... 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Hubert Work, Secretary 

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

George Otis Smith, Director 

Professional Paper 150 

SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS' TO 

GENERAL GEOLOGY 

1927 

'N. c. MENDENfIALL, CHIEF GEOLOGIST 

UNITED STATES 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

WASHINGTON 

1928 
II 

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CONTENTS 

[The letters In parentheses preceding the titles are those used to designate the papers for advance publication) 

(A) Cephalopods from the lower part of the Cody shale 

of Oregon Basin, Wyo., by J. B. Reeside, jr. (pub- lished Oct. 6,1927) _________________________ _ 

(B) The scaphites, an Upper Cretaceous ammonite group, 

by J. B. Reeside, jr. (published Oct. 8, 1927)_ 

(C) A section of the J<aibab limestone in Kaibab Gulch, 

. Utah, by L. F. Noble (published Jan. 14, 1928) __ 

(D) Sedimentary rocks of the San Rafael Swell and some 

adjacent areas in eastern Utah, by James Gilluly 

and J. B. Reeside, jr. (published February 15, 1928) 

Page 

1 

21 

41 

61 

Page 

(E) The Pocono fauna of the Broad Top coal field, Pa., 

by G. H. Girty (published February 17,1928)___ 111 

(F) Notes on Pleistocene faunas from Maryland and 

Virginia and Pliocene and Pleistocene faunas from 

North Carolina, by W. C. l\1:ansfield (published 

February 20,1928)___________________________ 129 

Index____________________________________________ 141 

ILLUSTRATIONS 

PLATES 1-8. Cephalopods from the lower part of the 

Cody shale ________________________ _ 

9-11. Figures illustrating the genera of the 

scaphites __________________________ _ 

12. Columnar section of the Kaibab limestone in 

I<aibab Gulch, UtaIL _________________ _ 

13. A, Kaibab Gulch, Utah, looking westward up 

the gulch from a point near the mouth; B, 

Contact between Moenkopi formation and 

Kaibab limestone at the mouth of Kaibab 

Gulch; C, Contact between Kaibab limestone and Hermit shale in Kaibab Gulch_ 

14. A, B, Unconformity between Hermit shale 

and Supai formation in canyon of lower 

Kaibab Creek near Jumpup Canyon, Utah; 

C, Canyon of lower Kaibab Creek, Utah __ 

15. Generalized columnar sections of the Jurassic 

and Jurassic (?) rocks of southeastern U talL 

16. A, View looking northwest from point near 

head of Black Box of San Rafael River, 

San Rafael Swell, Utah;' B, View looking 

south from the reef at mouth of Buckhorn 

Wash, San Rafael Swell; C, View looking 

northeast fromnlouth of Red Canyon, San 

Rafael SwelL ________________________ _ 

17. A, Unconformity, channel in Chinle shale 

filled by sandstone of the Wingate sandstone; B, Wingate sandstone, resting on 

Chinle formation near Courthouse mail station on Thompsons-Moab Road, Utah; C, 

Typical outcrop of Todilto (?) formation 

near head of Spring Canyon, northern part 

of San Rafael Swell, Utah_- ___________ _ 

18. A, Cliff of Navajo sandstone, capped by 

basal limestone beds of the Carmel formation, on Salt Wash, San Rafael Swell; B, 

View taken 2 miles south of San RafaelGreen River junction, Utah; C, Nearer 

view of cliff shown in B _______________ _ 

Page 

PLATE 

11 

37 

46 

46 

46 

74 

74 

19. A, View near Courthouse mail station, 

Thompsons-Moab Road, Utah; B, View 

on Muddy River, at the mouth of Salt 

Gulch, west flank of San Rafael Swell, 

Utah; C, The Red Ledge, between Buckhorn Flat and San Rafael River, west flank 

Page 

of San Rafael Swe11____________________ 74 

20. A, Cliff at mouth of Horn Silver Gulch, 

west flank of San Rafael Swell, Utah; B, 

Rounded concretionary masses in sandstone of the Curtis formation, near Drunk 

Man's Point, western part of San Rafael 

Swell; 0, Unconformity between Summerville formation and Morrison formation, 

Cottonwood Springs Wash, northeastern 

part of San Rafael SwelL______________ 74 

21. A, Butte of Summerville formation, Woodside anticline, northeastern part of San 

Rafael Swell, Utah; B, Variegated clay 

and sandstone of the Morrison formation, 

Buckhorn Flat, western part of San Rafael 

Swell; C, Salt Wash sandstone member 

of Morrison formation unconformably 

overlying the Summerville formation, 

Woodside anticline, northeastern part of 

San Rafael SwelL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 74 

22, 23. Fossils from the Pocono formation of the 

Broad Top coal field Pennsylvania________ 125 

24. Wailes Bluff, St. Marys County, Md______ 140 

25. Langleys Bluff, St. Marys County, Md____ 140 

74 FIGURE 1. Index map of parts of Utah and Arizona~ _ _ _ 42 

74 

INSERT 

2. Index map of Utah, showing locations of 

numbered stratigraphic sections_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 61 

3. Detailed columnar sections of Pliocene and 

Pleistocene strata along Neuse River, N. C_ _ __ __ __ _ ___ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ __ ___ 136 

Page General section of rock formations in the San Rafael Swell, Utah __________________________________________________ 62 

III 
SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

CEPHALOPODS FROM THE LO"VER PART OF THE CODY SHALE OF 

OREGON BASIN, "VYOMING 

By JOHN B. REESIDE, Jr. . 

INTRODUCTION 

It is the purpose of this paper to record the cephalopods contained in a collection of invertebrate fossils 

from the lower part of the Cody shale in Oregon 

Basin, Wyo., a topographic subdivision of the western 

part of the great synclinal area known generally as 

the Big Horn Basin. The collection was nlade by 

Edwin Binney, jr., during the course of a study of 

the oil and gas resources of this area and comes 

from secs. 6,' 19, 31, and 33, T. 51 N., R. 100 W. 

The stratigraphic position is in a zone froln 720 to 

820 feet above the sandstone that forms the uppermost menlber of the Frontier formation as it is recognized in the region. Collections Inade fronl the Cody 

shale 200 feet above this sandstone and in the sandstone itself show that a closely related fauna extends 

down to that horizon. 

