -for irrigation, but its pressure is slight: The northwest corner of the 

county is underlain by Dakota sandstone, which yields water to wells of moderate 

depth. Underlying the entire county and appearing in the valleys to the southeast 

are Red Beds which offer no prospects for a deep-seated water supply. One boring 

at Meade a little over 800 feet deep passed through 250 feet or more of Tertiary 

clay and sands and then Red Beds and gypsum to the bottom. No good water was

obtained.

MITCHELL COUNTY.

Mitchell County includes a portion of Solomon and Salt Creek valleys. The 

greater part of its area is occupied by the Benton shales, but to the east Solomon 

River has cut through these into the Dakota sandstone. Various wells reach this 

sandstone and obtain satisfactory supplies, but do not flow. At Asherville (?) a 

well sunk 638 feet obtained abundant very salty water, which rose to 26 feet below
308 GEOLOGY AND UNDEBGBOUND WATEB OF CENTRAL GBEAT PLAINS.

the surface. It penetrated 49 feet of sand and clay, 3 feet of sand (Dakota?), andthence to the bottom blue clay and sandstone;. -

A well near-Bluehill is reported to have a depth of 308 feet,, passing through 

Benton shales into Dakota sandstone. Good water was found, which at first rose to 

the top of the well and then settled down again. A boring made 2 miles northeast 

o± Cawker is reported to have .a depth of 467i -feet. It was sunk for coal, and 

has the following record: -

. . . , Record of well S miles northeast of Cawker, Kans.

Feet. ' - 

" 0 - 38...........................surface. -

38 -213 ............................ dark-green shale, compact for lower 15 feet.

213 -215J......... ............... sandstone with strong brine.

215j-400.......................... sand, shale, and red and yellow, clay alternating: -

400 ^427.......................... very hard red rock.

427 -467J.-....-..-...--.......-. .coarse sandy shale. ,

Fresh water was reported at 460 feet, but it mixed with the salty water from 

the higher horizon, so»that it was not utilized. The water rose to within 227 feet of 

the surface. The salty water was undoubtedly from the saliferous shales which 

usually occur immediately under the Benton shales, while the lower water was 

doubtless, derived from the Dakota sandstone. -

MORTON COUNTY.

Morton County lies in the extreme southwest corner of Kansas, along the valley

of Cimarron River. The entire county appears to be underlain" by Dakota sandstone,

' which is deeply covered by the later Tertiary deposits on the higher lands. Along

the Cimarrou River bottoms, south and southwest of Richfield, this sandstone yields

flowing water in wells 90 to 105 feet in depth, but the pressure is very slight and no

flow is obtainable on the higher lands. Two .attempts, 50 feet apart, have been

made at Richfield to obtain flowing water by boring to the depths of 651 and 701 feet,

but although a flow'was obtained, it was from the Red Beds, and-the water was of

 ' unsatisfactory quality. It is "stated that the pressure was suflicient to raise the

water 125 feet above the surface. The following record is given:

 . Record of well at Richfield, Kans. 

Feet. 

1 40..soil and Tertiary grit (reported as gypsum).

40- 52..yellow clay and sand. 

52- 71. .sand. ' 

71-72..blue 1 joint clay. , ,

72-202..-Dakota sandstone with great quantities of water which does not rise much. 

202-251..blue shale. 

251-701..red sandstone with a flow of 6.3 gallons per minute at about 637 feet.
WELLS OF NESS COUNTY, KANS. 309

. . . NESS COUNTY.

The central, southern, and eastern portions of this county are underlain by 

- ( Benton shales, which, to the north and west, pass beneath;the edge of the Niobrara> 

formation, overlain on the higher ridges by Tertiary grit. Probably the Dakota 

sandstone is at the surface, or a very short distance below, on Pawnee Fork in the 

southeast portion of the county, and it underlies a region northward at depths which 

gradually increase to slightly over 500 feet on the divide between the head of 

Walnut Creek and Smoky Hill Riveri' The town of Ransom, on this ridge, has a 

well 653 feet deep which passes into Dakota sandstone at 580 feet, and obtains a 

plentiful supply of soft water rising to within 60 feet of the surface. The rock is 

described as a soft porous sandstone, of brown color, overlain by several hundred 

feet of.the, blue shale of the Benton formation..

Ten miles southwest of Ness (northwest corner of T. 20, R. 24) a well 450 feet, 

deep reached Dakota sandstone, and obtained. a satisfactory supply of soft water. 

The following record is reported: .

Record of well in northwest corner T. 20] R. 24, Ness County, Kana. 

Feet. - ' . . 

0-40..-............,........._......clay. -' '.'

40-190... ............:.... ..........blue shale. J ~ ' . ' --

190-240..............................blue joint clay with hard blue gritty layers.

 240-270..............................white clay. '

270-310......--..-..-'..--..-.........sand rock' with water (Dakota sandstone).

310-445..-.....-...-..-..-..-........red clay and red sandy clay.

445-450..-...--.---.--..--....-....-.coarse sand; no water.

. Twelve miles west-southwest of Ness (southwest corner of T. 19, R. 25) a well 

43Y feet deep passed through shale and clay into the Dakota sandstone at 370 

feet, obtaining a satisfactory water supply. At Riverside,, 12 miles southeast of 

Ness, a:well 350 feet 'deep obtains a supply from the Dakota sandstone. A well 

6 miles southwest of Danby is 385 feet deep and passes through 330 feet of shale 

into sand rock, which yields water rising to within 110 feet of ; the surface. A well 

10 miles south-southwest of Ness (T. 20, R. 24, sec. 11) has a depth of 300 feet, 

with record as follows: . .-...

Record of well in sec,. 11, T. '20, R. 24, Ness County, Kans

Feet. , ... 

0-40............surface materials. . . . 

40-210............black shale.

210-250............joint clay. . .-,-'.

250-290............sandstone of the Dakota formation, containing a water, supply.

290-295....'........red clay. - -

295-300............sandstone. ... -
310 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATEE OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

These representative wells indicate the general relations of the Dakota sandstone part of this county. The occurrence- of the water is general and its 

quality good, but no flows are obtainable. The underlying .Bed Beds appear not 

to have been reached, and although the water which they contain may be expected 

to be under considerable pressure, its quality usually is bad.

NORTON COUNTY.

Norton County comprises portions of the valleys of Sappa and Prairiedog 

creeks and of the North Fork of Solomon Eiver and the intervening divides. 

Apparently the entire county is underlain by the Niobrara chalk (which appears 

in the deeper wells), the intervening "divides being covered by Tertiary deposits. 

The formations all appear to rise gradually to the west on a low' anticline of which 

the summit extends .north and south- along the western line of the county. In the 

eastern portion of the county the Dakota sandstone probably is about 750 feet 

below the surface in the valleys and 150 feet deeper on the divides. In the valleys 

in the western portion of the county it lies about 900 feet deep and on the divides 

200 feet deeper.

No deep borings have been reported from this county, but from the experience 

of the deep boring at Jennings and Kanona, in the next county west, the Dakota 

sandstone contains a large volume of water under moderate head which may possibly afford a flow in the deeper valleys.

OSBORNE COUNTY.

j Osborne County lies mainly on the Benton shale, which passes under the Niobrara chalk to the west, the beds dipping very gently to the north. The Dakota 

sandstone lies at a moderate depth throughout the county, at a very few feet in 

its southeast corner, gradually increasing to about 500 feet on the divides in the 

extreme western and northwest portions. A number of borings have been made, 

of which some appear to have reached the Dakota sandstone and to have found 

Satisfactory water supplies, while a number of others have not been quite deep 

enough and have been discontinued on encountering saltwater, apparently in the 

shales underlying the Benton. A well of 'this character at Osborne had a depth 

of 301 feet and found very salty water, which rose to within 30 feet of the surface. 

The well passed entirely through shale, ^and no sandstone is reported. A well 9 

miles south by east from Osborne (NW. i sec. 33, T. 8, E. 12), with'a depth of 

360 feet, found a large volume of salty water, which rises to within 45 feet of 

the surface. On Solomon River, 6 miles northeast of Osborne (NE. i, sec. 14 

T. 6, R. 12),; a well 315 feet deep passed through blue shale and obtained a-large 

volume of salty water which comes to the surface, and, it is claimed, rose several 

feet above it when the well was first opened.
WELLS OF WEST-CENTRAL KANSAS. 311'

These wells indicate the existence of an extensive stratum of water-bearing ' 

.. material at-che base of the Benton shale, yielding water too salty for use. Doubtless wells bored through this horizon into the deeper beds of the Dakota sandstone 

would obtain satisfactory water supplies for pump wells.

OTTAWA COUNTY.

This county comprises a portion of the lower valley of Solomon River. It 

is1 underlain mostly by Dakota sandstone, but, in the deeper valleys in the . 

southern portion of the county, the underlying Permian shales are exposed.

There are numerous wells which penetrate the' sandstone to various depths, 

usually from 20 to 150 feet, and generally obtain .satisfactory water supplies. 

Deeper wells would penetrate the salt-bearing shales which underlie the Dakota 

sandstone, in which there is no prospect of finding good water. The thickness 

of these shales has not been ascertained, and it is possible that good water supplies might be obtained in the limestones and sandstones by which they are 

underlain. Judging by wells in the country east and south, it would be necessary to bore over 1,500 feet, and possibly over 2,000 feet, to reach these, limestones.

' PAWNEE COUNTY.

Pawnee County embraces a portion of the valleys of Arkansas River and 

Pawnee Fork. All of the lower lands are underlain by the Dakota sandstone, 

but the high ridge in the northern portion of, the county is capped by a thin 

mass of Benton shales. Along the river there are extensive alluvial deposits, 

and to the south sand dunes and Tertiary beds. Numerous shallow wells 

obtain water supplies from the Dakota sandstone, which rises to within a few 

feet of the surface in most cases. An exploration for deeper waters has been 

made at Larned, in a well 743 feet deep, from which there is a flow of 250 gallons 

per minute of very saline water. It is reported that fresh water was found, in 

the Dakota sandstone near the surface, a slightly saline flow at 430 feet, and a 

strong brine under a pressure of 23£ pounds at 743 feet/ The following analysis 

of this water by Professor Church is given:

Analysis of water from deep well at Larned, Kans.

1 Grains per gallon. 

Sodium chloride....................................................... 3,373. 61

Sodium sulphate...........................................'............ 332.92

Sodium bicarbonate........... ..........................'.............. 146. 93

Magnesium bicarbonate ................................................ ' 25.52

Lime bicarbonate...................................................... 127. 23

Iron and alumina oxides .............................................. .21

Silica................'..............!.................................... .12

Organic matter .................I....................................... .09

' Total......:........./..'........................................ 4,006.63
312 GJEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GKREAT PLAINS.

PHILLIPS COUNTY.

Phillips County lies-near the eastern margin of the High Plains, extending from 

the valley of Prairiedog Creek southward to and beyond North Fork of Solomon 

River. It is underlain by the Niobrara formation, which is extensively exposed in 

the deeper valleys, the higher lands being covered by the late Tertiary sands and 

'grits of the High Plains. The Niobrara is from 50 to 200 feet thick in this county 

and is underlain by the Bentori formation, 400 feet thick, which, in turn, is underlain 

by the Dakota sandstone. The formations dip gently to the northeast, the Dakota 

sandstone varying in depth from 500 feet in Solomon Valley at the eastern margin 

of the county to from '700, to. 850 feet in the higher lands to the north and west. 

The sandstone appears to have been reached at Kirwin, at a depth of 430 feet, by 

a well which affords a flow, but as the water is-from the uppermost beds, or the 

beds at the base of the Benton, it is too highly mineralized to be of use. A well 

in Beaver township, 6 miles south of Cactus, was bored to a depth- of 480 feet 

and found in blue shale a small supply of water, which rises to within 50 feet of 

the surface.- A few miles northwest of Phillipsburg, a similar well is 430 feet deep, 

and a well in section 21, near Stuttgart, is 398 feet deep. These three wells 

were, of course, not sufficiently deep to reach the Dakota sandstone.

In 1903 a deep boring was in progress 4& miles northeast of Long Island, in 

search of oil or gas. At a depth of 650 feet the top of a. stratum reported as 

"hard rock," which is probably the Dakota sandstone, was reached. From 50 to 

650 feet the boring was in "shale"-of the Niobrara and Benton formations, the 

chalk rock and limestone not being specially recognized. As 'the altitude of this 

boring is about 2,050 feet, the altitude of the top of the supposed Dakota 

sandstone is 1,400 feet.

PRATT COUNTY.

Pratt County is situated in south-central Kansas, on the High Plains between 

Cimarron and Arkansas rivers. Its surface i's covered by Tertiary deposits from 

50 to 200 feet thick, and its principal water supplies are obtained from the coarser 

sands and gravels at their base. The next underlying formation is the Dakota sandstone, which thins out to the south and gives place to Red Beds, which lie at no 

great depth in the southeast corner of the county.

The only deep well reported in this county is at Pratt, where 800 feet was . 

attained. Salt was found from 600 feet down, and some water, met with in the 

salt-bearing beds, rose to within 15 feet of the surface. Judging from the experience 

of the deep well at Anthony, in the adjoining county, the 'salt-bearing beds are very x 

thick, and there are no -prospects for reaching the underlying limestones at a depth 

pf less than 2,500 feet, and perhaps of much more. There is also no certainty that 

these limestones would yield satisfactory water supplies.
WELLS 01' RAWLINS AND REPUBLIC COUNTIES, KANS. , _ 313

RAWLINS COUNTY.

This county lies' o"n the High Plains and is traversed by the valleys of Beaver 

and Sappa creeks. The entire area appears to be covered by Tertiary beds, excepting 

in the bottom of some valleys where, the underlying P.ierre shale is revealed. This 

formation has a thickness of several hundred feet,, the State well at McDonald 

haying penetrated it for 213 feet without reaching its base.. The underlying Niobrara 

formation and the Benton group have a thickness of about 900 feet. The Dakota 

sandstone is at an altitude of from 850 to 1,150 feet above sea level, its surface 

dipping gently to the northwest. Accordingly it should be expected at a depth of 

1,600 feet in the southeast corner of the county and at 2,400 feet on the higher 

'lands of the western tier of townships. Judging from the experience of the wells 

in.,the' adjoining county, Decatur, the formation contains water, but not under 

sufficient head to yield a flow even in the deeper valleys.

REPUBLIC COUNTY.

Republic County comprises a portion of Republican Valley and the highlands 

eastward. It lies mainly on, the eastern edge of the Benton shales, with the Dakota 

sandstone exposed in Republican Valley. The formations lie nearly level, or" dip 

very gently to the northwest.

A number of wells have been bored through the Benton shales into the Dakota 

sandstone, and others are sunk' in the sandstone itself, obtaining satisfactory supplies - 

in most cases. At Belleville a city supply is obtained from wells 155 feet deep, sunk 

through Benton shales into Dakota sandstone. They yield 25 gallons,per minute. 

The. only deep boring reported in the county is at Scandia, where a depth of 1,110 feet 

was reached. It passed through the Dakota sandstone and into Permian rocks, 

excellent water being found at a depth of 1,000 feet, which rose to within 16 feet of 

the surface. The following partial record was furnished: .

Record of well at Scandia, Republic County, Kans. 

Feet.

0- 340.......... I'. ............................ ............... (not given. 1

340- 410---...--......--..-.... : ................................ fire clay.

.410- 460..-....--....--.-.....------..-..--.-................... (not reported.)

460- 640........................................................ terra-cotta clay'.''

640-1,110..-...........-..--...-----.-.-----.-.--.--.---.........sandstone.

~~ The materials reported in this record are difficult to place geological!}', but 

probably" they-represent shales, sandstones, and limestones of the Permian.

RICE COUNTY. - '

Rice County includes a small portion of Arkansas Valley below the Great 

Bend and extends north onto the low divide toward Smoky Hill Valley. The
314 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

greater part of the county is underlain by Dakota sandstone,, but the underlying 

Permian beds appear to the southeast.

Numerous shallow wells obtain water from the Dakota sandstone. There are

 \

a number of salt wells and shafts in the county, one boring in Lyons having 

reached a depth of 1,625 feet. In the Bemis salt shaft at Lyons the following 

formations were penetrated:

Record of Bemis salt well at Lyons, Kans. 

Feet.

0- 30........surface.

30- 45........sandy loam.

. 45- 55........Dakota sandstone, yielding 25 gallons per minute of good water.

55- 67........variegated clays. . 

67- 80......-..blue clay.

80- 110........black clay.

110- 120........gray sandstone, with small supply of water.

120- 272 ...."....Red Beds.

272-1,083£.......limestone, shale, gypsum, and salt.

In Sterling there are deep brine wells, having depths of 916 and 946 feet, 

and at Little Eiver a salt well 1,000 feet deep was reported. The thickness, of 

the salt-bearing formations and the nature of the rocks by which .they are 

underlain have not been determined."

ROOKS COUNTY.

Rooks County comprises a portion of Solomon River Valley and the adjoining 

ridges of high plains. The whole county appears to be underlain by the Niobrara 

formation, overlain on' the higher lands by Tertiary deposits. The county is 

underlain by the Dakota sandstone, which, in greater part, lies more than 500 

feet below the surface on the highest lands and somewhat less than this in the 

valleys, especially above North Fork of Solomon River, below Stockton. The 

strata dip gently to the north.

It is not to be expected that the waters of the Dakota sandstone will afford 

surface flows in this county, except possibly in the bottoms of some of the deeper 

valleys. The deepest well reported has a depth of 490 feet, passing through 

' the lower beds of the Niobrara and the Benton formations to the Dakota sandstone. It is situated on the slopes, 9 miles south of Stockton, on the road to 

Plainville, and yields a large supply of excellent water, which rises to within 60

feet of the surface.

RUSH COUNTY.

The formation underlying this county is mainly Benton shale, but the Dakota 

sandstone is said to appear in its southeast corner. The beds' sink gradually to 

the north, so that along the northern border of the county the depths to the
\

WELLS OF KUSSELL COUNTY, KANS. '315'

sandstone are from 200 to 500 feet, the latter being the elevation of the highest 

land in the divide south of Smoky Hill River. -The sandstone has been reached 

by a number of wells which usually yield satisfactory supplies of excellent -water. ' 

At La Crosse and in its vicinity there are numerous wells from 300 to 400 feet 

deep. At Otis a depth of 260 feet 'is reported. In the higher lands northeast of La Crosse a plentiful supply of soft water, which rises to within 240 . 

feet of the surface, is found in the sandstone at a depth of. 444 feet. In the 

township south of La Crosse some wells tind the Dakota sandstone waters 

slightly too saline to be agreeable for domestic use. In other portions of the 

county salty waters are found in some wells which stop in the first sandstone 

layers under the Benton shale, a horizon which usually yields unsatisfactory 

waters. By deepening these wells a few feet the Dakota sandstone should be , 

penetrated and probably more satisfactory water obtained. No reports have 

been received of deeper wells into the formations underlying the Dakota sandstone. It is to be expected that such wells, unless very deep, would find nothing 

but the salty water of. the Red Beds.

 r" x RUSSELL COUNTY.

Russell County comprises portions of the valleys of Smoky Hill and Saline 

rivers and adjoining divides. The greater part of the county lies on the Benton 

shales, Dakota sandstone being exposed to the east in the valleys of the two rivers. 

The dip of the formations is very gently to the north.

The depth to the Dakota sandstone is less than 500 feet throughout, the amount 

being least along the river bottoms in the east, central, and south portions of the 

county. Many wells 'reach this sandstone and obtain water supplies, usually of good 

quality and in considerable volume. One well in Saline River bottom, northwest of 

Russell, has a depth of 125 feet and obtains a flow of moderately hard water from 

the Dakota sandstone, which is said to have sufficient pressure to rise 40 feet above 

the mouth of the well. Some of the wells obtain their water from the top sandstone 

of the Dakota, and others go deeper into the formation to obtain better supplies.;

A well at Russell is reported to have the following record: i

Record of well at Russell, Russell County, Kans. 

Feet. 

0- 3.........---...-----.-.....----........soil.

3- 35 ............. 1_ _-...__ i............... .clay and limestone.

36-115 .__-..--..--.-----..----.----.-.-.--.-.black shale, with thin rock layers.

115-155 ......................................-blue clay.

 155-190.......................................sandstone.

190-210..._._ _-................'...............blue clay. "

210-270...................................... .red clay.

270-325 ............- .-'-.............--.-.... - -blue and red clay and sandy layers.
'316 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Apparently this well did not reach the Dakota sandstone.

At this place another well has been sunk to a depth of 997 feet, obtaining water, 

which rose to within 300 feet of the surface, but was too salty for use. A flow of 

fresh water was reported at 360 feet, apparently from Dakota sandstone, and it is 

claimed that-rock salt was penetrated. This well was mainly in the Permian shales.

SCOTT COUNTY.

Scott County lies on the High Plains between Smoky Hill and Arkansas rivers/ 

Its surface is covered with a mantle of Tertiary deposits, which are underlain at 

from 50 to 200 feet in depth by Niobrara chalk. Under this chalk, which probably

-averages from 150 to 300 feet thick in this region, increasing gradually to the northwest, there are about 400 feet of Benton shales underlain by Dakota sandstone. 

The beds all dip gently to the northeast. The depth of the sandstone is about 

TOO feet in the southeast corner of the county, gradually increasing to the 

northwest. - . - ' . ,

So far as known no attempts have been made to reach this sandstone, and, 

although it doubtless contains water supplies, the land is too high for surface

flows.

SEWARD COUNTY.

. Seward County comprises a portion of Cimarron Valley in southwest Kansas. 

The greater portion of its- surface is covered by Tertiary deposits, which are 

known to be underlain by Dakota.sandstone to the north and by Red Beds to 

the south. . - .

Water is usually obtained from the coarse materials at the base of the 

Tertiary grit, and 'to the north by some of the wells from the .Dakota sandstone. 

A State well 176 feet "deep,, sunk just northwest of. Liberal, .obtains a moderate 

amount of water from Tertiary grit beds. A well 485 feet deep, in Liberal, bored 

by the- Rock Island ;Railroad Company, is reported to have found sandy clay 

with layers of sand rock all the way down, so that apparently it did not reach 

the Red Beds. A moderate supply of water was found, which rises to within 

125 feet of 'the surface. A similar well at Arkalon has a depth of 300 feet.'

No reports have been received of any attempts to penetrate the Red Beds 

for water supplies, but wells in other portions of the region show that the waters

-from the Red Beds are usually too much mineralized to be of use.

Record of well at Liberal, Kans. 

Feet.

0- 6 ........................................hard clay.

6- 41 ... ..................-....'..... . ... .....sand.'-- . 

 41- 63 .........-....... .....'... 1.......... ....soft sandstone.'- 

63- 75 ....................................... coarse sandstone.
UNDERGROUND WATERS OF KANSAS. . ' - 317

Feet. ^ ' . 

75- 85 .......................................sand.

85-185 ....................................... soft sandstone.

185-265 ...... ...... -......1...................sand with clay, mixed. ' ' '

265-270 .....'..... .-.'..-.:- -.... ............... .ftard'drift sandstone.

270-315 ...'.... .......^'.-. ......_......'...._..J.coarse sand, gravel, and quicksand:

315-445 .....................................\ .sand and drift sandstone.

445-485 ........................................ .coarse sand and gravel.

SHERIDAN. COUNTY. . ' "

This count}' is a typical region of the High Plains, thickly covered by "mortar 

beds " or Tertiary grit. The underlying formation is, in part, Niobrara chalk, which 

is exposed in the valley of Saline Eiver in the southeast corner of the county, and, 

in part, Pierre shale, which probably occupies the higher portion of the region to 

the northwest." The depth to Dakota sandstone is probably about 800 feet in the 

southeast part of the county and 1,250 feet, in the northwest part, the beds dipping

gently to the north.' , 

' . .... SHERMAN COUNTY.

This county, which lies on the High Plains, mostly on the divide between Republican and Arkansas valleys, is thickly mantled by Tertiary deposits lying on Pierre 

shale. One' of the State test wells, located 3 miles northeast of Goodlarid, reached a 

depth of 166 feet, all in Tertiary deposits, and obtained a large supply of. water for 

pumping, probably from the basal beds. The thickness of Pierre shale is doubtless 

nearly 1,000 feet in this vicinity, with underlying Niobrara and Benton formations 

950 feet thick, as in the region to the east and south. "These beds dip gently to the 

north. The Dakota sandstone should be expected at about 1,500 feet below the surface in the southeast part of the county, and at- a depth of at least 2,500.feet in the 

northwest part. All of the land is too high'for flowing water from the Dakota sandstone although undoubtedly the water-bearing beds of .this formation extend under 

the county and would yield water supplies for deep pump wells.

. . ; SMITH COUNTY. ' .

Smith County extends north from North Fork of Solomon Eiver, in the 

north-central portion of the- State. The north half of the county.is covered"by 

Tertiary deposits, under which the "Niobrara formations appear -to the south, 

Benton shales being exposed, in the southeast corner of the county. The formations dip gently to the nor.th. The depth to the Dakota sandstone is from 300 

to 500 feet in the southeast portion of the county.-and the amount gradually 

increases north to 800 feet in-the highest lands of the northwest .corner of the 

county. '',-'' ' ' '
318 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATEK OF 'CENTRAL GKEAT PLAIN'S.

The principal water supplies are obtained from wells of moderate depth in 

the Tertiary and in alluvial deposits. Some deeper wells obtain small amounts 

of water in the Niobrara and Benton formations, but usually in these the waters 

are of bad quality or scanty supply. Several deep borings have been sunk. 

One at Smith Center, 600 feet deep, was all in shale, not being quite deep enough 

to reach the Dakota sandstone. Considerable water was found at a idepth of 590 

feet, which rose to within 390 feet of the surface, but was too salty to be of use. 

Apparently it was derived from the salty sandstones and shales which usually 

occur under the Benton shales. Twelve miles southeast of Smith Center, T. 5, 

R. 12, sec. 5', a well 540 feet deep passed through a thick. body of dark shales 

into 5 feet of sandstone containing a large volume of water, which rose to within 

140 feet -of the surface, but is reported as being too salty for use. Near Cedarville a well 400 feet or more in depth failed to reach the bottom of the shale. 

It is unfortunate that no well has been sunk sufficiently deep to test thoroughly 

the Dakota sandstone waters in this countj-, for although they would not afford 

a flow, doubtless they would prove to be of better quality in the lower portion 

of the formation, and, having a large volume and considerable head, would prove 

an important source of supply for deep pump wells.

STEVENS COUNTY.

Stevens County lies in the big bend of Cimarron River near the southwest 

corner of the State. Its surface is heavily covered by Tertiary deposits which, to 

the north, lie on Dakota sandstone, and, to the south, on the Red Beds. The location 

of the line of division between the two underlying formations is not definitely 

ascertained.

Most of the water supplies in this county are obtained from wells of moderate 

depth in Tertiary sands .and gravels; possibly, in some cases, the Dakota sandstone has been reached, but nothing is known of its precise depth and relations. 

Apparently it lies from 200 to 300 feet below the surface, the amount probably being 

less in Cimarron Valley. Probably, in the underlying Red Beds, the same horizon 

that yields the. saline water in the .wells at Richfield, in Morton County, might be 

found, but no deep wells have yet been sunk.

STANTON COUNTY.

The surface of Stanton County is almost entirely covered by the Tertiary 

deposits of the High Plains. Along some of the deeper valleys in the western 

portion of the county the Dakota sandstone is exposed, and it is known to underlie 

the Tertiary deposits in the region to the east and the south. It has been reached 

by a 420-foot well at Johnson and by other wells in the vicinity. The water of these
-. UNDERGROUND WATERS OF WEST-CENTRAL KANSAS. .. 319

wells is of satisfactory quality and good volume, but its head is sufficient to bring 

it only to within 150 to 180 -feet from, the surface. The sandstone is underlain by 

Ked Beds, but these have not been penetrated in this county; doubtless they would 

be found to contain water and might possibly afford a now, as at Richfield, Mortori 

County. . .

STAFFORD COUNTY.

Stafford County lips on the south side of the Great Bend of Arkansas Valley 

and is mostly a region of high plains. Its entire area is covered by Tertiary and 

later deposits, but these are underlain by the Dakota sandstone throughout.

Most of the wells in the county are from 20 to 70 feet deep, and obtain 

their ,water supplies from the Tertiary or later deposits. Doubtless deeper wells 

into the Dakota sandstone would yield additional supplies if they were required. 

The Dakota sandstone is underlain at a moderate depth by the Red Beds, which 

contain ..saline waters, and are probably very thick.

THOMAS COUNTY.

>

In this county the conditions are essentially the same as in Sherman County, 

but, owing to the slightly diminished altitude of the High Plains and the slight 

rise to the south of the underlying formations, the Dakota sandstone is probably 

nearer the surface,1 its depth being about 1,600 feet in "the center of the county, 

1,250 feet in the'southeast corner, and 2,000 feet in the northwest corner. The 

deepest well in the county, of which there has been any report, is one which 

reached a depth of 200 feet at Colby, and obtained from the Tertiary "mortar 

beds" a satisfactory supply for pumping.

TREGO COUNTY.

Trego County is situated in west-central Kansas and comprises a portion of 

Smoky Hill Valley. On the higher lands there is a thick layer of Tertiary deposits, 

and in the valleys there are exposures of the Niobrara formation, which underlies 

the entire county. This formation attains a thickness of from 200 to 300 feet in the 

west portion of the county, but thins gradually to the east, owing to the erosion of 

its upper surface. It is underlain by about 400 feet of ,Bentdn formation, which in 

turn is underlain by the Dakota sandstone, the beds all dipping gently to the north. 

The sandstone lies about 400 feet below the surface in Smoky Hill- Valley, 500 feet 

below in the lower lands along the east margin of the county, and about 900 feet 

below in the northwest townships.

No .wells that have reached the sandstone are reported, although several have 

penetrated the overlying formations for several hundred feet. One of these, 3 miles
320 .GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OP CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

north of Smoky Hill Kiver, near the west border of the county, is reported to have 

the following record:

Record, of well north of Smoky Hill River, near western border of Trego County, Kans.

Feet. 

0- 40.:.....-.... ........................ clay. '

40-150............. v .....................blue'shale. i

150-190....................................white chalk, with small water-supply.

190-446 ..................................... blue shale. I 

A similar well, 3 miles,.south of the river, has about the same record. In a well

12 miles south-southwest of Wakeeney (T. 14, K. 24,f sec. 12), a well 438 feet deep 

obtains 50' gallons a day-of satisfactory water at a depth of 150 feet below the chalk. 

It is 438 feet deep and stops in black shale of the Benton formation. Many wells in 

the higher lands in the central portion of the county obtain satisfactory water 

supplies in the gravels and sands of the Tertiary deposits, but usually fail to find any 

water in the underlying shale. There is considerable water in the alluvial formations 

along the bottoms of Smokj* Hill and Saline rivers and some other streams.

WALLACE COUNTY.

In Wallace County the High Plains are deeply trenched by the headwaters of 

branches of Smoky Hill Kiver, the differences in altitude presented in-the-county 

being from 3,000 feet in the valley east of Wallace to slightly over 4,000 feet in 

 the higher lands along the State line. The plains are' occupied by Tertiaiy 

deposits, but in Smoky Hill Vallej^ the underlying Pierre shales are exposed. 

These shales are probably not over 300- feet thick in the valley east of Wallace, 

but they thicken to the northwest. . It is probable that the combined thickness 

of the Benton and Mobrara formations in this county is about 1,000 feet, for 

the Niobrara beds are known to thicken to the west. On this basis, the Dakota 

sandstone lies at a depth of about '1,100 feet in Smoky Hill Valley, at the eastern 

margin of the county; 1,500 feet at Sharon Springs; and probably about 2,000 

feet in the northwest corner of the county. From the experience of the well at 

Horace, in the next county south, it is certain that the Dakota sandstone contains 

a large volume of water. Its head, however, is sufficient to take it only to an 

altitude of 2,938 feet, and although this increases somewhat to the north, it is still 

insufficient to afford flows except probably for a few miles in Smoky Hill Valley 

south and east of Wallace.

The princip'al water supplies are obtained from the lower portion of the Tertiary 

deposits and from the alluvial sands and gravels in the larger valleys. A number of 

attempts have been made to obtain water from the underlying shales; near the town 

of Wallace wells have been sunk to 400 and to 448 feet, all in shale below the 

Tertiary deposits, without obtaining much water. A short distance northwest of 

Wallace a boring 800 feet deep failed to reach the Dakota sandstone. ' '
WELLS OF EAST-CENTRAL KANSAS. . 321

( WASHINGTON COUNTY.

Washington County lies between Eepublican and Little Blue valleys in the 

north-central portion of the State. It is in greater part underlain by Dakota sandstone, but in Little Blue Valley, in the southeast corner, the underlying Permian 

beds appear.

Many of the wells of moderate depth obtain water supplies from the Dakota 

sandstone. A deep boring in the village of Washington was sunk to a depth of 

2,200 feet and obtained no water supply of any consequence, an indication that the 

Permian shales, limestones, and sandstones, underlying the Dakota sandstone in this 

region, do not contain water and that there are no prospects for flowing wells.

WICHITA COUNTY.

Wichita Count}7 is in west-central Kansas, on the High Plains between Arkansas 

arid Smoky Hill valleys. The surface is heavily covered by Tertiary deposits, probably underlain throughout by the Niobrara formation, and possibly ,"in the northwest 

corner of the county, by a small amount of Pierre shale. There are from 300 feet to 

400 feet of Niobrara formation and about 400 feet of Benton shale lying on Dakota 

sandstone, the formations all dipping gently to the northeast. The Dakota sandstone lies from 800 to 1,100 feet below the surface, its depth increasing gradually 

from southeast to northwest. It contains water, but, as shown by the well at Horace 

in the adjoining county (Greeley), the head of this water is sufficient to bring it only 

to within 700 feet of the surface, so-that it does not promise to have economic value.

The principal water supplies in the county are obtained from the coarse beds.in 

the lower p'ortions of the. Tertiary deposits, at depths of from 100 to 300 feet. In 

some cases the wells have been bored into the underlying shales, but these yield no 

water of any consequence. , .

DEEP WEMjS IN EAST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL KANSAS. i

Including Clay County.

While there are several deep borings in the portion of Kansas lying east and 

south of the Dakota sandstone outcrop, between longitudes 96° and 99°, they yield 

only salt or salt water. The district is underlain by shales, sandstones, and limestones, which to the west, in Sumner, Kingman, and Harper counties, merge into 

the Red Beds. The principal formations contain vast deposits of salt, which at 

several localities are extensively worked for the market. The principal source of 

water supply for the large population in the district is from shallow wells in the 

alluvial deposits along the valleys. No deep water wells have been reported. A 

list of deep borings in the region is given on the table, page 286. Logs-of deep 

borings at Anthony, 2,335 feet; Kingman, 1,410 feet; South Hutchinson, 1,307 

feet; Lyons; 1,005 feet; Kanopolis, 880 feet; Little River, 964 feet; Sterling, 980 

feet; and Wilson. 1,385 feet, are given in Mineral Resources of Kansas for 1898, 

published by the University geological survey of Kansas in 1899, pages 90-97. 

10001 No. 32 0.5 21
322 GEOLOGY AND UJTDEEGEOtTND WATEE OF CENTEAL GEEAT PLAINS:

DEEP WELLS AND WELL PROSPECTS IK EASTERN COLORADO.

That portion of Colorado lying east of the Rocky Mountain front is underlain 

by sedimentary rocks which include several horizons of sandstones that contain 

water. Nearly all of these descend very rapidly along the Rocky Mountain front 

on the steep easterly dips, but rise again to the southeast in an anticlinal axis of 

considerable prominence. It is due to this uplift that the Dakota sandstone, one of 

the principal water-bearing horizons, is brought within the reach of the well driller 

in Arkansas Valley, where it affords excellent flows for a number of wells from 

La Junta to Coolidge. North of Colorado Springs is a very deep basin which 

appears to reach its culmination near Denver, where it holds a great thickness of 

sandstones and other rocks-of the Laramie and overlying formations. These 

sandstones are water bearing, and, in South Platte Valley from Denver to Greeley, 

have, at many N localities, yielded artesian waters, which, until they were too 

vigorously pumped, flowed in moderate volume. A large proportion of the water 

of Denver is obtained from this source, but now, owing to the large number of 

wells, most of it has to be pumped to the surface. ;

ADAMS COUNTY.

This county extends eastward from the north part of Denver into the ridges 

lying south of Platte Valley. It is underlain by Laramie, Denver, and Arapahoe 

formations, and, far below, by Dakota sandstone and associated -formations.

The sandstones of the Laramie and Fox Hills and Arapahoe formations are 

water bearing and are the source of supply in the artesian basin in the west portion 

of the county north of Denver. Apparently the artesian waters in this basin are 

obtainable only in Platte Valley, although possibly flows may be obtained in some of 

the valleys to the east. . There are numerous .deep wells at intervals along the valley 

from Denver to Brighton, some of which are flowing in satisfactory volume. Other 

wells near the city have not obtained flows, or have ceased to flow, owing to the 

general diminution of head, caused by the heavy draft on the waters in the Denver 

region. Most of the wells obtain their waters, at depths of from 400 to 800 feet, 

from the coarse sandstones at the base of the Arapahoe formation; the relations 

of these are shown in PI. LXIV. A well recently bored at Utah Junction in Argo, 

700 feet deep, is reported to have obtained a flow of 100 gallons a minute. The first 

flow was found at 400 feet, another at 500, and a third at 600, but the large supply 

is from the bottom. The water is of fine quality.

The sandstones at the top of the Fox Hills and the base of the Laramie formations 

lie considerably deeper, as shown in PL LXV, and this horizon may be expected to
WELLS OF ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLO. 323

yield flows of larger volume and greater head, for its supplies have not yet been 

drawn upon to any great extent. The depths average 1,200 to 1,400 feet along the 

lower valley lands in.which flows.are obtainable.

ARAPAHOE COUNTY.

This county is a new one, extending east from the southern part of Denver. 

It is underlain throughout by Laramie and overlying formations. In the sandstones of the Laramie there are waters which, in portions of the district, .afford 

surface flows. Along South Platte Valley about Denver there is a narrow area 

in which the land is sufficiently low for flowing wells, many of which exist. In 

the immediate vicinity of Denver there is but little flow, as the waters have 

been pumped down and their head lost, but farther south, toward Littleton, an 

abundance of good flowing-water is usually available at depths of from 500 to 

1,000 feet.

Byers. In T. 4, E. 61, sec. 20, a few miles south of Byers, there is a well .450 

feet deep which has a flow of soft water from a depth of 435 feet. The diameter 

of the pipe is 1 inch, and the yield is estimated at 2,000 gallons a day. Whether 

flowing wells can be obtained in other valleys in the eastern part of the county 

has not been ascertained.

In 1902, at Peoria siding, 6 miles east by south of Byers, a deep boring was 

made in the Laramie formation for oil or gas without success. A depth of 800 

feet was attained through materials reported;as follows:

Record of well at Peoria, siding, Cola. 

Feet. .' ' 

80............gravel.

80-420.:..-.--.'.-.soft shale.

420............water to 80 feet.

420-500............ soft shale.

500-505............hard bed. 

505.....-....-- quicksand, with much water to -10 feet. 

505-800...... ......"formation about the same as'from 80 to 505. No more water."

BACA COUNTY.

The Dakota sandstone occupies the surface in the .greater part of this county, 

being overlain to the east by the late Tertiary sands and gravels, and to the north in 

Butte Valley, from Atlanta to beyond Brookfield, by a small thickness of Benton 

formation. The sandstone contains considerable water which has yielded satisfactory supplies to numerous wells, but the conditions are not favorable for an artesian 

flow, except possibly in Butte' Valley, where there is a shallow trough, in the lower
324 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

part of which wells 300 feet deep might be successful, as they are under somewhat similar conditions in the central portion of Prowers County. Only one deep 

well has been reported in this county, a boring 720 feet deep, east of Corrizo. made 

by J. A. Stinson, of Springfield, which penetrated deeply into the Red Beds and 

succeeded in obtaining a moderate volume of mineral water, which rose to within 20 

feet of the surface. The entire county is underlain by the Red Beds which pi'obabljhave a thickness of many hundred feet, and possibly may be found to be underlain 

by sandstones or limestones of the Carboniferous, which may yield flowing waters 

of good quality. A favorable place for trying an experiment would be in Cimarron 

Valley, where probably the Dakota sandstone is nearlj-, if not quite, cut through to 

the underlying Morrison shales.

BENT COUNTY.

i 

Bent County is in Arkansas Valley, in southeast Colorado: Its lower lands

along the river are at an altitude of 3,700 to 4,000 feet; the upper ones are about 400 

feet higher to the north and about 800 feet higher to the south. The southern 

slopes are deeply incised by the valleys of Purgatory River and of a number *of 

creeks, all cut more or less deeply into the Dakota sandstone, which extends along 

the river as far west as the town of Las Animas. The ridges to the south are 

occupied by the Benton formation, and the extreme southeast corner of the county 

by a small area of the lower beds of the Niobrara. To the north, the northerly 

dip of the formations and the rise of land carry the Dakota sandstone beneath the 

surface, which is occupied first by the overlying Benton shales and then by the 

limestones of the Niobrara.

In Arkansas Valley and northward artesian waters are available and have been 

developed by a number of deep borings, some of which afford flows of moderate 

volume and of good quality, which have proved to be of great service for domestic 

and railroad use. To the south there are waters in springs issuing from the Dakota 

sandstone, and in a number o.f shallow wells dug^nto that formation. To the north 

the water has insufficient head to afford flowing wells at any great distance up the 

valley slopes. Nothing is known as to the thickness of the Red Beds, which also 

underlie the county, separated" from the Dakota sandstone by the Morrison shales, 

nor of the prospects for water in the formations which underlie them. The Red 

Beds are exposed in considerable area in the southwest corner of the county, owing 

-,to local uplift and deep erosion of the streams.

Las Animas. The railroad well at Las Animas is relatively shallow, obtaining 

a 20-gallon flow of excellent water from the second sandstone in the Dakota formation at a depth of 330 feet. The following record is reported:
WELLS OF BENT COUNTY, COLO. 325

Record of artesian well at Las Animus, Colo. 

Feet. ' ..

0- 36 ..............................................surface materials.

36- 90. ........................i..................... shale.

90-195.......................................... '.... ..sandstone.

195-240...............................................shale.

240-333.............................................. .sandstone; flow at 330 feet.

333-360...............................................shale.

This well begins in the lower part of the Benton shale and reaches the Dakota 

sandstone at. a depth of 90 feet, as the latter formation rises rapidly east of 

La Junta. The second bed of sandstone in the Dakota formation begins at 230 

feet, with the usual intervening mass of shale. (See PI. LXX.) Other wells 

in Las Animas have depths of 250 and 267 feet, and flows of 17 and 5 gallons, 

respective^, v

.fort Lyon. Twelve miles northeast of Las Animas is I the well sunk in 1881 

by the Government under direction of the Department of Agriculture. It was 

known as well No.j 1, and was located 7 miles northeast of Fort Lyon. It had a 

depth of 815 feet, but obtained from a depth of 430 feet only a small amount of 

water, which flowed out at the surface at a rate reported by some authorities 

as 2 gallons a minute and by others as only 3 -gallons an hour. The head was 

stated to be sufficient to raise the water just 10 feet above the surface of the 

ground. This boring cost $18,353. Its record is as follows:

Record of boring at Fort Lyon, -Colo.. 

Feet. - . - 

0-74.......................................sand, gravel, and quicksand.

74-80.................'...-.........-.....--.soft blue clay.

80- 86. '. .......................................blue shale. '

86-116..... ................................-gray sandstone.

116-120........!.........'......'..-...-.-...-. -dark shales.

120-140.......................................streaked sandstone.

140-150......................................-gray clean grit.

150-180....................................... black sandy shale.

180-190 .....................^................ .mottled-gray sandstone.

190-200.......................................mica sandstone.

200-225.......................................mixed sandy shale, light, very soft.

225-250.......................................mixed sandy shale, dark, very soft.

250-275........................................black variegated shale, very soft.

275-300.......................................mottled-purple shale, soft.

300-320.......................................gray shale, soft. " '

320-340............. ........-..'... ............. mottled shales, soft.

340-344 ..................:l................... black shales, soft.

344-355........................................gray sandstone. .

355-368........................................ coarse sandstone.

368-382.......................................gray sandstone.
326' GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Feet.' ' '' ' ' : . 

382-386. ... ..........-........-...-..-...---.-greenish clay.

386-396...................................... .marl.

396-439...........................-...-..;... .green and red sandstone, soft.

439-445...................................... .dark-red shale.

445-150. .................^......1...'. ......... rusty-gray sandstone.

,450-160.........I....................1........green shale. ' ..

460-500..-...--------.-.----..--.-.-... -..... .green and red shale, soft.

500-520......................................-gray sandstone.

520-550...................................... .compact gray shale.

550-570.....-....--..----.'---.'.---.-.--...----hard shales.

570-590........................................fine red sandstone. '

590-630...................'.................... .coarse red sandstone.

N. '

630-650.............".....;................... .hardred sandstone; some gypsum.

650-662............ ...........................spotted sandstone.

662-703............ I..........................mixed sandstones.

703-751...................................... .red sandstone, massive.

751-783.......-..--..-.-.-.:-.-.-.-.-.----..--soft red sandstone.

783-815.......................................spotted red sandstone.

The boring begins low down in the Graneros shale of the Benton group and 

passes through various members of the Dakota sandstone series into the Red Beds. 

It was located on the axis of the anticline extending from the south. It is difficult 

to understand why a large supply of water was riot obtained from the various sandstones which were reported.

A well sunk in 1903, 6 miles west of the Government well (sec. 36, T. 21, R. 52), 

has a depth of 720 feet. A satisfactory supply of water was found in sandstone 

extending from 452 to 474 feet, but as it only rose to within 300 feet of the surface 

the well is regarded as a failure. The following record was furnished by the owner, 

O. G. Scott:

Record of well 8 miles NNE. of Las Animas, Colo.

Feet. ... , ^ 

0-25....................................-loam and sandstone.

' 25-452......!..;..........'..._..._...'.."..'.'.dark shale.

452^75. ..........I................^...... ..Dakota sandstone; water to 300 feet.

474-596............'.."..............".'. '.....'. .dry sandstone! ' ' ,

.-. 596-656...'..................................dark shale.

-. 656-700...........................;.........gray shale with "bowlders" (?).

700-710......................................"talc."

'710-720.....................................gray shale lying on red shale.

The well began in the Mobrara formation and passed through the formations 

of the Benton group to the'top of the Dakota sandstone at 452 feet. The sandstone is reported to be 144 feet thick, underlain by 124 feet of Morrispn shales to 

the top of the Red Beds at 720 feet
WELL§ OF BOIJLDEK COUNTY, COLO. 327

Caddoa. At Caddoa, a station of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, on the river bank, a well has been bored to a depth of 582 feet. The upper 

bed of the Dakota sandstone outcrops extensively in this vicinity and the well 

reaches the lower part of the lower sandstone of the formation. It is 10 miles 

southeast of the Government well just described. The water obtained at 285 feet 

was hard, so that wells now in use obtain their supply from the upper bed at & 

depth of 70 feet, where the water is relatively soft. The following record is given:

Record of well at Caddoa, Colo. 

Feet.

* 0-29.......... .......-..--..-.--.......---..-..surface materials.

29- 33---......:.-..'.--......---...-......-..--. .yellow clay.

33- 66...........................................sandstone; soft water at 50 feet.

66-175.....---.-. '................................ shale.

175-285....--.-.... ......'.--..-.....--.-..-..-....sandstone; hard water.

285-300..-.......-..........-.-.-.-...........--- .variegated shale; water to 75.

300-345.....-.....---......---.---...-.......-----sandstone; water to 60.

345-384...........................................shale.

 384-425---.................-.------.-........-----white sandstone.

425-492..................................... ......red shale and sand.

 - 492-582........................................:....white slate:. ., " .

BOULDER COUNTY.

The western portion of this count}r is in the high ridges of the Rocky Mountain 

Front Range; the eastern half comprises foothills and plains underlain by sedimentary rocks from Carboniferous to Fox Hills. All the lower formations in the 

foothills dip steeply to the east, but the dip rapidly diminishes awaj: from the 

mountains, and in the eastern portion of the county is almost horizontal with some 

local undulations. The steep dips, however, rapidly carry the Dakota sandstone 

to a great depth, so that it is beyond the reach of practicable well boring in the 

eastern portion of the county. The overlying Pierre shale is 2,500 feet thick, 

and under this are 1,000 feet of Niobrara and Benton deposits.

In the oil field east and northeast of the- town of Boulder numerous wells, 

which have been sunk deep into the Pierre shale in order to obtain oil from the 

sandstones in that formation, obtain considerable water from the same source. It is 

claimed that a well bored about ten years ago, at Boulder, passed through more than 

1,000 feet of hard sandstones and obtained water, which flowed over the top of the 

pipe 20 feet above the surface. It contained a large amount of sulphate of soda.

A well at Hygiene is reputed to have the following record:^

Record of well at Hygiene, Colo.

Feet. ' . ' 

0-17...........,....---....-.-.:.....---...-.............surface and soapstone. . x

17-50..-.-.-..-......-..--.-----.-...................-..coarse sandstone.

50-130..................................... 1.......;.....slate.
328 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Feet. 

130-160..............-.-..-......---..----..----.-----.-..fine white sandstone.

160-190........--.----.----.--.:------..--..---.----------shale.

190-198 ...........^...................................... .sandstone.

198-200...................................................fire clay.

200-204.....-.....----...-........-------...--...---..... .coal (supposed). .

E 204-284................................................ 1. .sandstone, oil-bearing.

284-416.. ................................................. .shale.

416-442........................-..-.-.--..---.........'.... sandstone.

442-444 ...................................................fire clay,

444-524.....'..........-.......................--..........sandstone and coal.

524-589................................................... .sandstone.

58~9-591.............-.----.-------.....-.-'..------........fire clay!

591-605;...................'.....----...................... coal.

605-905..........-....--.......----.---.....----..........sandstone, bearing oil.

Water flowed at 675 feet, but soon ceased.

CHEYENNE COUNTY.

This county comprises a portion of the basin of Big Sandy and of the high 

plains at the head of Smoky Hill River. All of the higher lands are capped by 

late Tertiary deposits, which, in the larger depressions, are seen to be underlain by 

Pierre shale to the north and west and by Niobrara formation to the southeast. 

The region is underlain by Dakota sandstone at moderately great depth, 1,200 to 

1,500 feet in the southern portion of the county, increasing gradually north, 

owing to the gentle northerly dip of the beds to probably 2,300 feet or more near 

the northern margin.

As shown by wells within the county and in adjoining districts, flowing waters 

are not to be expected from the Dakota sandstone in Cheyenne County. Two deep 

borings have been made. '

Cheyenne Wells. The well at Cheyenne was bored under'the direction of the 

Department of Agriculture.over twenty years ago, with an appropriation provided 

by a special act of Congress. No official data have been obtained regarding its 

depth, record, and results, except the statement that it was unsuccessful. As considerable gas was encountered in its lower portion a local company was organized 

to develop a gas supply by a second boring, which reached a depth of 1,700 feet and 

was then abandoned, because the gas was found to be of insufficient quantity. 

Through the kindness of Mr. McLane, of Cheyenne Wells, the ^following1 record 

was obtained: v
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. LXIV

AIAP OF THE DENVER BASIN

SKOWnTGDEPTHS TO BASE OF LOWEST WATER HOBIZOrTUf 4BAPAHOE IdHlMTIOIf

JULIUS BIENS CO.LIT
WELLS OF CHEYENNE COUNTY, COLO. 329

Record of boring at Cheyenne Wells, Colo. 

Feet. 

0- 30............................clay.

30- 60............ .................magnesia, chalk, rock. ^ . . v

60- 110.............................sandy gravelly clay.

110- 130............................white sandy clay.

I 130- 145............................soft white sand.

145- 185......................... ...-white sandy clay.

185- 215............................soft white sand.

215- 534........................... .soft, black shale; at 257 feet, good water.

534-1,260....1.................i.....white sandy shale with gas.

1,260-1, 330........................... .'.chalk rock with brackish water.

1,330-1,360............................fine sand.

1, 360-1,460............................soft black shale.

1,460-1,510..-.......-.-- ..............soft white sand or limestone.

1,510-1,700.......................'.-..... black shale.

1, 700-1,770.........................-...(not given, but thought to be shale.)

In this boring a large supply of excellent water was obtained at a depth of 

257 feet at the base of the Tertiary formations, but did not rise far in the casing. 

The record appears to indicate that the Tertiary formations extend to 215 feet, but 

probably they really extend to 257 or 260 feet, where the black shale begins in the 

two shallow wells now in use at the railroad tank. The upper shales are undoubtedly 

Pierre and the chalk rock from 1,260 to 1,330 is a portion of the Niobfara. The 

supposed limestone extending from 1,460 to 1,510 feet is probably the limestone 

at the base of the Mobrara, and, if this is the'case, the boring stopped in the top 

of the shales about 150 feet above the Dakota sandstone. It was intended that the 

Government boring should be continued to 2,000 feet, but with the small-sized 

casing used in its lower portion the bit could not progress below about 1,770 feet. 

It is unfortunate that-the boring was not sunk to the depth intended, as it had 

excellent prospects for reaching the Dakota sandstone and obtaining water for a 

pump well. It would thus have thrown most important light on the head -of the 

water and the prospects in adjoining regions.