The stratigraphic section in Oregon Basin is described in a published paper by Hewett 1 and in a 

nlanuscript by Binney.2 The Cretaceous rocks include 

at the base the Cloverly formation, followed in succession by the Thermopolis shale, 110wry shale, 

Frontier forlnation, Cody shale, 11esaverde formation, and 11eeteetse fonnation. Above the 11eeteetse lies the Lance formation, assigned with doubt 

to the Tertiary; then, unconformably, the Fort Union 

formation, of Eocene age. 

The Cody shale is 2,200 to 2,500 feet thick in 

Oregon Basin. In the upper 350 feet a fauna of 

Eagle Oower Campanian) age was collected near 

Shoshone River by Hewett, including such species as 

Inoce?'amu8 Zobatus Goldfuss, Scaphites hippocrepis 

(De Kay), and Scaphites aquiZaensis Reeside. A middle zone 1,200 to 1,400 feet thick has not yielded diagnostic fossils. The lower part contains the fauna 

listed in this paper. 

111'. W. O. Ifazard nlade the photographs of the 

specimens shown in the plates, and 11iss Frances 

Wieser retouched the figures and assembled the plates. 

I Howett, ]). F., Goology and oil and coal resources of tho Oregon Basin, IVleeteetse, 

oud Grass Creek TImlin quadrangles, Wyoming: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 

145,1920. 

I Blnnoy, Edwin, Jr., dissertation presented to tho faculty of Yale University 

in condldnoy for tho degreo of Doctor of Philosophy, 1925. 

THE FAUNA AND ITS RELATIONS 

The fossils collected by Mr. Binney from the zone 

720 to 820 feet above the upper sandstone of the 

Frontier formation 'constitute a fairly varied fauna, 

though many of the species are yet undescribed. 

The complete Ijst is as follows: 

Vermes: 

Serpula sp~ 

Pelecypoda: 

Inoceramus umbonatus Meek and Hayden. 

exogyroides Meek and Hayden. 

aff. I. acutiplicatus Stanton. 

sp. undescribed aff. I. barabini Morton .. 

Pteria gastrodes Meek. 

Ostrea sp. 

Modiola sp. undescribed aff. IV1. meeki Evans and Shumard. 

Pholadomya papyracea Meek and Hayden. 

Crassatellites sp. undescribed. 

Corbula nematophora Meek. 

Gastropoda: 

Gyrodes conradi Meek. 

Turritella sp. undescribed aff. T. whitei Stanton. 

Anchura sp. 

Fusus sp. (sp. undescribed?). 

Fasciolaria sp. undescribed. 

Volutoderma, probably several undescribed species related to V. dalli and V. ambigua Stanton. 

Cinulia sp. undescribed aff. C. concinna Hall and :Meek. 

Anisomyon sp. undescribed. 

Cephalopoda: 

Eutrephoceras sp. 

Phlycticrioceras oregonense Reeside, n. sp. 

Baculites asper Morton. 

codyensis Reeside, n. sp. 

sp. 

Binneyites parkensis Reeside, n. gen. and sp. 

Scaphites ventricosus Meek and Hayden. 

ventricosus val'. stantoni Reeside, n. val'. 

ventricosus val'. depressus Reeside, n. val'. 

ventricosus var. oregonensis Reeside, n. val'. 

ventricosus val'. interjectus Reeside, n. val'. 

venniformis Meek and Hayden. 

vermiformis val'. binneyi Reeside, n. val'. 

Placenticeras pseudoplacenta Hyatt. 

Mortoniceras shoshonense Meek. 

shoshonense val'. crassum Reeside, n. val'. 

Crustacea: 

Balanid barnacle, young form? 

1 
2 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

At 200 feet above the upper sandstone of the 

Frontier formation in the NE. ~ SE. ~ sec. 32, T. 

52 N., R. 100 W., a rudistid much like" Radiolites" 

(Durania?) austinensis Roemer was collected by Mr. 

Binney, and near the top of the Frontier formation 

as interpreted by him, in sec. 32, T. 51 N., R. 100 W., 

he found Inoceramus dejormis Meek, Inoceramus aff. 

I. acutiplicatus Stanton, and Pinna aft P. la7cesi 

White. 

The association of species shown in these collections 

from the lower part of the Cody shale and the upper 

sandstone of the Frontier formation identifies a faunal 

zone that occurs in .the Niobrara formation of the 

Great Plains and contiguous areas; in the middle of 

the Mancos shale of New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona, 

and in the upper part of the Colorado formation of 

Montana. Such species as Inoceramus umbonatus, 

I. exogyroides, 1. dejormis, Scaphites ventricosus, and 

S. vermiformis are among the most useful guide 

fossils for this particular faunal zone in the Cretaceous 

of the Interior Province. The fossils also show that 

the Frontier formation as identified in the Big Horn 

Basin includes younger rocks than are included in the 

typical Frontier of Lincoln County, Wyo., where the 

entire formation is pre-Niobrara and probably preCarlile in age. 

Some of the species in the present collections are 

notable in 'that they support strongly the correlation 

usually made of the Niobrara formation and its 

faunal equivalents in North America with the European Coniacian (Emscherian). The coiled Inoceramus 

umbonatus Meek and Hayden and I. exogyroides 

11eek and Hayden are very close allies of I. involutus 

Sowerby. Phlycticrioceras oregonense is very close to 

Phlycticrioceras ("Ancyloceras?") douvillei Grossouvre. 

Mortoniceras shoshonense Meek is close to M. bour-. 

geoisi D'Orbigny. 

The cephalopods described in this paper include, 

as the list above shows, representatives of 7 genera, 

under which are placed 10 species and 6 varieties. 

One genus is new, Binneyites. The species of Scaphites have not been minutely described before and 

have been in need of amplified treatment. Mortonic eras shoshonense has been recorded only by 

Meek's original description and figure but is here 

described and figured in detail from Mr. Binney's 

material and other specimens from near-by localities. 

SYSTEMATIC DESCRIPTIONS OF THE CEPHALOPODS 

Family NAUTILIDAE Owen 

Genus' EUTREPHOCERAS Hyatt 

Eutrephoceras includes nautiloids with subglobose, 

involute shells; whorl nephritic in cross section 

throughout life, changing but little; umbilicus closed; 

siphuncle generally dorsad of the center of the whorl. 