Kit Carson. A well bored at Kit Carson in 1870 by the Kansas Pacific Kailroad, which attained a depth stated by various authorities as 1,300, 1,460, and 1,500 

feet, was also unsuccessful. Doubtless it penetrated practically the same beds as 

those below 300 feet in the Cheyenne Wells boring.

DENVER COUNTY.

The city and county of Denver are underlain by the Denver formation, which 

is overlain along Platte Valley by alluvial deposits. The Arapahoe and Laramie
330 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GEEAT PLAINS.

formations lie at no great depth, and their sandstones contain a large volume of 

water which has been drawn on extensively by many establishments in the city. 

Formerly there were numerous flowing wells, the area of flow comprising all the 

lower lands extending to a moderate width on either side of South Platte River, 

but owing,to the large number of wells and the vigorous pumping the head has been 

lowered so that now flows are obtainable only in the outskirts of the city. The 

underground water conditions in Denver have been described in detail by Eldridge, a 

and the following statements are, for the most part, condensed from his report:

The first deep boring in Denver was a well on the highlands east of the town 

sunk to a depth of 795 feet, in 1871 or 1874, but although water w.as found the well 

did not prove satisfactory. In 1883 a boring for coal near St. Luke's Hospital, in 

North Denver, encountered a large flow of water of fine quality, a discovery which 

led to active development of the underground waters. Several hundred wells have 

since been sunk in the city, mostly to depths from 400 to 1,100 feet. The water 

horizons are as follows:

(1) The upper sandstones of the Fox Hills formation, which appear not to have 

been reached even by the deepest wells. These sandstones are mostly fine grained, 

have a thickness of several hundred feet, and, as they are underlain by several 

thousand feet of clay and shale, are the lowest available water horizon in the Denver 

basin.

(2) The sandstones in the Laramie formation, which are coarser grained and 

more open in texture than the Fox Hills sandstones, occur in thick beds, mostly 

in the lower portion of the series. The lowest Laramie and top Fox Hills sandstones together have a thickness of about 200 feet and contain the largest volume of 

water. The top of this horizon is probably reached by several of the deepest wells, 

at depths of from 1,350 to 1,500 feet, but the water is much mineralized. The depth 

to this horizon is shown in PI. LXV. There are other higher sandstones, which 

contain more or less water, in the lower part of the Laramie formation, within the 

next 50 feet above the basal bed. . (

(3) The Arapaboe formation, which supplies the greater part of the water in 

the basin. There is a heavy bed of conglomerate and sandstone at the base of the 

formation, varying in thickness from 25 to 200 feet or more, which appears to be 

continuous under a wide area. This member is coarse grained and very pervious, 

and furnishes water to many wells from 600 to 700 feet deep. Its depth is shown 

in PI. LXIV. Higher in the formation are local bodies of sandstone and sandy 

shales containing more or less water and supplying numerous wells from 300 to 600 

feet deep.

(4) The Denver formation. Some of the shallower wells which formerly flowed

a Eldridge, G. H., Geology of the Denver Basin: Mon. U. S. Geol. Survey, vol. 27,1896, pp. 401-468.
DENVER' ARTESIAN BASIN. 331

appear to draw their supplies from the irregular beds of sands, sandstones, and 

conglomerates in this formation..

Most of these water-bearing beds outcrop in a succession of belts of varying 

widths, lying west of Denver and trending north and south parallel to the Rocky 

Mountain front. The beds rise gradually to the east as well as to the w.est, 

Denver lying across the axis of a broad syncline. The outcrop of Arapahoe 

formation partly circles about Denver to the southwest, west, northwest, and 

north, in a zone which is several miles wide for the greater part of its course, 

especially to the north and northwest. It is in these outcrops that most of the 

water passes underground, and, as much of the area is somewhat higher than 

the lower portions of Platte Valley about Denver, the waters have a moderate 

head in the lowlands. The structural relations are shown in PL LXVI. It is 

estimated by Eldridge that from Platte Canyon to Boulder Creek the outcrop 

of the Fox Hills and Laramie sandstones may absorb nearly 200,000,000'gallons 

a year, and the Arapahoe outcrop nearly 17,000,000,000 gallons, based on the 

calculation that 6 inches of the annual rainfall passes underground, this being 

the amount remaining after deducting evaporation and amount lost by run-off 

for the whole area. With diminished volume of water in the beds due to lowering 

of the water plane by numerous wells, we might expect that the beds would 

have greater capacity for receiving water at their outcrop and so diminish the 

run-off. Probabty, also, considerable water passes underground without being 

subjected to as much' evaporation as is the case with water flowing over the surface.

The supply of underground water in the Denver basin is far short of the amount 

of water that it appears should be available. This is probably due mainly to the 

very slow circulation in the rocks and to the wide-spread influence of leakage from 

springs in the lower lands eastward. It was estimated ~hy Eldridge that in 1890 the 

daily yield of wells in Denver and suburbs was about 1,500,000 gallons, or about half 

as much as in 1886, and since that time the volume pumped has diminished greatly. 

He predicts that the permanent supply will probably not exceed about 1,350,000 

gallons a day, and that if all pumping were discontinued forty years would be 

required before the volume of water originally available would be restored by 

underground percolation in the strata. The water level now is from 50 to 200 feet 

below the surface in most wells ,in the city. The yield varies from 5 to 200 gallons 

a minute, depending upon, depth, diameter of well, and power of pumps. One 

well is reported to have flowed 400 gallons a minute.
332 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATEB OF CENTRAL GBEAT PLAINS.

Analyses of representative deep-well waters in Denver, Colo. a 

&

[Grains per gallon.]

 .

Sodium chloride. .'..................!'. .................

Silica .................................................

Anderson 

well, Colfax 

Avenue 

Bridge, 375 

feet.

0.87

8.22

.44

.10

.03

.69

10.41

Windsor 

well, Eighteenth and 

Larimer, 342 

feet.

0.85

7.93

.44

.10

.03

.61

: 10.03

Windsor 

Hotel, lower 

flow, 515 

feet.

0.92

8.48

, .44

" .07

.03

.76

10. 76

Court-house 

well, 910 

: feet.

0.36

 1.64

15.83

14.04

.32

.06

.63

33. 01

' . a Eldridge, G. H., loc. cit., pp. 462, 463. Analyses by K. Chauvenet. 

, . DOUGLAS COUNTY.

Douglas County comprises a portion of the Rocky Mountain Front Range and, 

to the east, a region of buttes and ridges in the northern portion of the Arkansas 

divide. In the foothills at the base of the Rocky Mountain Front Range there is 

a great succession of sedimentary beds lying on the granite, from Ordovician and 

possibly Cambrian to Tertiary in age, at first steeply tilted, but to the east lying 

nearly level. Some of the younger formations overlap westward and lie directly 

against the granite, and some of the older 'formations also present complicated 

relations, owing to overlaps among themselves. Owing to the steep dip, the Dakota 

sandstone is soon carried far beneath the surface, so that it will not be a source of 

water supply. In the eastern part of the county there is a heavy capping of the 

Monument Creek beds, which are underlain by the Denver, Arapahoe, and Laramie 

formations. In the two latter there are probably the same water supplies that yield 

the flqws in the Denver basin, but the land is too high for flowing wells, except in 

the deeper portion of Platte and Plum valleys in the northern part of the county, 

where there are several flowing wells from 500 to 1,000 feet in depth.

Sedalia. Several borings have been made at this place; one to a depth of 1,440 

feet obtained water in abundance, but would not flow.

Castle Rock. At this place a well 1,700 feet deep was reported a failure.

Larkspur. A well 560 feet deep at Larkspur obtained water in sandstones, 

but no flow.
U. S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER MO.32 PL.LXV

R.70 W. R.69 W. R.68 W. R.67 W. R.66 W.

MAP OF THE DEJTVER BASIN

SHOWING DEPTHS TO EASE OF FOX H11LS SASBSTOXE

THE LOWEST PRACTICABLE WATER HORIZON

CUJ1P1I.EDI3Y CK. SIEBENTUA1'

1904-

Scale 

o 1 z 3 4- 5 e miles

pi? 34567 t> B lutik.nieturs 

EXPLANATION

Outcrouof Foxmlls and 

Larionie saudstune

R.69 W.

So'

JULIUS eiEN4CC.LITH.N-Y.
U. 8, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. LXVI

g w d

CROSS SECTIONS OF THE DENVER BASIN, ALONG FIVE LINES INDICATED ON PLATES LXIV AND LXV. 

Legend: g, granite; w, Wyoming; d. Dakota and associated formations; p, Pierre shale; f, Fox Hills formation; I, Laramie formation; a, Arapahoe formation; dv, Denver formation; b, basalt.
WELLS OF EL PASO COUNTY, COLD. 333

These borings were all in the Laramie or overlying formations, and appear to 

indicate that there is very poor prospect for obtaining an artesian now in any portion' 

of the county, except near its extreme north margin.

ELBERT COUNTY.

Elbert County lies mostly on the elevated district southeast of Denver. It is 

underlain mostly by the Laramie sandstones and shales, which to the west are 

capped by the Monument Creek formation and to the south by late Tertiary deposits. 

But little is known regarding its underground geology or water resources; apparently it lies too high for artesian flows of any volume from either the Laramie or 

the Dakota sandstones,'the latter probably lying 3,000 feet or more below the 

surface.

EL PASO COUNTY.'

This county comprises a portion of the Rocky Mountain JFront Range, including 

Pikes Peak and a district of plains to the east. These plains are underlain by 

sedimentary rocks from Cambrian to Tertiary in age, dipping to the east, steeply 

along the mountain front, but with gentle inclinations under most of the district.

i /

The prospects for underground waters are somewhat uncertain. The Dakota 

sandstone doubtless is water bearing, but pitches down very steeply in the foothills 

of the Front Range and lies so deep under the central and eastern portions of the 

county that very deep borings would be 'required to reach it. The Laramie sandstones and shales, which cover nearly the entire east half of the county, are water 

bearing, but they lie on high lands in such a way that they do not offer much prospect for flowing wells; still, their capability in this regard lias not been adequately 

tested. A deep boring at Calhan was on land so high that flowing water could 

hardly have been expected. Deep borings at Colorado City penetrated the steeply 

dipping beds of the foothills, but did not prove successful. A 1,250-foot boring 

at Franceville and a 765-foot boring at Monument were all in shale and found 

no water. ' >

Colorado City. Two deep wells were bored at this place by a local oil company 

in 1894 and 1895. The first was located on the NW. i of the NE. i sec. 2, T. 14, R. 

67. It reached a depth of 2,020 feet, where operations were stopped by the collapse 

of a string of .casing. Below the first 30 feet of surficial materials the formation 

penetrated was Pierre black shale, except at 1,247 feet, where a 5-foot bed as hard as 

granite, which yielded some gas, was reported. Boring No. 2 was located on the 

SW. i of the NE. t sec. 2, T. 14, R. 67 W.. and had a depth of 1,300 feet, entirely 

in shale below the first 60 feet. Both holes are now full of water.

Calhan. A boring at Calhan, sunk to a depth of 566 feet, obtained a small 

amount of water at 90 feet. Coal-bearing beds were reported at 250 feet and lower, 

 but the beds were thin and the coal of poor quality.
334 GEOLOGY AND TJNDEEGEOTJND WATEE OF .CENTRAL GEEAT PLAINS.

 The following record was reported by the Chicago,'Rock Island and Pacific 

Railroad Company: ,

Record of boring at Calhan, Colo. 

Feet. 

0-28 ................sand. . :

28-38 ................sandstone.

38 - 63 ............ : ...dark sandy shale.

63 -142 ................clay and sandy shale grading into soft sandstone.

142 -255 ................" soapstone,'' with thin layer of coal at 232 feet.

255 -306 ................shale.

306-314 ................sandy limestone.

314 -323 ................ sandy shale with coaly layers.

323 -324 ................" false coal."

324 -325}................fire clay.

325J-329 ................dark shale.

 ' ' 329 -336J-,.......... ......sandy shale.

336J-337 ................"false coal."

337 -361 ................sandy shale, micaceous J-inch coal layer, at 360 feet.

361 -416 ...........:..'.."soapstone." ' ' 

 ' 416-432 ........---I ....micaceous sandy shale. 

 432-435 ........:...-...."false coal and poor coal."

435 -480*................shale.

480 J-484J................ sandy false coal.

484J-487 ................poor coal.

487 -546 ................micaceous sandy clay with some shale.

' 546-551 ............ .....sandy false coal.

551 -556J............1...shale. . ' . .

556 J-566 ................ shale and sandy shale.

Doubtless this boring was entirely in the Laramie formation.

FREMONT COUNTY.

This county includes an embayment into the Rocky Mountain Front Range 

occupied by a basin filled with a thick series of sedimentary strata, including all the 

formations from Ordovician high into the Laramie. The deepest portion of this 

basin lies a few miles southwest of Florence, the beds dipping gently into it from 

the'east and rising steeply to the north, the west, and the southwest, in :-part 

abutting against the crystalline rocks "of the Wet Mountains.

' Florence. In the vicinity of Florence numerous wells have been sunk for oil, 

which is obtained from hard shales in the Pierre formation. -These beds are local 

deposits of the great mass of barren clays of which the formation consists in; the 

wide area eastward. 

Some of the oil wells in the vicinity of Florence encounter more or less water
WELLS OF HUEKKANO COUNTY, COLO: , 335

at various depths down to about 1,150 feet. The water is strongly mineralized" and 

often in large volume. A typical record is reported as follows: 

Record of well in sec. 83, T. 18, R. 78, near Florence, Colo. 

Feet. ' - 

0- 20-.-...-..--....-..--..surface materials.

260- 280.......-...-..--... ..-.shale and sandy shale; flow of water.

280- 650.--..:--..-...--...... shale, with layers of limestone.

650- 695...................... limestone.

695- . 699..-...-..-.......---..sandstone.

699- 722......-......--...--. .white sandstone; second flow.

722-1,130. -...-..........---.. .shales, limestone, and sandstone; very large flow.

1,000-1,400......................shales and sandstone.

1,400-1,600...................... soft shale.

One of the wells in the oil field was sunk 3,021-J- feet, entirely in shale except 

for 10 feet of dark rock at a depth of 2,680 feet. It encountered no water.

A well about 1,000 feet deep 10 miles southeast of Florence near ,the Pueblo 

County line has a flow of about 600 gallons from Dakota sandstone. It. begins 

on top of the Niobrara at an altitude of 5,500 feet. This well indicates that 

flowing wells are to be expected in the east-central and southeastern parts' 'of the 

county. . , '

In 1880 a 4^-inch boring was made on Coal Creek, near Canyon, to a depth 

of 1,278 feet, prospecting for coal. No coal was found, but at 350 feet a small 

supply of water was encountered, which rose to within 15 feet of the surface. Three 

miles east of Canyon a flowing well 900 feet deep is sunk in Laramie beds.

HUERFANO COUNTY.

The conditions in eastern Huerfano County present great diversity both in 

geologic succession and topographic configuration. To the south are the Spanish 

Peaks rising to an altitude of over 13,000 feet, to the north the high Greenhorn 

Mountain of Archean rocks, and to the east a wide undulating region of plains . 

' traversed by shallow valleys and some deep canyons, the lower altitudes mostly 

averaging from 5,500 to 6,000 feet. The Dakota sandstone underlies all of the 

area except on Greenhorn Mountain and in the deeper portion of the Apishapa 

.Canyon, where underlying beds are revealed. It is upturned against the slope 

of the. mountain, but elsewhere lies nearly horizontal, although brought to the 

surface by a gentle uplift in the eastern portion of the county. In the slopes of - 

Spanish Peaks it lies at a very great'depth under an immense thickness of shales, 

and sandstones. Under the plains to the north and east, however, it may be reached ;.. 

 by ordinary borings. '
336 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Rouse junction. Only one boring in the count}' has been- sufficiently deep to 

penetrate the Dakota sandstone; this is at Kouse Junction, on the Denver and Rio 

Grande Railroad southeast of Walsenberg, where the railroad company made a boring 

to a depth of 2,058 feet, but did not succeed in finding an adequate water supply. 

A small amount of fresh water appeared at 700 and 1,760 feet, and of salt water at , 

890 feet. These-waters rose for some distance, but the greatest height was more 

than 200 feet 'below the surface. The following record was furnished \>j the

railroad company:

Record of well at Rouse Junction, Colo. 

Feet. * 

20- 800....................................shale.

800....................................coarse white sandstone.

850................................... .black shale; bad water.

870.. -- ---..---..-.-.-......'.---.......hard white sandstone.

930..............................:.....hard rock (reported as granite). ,

940. ------...--.--..... ..-.-...........hard white sandstone.

950-------..---------.---.----':-........black shales.

960..............i..........._..-........hard white sandstone.

1,010..............................:.....slate.

1, 020.................................... shale.

1, 030..----...-------.,.......... '....'. ...hard white sandstone and quicksand.

1,140....................................hard white sandstone. /

1 

' 1,150................................... .coarse white sand with a little water.

1,160.----.....----...,.......;..........coarse red sandstone.

1,190......'..............................coarse green sandstone.

1, 210.-.-----..---.--.....................pink slate and sand and "granite." - ..

1, 290.-------.....-- --.................. .red sand.

1,320....---..----...-..-.-.;...--..... ...pink slate.

1,350.... .................................drab sand, with shells.

1,380....................................fine, hard, white sand. >.

1,390.----.....-----.........._......__. .fine drab sand and white hard clay.

. 1,450.-..... ,..--..---..----.....-.....'...redflinty rock.

1, 500.....................................fine gray sand, very hard.

1, 540.--.............I........ ........... red sand.

1,960....:...............................hard white sand. ...

2,058.....----.....--....................red, fine, hard sand.

This boring was begun, near the base of the Pierre shale and the shales

reported to a depth of 800. feet are mainly Niobrara and possibly the upper 

\shale of the Benton. The Dakota sandstone appears to have been reached at

1,140 feet and to. have continued to not far below 1,500 feet. The lower 300 

,feet or more were in the Red Beds and it was from them that the fresh water

at 1,7.60 feet was obtained. The salt water at 890 feet was in sandstones of the

the Benton group.
WELLS OF SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO. 337.

Apparently the Dakota sandstone yielded no water at all, a most discouraging 

indication, for doubtless its capabilities were thoroughly tested. The explanation 

probably is that, owing to the extensive outcrops of the Dakota formation north 

and east, no head is possessed by whatever water may be in the sandstone. It is 

also likely that the many dikes which penetrate the formations round about Rouse 

Junction, particularly to the west, have cut off the underground flow.

Walsetiberg. At Walsenberg an unsuccessful boring for gas was made some 

time ago. It was entirely in the Pierre shale, which there has a thickness of about 

1,700 feet. Seven miles below the town, on Cuchara River, an* 800-foot well 

yields sulphur water to a pump.

It is probable that the Dakota sandstone may yield water in the northern portion of the co'unty, between Greenhorn Mountain and the Denver and Rio Grande 

Railroad, at depths varying from 600 to 2,200 feet, increasing to the west. At 

Cuchara and Apache sidings the Dakota sandstone water horizon lies about 900 

feet below the surface, and at Huerfano siding, 550 feet.

JEFFERSON COUNTY. . .

Jefferson County extends along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains and 

is underlain mainly by granites and schists; west of Denver it comprises a small 

area of plains and foothills underlain by sedimentary rocks, which dip very' steeply 

to the east in the foothills at the base of the mountains, but soon incline more 

gently and become nearly level in the vicinity of Denver. The steep dip, however, 

in the first few miles carries all of the older sedimentary rocks far beneath the 

surface and under the western margin of the basin of the Laramie and overlying 

beds, which contain the water tapped by the numerous. wells in Platte Valley in s 

the Denver region. The margin of the Denver artesian basin lies for the most 

part a short distance east of the eastern boundary of the county, extending into 

it in Platte Valley near the mouth of Deer Creek and continuing" in it south to

the mouth of the canyon.

KIOWA COUNTY.

This county lies on the sloping plains north of Arkansas Valley and presents 

considerable diversity of configuration and altitude. Portions of the old high plains 

are found in thef northwest and northeast portions of the county, occupied \>j a 

moderate thickness of late Tertiary gravels and sands. The principal formation 

at or near the surface is the Niobrara, which has a thickness of from 500 to 650 

feet, as nearly as can be estimated. To the northwest it is overlain by a small . 

thickness of Pierre shale and underlain by the usual succession of Benton formation, Dakota sandstone, Morrison shales, and Red Beds. The formations dip 

gently to the north, with some minor undulations which are not as yet clearly 

10001 No. 32 05- 22
338 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

determined. The Dakota sandstone undoubtedly contains artesian waters, but 

these have been reached at only one point, Sheridan Lake, where they did not 

yield a flow. The head of the artesian waters is low in the adjoining counties 

on the south, and, unless possibly in the lower part of Sandy Creek Valley, no 

flows should be expected. The depths to water are shown on the map (PL LXIX), 

varying from about 500 feet along the south-central margin of the county and 

increasing to 1,500 feet north of Galatea and in the higher lands north of Sheridan Lake. - ' '

Sheridan 'Lake. At Sheridan Lake a local company sunk a well to a depth 

of 1,280 feet, and found considerable water, but without sufficient head to afford 

a surface flow. The boring is now abandoned. The lowest water in any appreciable volume was at a depth of 1,200 feet in a dark-colored sandstone, from which 

it rose to within 40 or 50 feet of the surface. No record is obtainable, but as 

the boring begins "in the upper portion of the Niobrara chalk doubtless the sand-' 

stone at 1,200 feet above referred to is Dakota.

1 KIT CARSON COUNTY.

This county is on the High Plains of eastern Colorado, at the headwaters of 

Republican River and Big Sandy Creek. These plains are capped by a thick mantle 

of late Tertiary deposits, and, although traversed by many valleys, these all appear 

to be too shallow to cut through to the underlying Pierre shale. The count}7 is 

probably underlain by the Dakota sandstone, with its usual water supply, but the 

land is too high for artesian flows. In the eastern part of the county the sandstone probably lies about 2,000 feet below the surface and the depth gradually 

increases to at least 3,00.0 feet in the northwest townships.

Burlington. The only deep well in the county is at Burlington, which obtains 

a small supply of good water at a depth of 600 feet, apparently from a local, 

sandstone bed in the Pierre shale.

LARIMER COUNTY.

The Rocky Mountain Front Range rises in the east portion of this county, leaving 

only a small ,area underlain by sedimentary rocks which dip steeply in the foothills, 

but incline more gently east of them.. The entire succession of rocks is presented 

from Carboniferous to Fox Hills and possibly Laramie. The water-bearing 

horizons in this series are the Dakota, and probably the Fox Hills, sandstone, but 

the latter, being near the surface, would furnish supplies for shallow wells only.

Owing to the steep dip of the strata the Dakota sandstone is rapidly carried to 

a great depth, and was not even reached by a boring at Loveland, 2,465 feet deep. 

At a depth of 1,365 feet this boring found a thin layer of sandstone, which afforded 

a flow of about 1 gallon a minute. A small amount of salt water was reported at
WELLS OF LAS ANIMAS COUNTY, 'OOLO. 339

l

a depth of 500 feet, but nothing except shale from 1,365 to 2,465 feet. Judging 

from the thickness of the Pierre shale, which amounts to 2,500 feet near Longinont, 

the Dakota sandstone lies about 3,000 feet below the surface at Loveland.

At Stout a well sunk by the Union Pacific Eailroad Company some years ago 

reached a depth of 1,225 feet, almost entirety in sandstone. It is reported that 

at 922 feet water was found which flowed 40 gallons an hour, and that the flow 

increased until, at 1,000 feet, it amounted to 80 gallons an hour and the pressure was 

sufficient to raise the water 30 feet or more above the surface. The water carried 

150 grains of solids to the gallon, so that it was unfit for boiler use.

LAS ANIMAS COUNTY.

This county extends from the summit of the Culebra Eange of the Eocky 

Mountains far east over the Great Plains. ( In its west portion there are steep 

mountain slopes and high plateaus traversed by numerous deep canyons, notably 

those of Purgatory and Apishapa rivers. Along the southern portion of the county 

are high mesas capped by sheets of volcanic rock. Section 9 (PI. XI), which passes 

through the southern portion of the county, shows the principal features of the 

geologic structure. On the arches in the Eocky Mountain uplift all the sedimentary -' 

beds are steeply tilted, rising'in succession until the granites and schists are revealed 

in the central portion of the mountains. A short distance to the east there is a basin 

holding a great thickness of nearly horizontal sedimentary rocks, below the top of 

which the Dakota sandstone lies at a depth of more than 4,000 feet1. With ,the 

diminishing altitude of the country to the east and a slight upward arching of 

the beds the Dakota sandstone finally conies to the surface and outcrops extensively 

in the eastern part of -the county. In the Mesa de Maya and some associated 

volcanic areas it is overlain by lava, in places separated by a thin mass of Benton 

formations. In the canyons of the Purgatory and Chaquaqua, and in some other 

minor canyons, it is cut through and the underlying Morrison formation and the 

Ked Beds are revealed. In the western portion of the county, where the Dakota 

sandstone is overlain by the great series of later Cretaceous and other rocks, it 

lies too deep for well boring. At the top of the Pierre shale its depth is about 

2,600 feet, and gradually decreases to the east and north as the intervening 

formations come nearer to the surface.

Trinidad. At this town a well has been sunk which reaches the Dakota 

sandstone at 2,585 feet and at 2,595 obtains an abundant supply of excellent water, 

which rises to within 195 feet of the surface. The well penetrates nearly the 

entire thickness of the Pierre shale and the Mobrara and the Benton formations.

Barela. A well recently sunk by the Colorado Southern Eailroad Company 

at Barela reaches the Dakota sandstone at a depth of 1,040 feet and obtains water, 

which rises to within 300 feet, of the top and pumps 30 gallons per minute. 

The hole was sunk to the Eed Beds, which were reached at 1,340 feet.
340 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS,

v Hoelme'. At this station on the Santa Fe Railroad, 9 miles northeast of 

Trinidad, a boring was made to a depth of 936 feet, but unfortunately was 

abandoned before it reached the Dakota sandstone, which should* there be expected 

at a depth of about 1,100 feet. The boring was begun at the base of -the Pierre 

shale, penetrated the Mobrara formation, there about 700 feet thick, and passed 

into the middle of the Benton. Doubtless it would have found water in the 

Dakota sandstone, and as the locality is nearly 300 feet lower than Trinidad, 

might have obtained a flow. To the north of this place the depth to the Dakota 

beds diminishes as the outcrop zone of the Mobrara formation is crossed, and 

the sandstone comes to the surface a short distance south of Thatcher.

Thatcher. A 1,006-foot boring begins in top of Dakota sandstone. A second 

sandstone at 205 feet yields a 10-gallon flow at 245 feet, with pressure enough to 

rise 50 feet. A flow at 375 feet is from white sand; from 400 to 790 feet is 

shale, mostly red; at 790 feet is dry red sand, which is underlain by red shale to 

985 feet and succeeded at 1,006 feet by red sandstone with some water, which 

rose 450 feet.

Salt Creek. This place' is~a siding on the Denver and -Rio Grande Railroad 

at the crossing of Salado Creek, 6 miles south of Rouse junction. The railroad 

company made a test boring to a depth of ^2,030 feet, but was unsuccessful in 

finding a sufficient supply of good water. The following materials were reported, 

but the record evidently is a most unreliable one:

Record of deep boring at Salt Creek siding, Las Animus County, Colo. 

Feet. 

0- 6...................................gravel.

6- 71...................................hard limestone.

71- 250...................................black shale with thin limestone layers.

250- 285...................................sand and shales.

- 285- 335......^............................black and white sand.

> 335- 352.........'...........................gray sand.

,352- 365...................................dark sand.

365- 380...................................light-gray sand.

380- 410............'........... ............red sand and hard clay.

410.- 4501....'..........."..."..'_.............white shale.

450- 495....'........... ....................gray hard sandstone.

495- 630....................................greenish sand and sandstone.

-,. ' 630- 750............."....................{.gray sand. .

.750- 845...................................dark-gray sand.

845- 855...................................white sand.

855- 870...................................dark-gray sand.

870-1,015............ .......................red sand.'

1,025........ .......................red sand and "granite."
WELLS OF LAS ANIMAS COUNTY, COLO. 341

In this boring water was found at the depths and rose to the heights indicated 

in the following table:

Depths at which water was found and to which it rose at Salt Creek 'siding, Colorado.

Feet. 

70 feet, which rose to..............................:....:............. 3

283 feet, which rose to................................................ 140 

440 feet, which rose to........................'.............-........... 220

840 feet, which rose to................................................ 540

1,005 feet, which rose to....................1........................... 705

1, 545 feet, which rose to............................................. . 900

1,800 feet, which rose to.......................................'......... 600

Analyses of the two principal waters are as follows:

Analyses of water in boring at Salt Creek siding, Colorado.

.4 

Constituent.

Silica.....................................................................

Undetermined ............................................................

Total...............................................................

Grains per gallon.

At 440 feet.

29.40 

43.71 

5.11 

12.10 

7.06 

0.18 

0.50

98.06

At 1,545 feet.

252. 40 

25.16 

133. 30 

107. 60 

45.99 

0.35 

1.20

566. 00

This boring, which began in the lower portion of the Pierre shale, penetrated 

the Mobrara from about 300 to about 950 feet, and the Benton from about 950 to 

about 1,350 feet, where the Dakota sandstone was entered. It is the latter formation 

which yields the water at'1,545 feet, a water too highly mineralized to be of any 

use. The lower 200 feet of the well was probably in Eed Beds. The failure of this 

well to yield a satisfactory water supply is in line with a similar experience at Rouse 

junction in the adjoining county to the north. The amount of water at Salt Creek 

was not ascertained, but it was not believed to be great. This and the experience 

of the Eouse junction well would indicate either that the water leaks out to 

the northwest, or that its circulation is impeded by the many dikes of igneous 

rock which intersect the formations in the surrounding region. ' This diminished 

circulation would also be indicated by the salinity of the water, which we should 

expect would be greatly diminished if there were a free underground passage to the
842 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND, WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

canyons to the 'north and east; moreover in these canyons very little water is seen 

to come out of the formations.

In the eastern portion of' Las Animas County .shallow wells bored into Dakota 

sandstone often yield a very satisfactory water supply for local use in the area of the 

Dakota outcrop, and occasional springs which issue from the formation show that 

it is water bearing. It will be desirable at some time to ascertain the water-bearing 

capabilities of the lower portion of the Red Beds and of any underlying formations that may be in this district. The most favorable locality for such a test 

well would be in Purgatory or Chaquaqua canyons, near their junction; for here, 

owing to local uplift and deep erosion, the Red Beds are extensively exposed and a 

boring would not have to pass through overlying formations. >

LINCOLN COUNTY.

Lincoln County is on the upper slopes and summit of the divide between 

Arkansas and Platte valleys. The greater part of its surface is covered by a 

thick deposit of late Tertiary sands and gravels, cut through by valleys into 

underlying Pierre shales. To the extreme northwest these shales are seen to be 

overlain by the sandstones of the Laramie formation. The entire county is 

underlain by the Dakota sandstone, which is doubtless water-bearing throughout, 

but which lies far beneath the surface and whose water has insufficient head to 

flow. In the extreme southeast portion of the county the depths to this 

sandstone are about 1,500 feet, or perhaps slightly less, but, as the formations 

dip to the north and the land rises to the northwest, the amount increases 

gradually, probably to considerably over 3,000 feet in the district north of the 

Hock Island Railroad. No deep wells have been reported in this county.

LOGAN COUNTY.

Along Platte Valley in this county the Laramie formation is extensively 

developed, and in the higher lands east and north there is a thick mantle of 

White River, Arikaree, and Ogalalla formations. The thickness of the Laramie 

formation and its capabilities as to underground waters have not been ascertained. 

The Dakota sandstone probably lies several thousand feet below the surface, but 

possibly its waters might have sufficient head to afford flows along Platte River. 

Several deep borings have been made near Fleming; one on the Rogers farm, a 

half mile west, has a depth of 423 feet. A very small supply of water was found 

at that depth, which rose to within 160 feet of the surface; presumably, this water 

was in one of the sandstone beds of the Laramie formation. The following 

section is given:
WELLS OF OTEEO COUNTY, COLO. 343 

i

Record of well at Fleming, Logan County, Colo. 

Feet. 

0- 50...............................red clay and gravel.

50- 70...............................loose gravel. '

70 85........i......................white compact clay.

85- 92...._....____,_....._...........yellow clay.

92-109..-----.---....-.............. -dryt loose gravel.

109-194...............................light-green compact clay.

194-203.............................. .rocky layers, with a little water.

203-252...............................white compact clay and lime rock.

252-318...............................blue clay.

318-328...............................bright-yellow clay.

328-383. ----...--..........'-......-.. .light-green clay, with fine white sandstone.

383-423..... J................L........ black clay.

MORGAN COUNTY.

*

Morgan County is in the valley of South Platte River in the northeast portion 

of the State. It appears to be entirely underlain by the Laramie sandstones and 

shales, covered by a wide mantle of alluvial materials in the vicinity of the river. 

The thickness of the Laramie formation here is not known, but it is at least several 

hundred feet and may be a thousand or more. Doubtless it contains water-bearing 

sandstones which may possibly afford flowing1 wells in the lower lands. Apparently 

no attempts have been made to develop the underground waters in this county, for 

only shallow wells obtaining small local supplies for pumps have been reported.

OTERO COUNTY.

This county extends from north to south across the artesian basin of Arkansas 

Valley. It is underlain by rocks from the Red Beds to the Pierre shale, with 

late Tertiary deposits on some of the higher summits to the north and the west. 

The, formations dip gently to the north, the Dakota sandstone outcropping in the 

southeast corner of the county and the underlying Morrison shales and Red Beds 

appearing in the canyons of Purgatory -River and some ,of its branches. To the 

northwest there is a regular succession of the three formations of the Beriton group 

and a broad belt of Mobrara limestone and clays, and to the horth the Pierre 

shale. The depth to the Dakota sandstone, increases gradually to the north and 

northwest, being about 3;000 feet in the extreme northwestern-portion of the county. 

The sandstone appears to contain water throughout, but the head of this water is 

sufficient to afford flows only in Arkansas Valley and in the lower lands adjoining.

Numerous wells have been sunk along Arkansas Valley, .which yield -large 

supplies of water of excellent quality. The volume is somewhat variable, being 

moderate at La Junta and very large in the vicinity of Rocky Ford. Wells at
344 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Ordway and Sugar City, which-penetrate the sandstone but fail to obtain a flow, 

indicate that the flowing area is restricted to the region of lower altitudes. In 

the northern, one-third of the county, where also the depths to the water are 

great, the land is entirely-too high for flows. -

The geologic formations present very uniform characteristics throughout this 

county, by which they are easily recognized" by the well drillers. The Niobrara 

shales, and especially the lower limestone of that formation, are distinct features; 

next the black shales of the Benton, with a thickness of slightly over 400 feet; 

and then the Dakota sandstone, with the intervening series of .shales between 

its two members. The underlying shales and Eed BedsNhave been reached by the 

borings at Bloom (Iron Springs) and La Junta, and found to contain waters 

of very unsatisfactory quality. Possibly the Eed Beds may be underlain by 

sandstones and limestones which would yield better water, .but it is not possible 

to make predictions in regard to this at -present. In the southwest corner of 

the county the : .Dakota 'sandstone waters are not of satisfactory quality, as

A" 5 '

demonstrated by-the borings at Timpas, Ayer, and Bloom (Iron Springs). It was 

for this reason that "the well at the latter place was sunk to a great 'depth, with 

the hope that the formations underlying the Dakota sandstone might yield 

satisfactory"'water supplies, : but the result was unpromising. In the. southeast 

corner of the county, where the Dakota sandstone and Morrison formation are 

exposed, the water of Purgatory Eiver4s available, : and : no deep borings have 

been made. . 7 - '

fowler. The first flowing well below Pueblo is at Fowler on the Atchison, 

Topeka and Santa Fe Eailroad. It has a depth of 1,372 feet, at which it obtains a 

flow of soft water from the upper sandstone of the Dakota at^ the rate of about onehalf gallon a minute. The record of this well is as follows:

. ,. Record of artesian well at Fowler. Colo. 

Feet. . ' ' 

' O1- 40-.'.... 1...........................................surface materials.

.' .40- 825.L..I...'....-...-.:........I.:........:..;..... .shale.

825-1,270.....-...........:...-.;.......-..-............ limestone.

1,270-1,372........................ ....................first'Dakota sandstone.

This boring begins in the Pierre shale, passes through the Apishapa and Timpas 

formations of the Niobrara, the limestone at 825 to 875 feet being, the characteristic 

bed at the base of the Timpas, and penetrates 395 feet of Benton formation to the 

top of. the Dakota sandstone.

'Manzanola. At Manzahola there is an 'artesian well which was sunk by the 

town company. Its depth is 1,113 feet, with a diameter of 7f inches, and it yields
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. LXVII

A. ARTESi * WEL,_ AT LYNCH. NEBR, 

Flows more than 3,000 gallons per minute.

B. ARTESIAN WELL AT ROCKY FORD, COLO.
WELLS AT MANZANOLA AND EOCKY FORD, COLO. 345

from 35 to 40 gallons a minute under a pressure of about 55 pounds. The materials 

penetrated by this well are as follows:

Record of artesian well at Manzanola, Colo. 

Feet.

0- 38............................................. surface materials.

38- 598...................J.........................shale.

598-.. 633.............................................limestone.

633- 933.............................................shale.

933- 936..........................-.................."talc vein."

936-1,033..................................^..........shale.

1,033-1,113...... ............. ........................... first sandstone of Dakota.

The record shows beds of the Apishapa formation, with the typical Timpas 

limestone at 598 to 633 feet, underlain by 400 feet of the Benton group. The 

latter contains a very distinct bed of hard shale from 933 to 936 feet, which the 

well drillers designate "the talc vein" and have recognized in many borings in 

Arkansas Valley.

In 1903 a well was in progress at Manzanola for the purpose of testing the 

formations below the Ked Beds for oil and, gas. A depth of 2,110 feet was 

attained without satisfactory results. The pipe has now been pulled and the well 

abandoned. The following record has been given:

Record of deep boring at Manzanola, Colo. 

Feet. ^ 

0- 50 .................. .loam.

50-1,050 ...-...-.......--. .limestone and shales (Mobrara and Benton group).

1,050-1,139 ...................sandstone; first Dakota artesian flow, 50 gallons.

1,139-1,239 ...................shales.

1,239-1,375 ...................sandstone; second Dakota artesian flow, 10 gallons.

1,375-1,655 ................... gray clays (Morrison formation).

1,655-2,110 ...... ............. Red Beds, with several water-bearing strata.

Rocky Ford. There are several artesian wells at Eocky Ford which furnish 

large supplies of excellent water under considerable pressure. The depths vary 

from 767 to 1,033 feet. Wells Nos. 1 and 2 have a diameter of 7f inches and a 

flow of over 100 gallons a, minute, with sufficient head .to rise 80 feet or more 

above the surface. One of these is shown in PI. LXVII, B. The materials 

penetrated by these wells are indicated in the following record:

Record of artesian well at Rocky Ford, Colo. 

Feet. 

0- 40.-................surface materials.

40-250..................shale.

250-290........ ..........limestone, with salty water at its top.

290-605..................shale.

605-608..................-"talc vein."

608-690..................shale.

690-790..................first sandstone of the Dakota, with a flow of soft water.
346 GEOLOGY AND UNDEKGBO0ND WATEK OJT CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

. These wells begin in the lower part of the Apishapa formation, pass through 

the characteristic limestone bed at the base of the Timpas formation at 250 to 290 

feet, and penetrate 400 feet of the Benton formation. They contain the characteristic 3-foot bed of "talc" 100 feet above the top of the Dakota sandstone.

Ail 845-foot well at Wyckoff Park, near Rocky Ford, has a 4-inch bore and 

a flow of 115 gallons a minute. . La Junta. In this town there are several artesian wells yielding large flows 

of salt water, which are extensively used by the railroad company and in part for 

municipal supply. The principal flow is from the second bed of sandstone of the 

Dakota formation, which is entered at a depth of 555 feet; most of the wells are 

only between 405 and 439 feet deep. A boring by the railroad company penetrated 

both sandstones of the Dakota formation and passed through the underlying 

shales and sandstone into the Eed Beds, which it penetrated from 1,050 to 1,150 

feet. The record of this boring is as follows:

Record of deep boring at La Junta, Colo. 

Feet. 

0- 37.........................................surface materials.

37- 48.........................................gravel.

48- 230................I........................shale.

230- 235........................................."talc."

235- 340.........................................shale and light shale.

.340- 423..............-.-..----......---.........Dakota sandstdfte; soft water.

. 423- 451........-.......__......-..'I..............black shale. '

451- 545......._----...___--.--..................gray sandstone.

545- 555.........---......--..-----..-.--.....-..black shale.

555- 605..-..-............-------..-.....-.......sandstone; soft water; flows.

605- '950..._ _......____....---.-...__-...-__..__.shale.

950-1,050.........'............................... .sandstone; water; -no flow.

1,050-1,ISO......1..................................red and variegated shale.

This well was plugged at 700 feet and obtains its principal supply of water 

from the second bed of sandstone in the Dakota formation, extending from 555 

to 605 feet. The original flow was 35 gallons a minute, but vigorous pumping 

has lowered the water many feet and it is now forced out by air lift. The wells 

at La Junta begin in the Timpas formation, but soon pass into the Benton shale, 

reaching the characteristic "talc vein" at 230 feet and the top of the Dakota sandstone at 340 feet. This formation presents an alternation of heavy beds of sandstone with intercalated shales, and from the record above given extends down to 

a depth of 605 feet. The underlying shales and sandy beds are those which are 

found on Purgatory River, 25 miles south of La Junta, lying on the sandstones 

and shales of the Red Beds. Probably the top of the Red Beds,is at a depth of 

950 feet at La Junta. .
' WELLS AT LA JUNTA, COLO. 347

Two other wells of 'the railroad company are 420 and 439 feet deep, and are 

pumped by air lift. A well in the McNeen brickyard, with a depth of 405 feet,, 

obtained a small flow at 395 feet, which increased to 8 gallons a minute at 405 feet. 

Its diameter is 4£ inches. The well at the flour mill in La Junta is 425 feet deep 

and flowed 30 to 45 gallons a minute until other wells in the neighborhood were 

pumped, when the flow ceased. It is now pumped at the rate of 30' gallons a 

minute, but this is not it's full capacity. The water, analyzed by W. A. Powers, is' 

reported to have the following composition: .- . .

Analysis of artesian well water at flour mill, La Junta, Colo.

Grains 

per gallon. 

. Sodium sulphate...........................................'....._...._..._. 60.16

Sodium chloride..-....-...'............................................... 3.18

Sodium carbonate ........................................................ 22.84

Calcium carbonate........................................................ 2.12

Magnesium carbonate...................................................... 3.57

Iron and alumina oxides ...................'..............!................ .43

Silica .................................................................... .72

Organic matter.........................................:................. 2.16

95.68 

Incrusting solids...... .... ... '.. ............................................ 6. 84

A well on the hill in the southern part of the town, about 150 feet above the 

railroad depot, has.a depth of 750 (or 766?) feet, and when completed flowed 25 

gallons per minute. Now the water rises only to the surface, owing to part filling 

with sand and possibly to a general reduction of the water level in the vicinity b}T 

several wells near the depot..

There is also a well, which flows 15 gallons a minute, on J. E. Gauger's place, 

5 miles WNW. of town.

In 1902, a company was organized to sink a deep well, 2£ miles south of-La 

Junta to test .the Red Beds and their underlying formations for gas or oil. A 

depth of 1,703 feet was attained without obtaining either of these materials. 

Although a number of beds of limestone were penetrated in the lower portion of 

the boring, it is probable that they are a part of the Red Bed series. The 

following record has been supplied:

Record of deep boring south of La Junta, Colo. 

Feet. 

0-50..soft gray limestone.

50- 60. .rnsty limestone at base of Niobrara.

60-440..dark shales of Benton group. . ' 

440-504.. soft sandstone with artesian'flow; first Dakota. . . ' < 

504-584..shales. -
348 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT "PLAINS.

Feet. . ' 

584- 700. .soft sandstone; artesian flow; second Dakota. 

700- 980..gray and greenish-gray shales with water at 820 to 120 and 860 to 100

feet (Morrison formation). 

980-1,703..Red Beds with water at intervals which rose to within 200 feet of the.

surface.

.Some samples forwarded to Washington indicated as follows:

Feet. - . - 

1,230-1,290..sand.and fine-grained sandstone of gray color, with some limestone

layers and reddish sandstone. 

1,300-1,500..red shale, with some limestone layers.

1,535..red shale, with some.limestone fragments. '"

1,600..white sand. . .

1,612..red shale, with some limestone fragments. '

1,660. .gray limestone and red shale.

1,703..red shale and gray limestone.

The Lenox well 5 miles west of La Junta has a depth of 740 feet, diameter 

of 7f inches, and yields a flow of 12£. gallons a minute. The well began in 

Nidbrara limestone 40 feet-'above its base, passed through 400 feet of Carlile, 

Greenhorn, and Graneros beds to the top of the Dakota sandstone at 440 feet, 

and penetrated the two sandstones of the" Dakota for 300 feet. The same beds 

were found at slightly lower levels in the Gauger well, l£ miles north, indicating 

a dip of 27 feet to the mile in that direction, according to Mr. McVay, the 

driller. "" 

Holbrook. At this place," which is 9 miles due north of La Junta, there is 

a well 66i feet deep, which flows about 100 gallons per minute. The head of 

the water is sufficient to raise it 80 feet, and probably much more, above the 

surface. No record was obtainable, but it is stated that the boring started in 

shale, was in limestone at a depth of about 350 feet, and penetrated 110 feet into 

the Dakota sandstone. :

Ordway. At Ordway, on the Missouri Pacific Kailroad, several wells have 

been sunk which have not succeeded in obtaining a flow. The Dakota sandstone was 

penetrated and found to contain an abundance of water which would not rise higher 

than 80 or 90 feet below the surface. The materials reported in one of the borings 

at Ordway, which -has a depth of-1,508 feet, are as follows:

. ' ' Record of boring at Ordway, Colo. 

Feet. . . 0-42...... .............-....'--...-......surface materials.

42-60...--.-.-.---..-............_...-..-blackshale. v. ...

60- 75.................................... blue shale. ....

75-- 90................................. ..-gray shale. .... r

90-116....................................shaleand shells. . .

116-145....................................blue shale. '
WELLS OF OTEEO COUNTY, COLO. 349

Feet.

145- 185..................................... black shale:

185- 245............'........................sandstone.'

245- 270.................................:..black shale.

270- 345......:............................. gray: shale. ' ' ' '

345- 410....................................limestone, soft. '

410- 473..-.-....-.----....--....--_._..:....gray shale, some.limestone.

473- 580. .................................. .gray shale, darker below.

580- 650...............:...............'.....black shale. .

650- 700............I.....:.................gray shale.

700-' 710...........\...,.....................shale withshells.

 710-' 765....................................shale.

765- 785......................'..............brown shale.

785- 800....................................light-gray shale.

800- 825...-..'............. ^................ .brown shale.

825- 845..... ..---....... ....................shale and limestone layers.

845- 855.. .............; ...................black shale.

855- 925-.-.-...............................shale with limestone layers. 

925- 960 .-.'- .................... .........'.....limestone and shale. :

 960-1, 010..'..................................limestone. ' .. 

1,010-1,325....:........:.'......................blackshale. , - - .

1,325-1, 327..................................... ."talc."

1,327-1,410............ .-..................'....blackshale.

1,410-1, 500................................... .sandstone, containing some water.

This boring apparently began in the Pierre shale, passed through the basal limestone of the Timpas formation from 960 to 1,010 feet, but did not obtain flowing 

water, either because it did not penetrate sufficiently far into the Dakota sandstone or, more likely, because the altitude of Ordway is too great to afford a flow.

Sugar City. The boring at Sugar City reached a depth of 1,308 feet, but did 

not obtain a flow. This well reached the Dakota sandstone at a depth of 1,230 feet.

Ti'tnpas.- The. following report of the well at this place is furnished: '

 , Record of boring at Timpas, Colo. 

Feet. ' ' .

0- 37....loam. r - - .' 

37- 40....dry gravel. . . 

' '" ' 40- 85....shale. . . . . _ -

85-137....limestone (basal Timpas), some water. 

. 137-538."...shale with "talc vein" from 440 to 443 feet=398 feet of Benton.

538-580....sandstone (Dakota); poor water at 544 feet rising to 50 feet; 2-gallon

flow' at 570 feet. ' 

580-605.... shale. . -' 

605-650....sandstone; poor water. . - : ' 

650-656.... shale. ' 

656-716...:gray sandstone. ~ '

716-790....sandstone (Dakota); 35-gallon flow; 20-gallon flow at 755 feet. ' 

790-795....red shale (Morrison?); '
350 GEOLOGY AND UNDEEGEOUND WATEE OF CENTBAL GEEAT PLAINS.

The water which flowed at 790 feet was too highly mineralized to be usable in 

boilers, so that the boring is regarded as a failure. The water had sufficient 

pressure to flow into a tank 27 feet above the ground.

Ayer. This is a siding on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Pe .Railroad, 6 miles 

southwest of Timpas. The record of the boring is as follows:

Record of boring at Ayer, Otero County, Colo.

Feet. " " ' - 

0- 40..surface material.

40- 43..gravel.

43- 80..gray limestone.

80-249.. black shale-with "talc vein" 147 to 150 feet. 

249-272..sandstone; soft water. 

272-280.. shale. . '

280-287. .gray sandstone, dry. . 

287-293..black shale. , . . 

293-343..sandstone, with poor water; 25-gallon flow near bottom; 3-gallon flow at 

311 feet.

The water is of unsatisfactory quality, containing 18 grains of sulphate of 

lime to the gallon. ' 

Bloom (Iron Springs). The boring at this place, sunk for the Santa Pe Railroad, 

had a depth of 1,162 feet and yielded a flow of o gallons per'minute, but was 

abandoned, as the water was too hard for use in locomotives. The following record

is furnished:

Record of boring at Bloom siding, Otero County, Colo. 

Feet. 

0^ 25................................ clay.

25- 31.....-----...'...---.--..----.-gravel. !

31- 87..............................shale, with bad water at 76 feet.

87-154..........................'....gray shale.

154-168...---..__-........_---.......gray sandstone.

168-170.....--.....-----.-...---.....black shale.

170-229...............................sandstone, brown above; poor water.

229-233...............................shale.

233-244............................. .sandstone; 5-gallon flow of water.

244-255..............................hard sandstone.

255-400............................... sandstone; second water at top, flow at 385 feet.

400-450...............................red shale. 1,

, ., ,.,',, fMorrison. 450-4o5.............. .-......-----.-.white sandstone.] * c

455-475..............................red shale.

475-575..............................red sandstone

575-695-.... ...-...-..........---.".. light-gray shale.

695-815........-.......-.-..---......light-brown sandstone.

815-880......-.-....---.....-.-...... .dark-red sandstone.

880-965........... .-I'. .............'.. .red sandstone.

965-985......I.......................red shale.
WELLS EAST OF.OKDWAY, COLO. 351 i

Feet.

985- 995............................red sandstone.

995-1,000............................ "marble."

1,000-1,007............................red shale. . 

1,007-1,020............................red sandstone. 

1,020-1,025.............................white "limestone."

1,025-1,085.................._''_........red sandstone. ' ' '

1,08.5-1,087............................"limestone."

1,087-1,125............................red sandstone.

1,125-1,128.............................. "limestone."

 . 1,128-1,133........................... .pink sandstone; water rose 80 feet.

1,133-1,140............................red sandstone.

1,140-1,145............................red shale.

1,145-1,155.......'.....................white sandstone; water rose 350 feet,

1,155-1,162............................red shale.

Two deep wells have been sunk in the eastern portion of the county northeast 

of Horse Creek Valley, one 18 miles due east of Ordway, in sec. 13, T. 21 S., R. 54 

W., ha'd a depth of 715 feet, but, although it reached the Dakota sandstone, did not 

find water with sufficient head to afford a flow, the water level coming, to within 

60 feet of the surface. The supply appears to be ample, for the well was pumped' 

20 gallons per minute. The following record is given:

Record of well in sec. 13, T. SI S., R. 54 W., 18 miles due east of Ordway, Otero County, Colo.

Feet.

0- 40..................................................sand and clay. 

40-180.-.....................................'......... .blue shale.

180-187..... .'...........................................sandstone.

187-227..-...........-........'....'................-.....gray shale.

227-267.............................. ^................. .limestone.

267-372...............................................; .brown shale.

372-377........................................... 1..... .limestone.

377-432.................................................sandy shale.

432-4771................................................. slate.

477-584................................................ .brown shale.

584-594...................................................slate,

594-688.'................,............................... black sandy shale.

688-703..---..-.....-...-'-.......-..-..........-....... .gray sandstone.

703-715.........-....--......'..-.-...-..!. ............. water-bearing sandstone.

In sec. 36, T. 21, R. 50, a well 780 feet deep has almost exactly the same record, 

but the water level is considerably lower. .

PHILLIPS COUNTY.

Phillips County is heavily mantled by the Ogalalla formation and by extensive areas of sand dunes accumulated by the winds from that formation. Probably the Laramie formation lies at no great depth and might prove to be a source of
352 GEOLOGY AND UNDEEGBOtJND WATER OF CENTRAL GEEAT PLAINS.

water supply for deep-pump wells. .The depth to the base of the formation and the 

thickness of the underlying Pierre shale, Niobrara chalk, and Benton formation 

have not been ascertained. It is believed that the Dakota sandstone lies several 

thousand feet below the surface and would not yield a flow, owing to the height of 

the land. The only deep well is at Holyoke where a depth of 350 feet was attained, 

apparently all in the Ogalalla and the underlying Tertiary deposits.

PROWERS COUNTY.

This county is in the valley of Arkansas River, extending up the slopes to an 

elevation of 800 feet above the valley on the south and' about 300 feet on the north. 

In the south part of the county the Dakota sandstone is at or near the surface for 

a considerable area, extending down into Arkansas Valley to the west.- It pitches 

beneath the Benton and the Niobrara formations to the north and northeast. In 

much of the region the conditions are favorable for artesian waters, and such have 

been obtained at a number of points in Arkansas Valley and at one locality southward. The head of the water is not great and the volume is moderate, but the 

quality is excellent and the wells have proved to be of great value to the communities which have them. It is probable that no flows should be expected in the 

extreme northeast part of the county for the land is somewhat too high, and very 

little head can be sustained, owing to the low level of the sandstone outcrops in 

the bottom of Arkansas Valley above the mouth of Sandy Creek.

Lamar. There are several wells 226 to 522 feet deep at Lamar, which furnish 

water for the railroad and the town. Some of them afford a flow, but the head 

is very slight. The well at the railroad tank pumps 80 gallons a minute, with the 

pump barrel 200 feet below the surface. Its record is reported as follows:

Record of. well at Lamar, Colo. 

Feet.

0-34..surface materials.

34- 72..shale.

72- 75.."talc vein."

75-198.. shale.

198-265..Dakota sandstone, with water to 20 feet. 

265-270..shale! 

270-325..sandstone, soft water. 

325^00.. shale. ' 

400-404.. sandstone. ' . 

404-460..sandy shale. 

460-500..sandstone, with soft -water, which at 480 feet rises to 10 feet and at 500

feet just flows. 

500-527..variegated shale, red, chocolate, and brown.

The variegated shales in the bottom of the well are probably at the top of 

the Morrison formation, a At the waterworks in Lamar a large supply of water
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. LXVIII

54. miles

GEOLOGIC SECTION ALONG ARKANSAS VALLEY, SHOWING RELATIONS OF DEEP WELLS.
WELLS OF PROWESS COUNTY, COLO. 353

is pumped from <>he Dakota sandstone at a depth of 300 feet, rising to within 2S 

feet of the surface. The water has the following composition, according to 

an analysis by D. O'Brien:

»

1 ' Analysis of deep-well water at La mar, Colo.

Solids, 737 grains per gallon. \ per cent.

Iron and alumina, Fe'203 , A12O3 ............... ... ....................... 0. 74

Lime, CaO.............................................................. 7. 7 7

31agnesia, MgO"..........;.........:........ 1. '. .L ......................... 6. 78

Carbonic acid, C02 ......................................................... 9. 43

Sulphuric acid, H2So4 .. ................ 1..I............................... 43.10

Potash and soda, K20, NazO .............................................. 20. 39

Chlorine, Cl............................................................. 11. 82

Total...:.......................................................... 100.04

Granada.- The railroad .well at this place has the following record:

Record of artesian well at Granada, Colo.

reel. 

0- 36...... ..............................."......^surface materials; hard water.

36- 58... '. ...................._.....................shale.

58- 60..............................................limestone. .

60- 78.........."...................'....:...........shale.

78- 80............................................... limestone.

80-195.............................................gray shale. .

195-323."!.......................................... .black shale.

323-326.. ..................^........................ "talc vein."

326-353. ................. ........................:. .black shale. ' .

353-405............ ..'...............................sandy shale; some soft water.-

405-480........................................ ... .Dakota sandstone; soft water.

480-497............................................ .shale.

497-504.................:.........-................ .white clay.

The water level in the well was about 25 feet below the surface, but it is pumped 

down to below 80 feet, yielding about 80 gallons per minute.

Holly. ;A't Holly there is a flowing well which is said to have reached the 

Dakota sandstone at 296 feet and to have obtained a satisfactory flow. The diminished depth to the Dakota at this place indicates that the strata are rising eastward 

from Granada, as shown in the section, PI. LXVIII.

Plwfi, Creek. At a point on Plum Creek,- about 20 miles south of Granada, 

there is a small artesian well, .which obtains its flow from the Dakota sandstone at a 

depth of 200 to 300 feet, from, which no definite report has been obtained. It is 

important in indicating that artesian waters may be expected in the central and eastcentral portions of the count}7 , at some distance south of Arkansas Valley. Much o'f 

10001 No. 32 05 23
354 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF, CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

this region is occupied by the Greenhorn limestone in the middle of the.Benton 

group,, so that about 250 feet of shales would have to be passed through to reach 

the top of the Dakota sandstone, and this formation penetrated for a hundred feet or. 

more to obtain a water supply. North of Arkansas River, especia'Uy in the basin 

which passes through Granada, the depth to the Dakota sandstone rapidly increases, 

owing to the downward dip and the rise of land. In the extreme northwest corner 

of the county it probably lies a thousand feet below- the surface.

PUEBLO COUNTY.

This county comprises a portion of Arkansas Valley extending east from the 

Rocky Mountain Front Range. ^ Owing to its relatively complicated geologic structure, it presents great diversity of features. In general its rocks dip to the northeast, but there are numerous, local flexures and dislocations in the region west of 

Pueblo. The Dakota sandstone outcrops at intervals along its south margin, 

on the flanks of Wet Mountain range, on the southern extension of Pikes Peak 

uplift, - and in the valley of Arkansas River a short distance above Pueblo. 

There are extensive'basins occupied by Benton and Niobrara formations and, to 

the northeast, a deep basin filled with Pierre shale and apparently with the lower 

portion of the Fox Hills and the Laramie beds.

The depths to the Dakota sandstone vary greatly. Southwest of Pueblo, in

'the western and- southern .portions of the county, .the amount is mostly less than

500 feet. At Pueblo it averages somewhat over 1,000 feet, increasing eastward

to about 1,300 feet on the Arkansas at the east margin of the count}'-, and to

more than 3,000 feet in the northeast corner of .the county. >,

The underground waters have been explored by a group of wells in the 

Pueblo region, while the well at Fowler, just east of the eastern margin of. the 

county,, indicates that artesian waters are available in Arkansas Valley below 

Pueblo.

The Dakota sandstone is underlain by Morrison clays and this in turn by 

Red Beds, which probably are very thick, and, as these have not been found 

to contain water of satisfactory quality or volume, the Dakota sandstone must be 

depended upon for artesian supplies.

.Pueblo. The first deep well in. Arkansas Valley was a boring for petroleum, 

made at South Pueblo in 1879. At a depth of 1,166 feet a flow1 of mineral water was 

obtained, amounting to about 1,00 gallons a minute. The boring was continued to a 

depth of 1,412 feet and cased to a depth,of 900 feet with 6-inch casing. The well 

has-continued to flow with nearly its original volume-and a pressure of 60 pounds to
WELLS AT PUEBLO, COLO. 355

the square inch. The water is not suitable for domestic use, but is the basis for the 

Clark mineral spring resort, where it is employed for bathing and medicinal purposes'. 

The record of this well is as follows: '

Record of deep well at Clark' s mineral spring,- Pueblo, Colo. 

Feet. ' , ' 

0- 34. ................... I .................... .soil and gravel.

34- 58..............". ...............". ..........blue shale.

58- 630.................... ................ ...... black. shale.

630- 690. ...:.................................. . .sandstone, white below.

690- 7,00. ...................................... . .black shale.

700- 735..---.. .__..-:.. . ................... ...... soft coarse sandstone.

735- 900 .'........................ ................black shale: .

900-- 940......................... ................ sandstone.

940-1, 030. ......................................... black shale.

 1, 030-1, 045. .".....................,.......... 1". . ... sandstone.

' 1,045-1, 148. .;..-..;..-.:..... L. .................... soft-black shale. - '

 1, 148-1, 180. ...li. ..---....-.:.----..-... -...-... -..'-.sandstone with-flow of-water. -

1,180-1, 195..... .......:..:...............----....... black shale. .-. /

1,195-1, 230. ...--...__....-.-..........-....... . .--..coarsejBandstone. . ...

1, 230-1,-240. ....................................... .purple shale.

1,240-1, 270'.. ...-..'........-.:..-...-.-."-.-.--.-.. '..sandstone.

1,270-1,400. ................... '..--.------- -- --notgiven. " : '

1,400- (?) ........................... ...:.......:.. purple shale.

The Colorado Coal and Iron Company has a well on the mesa south of and 

about 100 feet higher than the Clark well. The depth is 1,260 feet and the 

flow, -which 'is from 20 to 25, gallons a minute, 'is not utilized. .The following 

analysis, by H. L. Wells, is given:

Analysis of water from artesian tvett of Colorado. Coal, and Iron Company, Pueblo, Colo.

Grains 

L ,' Pur gallon.

Sodium chloride ............... ->. ........................................... ' 1. 82 '

Sodium sulphate......... ................................... .'.!.. ........ 41.43

Potassium chloride ..'.................. -T ................................ . . . 1 . 82

 "i Calcium sulphite. ....'................................_.....................' 16. 94

.Calcium carbonate .......'................................'. ................ 2. 64 ' " 

Magnesium carbonate.. ...................-.......'..........-........."....-.. 11. 65

Ferrous carbonate. ................-..-............--..........-...;......... 1.17

Silica " ' ........--'-... ..... ' ---.....-----..-.-......--..-.- .-----_...-....... ' .55 '

Total. ..."..i ... .........:............'...........,..................... 78.02 ' .

' ' . ^ 

 Another; well in the same vicinity obtains a small^fiow from a depth reported

to be 1,150 feet.'' "At the Fariss House in Pueblo a well said- to be 1,'400 feet
356 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATEK OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

deep flows 13 gallons a minute and has a pressure of 60 pounds to the square 

inch. The following analysis, by Von Schultz and Low, Pueblo, is given:

Analysis of water from Fariss artesian well, Pueblo, Cola.

, Grains

per gallon. 

Sodium chloride .......;'. ................................................. 2.42

Sodium sulphate............................................................ 41.92

Calcium sulphate ...... I.....-.-...--.'..---..-..-......................... 3.43

Calcium carbonate ..................................................1..... .-6.28

Magnesium carbonate ...-.....'..-..................-...-.................. 6.16

Ferrous carbonate......................................................... 0.91

Silica .................................................................... .91

Total.

At the Grand Hotel in Pueblo is a well 1,219 feet deep, 4i inches in 

diameter, which has a flow of about 20 gallons a minute of mineral water, 

under a pressure of 50 pounds per square inch. At 1,050 feet the flow was 

fresh water under pressure of 15 pounds. On Columbia Heights, a suburb of 

Pueblo, there is a 789-foot well which found a- small flow at 516 feet and a 

second flow at 779 feet in all about 8 gallons a minute. The following- record

is given:

-Record of mell in sec. 9, Columbia Heights, Pueblo, Colo. 

Feet. 

0- 23 . ./.............................................. .soil.

23- 31 ...... r. ......................................... .gravel.

31- 99 ...................................................shale.

90-105 .......-..........-...--..---...--..---...--...... limestone.

105-516 ................................................. . .black slate.

516-616 ................................................. .sandstone; with water.

616-779 .............................................. ^.. . .black slate.

779-789 ................................................ . .sandstone; second flow.

On the adjoining section, 17, is a well sunk by C. H. Small, which, in 1888, 

had a depth of 772 feet and a small flow. It was deepened later to a .second 

flow. The following record is given:

Record of artesian well of C. H. Small, Pueblo, Colo. 

Feet. 

0- 12. ........................................................ black soil.

12- 72. :....................-.-...-.......................... . .blue shale.

72- 82. ................ ...^. ..................................... limestone.

82-413 ................. .Vl ..................................... black shale.

413-575. ........................................................ white sandstone.

575-760. ......."................................-................ red rock.

760-772. ....................-...............-.-..'.............. .gray sandstone.
WELLS OF PUEBLO COUNTY, COLO. 357

The water is similar to that in the other wells in the Pueblo region in 

containing considerable mineral matter.

In North Pueblo Heights a well was sunk 1, 820 feet, striking small flows at 

1,200 and 1,820 feet. All the Pueblo wells draw their water supply from either 

the upper or the lower sandstone' of the Dakota formation, but the water is too 

much mineralized to be of general use.

In 1903 ,a deep boring was made at. Boone to explore for oil or gas, but 

only reached the top of the Dakota sandstone. The sandstone was not penetrated 

sufficiently to afford a water supply. The following record is furnished:

Record of boring at Boone, Colo. 

Feet. , 0- 25...........I................................... surface materials.

25-J, 560..............................................shale.

1,560-1,610.............................................. limestone.

1,610-1,720........................................I.'./..shale.

1, 720-1, 740....'.........-.........."............-.......... limestone.

- 1, 740-2,200..............................................shale, with "talc vein."

At 2, 200.......................'...................... .Dakota sandstone.

The first 1,000 feet of shale probably are of the Pierre, while the Niobrara, 

with its Apishapa shales above and Timpas limestone below, extends to 1,740 feet, 

a thickness of about 740 feet. The Carlile, Greenhorn, and Graneros beds comprise 

a thickness of 460 feet. This boring is near the axis of a deep north-pitching 

syncline, a fact which accounts for the great thickness of Pierre shale.

In 1903 two" deep -borings were made in the north-central portion of the 

county, with the hope of .finding oil or gas, but without success. Both borings

-are situated north of Arkansas River one, 1,900 feet deep. 7 miles northeast 

of Pueblo, and the other, 2.655 feet deep, 10 miles northeast of Pueblo. The 

shallower boring appears not to have reached the Dakota sandstone, but found 

some water, which rose to within 550 feet of the surface; the other penetrated 

the Dakota sandstone 55 feet and found water, which rose 1,000 -feet or more.

Record of well 7 miles northeast of Pueblo. . Feet.

0-1,400...............'.........................-- shale.

At 1,400......................................... .limestone.

At 1,440.. ......... ........;............."........ .sandstone.

(?) 1,875.._..............._.....-.........1.........shale.

 1,875-1,900...------...----...-......-.---.--........sandstone (probably Carlile).

 The altitude of this well is about 4,900 feet, and its precise location'is 4£ miles' 

north and a half mile west'of Baxter siding, on the Missouri Pacific Railroadt-
358 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT, PLAINS.

Record of boring 10 miles northeast of PueUo, Colo. 

Feet. , 

0-2, 000............. ................... .................shale.'

2,000-2,100....---:....:...-.-...:... r. ; .:........ ^..........limestone.

2,100-2,140....................................................sandstone (Carlile). -.

2,140-2,600. .......'......_.....^............................. .shale.

- 2,600-2,655..................................................Dakota sandstone.

This boring' is at an altitude of 4,750 feet, and its location is 6 miles north 

and 3 miles west of Chic.o siding, on the Santa Fe Railroad. Probably if the 

Dakota sandstone had been more deeply penetrated the water would have risen 

- to within 100 feet of the surface, but the land is too high for artesian flow.

A boring for oil on the high mesa in the extreme northwest corner of the 

county reached Dakota sandstone at a depth of 1.300 or 1,400 feet. Water rose 

to within 100 feet of the surface, or to an altitude of 5,100 feet." Two miles 

northeast, on lower lands in the adjoining count}7 , a large flow under much pressure is obtained. These borings indicate that flows may be expected in much of 

the broad area lying between the mountains and Arkansas River.

' -\

: -.. SEDGWICK COUNTY. ; ' ,

Iii this county the Tertiary .deposits descend' to the level of Platte River and 

the underlying formations do not appear. - Apparently the county is underlain by 

the Laramie sandstone., and although the water resources of that formation have 

not as yet been ascertained there appears' to be a possibility of flows for wells of 

moderate depth." Doubtless the Pierre shale occurs at no great "depth below the 

surface, but -the, position-of .the Dakota '.sandstone .can -only be conjectured; it may 

be within 2,000 feet ,of the surface, but possibly lies much deeper.

' ! YUMA COUNTY. ' , '

This county is overlain in greater part by a covering of Ter.tiary deposits, 

200 feet or more in thickness on the divides. It is underlain by the Pierre 

shale, which appears in the Arikaree and other valleys, and possibly to the 

west by the Laramie sandstones and shalesr The Tertiary deposits usually afford 

excellent water supplies for pump wells at depths averaging from 200 to 250 

.feet, but in the great mass of underlying shales there appear no prospects for 

water. . 

"The Dakota sandstone doubtless lies considerably over 2,000 feet deep, and 

its waters have insufficient head to rise to the surface. The deep boring at Otis, 

. in the. adjoining county west, probably penetrated very nearly the same formations which should be expected here. It is claimed that a w.ell was sunk at 

Wray to a depth of 400 feet .or more for coal, but neither coal nor water were 

found. -. ---.;" . '
WELLS AT AKRON, COLO. . ' . . 359 

WASHINGTON COUNTY.

/ This county extends f-rom the vallev "

of the South Platte southeast across the

divide of the High Plains. The. latter are heavily capped by gravels and sands 

. of late Tertiary age, which in the slopes to the west are seen to -be underlain 

by the White River deposits and by a considerable thickness of Laramie sandstones and shales. ' "

The prospects for underground waters in this county have been tested by

two deep wells at Akron and Otis, the former made under the direction of the

Department of Agriculture' and the latter made "by the Burlington Railroad

Company. Both penetrated deeply into the Laramie and Pierre formations, but

both were" discontinued apparently far above the Dakota sandstone. Even if this

sandstone were reached, the water which it probably contains would not have

.sufficient head to afford a flow on 'the highlands, although it might reach the

^surface and possibly have considerable pressure' in the immediate vicinity of

Platte River.' " -.--.-..,.'

Owing to our lack of information as to the thickness of the Laramie and 

the Pierre formations in this reg-ibn.no -prediction can be made as to the depth 

to the Dakota sandstone. The thicknesses indicated in the sections of upturned 

beds west of-Denver probably diminish rapidly to the east, -but .the .rate of 

diminution' has not been ascertained. ,' - .

-.Akran. The boring at Akron was made, over twenty, years ago and reached 

a depth of 1,155 feet without obtaining a flow. Considerable water was" found 

near the bottom,, but the boring ended in -shale. The following record to the 

depth that had been attained in February, 1883, has been furnished . by the 

Department of Agriculture: .

Record of well at Akron, Washington County, Colo. Feet. , - .-', '

0- 30-.............. clay and gravel. . ' ' '

30-- 40...............gravel. . '.'.. '

40- 50.... ........... chalky bed!. . - '

50- 1001..............conglomerates, sand, and gravel." " - '

At 100........ '.....:'. water to 85 feet. , . - ' _ -' 

'100- , 108............... h'ard-sand rock. ^ - - . - '" , -,.._.,_

108- 128........:......chalky rock. ' .

128- 140............. ...gravel'and clay and small, amount of water.

140- 232. ......_.;.....dry clay. . '

232- 242..'............-.sandstone. * . ' " ' '

242- 255........'.'.'.'..:..". blue" shale, with water in its lower portion rising 80 feet.' .'

 ; . 255-1,063...............shale, with water near 550 feet which rose 305 feet. -. ' -

 . ' - * - i* 

The upper portion of the well was cased with 10 and- 8 inch .casing, and with

6-inch' casing to the. depth above given.. The materials were late Tertiary, and
360 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

White River deposits lying on more or less Laramie; the great mass of shale 

below doubtless is Pierre.

 Otis. The Otis boring was continued to a depth of 2,400 feet, but obtained 

no water. It had the following record:"

Record of well at Otis, Colo.

Feet. ' 

0- 206.. ............................... ..surface materials.

206-1,400.................................. shale mixed with sandy clay.

1,400-1, 500...................... .,.......... .shale or joint clay.

1, 500-2, 000......-...............:........... shale.

-2, 000-2,,200..................................shale mixed with fine sandy shale.

 2, 200-2, 400..................................shale, compact.

It is probable that the lower formations penetrated are the Pierre shales, 

the highest beds being Tertiary deposits for the first 206 feet and then 'an 

unknown thickness of Laramie formation.

WELD COUNTY.

Weld County is underlain by Laramie and associated formations, which, in 

the northern portion of the county, are overlain by White River and later Tertiary 

deposits. The Laramie sandstones contain water at various depths, and in the 

lower lands of a portion of the county some of the beds afford flows. The 

principal wells are at Greeley, where flowing waters were found in considerable 

volume.- Flows are obtained also in Platte Valley, in the north extension of the 

Denver basin above Fort Lupton. Only a few wells have been sunk and the 

only information obtainable regarding them is that, at a depth of several hundred 

feet, flows of moderate volume and pressure are obtained.

The extent of the Greeley "artesian basin has not 'been determined. It does 

not extend far to the north, for in the deep well at Eaton the water does not flow, 

but it may extend for some distance up Platte, Cache la Poudre, and Thompson 

valleys. Its extension up Thompson Creek is indicated by the flow in the deep well 

at Loveland, but apparently no wells have been sunk which indicate whether or not 

the Greeley and Denver basins are continuous from Lasalle to Fort Lupton.

Greeley. The underground watery .have been developed to a considerable 

extent at Greeley, where 8 wells are reported. The principal water-bearing- horizon 

lies between 1,165 and 1,200 feet below the surface, and, before being subjected to 

continued pumping, yielded a small flow.

a Fifty-first Congress, first session, Senate Ex. Doc. Xn. '222,1890, p. 217.
WELLS OF WELD COUNTY, COLO. - 361

The first deep well was sunk by the city in 1883, reaching a depth of 2,260 feet. 

The following record is given:

Record of well at Greelei/, Colo. 

Feet/ '

0- -l......soil. . ' .

4- 35...... sand and gravel. ' . - .

35-1,160......bluish-gray shale with thin beds of sandstone every 40 to 50 feet. '

1,160-1,2'00..... .soft grayish sandstone, with some water.

1, 200-2,260...... bluish -gray shale.

The sandstone and the lower shale were somewhat impregnated with carbonaceous matter and eras. At the base of the sandstone was found a flow of water 

amounting to about 2,000 gallons a day. An analysis of this water, made at the 

University of Michigan, is as follows:

Analysis of writer from, artesian well at Greeley, Colo.

Grains per

gallon. 

Sodium bicarbonate. ...........,............................... ..-:........ 44.43

Magnesium bicarbonate................................................... '.50

Calc'um bicarbonate ......-..-.--..---..........-....._......-.._. .......... .57

Sodium chloride.. .......... ..............:........... .V. ................. 37. 33

Ferric 'oxide ................................................................ .24

Aluminum oxide.. ."........ ..................-............... ............. .06

Silica.............................. i... ......................-............ 6. 30

Sulphates....................................-...........................:. trace

Carbon dioxide ... ....................................................... 11.10

No water was found in the lower shale, so the boring was tilled with gravel to 

the water horizon and its .moderate flow utilized. The other wells were not -sunk 

below the water-bearing bed. All the wells were pumped and furnished moderate 

supplies, but soon after pumping was begun the flows ceased. Several of the wells 

have been abandoned.

Evans. A" well at Evans found the water-bearing sandstone at a depth of 1,125 

feet and flowed at first, but is now pumped with a yield of" about a gallon a minute.

'Eaton. At Eaton, 7 miles north of Greeley, a well was sunk to a depth of' 970 

feet, finding, from 230-260 feet, a large supply of water, which carne to within 20 

feet of the surface; additional supplies were found at about 400 and" fi25 feet.

*

DEEP WELLS AND WELL PROSPECTS IN EASTERN WYOMING.

GENERAL CONDITIONS.

In the regions lying east of the Bighorn Mountains and the Lararnie Front 

Kange there is a wide deep, basin containing several sandstone series which have not 

been extensively explored for underground waters. A few .wells along the west 

slope of^ the Black Hills obtain flows of water in some cases too highby mineralized
362 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

for .use and in others of excellent quality. The Laramie sandstone's, which .cover 

a wide area in the basin, .contain numerous water-bearing beds, which have been 

explored by wells along, the railroad and found to yield satisfactory supplies, but 

to be without sufficient head to flow, so far as yet ascertained. '. .

 .In the greater part of.-the district the Dakota sandstone lies so deep that it 

is out -of reach of the well driller, and, even if it were penetrated, its waters 

would -probably have sufficient head to yield flows Only in'the lower lands.

' ; *

CONVERSE COUNTY.

... ' v . .

There is considerable diversity in the geology and configuration of Converse 

County. To -the northeast it comprises -part of the western slope of the Black 

Hills uplift; to the south, the western extremity of Pine Ridge; to the southwest, 

the northern extremity of-the Laramie Range; and, to. the north, an-extensive 

district of high plains and ridges, consisting ,of the, Laramie formation. The 

.southwest corner is crossed by the valley of North Platte River and its north 

half drained by the headwaters of Cheyenne River. There extends across the eastern portion of the County the prominent anticline which connects the Laramie 

Range with the Black Hills. This uplift is in'part buried under the Miocene and 

the. Oligbcene deposits of Pine Ridge, but its presence and relations are indicated 

by exposures of granites, schists, and Carboniferous limestones, and, along the 

east side of Old woman Creek, by a. succession of formations from "Sundance to 

Larainie. East of this uplift,' in the northeast portion of the county, there is 

a synclinal basin in which the Dakota sandstone lies from 400 to 1,700 feet 

beneath the surface. It is probable, however, that the .only portion of this area 

in which flowing "waters should "be expected is in the lowest lands of Cheyenne 

River and Beaver Creek valleys in the extreme northeast corner of the county, 

the flowing- well at Argentine in "the adjoining county in South Dakota indicating 

the presence of the water in the sandstone. In the southeast corner of the 

county the artesian basin is deeply buried beneath the thick mantle of White 

River and Arikaree formations in -Pine Ridge, and its relations are not fully 

ascertained. It is possible, that a well in the Mobrara Valley near the State 

line would reach the Dakota sandstone at a depth not -much greater than 2,000 

feet, but the waiter could not be expected to .come within several hundred feet 

of the surface. West of Oldwoman Creek the formations'oh the west side of 

the anticline dip under the surface so rapidly that the Dakota sandstone soon 

sinks, below 'the limit of ordinary well boring. ,.,. "

It is probable that in the entire central, northern, and western portions of the 

county the Dakota sandstone lies several thousand feet below, the surface, there 

'being a considerable thickness of Laramie formation at the surface. Possibly the
UNDERGROUND WATERS OF CKOOK COUNTY, WYO.-N ' 363

sandstones of this formation would yield flows in some-areas, but their-capabilities 

. in this respect have never been tested. In the southern portion of the county, 

about Orin junction, there is probably a basin underlain-at moderate depth by 

Dakota sandstone, which would yield water under sufficient pressure to come-nearly 

or quite to the surface along Platte River, but; owing to the heavy covering- of 

younger formations, the depths and structural relations.-are not ascertained. Along 

the foot of the mountains west from Douglas there is a fault which drops 'the 

Dakota and associated sandstones far beneath the surface. South of Glenrock 

they rise again, but apparently present little prospect of affording a flow of 

water. : South of the fault, 10 miles southwest of 'Glenrock in the vicinity of 

the county line, there is a small syncline in which-the Dakota sandstone lies at 

a moderate depth below the surface, and in this restricted. area there are prospects 

for an artesian.flow in. wells from 300 to 1,500 feet deep.a .

CROOK COUNTY.

- , i 

This county comprises the north end of 'the, western part of the Black Hills 

uplift and the wide area of plains to the west. .In,the uplift rocks of Paleozoic 

and Mesozoic age appear, which, in the east-central portion of the county, dip 

gently to the west and pass'under a thick'mass of. Laraniie shales and sandstones. 

The underground water conditions -vary greatly in different portions of the county, 

there being several horizons which doubtless contain abundant water supplies. In 

the Black Hills uplift there is probably water in the -Deadwood sandstone, which 

lies on the granites and schists, and in the sandstones of the Minnelusa formation 

and of the Dakota-Lakota series: The waters of. the older formations have not 

been explor.ed, and but little can be said of their.prospects. The well at Cambria, 

. in the adjoining county south, found an abundant, supply below the Minnelusa 

formation, which is itself too fine grained to carry much water. 5 Doubtless the 

Cambria water extends under the county and lies at a moderate depth in Belle

 Fourche, Sundance, Red Water, and Inyankara valleys. Its distance below the

 top of'the Red Beds is probably about 1,500 feet, so that-in the. Red Valley its 

average depth would usually be 1,300 feet or less, depending upon the horizon 

iii" the Red Beds. At Aladdin a well was sunk 1,150 feet, which appears not to 

have reached the Minnelusa formation. It began in Morrison formation, and is 

said to have entered the Red, Beds at 400 feet and continued in them to 1,150 fee.t. 

The Dakota-Lakota sandstones extend around the' end of the Black Hills 

uplift, dipping to the west in the east-central part of the county, to the north in the 

region about the big bend of the Belle Fourche, and mostly to the northeast 

in the region north of Aladdin. That this formation is water bearing.is proved 

by the numerous wells around the margin of the Black Hills, especially .those at 

Belle Fourche, 'which yield abundant flows under considerable pressure. It is.
364 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGBOUND WATEK OF CENTRAL GEEAT PLAINS.

probable that these flows are available at moderate depths in Belle Fourche and 

adjoining valleys in the extreme northeast corner of the county, in Little Missouri 

Valley for several miles above Alzada, and in Belle Fourche Valley to the north 

of Moorcroft. To the north, and west the sandstones are .soon carried to great 

depths, so that in the higher lands the waters would not flow. This is shown 

at Thornton siding, where the formation was reached at a depth of 980 feet, but 

owing to the high land the' water would not flow.

In wells sunk for oil 'north of Moorcroft the Dakota sandstone was found to be 

water bearing, but this'resource was not developed. In the central and western portions of the county there are waters in the sandstones of the Laramie formation, 

which afford supplies to a number of deep wells along the railroad. Such wells are 

at Eozet, 883 feet deep; at Gillette, 865 feet deep; at Felix, 1,080 feet deep; and at 

Croton, 803 feet deep. tAt the latter place the water is said to have nearly reached 

the surface when the well was completed, which would suggest that flows might be 

obtainable in the; lower lands westward. It is possible that in the valleys of Little 

Powder and Powder rivers, flowing waters might be. obtained from this source. In 

this region the Dakota sandstone probably lies 3,000 or 4,000 feet below the surface, 

so. that it is out of reach for well boring.

Gillette.--Water rises to within 485 feet of the surface in a well having a record

as follows: ' . . .

Record of well at Gillette, Wyo.

Feet. ^ 

0- 60.....'.......................... 1.-...-...-..-..-... .sandstone.

60- 70...................................................._black shale.

70-190. ............_-......... -.-..........-..-........... white sandstone.

190-335........................................"........... .gray shale.

335-345.:................................. ................ black shale.

345-400................ ..................'.........'........ coal.

400-410.. .............................:..........^....... ..white shale.

410-420................................................... .'black shale.'

420-485........................................ ...........blue shale.

485-520. .............................\........ '..........'... coal.

' 520-700. .............. ..........-........'........._......__ black shale.

700-760..--.-...--...--.--..-...--.---"-----.--.--.-.--..-. .sandstone with water.

760-800. ................................................... .shale.

800-855....................................................sandstone.

855-860.....................'.-..,.......................... .shale. 

JOHNSON COUNTY.

This county extends from the summit of the Bighorn Range east beyond the 

valley of Powder River. There are large supplies of excellent water in the 

mountain streams, but in the eastern portion of the countj- the surfa'ce waters are 

not altogether satisfactory for use. as they usually contain much-alkali.
WELLS OF L'ARAMIE COUNTY, WTO. 365

The geologic structure of the county is 'relatively simple. The mountains to 

the northwest consist of granites, which, on the lower slopes, pass beneath the 

sedimentary strata that underlie the eastern and southern parts of the county. 

These strata consist of limestones and sandstones dipping steeply to the east on 

the slopes and lying nearly level under the plains eastward. The steep dip carries 

all of the older formations far beneath the surface, and the eastern half of the 

county is occupied by sandstones and shales of the Lartunie formation.

 These sandstones contain more or less water, but give no promise of artesian 

flows. In the mountains, north and northeast, along the railroad, deep wells .have 

been sunk, which have developed these waters to some extent; in the southeastern 

portion of the county a deep boring made for oil found considerable water.

LARAMIE COUNTY.

This county is, in. greater part, covered by a thick deposit of the Arikaree 

formation extending to th.e foot of the Laramie Range, .which rises along the western 

margin of the county. This range consists of granite flanked to the east by a 

regular succession of sedimentary rocks dipping east. . North of Iron Mountain 

there is an extensive anticline which branches from the main ridge and extends 

northeast toward the Black Hills. The principal features of this uplift are exhibited 

in the north-central, portion of the county, about'Hartville and northward. The 

precise relations of the rocks under the Arikaree formation are probably complex, 

and, owing to the wide scattering of the outcrops, can only be surmised. Along the 

front range of the Laramie Mountains the- dips are steep wherever the rocks are 

exposed, so that'the Dakota.and associated sandstones descend rapidly to great 

depths, finally being overlain by the Laramie- formation, which extends in a basin 

northeast from Cheyenne. These Laramie beds are exposed extensively in Goshen 

Hole, where the overlying Arikaree "beds have been removed from a considerable 

area. It is probable, therefore, that in the southeastern.and eastern portions of the 

county the Dakota sandstone lies several thousand feet below the surface, too deep to 

be reached by an ordinary boring. Probably it immediately underlies the Arikaree 

formation all. along the foot of the mountains, for it appears at intervals, especially 

on Horse Creek and .at Iron Mountain. From -the latter place it trends northeast 

along the east side of the anticline and doubtless passes near Fort Laramie and a short 

distance east of Rawhide Butte. Its depth beneath the surface along this line probably varies from a small amount to several hundred feet. Even if the sandstone 

were reached 'by ..a well along, this line of outcrop, it might not contain water, on 

account of the thick mantle of fine-grained materials by which it is overlain.

Next west of the Dakota sandstone and associated shales are the Red Beds of the 

Chugwater formation and a thin series.of sandstones and limestones, which appear
366 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER-OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

not to give much promise of water. 'These lower members extend "northeast from 

near Iron Mountain station to beyond Rawhide Butte along the east side of the 

Hartville uplift, lying on granites and schists and deeply buried under Tertiary 

deposits. They are extensively exhibited along North Platte River above Guernsey 

and in the plateau northward. They, pass near Wheatland, but the relations under 

the heavy cover of Arikaree formation in that vicinity can only be conjectured. 

The rocks undulate, considerably under the northwest corner of the countjr, 

a basin of the Dakota" sandstone and associated formations being exhibited 

along North Platte River..and the slopes to the north. The extension of this 

basin, to the west is concealed by the Arikaree formation, so that its relations to 

underground water supplies can not be predicted. Deep wells in the region about 

Wheatland and to the north would throw much light on the underground relations 

and might find a water supply within a reasonable depth, but no definite predictions 

can be made until the Arikaree formation has been perforated.

.Cheyenne. The only deep well known in this county was bored at or near

- " t.

Cheyenne some years ago,.to a.depth of 1,145 feet. Though a small flow of water 

was 9btained, the well' .was not regarded as a success. The materials penetrated 

were all sands, apparently representing the Arikaree- and the White River formations and,the Laramie sandstone. The top of the latter probably lies about 500 

feet below the surface at Cheyenne, .and if penetrated to a sufficient depth "may 

prove to be a source of water supply. , According to another authority this deep 

boring was at For,t D. A. Russell, and had a depth of 800 feet'all the way through 

gravel and bowlders. No. bed rock'was found, and below the surface supplies no 

water was obtained. ' . s 

. In 1903 a series of 6 wells ..was, bored at Fort D. A. Russell, just outside of 

Cheyenne, which obtained an artesian flow of water of excellent quality at a depth 

-of 140 feet, probably from the basal beds of the Arikaree formation, which slopes 

gently east from the foot of the 'mountains.

SHERIDAN COUNTY.

Sheridan County extends from the summit of the Bighorn Range east across 

the .plains to Powder River Valley. It is a region traversed by large volumes of 

running water, especially in the vicinity of the mountains, but in the divides between 

the streams on the plains water supplies are verj- scanty. In the western' portion 

of the county the sedimentary rocks lie on the granite and dip steeply to the northwest. Owing to this steep "dip the older formations rapidly sink to a great depth 

and pass beneath a thick mass 'of Laramie shales and sandstones, which, in the 

central and eastern portions of the county, lie nearly horizontal. The sandstones of 

this formation contain considerable water which is available for wells, and have 

been developed to some extent by a number of deep borings along the railroad,
WELLS OF WESTON COUNTY^ WYO. 367

viz, at Sheridan to a depth of 500 feet; at Verona to 540 feet; and at Clear'niont to 

. 790 feet, all obtaining a moderate supply of water which in most cases .rises to 

within about 100 feet of the surface.

There appear to be no prospects for artesian flows in this county, and, although 

possibly some of the deeper-seated beds of the Laramie sandstone may yield flows 

in the lowest valleys, no wells have yet been sunk far enough to reach them.

WESTON COUNTY.

Weston County extends from the slope of the Black Hills west across the 

plains to beyond the Powder River divide. To the south it is drained by Cheyenne 

River and to the North by the Belle Fourche. On the slope of the Black Hills 

there is a west-dipping succession of all the formations from the Pahasapa limestone 

upward, the Dakota hogback extending diagonally across the northeast corner of 

the county. The Dakota and associated sandstones pass beneath the surface with 

dips which are moderate' to the north and steep near Newcastle and southward. 

For some distance from the flank of the Hogback" Range the Dakota sandstone is 

within reach of well boring, arid the conditions are favo.rable for artesian wells, 

several of which have been sunk, furnishing water supplies in a number'of localities. 

To the west, as 'the depth increases, the sandstone finally lies at too great 'a depth 

. to be reached by wells. At the east edge of the Fox Hills sandstone the depth is 

believed to be about 2.000 feet. Thence, westward, there is an extensive region of 

Laramie ridges,'buttes, and valleys, which, owing to their elevation and to the depth 

to the Dakota sandstone, appear to have no prospect of artesian waters. There 

are, however, sandstones in the Laramie formation which contain water at some 

localities and would probably furnish supplies for nonflowing. wells. As the district has not been explored for underground waters no precise predictions can be 

made as to prospects.' -_ ' . '

Newcastle. In the various borings which have "been made for oil about Newcastle more or less water has been found in the Dakota-Lakota sandstones. Two 

miles west from the town there is a boring said to be 1,950 feet deep, sunk- for oil. 

Unfortunately a complete record could not be obtained. The oil sand, -40 feet 

thick, was found at a depth of 95 feet under-shales. At 600- feet a flow of water 

 was found, apparently in the lower part of the Lakota. sandstone. . It is still running in good volume, but the water is too highly mineralized to be of;.use. .A 

boring a half-mile southwest of Newcastle, also sunk for oil, has a depth of 1,340 

feet, "but its record could not .be obtained. Only a small flow of water was found,' 

so mixed with oil that it was of no use. In another well, sunk in 1902 a mile and a. 

half southwest of the town, a large supply.'of water.was.'found at 650 feet. ,
368 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

In two deep borings for oil a.short distance south of Newcastle several hundred 

feet of the lower portion of the Graneros formation were penetrated. The following beds were reported.

Partial geoloyiu section of Graneros formation inSkreve oil well, Nevvastle, Wi/o.

	Feet. 

Gravel, sand, and clay ...................................................... 50

Shale ...........................-....................'..... ................ 150

Sand, with some oil.(?) ---.-----------------.-------------------------------- 15.

Shale ............................................... ............j......... 18S

Shale, with much gas,....................................................... 8

Sand, with gas.............................................................. 15

Shale ............ '....................................... ...:.............. 204

»Sand, with oil and water; main "oil sand"......... ..............~........... 10

Shale, with a few layers of sandstone ........................................ 160

Sandstone, with much water................................................. 30

,1 No record ............................................_... ._..........,.... 492

This boring is about a half-mile south-southwest of the depot, aiid was made 

several years ago. The main oil sand appears to be 630 feet below the surface and, 

if so, the Dakota sandstone probably was reached at a depth of about 820 feet and 

furnished the principal flow of water.

In a boring made in 1902 about a quarter of a mile due south, the following 

beds were reported:

Partial section of Graneros fonnation in wett No 1, Northern Pacific Oil Company, "Neivc-astle, Ww.

Feet. 

Shale ...................................................................... 150

Hard sandstone......................................._"___...______...__...._ 14

Dark shale ................................................................. 239

Hard sandstone (concretion) ................................................ 2

Light-colored .shale ......................................................... 7

Dark shale ....................:.......,.................................... 52

Very hard sandstone (concretion)............................................ 2

Gray shale ........................................ ....................... 8

Very hard coarse sandstone ................................................. 14

Very hard fine-grained rock .................................................. 4

Shale ................................... .................................. 7

Sandstone, water, and oil; main "oil sand" .................................... 32

Dark shale.................................:................................ 30

Sandstone...................................:.............................. .7

Shale and sandstone ............................... ........................ 5

Shale ...................................................................... 200 JSandstone (Dakota) .to bottom, 900 feet.

The beds in this well are nearly the same as in the first, for the strata rise but 

slightly to the north. The main " oil sand" at 630 feet in the first well is probably
. . WELLS NEAR CLIFTON, WYO. 36V)

the same as the one at 499. feet in the second well. The precise thickness of underlying shale below 531 feet was not reported, but it is said that the Dakota sandstone 

was entered at about 800 feet, which indicates a thickness of about 270 feet.

Clifton. At Clifton water of good quality is obtained from a well 300 feet 

deep sunk into the Lakota sandstone a few rods west of the Dakota sandstone 

ledges. A flowing well. 4 miles north of Clifton, at the side of the railroad just 

south of Whoopup Creek, yields water too highly mineralized to be of any use. 

Its depth is 1,002 feet, with flows at 72, 210, 490, and 925 feet. Its present flow 

is less than a half gallon a minute and the pressure is very low. Its record, as 

reported by the well drillers, is as follows: \

Record of artesian well at Whoopup draw, near Clifton siding, Wyoming.

Feet. ; ... 

0- 12.............................................................soil.

12- 22.......................................................... A gravel.

 22- 62.'..................................."....................... .'.shale,

62- 82............................................................ .sandstone.

82- H7............................................................shale.

147- 157......................................'. ................ ......sand.

157- 200. .--.......--........._.__....._._....__... I .. ._-__...... .shale.

 200- 255...................................'........................ .sandstone.

255- -270..'.... .^...................................1............... .shale.

270- 290. - _........................................................ .sandstone.

290- 335...............-....:..... :.\.................................. shale.

335-- 347.................................................... ........sandstone.

347- 367... '............ ............................................ .shale.

367- 382............................................................ .sandstone;

382-^ 392.......................................................... ..shale.

392- 417.......................-..............:......:.............. .sand.

417- 457..--.....-.........................................-..-...--..shale.

457- 537............................._._......._...;..................sandstone.

537- 582.. ...........................................^............. -shale. .

582- 642.............................................. v ...........I sandstone.

642- 652............................................................shale.

652- 682........'........................................^.......... .sand. ' 

682- 735............... J........'................ 1 ....- .........'..... .shale.

735- 757..-.......------.....-.....-.-.....----.---....----.--...... sandstone..

757- 792........................1................................... white shale.

792- 912............................I........................'.:..... red shale.

912- 962..... -.............................'..........:.....-....... .white sand.

962- 974............................................:.......-........shale.

974- 994....'.._............._........'.._.......................... .sandstone.

 994-1,002,........................................................... shale.

10001 No. 32 05 2;t
370 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

The upper 20-foot sandstone bed appears to be in the lower part of the Graneros 

shales, which outcrop in the small ridge east of the well; it contained water. The 

Dakota sandstone extends from 200 to 255 feet and yielded the flow at-210 feet. 

The Fuson formation appears to extend from 255 to 270 feet, or possibly lower, 

and then there are several hundred feet of Lakota sandstone, with some shale in 

its upper portion, extending to a depth of 537 feet, or possibly lower. It yielded 

the flow at 490 feet. The limits of Morrison and .Sundance beds are not clearly 

indicated by the report of the borings, the sandstones reported at 582 and 652 

feet probabry being sandy portions of the Morrison formation. The 120 feet of 

red shale reported to extend from 792 to 912 feet probably is the usual red 

member of, the upper part of the Sundance formation, but also includes some 

adjoining shales which are not red. The" white.sand and sandstone from 912 feet 

down, which yields a flow at 925 feet, is probably the sandstone_near the bottom 

of the Sundance formation. There is another flowing well a mile and a half 

farther north, which yields a supply of very saline water, but its depth could not 

be ascertained.

Jerome siding. There is a flowing well at Jerome siding, on the Burlington 

and Missouri River Railroad, 7 miles north of Osage siding. It indicates a 

continuation of the artesian conditions north from Newcastle, in the lowlands 

bordering the western slopes of the Black Hills. The depth of the Jerome well 

is 520 feet, beginning in Graneros shales and extending into Lakota sandstone. 

The railroad company has kindly furnished the following analysis:.

Analysis'of artesian water from Jerome, Wyo. '

Grains per gallon. 

Sodium chloride........................................................... 10. 7

Sodium sulphate ............................................................ 29. 8

Magnesia sulphate............................................. ............ 7. 0

Lime sulphate-.............'....................................'........... 2. 3

Magnesia carbonate........................................................ 0.5

Cambria. The deep boring at Cambria was begun just below the base of the 

Lakota sandstone and continued to a depth of 2,345 feet, with the purpose of 

testing all the formations down to the granite, which was expected to lie not far 

below 2,500 feet. When the boring had reached 2,345 feet, the owners concluded 

to test a water supply found at about 2,115 feet before going any farther. This 

water was found to yield 200 gallons a minute of entirely satisfactory quality, so 

that it has been utilized for supplying both Cambria and Newcastle. The record 

of the boring is given as follows:
'. WELLS IN WESTON COUNTY, WYO. 371

Record of well at Cambria, Wyo. . ' ' 

Feet. 

.0- 20..debris. ' . ...->' 

20- 150..shale, light gray and pinkish, from 65 to 72 feet. . '

150- 300:.shale, light gray.

300- 350..shale, sandy, pinkish.

350- 379..shale, sandy, light gray.

379- 410..shale arid sandstone, light gray.

410- 435..sandstone, soft buff. , ' ' '

435- 496..shale, dark greenish gray. . .-

496- 504..gypsum.

504- 532. .red clay. , '

532- 560..red and dark-gray clay.-

560- 741..red clay. .*

741- 748. .gypsum.

748- . 806..red clay. . ' ' - ''" ''.

806- 810..gypsumv . / ::

810- 888..red clay, some gypsum. .

888- 900..gypsum. . ... : .

900- 988.. red. clay. ' .

988-1,022..Mirinekahta limestone. ' , . 

1,022-1, 096. .red sandy clay,'purplish at top.

1,096-1,147.. sandstones, calcareous, buff to brown. - . . ' 

1,147-1,191..sandstones, buff. ^ . 

1,191-1,222. .sandstone, "very calcareous, light brown and buff. 

1, 222-1, 240..sandstone, calcareous, buff, red at top. 

1, 240-1,300..sandstone, calcareous, light pinkish buff. . 

1,300-1,390..sandstone, pink. 

1, 390-1,430..sandstone, calcareous, pink. 

1,430-1,470..sandstone, pale pink. 

1,470-1,496. .sandstones and dark shale.

1,496-1,591. .sandstones, light gray and buff, on a 4-foot layer of dark shale. 

1,591-1, 640. .sandstones, calcareous, light gray and buff, on a 2-foot layer of dark shale!, 

1,640-1,713..sandstones, calcareous, gray and buff. 

1, 713-1, 738..sandstones, light colored. 

1, 738-1, SlO..sandstones, gray, calcareous near top. 

1, 810-1, 893. .sandstones, chocolate brown. 

1,893-1, 947. .sandstones, brown with layers of gray limestone. 

1,947-2, 345..limestone, white, pale buff, pinkish, and gray; water at 2,115 feet.

The log has been compiled from samples sent to Washington and from a set 

of borings admirably preserved in glass tubes by Mr. Mouck, the superintendent 

of the Cambria mines. It throws very important light on the underground 

geology of this portion of the Black Hills region. The well reached the base of 

the Sundance formation at 496 feet, passed through the distinctive gypsiferous red 

beds of the Spearfish formation from 496 to 988 feet and then through the 40
372 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

feetfof Minnekahta limestone below. Next came 74 feet of Opeche formation, 

extending as nearly as could be ascertained to 1,096 feet, and then a great thickness of sandstones, mainly calcareous, extending to 1,947 feet. The lowest beds 

are light-colored nearly pure limestone, of the Pahasapa formation. The waterbearing horizon may be the same as the one which yields the numerous springs, 

often of large volume, that appear at the contact of the Pahasapa limestone and 

the Minnelusa formation in the outcrop region east, apparently rising through 

fissures in the limestone. If so, it indicates the. extent of the water horizon 

which furnishes the supply at Cambria. From tlie results of the Cambria boring it is probable that this water* supply would be available in a wide area 

along the western slope of the Black Hills. It lies 1,125 feet below the base 

of the Spearfish red beds, so that it can be reached by wells in Red Valley 

from 1,125 to 1,500 feet deep. Outside of the Dakota Hogback Range the depth 

would be over 2,500 feet from the base of the Benton shale and correspondingly deeper to the west, so that it lies almost too deep to be reached at Newcastle and westward, 

Thornton. The well at Thornton is 980 feet deep and furnishes a satisfactory water supply for railroad use, but the land is too high for a flow. No 

record was obtained, but the boring begins high in the Benton group and 

appears to have reached the top of the Dakota sandstone.

ECONOMIC GEOLOGY.

COAL.

i

COLORADO.

Lignite coal occurs in the sandstone series that outcrops near the base of 

the Laramie formation along the foothills of the Front Range in a belt extending 

from near Greeley, 50 miles north of Denver., to Wildcat Mountain, 25 miles south 

of that' city, and appears again, after an interval of 50 miles, in the vicinity of 

Colorado Springs. Farther south there is coal in the Laramie formation in the 

vicinity of Canyon, and - there are extensive deposits in the northern portion of 

the great Ratqn coal field in the Walsenburg-Trinidad region.

Denver region. Coal occurs in the Denver region about 200 feet above the 

base of the Laramie formation in beds which are steeply inclined near the base 

of the mountains, but lie nearly level out under the plains. At Scranton, 20 

miles east of Denver, coal occurs 'in cla}'s of the upper Laramie, a horizon 

usually barren of coal.'

The coals of the Denver region have variations in character which appear to 

be closely related to their method of occurrence. The steeply inclined coals, to 

a depth of 300 feet, have a relatively higher specific gravity but a lower fuel
COAL OF EASTERN COLORADO. 373

ratio than the prairie coals which, in their higher ,fuel ratio, as well as their 

higher water content, more closely resemble in appearance the bituminous coals 

of the East. The coal at Scranton in the upper Laramie is a true lignite with 

a high water content and a low fuel ratio.

From Ralston southward the Laramie formation dips steeply at angles 

varying from 70° to 80°, and the outcrops of the coal-bearing portion of the 

series lie in a narrow band about 250 feet wide. Workable coal beds are not 

continuous throughout this zone, but here.and there seams thicken up and yield 

from 4 to 10 feet of coal. The workings in 'this region can not be profitably 

pushed more than 600 or 700 feet in depth. At 600 or 800 feet these steeply 

dipping strata begin to incline more and more gently until they stretch away 

under the plains: Workable coal undoubtedly occurs here and there under the 

plains, but it could be found only by expensive prospecting and at depths too 

great to be profitably worked.

»

North of Ralston and east of Boulder the dip becomes more gentle and a - 

succession of folds and faults brings the coal within profitable working distance 

over a large area, in which many productive mines have been and are in operation. 

The coal is black, lustrous, and breaks in blocks. The beds have a thickness of 

from 4 to 10 feet, but often thicken to M feet.

The Scranton mine shaft shows two workable beds of coal, 6 feet and 7£ feet 

thick respectively, separated by 115 feet of shale and sandstone containing a 

3-foot bed of coal.

Colorado Springs region. Several mines are in operation north, east, and southeast of Colorado Springs on coal beds in the lower portion of the Laramie formation. 

The product is used mainly in the near-by settlements.

Canyon region. Southeast of Canyon the Laramie forms an extensive mesa 

made up of a series of heavily bedded sandstones with intercalated shales; in the 

lower portion of this series there are workable beds of excellent coal.

Walsenburg- Trinidad region. This region comprises the northern extension of 

the Raton field of New Mexico. The coal is found principally in the sandstone series 

at the base of the Laramie formation, the principal beds occurring less than 150 feet 

above the base, although valuable deposits also occur higher in the formation.