Shells usually smooth except for fine .longitudinal 

lines on the venter and growth lines parallel to the 

aperture. Sutures nearly straight, having shallow 

elements-ventral lobe, broad ventrolateral saddle, 

lateral lobe, second lateral saddle, umbilical lobe, and 

a broad, obtusely pointed dorsal lobe. 

Species of this genus are not very sharply differentiated, especially in the sort of material usually 

available-broken internal casts. There is, however, 

a consistency in the form of the cross section of the 

whorl and the maximum size attained that permits. 

a separation into specific groups that are limited in 

geographic distribution and in stratigraphic range. 

Eutrephoc eras sp. 

Plate 1, Figures 1-4 

A single small but well-preserved septate internal 

cast is the only representative of the genus in the 

collection. 

Shell stout, well rounded; maximum size unknown. 

Stages up to 10 or 12 millimeters in diameter globose; 

succeeding stages to a diameter of 30 millimeters, 

somewhat higher but still stout. The proportions of 

height to width of the cross section of the whorl are 

as 4 to 5. 

Surface of shell unknown. Sutures as in the generic 

description. 

This small specimen, although insufficient as a basis 

for the founding of a new species, seems to be different 

from 'species now known in the Interior Province. 

From E. de7cayi (Morton) of Meek,3 which occurs in 

the upper part of the Pierre shale, it differs in proportions, the ratio of height to width of the cross 

section of the whorl of E. de7cayi being 3 to 4; from 

E. alcesense Reeside,4 of the Eagle sandstone, it differs 

also in the proportions of the whorl, the ratio of 

height to width of the cross section in E. alcesense 

being 6 to 7. 

Occurrence: Cody shale, about 800 feet above base, 

in sec. 6, T. 51 N., R. 100 W., Wyo. 

Family LYTOCERATIDAE Neumayr 

Subfamily MACROSCAPHITINAE Hyatt 

Genus PHLYCTICRIOCERAS Spath 

This genus was proposed by Spath5 for the reception 

of a group of aberrant ammonites. The specimens 

figured in the literature and those available to the 

writer leave some important features of the genus in 

doubt, but the characters shown indicate such differences as to deserve separation from other members of 

the family. Spath, indeed, proposes to make the 

genus the basis for a new family, Phlycticrioceratidae. 

3 Meek, F. B., Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils of the upper Missouri 

country: U. S. Geol. Survey Terr. Rept., vol. 9, PP: 496-498, pI. 27, figs. l, 2, 1876. 

4 Reeside, J. B., jr., The cephalopods of the Eagle sandstone and related formations in the Western Interior oC the United States: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 

151, p. 7, pI. 1; pI. 2; p1. 3, figs. 1-5; pI. 5, figs. 1, 2, 1927, 

~ Spath, L. F., On new ammonites from the English chalk: Geol. Mag., vol. 63, 

p. 80, 1926. 
CEPHALOFODS FROM LOV,TER PART OF CODY SHALE OF OREGON BASIN, WYO. 3 

Spath, in his definition, Inerely cites AncyZoceras 

douviZZei Grossouvre as the genotype and notes the 

"median crest" as the distinguishing feature. The 

genus nlay be defined more fully as follows: 

Shell elongated, tubular, apparently lying in a 

single plane with whorls widely separated; coiling 

irregular, parts of shell nearly straight, parts much 

curved. It is not yet known whether the coiling is 

like that of Hamites or like that of AncyZoceras. 

Ribs sinlple and bearing on the siphonal line a high, 

sharp tubercle and on each ventrolateral shoulder a 

lower, rounded tubercle; constrictions at intervals 

bordered by ribs larger than the other ribs. Suture 

has two lateral lobes, deeply bifid, and three lateral 

saddles, also bifid, on each side between the siphonal 

and antisiphonal lobes. 

This genus is related to Hamites Parkinson in suture 

and form of the shell, so far as may be inferred from 

material in hand, but differs in the possession of the 

median-ventral nodes. The shell might well have the 

fornl of AncyZoceras D'Orbigny but differs very sharply 

in suture, for it has bifid instead of trifid lobes; and 

it differs fronl HeZicoceras D'Orbigny in having the 

coil in a plane instead of a helicoid. 

AncyZoceras? douviZZei Grossouvre,6 the genotype, 

fronl the uppermost Coniacian; probably Hamites cf. 

H. angustus Dixon of Schli.iter,1 which Grossouvre 

believed to be identical with his species; possibly 

Hamites trinodosus Geinitz 8 from ICieslingswald; 

and the species described below complete the list of 

known or possible members of the genus. 

Phlycticrioceras oregonense Reeside, D. sp. 

Plate 1, Figures 5-18 

This species is based on nine specimens from five 

localities, one in Oregon Basin, four elsewhere. The 

three specimens fronl Oregon Basin are figured, and 

the best characterized is taken as the type. The 

whorl has a high pentagonal cross section with flanks 

and inner side flattened. Ventrolateral shoulders 

angular, dorsolateral shoulders rounded. The proportions of 'the height to width of the cross section are 

about as 3 to 2. Septate and unseptate fragments 

have the saIne form. Aperture unlmown. 

Sculpture of relatively low, straight, simple ribs, 

which pass entirely around the shell, inclined somewhat posteriorly as they pass outward on the whorl, 

weak or nearly obsolete on the inner (dorsal) side, 

strongest on the outer (ventral) side. The ribs are 

broadly rounded and about equal in width to the 

concave interspaces. On the ventrolateral shoulders 

o Do Orossouvro, ~\lbol't, Los ammonites do la craie sup~rieure, p. 254, pl. 35, 

fig. s; text figs. 88, 80, 1804. 

7 Scblittor, Clomens, Copholopodon der oberen deutschen Kreide, p. 106, pI. 32, 

figs. 0, 7, 1871. 

8 Oeinitz, H. B., Dos Quadorsandsteingebirge, pl. 3, fig. 4, 1850. 

they rise into a low, sharp circular tubercle and on the 

siphonal line into a high tubercle, slightly elongated 

parallel to the siphon. Each fifth or sL'.:th interspace 

deepened to make a definite constriction, with the 

bordering ribs somewhat elevated above the other ribs. 