Toward the southern margin of this field in Colorado the coal is much changed 

or totally destroyed by igneous intrusions. The excellent coking qualities of some 

of the coal in this region is thought to be directly due to the influence of the intrusions. In those cases in which the lava sheet flowed on top' of the ground it does 

not seem to have affected, to any great degree, the formation below, but when it 

was injected between the strata it changed into coking coal all lignite for 100 feet 

above and for 20 to 30 feet below.
374 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OP CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

In the vicinity of Walsenburg and Picton only the basal coals of the Laramie 

are worked. There are three workable beds within a space of 108 feet from the 

base of that formation. The lowest, with a thickness of 6 to 7 feet at Rouse and 39 

inches on the .Cuchara, thickens to 5 feet at Picton, and thins again northward. At 

Walsenburg there is another bed, 35 feet higher, consisting of a lower bench 48 

inches, and an upper bench 36 to 40lnches, in thickness, separated by 2 inches of clay. 

Sixty feet above 'the lowest coal there is a 6^-foot seam, which thins to 4i feet in 

the Picton district. The upper coal of the Laramie formation shows a thickness of 4 

to 4£ feet near Rouse, but is not worked.

Trinidad region, The Berwind-Aguilar-Engle group includes the coal within 

100 feet of the base of the Laramie; sometimes there are two workable beds. At 

Engle and Gray Creek the coal has an average thickness of 6 to 7 feet, with a maximum of 11 feet. On the Purgatory it outcrops for a distance of 10 miles, with a 

thickness of 6 to 11 feet. There are large areas where the coal has been destroyed 

by igneous,intrusions. The coal is in general a higher grade coking, semiblock 

coal, the "block}7 " character as well as the purity diminishing to the northwest. 

This character of the coal favors its easy naming. The thicker coal beds usually 

result from the coalescing of two benches, due to the thinning out of a clay parting.

The Sorpis group is mined in Purgatory Valley only. There are two and 

occasionally three workable beds, with a maximum thickness of "7 feet at Sorpis. 

The upper and lower beds are separated by 75 feet of massive sandstone. The lower 

bed is 140 feet above the base of the Laramie formation. The coal is fairly clean 

and block}7 .

In the "Morely beds," from 700 to 850 feet above the base of the Laramie, there 

is coal, which at Morely is 6 feet thick and in Smith and Zarcillo canyons ranges from 

5 to 7 feet in thickness.

- In a coaly series 1,000 to 1,100 feet above the base of the Laramie formation 

there are no workable beds and the coal is of bad quality.

' The total urea in Colorado in which the coal of the lower group is available and 

workable is probably over 800 square miles. The coal produced in 1902, along 

the Front Range, in Colorado, amounted to 6,029.024 tons, valued at $6,924,344.

WYOMING.

Cambria. In the vicinity of Cambria, north of Newcastle, there,is a coal basin 

of considerable extent, in which the principal bed is 7 feet or more in thickness and 

of excellent quality. Coal has been" mined at Cambria for the last decade, during 

which time nearly 4,000,000 tons have been produced, having an average shipping 

value of about $1.50 per ton. The product in 1889 was over a half million tons, 

valued at over $800,000. A portion of the product is converted into coke, which is 

shipped to smelting works in the northern Black Hills.
CAMBRIA COAL FIELD, WYOMING. 375

The mines are at Cambria, 6£ miles north of Newcastle, where a settlement of 

about 500 inhabitants owes its existence and sustenance to the mining and coking 

operations. It is connected with Newcastle by a branch line from the Burlington and 

Missouri Railroad. The coal underlies all of the plateau on the west side of Salt Creek, 

but the horizon has been cut through by Little Oil Creek, Oil Creek, Plum Creek, 

and their branches. To the south and west it dips beneath the surface, and passes 

deeply beneath a thick mass of overlying sandstone and shale. The coal in this area 

varies greatly in thickness and purity, but there is a large area in which it is 5 feet 

or more thick, attaining in places a thickness of over 7 feet. In the adjoining areas 

the thickness rapidly diminishes and the coal becomes extremely impure, in greater 

part giving place to dark carbonaceous shales. The principal basin of pifrer 

and thicker coal trends northeast and southwest, with its center passing through 

Cambria. To the northwest it has been entirely eroded away by the valley of Salt 

Creek, and. although some Lakota sandstone remains on the high ridges east of 

that valley, these appear not to be underlain by coal. To the southwest the coal 

slopes gently downward, at from 250 to 325 feet below the surface of the table, to 

the Mount Zion ranch, beyond which the sudden increase in dip carries it rapidly 

below the surface. In the canyon, a few rods southwest of" Mount Zion ranch, the 

following section was measured:

Section near Mount Zion ranch, Wyoming. 

Feet.

J..__.._._.-................--.:. ......J--..-1. - -bony coal.

3 .................................................hard sandstone.

4 .._...__.._.....--....-....-....---...-.-.^--.--.good coal. ' .

, £-1J ..................^.^-..i..--....-.............. sandstone with coaly .streaks.

Z.................................. ......-...-.-..coal.

This s'ection is 150 feet below the top of the table; the overlying formation is 

sandstone and conglomerate; underneath there are 40 feet of very light-colored 

massive sandstones, in part cross-bedded, lying onMorrison shale. A mile northeast 

of this locality two shafts were sunk, in which coal was found at depth's of 312 and 

324 feet, .exhibiting a thickness of from 5£ to 64 feet. A mile farther northeast are 

the mines in which are the present workings; in these the thickness of the coal 

averages from 6 to 7 feet over a wide area. In Camp Canyon, northwest of Cambria, 

a trial pit exhibited the following section: ,

; Section in Camp .Canyon., Wyo. 

Feet. . . 

2i-3 ..............................................................coal.

1^.:.............. --..--.--.-.----------..--..-.-:.. ..........shale and bone.

6 ...-....'..-..-..'.--...-.'.............................. ......coal.

. There are three mines: Jumbo, lying east of Cambria; Antelope Noi 1, between 

Cambria and Camp Canyon; and Antelope No. 2, between Camp Canyon and Grant"
376 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OP CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

/

Cam-on. The two Antelope mines are connected by a continuous main gallery leadingcut to a breaker on the west side of the valley at Cambria, while the Jumbo mine is 

worked from the main drift opening on the east side of that valley. The dip is 

gentle to the southwest, so that the drainage of the mines is easily effected, the 

workings being 50 to 60 feet above the valleys which cut across the coal horizon.

A coal bed averaging 6 feet in thickness contains about 3,000.000 tons of coal 

per square mile, but there is considerable loss in working. There are now in the 

Cambria coal field about 10 square miles underlain by coal in beds averaging 5 feet 

or more in thickness, so situated that it is available for working. On this estimate 

the field should yield a total of 30,000,000 tons.

° Hay Greek. At Aladdin, on the north slope of the Black Hills, deposits of coal 

in the lower portion of the Lakota formation are worked to a considerable extent. 

A branch, railroad extends down Hay Creek from the mines to connect with the 

Northwestern Railroad near Belle Fourche. The shipments in 1902 amounted to 

about 10,000 long tons, and the product is a good, soft, bituminous coal, suitable for 

locomotive and domestic use. The principal basin lies along and north of Hay 

Creek, thinning and merging into more impure beds laterally. Two principal beds, 

separated by about 10 to 12 feet of sandy shales, are worked an upper, 3 to 5 feet 

thick, and a lower, 2 feet thick. The deposits are broken by a number of small 

faults, which add greatly to the difficulties of mining.

Skull Creek, and Sundance. In the region extending north from Cambria to Sundance there are local deposits of coal, which, however, are not continuous, and thicken 

and thin irregularly. Owing to the talus of sandstone blocks that accumulates on 

the slopes along the Lakota-Morrison outcrop, there is great difficulty in exploring 

the coal horizon, which is found, bare only at a very few points. In some localities, 

where the coal appears to be absent, it may have weathered or burned out and the 

sandstone roof have closed down.

Coal has been mined to some extent for local use 2 miles southeast of the Holwell 

ranch and at several localities west of Sundanee. Recently some openings have 

been made 3 miles west of Inyankara Mountain, exposing a thick deposit. The 

main opening southeast of Holwell's is on the southeast quarter of sec. 31, T. 48, 

R. 62. An adit about 115 feet in length has been run, exposing a face of coal 8i feet 

thick, comprising 5 feet of hard pure coal, l£ feet of bone merging into cannel coal, 

and at thei base about 2 feet of pure, very hard coal which is found particularly 

Valuable for blacksmiths' use. The upper coal contains considerable sulphur, a 

mineral of infrequent occurrence in the lower bed. Over the coal are about 2 feet 

of sandy shale overlain by a hard sandstone that makes an admirable roof. The floor 

is sandstone of the basal sandstone bed of the Lakota formation. The bone burns 

well, but leaves a large amount of white ash, and it also slacks readily. The dip is

v
COAL OF EASTEKN WYOMING. . 377

gentle to the west. About 60 feet above the main deposit is a smaller one, varying 

from 1£ feet to 3 feet in thickness, of a mixture of cla}T , sand, and coal, too impure 

for fuel.

In the same quarter-section, about 500 feet west, is another adit 100 feet longon the main coal bed, which is here 6J- feet thick, and does not contain the bony 

deposit near its bottom. The coal is very turn and of excellent quality. It is 

overlain by 3 feet of light-colored sandy clay, capped by a thick mass of smooth, 

uniform sandstone, which forms a good roof. The floor is a very hard sandstone, 

as in the other adit. Two miles to the southwest, on sec. 12, T. 47, R. 63, near 

the north line of the north west quarter, is another adit. 100 feet long. The same 

bed is exposed, here about 5 feet 4 inches thick and nearly all of pure coal of great 

hardness. The roof at this place is of sandstone, without the intervening shale. 

West of Holwell ranch, on the west side of Skull Creek, coal has been exposed at 

one or two points at the base of the sandstone cliffs, bi.it its thickness a,nd extent 

have not been ascertained, although apparently the deposit in this locality is of 

diminished thickness.

On the ridge west of Inj7 ankara Mountain it is reported that the coal deposit 

near the base of the Lakota formation has a thickness of 9 feet, including a 

number of layers of shale and bone. West of Sundance the principal coal opening 

exposes a bed somewhat over 4 feet in thickness and of excellent quality.

Sheridan-Buffalo. A large amount of' excellent lignite is produced in the 

vicinity of Sheridan and Buffalo, from the middle or upper portion _of the Laramie 

formation. The coal measures are of wide area, reaching continuously froai Montana 

through central and eastern Sheridan and Johnson counties and western Crook and 

Converse counties. The coal beds are numerous, often attaining a thickness of from 

6 to 14 feet, and the quality is good, though, unfortunately, the coal slacks when it 

is stored for much time. The principal mines are north and south of Sheridan and 

about Buffalo. A large amount is shipped by the Burlington and Missouri River 

Railroad to points in Nebraska and adjoining States.

Analyses of a number of Wyoming coals may be found in Bulletin No. 14. .of 

the University of Wyoming agricultural college department, October, 1893.

Converse County. The mine at Glenrock, in this count}7 , has been, in operation

since 1888-, and of later years has been worked to a moderate extent. The coal aver-

, ages 6i feet thick and is a pure lignite of excellent quality, finding a ready market

along the line of the Wyoming branch of the Northwestern Railroad. It occurs in

the lower portion of the Laramie formation,-here dipping gently to the east.

Near Inez, 12 miles east of Glenrock, there is another mine producing from the 

lower portion of the Laramie formation. The bed is about five feet thick and dips 

from 12° to 18° to the northeast.
378 GEOLOGY AND UNDEBGKOUND WATEB OK CEHTBAL GBEAT PLAINS.

 Other beds occur in lower horizons at this locality. Lignite is worked for local 

use near Douglas, on Shawnee Creek northeast of Douglas, and at a few other points 

in Converse County. The shipments from the county in 1901 are reported to 

have been slightly less than 50,000 long tons.

SOUTH DAKOTA.

The valuable coal deposits occurring in South Dakota are the lignites found in

the northwest part of the State, in the region comprised between Belle Fourche and

-Little Missouri rivers, and for the most part underlain by the Laramie formation.

The principal deposits are in Butte County, where some of their relations have been

determined by Prof. J. E. Todd." A vertical section about 500 feet in length at the

south end of Cave Hills, in Butte County, is reported as showing ten beds of lignite

" ranging from 3 inches to 5 feet in thickness. Two of the beds, 5 feet in thickness

and of good quality, appear to extend over a wide area in this vicinity, although

there is a great variability in sections of Laramie formation a few miles apart.

One conspicuous feature in the upper part of the Laramie in the Cave .Hills 

district is a thick development of, massive sandstones, which thins toward the south 

and east. The upper bed of lignite ranges from 5 to 7 feet in thickness and is from 

150 to 200 feet below these massive sandstones. It can be traced eastward from 

Cave Hills for 25 or 30 miles along the valley of the North Fork of Grand River, 

and probably may be correlated with the thick bed in the Slim Buttes sections and 

in the Long Pine Hills. The lower lignite bed lies from 100 to 125 feet below the 

upper. The two beds are found to a certainty in the same section in but one case, 

that mentioned above, but this is probably due to the fact that erosion around the 

other buttes has not cut deep enough to reach the lower bed. Two thick beds at 

Florman's coal camp, with comparatively little material between them, may represent the two beds in the Cave Hills section. In that case there is the same gradual 

thickening to the northwest of the cla37 s and sands separating the coal beds that was 

noticed in the heavy sandstone above.

Edgemont. The Lakota formation here contains local coal basins, but none of 

them have been found to contain any large amount of coal. The principal openings 

have been, made on the north bank of Cheyenne Eiver in NW. i of NE. i of sec. M, 

R. 3 E., T. 9 S., where there are two tunnels 75 feet or more in length about 30 

feet above the river, from which a small supply of coal has been obtained. The bed 

is 5 feet thick for some distance, but averages much less. It thins out to the east 

and gives place to sandstone, as may be plainly seen in the bluffs below the river, 

and grades into very coaly shale to the northwest. The mine product was in part

a Bull. South Dakota Geoi. Survey No. 2, Vermilion, 1898.
. PETROLEUM AND GAS OF THE GKEAT PLAINS. 379

of good quality light-weight bituminous coal, containing thin bony layers but only 

a moderate amount of pyrite. To the east but little trace of coal was found in the 

Lakota formation, though to the north there are occasional thin bodies of coal and 

considerable coaly shale in the river gorge. In Craven Canyon there was at one 

time a small mine, and from Coal Canyon there was also a small production.

NEBRASKA.

The question of obtaining a local supply of coal in Nebraska has excited much 

interest in that State, but no deposits have been found which promise . to be of 

much value. The Carboniferous rocks in the southeast counties contain thin 

bed's which have been worked slightly for local use, but their output has been 

small and in most cases unprofitable. Most of the efforts have been directed to 

prospecting for coal in dark shales at various points in formations which are 

known not to be coal bearing. The beds of coal associated with the sandstones 

and the shales included in the limestone series of the southeast part of the State 

are usually less than a foot thick in'the outcrops^ and in the various deep borings 

only thin beds have been found. In the northeast corner of the State, extending from Ponca in Dixon County to Homer and Jackson in Dakota County, the 

Dakota formation contains several beds of lignite from 6 inches to 2 feet in 

thickness, recently described by Mr. Burchard. 3 They occur in association with 

the sandstones and shales of the formation and have been explored by 2 shafts 

and 10 drill holes in the vicinity of Jackson. Some of the beds outcrop in the 

bluffs near Ponca and near Homer, and others lie below the river level. In 

most cases, so much water is found in working the lignite as to prove a 

serious difficulty. '

When freshly mined the lignite is very moist, and by drying in the air 

loses 15 to 18 .per cent in. weight. It is nearly black, splintery, and slacks' 

readily on exposure. Air-dried samples are reported to contain in round numbers 

from 4: to 7 per cent of moisture, 31 to 54 per cent of volatile combustible 

matter, 26 to 49 per cent of fixed carbon, 9 to 16 per cent of ash, and on an 

average 1 per cent of sulphur.

PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS. 

GENERAL CONDITIONS OF OCCURRENCE.

The petroleum of eastern Wyoming and 'of Colorado occurs mainly at two 

horizons and under very uniform conditions .in both. The essential features appear 

to be a porous sandstone or sandy layer or series of layers included in a thick

aBurehard, E. F., Lignites oJ the middle.and upper Missouri Valley: Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 225, 1904, pp. 

276-288.
380 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

mass of carbonaceous shale. The oil is developed from the carbonaceous material 

in the shale and passes in part into the porous sandy beds, which readily absorb 

and store it. Probably the movement is facilitated if not caused by pressure due to 

the weight of the overlying rocks, which forces the oil out of the relatively soft 

shales. Oil is found under these conditions in the sandy shales and sandstones in 

the Pierre shale at Boulder in Colorado, and on Salt Creek and in a sandstone in the 

the lower part of the Graneros (lower Benton) shales along the west slope of the

Black Hills in Wyoming.

COLOKADO.

Florence field.- The Florence oil tield is,unusual in occurring in a well-defined 

synclinal basin of which Florence, near which most of the wells have been 

drilled, is about the center. This basin is a local development of the northern 

end of the Canyon:Florence syncline, which lies west of the great echelon 

fold that carries the face of Front Range 25 miles to the east. The basin 

is elliptical in shape, its longest diameter lying in a north-northwest direction, 

with a length of 14 miles and a width of 8 miles. Aside from the Laramie-capped 

mesa southwest and west of Florence, the surface formations of the basin are 

mainly Pierre shale and Fox Hills; it is the former of these which yields the oil. 

The Pierre has an estimated thickness of 4,450 feet, consisting chiefly of shales. 

Coarse materials are wanting, but there are numerous beds of tine-grained sandy 

shale which occur either as a succession of layers or as lenticular masses of widely 

varying lateral extent. The three zones in which these strata have yielded oil are 

at 1,600 feet, at from 1,600 to 2,000 feet, and at from 2,600 to 2,800 feet; recent 

developments have shown a rich horizon at 3,650 feet. It is to 'the lack of 

continuity of the sandy shale beds that the ability to absorb and store the oil 

derived from the softer shales is due. Another fact that falls into line with this is 

that 'for the most part the wells are free from water, whether "dry" originally 

or after the exhaustion of the oil. Were the beds continuous and did they reach 

the surface around the rim of the basin, water would enter them, and, by hydrostatic pressure, displace the oil.

^ The Florence oil tield is a very old one for the western country ,* dating from 

1862, although of commercial importance only since the early eighties. The yield 

of the wells has varied from 5 to 350 barrels per day. For the most part, after a 

longer or shorter interval,"a gradual and uniform decrease sets in, though in some 

instances there has been an increase, and still other wells, pumped dry, have, after a 

rest, recovered their normal yield. The well known as "No. 49," drilled in 1890, 

which for several years flowed 3£0 barrels per day, still yields 40 barrels, and has 

nearly a million barrels to its credit.

At the close of 1902 there were 72 producing wells in the Florence field. The
BOULDER OIL FIELD, COLORADO. 381

production for that year was 385,901 barrels. The value of the total product of the 

State, of which the Florence field furnished nearly 98 per cent, was $484,683.

Scale 

. t

smiles

LEGEND

 Oil wells R - 7° wo Dry wells

FIG. 16. Map of the Boulder oil field, showing distribution of representative wells.

Boulder oilfield.'1 The productive territory of the Boulder field, excluding two

gas wells which are apparently but indirectly connected with it, covers an area 2

 i .___________________________

"Fenneman, N. M., the Boulder. Colo., oil field. Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 213,1903. p. 322; Structure of the Boulder 

oil field, Bull. TJ. S. Geol. Survey No. 225.1904, p. 383.
382 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

miles in length .by 1 in width, lying about 3 miles northeast of Boulder and the 

same distance east of the foothills of the Front Range.

The source of the oil and gas, as well( as the reservoir, is found in the Pierre formation, the former in the bituminous shales and the latter in the extremely variable 

and local sandy members of the formation. The Pierre in the region is several 

thousand feet thick, and in it since 1901 a hundred Veils have been sunk, to depths 

varying from 200 to 3,400 feet. Of these, 18 wells produced oil during 1903 and 

previously, and two produced more or less gas, though' not of sufficient importance 

to be utilized.

The production of the field for 1902 was 11,000 barrels, and for 1903, 39,000 

barrels. The oil brings $1.10 per barrel and is practically all taken by the refinery 

at Florence, Colo. The quality of the Boulder oil is claimed to be superior to that 

of any other west of Mississipi River.

So far a? the structure of the field is concerned, the oil territory may possibly 

have some relation to the attenuated end of one of the smaller folds en echelon which 

characterize the foothills of Front Range from Boulder north. As these folds pass 

from the harder upturned outcrops of the formations of the foothills to the softer 

shales of the more level Pierre, their effect upon the topography becomes inconspicuous, and their existence can be made out only from the drill records and obscure 

outcrops. On the map it is shown that the outcrop of sandstone, in passing north 

from the vicinity of half a mile west of Boulder, widens as the dip decreases, and, 

doubling upon itself in Table Mountain, 10 miles north of Boulder, with a recurrent S curve 3 miles in length, again resumes its northward course. B}7 the 

time the flexure which causes this sinuosity of outcrop reaches the oil field, it is so 

low that it merely results in an arrest of the easterly dip, forming a bench. It is 

along the easterly side of this bench that the string of producing wells is located. 

Transverse flexures are supposed to cut this oil belt into individual pools.

WYOMING.

Petroleum occurs at a number of localities in eastern Wyoming, but in most 

cases the quantity available has proved to be very small. The only locality which 

yields, a sufficient aniouut of oil for shipment is Salt Creek. The school of mines 

of the University of Wyoming has published a number of bulletins of a "Petroleum Series," describing the principal oil fields of the State, to which those interested are referred for detailed information.

Salt Greek. This oil field is situated on Salt Creek, a branch of Powder River,

in the northern portion of Natrona County. The principal developments are in

.xTps. 40 and 41, Rs. 78, 79, and 80, the product being hauled to Casper, 50 miles
PETROLEUM OF EASTERN WYOMING. . 383

south. Oil springs were discovered in Salt Creek Valley at an early date, and 

the first successful well drilled in 1889; others have since been sunk at intervals 

by the original company and by two later ones. . So .far as reported the wells 

vaiy in depth from 800 to 1,200 feet and are 10 in number. The average yield is 

about 20 barrels a day, the total for 1902 being reported as 6,253 barrels- and the 

total output since 1894 as about 40,000 barrels.

The oil «appears to occur in sandstone layers included in the Pierre shale, 

Fox Hills fossils having been reported a thousand feet above the producing horizon. 

The following record is given of one of the wells:

Record of oil well, Salt Greek, Wyoming.

Feet. 

0- 20. ..............-..-__._.. -__......._ 1...... surface wash.

20-350........................................... .bluish shale.

350-400..............'..................!.......... sandstone, some water.

400-780..._.: .... ...............'......-....:...... ..bluish shale.

780-785...............: .:.-...-............'- ......fire clay.

785-865............................................ .dark shale.

865-900- -------- ------.------ - ------ ---------. -gray sandstone, artesian water.

900-940...........................................gray sandstone, dry.

.' . ; » - [ - -

940-980....... 1...................................gray sandstone, oil bearing.

The oil consists mostly of lubricants.

Powder Elver. Considerable oil issues in springs on the headwaters of some 

small branches of South Fork of Powder River, in the southern portion of Johnson County and adjoining northern .portion of Natrona. Countjr , about 60 miles 

northwest of Casper. Several wells have been sunk, but they have not yielded . 

oil, although a small supply has been obtained for several years past from pits 30 

to 50 feet deep. It is reported that the oil is derived from Dakota sandstone and 

also from underlying sandstones, which here rise in a local uplift of considerable 

prominence. One of the wells is reported to have been drilled to a,depth of 1,010 

feet; it passed far below the oil-bearing beds, a common mistake of those who 

explore for oil. A stream of sulphurous water flows from the boring. Like most 

of the eastern Wyoming oil. the product of this locality is a high-grade lubricant.

Newcastle. In the vicinity" of the town of Newcastle explorations to develop 

an oil field have been in progress for several years. Small supplies of excellent 

petroleum have been obtained from borings and from two oil springs. The oil is 

very heavy, and even in its crude state is a high-grade lubricant. It occurs in a 

sandstone in the lower portion of the Graneros formation, which is extensively 

developed in the vicinity of Newcastle. The sandstone lies 250 to 275 feet above 

the Dakota sandstone, from which it is separated by. the basal black shales of the
384 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS. '

formation. The Graneros sandstone here varies in thickness from 10 to 30 feet 

in greater part, and its surface outcrops give rise to ridges of considerable 

prominence. The first line of ridges tying west-northwest of Newcastle owe their 

prominence to" the locally increased thickness and hardness, of this sandstone. 

Where the rock has been exposed to the weather it is a hard, moderately fine-grained, 

light-gray sandstone in massive beds. Below the surface it is softer in texture, 

buff or brown in color, and usually strongly charged with petroleum. At two 

localities the oil oozes out of the J sandstone and collects in springs, which for 

many 3^ears have yielded a small supply of oil for local use. One of these springs 

is 2£ miles due west of Newcastle, just north of the railroad, and the other is 2 

miles farther northwest and slightly farther north of the railroad. At these points 

the oil-bearing sandstone passes beneath the surface in small draws, and the escaping 

oil accumulates in the loose materials adjacent. Cisterns have been constructed in 

such manner as to catch the oil a few gallons a week which finds ready sale as a 

lubricant. Several attempts have been .made to develop the oil sand in its extension 

underground by means of wells in the region west and southwest of Newcastle, 

but so far these operations have not yielded a supply of oil. In most cases the oil 

horizon lias been passed through and the boring uselessly extended far into underlying shales and sandstones. As the Graneros sandstone appears to contain considerable 

oil in the vicinity of the oil springs, and as it underlies a wide area about Newcastle, 

it is difficult to understand why the wells have not obtained more encouraging 

results. From the statements made by the promoters of the enterprise, it seems 

probable that the oil sand was not always recognized in the boring operations, and 

at any rate was not adequately tested. The oil is very viscid, and should hardly be 

expected to flow from wells at any point in the area, but possibly bjr dynamiting 

and pumping a suppty can be obtained.

The sections in fig. 17 show the conditions under which the oil sand passes underground, the thickness and nature of the overlying materials, and the location of 

some of the wells which have been bored. These formations are relatively uniform 

in thickness and invariably lie in regular sequence. In surface exposures thev are 

all distinctive in appearance, particularly the bed of Greenhorn limestone, which lies 

800 feet above the oil sand; the thin sandstone layers, 300 feet higher; and theNiobrara 

chalk, which begins about 1,500 feet above. In sections A and _B may be seen the 

manner in which the formations dip steeply beneath the surface in the vicinitv of 

the railroad, so .that to the southeast the oil sand soon lies under 2,500 feet or more 

of shales. Approaching^Newcastle, as shown in sections 3 and 4, the dips diminish 

rapidly, and there is a basin of considerable size in which the formations are spread 

out widel}'. The distinctive fossils of the Greenhorn limestone and of the Niobrara 

chalk are shown in PL XXIV.
NEWCASTLE OIL FIELD. 385

The deepest boring in the region, the one shown in section 3, has a depth of 

1,950 feet. It passed through the oil sand at a depth of about 100 feet and then 

penetrated the basal Graneros shales, the Dakota and Lakota sandstones, and the 

underlying shales and Red Beds. From the Lakota sandstone it obtained a flow of 

water which is still running out of the well. Only a small amount of oil was 

observed.

The well a half mile southwest of Newcastle, 1.34U feet deep, penetrated the oil

Section C-C

FIG. 17. Map and cross sections showing geologic relations In the Newcastle oil field.

sand at a somewhat greater depth than the first well. Oil is brought up by water 

still flowing out of the casing from the underlying sandstones. The 420-foot well, 

which is a short distance northwest of the 1,340-foot well, is said to have just reached 

the top of the oil sand, where a promising showing was observed. The 720-foot well, 

3£ miles southwest of Newcastle, as shown in section 2, was entirely in shale, and 

failed to reach the oil-bearing sandstone by about 2,000 feet. It is greatly to be 

10001 No. 32 05 25
386 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

regretted that this boring was not continued sufficiently deep to test the contents of 

the oil sand, where it lies deeply buried and so far from surface outcrop as to permit 

the accumulation of considerable head if there is any oil present.

In the vicinity of section 1 three deep borings have been made in the steepdipping beds .near the outcrop of the sandstone, but the* results so far have not 

been successful, although the borings are midway between the two oil springs 

described above. A well nearly a mile south of Newcastle was completed in 1902,

R.68W. R.67W. R.66W.

R.67W. R.66W. 

Fie. 18. Map of oil district northwest of Moorcroft, Wyo.

but found only a veiy small supply of oil in the oil sand at a depth of 500 to 531 

feet. It was drilled to 900 feet, passing into the Dakota sandstone, and, as was 

to be expected, obtained no oil from that formation,. Another well a mile' west 

of the last 'was sunk to 879 feet, and, although obtaining a large flow of water 

found no indications of an oil supplj-.

The prospects of the Newcastle oil field as an oil producer appear not to be 

good, but it is believed that the capabilities of the oil-bearing sand have not been
PETROLEUM OF CENTRAL KANSAS. 387

adequately tested, and further exploration may be warranted. ' The oil-sand 

horizon extends south nearly to Clifton and is over 30 feet thick near the LAK 

ranch. To the north it thins out near Skull Creek. Whether it contains oil 

away from the immediate vicinity of Newcastle remains to be ascertained by 

borings. i

Mborcroft. At "the northwest margin of the Black Hills uplift, 15 miles northeast of Moorcroft. the Dakota sandstone contains oil, which appears in a number 

of springs. Some years ago several wells were sunk to .intersect the sandstone 

in its underground extension;'one of these, 306 feet deep, is reported to have 

, yielded 5 barrels a day for a while. Other deeper wells obtained no satisfactory 

supply of oil, and some of them were sunk in such manner that they could not 

possibly reach the oil sand. Two of the borings, 800 and 1,300 feet deep, respectively, were bored on the south side of Belle Fourche River.

The locations of the springs "and wells at this locality are shown in fig. 18. 

Queen City wells, Nos. 1 and 2, and Northwestern, No. 2, obtained a small amount 

of oil, but the others shown on the map obtained none.

Douglas. Some indications of oil -are reported in the vicinity of La Prele 

Creek, west of Douglas, and a number of wells have been sunk, but the results so 

far are not encouraging. In one well, at a depth of 500 feet, a" considerable volume 

of gas was found under a pressure of 300 pounds to the( square inch, and is now 

being utilized on some of the adjacent ranches. For several years a small amount 

of oil has been observed in sandstone outcrops, into~ which a small tunnel has been 

run for some distance.

CENTRAL AND WESTERN KANSAS.

Only a small portion of the Kansas oil and gas field, as at present known, 

extends west of the ninety-sixth meridian. A small field, in which there were 

in 1901 eight producing wells, lies about the town of Peru, Chautauqua County. 

Five yield oil, one oil and .gas, and two gas only. The gas is used locally, 

while the oil is shipped to the refinery at Neodesha. Between Peru and Sedan 

six wells were drilled, three of which yielded oil in small quantities, but as they 

were not considered protitable the casing was withdrawn and the wells abandoned. 

Prospect wells have been sunk at Elk Falls, Howard, Winh'eld, Madison, and 

Emporia, and while some show some gas there have been no producers.

The source of the gas lies in the bituminous Cherokee shales, the lowest 

member of the Kansas coal measures. These, of course, extend westward beneath 

the region in question, and there is always a possibility of finding a local reservoir of oil or gas. The most recent development of the Kansas field has been 

the discovery of a rich local basin about Bolton, some 15 miles east of Peru.
388 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

SOUTH DAKOTA AND NEBRASKA.

Although numerous deep wejls have been bored in these two States, none of 

them have yielded an}7 petroleum of value, and only in a small area in central South 

-Dakota has any gas-been found. Among the sedimentary series underlying-the 

district there are sandstones and limestones such as yield gas and oil in other 

regions, and many of them have been well tested without favorable results. The 

well at the salt lake near Lincoln appears to have gone through the entire sedimentary series and obtained nothing but salt water. Other deep borings" in the older 

rocks in the southeast part of the State have found only a few thin layers of coal. 

The Dakota sandstone has been well explored in the eastern part of the State, 

and, although a small amount of oil was reported at one locality north of Omaha, 

apparently no valuable supplies were obtainable. The Pierre shales have been 

penetrated by a number of wells-at various localities,' but they appear not to contain 

such sandstones as cany oil in the Boulder, Florence, and Wyoming fields.

Across western and central Nebraska there extends an anticlinal axis, which is 

clearly defined in the vicinity of Stockville and a short distance north and east of 

Chadron, and is supposed to be continuous under the intervening district, though 

heavily covered by Tertiary formations. If there is oil in western Nebraska the 

best prospects for obtaining it would be along this uplift, for in many regions the 

oil occurs in largest amounts along anticlinal axes. In the region north of Chadron 

and along Republican Valley near Indianola- borings 2,000 feet deep would probably 

test the strata satisfactorily. It is believed, however, from the character of the 

rocks where they are uplifted -to the north and the west, that the prospects for oil 

in western Nebraska are not encouraging.

In South Dakota the numerous deep artesian wells, many of them extending to 

the crystalline bed rock, have found no petroleum. The Dakota sandstone, from 

which the water supply is obtained, is entirely barren of oil, and the great series of 

overlying shales, although favorable in general character for the production of oil, 

and containing sandstone beds in which oil might be stored, have 3"ielded no indications of this material. West of the Missouri the strata have not been extensively 

explored, and it is possible that the Pierre shale, to the west, may contain oilbearing sandstones. Judging from the character of the formation along the Black 

Hills uplift, however, it is probable that they do not contain such sandstones as 

yield oil in the Florence, Boulder, and Wyoming fields.

At Pierre and in several wells north of that town a moderate amount of gas 

has been found and utilized to some extent. The supply is not large, and the 

district appears to be very limited in extent.
ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF THB GBEAT PLAINS. 389 

SALT.

KANSAS."

Salt occurs in'Kansas in three forms as brines in salt springs and marshes, 

as brines from wells reaching into the Permian and Carboniferous shales, and as 

rock salt. These occurrences form a belt across the State from north to south 

about two counties wide, reaching from Republic County on the north to Harper 

County on the south.

Marshes and springs. North of the center of the State the salt occurs mostly 

in springs and marshes. The first salt manufactured in the S< ate was made from 

the incrustation and from the brine of the Tuthill Marsh, in Republic County. 

There are two other salt marshes in the southwest part of Republic County and 

adjoining counties, one in the south part of Mitchell County, two in the north 

"part of Lincoln County, and two in the northeast part of Stafford County. Three 

springs in the Cretaceous in the north edge of Lincoln'County yield, respectively, 

891, 1,008. and 1,023 grains of salt to the gallon, with considerable sulphates, but 

these waters are not used. The Waconda, or Great Spirit, Spring, in the northwest portion of Mitchell County, contains per gallon 775 grains of salt, 206 grains 

of sodium sulphate, 60 grains of magnesia sulphate, 41 grains of magnesia carbonate, and 31 grains of. lime carbonate. It forms a deep crater-shaped pool in the 

top of a circular mound, which has probably been built up by the spring -deposits. 

There is no outlet .to the spring, the overflow escaping through minute crevices 

at the base of the -mound. It is in upper Cretaceous. A salt spring at Solomon, 

Dickinson County, led to sinking several wells in which brine of good quantity 

and quality was found at from 35 to 100 feet. Salt has been made here for a 

longtime by the solar process, i. e., by evaporation by the sun's rays. Geuda 

Springs, on the line between Sumner and Cowley counties, comprises seven springs 

vielding from 100 to 450 gallons per hour. The principal ingredient of these is 

salt, ranging from 358 to 1,057 grains per gallon, the water being derived largely 

from the Tertiary.

In 1878 a circular area in the Tertiary, 200 feet in diameter, in Meade County, 

suddenly sank over a hundred,feet and the opening rilled with salt water, which 

rose to within 25 feet of the surface. It contains about 4£ per cent of salt.

Brine, wells. In Kansas, west of the ninety-sixth meridian, there are many 

salt wells, some of which are used in making .salt. At St. Mary and at Wamego, 

in Pottawatomie County, artesian flows of brine were struck, which Professor 

Hay thinks may, in the former1 case, come from a bed of rock salt. If so, it is 

from a rock-salt horizon below the Permian.

a Compiled by Mr. C. E. Siebenthal from reports of the geological survey of Kansas.
390 GEOLOGY AND UNDEKGROUND WATEK OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

Salt wells in west Kansas.

Location.

Madison ............................................

Wichita -._......_......... >.....................

Depth.

feet. 

1,260

150

140

1,975

250

Chloride of 

sodium per 

gallon.

Grains. 

8,352

3, 191

10, 472

392

400

1,809

Source.

Sock salt. Rock salt was first discovered in Kansas in a deep well at Ells-" 

worth, in August, 1887, and later in the same j-ear at Hutchinson, at Kingman, 

at Lyons, and at Anthony, and in 1888 at Nickerson, at Great Bend, and at 

Sterling. Many other deep wells have since been put down, developing the limits 

of the territory as shaded on PI. LXX. Some details of these wells are as follows:

At Wilson, in a prospect well, salt was found at a depth of 835 feet continuing down for 270 feet, followed below by an alternation of shale, gypsum, and 

limestone to 1,385 feet.

At Ellsworth solid rock,salt begins at a depth of 730 feet and continues to 

880" feet, except as interrupted at 785 feet by 5 feet of shale. Sixtjr ,feet below 

the lower salt, separated from it by light and dark shales, is a 30-foot bed of 

gypsum.

At Great Bend a boring for water entered a salt bed at 1,202 feet and-penetrated it for 163 feet.

At Little -River a salt bed was reached at 585 feet and continued, with alternations of shale, to a depth of 964 feet. There are five of the shale beds ranging 

from 4 to 10 feet in thickness.

At Sterling salt was struck at 700 feet and continued, with many alternations 

of shale, to the depth of 980 feet.

At Nickerson there is no record.

. Hutchinson is the center of the salt industry of Kansas, producing 90 per 

cent of the total output of the State. It is all obtained from wells. Salt is 

found, at a depth of 482 feet and continues, with intercalated beds of shale, to 

810 feet, below which there is a succession of shale, gypsum, limestone, and 

sandstone beds to 1,307 feet. '

At Arlington a salt-bearing series has been found to extend from a depth of 

600 feet to 1,000 feet without reaching its base.
SALT DEPOSITS OF KANSAS. 391

At Pratt there is no record.

At Rago the salt bed was struck at about 900 feet and penetrated for 100 

feet or more.

At Anthony, at a depth of 946 feet, the drill struck a bed of rock salt 275 

feet thick, below which came 139 feet of sand with a small flow of gas, and 

beneath this a thickness of 139 feet of shale and roc'k salt. The remainder of 

the hole to 2,335 feet was a succession of shales, gypsum, limestone, etc.

Wellington, being near the east limit of the great salt bed, struck its attenuated edge at a shallow depth, reaching salt at 240 feet and penetrating it for 50 

feet.

Salt mines. At Lyons a shaft 7 by 16 feet was sunk to a depth of 1,005 

feet, passing through 212 feet of salt measures. For an accurate section of the 

shaft, showing the alternation and mixture of salt and shale in the salt measures, 

see Mineral Resources of Kansas for 1898, page 93. The mine is equipped with 

channeling machines, air drills, and compressors, and works an 18-foot bed by 

the room-and-pillar method. The product is crushed, graded, and shipped without' 

refining. A second shaft put down to the salt bed has been abandoned.

At Kanopolis there, is a shaft 8 by 22 feet, having the usual two hoisting 

compartments and the air shaft. The bed worked is 10 feet in thickness with 

a good roof, permitting the rooms to be 30 feet wide. The salt measures reach 

from 645 feet to 880 feet, being richest from 665 to 855 feet, through which 

distance the record of the prospect well shows salt in bright crystals.

At Kinginan two shafts, one 4£ by 8£ feet and the other 14 by 16 feet, 

have been sunk, but at present both are abandoned. Four plants operating 

wells have also been in existence at Kingman, but at present two only are in 

operation. The salt measures extend from 665 feet to 1,028 feet in depth and 

are made up of alternations of salt, shale, and limestone.. Several beds of 

gypsum were penetrated before reaching the salt, but none is noted below it.

Geologic position. The rock-salt bed in Kansas occupies a position in the 

Kansas Permian between the Marion shales and limestones below and the \Vellington shales above, so that in point of time their deposition was later, than that 

of the gypsum of the northern, but earlier than that of the central, area. 

Various well records show beds of gypsum above and below the salt measures. 

The extent of the bed is shown on the map PI. LXX, more definitely on the east, 

less so on the west.

Production. The Kansas salt production for 1901 was 2,087,791 barrels, 

valued at $614,365. being 10.2 per cent of the total production in the United 

States. For 1902 the production was 2,158,486 barrels, valued at $514,401.
392 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

EASTERN WYOMING.

The salt springs at the head of Salt Creek issue in large volume from the red 

shales of the Spearfish formation, giving rise to a creek that flows for many miles 

and finally empties into Stockade Beaver Creek. For a number of years the waters 

have been evaporated for the purpose of obtaining salt for local use. It is possible, 

however, that the/output could be increased and a moderate amount of salt of good 

quality obtained for shipment. An analysis of the brine, made in the laboratory 

of the Geological Survey by Mr. Steiger, gave the following results in parts per 

.hundred: -

Analysis of brine from salt from Salt Creek, Wyoming.

Per cent.

Lime...........;................':.-............. ^-^.v^c!^,.......... 0.20

Magnesia .............::......................:.'. .*;. ; i,.........:"......... 0. 04

Soda ......................................... ^.^...^.......:... . ....... 2. 73

SOs ..................................i. ....-.....--. ...-....?;*..-...:-. 0.36

, Chlorine ........................:..:....... ..'..'............. ......... 3.15

Bromine ......................^.....^..................................'. None.

Iodine ................................-.........-.."..-.......-....'....... None. .

"... . . 6.48 

Less O=C1 ..........:................................................... 0.71

; . , 5.77 

This is equal to a little more than 5 per cent of sodium chloride, or common salt. 

The flow from the spring is about a gallon a second, which is equivalent to a 

production of about 35,000 pounds of salt every twenty-four hours.

"' " " * . ' . u

NEBRASKA.

Salt occurs in moderate amount in the valley of Salt Creek at Lincoln, and 

was formerly worked to a moderate extent. In the creek flats there are several 

small springs' or seeps of salt water giving rise to small marshes in which there 

is a considerable thickness of a mixture of salt, clay, and vegetable matter. The 

deposits are now of no commercial importance. : :

GYPSUM. 

BLACK HILLS.

In the Black Hills uplift an elliptical outcrop of the Red Beds is brought 

to the -surface in Red Valley, which surrounds the high ridges and plateaus of 

the central portion of the hills. The area is about 100 miles long by 50 miles 

wide, and the outcrop zone has an average width of 3 miles, except in a few 

districts where the .rocks dip steeply, where it is much narrower. The Red Beds
GYPSUM OF THE BLACK HILLS. 393

have been designated the Spearfish formation. While they - have usually been 

classed in the Triassic period, there is evidence that -they may represent the 

Permian. The formation consists mainly of red sandy shales, with included beds 

of gypsum at various horizons, some of which are continuous for long distances, 

while others are of local occurrence. The thickness of the deposits varies greatly; 

in some of the sections over 30 feet of pure white gj'psum occur, and nearly 

throughout the outcrop of the formation there are deposits of sufficient thickness 

and extent to have commercial value.

Gypsum is a prominent feature about Hot Springs, where the principal beds

occur about 60 feet above the base of the formation and have a thickness of 33£

feet, exclusive of the 10-foot parting of shale between them. This thickness

 diminishes somewhat to the north and rapidly to the south." The following section

is exposed on Cold Brook, a short distance west of Hot Springs:

Section of gypsum deposits on Cold Brook, South Dakota.

. Feet. 

Red shale and thin beds of gypsum .......................................i 5

" Gypsum.................................................................... 15

Red shale with thin beds of gypsum........................................ 10

Gypsnm.................................................................... 4J

Red clay................................................................... 1

Gypsum..........'.........................---....................---..--... 14

Red clay.................................................................... 2 ,

Gypsum with clay partings................................................. 5

Red shale with gypsum veins............................................... 10

Gypsum ....................................^...............................' 3

Red clay with gypsum veins and nodules...........................----.--- 7

Irregular breccia of gypsum .............. ^................................. 2

Red clay with gypsum veins ......-..........--.--...........---.---...'.... 13

Red clay with a thin gypsum bed.......................................... 3

Banded red and white gypsum ............................................. 4

In the region north of Edgemont the principal bed of gypsum lies about 

80 feet above the base' of the Spearfish formation and is continuous for many 

miles, with a thickness of 25 feet in most places. It is exposed extensively about 

Cascade Springs and in Red Valley east and west of Minnekahta station.
394 GEOLOGY AND UNDEEGKOUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

The following analysis of a typical gypsum from near Cascade Springs was 

made by Mr. Steiger in the laboratory of the United States Geological Survey:

Analysis of gypsum from near Cascade Springs, S. Dak.

Per cent. . ! 

Lime, CaO ...... ............'.......................................... 32.44

Magnesia, MgO .......'................................................... .33

Alumina, A12O3 ...................................... ................... .12

Silica, SiO2 .......................................... 1................... T .. .10

Sulphuric acid, SO3 ............................. ....'..................... 45.45

Carbonic acid, CO2 .- .-..------..-.. .-.---------.---.-----.-------.- ------ -85 >

Water, H2 0 ............................................................ 20.80

Total...... 1 !.................---....................-.............. 100.09

East of Newcastle there are thick beds of gypsum in the lower portion of 

the Spearfish formation and a thick deposit at its top extending over an area of 

considerable size. The lower beds have a thickness of 40 feet at some localities, 

and the upper bed of. 30 feet. About Sundance and in the northern portion of 

the Black Hills there is a continuous deposit of gypsum about 80 feet above the 

base of the formation, extending around the northwestern portion of the hills 

and thence south for many miles. About Rapid the gypsum beds vary considerably 

in thickness, but 10 feet is the average. Portions of Red Valley, along the eastern 

side of the Black Hills, are filled with thick deposits of White River beds, which 

cover up the Spearfish formation; but exposures are seen at intervals, iu which 

the usual occurrence of gypsum is exhibited.

Owing to remoteness from, market the gypsum deposits of the Black Hills have 

not been utilized to any great extent. A plaster mill at Hot Springs has been 

operated at intervals, and its very satisfactory product has found ready market, but 

the expense of long shipment has greatly diminished -the profits. Plaster of Paris 

has been produced to a moderate extent at Sturgis, especially for local use in 

Deadwood, Lead, and the other settlements of the northern Black Hills.

KANSAS.'

 «,

The Kansas gypsum deposits extend in a belt across the east-middle portion of 

the State from northeast to southwest, in line with deposits in Iowa and with those 

to the southwest. During-Permian times the northeast quarter of the State was part 

of an interior land mass, while the remainder was covered by waters of the sea. In 

pools and in inclosed arms of the sea along the shallow, shifting coast line the rapid 

evaporation of that arid time caused the deposition of extensive beds of gypsuiu and 

rock salt. The main gypsum deposits lie in three areas, with smaller outliers. The 

age of these deposits is successively younger from north to south, and their
GYPSUM DEPOSITS OF KANSAS. 395

stratigraphic relations are likewise different, shale becoming increasingly more 

abundant, in the younger deposits.

The gypsum is fou'nd in the original deposits, interstratified with limestone and 

.shale, as well as in secondary derivatives of the original deposits, i. e., gypsum earth, 

consisting of gypsum and clay intermingled. The gypsum-earth deposits are of 

two classes. Those that have proved the most important have originated as spring, 

or bog, deposits where exuding waters carried the calcium sulphate in solution 

and redeposited it on the surface. Such deposits are marked by the absence of any 

fragments of the original gypsum rock, by the perfection of the microscopic 

gypsum crystals, and by the admixture of sand and-clay. The presence of shells of 

recent types in the bottom of such deposits shows their recent origin. Another class 

of gypsum-earth deposits is simply the residual clay resulting from the weathering 

and disintegration of a rock-gj^psum stratum. In the latter case the clay gives a 

pleasing terra-cotta color to the plaster, and in both cases the clay and sand act as 

retarders and increase the value of the cement plaster.

The northernmost of the gypsum areas is in Marshall County. The gypsum 

stratum here has a thickness of from 8 to 9 feet and is separated from the Cottonwood limestone, the top of the Carboniferous, by 30 feet of shale and limestone. In 

all cases here the gypsum lies upon a limestone bed rock and is overlain by shale. 

The gypsum occurs as a mottled-gray rock, of a granular texture, with crystallized 

fibers and plates, and an irregular fracture. In many of the mines in this area the 

upper surface of the gypsum lies in rounded masses, upon which the sands and shales 

rest unconformably, showing erosion at the close of the deposition of the gypsum.

The central gypsum area is in Salina and JDickinson counties, about Gypsum 

City and Hope. There are two well-marked horizons of gypsum rock in this area, 

and perhaps a third. The bed quarried at Solomon, 5 feet thick, increases to 14 

feet in the shaft at Hope. The next horizon above, at Hope, is 5 feet in thickness 

and 100 feet above the lower bed.

The gypsum of the lower horizon is white, compact, granular, with scattered 

crystals of darker selenite, some as much as 2 inches long, the rounded edges of 

which indicate partial resorption. From this the inference is drawn that evaporation must have proceeded very slowly to permit the growth of large crystals and 

that the water was again freshened so that the crystals were partially dissolved. In 

this area the secondary deposits of gypsum earth are more valuable than the rock 

deposits on account of ease in working. The material is a granular earth found in 

low swampy grotind, dark colored when f reshly dug, but drying to light ash gray.

The southern gypsum area lies between Medicine Lodge and Coldwater, in 

Barber, Comanche, and Kiowa counties, and is continuous with the great deposits 

that extend through Oklahoma and disappear beneath the Tertiary of Texas. There
396 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

are also various isolated deposits both of rock gypsum and gypsum earth between 

the middle and southern areas in Kansas. The gypsum of this area is wholly rock 

gypsum and is associated with red sandstone and red shales. The gypsum sheet', 

20 to 30 feet in thickness, forms the cap-rock of the hills in the vicinity of Medicine 

Lodge, dipping lower, and disappearing beneath the Tertiary on the northwest. 

Near Big Gypsum Cave an upper ledge of gypsum, 15 feet in thickness, is separated 

from the main ledge below by 15 feet of shale.

In 1901 nine mills made plaster and other products from the rock-gypsum and 

gypsum-earth deposits of Kansas, producing 49,'217 tons, valued at $209,172, not 

including the product of the Medicine Lodge mill.

COLORADO.

The Chugwater formation contains extensive deposits of gypsum at intervals 

along the foothills of the Rocky Mountain Front Range, but the deposits have not 

yet been worked to any great extent. There is a deposit 30 feet thick at the top of 

the - formation just east of the gateway of the Garden of the Gods, shown in the 

foreground of PI. I, and in Perry Park a deposit near the base 81 feet thick. At 

most localities the amount is veiy much less, but deposits from 5 to 20 feet in 

thickness are of frequent occurrence.

In the Purgatory and other canyons in southeast Colorado there are deposits 

of gypsuirf at the top of the Red Beds, some of which are sufficiently thick to be of 

economic importance.

WYOMING.

The Chugwater formation in the Black Hills, Laramie, and Bighorn uplifts 

contains deposits of gypsum which often are from 15 to 20 feet in thickness. Those 

of the Black Hills area have been described on a previous page. The principal 

deposits in the Laramie range are on the headwaters of La Bonte Creek, where a 

very large amount of gypsum is available.

CEMENT.

Until recent years all the cement used in the Great Plains region was shipped 

from distant points, but now much of the local demand is supplied from works 

at Yankton and Florence. These works are said to produce annually about 120,000 

barrels of nighty satisfactory quality. The material used is chalk rock of the 

Niobrara formation, mixed with clay or shale. There is a large amount of this 

chalk rock available in Colorado, Kansas, South Dakota, and Nebraska, and, 

doubtless, as the demand for cement increases other works will be established. 

On the map, PL LXX, is shown the outcrop area of the limestones and chalk 

 rock of the Niobrara formation, much of which is suitable for the manufacture
FIRE CLAY OK'THE GREAT PLAINS. 397

of cement. Some of the limestones of other formations may also serve satisfactorily, and in some .cases these may prove to be natural cement rocks that need 

only to be calcined and ground.

FIRE CLAY.

There are vast deposits of clays of many kinds in the.Great Plains region, 

some of which are known-to be suitable for the manufacture of tire brick. .This 

material has been worked for several years near Golden, in the Denver basin, 

from clays occurring between the two sandstones of the so-called Dakota, series. 

The mines are about 2 iniles north of Golden, where several bodies of excellent, 

fire clay are exposed; numerous openings have been made at other points. The 

following analysis has been reported: 

Analym- of fire, day from mines north of Golden, Colo.

Per cent.

Silica (Si02 ).... ....................^.................................... 50.35

Titanicacid (Ti02 ) ...................................................... .80

Alumina (A1203 ) ......................................................... 33.64

Iron oxide (Fe203 ) ...................................................... .75

, Magnesia (MgO) ........................................................ trace.

Soda (Na2 0) .:.......................................................... .09

Potash (K2O) ..............-.-...-:_...............'..'................... .49

Water and organic (H2O) ........................................ _ _ ...... 13. 88 

Total........... .................................................. 100.00

Fire bricks of superior quality and many other furnace materials of finest 

quality are manufactured from this clay.