This species is very close to the genotype, which 

seems to be more compressed and to have the constrictions at greater intervals-differences which may 

prove not to be of great significance when larger collections are available. No recorded American species 

are liable to confusion with it, for none have the median 

row of nodes. Of American species referred to 

Ancyloceras, as was P. douviZZei, Ancyloceras jenneyi 

Whitfield,9 which Hyatt 10 assigns to his genus ExiteZoceras but which is probably a species of Neancycloceras 

Spath, has a suture similar to that of P. oregonensis in 

its bifid lobes and saddles, is similar in costation, and 

is coiled in a single plane but bears only two rows of 

nodes. AncyZoceras tricostatum Whitfield ,11 is very 

different and belongs to Didymoceras or Nostoceras 

Hyatt.12 AncyZoceras? uncum Meek and Hayden 13 is 

also very different and is assigned by Hyatt 14 to 

ExiteZoceras. 

The specific name is derived from Oregon Basin, 

Wyo., from which the type came. 

Occurrence: Cody shale 800 feet above Frontier 

formation, sec. 6, T. 51 N., R. 100 W., in Oregon 

Basin, Wyo.; Cody shale 350 feet above base, sec. 24, 

T. 58 N., R. 97 W., near Frannie, Wyo., and sec. 22, 

T. 7 S., R. 23 E., 5 miles southeast of Bridger, Mont.; 

lower middle IvIancos shale, NE. 7.;( sec. 4, T. 19 S., 

R. 14 E., and 1 mile east of Desert station, Emery 

County, Utah. 

Genus BACULITES Lamarck 

BacuZites ineludes ammonites with a minute, 

closely coiled initial stage, which passes quicldy into 

a straight, staff-like stage maintained' throughout 

the remainder of the shell and increasing slowly in 

diameter with age. The usual specimens available 

are fragments of this staff-like, gently tapering part. 

Cross section of whorl sub triangular, oval, or subcircular. Living chamber large; aperture with long, 

straight rounded extension on the siphonal side and 

lateral sinus. Surface smooth, or with low rounded 

ribs parallel to the aperture, or with nodes on the 

flanks. Suture with SL'.: saddles and six lobes, bifid 

except for the antisiphonallobe. 

9 Whitfield, R. P., Paleontology of the Black Hills, in Newton, Henry, and 

Jenney, W. P., Report on geology and resources of the Black Hills of Dakota, p. 452, 

pI. 16, figs. 7-9, U. S. Oeog. and Oeol. Survey Rocky Mtn. Region, 1880. 

10 Hyatt, ~\lpheus, Phylogeny of an acquired characteristic: Am. Philos. Soc. 

Proc., vol. 32, p. 577, 1894. 

11 Whitfield, R. P., op. cit., p. 45, pI. 15, figs. 7, 8. 

11 Hyatt, Alpbeus, op. cit., p. 574. 

13 Meek, F. B., Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils of the upper Missouri 

country: U. S. Oeol. Survey Terr. Rept., vol. 9, p. 409, pI. 21, figs. la, 1b, 1876. 

" Hyatt, Alpheus, op. cit., p. 577, 1894. 
4 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Baculites asper Morton 

Plate 1, Figures 19-24; Plate 2, Figures 1-5 

1830. Baeulites asper Morton, Am. Jour. Sci., 1st ser., vol. 23, 

p. 291. 

1834. Baculites asper Morton, Synopsis of the organic remains 

of the Cretaceous group in the United States, p. 43, 

pI. 1, figs. 12, 13; pI. 13, fig. 2. 

[For complete synonymy see Reeside, J. B., jr., U. S. 

Geoi. Survey Prof. Paper 151, p. 13, 1927.] 

B. asper Morton includes small shells with broadly 

ovate cross section; distant, rounded nodes on the 

antisiphonal half of the flanks; and rather weak 

undulations on the siphonal side that have only faint 

connection with the rounded nodes. Suture relatively 

simple, with little-incised rounded elements. 

Various forms with other characters, such as 

arcuate nodes, tapered cross section and more or less 

acute siphonal margin, compressed cross section, and 

large size, do not properly belong to the species, though 

such forms have been assigned to it by several authors. 

The distribution is wide, and the range of the species, 

in the proper application of the name, appears to be 

through the late Colorado and early Montana horizons 

(Emscherian to lower Campanian), though there is 

smne uncertainty because of lax use of the nalne. 

The specinlens described in this paper are typical 

in every respect, and one of them is especially notable 

in preserving a complete living chamber. This is 

proportionately shorter than in several other species 

which the writer has seen but shows very well the 

siphonal and antisiphonal extensions of the aperture. 

Baculites codyensis Reeside, n. sp. 

Plate 2, Figures 6-19 

This species belongs to a group of baculites marked 

by the possession of relatively close-set strong arcuate 

nodes on the antisiphonal half of the flank. Members 

of the group are often designated B. anceps Lamarck 

in the literature, but inasmuch as other characters of 

specific value are ignored in this assignment and as 

B. anceps in its proper conception is probably limited 

to the Maestrichtian of Europe, new names are 

desirable. 

Shell small for the genus, the largest individuals 

reaching about 20 millimeters in diameter; taper comparatively rapid; cross section well rounded, ovate 

much as in B. asper. Surface shows numerous fairly 

prominent, arcuate node.s on the antisiphonal half of 

the shell, each of which corresponds to one or more illdefined inclined ribs on the siphonal margin. The 

nodes are distinct on the slnallest individual available 

for exalnination-5 millimeters in diameter. The 

suture shows relatively simple elements, rounded and 

little incised,with the anomalous feature that ·the 

saddle dividing the sjphonal lobe is itself divided by 

a single, pointed marginal lobe on the siphonalline. 

B. codyensis is much like B. asper Morton in form 

and size, but its close-set; arcuate nodes are quite 

unlike the distant rounded nodes of B. asper. There 

are individuals, however, which show a tendency 

toward the type of ornamentation shown by B. asper, 

and it is possible that large collections might include 

a series of intermediate forms connecting the two 

species. B. codyensis differs from B. aquiZaensis Reeside 15 in its smaller size and much stouter cross section. It is not, however, as stout as B. aquilaensis 

val'. obesus Reeside. 16 B. anceps val'. 'obtusus Meek,17 

of a late Montana horizon, has much heavier and more 

prominent ribs. 