It is reported by Mr. G. K. Gilbert that samples of fire clay from the beds 

of the Dakota formation were collected from outcrops at various points in the 

Arkansas basin and that most of them were found to have the proper refractory 

qualities to a greater or less degree. Excellent fire clay occurs under the coal at 

Cambria, Wyo.

The Fuson formation, probably of the same age as the Golden deposit, is worked 

to some extent for tire clay a short distance south of Rapid, in South Dakota. At 

many localities there is undoubtedly a large amount of this material available, 

which will prove valuable as the demand increases.

SODA.

The only occurrence of natural .soda recorded in the area to which this report 

relates is the one known as the Gill deposit, about 7 iniles northeast of Casper, Wyo. 

The material, which consists mainly of sulphate of soda, occurs in four small areas 

situated in sec.- 26, T. 35, E. 78, covering in all between 80 and 90 acres. Explorations to a depth of 16 feet have not reached the bottom of the deposit. The mineral

aEldridge, Geo. H., Geology of the Denver basin: Mon. U. 8. Geol. Survey No. 27,1896, p. 390.
398 _GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

is white, clear, and almost transparent. The following analysis is given by L. D. 

Ricketts, former Territorial geologist:

Analysis of soda from the deposits northeast o/Casper, Wyo.

. . " Per cent. 

Sodium sulphate......................................................... 94. 50

Magnesium sulphate...................................................... 2. 52

Sodium chloride ...................................................^..... .54

Water................................................."................. 1.61

Undetermined and loss............. .....................................'. .83

Total.....................:........................................ 100.00

x_

'The sample had been exposed to the air for some time, so that probably it had 

lost some of the water which would be expected in the freshly mined material. The 

deposits lie in shallow basins in the Fox Hills sandstone, the excavation of which is 

probably due to the wind.

SHERMAN GRANITE.

On the summit of the Laramie Range, west of Cheyenne, Wyo., the granite is 

disintegrated to a considerable depth, giving rise to a material which has proved 

to be of great value as road metal. It consists of angular quartz and feldspar 

fragments,.with sufficient koalin to pack into a hard pavement. The Union Pacific 

Railroad Company has shipped large quantities of this material, the amount in 

1900 being estimated at a half-million tons. ,

FULLER'S EARTH.

-A portion of the earlier deposits of the White River group consists of fuller's 

earth, a hydrous silicate of alumina possessing a peculiar spongj7 texture, which is 

mainly serviceable in absorbing coloring matters from oils filtered through it. The 

material is in considerable demand for this use and deposits of satisfactory quality 

have commercial value. The Chadron formation consists partly of fine deposits of 

this earth of various degrees of purity. Working samples of the material were 

shipped from Fairbum and from near Argyle, a siding on the Burlington Railway 

between Edgemont and Ouster. Small samples from these places were very promising, but the material shipped for large scale tests proved less satisfactory. It is 

explained that this result was due to carelessness in excavating the earth, resulting 

in intermixture of unsuitable materials which could have been separated. Samples 

of excellent fuller's earth were obtained at Valentine, Nebr., and at several places 

along the east side of the Black Hills. There are extensive deposits of fuller's earth 

in western South Dakota, in. the Big Badlands, on slopes of the Black Hills, along 

the northern slope of Pine Ridge, in North Platte Valley, and elsewhere in the 

Chadron formation, as shown in PL LXX.
LIMESTONES OF THE GREAT PLAINS. 899. 

LIMESTONE.

There is an enormous supply of limestone of various kinds in portions of 

Kansas, east Colorado, South Dakota, east Nebraska^ and Wyoming, some features 

of the distribution of which are shown in PI. LXX. The largest deposits of limestone are those in the lower Carboniferous of the Bighorn Mountains, the Hartville 

uplift, and the Black Hills. Extensive deposits also^occur in the upper Carboniferous 

of southeast Nebraska and east Kansas, in the Permian of the Black Hills, Rocky 

Mountain, east Kansas, and southeast Nebraska regions, and in the Niobrara 

formation. Minor deposits occur in the Benton and White River groups.

Limestone is used to a considerable extent in the West for lime, cement, 

and flux, and there is also a large demand now for pure lime for the beet-sugar

O

' process. The limestones of the central Great Plains and adjoining regions vary 

greatly in composition, and as but few analyses are on record it is not practicable 

at present to describe their composition in the various beds and districts.

Considerable limestone is burned for lime at various localities, and lime for fhlx 

is quarried in portions of the Black Hills and in the foothills of Rocky Mountain 

Front Range. On Whitewood Creek, 3 miles below Deadwood, Ord'ovician limestone is quarried to a moderate extent for flux for the smelters. The Niobrara, 

limestones are extensively used for lime and other purposes at various localities 

along the foot of the Rocky Mountains. An analysis, by L. G. Eakins, of a typical 

specimen of Niobrara limestone from west of Denver, is as follows:

Analysis of a specimen of Niobrara limestone from went of Denver, Colo.

Per cent. 

Insoluble ............................................................ 1... 12.01

Lime (CaOj) .........-..'................................................. 27.49

Magnesia (MgO).........'....:.........................-.................. 18.03 " Manganese (MnO) ....................................................... .20

Alumina (A12 03 ). ..............'.....:.............. ..........:............. ,54

Iron oxide (-Fe203 )........................................................ .11

Phosphoric acid (P2 05 )................................................... .03

'. . Water (HjO)-............-............. ...............................:.. " .61

Carbonic acid (C02 ) .....:................................:..... .....'. ..... 41.40

Total:............................................................. 100,42
400 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

An analysis of Niobrara limestone from west of Pueblo, made by the Pueblo 

Smelting Company, is as follows:

Analysis of a specimen of Niobrara limestone from west of Pueblo, Colo.

Percent.

Silica .................................................................... 6.4

Alumina ...........;.......-...--.-..--.....-.....-....--...-............ 1.3

Iron, sesqui-oxide...........-......--....-....-..................:........ 2.1

Lime........... J...........---....---..-...-.......-..:...--.............. 50.4

' Magnesia.................................................................. Trace

Carbon dioxide........................................................... 39. 5

Total .............................................................. 99.7

BENTONITE. '

This mineral is a silicate of alumina, mingled with small proportions of some 

other components, and is valuable on account of its high absorbent qualities, it being 

capable of absorbing three times its weight of water. It has been found in consid-' 

erable abundance along the west side of the Black Hills north of Newcastle, and 

has been mined three-quarters of a mile east of Pedro switch and at a point 3£ miles 

northwest of Osage on the east side of the railroad track. It occurs between thin 

layers of reddish-brown concretionary material. Near Ped'ro the dips are very 

steep, but north of Osage the inclination'of the beds is low and the deposit lies 

exposed 12 feet thick on the surface over a considerable area. Near Osage the beds 

are about 4 feet thick, and the material appears as a very light-gray, fine-textured, 

soft, massive stone; localh- it occurs as a light powdered substance resembling white 

corn meal. It has been traced, with a thickness of from a few inches to 12 feet, 

from the LAK ranch to a point 5 or 6 miles northwest of Osage, though at many 

p^bints obscured by local wash.

The mineral has been used with some degree of success as a paper filler and also 

in the manufacture of soap, but has proved most valuable for a packing for horses' 

feet and as a diluent for a powerful drug sold in powdered form as a patent

medicine.

VOLCANIC ASH.

Extensive deposits of volcanic ash occur in the Tertiary and Quaternary formations in parts of Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota. The material is of commercial importance, because it is employed to some extent as a polishing powder, both 

in the powdered form and in scouring soaps.

The largest deposits are found in North Platte Valley, in Cheyenne, Scotts Bluff, 

and Banner counties,^ where they are contained in the Brule and Arikaree formations. One extensive, bed, 15 feet thick, is in a detached butte 6 miles southeast 

of Gering, and beds from 8 to 10 feet thick mark two horizons in the Brule clay
GOLD IN THE BLACK HILLS. 401

over a wide area in the slopes in North Platte Valley in the counties mentioned. 

An extensive deposit was discovered in the Arikaree formation, 3 miles east of the 

Pine Ridge Agency and others OCCOT in various places in the Big Badlands. The 

material has been reported from nearly all of the west, southwest, and central 

counties of Nebraska, and at intervals in the northeast portion of the State. 8 A 

considerable amount has also been found in Kansas.

The quality varies greatly, both in purity of the material and in the shape 

of the grains. Much of the ash, unfortunately, consists of flat glassy scales, and, 

although these are sharp edged, they do not polish as effectively as the thicker 

and more vesicular variety. In'some of the beds there is considerable admixture 

of sand and claj', but in others a large amount of pure ash is available and 

proves very satisfactory as a polishing, powder.

Volcanic ash has not been mined extensively, although it is"*used yearly to 

the extent of several hundred tons in the manufacture of abrasive soaps, and at 

many places is placed in small boxes and sold locally as a polishing powder.

GOLD.

There, is more or less gold in the pre-Cambrian rocks uplifted on the west 

margin of the Great Plains, but only a few deposits of economic importance have 

been discovered. The well-known Cripple Creek, Clear Creek, and Boulder 

districts lie some distance back in the Rocky Mountains. In the Laramie Range 

small amounts of gold have been reported at various localities and north of 

Laramie Peak there is a small district in which gold-bearing quartz veins are 

reported to yield good assays. Several claims have been located in the gneiss of 

the Casper Range, and also along Whalen Canyon, east of Hartville, but they have 

not been developed.

BLACK HILLS.

In the Black Hills the annual gold production has exceeded $4,000,000 for 

many years, and in 1902 was reported as $6,965,400. The principal mine is the 

"Homestake" at Lead, -which has an output of over $4,000,000 a year. The ore 

occurs in a wide zone of silicification in the gneiss or schist, mainly as free gold 

and with an average assay value of about $4 a ton. The Hoty Terror and some 

associated mines at Keystone also produce considerable gold which . occurs in 

quartz veins in the schists. Farther west and south, especially about Glister, 

there are zones of silicification in the schists which contain more or less gold, 

but they have not been extensively developed. Besides the great body of lowgrade ore in the Homestake group of mines there is in the north Black Hills a 

district of considerable size in which the Deadwood sandstone and associated igneous 

rocks yield a large amount of gold. In one area gold also occurs in limestone

a Kept. Nebraska Geol. Survey, vol. 1,1903, pp. 214-220. 

10001 No. 32 05 26
 402 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

in connection with igneous intrusions. The ores of this class vary greatly in 

richness, but a large proportion of the yield averages $20 a ton. In most cases 

they carry the gold in such condition that the ore has to be smelted or chlorinated. 

A detailed account of the geology and relations of the ores of the northern Black 

Hills may be found in a report by T. A. Jaggar and others.*

In Mineral Hill, in the Nigger Hill uplift, ^a mill has been 'erected to work a 

mineralized schist and some low-grade porphyry, but the result appears to have 

been unsatisfactory. Mineral Hill is a mass of porphyr}', cut by dikes of various 

kinds. In it gold has been found in varying amounts in many prospects. One 

very thin vein in a fissure on the west slope shows much free gold, but there 

appears to be no workable ore body.

In Bearlodge Range there has been extensive prospecting for gold in the 

porphyry and overlying quartzite, but in most cases only small values have been 

reported. In Rudy Can}7 on a drift has been run on the Deadwood sandstone, 

which, it is claimed, gave encouraging prospects.

Placer gold has been obtained in considerable amount along the streams 

flowing north and east out of the Black Hills, and the great rush to the hills in 

1876 was for gold which could be worked out of the stream deposits. Most of 

the richer "bars," for which there was ample water, were finally washed out, 

but a large amount of low-grade gold-bearing gravel still remains. Operations 

are in progress in a small way at various points west of Hermosa, as far as 

Rockeryille, and near Bear Gulch, in the Nigger Hill uplift.

There is considerable gold in the old gravels on some of the divides along 

the east slopes of the Black Hills, especially in those between Battle Spring and 

Rapid creeks, but they lie from 150 to 300 feet above the streams, and, under 

present conditions, no water is available for working them.

BIGHOKN MOUNTAINS.

Prospects for gold in the rocks of Bighorn Mountains appear not to be 

encouraging. The granite has not been altered to any great extent, and later 

igneous intrusions consist only of a few dikes of basalt of pre-Cambrian age. 

In some -places -"quartz veins^ are found in connection with the dikes, but the}7 

appear not to contain gold, except in the vicinity of Bald Mountain, where a few 

Icvw-value assays are reported. Small amounts of free gold occur in the basal 

sandstones and conglomerates of the Deadwood formation lying on the granite 

floor. These are being worked to some extent at Bald Mountain and northwest 

of Buffalo, but not at much profit, if any. The Bald Mountain district has

. olrving, J. D., Emmons, S..F., and Jaggar, T. A., jr., Economic resources of Black Hills, Professional Paper U. S. 

Geol. Survey No. 26, 1904; Irving, J. D., Ore deposits of northern Black Hills, Bull. U. S. Qeol. Survey No. 225, 1904, 

pp. 123-140.
IRON ORES OF THE GREAT PLAINS. 403

attracted considerable attention at intervals in the last decade, and mills of 

various kinds have been tried. The ore is in gravel, due to disintegration of the 

Deadwood sandstone on the. divide at the base of Bald Mountain. It varies in 

thickness from 15 feet down, and the amount of material is large, although much 

of it appears to be too low grade to work. Nothing could be'learned as to the 

results of the prospect drifts on the headwaters of Kelly Creek, west of Buffalo. 

They extend laterally into the basal beds of the Deadwood formation, which here 

dips steeply eastward.

NEBRASKA.

There have been a number of gold excitements which have involved the expenditure of considerable money, at many localities in this State. Near Milford, west of 

Lincoln, Nebr., a. large, amount of prospecting has been done, and several working 

tests made of gravels in the till. It is reported that favorable assays were obtained, 

but the enterprise has not proved successful. Small amounts of gold have been 

found at many points, but there are probably no prospects for obtaining the metal 

profitably. , ,

IRON ORE. 

HARTVILLE.

In a portion of the Algonkian rocks of the Hartville uplift, in the vicinity of 

Hartville, there is an extensive deposit of rich iron ore. It is found mainly in the 

schist and limestone of the Whalen group, occurring in both members, mainly along 

or not far from the contact between them. In the limestone the ore is found to lie in 

scattered pockets, the larger and purer ore masses occurring in the schist in long 

narrow lenses, apparently of considerable extent. There are two varieties of the 

ore a soft, fine-grained, light-red "paint ore," and a harder, dark, bluish-gray ore, 

which is the more valuable.

Although it has been found that the ore underlies several claims, only one mine 

has been developed. This is known as the Sunrise mine, and is in active operation. 

It is the property of the Wyoming Railway and Iron Company, but is leased to the 

Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, which recently sank a three-compartment shaft 

to a depth of 350 feet and started three levels. Heretofore the ore has been 

principally worked in open cuts by a steam shovel, which loads directly onto 

the cars. The soft ore is easily excavated, but the harder blue ore beneath requires 

to be blasted.

The ore is exceptionally high grade, averaging 62 per cent metallic iron and 2£. 

per cent silica, with practically no phosphorus nor sulphur. From the beginning of 

operations up to 1903 it is reported that 400,000 tons have been mined, with a mine 

value of about $600,000.
404 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTKAL GREAT PLAINS.

BLACK HILLS.

In the Black Hills there are iron ores of considerable promise, but, except 

for some shipments for trial and local use, there has been no'production. The 

deposit at Iron Mountain, 4 miles south of Custer, occurs in a vein .^in the 

Algonkian schists which is traceable for some distance along a northwest-southeast 

course. The ore body is several hundred feet wide, but much of the material is 

too impure for use. Assays of selected ore vary from 55 to 60 per cent of iron, 

6 to 7 per cent of silica, 0.34 to 0.88 of phosphorous, 2 to 2£ per cent of manganese 

and some copper. Large deposits of siliceous hematite on Box Elder Creek were 

described by Newton," as follows:

" On Boxelder Creek a ridge some 400 feet in height is composed of a vast deposit 

of siliceous hematite, which was estimated to be from 800 to 1,000 feet in thickness 

across the upturned strata. Occasional bands of- almost pure specular hematite 

several inches in thickness are found in the mass, with frequent laj^ers of highly 

crystallized micaceous hematite. The body of the ferriferous strata, however, is 

highly siliciferous and entirely useless as an iron ore, consisting of thin strata an 

inch or less in thickness of specular hematite alternating with siliceous slate or with 

pure white quartz in seams or irregular masses, the whole presenting a remarkable 

resemblance to the siliceous banded hematite of the Huronian of the Lake Superior 

region. In other localities on the same creek hematites were also found in the 

siliceous slates, but nowhere of any practical value, because of their highly siliceous 

character. The slates associated with these iron deposits are commonly highly 

argillaceous as well as siliceous, as is indicated by their color, texture, and strong 

clayey odor. Similar ferruginous slates occur also on the headwaters of Rapid 

Creek, a short distance north of the Elkhorn prairie."

Since Newton's exploration other deposits of purer ore have been discovered 

in Boxelder Valley, which may prove to be of value. According to Professor 

O'Harra, there is a body of compact red hematite on a small branch of Bogus 

Jim Creek a mile above its mouth, 10 miles west-northwest of Rapid. The ore 

is in a vein in the schists and quartzites and assays Fe3O3 82 per cent and SiO2 

loi per cent.

LARAMIE RANGE.

At Iron Mountain, on the east slope of the Laramie Range, there is an extensive 

deposit of ilmenite, or titanate of iron. It is on the headwaters of Chugwater Creek, 

a short distance west of Iron Mountain station on the Colorado Southern Railroad. 

The deposit is very extensive and occurs in the pre-Cambrian crystalline schists.

n Newton, Henry, U. S. Geog. and Geol. Survey Rocky Mountain Region, Geology of the Black Hills, 1880, pp. 57-58.
U. S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO.32 FL.LXXI

MAP OF THE CENTRAL, GREAT PLAINS

showing sources of information for topographic map

BY N. H. DARTON

1904 

Scale of miles

L

Topographic 4-0 th Parallel Geology of Geology of

sheets of Survey Nebraska west Southern

U S. Geological C-King of IOO th meridian Black Hills

- Survey KHDarton K.H.Darton

lines

Minnesota 

Geological

Survey 

TVmchell

Gazetteer Lignites of Topography 

of Kansas SioiisReserytLtioii bv N.H.Darttm 

H.GaiinetL B. "VMllis from railroad and 

barometer data

- Railroad levels
SILVER, LEAD, AND COPPER OF THE GREAT PLAINS. 405 

The following analysis has been given by Prof. Wilbur Knight:

Analysis of the Iron ]\fountain iron ore.

Per cent.

Ferric oxide .....'......................................................... 47. 21

Ferrous oxide ............................ p....:.......................... 25.80

Titanic acid .............................................................. 22. 43

Sulphur .................................................................. 1.14

Silica .................................................................... 1.21

Other elements not estimated.

SILVER AND LEAD.

Silver occurs with most of the gold in the northern Black Hills and also occurs 

in or with galena in the Galena district southeast of Deadwood, in the Carbonate 

district northwest.of Deadwood, at Spokane 5 miles southeast of Keystone, and at 

a few other points. The total production in 1902 had a value of $180,306. A large 

amount of the production is from the gold bullion. The silver and lead ores 

have been worked to considerable extent near Carbonate, where, at the Iron Hill 

mine, the ore bodies occur along the contact of porphyry dikes cutting the Carboniferous limestone. A mine at Spokane at one time produced, considerable lead and 

silver, which occurred in quartz veins in the crystalline schists. The deposits near 

Galena occur in the lower sandstone and the overlying shales of the Deadwood 

formation, the principal supplies being in the shales.

In Black-Buttes, on the west slope of the Black Hills, there are several silverlead claims in which the ore is rich but apparently only in small amount. It occurs 

in the Pahasapa limestone along a porphyry contact.

South of Casper, on Casper Mountain, there has been considerable piospecting 

for lead, silver, and copper in the limestone, and "also in the altered pre-Cambrian 

schists. In the schists west of Lusk small amounts of silver ore have been obtained.

COPPER.

The principal occurrences of copper so far reported are in the Black Hills, the 

Hartville region, and the Bighorn Mountains. Numerous copper claims have been 

located in the central Black Hills region, but the only ore that has been shipped 

was for smelting tests. The following statement is quoted from a report by Prof. 

C. C. O'Harra in Mineral Resources of the Black Hills:"

"Beginning with the 'Blue Lead' near Sheridan on Spring Creek and going 

northward, we find near Pactola on Rapid Creek the 'Poisoned Ox,' the 'Copper 

Reef,' and the 'Copper Glance.' On the county line near the headwaters of 

Bogus Jim Creek is the 'Rio Tin to.' Farther north, one-half mile southeast of 

Nemo, on the Boxelder, is the .'Holy Fright,' and 3 miles northwest of this the

iBull. South Dakota Geol, Survey No. 8, 1902, pp. 54-55.
406 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.

'Copper Castle,' the line then gradually deflecting more to the west, crossing Elk 

Creek near Elk Creek station, and crossing Windy flats north of Perry; then by 

rather obscure outcroppings it reaches Deadwood, within the city limits of which 

considerable exploratory work has been done. Occasionally prospects are reported.! 

extending from Deadwood southwestward to the county line, near which are 

grouped the 'Copper Cliff,' the 'British American,' and the ' Black Hills.' These 

lie near the South Fork of Rapid Creek, northwest and west of Rochford. Southward 2 or 3 miles is the- Reynolds property, and still farther south the Palmer 

property. West of Hill City is the 'Mastiff,' and beyond this, southward, are 

the 'Truax 1 and the 'Vigilante.' Other prospects of more or less interest lie 

along the lines indicated, while some have been found having no apparent relation 

to these lines.

" Practically all of these properties carry a copper-stained gossan, some of them 

showing it in great quantity and not infrequently with a considerable amount of 

copper. In sinking through this gossan a leached material known as 'ash' is 

reached. This is a soft, black, decomposed slate, quite free from minerals of value.

''Thus far no one has gone through this ash, but the Black Hills Copper Company is now working to this end, their inclined double-compartment shaft of 800 

feet having penetrated beneath the surface to a perpendicular depth of more than 

400 feet. At the 'Blue Lead' a tunnel cutting below the surface outcroppings 

for a perpendicular distance of more than 600 feet has penetrated the unchanged 

slates, charged with iron and copper pyrites. Thus, notwithstanding the great 

amount of work done, the lower limit of ash is not yet reached, and the conditions 

in the zone between the ash and sulphides remain to be learned."

Tn the Hartville region copper ore is mined at the Welcome mine, a mile east 

of Hartville, from a replacement deposit in a mineralized band in the schists and 

quartzites of the Whalen group. " The ore is banded, bronze colored, and consists 

largely of pyrrhotite with more or less intermingled chalcopyrite. At various other 

localities the indications appear to be"favorable for paying ore. Copper mining was. 

formerly much more extensive in this region than at present. A mine just northeast 

of Guernsey yielded $60,000 worth of ore from a replacement deposit in the massive 

gray limestone of the Guernsey (Carboniferous) formation. The surface workings 

of the Sunrise iron mine also jnelded a considerable amount of copper.

In the Bighorn-Mountains there has been considerable prospecting for copper, 

but the results are not encouraging. Some ore occurs in the southeastern portion 

of the central granite area in thin seams in the granite; which yields promising assays, 

but there are no indications of ore'bodies of commercial value.

'" ' ' " TIN.

The mineral cassiterite is found at various localities in the Black Hills, especially 

in the vicinity of Hill City and at Nigger Hill.- It occurs-disseminated in coarsegrained granites, or pegmatites, cutting the crystalline schists. Several years ago 

very extensive tin-mining and milling operations were begun at Hill City, but the
CLIMATE OF THE GREAT PLAIN'S. 407

project was finally abandoned. The amount of the tin mineral available in the 

numerous pegmatite dikes about Hill City and eastward is very large, but it is 

disseminated in the rock in an irregular manner and much of the ore is too poor to 

be profitably worked. Most persons who are familiar with the district believe that 

on an economical basis the tin could be produced profitably, and doubtless the Hill 

City region will eventual!3- be given a further trial. In a small area at Nigger Hill 

similar bodies of tin-bearing pegmatite occur, of which the capabilities are now 

being tested. In Bear Gulch, in this district, considerable stream tin has been 

obtained in the placer diggings for gold, and several shipments of ore have been 

made.

MANGANESE.

Oxide of manganese has been found at various points in the Black Hills, 

mainly in the crystalline rocks of the central area. The chief occurrences reported 

are in Pennington and Ouster counties, in the basal beds of the Carboniferous near 

Redfbrn, and in the Minnelusa sandstone near Argyle. At the latter place, 

according to Prof. C. C. O'Harra, the mineral pyrolusite is disseminated through 

a sandstone stratum 35 feet thick, which is well exposed in a cut made by a 

tributary of Red Canyon Creek.

CLIMATE.

The central Great Plains region presents considerable variety of climate. 

To the east, on the plains, the precipitation varies from moderately humid to 

nearly arid, the change taking place gradually from east to west. In PL LXXII 

there is shown the mean annual precipitation, from which it will be seen that to 

the east there are 40 inches of rainfall per 3T ear, while to the west, in the region 

adjoining the Rocky Mountains and the other ranges, there are less than-12 inches 

over an area of considerable extent. To the east the precipitation is ample .for 

crops, and that portion of the region is one of the greatest producers of corn, 

whea't, and other agricultural products in the world, while to the west there are 

broad tracts in which no crops can be produced without irrigation. On the 

mountains in the western portion of the area there is locally increased precipitation, which in many areas is sufficient for agriculture. The amount of water 

that, falls in the arid area is enormous when the number of cubic feet per-square 

mile is calculated, but much of it comes in very heavy showers, after long intervals 

of drought, often with severe hot winds. If a portion of the rainfall could be 

stored, much of it could be used for irrigation.

Evaporation also increases rapidly in -amount from east to west in nearly 

inverse,ratio to the precipitation. Its estimated amount is 3 feet in the eastern 

portion of the region and 6 feet'in the western, including the mountains. This
408 GEOLOGY AND UNDERGROUND "WATER OF CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS..

large amount of evaporation in the arid belt is a serious consideration in the 

storage of water for irrigation.

The mean annual temperature (see PI. LXXII) falls gradually in going from 

north to south, and rapidly in ascending the mountain slopes. The entire region 

to which this report relates receives moro or less snow during the winter, the 

amount diminishing- in the arid plains westward and increasing very greatly on 

the high mountains, amounting to several feet in portions of the latter. On the 

western plains, owing to the clearness of the atmosphere, the sun's heat is more 

intense "during the day than in the region eastward. For the same reason, and 

also because of the increased evaporation, the nights are cooler and, in general, 

the heat less oppressive.
U. S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL.LXXII

FO~2Q| Mean annual rainfall in inches 

Mean annual temperature

MAP OF THE GREAT PLAINS AND ADJOINING REGIONS

SHOWING MEAN ANNUAL PRECIPITATION AND MEAN ANNUAL TEMPERATURES

BY HENRY GANNETT

Scale

zoo 300 miles

19O4

JULIUS elEN«CO.LITH.N.Y
INDEX.

A..

Page. 

Abbott, A. J., well of, record of........................ 273

Aberdeen, S. Dak., rocks under...........^.......... 135-136

well at, record of .......................... L....... 121

wells at...................... 114,118,120,130,205-206,213

Abert, S. H., well of, record of........."............. 240-241

Abilene, Kans., boring at............................. . 286

salt well at ........................................ 390

Aceratherium occidentale, occurrence of.............. 173

platycephalum, occurrence of ..................... 176

Acrotreta, occurrence of.... .1......................... 27

Adair, H. H., section by............................... 132

Adams, G.I., on Red Beds........................... 151,159

Adams-Brinkehoff well, location and flow of.......... 247 I

Adelia, Nebi., rocks near.............................. 171

sections near...............;....................... 172

view near.......................................... 170

^gidse, occurrence of.................................. 36

Agriculture, Department of, information from ........ 359

Aguilar, Colo., coal at................................... 374

Akron, Colo., rocks near.................:............. 174

well at, record of ................................ 359-360

Aladdin, Wyo.,coal at................................. 376

fossils near......................................... 35

rocks near......................................... 88,363

well at............................................. 363

Albee,S. Dak., well at............................... 116,118

Albion, Nebr., well at..................... J............ 279

Alcester, S. Dak., well near........................... 115

Alexandria, S. Dak., rocks near....................... 113

well at............................................. 115

Algonkian rocks, character of......................... 63

iron ore in...............................'........ 403,404

occurrence of................................... 46,65,68

view of ..................................I......... 44,46

Allorisma subcuneata M. & H., occurrence of......... 93

Alma, Kans., boring at............:................'... 286

Altitudes in Great Plains............................... 22-24

Alzada, Wyo., wells near.............................. 364

Amboccelia? sp., occurrence of........................ 64

Amsden formation, character of................... 46,48-49

correlation of.'.................................... 80,16

deposition of ...................................... 181

fossils of, occurrence ol........ i.................... 49

name of............................................ 49

occurrence of..................................... 48,159

relations of, diagram showing.......... .......... 158

Analyses of brine from Kansas wells .................. 390

of brine from Salt Springs, Wyo.......-.....-----. 392

of coal...............i............................. 379

of fire clay from Golden, Colo..................... 397

of gypsum from near Cascade Spring, S. Dak...... 394

of iron ore from Nebraska......................... 405

Page. 

Analyses of Niobrara limestone from near Denver,

. Colo ......--....-..-..-.....--...-.--..... 399-400

of soda from Casper, Wyo......................... 398

of water from well at Argentine, S. Dak......... 227-228

of water from wells at Denver, Colo............... 332

of water from well at Greeley, Colo.........'....... 361

of water from well at Jennings, Kans........... 293-294

of water from well at Jerome, Wyo................ 370

of water from well at Larned, Kans................ 311

of water from wells at Pueblo, Colo.............. 355-356

Anchura amcricana, occurrence of.................... 110

Andover, S. Dak., rocks at and near......... 135-136,219-220

well at, evidence of................................ 118

record of....................................... 220

Anomia sp., occurrence of............................. 60

Antelope coal mines, location and workings of...... 375-376

Antelope Creek, Nebr., rockson....................... 141

Anthony, Kans., rock salt at......................... 390-391

wellsat...........-....:-...-....--.......... 286,312,321

Apache siding, Colo., rocks at......................... 337

Apiocrinites, occurrence of............................ _96

Apishapa Canyon, Colo., rocks in.................... 100,335

Apishapa formation, occurrence of.............. 344-346,357

Arapahoe formation, character of..................... 76

depth of, near Denver, map showing.............. 328

occurrence of......................... 76,185,322,329-332

sections of, diagrams showing..................... 332

source of water in...................:...,.......... 194

Archeeocidaris, occurrence of.......................... 64

Archean rocks, occurrence of ...................... 46,55,68

Archway near Monument, Colo., view of.............. 188

See also Bridge, natural. 

Ardmore, S.Dak.,rocks near.......................... 224

well at............................................ 227,271

Area of Great Plains....-...............:.............. 21

Argentine, S. Dak., well at.............. 217,224,227-228,362

well at, water of, analysis of..................... 227-228

Argyle, S. Dak., fuller's earth near................... 45,398

Arikaree formation, beds of, views of... 174,176,180,182,186 

buttes and cliffs of, views of...................... 26,36

character of............................. 148-149,176-178

concretions in, view of............................ 182

conglomerate in. ......................... '. ........ 178

deposition of......--.......--.:.................. 186-186

occurrence of..................................... 61-62,

68,148-149,171,173,175-178,254,

256,258,271-273,342,362,365-366

relations of........................................ 176

subdivisions of..................................... 177

volcanic ash in.................................... 401

water in........................................... 194

Arikaree River, Kans., rockson..................... 155,358

Arkalon, Kans., well at............................... 316

Arkansas City, Kans., salt well at...................... 390

409
410 INDEX.

Page 

Arkansas Valley, rocks of.............................. 105,

107,152,155,168,179,193,298,305,322,343,352,354

sections along, diagrams showing............... 158,352

wells in...................^...................... 343-344

Arlington, Kans., rock salt at......................... 390

well at....................................... 117,245, 286

record of....................................... 245

Armour, S. Dak., rocks at and near............. 131,136,222

Artesian, S. Dak., well near....... v .................. 123

wells near, records of............................ 260,261

Artesian water, theory of............................ 190-191

Asaphas, occurrence of................................ VI

Asaphiscus, occurrence of............................. 27

Ash, volcanic, character and uses of................ 400-401

occurrence of..................................... 45,173

view showing..... .....;...........-....,-.. --... 1"8

Ash Creek, Nebr., rocks .on, view of.........-...---....- 186

Asherville,Kans.,well at........................ 286,307-308

Ashland, Nebr., rocks at and near.................. 140,143

view near. ..._.......................--.- ... - - 140

Ashraore, H. K. and 0. E., well of, fossils from........ 132

well of, location of................................. 132

record of..........-.....--,-------------- -- 260

Ashton, S. Dak., wells at.......... ..---- - ------ - 263

Asmuss, J., well of...............----................... 195

' wellof, record of ....:....:.........-'... ......'..-.. 199

Assays, of iron ore from South Dakota.............'... 404

Astartella concentrica McCh.. occurrence of...:...... 92,94

Aten, Nebr., well at............... .................... 144

Athyris subtllita, occurrence of..................... 29,56,91

Atlanta, Colo.,rocksnear.............................. 323

Atlantosaurus fauna, occurrence of.................... 96

Avicula linguiformis, occurrence of...'......-......... 52,60

 nebrascensis, occurrence of........................ 52,60

Aviculopecten, occurrence of..................;....... 89

carboniferous Stev., occurrence of................. 92

occidentalis, occurrence of........................ 64,94

Aver, Colo., well near, record of...................... 350

wells at............................................ 344

Ayoway Creek, Nebr., section near.................:.'... 146

. BBaculites compressus, occurrence of.................. 41,108

sp., occurrence of........ ^... '. .................... 52,109

Badger, Nebr., wells near............................. 278

Badito formation, character of.... ................. 162-163

equivalent of .........I......................i..... 92

occurrence of.............................. 94,96,162-163

Badlands, occurrence of................:........._.... 43,45

view in........................................... 36,174

See also Big Badlands. 

Bad River, wells on .......'.......-..,.......'.......'..... 195

Bailey, E. H. S., analysis by ........................... 291

Bakewellia, occurrence of..........................;.. 87

Bald Mountain, Wyo., gold at....................:... 402-403

Bangor, S. Dak., rocks near ........... .......:........ . 137

Banner. Kans., boring near .............:.........:... 286

Barbour, E. H., acknowledgments to.................. 21

on Loup Fork concretions.......................... 177

photograph by..............-..........}........... 24

Barbour, well of, location of........................... 210

Barela, Colo., well at .................................. 339

Barlow, E. A., well of ................................. 247

Bartlett-Richards well, location and character of..... 273

Bartow well, location and record of..................... 125

Bathyurus, occurrence of.. 1........................... 77

Battle Creek, rocks at and near .................. 88,175,217

Page. 

Baxter siding, Colo., well at, record of................ 357

Bear Creek, Colo., rocks on....................... 84,102,105

section on ......................................... 84

Bear Gulch, S. Dak., placer mining in'................ 402

stream tin in ...................................... 407

Bearlodge Mountains, gold on...................... '... 402

rocks on and near................... T............ 45,175

Beatrice, Nebr., rocks at and near..................... 140

spring near ........................................ 142

well at............................................. 283

Beaver Creek, Kans., rocks on......................... 155

wells on ......................................I.... 362

Beaver Crossing, Nebr., well at........................ 282

Bed rock in South Dakota, wells to.................. 113-116

j location and character of........................ 112-120

mapof.............................................. 112

Belemnites densus. occurrence of....'.............. 50,53,163

Belle Fourche, S. Dak., rocks at and near........... 209,249

water tank at, view of............................. 256

well at, record of....... '. .......................... 210

wells at..........!................... 209-210,246,363-364

Belle Fourche River, glacial drainage of. figure showing. ...................................... 188,189

history of............-....'........°................. 189

oil wells on........................................ 337

rocks on ..................................... 32,33,38,250

view on............................................ 52

well on .......................................... 210,363

Bellerophon carbonarius Cox, occurrence of.......... 92

inspeciosus White (?), occurrence of............... 94

montf ortianus N. & P., occurrence of.............. 92

percarinatus Con., occurrence of.................. 92,94

sp., occurrence of.................................. 92,93

Belleview, Colo., rocks of.............................. 82

Belleville, Kans., welj at.............................. 313

Benkelman, Nebr., rocks near................'......... 285

Bcnnett, Nebr., rocks near .........'...:............. 141-142

Ben toil formation, character of..................... 46,51-52

. deposition of....................................... 184

fossils of ........................................... 51-52

limestones of...................................... 399

Benton group, character of............... 25,37-40,55,59-60,

72-73,128-132,144-147,152-154,166-168,200 

divisions of........................................ 153

fossils of, occurrence of.................. 37-42^ 60,261,293

occurrence of...................................... 59,

67, 72-73, 104-107, 111-112, 120-121, 128-134, 140, 

144-147,150,152-154,166-168,200, 203-205, 208,212- 

213, 216-218, 221,224,280-239, 240-248, 251-256,258, 

261,264, 266-267, 269, 271-274, 279,282, 285, 290-296, 

298-301, 303-320, 324-327,336, 339-349, 352, 354, 372 

oil in'............................................... 380

section of.........................:...........__. 131,132

diagram of..................................... 352

variations in, diagram showing.................... 166

Bentonite, occurrence and character of ............... 400

Berwind, Colo., coal at................................ 374

Beug well, S. Dak., character of....................... 130

Beulah, Colo., rocks near.................... 78,80,92,99-100

Beulah shale. See Morrison shale. -

Big Badlands, character of............................ 170

fuller's earth from .......................'.......... -398

location of........................................ 43,170

yiews in ^........................................ 170,172

volcanic ash in ................',................... 401

See also Badlands.- "' 

Big Bend, Kans., rooks near..................:........ 136

Big Blue River, Nebr., rocks on....................... 145
INDEX. 411

Big Gypsum Cave, Kans., gypsum near............... 395

Bighorn,limestone,.beds of, view of................. 70,74,78

character ol............................ 46,47-48,156-157

correlation of...-.....--.......'.... v --....-...---. 48

. fossils of, occurrence.of............................ 47-48

.. occurrence of-.-...-....--..----......---'....--.. 156-157

Bighorn Mountains, altitude of....................... 24

copper in ........................................ 405-406

elevation of......:.............................-... 45-46

formations of, relations of, diagrams showing..... 166

fossils in, occurrence of. .................. 158-159,164

. general relations of................................ 45-46

. geologic history of..........................:.... 182-184

geology of.......................................... 45-53

gold in............................................ 402-403'

gypsum at..................... M .................. 396

locution of---..-...--.-.......--....-.--..-...--... 45

rocks oE and near................ 156-169,191-193,361; 399

sections of, diagrams showing.................... 42,158

stratigraphy of..................................... 46-53

, views in................................... 68,70,72,74,76

wells in.......................................... 366-367.

Big Sandy River, rocks on.................. J.......... 140

 Big Sioux River, fossils near........................... 132

rocks on............................. 112,128-129,133,136

Bigstone Lake, Minnesota, altitudeof................... 229

shalesnear ........................................ 132

Bijou Hills, location of....-......'...................... 206-

rocks of........................................... 137,149

Bison, Kan?., boring at............:................... 286

Blackbird.Hill, Nebr., rocks at.......:...........!.... 143

Black Buttes, Soulh Dakota, silver and lead in....... 405

Black Earth.Creek, South Dakota, rocks on........... 1]3

Black Hills, altitude, area, and character of.......... 24

columnar sections of, diagrams showing......... 42,158

copper in .............-.......-.....----....----..-. 405

formations of, character of........................ 24

relations .of.................................... 24-25

fossils in. occurrence of............................. 164

.fuller's.earth from...................;......:...... 398

general relations of....... A......................... 24-25

 geologic history, of................. 179-182,184-185,188-189

 geologic section of................................. 25

geology of...... '. ................................... 24^15

gold in, occurrence and production of.......... 401^02

gypsum in.............................. ......... 393-394

. iron ore.in................-..-........-....---...-:. 404

. location of.......-.....----....-.......--...-.-.--- 23

: oil in............................................... 380

 relations.of, diagram showing....................... 166

relations.of Hartyille upliftand.................:. 61

. tocks of.........'.....--.- 15EU69,191-193,246,250,863,399 

 section from Pine Ridge to. diagram of............ 224

silvcrin...............:..............-.....-........ . 405

stratigraphy of..................................-.-...:.. 25-45

views iu ..........................................46,oO,68

.wells in and near............................... 217-218,

.224-228,246-247,251,253,361-364,867-372 

Black Hills mine, location of............................ 406

Black Wolf, Kans., wells near......................... .296

Blair, Nebr., rocks near.................:................. 143

Bloom, Colo., rocks at......:.......... ................. 344

well at........:....'........................ 95,344,350-351

Bluehill, Kans., well .near........................:........ 308

Blue Hill .shales, occurrence of... '. ....................... 153

Blue Lead mine, location of............................. 405

Bogus Jim Creek,S. Dak.,copper on....,.............. 450

 iron ore on...........-.............-.:.-----..----- 404

Page. 

Bohriwell, location of........................... 114,215-216

record of......................................... 122,215

rocks in.......................................... '.. 118

Bolodont, discovery of............................ 94,159,163

Bolton^ "Kans., gas of................................... 387

Bone-bearing sandstone, view of....................... 98

Bonesteel, S. Dak., well at............................. 230

Boonc, Colo., well at, record of........................ 357

well at, section of, diagram of....................: 352

Boulder, Colo., coal near............................... 373

gas at.....'.............................-.......... 881-382

oil at and near............................ '... 108,380-882

oil Held at, map of:.............................'... 381

production of................................ 381-382

structure of.................................... 382

rocks at and near............... 81,84-85,105,108,169,373

wells near ......................................... 327

Boundaries of Great Plains............................ 21

Bow Creek, Nebr., section near........................ 146.

Bowdle Hills, S. Dak.,.location of:................... 222,228

rocks of.---.............--.;..---.-.-.............. 137

wells on ......................................... 223,256

Boxelder Creek, Colo., copper on...................... 405

iron ore on... .................;................... 404

rocks on ..................................... 56,72,81,96

Boxelder Springs, Wyo., butte near, view of.......... 180

Brandon,.S. Dak.,.rocks near.......................... 133

Bridgewater, S..Dak., rocks at........:................ .113

well at............................................. 249

Brighton, Colo., wells near............................ 322

Brine wells, Kans.,. analyses of........................ 390

occurrence of............ I........................ 389-390

British-American mine, location of.................... 406

Brookfleld, Colo., rocks.near .......................... 323

Brookings,.S. Dak., well at............................ 114

bed-rock elevation at.............................. 117

Brook's well, location and record of.'.................. 243

Brown Valley, Minn., well at ................... 116,118,119

Brownville, Nebr., boring at........................... 284

Brule clay, badlands of, view, of..................... 170,174

beds of, views of................... 26,36,174,176,178,186

character of ..............................:... 45,173,176

deposition of........................................ 185

occurrence of.............. 43,45,170-173,176,272,400-101

Brule Creek", rocks on ................................. 133

Budlong-well, location .of ........----...---....:.... 114,263

record of.--....-..-'--.----.-I---...:.....---....... 122

rocks in................................... 114,117-118,263

Buffalo, Wyo.,.coal at.....:............................ 377

gold near.............. .'..... ........................ 402

rocks near............'.............................. 49

view near......................................... 76

Buffalo .Gap, S. Dak.,.rocks near...............i....... 32-34

section near....................................... 39

wells at............................................... 217

Burchard;;E. F., on lignites...'......................... 379

Buried ridge.v See Ridge, buried.

Burlington, Colo.,.well at............................. ' 338

Burlington Railroad Company, well bored by........ 359

Butte, Sebr., rocks near........... v ..................... ]48

Butte Creek, rocks on............................. 95,.102,323

wells on .................................................. -.323-324

Byers, .Colo.,, w.ell near ................................; 323

Cache la Poudre River, wells on....................... 360

Cactns, Kans., wells at. and near..................... 286,312
412 INDEX.

Page. 

Caddoa, Colo., well at, record of...................... 327

well at, section of, diagram of..................... 352

Caldweil, Kans., boring at............................ 286

. rocks near......................................... 173

Calhan, Colo., well at, record of.................... 333-334

Callistadeweyi, occurrence of..:......:.............. 60,110

(Dosinopsls) owenana............................. 110

Cambria, Wyo., coal at and near.............. 34,35,374-376

fire clayat......................................... 397

rocks at and near.................................. 29,32

well at................................ 29,192,217,363,370

record of...................................... 30,371

Cambrian rocks, character of......................... 25-27,

 46-47,55-58,7^-77,156,191-192 

deposition of....................................... 180

fossils in, occurrence of.............. 26-27,47,77,113,156

occurrence of......... 26,56,74,76-77,157,159,181,332-333

waterin........................................... 191-192

Cambrian sea, islands of................................ 179

Cambrian time, submergence in..................... 179-180

Cambridge, Nebr., rocks near.......................... 285

Camerella, occurrence of.............................. 78

Camp Canyon, Wyo., coal at ........................ 375-376

section at.......................................... 375

Campophyllum torquium Owen, occurrence of........ 92

Canastota, S. Dak., well near.......................... 115

Canby, Minn., wellat................................. 116

Canova, S. Dak., rocks near............................ 135

Canton, Kans., boring near............................ 281

rocks near....................................... 119,133

Canyon, Colo., coal near............................. 372,373

iossils near.-................."...............-...... 164,166

rocks in and near........................ 78,80,91,99,104

view near.......................................... 98

well near.......................................... 335

Carbonate, S. Dak., silver and lead near............... 405

Carboniferous rocks, character of.................. 25,27-31,

46,48-49,55-57,63-65,69-70,80-96,139 

columnar sections of, diagrams of................. 158

deposition of....................................... 181

formations of...................................... 27

fossils of, occurrence of......... 27-29,48-49,56-57,89,139

 occurrence of ..................................... 48-49,

56-57,61-65, 69-70,79-96,119-120,1S8-139,142,149-

150,156,181-182, 282-284,324,327, 338,379, 390-395

water horizons in................................ 192-193

Carboniferous time, geologic history in ............. 180-182

submergence in................................... 181-182

Cardium-panperculina, occurrence of................. 60

speciosum, occurrence of......................... 52, no

Carlile formation, beds of, view of ................... 64,146

character of ........ 25,39-40,62,67,73,76,145-147,166-168

divisions of ........................................ 153

fossils of, occurrence of........................... 39,146

occurrence of ............................... 39,67,73,76,

106-107,128-132,134-135,145-147,166-168,

198-199, 203, 218, 221,267,270,277-278,358

sections of ...................................... : -. 39-40

diagram of.............................._....... 352

variations in, diagram showing ................... 166

Carpenter well, record of .............................. 207

Carthage, S. Dak., rocks at............................ 130

wellat..............'...............-.--.---.-----.- 252

Cascade Springs, S. Dak., gypsum near................. 393

gypsum near, analysis of..................:........ 394

rocks near....................-....---,------.-.. 32,33,35

Case's spring, Nebr., location and character of........ 142

Casper, Wyo., rocks near...................... 54,60,165,16S

Page. 

Casper, Wyo., sections near, diagrams of.............. 54

silver imd'lead near................................ 404

soda at............................................. 397

analysis of..................................... 398

views near......................................... 82

Casper Mountain, character of......................... 53-56

fault at ...................................... 53-55,57-60

general relations of................................ 53

rocks at and of.................................... 57,160

sections of, diagrams of............................ 54

silver and lead on.................................. 405

views of............................................ 82

See also Laramie Range, north end of. 

Casper Range, columnar section of, diagram of....... 158-

gold on ............................................ 401

Castalia, S. Dak., well near.......................... 127,134

Castle Rock, Colo., well at............................. 332

Catalpa, Kans., well near.............................. 2S9

Cathedral spires, view of .............................. so

Catlinite, occurrence of................................ 313

Cavanaugh well, location and character of ........... 130

Cave Hills, S. Dak., coal at............................ 373

rocks near......................................... 37$

section at.......................................... 378

Cawker, Kans., boring near............................ 287

well near, record of................................ 308

Cedar Creek, S. Dak., rocks on......................... 143

wells on............................................ 247

Cedar Creek beds, occurrence and character of........ 174

Cedarville, Kans., well near.......................... 287,318

Cement, occurrence of................................ 396-397

Central Great Plains. See Great Plains.

Ceratop beds, location and name of................... 41-42

See also Laramie formation. 

Ceratopsidse, occurrence of............................ 41-42

Chadron, Nebr., rocks at.............................. 271

well near.......................................... 271

Chadron formation, badlands of, view of............... 170

character of................................... 45,170-172

conglomerate in, view of.......................... 44

deposition of....................................... 185

fossils in, occurrence of............................ 174

occurrence of....................... 43,45,56,170-174,398

Chalk Cliffs, Colo., rocks in............'................ 173

Chamberlain, S. Dak., rocks at and near............ 127,1S5

-. wellat............................................. 206

record of....................................... 207

wellsat and near.................. ......... 207,247-248

Chaquaqua Canyon, rocks in.................... 101,339,342

- well in.............................................. 342

Chauvenet, R., analyses by............................ 332

Cherokee shales, gas in................................ 387

Cheyenne, Wyo., rocks at and near.......... 168,173,252,366

view near........................................... 26

well at............................................. 366

Cheyenne Indian Reservation, agency of, well at,

record of................................... 214

location of......................................... 213

wellsof...................................... 213-214,255

Cheyenne Mountain, fau] t near....................... 75

Cheyenne River, coal on............................. 378-379

falls of, sections at and near......................... 36,39

geologic history of............................... 188-189

rocks at and near...................... 35,88,135,217,264

view on............................................ 34

wells on ......................................... 395,362

Cheyenne sandstone, occurrence ai.d chiracter of.. 150-351 

See also Coinanche series.
INDEX. 418

Cheyenne Wells, Colo., well at, record of............ 328-329

Chico Siding, Colo., well at. record of................. 368

Chimney Rock, Nebr., rocks near...................... 175

view of ................................. ........... 178

Chonetes granulifera Owen, occurrence of............ 94

logani, occurrence of..............I............... 27

mesolobaN. & P., occurrence of................... 92,94

Chotoan Creek, S. Dakota, rocks on ................... 201 .

 wellsnear ....................................... 202-203

Chouteau formation, correlation of.................... 157

Chugwater Creek, iron ore on.......................... 404

rocks on............;.......................... 72,73,161

- section on.......................................... 69

Chugwater formation, beds of, view of................ 76,86

character of......'.................. 46,49-50,55,57-58,162

correlation of...................................... 163

deposition of.............. : ........................ 181

fossilsof ........................................... 49-50

name of.......................-...---..-..-..---.-- 49

occurrence of .................................. 49,57-58,

68,71,81-82,96-97,99,160-162,365,896 

relations of, diagram showing........'............. 158

section of....................................'--.--. 84

Church, Professor, analysisby......................... 311

Cimarron series, occurrence and character of....... 150-152

Cimarron Valley, rocks in......... 81,95,102,151,164,318,324

Clark, S. Dak., well at............................... 118,215

Clay Creek, rocks on........................... '........ 133

Clearmont, Wyo., well at............................ 366-367

Clifton, \Vyo., oil near................................. 887

reservoir at, view at............................... 64

rocks near ......................................... 31,37

well at, record of..... .........- ..........'.....-.... 369

Climate of Great Plains........................... 21,407-408

of Great Plains,, map showing ..................... 408

Cloud Peak, Wyo., location and altitude of............ 45-46

view of. .............--.--.-...--..--....-- - -- 70

Cleverly formation, character oi...........--...---'46,50-51

coal in .....-.........--.-....-..-...-.'.- ----- -- 51

correlation of.....-...-..--.--...-..--............. 50

J fossils of, occurrence of............................ 51

hogback oi, view of................................ 76

name of............................................ 50

occurrence oi................................^..... 50-51

Coal, analyses of....................................... 379

character of.............................--..---.- 372-375

deposition of...................................... 183^184

occurrence of........... 34,35,51,144,152,284,333,372-379

production of...................................... 374

Coal Creek, S. Dak., coal on........................... 379

well on..:........................................- 335

Cocoliths, occurrence oi............................... 147

Colby, Kans., well at.............;-.................... 319

Cold Brook, S. Dak., gypsum on.....................;. 393

Coldwater, Kans., gypsum near....................... 395

Colorado, Adams County, location and wells of...... 322

ji flams County, rocks of......................... 174,322

alth-'les in...;.............................;...... 22

Arapahoc County, location, rocks, and wells of... 323 

Baca County; rocks of................ 95,102,105,328-324

wells of"-..-.'- :*.-.- ........................ 323-324

Bent County, location Of, and altitudes in......... 324

rocks of..............Xi---------------- 105,107,324

. wells of.................V,................. 324-327

Boulder County, location, rocks,Tfca|d wells of... 327-328 

cement materials in............... J^s^........... 396

Cheyenne County, location, rocks, and~~wells

of.......'.........................-.---.-- 328-329

Page. 