Occurrence: Cody shale 800 feet above base, sec. 6, 

T. 5 N., R. 100 W., Wyo.; upper (Niobrara) part of 

Colorado formation, Cow Creek 13 miles above the 

lnouth, in the Judith region, Mont.; lniddle (Niobrara) 

part of Mancos shale near Desert station, Emery 

County, Utah. 

Baculites sp. 

A single speciInen (Yale Peabody ~1 useUln catalogue No. 6406) of a baculite larger than B. asper and 

B. codyensis is contained in the collection. It is much 

crushed, and details are not well preserved, so that 

it does not retain essential characters, but it seeIns to 

record the presence in the fauna of a baculite attain-

. ing a diameter of more than 30 lnillinleters. It was 

apparently snlooth or nearly smooth and had a 

deeply dissected suture. 

Another specimen (Yale Peabody Museum catalogue No. 6412), with a length of 18 millimeters and 

cross section measuring 8.5 by 5 millilnetel;s, is oval 

but more compressed than either B. aspeT or B. 

codyensis and shows no trace of nodes or ribs. It 

probably represents an' undescribed species, but the 

material in hand is not sufficient basis for a new nalne. 

The suture is like that of the two species nalned-of 

relatively simple, rounded, little-incised elements. 

Family BINNEYITIDAE Reeside, n. fam. 

Genus BINNEYITES Reeside, n. gen. 

A single nearly complete specinlen of a small ammonite from the SW. ~ NE. ~ sec. 6, T. 51 N., R. 100 "V., 

in Oregon Basin, in the Cody shale 775 feet above the 

base, and a smaller broken specimen fronl sec. 24, 

T. 58 N., R. 97 vV., near Frannie, in the Cody shale 

400 feet above the base, present such a conlbination 

of characters as to deserve separation as a new genus. 

The features shown include a much compressed discoid shell with subparallel flanks, truncated venter bor16 Reeside, J. B., jr., The cephalopods of the Eagle sandstone and related formations in the Western Interior of the United States: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 

151, p. 12, pI. 6, figs. 11-13; pI. 8, figs. 1-14, 1927. 

16 Idem, p. 12, pI. 10, figs. 1-18. 

17 Meek, F. B., Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils of the upper Missouri country: U. S. Geol. Survey Terr. Rept., vol. 9, p. 406, text figs. 57-eO, 1876. 
CEPHALOPODS FROM LOWER PART OF CODY SHALE OF OREGON BASIN, ·WYO. 5 

dered by sub angular shoulders, and very small umbilicus. Whorls with flanks smooth except for latest part 

of shell, which shows low falciform ribs; and with 

distant, elongated and inclined nodes on the ventrolateral shoulders. Suture with simple elements; 

ventral lobe small, first lateral saddle long and very 

narrow, sinlple; first lateral lobe broad, asymmetrically bifid; second lateral saddle broad, high, bifid; 

second lateral lobe long, narrow, asymmetrically bifid; 

other elements snlall, simple. 

The relations of this genus are difficult to determine. 

The writer has in hand several specinlens of a small 

undescribed ammonite of Turonian age that appears 

to be a species of Heterotissotia Peron. IS The external 

features are exceedingly close to those of Binneyites, 

but the sutures of the two forms have nothing in 

C0l1ll11on. Some of the Triassic genera, such as Oordil-· 

lerites/9 show some resenlblance to Binneyites, but it is 

probable that the similarities are purely superficial. 

In tills respect the genus resembles the Cenomanian 

Flic7cia Pervinquiere,2° which finds its closest analogues in the Triassic. For the present the writer 

proposes to set Binneyites apart in a separate family, 

though it may be possible in the future to connect 

this genus with other groups. 

The genus is named for Edwin Binney, jr., who made 

the collection containing the genotype. 

Binneyites parkensis Reeside, n. sp. 

Pl~te 3, Figures 1-10 

Adult shell much compressed, involute, discoid; 

flanks flat, subparallel; venter truncate, very gently 

a.rched. Earliest whorls seen, at diameter of 2 

I1lillimeters, stout, well rounded; half a whorl later, at 

a dianleter of 3 millimeters, the flanks are flattened 

and the shell is a stout disk; about half a whorl later, 

at a dialneter of 5 lllillillleters, the whorl is still more 

cOlllpressed and llluch like the later whorls except that 

the venter is well rounded and not distinctly truncate. 

At a dimneter of about 10 millimeters the venter is 

bordered by subangular shoulders, which continue to 

the end of the shell. The proportions of the whorl 

are shown in the cross section of the type, Plate 3, 

Figure 4. The living chamber occupies more than 

five-eighths of the last whorl but probably very little 

11101'e; it is slightly scaphitoid. Aperture not preserved, but the latest growth lines suggest that it is 

sigmoid, with probably a short ventral lappet. Umbilicus very small with abrupt subangular shoulder 

and perpendicular inner wall. 

v\T}lOrlS have smooth flap.ks from a diameter of 2 to 

15 nllllillleters. Fronl 15~ to 26 millinleters, the last 

18 Peron, M., Les ammonites du crOtacO sup6rieur de l'AlgOrie: Soc. gOol. France 

MOm. 17, p. 81, 1896. 

10 llyatt, Alpheus, and Smith, J. P., The Triassic cephalopod genera of America: 

U. S. Oeol. Survey Prof. Paper 40, p. 110, pI. 2, figs. 1-3, 1905. 

!O Pervinquiore, J.,Oon, Etudes de palOontologie tuuisienne, pt. 1, COphalopodes 

des terruius secoudaires, I>. 212, 1907. 

stage preserved, constituting mostly the unseptate 

part of the shell, low irregular ribs pass radially 

from the umbilicus to the middle of the flank, then 

curve gently forward, backward, and finally forward 

to the border of the venter, making a shallow sigmoid curve. On the margins of the venter low indistinct nodal swellings appear at a diameter of about 

2.5 millimeters. These quickly become low elongated 

nodes, with the longer axis inclined forward at an angle 

of about 30° to the plane of coiling of the shell, and 

are present on all the stages seen. There are seven 

of these nodes on the first half of the last whorl and 

twelve on the latter half, each corresponding to a rib 

on the flank; they are more closely spaced toward the· 

end of the shell. On the venter obscure ribs arched 

gently forward connect the nodes. 

The adult suture shows a simple ventral lope; a 

very narrow, simple first lateral saddle, in width about 

half that of the ventral lobe; a broad, somewhat asymmetrical and simple, bifid first lateral lobe in width 172 

times that of the ventral lobe and of equal length; a 

high, bifid second lateral saddle about as broad as the 

first lateral lobe and with several snlall marginal lobes; 

a long, narrow second lateral lobe, asymmetrically 

bifid, about three-fourths the width of the ventral lobe 

and considerably longer; remaining elenlents of the 

suture snlall and in a nearly straight line inclined to 

the radius. The suture at a dianleter of 2.5 millimeters shows the ventral lobe large; the first lateral saddle about as large as the first lateral lobe and both 

smaller than the ventral lobe; the second lateral saddle and lobe not conspicuous. At a diameter of 4.5 

millimeters the features of the suture have approached 

somewhat those of the adult, though the first lateral 

lobe is about equal in size to the ventral lobe, and the 

second lateral lobe is small. At a diameter of 9 millillleters the suture is very nluch like that of later stages 

except that the first lateral saddle is a bit wider proportionately. 

The specific name is derived from Park County, 

Wyo., in which the type locality' occurs. 

Family COSMOCERATIDAE Zittel 

Subfamily SCAPHITINAE Meek 

Genus SCAPHITES Parkinson 

Scaphites has been used in a broad sense by many 

students and made to include several rather different 

groups of forms. Some of these were separated as 

subgenera or sections long ago. Nowak 21 in recent 

years has again called attention to the separateness of 

some of the groups and proposed new names In its 

stricter sense Scaphites includes only the closerela., 

tives of S. aequalis Sowerby, the genotype. The am .. 

21 Nowak, Jan, Untersuchungen fiber die Cephalopoden der oberen Kreide in 

Polen, pt. 2, Die Skaphiten: Acad. sci. Cracovie Bull. internat., annOc 1911, sOr. TI, 

pp. 547-588, 1912; Zur Bedeutung von Scaphites Hir die Gliederung der Oberkrei::l.e: 

K.-k. geol. Reichsanstalt Verh., Jahrgang 1915, No.3, pp. ~6-57, 1!:16. 
6 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GE'NERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

nlonites of this genus have the characteristic fornl-a 

normal coil of septate whorls and the last living chamber partly unrolled; whorls stout, umbilicus small, 

sculpture of straight ribs beginning in the umbilicus 

and passing with increasing height to the margin of 

the venter, where they split into two or more ventral 

ribs; there are also intercalated ventral ribs, and there 

may be definite nodes at the ventrolateral ends of the 

primary ribs; the suture consists of moderately incised 

elements, decreasing gradually in size from the median 

plane to the line of in vol u tion; lobes trifid in the earliest stages but usually bifid in the adult. Nowak 

called this group Holcoscaphites, but Parkinson's name 

should be retained in a restricted sense. 

The writer has in another paper 22 reviewed the 

scaphites as a group, and to that paper the reader is 

referred for an extended statement. 

Scaphites ventricos1Js Meek and Hayden 

Plate 3, Figures 11-18; Plate 4, Figures 1-4 

1862. Scaphites ventricosus Meek and Hayden, Acad. Nat. Sci. 

Philadelphia Proc., vol. 14, p. 22. 

1876. Scaphites ventrico8us Meek and Hayden. Meek, U. S. 

Geol. Survey Terr. Rept., vol. 9, p. 425, pI. 6, figs. 

7,8. 

1894. Scaphites ventricosus (part) Meek and Hayden. Stanton, 

U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 106, p. 186, pI. 44, figs. 8-9; 

pI. 45, fig. 1 [not pI. 44, fig. 10]. 

1898. Scaphites ventricosu8 (part) Meek and Hayden. Logan, 

Kansas Univ. Geol. Survey, vol. 4, p. 476, pI. 104, 

figs. 8, 9; pI. 105, fig. 1 [not pI. 104, fig. 10]. 

1899. Scaphites ventricostts Meek and Hayden. Stanton, 

U. S. Geol. Survey Mon. 32, p. 636. 

1903. Scaphites ventricosus Meek and Hayden. Douglass, 

Carnegie Mus. Annals, vol. 2, No.1, p. 8. 

Meek's description is as follows: 

Shell attaining a medium or larger size, oval, ventricose, 

broadly rounded over the periphery; inner turns closely involute, deeply embracing, and composing a large portion of 

the entire bulk; deflected portion very short; umbilicus very 

small and deep; aperture transversely sublunate or reniform, 

being deeply sinuous and but slightly disconnected from the 

inner turns on the inner side; surface or.namented with costae 

that pass nearly straight over the periphery, where they are of 

uniform size, excepting their gradual enlargement with the 

volutions, while on the . sides of the last or outer volution, 

about every fifth or sixth one is larger and more prominent 

than the intermediate ones, which latter do not extend inward 

to the umbilical margin. 

The septa, as made out from the specimen represented by 

our figures 8, a, b (which is believed to be the inner volutions 

of this species, as represented by figures 7, a, b), are provided 

with deeply divided lobes and sinuses. Siphonal lobe longer 

than wide and bearing on each side of its very slender body 

three branches, the two terminal of which are slightly larger 

than the succeeding lateral ones, and each unequally bifid and 

digitate; first lateral sinus as large as the siphonal lobe, very 

narrow at its base, and profoundly divided at its extremity 

into two unequal branches, -of which. the one on the siphonal 

side is larger than the other, and, like the letter, deeply bifid, 

with sinuous and obtusely digitate margins; first lateral lobe 

as wide as the siphonal lobe but somewhat. shorter and pro22 Reeside, J. B., jr., The scaphites, an Upper Cretaceous ammonite group: U. S. 

Geol. Survey PrOf. Paper 15O-B, pp. 21-40, 1927. 

vided with two nearly equal, bifurcating, and digitate terminal 

branches; second lateral sinus not more than half as long and 

little more than half as wide as the first and somewhat similarly 

divided and subdivided; second laterallobe about half as long 

and wide as the first, but tripartite at the extremity, the 

divisions being nearly equal and digitate; third lateral sinus 

small and merely provided with two nearly equal terminal 

branches, with more or less sinuous margins; third lateral 

lobe hardly more than half as large as the second and bearing 

two very short, digitate terminal divisions. Between the 

last-mentioned lobe and the umbilicus there is a minute tridigitate lobe, very similar to the auxiliary lobe of the third lateral 

sinus but smaller. 