Colorado, coal in, occurrence, character, and value

of................................."....... 372-374

Denver County, rocks and wells of:............. 329-332

Douglas County, rocks and wells of............. 332-333

Elbert County, location, rocks, and wells of ...... 333

El Paso County, location, rocks, and wells of... 333-334 

fire clay in......................................... 397

Fremont County, location, rocks, and wells of.. 334-335 

gypsum in......................................... 39C>

Huerfano County, altitudes in.................;... 335

rocksof.................................. 104,835-337

wells of...................................... S36-337

Jefferson County, fire clay in ..................... 1 397

location, rocks, arid wells of..............'.... 337

Kiovva County, location of......................... 337

rock of................................... 107,337-338

wells of........................................ 338

Kit Carson County, location, rocks, and wells of.. 338 

Larimer County, rocks and wells of................ 338

Las Animas County, location of.................... 339

rocksin.................... 94,96,100,102,105,339-342

section in.............................. 94-95,100,101

wells of...................................... 339-342

limestone in....................................... 399

Lincoln County, location, rocks, and wells of..... 342

Logan County, rocks aud wells of ............... 342-343

Morgan County, location, rocks and wells of...... 343

oil in, occurrence of............................. 379-362

Otero County, location of.......................... 343

rocksof.................................. 107,343-351

wells of ...................................... 343,351

Phillips County, rocks and wells of................ ' 352

Prowers County, location of ....................... 352

rocksof........................... 95,105,107,352-354

wells of ................................... 324,352-354

view in ........................................ 98

Pneblo County, location of, and wells in........... 354

rocks of...................................... 107,354

rocks of............... 74-111,156,169,175,178-179,182,270

diagrams of.................................... 1£6

Sedgwick County, rocks of... 106,-109-110,161,180,322,358 

wells of........................................ 358

Washington County, location of, and wells in..... 359

rocks of..........i.:......................... 174,359

Weld County, rocks and wells of................ 360-361

viewin........----..---...--.......-............ 186

Colorado, eastern, Dakota sandstone in, depth to,

map shelving.............................. 190

geology of........................................ 74-111

rocks of, general relations of.................. 74-75,322

stratigraphy of.................................... 75-111

wells of.......................................... 322-361

Colorado, northern, section in, diagram of............ IBS

Colorado City, Colo., fault near........................ 99

rocks near......................................... 98,99

section near........................................ 91

well at............................................. 333

Colorado Coal andiron Company, well of............. 355

well of, water of, analysis of................... 355

Colorado Southern Railroad Company, well bored by. 339 

Colorado Springs, Colo., coal near...".........:........ 373

fault near.......................................... 104

. rocks near....................... 106,109-110,161,180; 332

section near ....................................... 77

Columbus Peak, Wyo., character of.................... 51

Comanche series, concretions in, occurrence of ...... 67,

68,106-108,132,136,146,153,155,167-169,177 

correlation of.................................... 164-165
414 IN'DEX.

PagL.

Comanche series, occurrence of..... 102,149-150,151,164-165

view of ................................... 54,182,180

topographic features due lo ....................... 177

Conde, S. Dak., wells at ................................ 263

Condra, G. E., on Benton group;...................... 145

on Dakota sandstone............ '. ............... 1 43-144

on Nlobraraformation ..........................:. 147

photographs by.................................... 146

sections by ..... .................................. 143-144

Cone-in-cone, occurrence of........................... 109

Conocoryphe, occurrence of...:............-.......... 77

Contacts, views showing... 44,46,50,52,64,56,02,64,68,70,76,

88,146,172,176,182,186 

Coolidge; Colo., well at, section of, diagram of........ 352

wells at and near.................................. 3'22

Coolidge, Kans., rocks at............................ 155,301

wells at.............................:............ 288,301

records of...................................... 302

Coon Creek, Nebr., rocks on........................... 145

Cnpe, E. D., on White River beds...................... 174

Copper, occurrence of............................... 405,406

Copper Castle mine, location of ........:.............. 406

Copper Cliff mine, location of......................... 406

Copper Glance mine, location of...................... 405

Copper Reef mine, location of......................... 405

Corrizo, Colo.. well near............................... 324

Cottonwood Creek, rocks on .......................... 68

view on............................................ 62

Cottouwood Draw, head of, views at...............'... 172

Cottonwood limestone, character of................... 150

occurrence of.............^.................. 139,150,396

Cransena sp., occurrence of............................ 89

Craven Canyon, S. Dak., coal in.........'.............. 379

Crawford, Nebr., rocks at.............................. 274

Crazy Woman Creek, rocks near ....................... 53

Creamy sandstone, character, occurrence, and correlation of ....................... 85,87-88,90,161-162

Crenella elegantula, occurrence of .................... 110

Cretaceous formations, character of................... 25,

84^)3,46,50-53,55,58-59,63,66-68,

72-74/76, 96vlll, 140, 148, 151-155

fossils of, occurrence of....-...1 .'.................. 34-35,

37-42, 50-53, 96,102,128,165-166 

occurrence of.................'.................... 50-63,

58-62,66-68,72-74,76,96-111,120,138,

149-155, 164-169, 280, 292, 306, 339

saltin.............................................. 389

waterin ........................................... 193

Cretaceous time, deposition in......................... 183

geologic history in............................... 183-184

submergence in.................................. 183-184

Crinoids, occurrence of................................ 27

Cripple Creek, rocks near.............................. 91

Crosby, W. 0., on Cheyenne Mountain fault .......... 75

Cross, C. W., fossils obtained by........................ 77

on Colorado geology ........':...... ................ 97

on Dakota sandstone .............................. 104

on Fountain formation ........................... 80,162

on Laramie formation ............................. 169

on Morrison formation............................. 99

on Ordoviciaii of Colorado......................... 78

on Red Beds .....:..::: .:. ......................... 91

Crotoil, Wyo., well at....;....-...........:....-......-. -364

Crow Creek, rocks on .:............:...:............... 69

Crow Creek Agency; S.'Dak., well at................ 208-209

well at, record of..-... .......-...:.-........... 209

rocks in.................................... 131

Cnchara River, coal on ;:...........:..::....-......... - 374

Page. 

Cuchara River, rocks on.............................. 94,104

well on ............................................ 337

Cuchara siding, 'Colo:, rocks at........................ 337

Culbertson, Nebr. , rocks near............................ 28

Culebra Range. See Sangre de Cristo Range.

Caster, S. Dak., rocks near.............................. 28

~Cycads, occurrence of.................................. 35

Cylichna sp.?, occurrence of.......................... 62,110

Cynodictus gregarius, occurrence of ..................' 173

D.

Dsemonelix in Arikaree sands, view of................ 184

occurrence of...................................... 177

Dakota City, Nebr., fossils at -....:.................... 140

Dakota formation, character of...... ............ 120,151-152

contour of ......................................... 144

deposition of ..............:....:................ 183-184

fire clay in......................................... 397

fossils in. occurrence of............................ 128

occurrence of................. 59,120,151-152,165,363,367

sections of....................................... 121-128

subdivisions of ..................................... 165

water in ...................................^....... 193

Dakota sandstone, beds of, view of....... 58,60.82,86, SS, 140

character of......... 25,37,55,59,62, 67, 72, 70. 102-105,150

configuration of ................................. 120-121

correlation of...................................... 167

deposition of...... .............................. 183-184

depth to ......................................... 193-270

maps showing............................... 190,282

fossils of........................................... 37

occurrence of..'.....:.............................. 37,

51, 62, 67, 72, 74, 76, 99,102-105, 111-112.138,140-146,

150, 156, 195-272, 274, 277-2S2, 285, 290-325, 328-

329, 332-349, 351-353, 357-370, 372, 383-384, 386, 388

oilin .......................... ..................... 387

relations of, diagram showing..................... 224

1 section of ....;.......... ........................... 103

diagram of..................^.................. 352

structure of, map showing......................... 190

variations in, diagram showing................... 166

water in ........ ........................ 191,193,195-270

head of, map showing .......................... 192

Dalmauella testudinaria, occurrence of............... 79

Danby, Kans., well near ............................. 287,309

Dannebrog, Nebr., well at, record of................ 278-279

Darton, N. H., information from, map sbowing area

covered by....................................... 406

on Arikaree formation............................. 43

on Hartville uplift.................................. 62

Davey, Nebr., rocks near.............................. 141

Dawson Creek, rocks on............................... 133

Deadman Creek, Colo., rocks on....................... 79

Deadwood, S. Dak., copper at......................... 40ci'

rocks near......................................... ,-^27

silver near....................................... .'" 405

views in ....................................... ju.:.. 44,46

Deadwood formation, beds of, view of........ _ .'. 44,70,74,78

character of.......................... ,r' 25-27,46,47,156

fossils of ..............-....-..'.. ....".!.......... 26-27,47

gold in.....................'..-.................... 401-403

occurrence of........ ._..;<.'......... 26,28,156,192,247,405

waterin ....... ..^.fC............................... 192

Decatur, Nebr., togalls near............................. 140

rocks TXfSFTT....................................... 143

Deep Ki ver formation, fossils of...................... 177-178 . Deer Creek, rocks on and near.........'............. 84,86,105
INDEX. 415

Page 

Deerfield, Nebr., well at............................... 280

Delmont, S. Dak., wells at and near................. 134,222

Dentalinm sp.?, occurrence of......................... 110

Denver, Colo., coal near ............................... 372

columnar section near, diagram of................ 158

limestone near, analysis of........................ 397

rocks near............... 109-110,169,184,322,330-331,372

wells at and near............................ 322,323; 330

wells of, yield of.................................. * 331

water of, analysis of ........................... 332

Denver, vicinity of, map of............................ 328

Denver and Eio Grande Railroad, information from... 336 

Denver basin .cross sections of, diagram showing....... 332

location of......................................... 337

wells'in............................................ 360

Denver formation, character of......................... 7.6

occurrence of..................... 76, 185,322,329-330,332

sections of, diagrams showing....................: 332

Derbya crassa, M. & H. f occurrence of.............. 64,93,94

De Smet, S. Dak., well at............................ 117,242

wellat,recordof..:......'........................ 123,244

Devils Tower, Wyo., rocks near........................ - 38

view of...........'.....................-............ 52

Devonian rocks, absence of........................... 79,157

Diccllomus, occurrence of ............................. 27

politus, occurrence of.............................. 47

Dienictis major, occurrence of..............--..-...-- 176

Dinosaurs, remainsof.......................... 99,100,101,111

Dodge, Kans., borings at and near................... 297,298

Dome Rock, view of.................................... 36

Dougan well, location and record of.................... 125

Douglas, Wyo., coal at and near....................... 777

fault near.......................................... 363

rocks near .............................."--....".- 56-59,174

view near............................'.............. 80

Doxheimer well, location and character of............ 115

Drainage in Great Plains .............................. 24

Drainage of South Dakota in Glacial epoch ........ 1 188-189

figures showing.................-......'..-......... 187

Dry Creek, g. Dak., rocks on........................... 36

Dubois, Nebr., boring at....... '. ........ ; .............. 284

boring at, record of................................. 284

B. ,

Eagle, Colo., coal at..................................... 374

Eakins, L. G., analysis by ............................ 86,399

Eaton, Colo., well at................................. 360,361

Economic geology. See Geology, economic.

Edgemont, S. Dak., coal near........................ 378-379

gypsum near...................... 1................ 393

rocks near.................................. 34,43^15,224

views near......................................... 62,64

wells at...............................^.......... 224-226

records of..................................... 225-226

Eldridge, G. H., on Colorado geology.................. 97

on Dakota sandstone .............................. 103

on Denver basin............................. 330-332,397

on granite uplifts.................................. 75

on Morrison formation ......................... 96,97-98

on Wyoming formation..................... 80,88,90,161

Elephant Rock, Colo., archway at, view of............ 188

Elkador, Kans., well at......................'........ 287,307

Elk Creek, S. Dak., copper on ......................... 406

Elk Falls, Kans., well at. .............................. 387

Elkhorn Valley, wells in .............................. 275

ElkMountain, S. Dak., rocks near .................... 32,37

Elk Point, S. Dak., well at;.......................... 116,119

Page. 

Ellsworth, Kans., rock salt at.......................... 390

wells near .................................... 287,296-297

Elm Springs, S. Dak., fossils from ..................... 132

rocks at......'.........'............................. 233

wells at.......................................... 115,237

Elotherium, occurrence of............................. 174

mortoni, occurrence of............................ 173

Emanuel Creek, S. Dak., well near.................. 202-203

Emerald, Nebr., rocks near ........................... 141

Emmons, S. F., on Black Hills ........................ 402

on Colorado geology......;........................ 77,97

Emporia, Kans., boring at............................. 287

Endicott, Nebr., fossils and rocks near................ 140

springsnear................................. ..... 142

Endlish, , on Colorado rocks ...................... .92

Endoceras, occurrence of.............................. 27

Enemy Creek, S. Dak., rocks on and near... 113,129,133,218 

'Englewood limestone, character of .................... 25,27

deposition of....................................... 181

fossils of ........................................... 27

occurrence of.................................. 27,157-158

relations of, diagram showing..................'... 158

Eocene deposits, absence of............................ 43

deposition of ..... ................................ 185

Equus beds, occurrence of............................. 150.

Ericson, Nebr., well at.................................. 279

Erosion on Great Plains, effects of..................... 22,99

effects of, view of.................................. 54

Esmond, S. Dak,, wells near, fossils from ............. 128

Estheria, occurrence of................................ 35

Ethan, S. Dak., rocks at and near................... 124,130

well at and near................................. 115,124

Eumetria verneuiliana?, occurrence of................ 64

Euom phalus, occurrence of............................ 64,77

Eureka, Kans., salt well at........................... 287,390

Evans, Colo., well at .................................. 361

Evans quarry, view in................................. 58

Evaporation on Great Plains........................ 407-408

Evarts, S. Dak., altitude at............................ 267

Exeter sandstone, beds of, view of..................... 98

character of.................................. 95,105,163

occurrence and correlation of..................... 163

JET1 .

Fairburn, S. Dak., fuller's earth from................. 398

rocks at and near..................... 26,31,38,43-44,217

view near.......................................... 68

Fairbury, Nebr., boring near........:................. 284

rocks near......................................... 140

Fairfax, S. Dak,, well at............................... 230

Fall River, Nebr., boring at........................... 2S7

canyon of, view in................................. 58

rocks on........................................... 34-36

Falls City, Nebr., boring at.:.......................... 284

Fanny Peak, S. Dak., rocks near...................... 32

Farwell, S. Dak., well at, fossils from................. 132

Fasciolaria, occurrence of............................. 132

cheyennensis, occurrence of ...................... 110

Faulkton, S. Dak., well at............................. 228

Faulkton Hills, rocks of............................... 137

Fault at Casper Mountain, occurrence of ....... 53-55,57-60

near Colorado City, occurrence of................. 99

near Colorado Springs, occurrence of.............. 104

Feistner well, character of............................ 130

record of........................................... 241

Felix, Wyo., well at................................... 364

Fence-post horizon, occurrence and character of...... 153
416 INDEX.

Page. 

Fenestella, occurrence of....... ; ...................... 27

Fenneman, N. M., on Boulder oil field ................ 381

Ferney, S. Dak., well at................................ 205

Fire clay, analysis of .................................. 397

occurrence of.................................... 165,397

Firesteel Creek, S. Dak., rocks on .............:..... 129,133

wells near ......................................... 218

Fisher, C. A., acknowledgments to.................... 21

on Lpup Fork concretions......................... 177

Fish remains, occurrence of..... 35,51,64,78,129,137,147,166

Flagstone horizon, occurrence and character of .... 153-154

Flandreau, S. Dak., wells at. .......................... 253

Flatliead formation, correlation of.................... 156

Fleming, Colo., well near, record of................... 343

wells at and near.................................. 342

Flora, fossiliferous, occurrence ol..................... Ill

Florence, Colo., cement from.......................... 396

fault near.......'................................... 75"

rocks at and near............................ 110-111,169

wells near ....................................... 334-335

record oi.................................^...... S3o

Florence oil field, oil of...................... 334-335,380-381

oil of, production of ............................. 380-381

rocks of.............................................. 10 )

structure of........................................ 360

Florman's camp, S. Dak., coal at.........------.-..--- 378

Flour trail, view from .................................. 170

Flow of wells. See individual wells.

Foraminifera. occurrence of........................... 147

Forest City, S. Dak., rocks near ....................... 137

wells near ......................................... 255

Formations of Great Plains.. ......................... 22

of Great Plains, derivation of...................... 22

distribution of, map showing.................. 168

Fort Collins, Colo., section near....................... 82

Fort D. A. Russell.-wells at............................. 366

Fort Hays limestone, character of..................... 168

correlation of'....................'..........-....... 107

occurrence of................................ 154-155,168

Fortieth Parallel Survey, information from, map showing area covered by ....................... 406

Fort Lupton, CoJo., wells near.......................... 360

FortLyon, Colo., well near, record of............... 325-326

FortMeade, S. Dak., well at.......................... 32,250

-well at, record of .................................. 250

Fort Raiidall, S. Dak., well at............... 115,119,280,231

well at, record of .................................. 231

Fort Union formation, occurrence of.................. 53

Fossils, occurrence of.. See -under names of fossils, formations, and places. 

Fountain formation, character of ..................... 162

equivalents of ..................................... 91,92

occurrence of............... 80-S1,91-92,94, 96,99,104,162

relations of, diagram showing..................... 158

Fourmile Canyon, rocks in............................ 105

Fox Hills formation,absorption by.................... 331

character of....... 25,41^13,46,52-53,55,60,76,109-110,169

correlation of ........................:............ 169

depth to, map showing............................ 330

fossils of, occurrence of .................... 52, BO, 109-110

occurrence of ...................................... 41,

52,60, 81,68, 74, 76,109-110,135, 137, 169,184,

213,263,271,322, 327, 330-331,338, 354,367, 383

sections of,' diagrams showing...................... 332

soda in............................................. 398

source of water in.................................. 193

Fox Ridge, S. Dak., location of........................ 213

Fowler, Colo., well at.................................... 354

Pase 

Fowler, Colo., well at, record of........................ 344

section of, diagram of.......................... 352

Fraas, E., fossil determined by......................... 159

Franceville Junction, Colo., well at................... 333

Frankfort, S. Dak., well at, record of................... 121

wells at.......................................... 262-263

Fremont, Nebr., rocks near............................ 143

Fremont Butte, Colo., rocks at ........................ 174

Fremont limestone, character of.................... 76,78-79

correlation of...................................... 157

fossils of, occurrence of....:....................... 157

occurrence of.................................... 76,78-79

French Creek, S. Dak., rocks near................ 38,175,217

Fucoids, occurrence of i............................... 103,109

Fuller, F. M., well of................................... 210

Fuller's earth, character of........................... 44,398

deposition of ........................... ........... 185

occurrence of .............................. 43,44,175,398

Fullerton, Kans., rocks at ............................. 149

Fulton, S. Dak., rocks near............................ 113

well at............................................. 115

Fusilina cylindrica, occurrence of..................... 64

Fuson Canyon, S. Dak., rocks iu....................... 36,44

Fuson formation, beds of, view of..................... 58

character of.............................. 25,36-37,62,165

fire clay from ...................................... 397

fossils of, occurrence of........................... 37,165

occurrence of........... 36, 50,67,102,165-166,210,225, 370

section of ............"......./..................... 36

Fusus sp.? occurrence of............................... 110

Gr.

Galatea, Colo., depth to water near .............. .... 338

Galatra, Kans., well near......'........................ 290

Galena, S. Dak., silver and lead near.................. 405

Galena formation, lower, fossils correlated with....... 48

Gallatin limestone, correlation of ..................... 156

Gann, S. Dak., depth to water near ................... 208

Gannett, H., information from, map showing area cov:

ered by .................................... ~406

Gann Valley, S. Dak., rocks at......................... 137

Garden, Kans., rocks at................................ 297

well near, jecord of.......................... 287,297-298

Garden City Sentinel, information from............. 297-298

Garden of Angels, Colo., gateway of, view of.......... 86

Garden of Gods, Colo., cathedral spires in, view of.... 90

columnar section at, diagram showing............ 158

gateway to, view of................................ 21

gypsum at......................................... 396

rocks near............. 77,81,89,90, 98-99,106,161-162,396

section near.......................:................ 90

Garden Park, Colo., rocks in........................... 78

view in ............................................ 98

Garretson, Minn., dikes near........................... 113

Gas, natural, character of............................ 379-338

occurrence of................................ 214,379-385

Gauger, J. E., well of................................ 347,348

Geddes, S. Dak., nonflowing area near................ 211

Genoa, Nebr., rocks near .............................. 147

Gentry well, location and character of................ 277

Geography of Great Plains.........'.................... 21-24

Geologic atlas, information from, map showing area

covered by................................. 406

Geologic history of Great Plains..................... 179-190

Geologic map of Great Plains........................ Pocket.

Geologic map, economic, of Great Plains.....'......... 372

Geology of Great Plains............................... 24-179

See also individual localities.
INDEX. 417

Page. 

Gering, Nebr., rocks near....'...'....................... 173

sections near, diagrams of......................... 176

view near.......................................... 174

volcanic ash at.................................... 400

well at................................I.........'....' 271

Gering formation, character of...................... 175-170

deposition of....................................... 185

fossils of, occurrence of............................ 170

in'Scotts Bluff, view of............................. 30

occurrence of................................ 172,175-177'

sections of, diagrams of.......:.................... 176

weathering of, view of ................"...... 174,176,178

Gettysburg, S. Dttk., well at................. 127,255-256,267

well at, record of.................................. 250

Geuda Springs, Kans., salt in.......................... 389

Gilbert, G. K., on Benton group....................... 105

on Colorado geology............................... 95,99

on Dakota~sandstone .............................. 104

on Exeter sandstone.-.............................. 163

on fire clay .......'................................; 397

on Fountain formation ............................ 162

. on Harding sandstone ...'..:....................... 78

on Morrison formation............................ 99-100

on Nussbaum formation ........................... 179

on Ogalalla formation .............................. 179

on Red Beds ................................ :..^ 91-92,95

on tepee buttes .................................... 108

. photograph ty...............I.................'... 24,108

Gill soda deposit, character and location of........... 397

Gillette, Wyo., well at, record of .j.^.................. 304

Gillette Canyon, gypsum in ........................... 30

view iu ............................................ 50

Girty. G. H., fossils determined by .................... 64

on Carboniferous of Colorado ..................... 83

Glacial epoch in South Dakota, drainage of......... 188^189

drainage of, figure showing......."................. 187

Glen Eyrie, Colo., sections at and near ................ 79,90

Glenrock, ffyo., coal at.......:....................... 00,377

.fault near.......................................... 59

fossils near......................................... 60

rocks aeai ........................................'60,'XS

Glidden well, location of............................ 114,262

record of......................................... 121-122

-rocks in.............................. 114,117-118,130,203

Gold, occurrence of.................................... 401

Golden, Colo., fire clay from ........ .......^........... 397

_, fire clay from, analysis of ......................... 397

fossils near, occurrence of......................... Ill

potteries at ...............................'......... 85

rocks near .................................... 85,103,109

Golden Spring, Nebr.; location and.character of....... 142

Goniobasis, occurrence of ............................. 128

Goodland, Kans., well near..J........................ 317

Goodwater, Kans., boring at.......................... 287

well near, record of....................:........... 299

Gordon, Nebr., well at................................. 272

well at, record of .................................. 272

Goshen Hole, rocks in................................ 61,171

Gould, C. K., on Dakota sandstone.................. 140,142

Government, wells bored by.... '. 212,281,256,257,325-326,359

wells bored by, records of................... 325-320,328

Grabau, A. W., discovery of fossils by................. 89

Granada, Colo., rocks at............................... 354

well at, record of^........................ 1........ 353

diagram showing.............................. 352

,-Grand Elver, history of................................ 188

rocks on ........................................... 175

Grand Elver, North Fork of, coal on................... 378

10001 No. 32 05 27

Page. 

Granerps shale, beds of, view of....................... 62,64

character of ....................................... 25,

37^62,67, 73,76,105-106,128-132,144-145,147,166-168 

correlation of........................:............. 167

divisions of.......................... I............. 153

fossilsof........................................... 38

occurrence of ........... i......................... 37-38,

, 51, 67, 73, 76, 104-106, 128-132, 144-147, 166-108..199.

227-228, 251, 277-278, 295, 326, 348, 357, 368, 383-384

oil in .....................................f.. 380;383-384

section of................................... 100,308,369

diagramof....f ................................. 352

variations in, diagram showing.................... 100

Granite Canyon, Wyo., rocks in ........................ 69,70

section at.......................................... 70

-Grant, G. S., well of................................... 247

Grant Can yon, coal in...'........... .Tfff.......... 1. 375-370-

Gray Creek, Colo., coal at ............................. 374

Gray limestone, occurrence of......................... 27

Great Bend, Kans., rock salt at......................'.. 390

rocks near ....................................... Ill, 132

wells at........................................... 287,291

records of...................................... 291

Great Spirit Spring, Kans., salt in..................... 389

Greelcy, Colo., coal near............................... 372

.well at........................................... 350-361

record of....................................... 361

water'of, analysis of........................... 301

Greenhorn limestone, beds of,, view of ............ 02,64,108

 characterof ............... 25,38,02,67,73,76,106,145; 147

confusion of Xiobrara limestone and............ 134, ]45

deposition of.........................;.....,....... 184

divisions of........................................ 153

fossils of ...."....................................... 37,88

view of ........................................ 40

occurrence of ................ 38,51,67,73,76,106,128-132,

145-147,166-108,212,277-278, 348,354,357, 3S4 

section of, diagram of ............................. 352

variations in, diagram showing................... 166

Greenhorn Mountains, location of..................... 335

rocks of.......................................... 100,335

Greensburg, Kans., well near......... ft ............... 306

Greenwood, S. Dak., rocks near ...................... 137

well at, record of................................ 212-213

Grindstone Biittes, S. Dak., rocks near................ 263

Groten, S. Dak., rocks at.......................°....... 137

wells at.......................................... 118,205

Gryphsea calceola, var, .nebrascensis, occurrence

of................................................ 50

cormgata Say. occurrence of...................... 102

Guernsey, Wyo., copper near........................... 400

geologic section near.............................. 63

rocks near.........................:............... 65-67

Guernsey formation, character of................. 03-04,158

copperin........................................... 4C6

correlation of...................................... 30

deposition of....................................... 181

geologic section of.................................. 03

occurrence of.................................. 03,64,158

Guthrie, Wyo., rocks near............................. 59

Gypsiferous horizon, location of........... -............ 152

Gypsum, analysis of.................................... 394

' beds of, section of.................................. . 393

viewof......................................... 54

deposition of..................................... 181-182

occurrence of ............................... 30,32,49-50,

5S;90,94,96,99,100,163, 300,392-396 

production of........J............................. 396
418 INDEX.

Page. 

Gypsum, Kans.,gypsum near...........-. : ............ 395

Gypsum earth, occurrence and character of. A ........ 395

. H.-

 .Hackberry Creek, Kans., rocks on..................... 155

- Hague, Arnold, on Sybylee Creek rocks............... 68

sections by......................................... 69,70

,. Haines_Branch, Nebr., rocks on . ....................... 141

,Hall, C. M., acknowledgements to..............'........ . 21

map by............................................ 235

Halymenltes major, occurrence of .................... 109

 Halysites catenulata, occurrence of................... 48,78

Haminea occidentalis, occurrence of.................. 60

Hammer well, S. Dak., location of and rocks in..... 127,134

Harding sandstona^tesils and correlation of.......... 157

occurrence and character of....................... 76,78

Harper, Kans., boring at............................... 287

Harrison, Nebr., rocks near............................ 177

wellat............................................. 271

Harrison beds, occurrence, character and fossils of . 177-178 

.. Harrold, S. Dak., well at.....................- 1..... 236-237

well at, record of .........................-----: --- 237

.Hartville, Wyo., copper near.......................... 406

iron ore near....................................... 403

v rocks near .................-.-......,.-.-- ---. 61,64,365

Hartville limestone, character of......................: 158

> correlation of ......................_.. ......... ..-..- 64

deposition of......................... 29-30,70,158,160,181

occurrence of..........................-->. 64-65,158,160

- Hartyi.lle uplift, character of....................... 61,63-65

columnar section of, diagram of...................... 158

copper on............................. j............ 405

geologic history of..............-.-...----------- 180-181

geology of....................... 1.... 1....:...,...., 61-68

location of....-..........-........--..---- ---- .. 61

-.-relations of ........................'....'............ 61-62

rocks of...................................:-....... 399

. _ straUgraphyof........................... : ....-'...... 62-63

. Hastings, Nebr., well at, record of.....J.:............. '281

Hatcher, J. B., fossils discovered by.... 41-42,99,104,106,175

on Arikaree formation.......................... 177-178

on Geratops beds .................................. 42

.. ' on Morrison formation ....I....................... . 99

Hay, Professor, on Kansas sail........................ 389

Hay Creek,"coal on .......'......................,.. 34,35,376

fossilsnear......................,..................; 35

., rocks near...............'..:...................... 37,224

wellson ..................................-...;.. 193,210

'. Hayden, F. V., fossils found by........................ 96

on Arikaree formation /.........:..........-...... . 68

on Casper Mountain...........................:... 56

on Colorado geology........................ : ...... 76,77

. on Dakota sandstone :........................... 140,143

on Greenhorn limestone............................ 147

on Niobrara chalkstonc .............-..'........... 148

work of........I..................---...------.---- 53

Hays, Kans., boring near................................ 287

.. Head or water, estimates of ..........:...^............ 191

See also names of wells and places. . - 

 .Hell creek, well's at...................................... 307

^ Hemipronites crassus, occurrence of. .'........I........ . 56

.'. Henley, S. Dak., rocks at............................ 131,134

i.-. Henneau's well, location and character of............. 134

- Hermosa, S. Dak., limestones near, view of........... 68

placer mines near ................................. 402

rocks at and near ....... 29,31,32,34,36,38,43-44,167,217

Herrick, Nebr.,well at, record of...'........'........... 278

Heterocerasnebrascensis, occurrence of................ 41

Hetland, S. Dak., well at............................... 245

well at, record oi .................................. 245 '

Highmore, S. Dak., well at........................... 239-240

record of................... ...................... 239-240

High Plains, erosion of.........--................:.... 188

rocks of.......................................... 178-179

view on............................................. 32

. Hill, Kans., tin at and near......................... 406-407

well near........................................ 287,299

Hills, R. C., on Badito formation. .......:....... 80,92,94,162

on ^akota sandstone........................... V104,105

on Laramie formation .......................:....... 169

on Morrison formation............................ 100

, on Pierre shale.................................... 109

on Sangre de Cristo Range......................... 162

History, geologic, of Great Plains..................... 179-389 

Hitchcock, S. Dak., rocks of........................... 121

wells at and near............ 114,118,128,130,201,262-263

wells near, records of............................ 121-122

Hoehne, Colo., well at....................... J.......... 340

Hogback Range, S. Dak., rocks .on and near....... S3,44,58

well near............................................ 250

Hoisington, Kans.,-well at...........'................. 290

Holbropk, Colo., well at............................... 348

Holly, Colo., well at...:................................ 353

.well at, section of, diagram of. ....................^ 352

.Hoiwell.ranch, Wyo., coal at.. ....................... -376-377

Holy Fright mine, location of......................... 405

Holyoke, Colo., well at................................ 352

Holy Terror mine, gold of............................. .^401'

Homer, Nebr., coal at.............................;.... 379

rocks near....................................... 143-144

section near....................................... 143-144

Homestake mine, production of....................... 401

Hope, Kans., gypsum at....................:.......... 395

Horace, Kans., rocks near.............!............. 154,155

-well at........................:.......... 287,301,320,321

Horizons, water, depth to. See under localities, wells, etc. 

depth to, near Denver, map showing............ 328,330

.of Great Plains..........:........................ 191-194

Horse Creek, Colo., rooks on and near................ 68-70,

' - 72,74,102,161,365 ' 

section on and near............................... 71,73

wellsiiear............................-...........'... 351

Horsehead Creek, rocks on...........'.;............... 173

Horseshoe Creek, rocks on............................. 174

Horsetail Creek beds, occurrence of................... 174

Hot Springs, S. Dak., fossils from.................. 29,35,159

gypsum near....................................... 393

plaster of Paris mill'at............................. 394

rooks near..................................... 32-36,175

views near... i -..._"......._..........._:........._. 56,58

well at............................................. 228

Howard, Kans., well at......'.................... 252,287,387

Hubbell, Nebr.,boring at........................... ..' 214

Huerfano River, Colo., rocks on....................... 104.

Huerfano, Colo., rocks near........................... . 337

Hulett, Wyo., view near.........:..,....................... 52

Humboldt, S. Dak., well near.......................... 115

Hurley, S. Dak., well at, record of..................... 266

wells at and near................................ 326,266

Huron, S. Dak., bed-rock elevation at.:.. ..'........... 117

wells at.......................................... 114, 200

 -record of...................................... 122-123

Hustedia mormoni Marcou, occurrence of ............ 93,94

Hutchison, Kans., boring at............................. 287

salt mines at....................................... " 390
INDEX. 419

. Page. 

Hyannis, Nebr., wells near ......»...........'........... 273

Hydrostatic grade, definition o£:...................... 191

diagram showing........:.......................... 191

. fall'of:..:....:.-:.....-:-.-..-.-------.".".--.--- 208

Hygiene, Colo:, well at, record'of. I:.......:.........'. 3'27-328

Hyolithes, occurrence of':.::.:::..;.....'.....:... '.....- 27

Hyracodon nebrascensis, occurrence of................ 45,173

' ' " I.

Indian Creek. S. Dak., rocks near ...................... 209

Indianola, Nebr., rocks near :.... i......:...J....... 147,285

Inez, Wyo., coal at i...:........---'.....-.....'.....'.--. 377

Information, sources of; map showing .:.........-.:... 406

'Inocerami, occurrence'of..............:::::-...-; 99,146,153

Inoceramus deformis, occurrence o£.......... 73,107,154,168

fragilis, occurrence of-.....-......-..--..-..'- ----. 60

labiatus, Greenhorn limestone characterized by ... 134 

occurrence of-.......-.....-.....:.-.:......... 37,.

-- - - 38;67,106,129,132,145,153,166-167,293

- view of .............-....-- ..... --..:..:...'--.. 40

problematicus, occurrence of..."................... 147

sagensia, occurrence of . :-.-...-. .-.-.. . - ... .......1... 41,108

-Inoceramus horizon, occurrence aiid character of .- 153-154 

Interior, S. Dak., rocks near........ A':................ 255

' Inyankara Mountain; coal at. ..-......./.-.........-... 376-377

" Ionia-, Kans.,- well near:-. _.--.-...-.-.-.'......-.-...-....-' 275,287,305'

Ionia Volcano,-location- of.. .'. -.-..--:...-...-.......'..'.. 146

rocks near ....-... .......-...........'.:-....-...'...:;.. - 146

Iowa-, northwest, rocks of-..-.-.-... .-.-.-/. ..-. . ..-.-.-.-.. .... ... 133

' Ipswich, S: Dak.j wells at..-.-.-.'........:....'.....:...'.... 223

Iron Hill mine,-character of.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-...-.-.-. ........... 405

Iron Mountain, Nebr, rocks at. .... .'..........'..-,..-.... 140

Iron Mountain, S.-Dak.- iron ore-at.................... 404

Iron "Mountain, Wyo.; iron ore near..-.-. ............... 404

. rooks at-and.near............... 49;65,67^68,70,73,365-366

section near.-.-.-..-...-..-.............................. 69,71

Iron ore, analyses of.-. ...........-..'. .- ; ................ 404,405

occurrence1 and'character of.. .................:. 403-405

-Iron Springs; Colo.; rocks at...-..-.-.".-..........j......... 344

- wells at-.-.-:-.-.-.'.-..-......."..-..-....-..-.........'... 344,350-351

Iroqnois,- S; Dak.-, bed rock elevation at.......... ^...-. 117

wells at and near................................... 242

-record of......................-..'.'............. 243

Irving, J. D,, on-Black Hills....-..".-...................... 402

J.

Jackson, Nebr., coal at...-....-......--.-...--....;--. '379

Section at .: '.;. .......:........._......'...'........... 144

Jackson, W. H:, photograph by.........J............. 26,188

Jagger, T.-A-., on -Black Hills gold......?.............:. 402

on White River beds................*.........'........ 175

Jail Rockj yiew of.'.;.............:........'.....-.... '.'.. 174

James Kiver; fossils from .......................". ...... 132

rocks on .-..-...-.........,. 111-113,128-129,133,135-137,259

wells near-.-.....-...;.....'................ 218,220,233,268

- Jamestown -Asylum,-8. Dak., well at................. 114,119

Jansen, Nebr.-, rocks near........-:..,..---....-........ 140

Jennings, Kans:, well at.....-..'........:............. 287,310

Veil at, record of!.. .....'.;...'.:,.............:... .293

water from, analysis of ..- ..:...--........ '..'. 293-294

Jerome siding,-Wyo,,'well at........................ 287,370

well at-, water of, anaysis of...'.-.................... 370

- Jetmore, Kans., boring at...... 1................'....... 288

v wells at and near, records of.'.:......... .- ;..... 303-304

Jewell, Kans., wells at and near.:.. I........1...... J 288,305

John Day formation, fossils of, occurrence of........1. 177

Page.

Johnson. C. Willard, photograph by.........I........... 32

Johnson, J. K., Well Of:.::..:::..::....::;..........-... 124

Johnson, Kans., wellat...........'............... 288,318-319

Johnson Creek, S. Dak., rocks on.................... '.. 113

Julesburg, Colo., rocks.near........'.....'.............. 173

Jumbo coal mine,-location of............ .. ............... 375

workings'of .-. .:'..... J. ............... .\..-..:.. .^..... '376

Jurassic rocks, character of.......................... 25,

 - -33-34,40,50,55,58,63,65,66.71,163-164' 

deposition of ...-... ..-.....................-.......; 1S2

fossils of,- occurrence of................ 33,50,58,65,96,99

occurrence of....... '50,58,65-66,71,83,96,120,160,163-164

water in \-.......................................... 193

Jurassic time, geologic history in.-..................: 182-183

deposition in...-...-....................:.........'.. '. 182

Kalvesta, Kans., well at............................. 288,297 . Kahona, Kans.; well at.........................;..... 288,310

well at, record of .................................... 294

Kanopolis, Kans., boring at..........................2S8,'321

saltmines at...-.-.!..-...................'.......:.. 391

well at, record of ..-..-...... ............'............ ' 297

Kansas, Barber County, gypsum in.......... 1..'....... 395

- Barber County, rocks of..................;......... . 151

Barton County, rocks of .-..........-......'.... 151,290-291

- - - wells of...........-.'...........'....... .....'287,289-291

- cement materials in .....-................:...:...... 396

Chautauqua-County,oil and gas in............a.-.. 387

- wells of......................................... 289

Cheyenne County, location of........../....-...1 ... 292

rocks of........................-...........:.. 155,292

- ; wells ot.......... .-.....:......:........'..:.:.:. 292

Clark County, location of.......................... 292

rocks of...................................... 151,292

"wells of....................................... 288,292

Cloud County, rocks and wells of.........:........ 292

Comanche County, rocks and wells of....'........'. 293

gypsum in ....................................... 395

 rocks of.................................... -..... 151

Cowlcy County, wells of.....-.....:..-........ .... 290

Dakota sandstone in, depth to, map showing.....-. 190

Decatur County, location of:...........'.........'.. 293

rocks of..............;......................; 293-294

. " wells of.......................... 287,288,293-294,318

Dickinson County, gypsum hi..-.................. 395

salt in............................................ 389

wells of....-.............................:...... 286

Edwards County, location, rocks, and wells of..'.'. 295 

Elk County, .wells of................................ 287

Ellis County, rocks of.......................:...... 295

wells Of..'......-.'....................-.-.::. 287,295-296

Ellsworth County, rocks of......".... L ............ 296-297

wells of..........................:.." 287-290,296-297

Finney County, rocks of:.:;..:... '.'.'......:......' 152,297

wells of...;-....;...-...-.................. 287-289,297 -

Ford County, rocks of........................ 151-152,298

wells of.....'....................-....'......... 287,298

formations of, relations of - - - '.............. 1...... 149-150

geological survey of, information from!.......... 321,-389

Gove County, location of:."..--..................... 298-

rocks of.....................-.:........... 155,298-29J

. .. wells pf......."..:.'...............-.....:. 287,298-299

Graham County,'rocks of.................-.'....... 299

wells of...................................... 287,299

Grant County, location, rocks, and wells of..... 299-300

Gray County.-location, rocks, and.wells of........ 300
4-20 INDEX.

Page. 

Kansas, Greeley County, location of................... 300

rocks of.................................. 155,300-301

wells of......'........................, 287,289,301,321

Greenwood County, wells of...........:.......-. 287-288

gypsum in....................................... 394-396

' Hamilton County, location of..................... 301

rocks of.................................. 152,155,301

wells of....-...........:................. 287-289,301

Harper County, salt in............................ 389-

rocks of..."........................-.......... 161,321

wells of...................................... 286-287

Harvey County, wells of........................... 288

Haskell County, location and rocks of.............. 303

wells of...................................... 289,303

Hodgeman County, rocks of...............:...'.. 303-304

wells of..................-...!....-......... 287,303-304

Jewell County, location of. ......................... 304

rocks of...............:......-..-.-..-......-. 304-305

wells of.................................. 287-288,305 ,

Kearriy County, location of........................ 305

rocks of...................................... 152, 305

wells of......................................... 305

Kingman County, rocks of..-........--.-------- 151,321

wells of....................................... 288,290

KiowaCounty, gypsum iu......................... 395

location of...............i..................... 305

rocks of.................................. 151,305-306

wells of.......................................... 306

Lane County, rocks of............................. 306

wells of....'..............-........-....-..... 289,306

limestonein........................................ -299

Lincoln County, location, rocks, and wells of..... 306

salt in.......................................... 389

Logan County, rocks of........................... 306-307

wells of..!......!......-.!.......---. 287-288,290,307

Lyon County, wells of..........---...------..----.- 287

McPherson County, rocks.of....................... 151

wells of....................................... 287-288

Marion County, wells of......_.................... 288

Marshall County, gypsum in....................... 395

wells of....-.....-..........-....---.--.;...-.- 288

Meade County, rocks of- ............................ 307

salt in.......................................... 389

wells of.......,..;........--........-.......-- 288,307

Mitchell County, location and rocks of............ 307

 salt in............r............................. 389

wells of...........-..-.........-.---.-..- 286-287,307

Morton County, location and rocks of............. 308

wells of.....-.,..-...".-----.--------- 289,308,318-319

Ness County, rocks of...........---..-----.-------- 309

wells of..........----............-.-. 287,289,309-310

Norton County, location and wells of ............. 310

rocks of....................................... 155,310

Osborne County, rocks of.......................... 310

wells of.............................. 288-289,310-311

Ottawa County, location, rocks, and wells of...... 311

Pawnee County, rocks of.......................... 311

wells of..."...............'.................... 288,311

Phillips County, location and rocks of.............. 312

wells of..-.........-.--.........-.-.- 286,288,289,312.

Pottawatomie County, salt in...................... 389

wellsof.:.....,...-....--........---.---------- 289

Pratt Counts", location and rocks of................ 312

wells of..................... .-.----..----- 289,312

Kawlins County, location and wells of..-.-.....-- 313

rocks of....--.,....-.....--.--.-.------- -.-- 155,313

Eeno County, wells of........................... 286-287

Republic County, location and rocks of........... 313

Kansas, Republic County, .salt in ...................... 389

wells of.......................................... 289,313

Rice County, location of........................... 313

rocks, of...................................... 151,314

wells of.................................. 288,289,314

Riley County, wells of-............................ 289 -

rocks of.............. 149-155,158,164,167-169; 178-179,182

diagram of..................................... 166

Rooks County, location and rocks of.............. 314

wells of...................................... 289,314

Rush County, rocks of........................... 314-315

wells of.................................. 286,288,315

Russell County, location of........................ 315

rocks of...................................... 315-316

wells of.....-..............--'........'.... 289,315-316

Saline County, gypsum in ......................... 395

salt in...........................:................ 389-391

Scott County, location and rocks of................ 316

wells of...................................... 287,316

Sedgwick County, rocks of......................... 151

wells of........................................ 290

Seward County, location and rocks of.:....... A.. 316

wells of................................... 288,316-317

Sheridan County, rocks and wells of............... 317

Sherman County, location, rocks, and wells of.... 317

Smith County, location of ......................... 317

rocks of .........................^..........'... 317-318

wells of.........................1........ 287,289,318

Stafford County, location, rocks, and wells of..... 319

salt in.......................................... 389

Stanton County, rocks of........................ 318-319

wells of................ .". ................ 288,318-319

Stcvens County, location, rocks, and wells of..... 318

Sumner County, rocks of.................... 150,151,321

wells of...... ................................. 286

Thomas County, conditions in..................... 319

Trego County, location of ......................... 319

rocks of...................................... 319,320

wells of.............:..........'...... 2§6,289,319-320

views in .............................' ............ 24,32

volcanic'ash in .................................... 400

Wabaunsee County, wells of....................... 286

Wallace County, rocks and wells of....'........... 320

Washington County, location and rocks of........ 321

wells of ...................................... 289,321

Wichita County, location, rocks, and wells of..... 321

wells iu.................................. 192-194,285-321

Kansas, central and western, borings in ............ 286-290

geology of ......................................... 149-155

oil and gas in....................................... 387

rocks of, general relations of...................: 285-286

Stratigraphy of .................................. 150-155

structure of....................................... 149-150

Kansas, eastern and south-central, wells in............ 321

Kearney, Nebr., well at................................ 273

Kelly Creek, Wyo., gold on............................ 403

Kendall, Kans., well at................................ 28S

well near, record of....... 1....................... 301-302

Keyapaha River, location of.......................... 256

wells on ........................................... 275

Keystone, S. Dak., silver near......................... 405

Keystone mine, gold of.:.............................. 401

Kimball, S. Dak., rocks of...........,..........'........ 121

well at, record of........... '. ...................... 208

wells at and near................................ 127,206

Kinderhook formation, correlation of................. 157

Kingman, Kans., boring at.......................... 288,321

sal t mine at.....--'...-.....................'...... 390-391
INDEX. 421

Page. 

King Survey, information from, map showing area

covered by................................. 406

Kiowa shales, occurrence and character of.......... 150-151

Kirwin, Kans., well at .............................. 288,312

Kit Carson, Colo., well at .......:..................... 324

Knapp well, record of................................. 235

Knight, Wilber, analysis of Nebraska iron ore by ..... 405

section by .............................^.......... 66

Knowlton, F. H., on Ceratops beds.................... 42

on Fort L'ninn flora................................. 42

Koto Hills, S. Dak., rocks of........................... 137

L.

La Bonte Creek,- Wyo., gypsum on .................... 396

rocks on ..................................... 55-56,58,174

La Crosse, Kans., boringat.......................... 211,315

La Junta, Colo., rocks at and near ...............'... 324, 346

well at, analysis of ................................ 347

section of. diagram of .............'............ 352

wells at and near......................... 95,322,343-344

records of.................................... 346-348

Lake Andes, S. Dak., well at, record of............. 131,212

well at, rocksin................................... 127

Lakota formation, beds of, view, of................. 54,56,58

character of .................... 26,34-35,55,59,62,67,165

coal in........................................ 34,378-379

correlation of...................................... 50

deposition of..................................... 183-184

fossils of.-....................-.....--------..-..-- 35

occurrence of................:............-....... 34,59,

62,67,102,165,225, 228, 250-251,367, 370,375-376,384 

\vaterin ........................................... 193

Lamar, Colo., well at, section of, diagram of........... 352

' well at, water'of, analysis of....................... 353

wells at........................................... 352-353

Lame Johnny Creek, rocks near....................... 43-44

Lance Creek, Wyo., rocks near ..j..................... 62

view at mouth of ....................... '. .......... 34

Laporte, Colo., rocks at and near.................. SI, 106,161

sections at and near............................... 82,97

La Prcle Creek, fault at................................ 57

natural bridge on, view of..................:...... 80

rocks on .......................................... 56,174

structure on ....................................... 55

Laramie formation, absorption of water by ........... 331-

beds of, view of.............7....................... 74

character of ..................... 25,41-43,46,53,55,00,76

coal in........................................... 372-374

concretions in, view of ............................ 54

conglomerate in, view of.......................... 78

deposition of....................................... .184

fossils in............:....................... 41-42,60,111

occurrence of......................... 41,53,60-61,68,76,

110-111,160,169,171-175, 209, 213, 249, 270-272, 274,

322-323, 329-338, 842-343, 351-354, 359-365, 377-378

sections of, diagram showing...................... 332

%vaterfrom ..............^....................... 193,209

Laramie Front Range, columnar section of, diagram of. 158 

geologic history of............................... 179-187

geology of ......................................... 68-74

gold in............................................. 401

gypsum at......................................... 396

iron ore in....................................... 404-405

rocks of and near.............. 56,62,166-167,186,361,365.

Sherman granite from.."........................... 398

stratigraphy of..................................... G9-74

structure of......................................... 68-69

Page. 

Laramie Peak, gold near.............................. 401'

Laramie Range, north end of, general relations of.... 53

geology of.......................................... 53-60

rocks of....................................... 59,163-164

stratigraphy of..................................... 55-60

See also Casper Mountain; Wyoming, Converse

County. ^ 

Laramie River, rocks on............................... 62

Larissa, Nebr., rocks near-............................. 173

view near.........................^................ 178

Larkspur, Colo., well at ............................... 332

Lamed, Kans., well at.............................. 288,311

well at, water of, analysis of....................... 311

Las Animas, rocks and wells at and near............ 324-326

well at, record of ............................... 324-325

section of, diagram of ......................... 352

Lava, occurrence of ..:................................ 373

La Veto- Pass, fossils from.............................. 94

rocks n ear......................................... 92

Lawrence Fork, rocks near.......................... 175,176

Layson well, character of........ 116,126-127,131.134,202-203

location of.....:.....-............................. 134

Lead, occurrence of.................................... 405

Lead, S. Dak., fossils near ............................. 175

rooks near ........................................ 45,175

Leda sp., occurrence of................................ 52

Lee. W. T., fossil's found by..................... 79,89,92,163

on Cambrian quartzite............................. 77

on Colorado geology............................ 79,89,92

on Comanche beds................................. 102

on Exeter sandstone............................... 95

on granite uplifts.................................. 75

on Morrison formation ................... 96,100-102,164

on Ogalalla formation .................;........... 179

on Ordovician rocks of Colorado.................... 79

on red beds .............;......................... 89,163

section by............................... 88,93,94,300,101

Lefthand Creek, Colo., rocks near................ r:... 83

Lcmmoii brothers, well of ...:... '.. .................... 220

Leperditia, occurrence of............................. 29,158

Lcpidosteus, occurrence of............................. 35

Lepteena, occurrence of................................ 27

Leptauchenia clay, beds of, views of.................. 172

Leptauchenia decora, occurrence of..:................ 176

Leptomerix evansi, occurrence of ..................... 173

Leptosolen sp., occurrence of.......................... 52

Lesquereux, fossils determined by................ 1.... 103

Letcher, S. Dak., rocks at and near.................. 135,258

well near ......................................... 23,259

-^ record of........................................ 261

Lewis, M. E., well oi................................... 199

Lexington, Kans., well near......................... 288,292

Liberal, Kans., well at, record of.................... 316-317

wells near...................................:.... 288,316

Lignite. See Coal.

Limestone, gold in.......'............................ 401-402

occurrence and uses of.............................. 399

Limestone, gray, occurrence of........................ 27

Limestone, purple, occurrence of...... I............... 30

Lincoln, Nebr., rocks at and near ....'............... 139-141

salt a't............................................... 392

well at, record of ........ ......................... 283

rocks in ............................ ........... 192

wells at ............................... 142,156.282-283,388

Lincoln marble, occurrence and character of .:..... 153-154

Lingula, occurrence of.................... . .....'....... 77

lingulepis pinneeformis, mention of................... 77

sp..occurrence of .................................. 77
422 INDEX.

Page. 