The individuals here referred to this species agree 

very closely in form, sculpture, and suture with 

Meek's type specimen. Additional details of the 

early stages not given in Meek's description are 

afforded by the material in hand. The protoconch 

is similar to that of many other ammonites. The 

whorls are stout and are well rounded from the earliest 

stages to the end of the adult shell, the relative 

depression of the whorl increasing, however, in the 

latest stages. Up to a diameter of perhaps 3 millimeters the shell is smooth; then the ventral ribs 

appear as low rounded swellings passing straight 

across the venter, about 20 in number on the first 

sculptured whorl. These ventral ribs join near the 

umbilicus to form perhaps 10 obscure straight primary ribs. On succeeding whorls the same type of 

sculpture is present, though the ribs become higher 

and more numerous. The smaller specimen figured 

shows on the whorl ending at a 'diameter of 30 millimeters 50 ventral ribs and 19 umbilical ribs, and the 

larger specimen shows on the last septate whorl 

nearly 70 on the venter and 20 near the umbilicus. I 

The ribs increase by forking and also by intercalation. 

The uncoiled living chamber bears relatively coarser 

ribs than the septate whorls. There is no suggestion 

of nodes in any of the specimens. An interesting 

feature of the larger specimen figured is the presence 

over the siphuncle of a faint rounded ridge which is 

continued out on the living chamber where the 

siphuncle is absent. The sut.ure shows the characteristics of a normal Scaphites (s. s.) in that the first 

lateral lobe is in the earliest stages distinctly unsymmetrical, though it does not show a clearly trifid 

'division, and then becomes symmetrically bifid. The 

second lateral lobe is clearly trifid at a diameter of 5 

millimeters and in the later stages approaches a bifid 

form. The elements of the suture show a' gradual 

decrease in size from the median plane of the shell 

to the line of involution both for the external and 

internal parts. 

The characteristic features of Scaphites ventricosus 

are its stout, evenly rounded whorls, relatively fine 

ribs throughout the shell, and lack of nodes. 

Hyatt 23 proposed to make this species the type of a 

new genus, Anascaphites, but the writer believes that 

23 Hyatt, Alpheus, Cephalopoda, in Eastman, C. R., Textbook of paleontology 

by Karl von Zittel, vol. 1, p. 572, 1900. 
CEPHALOPODS FROM LOWER PART OF CODY SHALE OF OREGON BASIN, \VYO. 7 

the sequence of forn1, the sculpture, and the development of the suture prove it a Scaphites in the 

strict sense of the nalne and that Anascaphites must 

be abandoned. I-Iyatt did not define his group other 

than to cite the type species, and no one has yet 

accepted his usage. 

The species is of widespread occurrence in the 

Interior Province of the Cretaceous and is one of the 

valuable guide fossils for late Colorado (Niobrara) 

tilne. It does not occur in beds of Benton age, as 

restricted to pre-Niobrara tilne, though Meek and 

others have cited it as a Benton species. 

Scaphites ventricosus Meek and Hayden var. 

stantoni Reeside, n. var. 

Plate 3, Figures 19-20j Plate 4, Figures 5-10 

1894. ScalJhites ventricosus (part) Meek and Hayden. Stanton, 

U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 106, p. 186, pI. 44, fig. 10 

[not pI. 44, figs. 8, 9 j pI. 45, fig. 1]. 

1898. ScalJhites ventricosus (part) Meek and Hayden. Logan, 

Kansas Univ. Geol. Survey, vol. 4, p. 476, pI. 104, 

fig. 10 [not pI. 104, figs. 8, 9j pI. 105, fig. 1]. 

This variety is proposed to include forms like that 

figured by Stanton in Plate 44, Figure 10, of his paper 

on the Colorado fauna, the original of which will 

serve as the type specimen for the variety. It is a 

more slender shell than the typical form of the species 

and has finer ribs, though in general aspect and in 

suture it is lilre the typical form. The last separate 

whorl with a n1aximum diameter of 40 n1illimeters 

shows 80 ventral ribs and about 25 primary ribs. 

None of the individuals in hand attain much more 

than half the size of typical S. ventricosus, possibly 

owing to the n1ere accidents of collecting. Should 

small size prove a constant feature it ,,,ill form another 

character of the variety. 

The type specimen figured by Stanton comes from 

Devils Slide, Cinnabar Mountain, Mont. Several 

speciInens are in the collection from Oregon Basin and 

frOln other localities in the Interior Province of the 

Cretaceous. 

Scaphites ventricosus Meek and Hayden var. depressus 

Reeside, n. vnr. 

Plate 5, Figures 6-10 

The variety is n1arked chiefly by the greater depression of the whorls, the shell being 52 millimeters wide 

at a dialneter of 50 millilneters, whereas in the 

typical form it is 44 millimeters wide at a diameter 

of 50 millimeters. The living chamber is not known, 

but a complete shell would be as large as the typical 

fOrIn of the species. The ribs are fine-about 75 

ventral ribs on the last whorl of the type (diameter of 

50 millimeters) and 19 umbilical ribs. 

Scaphitcs ventricosus Meek and Hayden var. oregonensis 

Reeside, n. var. 

Plate 6, Figures 11-15 

This variety is n1arked by possessing relatively fine 

and relatively sharp ribs rather than threadlike rounded 

ribs; on the living chamber the umbilical ribs stand 

high and sharp and at the margin of the venter reach 

their greatest height in an incipient node. It resembles somewhat in sculpture ani form the geologically 

younger species Desmoscaphites bassleri Reeside,24 

which has sharp, well-developed nodes at the margin 

of the venter. It differs from D. bassleri in its stouter 

whorls and lack of a real node and is also different in 

suture. In its general aspect it is still a S. ventricosus. 

The specimens in hand are small, though this might 

not be a constant feature in a larger collection. 

Scaphites ventricosus Meek and Hayden var. interjectus 

Reeside, n. var. 