Liopistha ( Cymella) undata, occurrence of ........... 52, 110

Little Blue Kiver, rocks on and near ............ 140, 145, 321

section at .......................................... 141

Little Horn limestone, beds of, view of ............. 70, 72, 78

character and correlation of ....................... 46, 48

. deposition of ...................................... 181

fossils of .........................'................-- ' 48

" occurrence and name of ........................... 48

 relations of, diagram showing. .................... 158

Little Missouri River, glacial drainage of, figure showing....... ........... ..........I...... ...... 188

history of .......................................... 189

 rooks on.... ...................................... 38,175

" "wells on .................... ..... .................. 364

Little Monroe Canyon, view in. ....................... 184

Little Nohama Creek, Nebr., rocks oil. .............. 141-142

Little Oil Creek, Wyo., coal on ........................ 375

Little Powder River, Wyo., wells on...... ............. 364

Little Biver, Kans.,rook salt at........................ 390

well at.. ............................... -.. 288,314,321

Little Thompson Creek, Colo., rocks on .............. 106

section at ......................- .-..-- ---- --.-- 83,106

Littleton, Colo., wells near................ ............ 323

Location of Great Plains...... ......... ................ 21

Lddgepole Creek, Wyo., rocks near....... ........ 68,173,179

'section near ...... ....................... ........... 69

Loess, occurrence of ......................... 138-139, 150, 155

Long Island, Kans,, well near........ ............... 288,312

Longmont, Colo.. rocks at. .......:...........'.-------- 339

Longpine, S. Dak., rocks near ......................... 175

Longpine Creek, S. Dak., titanotherium remains on. . . 175 

Longpine Hills, S. Dak., coal in. ................... ..... 378

Longs Canyon, Colo., rocks in .........':.....-....-...- 102

'Loup Fork deposits, character of ....................:. 176

members of ..........................-----.-------- 170

occurrence of ..................-......--------- - 138, 176

Loup Valley, Nebr., rocks in .......:................ 147,149

' wellin. ............................................ 279

Loveland, Colo., rocks at.......:............-......-- - 339

well at ........................................... 338,-360

Lovewell, Kans,, well near......... .......-.....:.... 288,305

Low and von Schultz,. analysis by ..................... 856

Lower Brule Indian Reservation, location of ........ 247, 263

 rocks and wells of ........................ 247-248, 263-264

Lowric well, location of ..............-.:.-----.-...--- 124

Loyds, Nebr., well at .................:................ 283-

Lucas, F. A., fossils determined by ......'.-....... 45, 159,176

Lucina occid entails, occurrence of ..... 40-41, 68, 108; 132, 169 -

Lunatia occidentalis, occurrence of .:................. 60

subcrassa, occurrence of ........................... 53

Lusk, Wyo., rocks near. ............................... 62, 64 .

 silver near ......................................... 405

Lynch, Nebr., vie\v near. ...... ........................ 146

well at ............................................ 144, ] 48

well at, record of .................................. 278

rocksin.... ...............-.-........:....... 145,146

. viewof ............................-.:......... 344

Lyons, Colo., rocks at and near.......... . ... 81,83,105-106

section at ................................ : ......... 8 1 , 97

Lyons, Kans., salt mines at....-..........---...-...-.. 391

well at....................................... 288,314,321

McChesney, C. E., & Wright, 3. G., information from.. 257 

McClure well , location and character of ............. 247-248

" record of ..................................... - - - - - 248

McCook, Nebr., rocks near ............................ 148

Page. 

McCook, Nebr., well at......'.......................... ,285

McCurdy well, location and character of.. '............ 135

McDonald, Kans., well at....'.'........................ 313

McLane,. , information from....................... 328

McPherson, Kans., salt well at........................ 390

McVay, , information from......................... 348

Macfarland, J. E., acknowledgments to............... 21

work of............................................ 282

Maclureas, occurrence of.............................. 27

Mactra, occurrence of..:........'............!......... 132

alt., occurrence of................................. HO

Madison, Kans., salt well at.....:............... 288,387,390

Madison, S. Dak., elevation at. ........................ 246

well at........................................... 117,246

Madison limestone, correlation of................ 48,157-158

Magnesian limestone, occurrence of.................. 139

Manchester, S. Dak., elevations near.................. 242

Manganese, occurrence and character of............. 407

Manitou, Colo., rocks near......................... 78,80,89

Manitou embayment, rocks of......................... 78

Manitou limestone, fossils of, occurrence of........... 157

occurrence and character of .....'................. . 76,78

section of...V....................................... 79

Mankato, Kans., well near........................... 288,305

Manline station, Wyo., rocks near .................... 62,65

Manzanola, Colo., well at, record of................. 344-345

Map of central-western United States..............;:. . 22

of Great Plains, showing climate of............... -408

showing economic geology .................... -372

showing distribution of formations of......... 168

showing head of water in Dakota sandstone.. 192 

showing location of underground water.... Pocket.

showing sources of information............... 406

showing structure of Dakota sandstone ....... 190.

Map, bed-rock, of South Dakota... 1................... -112

Map, economic, of Great Plains ..................... -1. 372

Map, geologic, of Great Plains....................... Pocket.

Map, relief, of Nebraska... ........................^... 28

Map, topographic, of part of sand-hill areaof Nebraska. - 23 

Marginifera splendens?, occurrence of.................. 64

Marion, Kans;, salt well at...........................- 288,390

Marion formation, character of-.....:................. 150-

. occurrence of......'...............................150,391

Marquette, Kans., boringat............................. 288

Marsh, O. C., fossils found by.........................., 41

on CeratopsidiE ...................-...............: 42

. on Morrison shale ......i.-...;^....................... 34

Marshall, Minn., seotionnear.....'....TJ.'..".'......:... ~ 132

well near .......................................... 116

Marslanrt, Nebr., well at, record of................:. 273-274

Martin Canyon beds, occurrence and character of .... 174

Marviue, A., on Morrison formation................... 97

on Red Beds.................................... 83.85,87

Marysville, Kans., borings at and near................ 288

Mastiff mine, location of. ................................ 406

Matthews, YV. D., on White River formation .......... 174

Matthews wells, location and character of............ 135

Meade, Kans., wells at and near .................... 288,307

Mechling's ninch, Colo., rocks at...................... 102'

Medicine Butte, S. Dak., rocks at...................... 247

Medicine Creek, S. Dak., rocks on......:.............. 248

wells on ........................................... 248

Medicine Lodge, Kans,, gypsum near................ 395,396

Medicine Lodge River, rocks on..................... 152,306

Mellettc, S. Dak., wells at....'....................... 262-263

Menno, S. Dak..buried valley near........:__......... 119

well at..........:.....^...................... 115,119,238

Merycochcerus rusticus, occurrence of................. -176
 INDEX. 423

I'age. 

Mesa de Maya, rocks, on and near..................... 95,379

Mesohippus bairdi, occurrence of...................... 173

Mesozoic geology of eastern Colorado ................. 74-111

Metamynodbn beds,, occurrence of.................... 170

Michigan, University of, analysis by.................. -361

Milbank, S. Dak., fossils near................( ....... 129,131

rocks near ...............................'.......... 135'

wells hi and near:.:.;.. '.'............ 116,118,220,229-230

Milburn, Kans., wells near........ .................... 307

Milford, Xebr.,goldat................................. 403

rocks at and near...................... .'........... 145

Miller, Dr., well of, flow of ...;.... ......-..-......-.*. 280

. well of, location and character of:...........-.-... 144

Miller, S. Dak., well ax.................................. 231

well at, record of ........."......-......-.-..--...-. 232

Millsap limestone, character of..............'....... 76,80-96

fossils of, occurrence of..................-..--..--- 89

occurrence of............................ 76,"79,91,90,153

relations of, diagram showing..................... -158

Mineral Hill, gold on...... ...........'................. 402

llinne'chadnsa Creek, rocks o^........................ 149

Miunckiihtn. S. Dak., gypsum near..................... 393

rocks near.......................................... 32,45

well at................................... 192, 217,225,226

. record of....................................... 226 j

Minnekahta.Hmestone, beds of, view of............... 48,50

character of ............... 25,30-31,55,57^58,63,65.159-161

.correlation of................................ 80,90,162-163

deposition of...................-..-...:......:..... 1S2

fossils of................................... 31,81,160,162 .

occurrence of..'....... 30-31,49,57-58,65,71,90,250, 371-372

relations of, diagram showing..................... 158

, typical walla of, view of............................ 50

Minnelusa formation, beds of, view of................ 43

character of.................................... 25,28-30

coal in _......_..................................,... 29

correlation of.................. 28-30,04,65,70,80,158-159

deposition of ....................................... 181

.fossils of, occurrence of.. .......................... 29,159

occurrence Of.............. 28-28,226,228,246-247, 363,372

source of, water in............................... 192-193.

Minnesela, S. Dak., well at............................ 210

Minnesota, Lyon County, fossilsol, occurrence of .... 137

rocks of........................................... 131,136

Minnesota geological survey, on Lyon County........ 131

Minnesota Valley, fossils of............................ -136

rocks of...................................... 112,129,136

Minnewaste limestone, beds of, view of............... 58

character of............'........'................ 25,35,62

correlation of...................................... 67

Miocene deposits, absence of.......................... 43

character ot ..................................... 169-170

fossils of.......................................... 177-17H,-

occurrence of.................................. 43,169-170

Miocene time, geologic history of ................... 185-186

Mississlppian rocks, character of ................... 25,03,76

fossils of............................28,29, 64-65,83, 91,158

occurrence of....................... 76,80,89,149,157-159

Mississippi Valley, rocks in ............'.............. 192

Missouri Kiver, altitudes on............................ .255

banks of, view of............... .................... 146

history of.......................................... 188

. rocks on..............135-136,138,143-144,148,168,254, 271

section in................................... 1...... 146

wells in.................. 191-192,247-248,255,268,274-275

Mitchell, S. Dak, buried ridge at....................... 112

rocks at and near................ 112,117,120-124,133,233

wells at and near.. j.................. 113,115,218^219,239

tage. 

Modiola meeki, occurrence of.......................... . 60

sp,, occurrence of................................... 52

Monroe, Nebr., well at. ........~........................ 279

Montana,Dakotasandstonein, depthto.mapshowing. 190 . 

rocksof.'....................... 45-53,156-170,175,183-184

Moutezumn, Kans., rocks near .......................... 300

Montrose, S', Dak., rocks near............................ 113

Monument, Colo., archway near, view of .............. 183

well at ............................................. . -.333

Monument Creek, rocks near........................... 170

Monument Creek sandstone, archway in, view of..... 188

character and 'correlation of....................... 177

occurrence of.................................... 177,332

Monument Park, Colo., eroded sandstones in, view of. 188 

Moorcroft, Wyo,, oil near.............................. 387

oil field near, map of.............................. 386

wells near ......................................... 364

Moorhead, Minn., rocks at..............:..........:'.. 119

well at............................................. -116

Moraines, occurrence of....................:........ 138-139

Morcly, Colo., coal at................................... 376

Morely beds, occurrence of............................ 374

Morris well, location and character of ................ 125

Morrison, Colo., analysis of rock from................. , -86

section at.......................................... 87

views at and near.................................. 86

wells at and near....... '....................... 81,86,105

Morrison formation, beds of, view.of............ 54,76,86,88

bone-bearing sandstone in, view of................ 98

character of. .25,34,46,50,5-5,58-59, 62, 66,72, 92-101,164-166 

correlation of................................ 164-165,183

deposition of.......................................... 183

fossils of........... *............................. 34, 50,97

name of...........................................: 96

 , occurrence of.................................. 34,50,58,

61,66,72,82-83,91,95-104,164-166,225,251,324-

: 327,337,339,343-345,349-354,363,370,375-376

relations of, diagram showing..................... 158

saurian remains in .......................,..'....... . 96

section of, diagram of.........'......_.....,........ . 352

sections of......................................... 97

Mortar beds, character and name of.................... 178

occurrence of.....'...:................ 178^179,293,317,319

topography of, view of............................. 32

See also Ogalalla formation. 

Motley well, location and character of................ 114

Motz, S., information from ............................ , 295

Mouck, W. E., information from ...................... 371 

Mount Vernon, S, Dak., rocks near.................... 98

well near, record of............................... .124

wells near......................................... 218

Mount Zion ranch, Wyo,, section at................... 375

Mowrie beds character of............................ 166,167

' . fossilsof ............................................ - 60

name of............................................ 52

occurrence of........................... 52,59,.73,166-167

Moxley, well, rocks in............................... 17,1118

Muddy Creek, Wyo.,rocks on and near.. 57,60,65,81,102,163 

section on.......................................... 66

valley of,, view of.................................. 82 : Murchisonia copei White, occurrence of.............. 92

Myarina arkansasana, occurrence of....... v ......... 89

perattenuata, occurrence of ....................... 56

Mytilus subarcuatns, occurrence of.................... 110

Natica, occurrence of. - -. - 

Naticopsis, occurrence of.

84

84
424 INDEX.

Page. 

Naticppsis altonensis McCh., occurrence of ........... 92

altonensis var. gigantea M. & \V., occurrence of .. 92 

Natural gas. See Gas, natural. 

Nautilus dekayi, .occurrence of........................ 41

Nebraska, altitudes in................................. 22

Adams County, rocks in........................... 281

Banner County, rocks and wells of................ 271

volcanic ash in ................................ 400

Boyd County, rocksin........................... 144,148

wellsln....I............................"....... 274

Brown County, rocks in........................... 148

Burt County, fossils from.......................... 140.

Cass County, rocks of.............................. 282

Cedar County, rocks'of............:............. 144-148

wells in.................................. 274,276,277

cement materials in............................... 396

Cheyenne County, rocks of........................ 271

volcanic ash in................................ 400

coal in, character of............................... 379

Dakota County, coal in............................ 379

rocks of...................................... 145,147

Dakota sandstone in, depths to, map showing....: 190

Dawes County, rocks of............................ 271

Deuel County, rocks of ...............:............ 271

viewof ......................................... 186

sandhill, region of. map of part of. i........... 23

Dixon County; coal in............................. 379

rocks of...............J ....................... 145-147

wellsln...........'..........................-... 277

fuller's earth from................................. 398

Gage County, rocks of...................... .~S... 139,282

gold in........................... ..^............... 403

Holt County, rocks in........................ 144,147-149

Jefferson County, fossils from...................... .140

rocks of...........'..........'...".....:.... 145,147,282

Johnson County, coal in........................... 377

Kimball County, rocks of.......................... 271

KnoX County, rocks in.........'............. 144,147-149

wells in..............................:........ 274-278

Lancaster County; rocks of.................. 138,142,282

map of, showing depth to Dakota sandstone.. 282 

Lincoln County, rocks of .......................... 141

limestone in................................... 399

Madison County, wells of........................... 279

Nuckolls County, rocks of......................... 285

oil and gas in, search for........................... 388

Pawnee County, borings in........................ 284

relief map of........................................ 28

Richardson County, borings in.................... 284

Rock County, rocks in.............................. 148

wells in........................................ 275

rocks of.......................... 138-149,156,164,169-178

Saline County, rocks in............................ 145

salt in.............................................. 392

sand hills of, map of part of....................... 23

Saunders County, rocks of......................... 282

Scotts Bluff County, concretions in, view of....... 182

rocks of.......................................i 271

volcanic ash in.....-....-..-....--.......-.--. 400

Seward County, rocks of........................... 141

Sioux County, rocks of ............................ 175

views in ..................................... 176,184

Thayer County, borings in......................... 264

rocks in..................................... 145,147

volcanic ash in .................................... 400

Webster County, rocks of.......................... 285

wells in.;................................ 192,194,270-285

Nebraska, central, wells and well prospects in...... 272-274

Nebraska, eastern, formations of, relations of....... 138-149

formations of, stratigraphy of................... 139-149

geology of.......................:................ 138-149

Nebraska, northeastern, wells and well prospects in. 274-280 . Nebraska, southeastern, wells and well prospects in. 280-284 

Nebraska, southern, wells and well prospects in.... 284-285

Nebraska, western, rocks of......................... 270-272

sand hills of, view of.............................. 30

wells and well prospects in...................... 270-273

Nebraska beds, occurrence and character of ........ 177-178

fossils of, occurrence of............................ 178'

Nebraska City, wells at...........'..................... 283

Nemo, S. Dak., copper near ........................ ... 405

Nepesta, Cola, tepee buttes near, view of............. 108

Ness, Kans., wells near, records of.....-.......:..... 288-309

Nettleton, E. S.,on South Dakota artesian wells.... 114-116,

117,119,249 

Newcastle, Wyo., bentonite near...................... 400

coal near........................................ 374-375

gypsum near ...................................... 394

oil at and near .................................. 383-387

rocks at and near.................. 37,39,145,167,367,384

section near ..........;............................ 39

tepee buttes near .................................. 41

view near................................. 48,50,54, CO, 64

wells at............................................ 372

wells near, record of...".......................... 367-369

Newcastle oil field, structure of, map showing........ 385

Newell, F. H., letterof transmittal by................. 19

Newton, Henry, mention of........................... 159

on South Dakota iron ore.......................... 404

on White Kiver group .....':............._........; 175

Newton, Kans., salt well near.:..................... 288,390

Nickerson, Kans., rock salt at......................... 390

Nicholson, C. L., information from.................... 256

Nigger Hill, S. Dak., gold on .......................... 402

tin at .... '........................................ 406-407

Niobrara, Nebr., well at........................:...... 144

well at, record of .................................. 277

rocks in. ....:.......... ........................ 145,146

Niobrara Kiver, rocks on ........................ 133,147,148

wells on ................................. 274, 275, 278,,362

Niobrara limestone, analyses of...................... 399-400

beds of, view of.....................:.............. 146

Character of........................ 25, 40,46,52,55, 60,62,

. 67, 73-74, 76,107,132-135,147-148,150,154,168, 200 

confusion of Greenhorn limestone and.......... 134,145

deposition of.............A........................ 184

fossils of .................................... 40,52,80,107

view of ........................................ 40

limestone of....................................... 399

occurrence of ....................'.'....... 40,51-52,60-61,

67, 73, 76,107,111-112,128,130-137,145-150,154, 

168, 199, 200-201,204-208, 211, 213,217, 221, 224, 

227,231, 235, 237, 239-244, 247,251-253,306-310, 

311-321, 324-329, 335-348, 352, 354, 357,384,396 

section of, diagram of ............................. 352

variations in, diagram showing ................... 166

Norfolk, Nebr., well at ................................ 275

well at, record of...'..'............................. 279

North Crow Creek, Wyo., section near................ 69

Xorth Platte River, fossils near........................ 173

fuller's earth from................................. 398

geologic section on ................................ 63

rocks at and near.................................. 55,

58, 60-61, 65-66,175,177,178,270,366, 398, 400-401 

views on................................'.......... 34,136

volcanic ash on...............'.........'.......... 400-401
INDEX. 425

Page. 

North Pueblo Heights, Colo., wells on................. 357

Northville, S. Dak., wells at........................... 263

Northwestern well, oil from........................... 387

Norton, Kans., rocks near...............:..'........... . 154

Nucula cancellata, occurrence of.................... 110,132

ventricosa H., occurrence of....-....'....---..-.--- 92

Nuculana bellistriata Stev., occurrence of......:.....*. 92

Nnssbaum formation, occurrence of................... 179

O.

Oak Creek, well &t....................^.............. 256-257

well at, record of.................................. 257

Oakley, Kans., 'veil at................................ 288,307

Oberlih, Kans., well at..................I........... 288,294

Obolus. occurrence of................................... 27,77

Oelrichs, ff. Dak., rocks near......................... 44,224

tepee buttes near .................................. 41

Ogalalla formation, character of ................ 150,178-179

conglomerate in, view of........................ 182,186

deposition of........?.............................. 186

occurrence of................ 152,174,177-179,188,342,351

plains of, view of .................... .............. .24

source of. water in ............................"~..... 194

O'Harra, C. C., acknowledgements to .....:^.......... . 21

fossils found by........................^... ........ 35

on Black Hills copper............................ 405-406

on Black Hills manganese...................------ 407

on South Dakota iron ore.....................-...: 404

on White River formation......................... 175

Oil, character of .................. ....^.............. 379-388

development of.................................... 380

occurrence of........ 106,328,334-335;364,367-368,379-388

production of.................................... 380-382

Oil Creek, Wyo., coal on.................:....-.....--- 375

rocks on........................................... 78,99

Oklahoma, gypsum in................................. 395

Oldwoman Creek, rocks oh and near.... ... 44,62,66-68,362

tepee buttes near .................................. 41

Olenoides, occurrence of............................... 27

01 enus, occurrence of.................................. 77

Oligocene rocks, character of............"............ 169-170

deposition of..................................... 185-189

fossils of, occurrence of.......................... 137,174

occurrence of................................. 43,169-170

Oligocene time, geologic history in.................. 185-189

Olmitz, Kans., well at................................. . 290

Omaha, Nebr.,oil near................................ 388

wells near.......................................... 280

Omaha, Nebr., vicinity of, contour map of............ 280

O'Neill, Nebr., well at............................... 274-275

Onida, S. Dak., well near, record of................... 265

Opeche formation, character of........................ 25,

30-31,55,57-58,63,65,159-160 

correlation of...................................... 86,90

fossilsof, occurrence of............................ 160

occurrence of................. 30,57-58,65,78,159-160,372

slope of, view of........................v ............ 50

relations of, diagram showing..................... 158

Orbiculoidea convexa Shum., occurrence of......----. 92

missouricusis Shum., occurrence of............... 92

sp., occurrence of.................................. . 94

Ordovician rocks, character of......................... 25,

27,46,47-48,76,78-79,156-157 

deposition of....................................... 180

fossils in, occurrence of........... 27-48,77-78,89,103,157

occurrence of............. 27,76,78-79,156-157, 332,334,399

relations of, diagram showing..................... 158

Page. 

Ordovician rocks, water horizons in ................... 192

Ordovician time, submergence during. ............... 180

Ordway, Colo., well at. ................ ........ ......... 343

wells at and near, records of..---. .......... 348-349,351

Oreodon clay, badlands of, views of .................. 170, 172

fossilsof, occurrence of............................ 173

occurrence of .................... . ................ 170, 175

See also Brule clay. , 

Oreodon culbertsonii, occurrence of .................. 45, 173

gracilis, occurrence of ............................. 173

Orient, S. Dak., well near .......... ...."............... 228

well near, record of ............... J ................ 229

Orin Junction, Wyo., rocks near...........'......-....! 67,174

wells near ......:..................... ; ............ 363

Orthis cf. dismopleur'a. . ............................... 77

Orthoceras sp., occurrence of .......................... 92, 94

Orthothetes, occurrence of ............................ 27

inequalis, occurrence of -V. ........................ 89

Osage, S. Dak., bentonite near......................... - 400

Osborne, Kans., wells at and near............... 288,289,310

Ostrea. occurrence of .......... * ...................... 96, 146

congesta, Mobrara formation characterized by. ... 134

occurrence of ......... 40, 52, 60, 67, 74, 107, 147, 154, 168

view of ......I................ .7. ............... 40

glabra, occurrence of ............................. 52, 111

Ostrea shales, occurrence and character of ............ 153

Otis, Colo., well at................................... 358-359

well at, record of ........................ ......... 360

Otis, Kans., wells at ................................... 315

Otis, S. Dak., view near ............................... 40

Owl Canyon, Coin., location of ........................ 81-82

rocks of ........ -jj. ................................. 81-82

section at .......................................... 82

Owl Mountains, relations of Bighorn uplift and ..'..._ 46 

Owl River, S. Dak., rocks near ...............:.. 175, 209, 214

wells on. ........................................... 195

Pactola, S. Dak., copper near.......................... 405

Pahasapa limestone', character of ..............'.... 25, 27-28

correlation of ..................................... 48

deposition of ....................................... 181

fossils of, occurrence of..... ........................ 28

occurrence of ..................................... 27-28,

157-158,217,247,251,367,372,405 

relations of, diagram showing. . ................... ' 158

water in ...:..................................... 192-193

Palacky, Kans., well at, record of. .................... 296

wells near ..:.~...... .............................. 289

Palssolagus haydeni, occurrence of .................... 173

Paleozoic geology of Colorado. ........................ 74-111

Parker, S. Dak., rocks near. ........................... 113

wells at and near. ............................... 115, 119

Parkman, Wyo., rocks near. ..................-...._.... 51

Parkston, S. Dak., rocks at ............................ 125

well at .................. 1 .................... 115, 119, 238

record of ....................................... 239

Parodoxides. occurrence of............. ............... 77

Pass Creek, S. Dak., well on........................... 227

Pawnee Buttes, Colo. , rocks near ...................... 174

view of ............................................. 186

Pawnee Valley, Kans., rocks of ...................... 303, 309

Peale, A..C., on Dakota sandstone. . ................. 103-104

oh Morrison formation ............................ 98

on Ordovician of Colorado. ........................ 79

on red beds ........................................ 87

sectionsby. ............................. 76,79,81,103-104
426- INDEX.

' ' Page. 

Pearl Township, S. Dak., wells In, records of-..j.-.. 265,266 

Pedro, S. Dak., bentonlte near ........................ 400

rocks near .........:..............-........:...:--. 37

section near .....:................................. 40

Pelecypods, occurrence of ...^......................... 84

Pennsylvanian rocks, character of ......... 25,63,76,158-163

.fossils of, occurrence of................... 81,158-159,163

'occurrence of. 63, 70, 76,80-82,139,143,149,158-163,279,390 

Pentacrinites astericus, occurrence of.................. 33,96

Peoria siding, Colo., well near, record of.............. 323

Permian rocks, character of..... 25,46,49-50,55,57-58,76,150

 deposition of....................................... 182

fossils of, occurrence of....................... 49,158,160

occurrence, of.......'......................'......... 29-30,

' 49,62,76,79,81,111,132,135-137,139,150,

201,291-292,296-297,313-314,316,321, 391

Permian time, geologic history in................... 394-395

Perry, S. Dak., copper near.........._...............'.. 406

Perry Park, Colo., fossils from.'......:................. 89

gateway of, view of................................ 88

gypsum at.;....-.....--.......--........ ^........... 396

rocks at....::.... ....:......-.......'.'.......... 81,98,161

section at .:...-......:........'......^............... 88

Peru, Kans., oil and gas near.......:.......:.......... 387

borings at....-:..--.-...I.......:.....-.....-....... 289

Petroleum. See Oil.- - . . 

Phillipsburg; Kans., well near.............1......... 289,312

Phillipsia sp .................................^..'. ...... 93

Picton, Colo., coal near......................V. .... -- <374

Piedmont, S. Dak., fossils near......'................'.. - 35

Pierpont. S. Dak., wells near ....:...........'....-.... 220-221

Pierre, S. Dak.,gas at........................-....'....... 388

rocksat.....................:; .; .................... , 264

view near^......................................... 24

wells at and near......-.........'....-. 114,120,214,236,246

records of-'-.n...;. ....:.:.........:.....: 127-128,236"

Pierre Creek, S. Dak., rocks on........................ 113

Pierre shale, beds of, view of...........:............- 82,146

. character oi........................................ 25,

40-41,46,52,55, 60,62, 67-68, 74,76,107-

109, 135-137, 148, 150,455,168-169, 388

concretions in ..........:.......................... 40-41

fossils of, occurrence of. -... 40,52,108,136-137,155,168-169 

occurrence of............................... 40,52,60-61,

67-68,74,76,107-109,133-134,137,148,150,155,168-

169,175,200.204-207, 209, 212-213,216-219, 222-224,

" . ; 230,231,235,239-241,247-248,251-258,261-264,266-

267,271-274,278-279,285, 292-295;301, 306; 313,317,

320-321,327-329,333-344,349,352,354,357-360,380

plain of,-view of ..-..-.......'. ..........'.............. 24

sections of, diagram showing.... ; ............... 332, 352

tepee buttes of, view* of............................ 108

Pine Ridge, character of ...:.............V............ 22

escarpment of, view of-......... .... ............... 26

location of..... : .--....----....--.-.............--... 22

origin of........................................... 188

' -rocks on and near.... 43-44,61,62,67,170-171,174,177,362

section from Black Hills to, diagram of............ 224

Pine Ridge Agency,- S. Dak.,- altitude of............... 255

rocks at............................................ 255

volcanic ash near.................................. 401

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, location of and depths.

towaterin ..-.-.-..................;........-. 254

'''" rocks of, wells of............;................:... 254-255

Pipestone, S.-Dak., rocks-near........................ 112-113

Pipestone, occurrence of . ..-.. .-.-. . .... .-. ................. -113 -

Placenticeras -placenta, occurrence of................. 41

Placer gold,-occurrence of--.. ....--...........--.---....' . 402

Plains. See Great Plains.

Plankington, S. Dak., rocks near....................... 133

well at....................................... 114,124,196

' record of...............:.............--.....--. 199

Platte River, bluffs of, view of..-..............:....--- 140

canyon of, rocks^of...............................: 105

rocks on ..............._ ................I.. 139,143,172

wells on an d near ............... 274,322,332,342,359,360

Plattsmouth, Nebr., rocks near......................... 143

Pleasantdale, Nebr., rocks near I...................... 141

Pleasant Park. See Perry Park.

Pleistocene deposits, character of..................... 138

occurrence of.....r............... 138,150,230,241,272,274

Pleistocene time, geologic history in................ 186-189

Pleurotomaria perizomata White, occurrence of ... .^r , 92

sp., occurrence of.................................. 92

Pliocene rocks, character of................. '.... 150,169-170

fossils of, occurrence of ..I......................:.. 178

occurrence of........................ 150,169-170,284-285

Pliocene time, geologic history in..................... 186

deposition in ...................................... 186

Plum Canyon, Colo., rocksin.. ..:....:.^.............. 101

section in...................................... 94-95,100

Plum Creek, Wyo., coal on ............................ 375

Plumer well, location and character of ............... 273

Plum Valley. Colo., wells in.."... '. .'...':.....!'........ 332,353

Pcebrotherium wilsoni, occurrence of................. 45,173

Poisoned Ox mine, location of...... ......... .. ...-...'.' .- "'405

Ponca, Nebr., coal at................-'..':.......-......'... 379

rocks at and near............................ 120,143-145

well at.. ..................^...................... 116,279

Ponca Valley, Nebr., location of ........ . ::...-....... 256

. wellsin.............................. 148,230,274,275,278

.Portis, Kans., borings at and near..................... 289

Potsdam formation, occurrence of .................... 139

Powder River, Wyo'., oil on............................ 383

rockson .............................;.............. 364

Powell Creek, Nebr., rocks near....................... 145

Powers, \V. G., analysis-by ............................ 347

Prairiedog Creek, Kans., rocks near................. 154-155

Prairie Home, Nebr., rocks near....................... 141

Pratt, Kans., well at............................. 289,312,390

Precipitation in Great Plains.......................... 407

in Great Plains, map showing..................... 408

Pressures in wells. See names and localities of wells.

Price's spring, Nebr., location and character of....... 142

Prima lakesi (?), occurrence of.......................... 52

Pringle, S. Dak., deposits near. ........................ 43

Prionocyclas wyomingensis, occurrence of..........'.. 39, -

52;106,146,167,168 

Prionotropis prionocyclas, occurrence of..... 73,132,167,168

woolgari, occurrence of... 52,107.129,131,135,153.166,293 

Productus aequicostatus, occurrence of................ 64-

cf. inflatus, occurrence of.......................... 64

cora D' Orb, occurrence of..................."....... 70,92

costatus Sow., occurreuceof....................... 92,94

gallatiensis, occurrence of......................... 64

Isevicosta, occurrence of............................ 64

longispinus Sow., occurrence of.................... 92

. nebrasccnsis Owen, occurrence of...--....,-...."... 94

nodosus, occurrence of............................. 56

prattenianus,occurrence of.......................... 64

punctatu?, occurrence of .......................... 64

semirecticulatus, occurrence of.......... 28,29,64,70,159

Prospects for finding water. See specific localities^ 

Proteoidescf. acuta, H.-.................. .^..".'............- 103

Protoceras sandstone, beds of; view of ................ 172

occurrence of..-...........:.;:;.-.: '. ..:............. 170
INDEX. 427;

Page. 

Pseudobuccinum nebrascense, occurrence of.......... 110

Pteranodon beds, occurrence and character of........ 154

Ptychoparia, occurrence of.........:.............:.... 27,77

oweni, occurrence of J.............................. 47

Pueblo, Colo., limestone near, analysis of............. 400

. rocks at and near................ 106,108,158,162,854-358

wells at and near...............:.......:........ 354-356

 records of....................-.............:. 355-358

section of, diagram showing.................... 352,

Pueblo Smelting Company., analysis by ............... .400

Pngnax sp., occurrence of............................. 64

Pukwana, S..Dak., well at, record of.................. 207

Pulpi t Rock, view of .................................. 140

Pumpkinseed Creek, Nebr., rocks near........... .... 175

Purgatory River, Colo., canyon of, gypsum in ........ 396

coal on ...................................... '...... 374

fossils from ........................... i............ r 159

rocks on.................... 81,94,102,105,163,339,342-345'

section near ........................................ 93-95

Purple limestone, name of... i....................'.....^- 30

. See Minnekahta limestone. 

Pyrula bairdi, occurrence of .......................... 110

Q- ,

Quaternary deposits, character of ..................... 150

occurrence of.......... '.................. 149,150,284-285.

 source of water in ........'......................... 194

Queen City wells, oil from................;...-....-... 387.

Race course, the; name of............................. 31

See Red Valley. . . Raesley's well, data concerning....................... 196

record of....................... .................. 198-199

Rago, Kans., rock salt at.............................. 39i

Ralston, Colo., coal near................................ 373

rocks near...........:............-................. 373

Ralston Creek, Colo., rocks at........................ 84,105

Randolph, Kans., boring at..... ...................... 289

Ransom, Kans., well at............:. ...-.:...-....: 289,309

Rapid, S. Dak..fireclay from......:................... 397

-gypsum near..............--....-............-.....: 394.

'rocks near ........:............ :.... .-..........: -33,36-37

wells.at....:..-:.:....;.. '....-.^..................... 254

Rapid Creek, S. Dak., copper on.............. 1....... 401^06

iron ore on....................................... 404

rocks on ..................................:.:..... 26,43,253

Raton, N. Mex., coal at............................... 372-374

Rattlesnake ridges, connection of Laramie Range and. 53 

Rattlesnake Mountains, relations of Bighorn uplift

and..............;.........................- 46

Ravanna, Kans., boring near.......:...:..............- 289

Rawhide Butte, Wyo., rocks of and near...... 61,62,186,365

Raymond, S. Dak., well at, record-of..............;... 122

well near ..........................^.. 1.......... 214-215

Records of wells. See names and localities of wells. . ' 

Red Beds, beds of, views of......:......-.............50,76,82

caaracterof............................:.......... 158-163

correlation of............................-....../.. 95,159

deposition of..................................... 181-182

fossils of, occurrence of....-: ...................... 158-159

gypsum in......................-^..........^:..... 286

members of.......... ........... . ..^.............. 159-160

occurrence of............."......:................... 61,

68-69,91, 95,100,102,105,151,138-163, 286,292, 

295, 297-298, 300-310, 315-319, 321, 324, 326, 

336-339, 341-347, 354, 363, 365, 384, 392, 396

Page 

Red Beds, salt in ....................................... 286

sectionsof............................. 82-84,90-91,94-95

diagrams of..................:....._.......... 158,352

.water m ........:..'...................'...... j...... 300

Red .Canyon Creek, S. Dak., manganese on............ 407

Redington, Nebr., view near ....'.-...................... 182

Redfleld, S. Dak., well at........ ..'...'.........'.....:.... 262

Red Rocks, .Colo., fossu\from........................... 159

rocks at.................:.........'................... 94

Red Rocks Canyon, Colo., section in .................. 101

Red Valley, S. Dak;, character of...................... 31-32

deposits in..............'........................... 43,44

location and origin of ............................. 31

rocks in........................... 33,192,251, 363,392^394

view in .................................!.......... 86

wells in......... ; ..............~............... 246,252,372

Red Water Valley, Wyo., water prospects at...:...... 363

Ree Heights, S.Dak., altitude of-......:............... 231

rocks of and near...............................'... 137

Republican River, rocks on.................. 148,155,284-285

Resley well, location and record of.................... 125

Reticularia peculiaris, occurrence of..'................ 27

perplexa McCh ..............__.*.:.;........./..... 92,94

Rhiiiosceros, occurrence of............................. 176

Richardson, G. B., acknowledgments to .............. .21

Richfield, Kans., wells at and near ......... 289,308,318,319

Richmond formation, fossils of, occurrence of ........ 157..

Ricketts, L. D., analysis by............................ 398

Ridge, buried, effect of.......................... 112,218^233 -

history of...........'..................................- 129.

location of................................... 112-120,246

Rig, deep-well, view of................................. 256

Rio Tinto mine, location of............................. 405

Riverside, Kans., well near............................. 309

Roberts, Kans., well near .............................. 290

Robinsons spring, Nebr., location and character of... 142 

Roca, Nebr., rocks at.................................. 140

Rock Creek, S. Dak.', rocks on....................:.. 113,141

view on............................................ 78

wells on ...............:............................ 233

Rockerville, S. Dak., placer mining near.............. . 402

Rockport, S. Dak., rocksat............................. , 113

Rocky Ford, Colo., well at, section of, diagram of..... 352

well, at, view of.................................... 344

wells at, records of.....................:............ 345

wells at and near.......................:........ 343,346

.Rocky Mountain Front Range, columnar section of... 42 

_ ' geologic history of..l......................... 179-181,185

..gypsum at ......................................... 396

relations of Hartville uplift and................... 61

rocks of and near.................... 160,169,181,193,332

viewiu :........................................... 88

Rokeby, Nebr., rocks near......................;...... 141

Rosebud Agency, rocks near .......................... 25ti

well at, record of ................................ 256-257

Rosebud Indian Reservation, deep-well rig at, view of. 256 

location of.................................... ; ..... 256

rocks of...............'.................... .174-175,256,.258

wells of..'...;................................ 128,256-258

Rose Creek, Nebr., rocks near........................... 145

Rotella verrucelifera White, occurrence of............. , 92

Round Top, Nebr., sections at and near............. 171,172

Rouse, Colo., coal near ...................?............ 374

Rouse Junction, Colo., well at, record of .............. 336

well near .......................................... 34u.

Rozet, Wyo., well at..................................... 364-

Rudy Canyon, gold in ................................. 402 -

Rulo, Nebr., boring at................................. 284
428 INDEX.

. Page. . . Page.

Russell, Kans., wells at, record of..................... 315 Scotts Bluff, Nebr., rocks of...................... 171,172,173

wells at and near................................ 289,315 section of ........................................... 171

Russell, B. P.. information from..................... 142,283 view of ....\....................................... 36,174

Russell, F. W., information from...................... 284 Scranton, Colo., coal at.............................. 372,373

Russell, I. C., photo by ...................-....--.--.-- 98 coal at, character of ............................... 373

Ryan, J. W., well of................................... 196 Sections, geologic, across centra] Great Plains, diawell of.location of ................................. 135 grams of....;.......................... 38,40,190

record of..................................... 198,261 See also formation names, place names, and individual ^vells. 

S- Sedalia, Colo., well at............:.................... 332

St. Helena, Nebr., rocks at and near................. 146-147 Sedan, Kans., boring at............................... 289

well at, record of.................................. 277 .! oil near............................................. 387

St. James, Nebr., rocksnear....... .................. 146-147 , Sedimentation in Great Plains........................ 22,179

view near................................... ....... 148 Selby, S.Dnk., w&ll nt................................. 287

St. Marys, Kans., well at............................. 289,389 Seminula argentea Shcp, occurrence of ............... 92,94

St. Onge. S. Dak., depth to water near................. 246 subquadrata, occurrence of........................ 64,89

St. Peter sandstone, occurrence of................... 139,'156 subtilita, occurrence of..................... 28,64,70, !59

water from.'...................................... 192-193 Serpula, occurrence of................................. 146

Salem, S. Dak., wells at and near.................... .115,249 Seward, Nebr., well at, record of.................... 281-282

Saiine River, Kans., well on ..... ....'.....:...!...... 315 Sharon Springs, Kans., rocks near..................... 320

Salt, deposition of....................................... 182 Shawnee Creek, coal on ..........S.................... 377

geologic position at................................ . 391 Shelby, S. Dak., well at................................ 223

occurrence of........................ 297,312,321,389-392 Sheps Canyon, S. Dak., rocks in....................... 32,33

production of................-.......-.....-..------ 391 view in............................................. 56

Salt Creek, Nebr., rocks near....:.............-....... 141 Sheridan, Wyo., coal at................................ 377

salt springs on ..................................... 392 conglomerate near................... v ............. 53

'Salt Creek', Wyo., cliffs on, view of..................... 60 views near........................... .............. 74,76

coal on..........-......'--.....-.....--.....-----..- 375 well at........................................... 366-367

oil on........................................ 380,382,383 Sheridan Lake, Colo., well at.......................... 338

well at. record of................................... 383 Sherman granite, occurrence and character of........ 398

Salt Creek siding, Colo., well at, record of.......... 340,341 Shields, Kans., well near............................ 289,306

well at, analysis of.....'............................ 341 Siebenthal, C. E.,work of.............................. 389

Salt marshes and springs^ occurrence of............... 389 ) Signal Peak, Wyoming, section near.................. 70

Sand hills, occurrence of............................... 155 Silurian rocks, absence of............................. 79,157

Sand hills of western Nebraska, map of region of..... 23 Silurian time, geologic history in...................... 180

view of-.......--.....--,--.--..--.-..-...--- -- -- 30 Silver, occurrence of................. .................... 405

Sandstone, creamy, occurrence of.'.............. 86,87,88,90 Sioux City, Iowa, rocks near................. 111,120,128-129

SeeTe'nsIeep sandstone. well at....................................... 116,119,144

Sandstone, saurian, occurrence of..................... 98 Sioux Falls, S. Dak., rocks near..................... 113,117

Sandstones, eroded, view of..."...................--.... 188 , well at........................»..........'113,115,119,253

Sangre de Cristo formation, occurrence and character Sioux Pass, S. Dak., view of......................\.... 50

ofrr......;.';.-..;...";;..-.................. 163 Sioux quartzite, buried ridge of, history and location

Sangre de Cristo Range, fossils in...................... 163 - of.................^........................ 112

rocks near...... '...'."......'.'......'. ............... 104-105 ' character of...............7...................... 112-120

seetionon.......;...;.............;..........-..... 93 . effect of.--.....-.....---.-...--......-....... 112,218,233

Santa Fe, Kans. j well at......-....'................... 289,303 Sioux River, rocks on.................................. 253

well near, recordof................................ 303 Skull^Creek, Wyo., coal on .......................... 376-377

Santee, Nebr.', 'well at. .......'. ...'................ 144-145,148 oil near ............................................ 387

Santee Agency, well at| record'of ..........'............ 277 Slim Buttes, S. Dak., coal in...................... J.... 378

Santee Caves, Nebr., sandstone at-."................... 143 Slopes in Great Plains.................................. 22-24

Saurian sandstone, occurrence of.-..!................. 9S Small, C. H., well of, record of....................... 356-357

Saurian remains, occurrence of.. 34,35,96,98,104,141,164,183 Smith, W. S. Tangier, acknowledgments to............ 21

Scaudia, Kans., well at................................ 289 on Hartville uplift................................. 62

well at, recordof.....;..........................-.. 313 section by........................................... 63,69

Scaphites, occurrence of............................... 153 Smith & Davison, well of............................... 124

nodosus, occurrence of ............................ 60 Smith Canyon, Colo., coal in............'.............. 374

Schizodus wheeled Swall, occurrence of.....;........ 93,94 Smith Center, Kans., wells at; and near............. 289,318

Schmidt. E., well of, record of.............;........--. 241 Smoky Hill chalks, occurrence and character of...... 154

rocks in. ........-...........'.............-- --.---- 130 Smoky Hill River, Kans., rocks on.................. 165,319

Schultz,'P., well of, record'of................---....... 241 wells at and near............................ 298,307,319

Scotland, S. Dak;, well at................ 115,119,134,201-203 wells near, records of.................... 298-299,319-320

well at, ree6rd,'of............................ 127,203-204 Smoky River, Kans., well on, record of...........".. 295-296

rocksin.;....;....;;._;.;....i;........... 113,131,202 Soda, analysis Of....................................... 398

Scott, O.G., information from............... ......... 326 occurrence of.................................... 397-398

well of, recordof ....'...'........................... 326 Solemya subplicata, occurrence of......"..'............. 110

Scott, W. B.,"fossils determined by .................... 176 Soleniscus brevis White, occurrence of................ 92

on Nebraska geology .............................. 177 sp., occurrence of..........;....................... 92,94
INDEX. 429

Page. . 

Solomon, Kans., gypsum at............................ 395

salt spring at....................................... 389

Solomon River, rooks on............................. 307,312

well on........................................... 299,310

Sopris, Colo., coal at.................................... 374

South Bend, Nebr., rooks near......................... 142

South Dakota, altitudes in............................. 22-24"

Aurora County, location of...........:............ 195

rocks of.......................... 113,131,138,195-196

wells 6i......---.....................'...- 134,195-196

wells of, records of ............................ 124

Beadle County, location of.......................... 200

rocksoJ.......................... 113,130,135-138,200

wells of...................................... 200-201

wells of, records of ......................'.... 122-123

bed-rock map of.................................... 112

Bonhomme County, location of-................... 201

rocks of....-.........---..--. 113,126,131,134,201,203

wells of......................:.'..,............' '201-204

Brookings County, location, rocks, and wells of. 204-206 

Brown County, rocks of. : --..........^......--...-. 137

Brule County, location of.......................... 206

rocks of...--....-......-.....--:..... 131,134,136,206

wells of.............................r.... 127,206-220

' Buffalo County, rocks of........................... 208

wells of...............................".--.'127,208

Butte County, coal In.............................. 378

location, rocks, and wells of..................." 209

cement materials of............................... .396

Charles Mix County, location of..........-.--...-- 210

rooks of.......................... 131,134,136,210-213

wells of.......:...............:.......... 127,211-213

Clark County, location of....... v .................. 214

wells of....'..................".................. 215

wells of, records of ...-- ....-..........--.....-. 122

Clay County, location of........................... 216

rooks of...................................... 133,216

wellsof.........--'.-...-......-....--.....- 125,216

coal in..............................I............. 378-379

Codington County, location and rocks of.......... 216

Custer County, location, rooks, and wells of.....' 217-218

manganese in............. .*.................... 407

Davison County, fossils from...................... 132

Dakota sandstone in, depth to, map showing.. 190 

location of......-....- ..-..---..-.- -- - - 218

rocks of.............. 123-124,129-130,134-136,218-219

wellsof...........--..-.......,....----.-....- 218-219

Day County, location of........................... 219

rocks of....:.....-.-.-............:.l........ 137,219

wellsof..-......-......-...:........--...--.... 219

Deuel County, location, rocks, and wells of....... 221

Douglas County, location of....................... 221

rocks of.....--.--..---........... 131,134,136,221-222

wells of................... ..............:.119,221-222

Edmunds County, location, rocks, and wells of. 222-223 

Fall River County, location of.................... 224

rocksand wells of....-...--...........:...:. 224-228

section across, diagram of..................... 224

Faulk County, location and rocks of.............. 228

wells of....---...--.-.....................127,228-229

fuller's earth from....:..........:................. 398

gaaia...................i.......................... 388

Grant County, location of.......................... 229

rocks of.......:.....'.......-......-.. 131,135,229-230

wellsof...-.......-...-.--..........-..-....-- 229-230

Gregory County, location, rocks, and wells of... 230-231 

Hamlin County, location, rocks, and wellsof..... 231.

Hand County, location and rocks of............ 231-232

, Page. 

South Dakota, Hand County, wells of........... 127,231-233

Hanson County, buried ridge in................. 113,116

"location of..................................... 233

mapof............... . .. -.. .- .................. 235

rocks of....................... 113,125,129,130,133,135

. wells of.................................. 144,233-235

Hushes County, location and rocks of............ 235-236

wellsof.................................. 127.236-237

Hutchiuson County, location of................... 237

rock's of...................... 113,125,129-131,133-134

wellsof.....'.................................. 237-239

Hyde County, location and rocks of............... 239

wellsof...................................... 127.239

Jerauld County, location and wells of........... 240-241

rocks of................................. 130,136,240

Kingsbury County, location of.................... 241

rocks of.......................... 130,135-136,241,246

wells .of...................................241.245,246

Lake County, rocks of...._..___....:__....__.... 136.246

wells of........................................ 246

Lawrence County, location, rocks, and wells of.. 246-247 

limestone in....................................... 399

Lincoln County, rocks of ...............'....'. 113,133,247

wells of....................................... 119,247

. Lyman County, location, rocks, and wells of.... 247-248

McCook County, buried ridge in .................: 116

rocks of.....................I....'......... 113,133,249

wellsof...................................... 114,249

Marshall County, well in....!.. ; .................. 115

Meade County, location, rocks, and wells of..... 249-251

Miner County, location of......................... 251

rocks of.......................... 125,130,135,251-252

wellsof-.....-..............:.................. 252

Minnehaha County, buried ridge in............... 116

rocks of. ............'.................... U3,1SS,253

wells of........................................ .253

Moody County, rocks of.........'............ 113,133,253

wells of .....,..- -...:........................... 253

oil and gas in, search for .......................... 388

Pennington County, fire clay from................ ' 397

manganese in.................................. 407

rocks of................................... 28,253-254

wells of........................................ 253

plains of, view on ..........\...................... 24

Potter County, location of......................... 255

rocks of .._._ ..'..._....__.,............_....._ 137,255

wells of.................................. 127,255-256

Roberts County, rocks of.................. . ....... 132

well in.......................................... 116

rocks of............................. 24-25,111-138,156-179

Sanborn County,location of....................... 258

Tocksof.......................1-. 125,130,135,258-261

wellsof.....:...-........-................ 123,258-261

Spink County, location of ......................... 261

rocks of........................... 130,135-136,261-263

wellsof.................................. 121,21)2-267

Stanley County, location, rocks, and wells of....... 264

Sully County, location, rocks, and wells of.:.... 264-266

Turner County, location of........................ 266

 rocksof....................... 113,125,131,133-134,266

wellsof.................................. 115.119,266

Union County, rocks of.......................... 133.-267

wellsof.......................................i. 267

view on plains of.............'..................... 24

volcanic ash in .....................1.............. 400

Walworth County, altitude and location of........ 267

rocks and wells of............................. 267

wells in...................................... 193,195,270
430 INDEX.

. ' Page. 

SouthDakota, wellsin, viewsof...................... 202

Yankton County, location of...................... 267

roeksof...................:...... 133-134,137,267-270

wellsol.................................. 120,267-270

South Dakota, eastern, formations of, structure of.. 111-112 

geology of.............................. .......... 111-13S

stratigraphy of................................... 112-133

Sou th Da.kota in Glacial epoch, drainage of..."...... 188-J 89

figure showing..................................... 187

South Dakota-Wyoming line, rocks near.......... 1... 28

South Platte River, rocks on and near. 84,"98,110,140,270,329 

section nea r ........'............................... 103

' wellson ....................'.....'............ 322,323,330

Spanish Peaks, Colo., location of...................... 335

rocks at and near..................._. 104-105,109-110,335

Spearfish formation, beds of, view of.................. 54,56

character of .........:... 25,31-33,55,57-58,63,65,159-160

correlation of..........-.................."..-...... 80

fossils of, occurrence of..'.......-.................. 33

occurrence of..................................... 57-58,

63,65,159-160, 209,225-226,250, 371-372,392-391 

relations of, diagram showing..................... 158

Spearfish Creek, rocks on.............................. 28

Spear well, location and record of................... 242,244

Spencer, S. Dak., rocks near...... '. .......\.......... 113,249

well at and near...............!............. 115,233,278

Sphajriola cordata, occurrence of...............,....,.' 53,110

Sphffirodema sp., occurrence of........................". ' 92

texana Shum., occurrence of|....................... " 92

Spirifer, occurrence of"..".....".... .1.............'....'... 27,89

cameratus Morton, occurrence ol.................. 92,94

centronatus, occurrence of......................... 28,89

cf. Keokuk, occurrence ol ......:.................. 64

roekymontana Marcou, occurrence of............. 91,92

rockymontanus, occurrence of.................... 61

striatus var. madisonensis, occurrence of.......... 64

Spiriferina solidirostris, occurrence, of................. 89

.Split Rock Creek, S. Dak., rocks on....".............. 113,153

Spring Creek, copper on.'.............................. 405

rocks on .................................".. 44,57,175,217

Springfield, S. Dak., rocks at and near............... 143,203

well at........................^.'!.. -^.... 126,131,201-202

, view of... 1........................................ 202

SquawCreek, S. Dak., rocks on......'.........'......'... - 36

view on ...'--........'...-..................';...-.-.. 46

Stanton, T. W., fossils determined by ....... .'.. 35," 52,60,293

on Benton fossils....... 1........................... 132

on Ceratops beds..................... 1:.........:.. 42

Stacy, P. J., record by.I................................ 122

Steiger, George, analyses by......"..'...'..'............ 392,394

Stegosaur, bones of................... '................. 35

Sterling, Colo., rocksnear, view of .................... . 186

Sterling, Kans., rock salt at"....'....'..'.'..'.'............. 390

well at.:.............'!'.".'........'......-....... 289,314,321

, Stcvens Creek, Nebr., rocks on .."..'....'.....'...'..'.."....- 141

Stinson, J. A., well of.................................. 324

Stockade Beaver Valley, rocks in...................... 32

view in ...-.........--..-....:...._............-.. .. 48,54

Stoekton, Kans., depth to Dakota sandstone near..... '314

well near .....-..........'......".."..'.'...'........... 289,314

Stockville, Nebr., anticline hear..."......'..........:.. 388

Stbrla well, record of............................ '.. .... 124

Stout" Colb., well at ..'......"..'......"..'...-.'............ 339

Straparolus catilloides Con., occurrence of."........... 92

Stratigraphy of Bighorn Mountains .................. 46-53

.of Black Hills region..:............"............... 25-45^

of central and western Kansas .................. 150-155

of eastern Colorado............................... 75-111

Page. 

Stratigraphy of eastern South Dakota......".'........ 112-138

of eastern Nebraska .............................. 139-149

of Hartville uplift................................. 62-68

of north end of Laramie Range.................... 55-60

of Laramie Front Ranged '.. ^..................... 69-70

of South Dakota..................... i.....'.:..... 111-112

Sturgis, S. Dak., plaster of Paris from.................. 394

rocks near. .......__:.................:....._....... 37

well near .......................................... 250

record of........................................ 251

Stuttgart, Kans., well near............................ 312

Stylemys nebrascensis, occurrence of'................. 45,173

Sugar City, Colo., wells at.............:............. 343,349

Summit, S. Dak., altitude of........................... 229

Sun. Kans., boring at....:............................. 289

Sundance, Wyo., coal near .......................... 376-377

depth to. water near ............................... 363

Sundance formation, beds of, views ol............. 54,56,74

'character of..:........ 25,33,46,50,55,58,62,65-66,72,163

fossilsof, occurrence of..'....................... 33,50,58

geologic section of........................._....... 66

gypsum near. ................\..................... 394

occurrence, of...................................... 33,

. 50,65-66, 72,81-82, 96,163,210,225 

relation of, diagram showing...................... 158

"source of water in..../..:;...................... 193-194

Sun-flower, Kans., rocks near ..............'.....'..I'...". ' 173

Sunrise mine, character of..'.....:..... I............. 403,406

Superior, Nebr., rocks near.........................1.. 147

'Swan, A. E., information from................... 203,214,236

Swan Creek, S. Dak., ridge near, wells on............. 267

rocks on............................................ 137

Swan Lake, S. Dak., rocks at.......................... 137

Sybylee Valley, Wyo., rocks in........'................ 65, 68

Syracuse, Kans., rocks at.............:................ 301

wells at:............:...:....."................... 289,301

record of .........^.....^............. ........ 302-303

Syringopora sp......................................... 92

Syringothyria carteri, occurrence of....../............ 27

IV

Table Mountain, Wyoming, section at................. 69"

Talc, occurrence of................... 345,346,349,350,352-353

Talc vein, section of, diagram of...................... 352

Tancredia americana, occurrence of.'...'.'.'............. 110

Taunton, S. Dak.,fossils at. ...........^....^.......... is1

rocks near.......................................... 132

Tecumseh, Nebr., boring at..... . ..................... 283

Tckamah, Nebr., rocks at.............................. 143

Tellina equilateralis, occurrence of............."....... 53

scitula, occurrence of.............................. 110

Temnocheilus winslowi M. & W...."........:.......... 93

Temperature of Great Plains .......................... 408

of Great Plains, map showing .......'............,. 408

Tenslcep sandstone, beds of, view of................ 74,76,82

character of........................:.-......... 46,49,55,57

correlation of..................... .-;.... 56,80782,102,160

 fossils.of,occurrence of.....:......JIT..".!.-.. ...... 49

name of..... ..^....... ...... ...^..^................ 49

natural bridge in, view of...........'............... 80

occurrence of............... 43,49,'71," 81-84,88-90,159-161

relations of, diagram showing. ......:....... ....... 158

Tepee buttes, occurrence of........'.... 41,68,108,169,217,'254

origin of ............... 1.....:... '.'................. 41

view of............................................. 108

Tertiary deposits, character of.......... 43-45, 76,137,169-179

geologic history of ..........^.'/................... 185
INDEX. ,431

; . . Page.

-Tertiary deposits, occurrence of ....................... .43,

61, 74, 76, 137, 14&-150, 154, 169-179, 

206,230,247,270,272,292,295,297-299, 

303,305-308, 310-321, 323,328-329, 332- 

333, 338, 342-343, 352, 358-360,. 366, 389 

relationsof ..'.........................--....-:..."- 169-179

removal of ............................-- .-.-- --- 13?

subdivisions of.......:............................. 170

typical butte of, view of.........'......'............. , 36

view oi................. ...^....--....-..-:- ---.. 98

water from..........,-..... 1.....-......---._.------ 194,272

Testudo, occurrence oi................................. 173

..Thatcher, Colo., rocks near .:................'.'.....-.... 100

view near.......................................... 108

 well at... ...........^.............................. 340

The Dells,dikes near .................................. 113

Thompson Valley,Colo., wells in ............ .......... 360

.Thornton.Wyo.,well at.............................. S64..372

Thracia subgracilis, occurrence of................:.... 52

subtortuosa, occurrence of......................... 52

,Tilden,Nebr., well at............................. '..... 275

_T!mpas, Colo., well at, record of........................ 349

"... wells at ..............................-.I.............. 344

Timpas formation, character of........................ 168

occurrenceof............................ 344,345,357,619

,Tin, occurrence and character of.;.......,.........J. 406-407

-Titanotherium remains, occurrence of.......:..'..... 171,174

.Titanotherhim beds, occurrence and character of.'.. 173-174

See also Chadron formation. , , . 

Trachydomia wheeleri Swall.var.,occurrence of...... 92

Todd, J. E., acknowledgments to....................... 21

fossils found by.......................: ............ 132

on Arikaree formation.....:.'...................... 43

on Carlile shales... 1.....I'..............'........"... 132

on Fox Hills formation................:,........... . 137

on Gran t County rocks............................. 131

on Iowa geology ................................... 116

on' Nebraska quartzite'............................. 149

on Pierre fossils....... ......^...................... 137

on Pierre shale..................................... 137

on Pierre well..................................^.. 236

on Quaternary deposits............................ 149

on South Dakota fossils............................... 128

on South Dakota glacial drainage.................. 188

on South Dakota lignite........................... 378

on South Dakota Pleistocene deposits ............. 138

on South Dakota .Tertiary deposits ................ 137

on wells.................^.................... .. ..-. 119

on White Eive.r formation ......................... 175

sections by................. I......_.........'...-.... 126,146

Tongue River,canyon of,view in.'..................... 72

Trent, S. Dak;, well near, record of....'..........'.'..... 253

Trenton formation, fossils of, occurrence of........... 78,157

 occurrence of............-.....'.-.................. 139

Triassic rocks, fossils of, occurrence of.... ..'I.. 33,49,158-159

occurrence of............. 49,57-58,65,70-71,76,80-96,158

character of ....................................... ' 25,

31-33,48,49-50,55,57-58,63,65,70-71,76,80-96

- Tribune, Kans.. well at.............................. 289,301

Trinidad, Colo., coal at and near.................... 372-374

rocks at.................................. 107,109, 111,340

wells at and-near.........:.......'.......;...........339-340

Trinidad sandstone, correlation of .................... 169

occurrence and character of.:.....'................ . 109

Tripp, S. Dak., rocks at and near.....-......;...... 125,-131,134

well at.............."...... ._......'...... . _.-........ 238

record of .....-.-....-...............'....!..... 239

Trout Creek, Colo., fossils from......................... 77

Page.

Trout Creek,. Colo., rocks on....'....................... 76,78

section on'....'.'.:.'.......'. ..'_.'.'.. .._.._...'........... 77

Trnax mine, location.of. ....^...;................... J.. 406

Turkey Creek, Nebr., rocks on ................:.. 98,105,145.

Turkey Bidge, S. Dak., rocks of ............. 1... 133-134,137 .

Turritella sp.?, occurrence of.'..-'.............-...'..... 110

Turtle Eidge, S. Dak., shales on................'.-.'. .... 137

Turton.S. Dak., well at...........................'..... 262

Tuthill Marsh; Kans.', salt from ........... 1...........' 389

Twelvemile Creek, g. Dak., rocks on.....'........... 129,133

Twin Butte Creek, Kans., depth to water on.......... 307

Twin Buttes, Nebr'., rocks of .......................... 148

Two Suites, Colo., rocks of............. 95,96,98,102,105,164 .

Tyndall, S. Dak., rocks at.........'.................'.... 113.

well at..............'.:....'..'....'.............. 115,119,202

.' .XT.

Ulrich, E. O., fossils, determined by................... 47-48

Ulysses, Kans., well near, record of................. 299-300

Underground waters. See Waters, underground.

Unids, occurrence oi.....................:.l.......... 99,111

United States, central-western, map of................ 22

Unkpapa sandstone, beds of; view of.................. '56

.character of .......................... ..^... 25,33^34,164

deposition of.."..'............'................'....... 182

'.'occurrence of...'............... j.................. 33,164

origin of name of.'.-'.........................-...... : 33

Uplift; differential", results," of......................... 186

Utah Junction, Colo., well at.......'..........."....."... 322

Valentine, Nebr., -fuller's earth 'from.... .............. 398

rocks near ......'..."...............'...!.'...... 149,' 175, 398

.Van Bibber Creek, Colo., rocks near.......:.....'. .....' 98

Vega, S. Dak., well near;.............................. 208

Veniella, occurrence of.....'.:.-... ............'..:..... 42

humilis, occurrenceof.....'.......... ......_ . ...'... - 'llo

.Verbeck, Kans., well near..:.........................'.' 290

Verblen, S. Dak., well at .'.- -.......................... 115

Verdigre, Kans., rocks' near .............'.............. 149

Vermilion, S. Dak:,' fossils near. .'. ............ I ........ 132

rocks at arid near. ...:.....: 1 ............. 129", 133, 145-146

well at: .....:.....'!................'.....'............"' 115

Vermilion Ferry, rocks near. ............::.......... ;. . 147

Vermilion Eiver, flow of. .........'..... .'.''". ..........'..' ' 216

rocks on . .... I .....'..'...........:..'.. .'.'. .."..'... ". _': 113

Verona, .Wyo. , well at ............................... 366-367

Victoria shales, 'occurrence and character of.. ........ 153

Vigilante mine, location oi. ..........'. ..........'...... '406

Vilas, S. Dak., well at ..................'...............'. 252

Vodnany, S. Dak., rocks at..:................'......... ' 131

Volcanic ash. Sec Ash', volcanic. _ ' " '- 

Von Schultz and Low, analysis by .......-......!..._ 35e

Waconda Spring, Kans., salt in...... .................. 389

Wagner, s! Dak., wells at. . .............:............!. 211

Wagonhound Creek, \Vyo., rocks on and near. ........ K,, 68

Wakeeney, Kans., well near. ....................... 289, 320

Walcott, Chas. D., fossils identified by ..............'.. '77

on Ordoyician of Colorado ..................:..... ". 78

Walker, J. B.,' photograph by.'.,.....J..'.'...'...!.--..84l86,88

Wallace, Kans., well prospects near. .................. 320

 , wells near. .....-..........................:..... 289, 320

Walsenburg, Colo.," coal .at and near: ......... '. ....... 372-374
432 INDEX.

Page. 

Walsenburg, Golo., rocks near.......................... Ill

wells at and near. ..'.... .. ...r...... ............... 337

Wamegd, Kans.', boring at.........'."..........."... .J... 289

saltwellat...................'..........'............. ' 389

Ward, Lester P., on Dakota formation '..........'..!..._ '165

on Hay Creek fossils............................... 37

Washington, Kans., well at.......................... 289,321

Water, absorption of................................... 331

Water, artesian, prospect for finding. See particular

localities. N 

geographical source of:............................ 195

relations of, plate showing.................;...... 230

.theory of..........................................'190-191

Water, underground, near Denver, depth to, map "

showing ................................. 328,330

of Great Plains .................................. 190-372

depth to. See particular localities.

depth to, map showing........................ 190

geographic sources of.......................... 195

geologic sources of. See formation names.

general conditions in...........;............ 190-191

head of, diagram showing..................... 191

horizons of .................................. 191-194.

present knowledge of, map showing ....... Pocket.,

prospects for finding. See particular localities. 

relations of, diagram showing................. 221

Water-bearing formations, names and character of.. 191-194 

Watertown, S. Dak., depth to sandstone at............ 217

Waubaunsee group, occurrence and character of...... 150

Waverlj', Xebr., rocks near............................ 141

Webster, S. Dak., wells at..............^.............. 220

Weller, Stuart, fossils determined by.................. 79,92

Welch .well, location and character of ................ 135

Welcome mine, location and character of ............ 406

Wellington, Kans., rock salt at........................ 391

Wellington shales, character of ....................... 150

occurrence of................................ 150,152,391

Wells, artesian, conditions for....................... igo-Ifl

estimated pressure in............................... 191

See also names of places and wells. 

Wells, deep, rig for boring, view of.................... ,256

Wells, flowing, views of.............................. 202,344

See also names of places and wells. 

. Wells, H.L.,.analysis by..........:.................... 355

Wells of Great Plains, source of water of............ 190-372

Wells to Sioux quartzite, location and character of.. 113-116 

Wessington Springs, S. Dak., rocks at and near....... 137

West Blue River, Nebr., rocks on...................... 145

wells on ........................................... 282

West Plum Creek, Colo., rocks on ..................... 79"

- \VestPoint, S. Dak., well at............................ 115

Wet Mountains. Colo., rocks near................. 75,334,354

Whalen Canyon, Wyo., gold in........................ 401

Wheatland, Wyo., limestones near.................... 366

Whetstone Creek, S. Dak., wells on.................. 230-231

Wliiskey Run, Nebr.,rocks at.......................... 140

White, C. A., on Morrison fossils....................... 99

White Clay Butte, S. Dak.,rocks at.................. 247-248

White Clay Creek, S. Dak.,rocks on................... 255

White Lake, S. Dak., buried ridge near................ 116

rocks at............................................. 199

well at.......... ..........................;........ 114,124

White River, S. Dak., altitudes on...............'...... 254.

history of.......................................... 1S9

rocks on and near............... 170,248,255-256,264,271

-wellson...................................... 195,248,257

White River group, character of.................. 44,169-175

deposition of..................................... 185-189

fossils of, occurrence of.................... 44-46,173-174

White River group, limestones of...................... 399

view of..... v ........................:........ 68

occurrence of.'................... 43-44,57-59,61,169-175,

217,254,256,258,342,359-360,362,366,394,398 

> source of water in.................................. 194

Whiterock, S. Dak., rocks under ...................... 132 '

. wellat............................................. 116

.Whitewood Creek, S. Dak., canyon of, rocks in........ 27

limestone from.................................... 399

Whitewood limestone, character of................ 25,27,157

fossils of............................................. 27

occurrence of................"...................... 157

relations of, diagram showing..................... .158

Whoo'pup Creek, Wyo., well at, record of.............. 369

Wichita, Kans., saltwellat.......................... 20,3909

Wildcat Mountains, Colo., coal near ................... 372

WilHamsCanyon, Colo.,rocksin....................... 89

Willis, B., information from, map showing area covered

bv ....................1.................... 406

Willow Creek, S. Dak., rocks on....................... 137

Wilson, Kans., rock saltat............................ 390

wellat....................................:..;... 290,321

record of....................................... 297

Winchell,N. H., information from, mapshowing area

covered by...............:................. 406

on Brown Valley well........................... 118-119

on Minnesota gas.................................. 116

on Minnesota wells................................ lie

on pipestone fossils ................................ 113

Winfield, Kans., wellat............................. 200,387

Winona, Kans., well at.............................. 290,307

Wolf Creek, S. Dak., rocks on ...................... 113,133

well on ............................................ 238

Wolf Creek, Wyo., view on............................ 74,76

Wolsey, S. Dak., buried ridge at....................... 118

wellat........................................... 114,201

record of....................................... 123

Wood, fossil, occurrence of........................... 35,129

Woonsocket, S. Dak., fossils from...................... 132

record of........................................... 260

well at, view of.................................... 202

wells at and near............................ 123,135,259

Wortman, J. L., on White River group................ 170

Wray, Colo., wellat................................... 358

Wright, J. G., and McCh esney, C. E., information from. 257 

Wyckofl Park, Colo., well near........................ 346

Wyoming, Albany County, wells of................... 61

altitudes in .....................'................... 22-24

bentonite in .........................:....'......... 400

coal in, occurrence and character of ............ 374-379

Converse County, coal in.......................... 377

rocks of............................. 41,42,44,362-363

tepee buttesin................:................. 41

topography and wells of..................... 362-363

Crook County, coal in............................. 377

location, rocks, and wells of................. 363-364

Dakota sandstone in, depth to, map showing...... 190

fire clay in.......................................... 397

gypsum in...........................'...'........... 396

Johnson County, location of....................... 364

oil in .......................................... 383

rocksand wells of ........................... 364-365

Laramie County, rocks of..................... 56,365-366

wells of...................................... 365-366

limestone in....................................... 399

Na trona County, oil in............................. 382

soda of............................................ 397-398

oil of, character of................................. 383
INDEX. 433

i'age. 

Wyoming, oil of, occurrence.of.................. 379,382-387

rocks Of............................ 24-74,150-169,178-179

diagram of........................ j. ........... 166

general relations of.......................... 361-362

salt in ..................:; .......................... 392

Sheridan County, coal In.......................... 377

location, rocks, and wells of................. 366-367

sodain............................ ................ 397-398

view on plains of ............... J........'..<........ .26'

wells in................................... 193-194,-361-372

Weston County, flre clay in-........................ 397

location of........... -^......................... 367

rocksof.^.:....;.................... 38",41-42,367-372

 tepee buttes in.....'.'............-.....'.,.-.'..,.. 41

wellsof.................... '...1... ...'..:'.:.... 367-372

Wyoming. University of; analyses by:..............-.. 377

on petroleum...........;...-. ..................... \. 382

Wyoming formation, beds of, view of ...... 1........ 86,88,90

character.of..............-......'....':..... 76,79-96,1617162

correlation otV..............-.. .'.'-..'. ....::.....'..... 80,95

Page.

Wyoming formation, relations of, diagram showing... 158 

section of...'-.....-.............--.....-....-..--.. 87

sections of, diagram showing...................... 332

Wyoming limestone, analysis of....................... 86

Wyoming-South Dakota line, rocks near............... 28

 ..;. . Y. ' 

Yankton, S. Dak., cement from........................ 396

rocksnear.................................... 132,133,137

wells at or near.:....'................ 115,119,131,268-269

power from...............:.................... 269

records of .................................. 125,269,270

Yankton Agency, well at; record of.. 1'............... 212-213

 Yankton Asylum, well 'at.. . ...........:.-.............. 126

York,Nebr., well at..:...................-..... .......-. 282

Z. . ' '

Zaphrentis sp., occurrence of.................... 28,64,92,94

Zarcillo Canyon, Colo., coal in....................:.... 374

o

^No; 32 05
PUBLICATIONS OF UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL.SURVEY.

[Professional Paper No. 32.]

The serial publications of the United States Geological Survey consist of (1) Annual Reports, (2) 

Monographs, (3) Professional Papers, (4) Bulletins, (5) Mineral Resources, (6) Water-Supply and 

Irrigation Papers, (7) Topographic Atlas of the United States folios and separate sheets thereof, (8) 

Geologic Atlas of the United States folios .thereof. The classes numbered 2, 7, and 8 are sold at cost 

of publication; the others are distributed free. A circular giving complete lists may be had on 

application.

The Professional Papers, Bulletins, and Water-Supply Papers treat of a variety of subjects, and the 

total number issued is large. They ha/ve therefore been classified into the following series: A, Economic geology; B, Descriptive geology; C, Systematic geology and paleontology; D, Petrography and 

mineralogy; E, Chemistry and physics; F, Geography; G, Miscellaneous; H, Forestry;. I, Irrigation; . 

J, Water storage; K, Pumping water; L, Quality of water; M, General hydrographic investigations; N, Water power; O, Underground waters; P, Hydrographic progress reports. This paper is 

the forty-fifth in Series B, the.sixty-eighth in Series C, and the twenty-eighth in Series O, the complete lists of which follow. (PP=Professional Paper; B=Bulletin; WS=Water-Supply Paper.)

. ' . SERIES.B, DESCRIPTIVE GEOLOGY.

B 23. Observations on the junction between the Eastern sandstone_and the Keweenaw series on Ke"weenaw Point, Lake 

Superior, by R. D. Irving and T. C. Chamberlin. 1885. 124 pp., 17 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 33. Notes on geology of northern California, by J. S. Diller. 1886. 23pp. (Out of stock.)

B39. The upper beaches and deltas of Glacial Lake Agassiz, by Warren Upham. 1887. 84 pp., 1 pi. (Out of stock.)

B 40. Changes in river courses in Washington Territory due to glaciation, by Bailey Willis. 1887. 10 pp., 4 pis. (Out of 

stock.)

B 45. The present condition oJ knowledge of the geology of Texas, by R. T. Hill. 1887. 94 pp. (Out of stock.)

B 53. The geology ol Nantucket, by N. S. Shaler. 1889. 55pp., 10 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 57. A geological reconnaissance in southwestern Kansas, by Robert Hay. 1890. 49 pp., 2 pis.

B 58. The glacial boundary in western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, by G. F. Wright, with introduction by T. C. Chamberlin. 1890. 112pp., 8 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 67. The relations of the traps of the Newark system in the New Jersey region, by N. H. Barton. 1890. 82 pp. (Out of 

stock.)

B104. Glaciation of the Yellowstone Valley north of the Park, by \V. H. Weed. 1893. 41 pp., 4 pis.

B 108. A geological reconnaissance in central Washington, by I. C. Russell. 1893. 108 pp., 12 pis. (Out oi stock.)

B 119. A geological reconnaissance in northwestern Wyoming, by G. H. Eldridge. 1894. 72 pp., 4 pis.

B 137. The geology of the Fore Riley Military Reservation and vicinity, Kansas, by Robert Hay. 1896. 35 pp., 8 pis.

B 144. The moraines of the Missouri Coteau and their attendant deposits, by J. E. Todd. 1896. 71 pp., 21 pis.

B 158. The moraines of southeastern South Dakota and their attendant deposits, by J. E. Todd. 1899. 171 pp., 27 pis.

B 159. The geology of eastern Berkshire County, Massachusetts, by B. K. Emerson. 1899. 139 pp., 9 pis.

B 165. Contributions to the geology of Maine, by H. S. Williams and H. E. Gregory. 1900. 212 pp., 14 pis.

WS70. Geology and water resources of the Patrick and Goshen Hole quadrangles in eastern Wyoming and western 

Nebraska, by G. I. Adams. 1902. 50pp., 11 pis.

B 1,99. Geology and water resources of the Snake River Plains of Idaho, by I. C. Russell. 1902. 192 pp., 25 pis.

PP 1. Preliminary report on the Ketchikan mining district, Alaska, with an introductory sketch of the geology of southeastern Alaska, by A. H. Brooks. 1902. 120pp., 2 pis.

PP 2. Reconnaissance of the nortlnyestern portion of Seward Peninsula, Alaska, by A. J. Collier. 1902. 70 pp., 11 pis.

PP 3. Geology and petrography of Crater Lake National Park, by J. S. Biller and H. B. Patton. 1902. 167 pp., 19 pis.

PP 10. Reconnaissance from Fort Hamlin.to Kotzebue Sound, Alaska, by way of Ball, Kanuti, Alien, and Kowak rivers, 

by W. C. Mendenhall. 1902. 68 pp., 10 pis.

PP 11. Clays of the United States east of the Mississippi River, by Heinrich Ries. 1903. 298 pp., 9 pis.

PP 12. Geology of the Globe copper district, Arizona, by F. L. Ransome. 1903. 168 pp., 27 pis.

PP 13. Drainage modifications in southeastern Ohio and adjacent parts of West Virginia and Kentucky, by \V. G. Tight. 

1903. lllpp., 17 pis.

B 208. Descriptive geology of Nevada south of the fortieth parallel and adjacent portions of California, by J. E. Spurr. 

1903. 229 pp., 8,pls. . "

I
ii > "PUBLICATIONS: OF UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.

B 209. Geology'of Ascuthey Mountain; Vermont, by E. A. Daly.. 1903. 122 pp., 2 pis.

WS 78. Preliminary report on artesian basins in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon, by I. C. Russell. 1903. 51

pp., 2 pis. . -..''' . 

PP 15. Mineral resources ol the Mount Wrangell district, Alaska, by W, C. Mendcnball and F. C. Schrader. 1903. 71'pp.,

10 pis. . '

PP 17. Preliminary report on the geology and water resources ol Nebraska west of the one hundred and third meridian, 

.: ' by N. H. Barton. 1903. 69 pp., 43 pis. . . -.- - 

B 217. Notes on the geology of southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon, by I. C. Russell. 1903. 83 pp., 18 pis. 

B 219. The ore deposits of Tonopah, Nevada (preliminary report), by J. E. Spurr. 1903. 31 pp., 1 pi. 

PP 20. A reconnaissance in northern Alaska in 1901, by F. C. Schrader. 1904. : 139 pp., 16 pis. 

PP 21. The geology and ore deposits of the Bisbee quadrangle, Arizona, by F. -L. Ransome. 1904: 168 pp., 29 pis. 

W3 90. Geology.-and water resources of part of the lower James River Valley, South'Dakota, by J. E. Todd and C. M. Hall.

1904. 47pp., 23 pis. . . ' - . '- 

PP 25. The copper deposits of the Encampment district, Wyoming, by A. C. Spencer. 1904. 107 pp.,- 2 pis. 

PP 26. Economic resources of northern1 Black Hills, by J. D. Irving, with chapters byS. F. Emmons and T. A. Jaggar, jr. 

1904.. 222pp., 20 pis." ' . . 

PP, 27: Geological reconnaissance across the Bitterroot Range and the -Clearwater Mountains in Montana and Idaho, by

Walciemar Lindgren. 1904. 123 pp., 15 pis, 

PP 31. Preliminary report on the geology of the Arbucklc and Wichita mountains in Indian Territory and Oklahoma, by

J. A. Taff; with an .appendix on reported ore deposits in the Wichita Mountains, by H. F. Bain. 1904. 97 pp., 8 pis. 

B 235. A'geological reconnaissance across the Cascade Range near the forty-ninth parallel, by G. O. Smith and F. C. Calkins.

1904.' 103 pp.,'4 pis. ' ' . B 236. The Porcupine placer district, Alaska, by-C. W..Wright: 1904. 35 pp., 10 pis. ' 

B"237. Petrography and'gedlogy of the igneous rocks of the Highwoocl Mountains, Montana, by L. V. Pirsson. 1904. 208

pp., 7 pis. ' . ' 

B 238. 'Economic geology of the lola quadrangle, Kansas, by G. I. Adams,' Erasmus Haworth, and W. R. Crane. 1904, 88

 pp., 11 pis. . ' , 

PP 32. Preliminary report on the geology arid underground water resources of the central Great Plains, by N. H. Barton.

1905. 433 pp.,. 72 pis. "'' "'' '.-, : - - . ' . .' . - , ' J , .

'SERIES C, SYSTEMATIC" GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY. " ' '

B1 -.3. Fossil faunas of Upper Devonian, along the-meridian 76° 30'-, from Tompkins County, New York, to Bradford County, 

Pennsylvania, by H. S. Williams. 1884. 36pp. (Out of stock.)

B 4.-Mesozoic fossils, by C. A. White. 1884. 36 pp., 9 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 10.'.Cambrian faunas of-North America: preliminarj; studies, by C. D. Waleott. 1884. 74pp., 10 pis. (Out of stock.)

B 1-1. Quaternary and recent Mollusca of the Great,Basin, with descriptions of new forms, by R. Ellsworth Call. Introduced by a sketch of the Quaternary lakes of the Great Basin, by G. K. Gilbert. 1884. 66 pp.,6 pis.

B 15. Mesozoic and Cenozoic paleontology of California, by C. A. White. 1885. 33pp. (Out of stock.)

B 16. Higher-Devonian faunas of Ontario County, New York, by J. M. Clarke. 1885. 86 pp., 3 pis.

B 18. Marine Eocene, fresh-water Miocene, and other fossil Mollusca of western \orth America, by C. A. White. 1885. 26

 PP-, 3 pis. - j ,..-.-...

B 19. Notes on the stratigraphy of California, by G. F. Beeker. 1885. 28pp. (Out of stock.)

B -.22. New-Cretaceous fossils from California.-by C. A.-. White. 1885. 25-pp., 5 pis. (Out of stock.)

B. 24. List of marine Mollusca, comprising the Quaternary fossils and Recent forms from American localities between

Cape Hatteras and Cape Rogue, including the Bermudas, by W. H. Ball. 1885. -33(3 pp.

B 29. Fresh-water invertebrates of the North American Jurassic, by C. A. White. 41 pp., 4 pis. - - B 30. Second contribution to the studies on the Cambrian faunas of North America, by C. D. Walcott. 1886. 309 pp., 33

 pis. (Outof-stoek.) . ' 

B 31. Systematic review of our present knowledge of fossil insects, including myriapods and arachnids, by S. H. Scudder.

1886. -128 pp. - - - B 34. Relation of the laramie molluscan fauna to that of the succeeding fresh-water Eocene and other groups, by C. A.

White. 1886. 54 pp., 5 pis. ... 

B 37. Types of the Laramie flora, by L. F. Ward. . 1887. 354 pp., 57 pis. 

B 41. Fossil faunas of the Upper Devonian the Genesee section. New York, by H. S. Williams. 1887. -121 pp.,-4 pis.. (Out

of stock.) ' - - f 

B 43. Tertiary and Cretaceous strata of the-Tuscaloosa. Tombigbee, and Alabama rivers, by E. A. Smith and L. C. Johnson.

1887. 189 pp., 21 pis. . . . - B 51. Invertebrate fossils from the Pacific coast, by C. A. White. 1889.- 102 pp., 14 pis. (Out of stock.) 

B 56. Fossil wood and lignite of the Potomac formation, by F. H. Knowlton. 1889. 72 pp., 7 pis. 

B 63. Bibliography of Paleozoic Crustacea from 1698 to 1889, including a list .of North American species, and a systematic

arrangement of genera, by A. W. Vogdes. 1890. 177 pp. - . - . .

 B 69. Classed and annotated bibliography of fossil insects, by S. H. Scudder. 1890. 101 pp.

B 71. Index to known fossil insects of the world, -including myriapods and arachnids, by S: H. Scudder. 1891. 744 pp. 

B 77. The Texan Permian and its Mesozoic types of fossils,.by C. A. White. 1891. 51 pp., 4 pis. . 

B 80. Correlation papers Devonian and Carboniferous, by H. S. Williams. 1891. 279pp. (Out of stock.) 

B 81. Correlation papersr^Cambrian, by C.-D. Walcott. - 1891. 447-pp., 3 pis. (Out of stock.) . .: 

B 82. Correlation papers Cretaceous, .by C. A. White. 1891. 273pp., 3 pis. (Out of stock.) ., . - 

B 83. Correlation papers Eocene, by W. B. Clark. 1891.. 173 pp.; 2 pis.
.- 'PUBLICATIONS OF UNITED STATES : GEOLOGICAL 'SURVEY.' Ill

B 84. Correlation papers Neocene, by W. H. Call and G. D. Harris. 1892..' 349 pp., 3 pis. (Out of stock.) . 

B 85. Correlation papers The Newark system, by I. C. Russell. 1892. 341pp.,-13 pis.- (Out of. stock..) --.. ..; 

B 86. Correlation papers Arehean and Algonkian, by C. R. Van Hise. .1892. 549 pp.,12 pis. (Out of stock.) 

' B S7. Synopsis ot American fossil Brachiopoda, including bibliography and synonymy, .by Charles Schuchert. . 1897.

.464 pp.

B 88.' Cretaceous Fpraminifera of New Jersey, by R; M. Bagg, jr. 1898. 89 pp.,6 pis. . . . . ., . 

B 93. Some insects of special interest from Florissant, Colo., and'other points.in the Tertiaries ol Colorado and Utah,.by 

S. H.-Scudder. 1892., 35 pp., 3 pis. (Out 01 stock.) ( -. .-. . . .. i . . .'. B 97. Mesozoic Echinodermata of the United States, by W. B.'Clark. 1893. 207 pp., 50-pls. .-. '-. ' - 

B 98. Flora of the outlying Carboniferous basins of southwestern Missouri, by-Dayid White. 1893. .139 pp., 5 pis. -. 

B 101. Insect fauna of the Rhode -Island coal field, by S. H. Scudder. 1893. 27 pp., 2 pis. - . ' ...",': 

B102. Catalogue arid bibliography of North American Mesozoic Invertebrata, by C. B. Boyle. 1893. 315pp. 

B 105. The Ijaramie and the overlying Livingston formation. in Montana, by W. H. Weed, with report on flora, by F. H'.

Knowlton. 1893. 68pp., 6 pis. . .- ' 

B 100. .Colorado formation and its invertebrate fauna, by T. W. Stanton. 1893. 288 pp.,45 pis. (Out of stock.) . . , ' . B 110. Paleozoic section in the vicinity of Three Forks, 'Mont., by A. C. Peale. . 1893. 56 pp., 6 pis. . 

B 120.- Devonian system of eastern Pennsylvania and New York, by. C. S. Pross%v 1895. 81 pp., 2 pis. (Out of stock.) ' 

B 121. Bibliography of North American paleontology, by C.R.Keyes.. 1894. 251pp. . '. : . B 124. Revision of North American fossil cockroaches, by S. H. Scudder. 1895. 176 pp., 12 pis. - . . .', 

B 128. Bear River formation and its characteristic fauna, by C. A. White. 1895. 108 pp.. 11 pis. 

B 133. Contributions to the Cretaceous paleontology of the Pacific coast: The fauna of the Knoxyille beds, by ,T. W.

Stanton.. 1895. 132 pp., 20 pis. ... . -. . B 134. Cambrian rocks of Pennsylvania, by C. D. Walcott. 1896. 43.pp., 15 pis.- . . . 

B 141. Eocene deposits of the middle Atlantic slope in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, by W..B. Clark. 1896. .167 pp.,

40 plS: - ' ; . ' . ' ' ' .' '

'B-142. Brief contribution to the-geology and paleontology of-northwestern-Louisiana, by T. W. Vaughan. 1896. -.65.pp.

4 pis. ' ' ' ' . . . .'.... .

B 145. Potomac formation in Virginia, by. W. M. Fontaine. 1896. 149 pp., 2.pls. ; . . , 

B 151. Lower Cretaceous gryphteas of the Texas region, by R. T. Hill and T. W. Vaughan. '1898.. 139.pp., 35 pis. 

B 152. Catalogue of Cretaceous and Tertiary plants of North America, by F. H. Knowlton. 1898. 247pp. 

B153. Bibliographic index of North American Carboniferous invertebrates, by.Stuart Weller. 1898. 653pp. 

B 163. Flora of the Montana formation, by F.H. Knowlton. 1900. 11& pp., 19 pis. . - .

- B 173. Synopsis of American fossil- Bryozoa, including bibliography and synonymy, by:j.'M. Nickles and- R. S..Bassler.

1900. 663pp. ' ' ' - '.' ,' .-.- : ... -_.--.

B 179. Bibliography and catalogue of fossil V-crtebrata of-North America, by 0. P.'Hay. --1902. ,868pp. . 

B191. North American geologic formation names: Bibliography, synonymy, and distribution;, by F: B. Weeks. 1902; 448pp. 

B 195. Structural details in the Green Mountain region and ih eastern New York (second"paper), by T. Nelson Dale. 1902.

22 pp., 4 pis. - . - .' ' ' -.- 

B 204. Fossil flora of the John Day Basin, Oregon, by F. H. Knowlton. 1902. 153 pp., 17 pis. 

B 205. The Mollusca of the Buda limestone, by G. B. Shattuck, with an appendix on the corals of the Buda limestone, by

T. W. Vaughan. 1903. 94 pp., 27 pis. .. .- --. ... 

B 206. A study of the fauna of the Hamilton formation of the Cayuga Lake section in central New York, by H. F. Cleland.

1903. 112pp., 5 pis. - ' ' _ 

B 210. The correlation'of geological faunas; a contribution to Devonian paleontology, by H. S. Williams. 1903. 147 pp.," 1 pi. 

B 211. Stratigraphy and paleontology of the Upper Carboniferous rocks of the Kansas section, by G. I. Adams, G. H. Girty,

andDavid White. '1903. 123 pp., 4 pis. .' .' '.--.

PP16. Carboniferous formations and faunas of Colorado; by G. H. Girty. 1903. 546 pp.', 10 pis. ' -. 

PP19. Contributions to the geology of Washington, by G. 0. Smith and-Bailey Willis. 1903. 101 pp., 20 pis. 

PP21. The geology'and ore deposits of the Bisbee quadrangle, Arizona, by F.L.Ransome. 1904. 168 pp., 29 pis. 

PP24. Zinc and lead deposits of northern Arkansas, by'G. I. Adams, assisted by A. H. Purdue and E. F. Burchard, with

a section on the determination and correlation of formations, by E. 0. Ulrich. 1904. 118'pp.,-27 pis.

PP31. Preliminary report on the geology of the Arbuckle and Wichita mountains in Indian Territory and Oklahoma, by 

5 ..T. A. Taff; with an appendix on the reported ore deposits in the Wichita Mountains, by H. P. Bain'. 1904. 97pp.,

8 pis. - - ' - ' 

PP 32.'Preliminary report on the geology and underground water resources of the central Great Plains, by N. H. Darton.

1905. 433 pp., 72 pis.

SERIES O, UNDERGROUND WATERS. ' ' ' ' '" .

- WS 4. A reconnaissance in southeastern Washington, by I. C: Russell. 1897. 96 pp., 7 pis. (Out of'stock.) 

WS 6. Underground waters of southwestern Kansas, by Erasmus Haworth. 1897. 65 pp.,12 pis. (Out of stock.) . WS 7. Seepage waters of northern Utah, by Samuel Fortier. 1897. 50 pp.,3 pis. .(Out of stock.) 

WS 12. Underground waters of southeastern Nebraska, by N-. H. Darton. 1898. 56pp., 21 pis. (Out of stock.) 

\VS'21. Wells of northern Indiana, by Frank Leverett. 1S99. 82 pp., 2 pis. < . WS 26. Wells of southern Indiana (continuation of No. 21), by Frank'Leverett. 1899. 64pp. 

WS 30. Water resources'of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, by A. C. Lane. 1899. -97 pp.,7 pis. (Out of stock.) 

WS 31. Lower Michigan mineral waters, by A. C. Lane: 1899. 97 pp., 4 pis.-'^-

WS 34. Geology and water resources of'a portion of southeastern South Dakota, by J. E. Tbdd. 1900. 34 pp., 19 pis. WS 53. Geology and*water resources of Nez Perces County, Idaho, Ft. I, bj1 1. C. Russell.- 1901. 86 pp.,10 pis. ' : ' 

WS 54. Geology and water resources of Nez Perces County, Idaho, Pt. II, by I. 'C..Russell. 1901. 87-141 pp: - '
IV PUBLICATIONS OF UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SUBVET.

WS 55. Geology and water resources of a portion of Yakima County, Washington, by G. 0. Smith. 1901. 68 pp., 7 pis. 

WS 57." Preliminary list of deep_borings in the United States, Ft. I, by N. H. Barton. 1902. 60 pp. (Out of stock.) 

\VS59. Development and application of water in southern California, Ft. I, by J. B. Lippincott. 1902. 95 pp., 11 pis.

(Out of stock.) 

WS 60. Development and application of water in southern California, Ft. II, by J. B. Lippincott. 96-140 pp. (Out of

stock.) '

WS61. Preliminary'list of deep borings in the United States, Ft. II, by N. H. Darton. 1902. 67pp. (Out of stock.) 

WS 67. The motions of underground waters, by C. S. Slichter. 1902. 106 pp., 8 pis.

B 199. Geology and water resources of the Snake Kiver Piains.of Idaho, by I. C. Kussell. 1902. 192 pp., 25 pis. 

WS 77. Water resources of Molokai, Hawaiian Islands, by Waldemar Lindgren. 1903. 62 pp.,4 pis. 

WS 78. Preliminary report on artesian basins la southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon, by I. C. Kussell. 1903. 51

pp., 2pis. 

WS 90. Geology and water resources of part of the lower James Kiver Valley, South Dakota, by J. E. Todd and C. M. Hall.

1904. 45 pp., 23pis. 

WS 101. Underground waters of southern Louisiana, by G. D. Harris; with discussions of their uses for water supplies and

for rice irrigation, by M. L. Fuller. 1904. 98 pp., 11 pis.

WS 102. Contributions to the hydrology of Eastern United Sta'tes, 1903; M. L. Fuller, geologist in charge. 1904. 522 pp. 

WS 104. The underground waters of Gila Valley, Arizona, by Willis T. Lee. 1904. 71 pp., 5 pis. 

WS 106. Water resources of the Philadelphia district, by Florence Bascom. 1904. 75 pp., 4,pls.

WS 110. Contributions tothe hydrology of eastern UuitedStates, 1904; If. L. Fuller, geologist in charge. 1904. 211pp.,5pls. 

PP 17. Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of Nebraska west of the one hundred and third meridian, by

N. H. Darton. 1903. 69 pp., 43 pis. 

PP 32. Preliminary report on the geology and underground water resources of the central Great Plains, by N. H. Darton.

1905. 433 pp., 72 pis.

The following papers also relate to this subject: Underground waters of Arkansas Valley in eastern Colorado, by G. K. 

Gilbert, in Seventeenth Annual, Part II; Preliminary report on artesian waters of a portion of the Dakotas, by N. H. Darton, 

in Seventeenth Annual, Part II; Water resources of Illinois, by Frank Leverett, in Seventeenth Annual, Part II; Water 

resources of Indiana and Ohio, by Frank Leverett, in Eighteenth Annual, Part IV; New developments in well boring and 

irrigation in eastern South Dakota, by N. H. Darton, in Eighteenth Annual, Part IV; Kock waters of Ohio, by Edward 

Orton, in Nineteenth Annual, Part IV; Artesian well prospects in the Atlantic coastal plain region, by N. H. Darton, 

Bulletin No. 138.

Correspondence should be addressed to

THE DIRECTOR,

USITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,

WASHINGTON, D. G. 

FEBRUARY, 1905.
LIBRARY CATALOGUE SLIPS.

[Mount each slip upon a separate card, placing the subject at the top of the 

second slip. The name of the series should not be repeated on the series 

card, but additional numbers should be added, as received, to. the first 

entry.] 

Darton, N [elson] H [oratio] 1865-

. . . Preliminary report on the geology and underground water resources of the central Great Plains, -by 

| N. H. Darton. Washington, Gov't print, off., 1905. .

" ' 433,vp. ilius.,LXXIIpl.(incl.front.,maps,2inpocket)diagr. 29Jx23cm. 

(U.S. Geological survey. Professional paper no. 32) .

Subject series: B, Descriptive geology, 45; C, Systematic geology and 

paleontology, 68; 0, Underground waters, 28. . 

1. Geology Great Plains. 2. Water, Underground Great Plains.

Darton, N [elson] H [oratio] 1865-

. . . Preliminary report on the geology and underground water resources of the central Great Plains, by 

. j N. H: Darton. Washington, Gov't print, off., 1905.

§ 433,vp. illus.,LXXIIpl. (incl. front., maps, 2 in pocket) diagr. 29Jx23om." 

» . (U. S. Geological survey. Professional paper no. 32.)

Subject series: B, Descriptive geology, 45; 0, Systematic geology and 

paleontology, 68; 0, Underground waters, 28. .

1. Geology Great Plains. 2. Water, Underground Great Plains.

U. S. Geological survey. :

Professional papers. 

| no. 32. Darton, N. H. Preliminary report on the

* geology and underground water resources of the 

central Great Plains. 1905.

U. S. Dept. of the Interior.

3 '

I see also

»

* U. S. Geological survey.
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL.XLIV

____ QUATERNARY

t __| Olacial drift (overlain by Loess to the. south/)

|iu.H!;lil]! Loess (outside of drift area)

[-.-'^J Sand hills and Equus beds

LATER TERTIARY 

| | Ogalalla and Arikaree formations

I \ Area probably- once covered by 

I - J Later Tertiary deposits

I J Probable -western limit of Later Tertiary 1 J (eastern

___ OLIGOCENE

^^^H ^Vhite River group

I.........J Probable western limit of Oligocene

I I deposition (eastern lindt unknown,)

FOX HILLS TO FORT UNION 

 Fox Hills to Fort Union formations 

^^^^ (mainly Laramie)

(eastern, margin in Plattf Valley overlain, 

by Oligocene and. Later Tertiary deposits)

DAKOTA TO LAKOTA

Area of Dakota - Lakota sandstones

Area probably formerly covered by 

the sandstones

Area in which Dakota sandstone 

probably newr -was, deposited

Note r Pierre, Uiabrora., and £enton formations probably wsre deposited or-er the entire area, shown on these maps except possiblv along the centra! axis of the Rocfa' Mountains

MORRISON AND COMANCHE

Area underlain by Morrison formation 

(eastern Unlit nwstfy- hypothetical,)

Area underlain by Comanche series

Outcrop of Klowa shale and Cheyenne 

sandstone

LATER JURASSIC

 Ai'ea probably underlain by 

g Sundance formation (eastern 

liniits fypotftetioal)

RED BEDS

V'Mffifa -Ar63 probably- underlain by Permian 

\!-.,%m0>, toTriassic (?) red beds

(these in part grade into Permian shales and, 

limestone in'south-centralKcuisas)

___ CARBONIFEROUS 

I^MH Outcrops of limestones, shales, and red 

 BIB beds of Pennsylvaniaiv age 

1 '. I Area probably underlain by rocks of 

' ' Pennsylvanian age

|^^^| Outcrops of limestones of Mississippian age

[ | Area probably underlain by rocks of Mississippian a£e 

B Deep borings into probable Carboniferous rocks 

x Deep borings in which Cretaceous appears to lie 

directly on pre - Cambrian

ORDOVICIAN AND CAMBRIAN

|mm Ordovician outcrops

I I Area probably underlain by Ordovician

I I rocks (inosttyhypothcticaL)

|m CBmbrian (middle and upper) outcrops

\_'f l!'^ \ 'j| Area probably- underlain by Cambrian rocks

I^HI Pre-Cambrian rocks

MAPS SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF PRINCIPAL FORMATIONS OF THE CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS, BY N. H. BARTON

JULIUS BIEN&CO.LITH.N-1

50 100 Scale 

19O4

5,00
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. LVIII

106' 103° 1O2°

.; -"^s^sttjs^^

101° 1OO° 99" 98° 97*

^j^y \ .j j

'< *- ,s , \,' w '-v^sj^-jvr1/'^ / - 7 ir-' -[-: <;H0J3K^Ev''JkW1*,-fer ::;7p^;

- i "y-^^-^-^ , .-tin*; "' "

hfWW I llfm'Ha'/'^^ "°|iSS1^f -^> ^^^Si'^lfe^ t:^^^^^"^'

5i?if^^^^4^«

42°

'

I, Oark V__ .^T-^^i-1-: 

^,3/ARKY / °°\\! I

iT^gr-^am.' __^Z| 

^fViMvF^I ^W^p .<fctrfM^fiHT?7;-"

EX PLAN ATION

'

Area in whichDakota sandstone 

lies belo^vsea level I FR018TIE R

Outcrop of Dakota-Lakota 

sandstones

 2\L^"^' lMar*at< Area 

sandstones 

inwhich Dakota-Lakota 

are absent SSth Wnterl' T K W

Altitude ofthetop of the Dakota sandstone 

above sealevel, interval 100 feel

- J ;, pujom,, ^u

iMcmttw -\ ->^;

|T>- | Hu^Sionj j !

Y! , , I ' !

PRELIMINARY MAF^ OF THE CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS SHOWING THE STRUCTURE OF THE DAKOTA SANDSTONE

BY N. H.DxVRTOM

1904

Scale

4O 60 80 1OO 120 140 miles

Black contours fuar 1OOO fed interyal, broken louts
U S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSfONAL PAPER N0.32 PL.LIX

\ /; \ sr^""^3 a&d-M NpApKW ,\3 ^W ^"T" 

<**. Jf -^. i

'__\- V-)

, \ <~'^JR< la.&* \^®{

"CLAHKJLX

VV J ' \ '« V\ \ '

)\ T^'H^^^ »C%,k

^k?\-\. \ \ r--\-> >i

K^O >'X>°-^tiVcF i^x:

/^JMww IS ^

SE^GW^CK;] -

_/7 -, lu-^tJran

^T^-llr? H/r^SP;r V I ^^^N0^^

n u;

'-*?fcH-.

JULlUS BtEN 4CO.UTHN.V.

PRELIMINARY MAP OF THE CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS SHOWING ALTITUDE OF HEAD OFWATER IN DAKOTAAND ASSOCIATED SANDSTONES

Figures in blue indicate altitude of head at wells 

(itimost casescalculatedfromobservedpressure)

-Artesian head

(contour lines show approximate altitude above sealevel 20 

to which the principal artesian waters may rise i t^*-1 *=

-Brokenlines indicate general approximation 

Intervals vary from 100 to 500 feet

BY N. H. DART ON 

19O4 

Scale

40 eo 80 LOO 120 140 miles

Areaunderlam by Dakota and 

associated sandstones

Blactc contours hfuv. 1OOO feet interval, broken, lines ly
U.S.GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

PROFtSSIONAL PAPER NO 32 PL LXIX

ffT^^'j^^^if^^ji »!' T^J ^A :?V3>*Ty-'vL r ' \Hl V^Cfp-f-

-=» ' '' \ ^£fc^^^ MliT!f-8 

=3 \ i )H» . IFV*^

: .,RE s EfiVATiej

_J__X-£r:v=:-:y= '6 ^- \-^^ ,

^>mm m\^Mv^

^^w5?^ i^i

C r Tv..« r \\ -- -iic

i* rvt^^HBfr1 -- "^7tid »

lllfi^lKsfeSi*^ 

xi^^lr ' ^-!tn£ ¥ ^\-f-4^d^^5^r' ,.,,_ ^^^

'. -- u I o^J-*^ ip

'- I* ! >^ ^*»*tff^r

 r:"^r.\ ."--r y "-y;v7\-_\ \J|T» 

& ^.

3^^W3;

 -- _^ Ji ^-_- /f ^>/ y -^.i*' -L_ ^?«rrBr*-'-*±/ / *4_ 

V - - 

\\ ^H

' muirap '£f/*r,

^H^?W^ ' I 

i^jJ'AYWV -^x ' 

*r-fV//M\ 'j 'C> Sf^5r^

p^^.^a-i'S-^^V WSM? ^Xjtj^V'/V^^HfcV

^Fu'./fTf bXJ _ ^--Sl^: VA M-

^-^WAP i s q^ j^TbNii 7" ^^;,yBwa -^-^vt

jHsli SisP ^*c^_J_.^^J^^M4>fw ^ M%E£^T^ r"|n ,.-4Jfj

PR K LI M1NARY MAP

SHOWING

PRESENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE

RELATING TO

UXDE R GR 0 UNO WATER S

IN THE

M\C \R-il; E R S

CENTRAL GREAT PLAI N S

BY

N.H.DARTON 

1904

S c al e i,267,2oo

20 15 10 5 O___________ 2O

Contour inter\-al 25O feel up to 6OOO feet.above which it is 5OO feel 

ri. if mnein sffi level

___ ^ ___ __' I Yik I n \

Topography compiled from U. S. Geological Survey maps and other 

sources, with many new data based mainly on barometer readings 

Broken lines indicate approximate contours

i& 'L^ J_-4^4--^ 

^. .,t^?"A"T&iiiffl^v<. !v A.

10RE\ S^lM^iJ

EXPLANATION

Depths to Dakota sandstone m^_r

0 to 500 feel m «

500 to 1000

1000 to 1500

1500 to 2000

2000 to 25OO

J 2500 to 300O (or more)

,

-rv/^

(Artesian water occurs aTvarious depflisinDakotaandunderljin sandstones!

Dakota and associated sandstones 

at or near the surface

Region of artesian flpwfrom Dakota, 

Bentoii, and Laramie sandstones 

Doubtful areas indicated by broken lines 

(f low exhausted about "Denver and La Junta 1

Laramie and allied formations,comprising sandstones 

with local water supplies (depths (o Dakota 

sandstone 2000 to 3500 feet or more)

RedBeds" (and overlying shales)

O^S^W:IA^

Paleozoic limestones and sandstones 

with local water supplies

Dakota sandstone absent andBentoii Niobrara 

beds lie on crystalline rocks

-vL,^

^J fmHisoH"^'^ ^ lytias

Crystalline rocks: Granite, quartzite.etc

Reion so heavily covered by Tertiary 

eposits that "relations of the older 

formations have not been determined

o Viewing \vells from Dakota sandstone 

Flowing \vells from Benton sandstone

Plowing wells from Laramie and associated formations 

Flowing wells from rocks of Carboniferous age

^ deep wells inDakota sandstone

z Unsuccessful deep borings which failed to reach Dakota sandstone 

= Nonflowing deepwells in formations younger than Dakota.sandstone 

Nonflowing deep wells in rocks older than Dakota sandstone 

x Unsuccessful deep borings into Dakota sandstone 

o Unsuccessful deep borings in rocks older than Dakota sandstone

Water of very bad quality 

S Salt wells

Where there are several wells at a locality

representative or deepest ones are given 

_____ Boundary lines very uncertain

2665 Figures in red indicate depths of -wells

! i"^-->

JULIUS BIEN» CO.LITH.N.Y.
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER NO. 32 PL. LXX

^AV^-M-'i

_1_L _V 

^A^M"~y^*&.v&£

_^_-f±-^

Cod measures of Laramie 

Formation '

Coal deposits in Lakota sandstone

'RedBeds"containing gypsum 

i

Permian shales with srattered 

deposits of gypsum

F R O V TIER, Niobraradiaik rock and limestone 

ingreaterpart suitable (orcement

Limestouesiotherthan Mobrorai

Lower beds oHVIiite River group 

txmsistinginparl of fullerb earth

Beloii 

dTGHElJL 1^%- -

Sioux quartzite

Area underlain by salt deposits

Salt marshes 

1 Iron ore 

6 Goldmines

Copper mines

Tin mines

Coal mines 

o Oil wells 

 _ Oil springs

a Deepborin^s.Xo oil,§as,orfltrw 

S Saltworks 

c Cement -works

Gypsum mines

Volcanic ash deposits

Bentonite mines

rfioxiSri Stone quarries (large)

p Rpe stone

N Sulphate of soda

1300 Depths of borings

PRELIMINARY MAP OF THE CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS SHOWING THE ECONOMIC GEOLOGY

BY N. H.DA"RTO7« 

19O4 

Scale

40 6O 80 120 140 miles

haye IOOO fast, interval, broken fates tiypotlusUcaL