Plate 5, Figures 1-5 

This- variety is much like the type in its general 

aspect and in suture, but the primary ribs are relatively higher and rise into an incipient or even clearly 

defined node at the margin of the venter. In this 

character it approaches Scaphites vermiformis Meek 

and Hayden (see below), but it differs in having more 

numerous ribs on the venter of the living chamberfour or more to each umbilical rib-and, so far as the 

specimens in the writer's hands show, in attaining 

a larger size. 

One of the specimens figured is from the banks of 

Missouri River, 4 or 5 miles below the mouth of 

Marias River, Mont.; the other is one of several 

specimens from Oregon Basin, Wyo.; a third locality 

is in the NE. ~ NW. ~ sec. 30, T. 56 N., R. 97 W., 

on the Garland anticline, Wyo. 

Scaphites vermiformis Meek and Hayden 

Plate 6, Figures 9-10 

1852. Scaphites ve1'1niformis Meek and Hayden, Acad. Nat. 

Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 14, p. 22. 

1876. Scaphites vermiformis Meek and Hayden. Meek, U. S. 

Geol. Survey Terr. Rept., vol. 9, p. 423, pI. 6, fig. 4. 

1894. Scaphites vermiformis Meek and Hayden. Stanton, 

U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 106, p. 183, pI. 44, fig. 3. 

1898. Scaphites vermiformis Meek and Hayden. Logan, 

Kansas Univ. Geol. Survey, vol. 4, p. 474, pI. 104, 

fig. 3. 

1910. Scaphites vermiformis Meek and Hayden. Grabau and 

Shimer, North American index fossils, p. 176, fig. 1427c.-

Meek's description is as follows: 

Shell under medium size, ovate-subdiscoidal in form; umbilicus very smallj inner regularly coiled volutions closely involute, deeply embracing, and composing a rather large 

portion of the entire shellj deflected part very short, so as 

only to be slightly disconnected from the inner turns at the 

aperture, which is a little contracted and quadrato-subcircular 

in outline, with a slightly sinuous inner marginj surface ornamented by numerous straight costae, which are rather small 

and nearly regular on the inner volutions but become more 

distant and larger, as well as much more prominent, on the 

inner half of each side of the body portion, where they each 

support a prominent node at the outer end, so arranged that 

those on opposite sides generally alternatej 'costae all passing 

24 Reeside, J. B., jr.: The cephalopods of the Eagle sandstone and related formations in the Western Interior of the United States: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 

151, p. 16, pI. 21, figs. 17-21; pI. 22, figs. 8-12,1927. 
8 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

nearly straight across the periphery, on which they are of 

nearly uniform size, with the exception of the irregular enlargement with the whorls. 

The nodes mentioned above are directed out at right angles 

to the sides of the shell and, like the costae, become again . 

smaller toward the aperture. Most of the large costae bifurcate at the nodes on the body part of the shell, but their number 

is also increased by the intercalation of others between. Where 

they thus branch at the nodes on one side, the two divisions 

crossing over the periphery from the point of bifurcation never 

both connect at a node on the opposite side, but in most cases 

one and sometimes each division terminates between two of 

the nodes on the other side. 

The septate portion of the only specimen of this species in 

the collection being highly crystalline, the structure of its septa 

can not be very clearly traced out. The siphonal lobe, however, can be seen to be a little longer than wide, with a rather 

. narrow body, provided with three branches on each side, the 

upper pair of which are small and nearly simple, while the 

next pair are longer and each bifid, and the terminal pair 

(which are larger than the second) are each ornamented by 

three small pointed branchlets, or digitations, on the outer 

side. The first lateral lobe is somewhat irregularly tripartite, 

the lateral divisions being bifid and sharply digitate, while the 

terminal, which is not exactly central, is longer than the others, 

and has about five pointed digitations, or sharp, nearly or 

quite simple branchlets. The first lateral sinus can be seen 

to be deeply divided at the extremity into two nearly equal 

branches: The second lateral sinus can also be so far traced 

as to show that it is not more than about one-third as large 

as the first, nearly as long as wide, and regularly tripartite; and 

this is as far as the structure of the septa can be made out 

from the specimen. 

This species is. distinguished by the possession of 

coarse, rather sharp ventral ribs-two to each umbilical rib-and a row of high, sharp conical nodes 

along the margins of the venter of the living chamberone node for each primary rib. It is moderately 

compressed and apparently a consistently small shell 

for the genus. The suture is not well preserved on 

any of the specimens available to the writer but is 

definitely a normal suture for Scaphites s. s.~bifid 

adult lobes and a gradual decrease in size from the 

median plane. It is connected with S. ventricosus 

Meek and Hayden by S. ventricosus var. interjectus 

Reeside, n. var. The type specimen came from the 

. later (Niobrara) part of the Colorado formation at 

Chippeway Point, on Missouri River, Mont. 

The species is widespread in the Interior Province 

of the Cretaceous and, like its frequent associate 

S. ventricosus, is one of the most useful guide fossils 

for late Colorado (Niobrara) time. It does not occur 

in beds of Benton age as now conceived, though 11eek 

and others have cited it as a Benton form. 

Scaphites vermiformis Meek and Hayden var. binneyi Reeside, 

n. var. 

Plate 6, Figures 1-8 

This variety differs from the typical forin in the 

greater depression of the whorls and the greater length of 

·the living chan1ber. Its general aspect; sculpture, and 

suture are essentially the same as in the typical form. 

Subfamily PLACENTICERATIN AE ~yatt 

Genus PLACENTICERAS Meek 

The writer, in another· paper,25 has discussed at 

some length the genus Placenticeras. As there defined 

it has the following characters: 

Shell large, discoidal, involute, compressed. Whorls 

stout and rounded in earliest stages; at a diameter 

of a few inillimeters becomes higher than wide in 

cross section, with flattened venter; all later stages 

to a large diameter high, compressed, with narrow 

channeled venter bordered by sharp continuous or 

nodose keels or with narrow flat venter. Very large 

adults of most species have compressed whorls with 

narrowly rounded venters, though in a few species 

the senile whorls are stout, even quadrate in cross 

section. Umbilicus narrow in typical forms, about 

one-seventh. the dianleter of the shell, with rounded 

shoulder, gentle inner slope in the young and steep 

in the later stages. Stout species have a relatively 

wider umbilicus. Sculpture .:weak; faint ribs in the 

very young stages~nd none or only low, obscure coarse 

ribs in the later stages. Surface marked by signloid 

striae. Tubercles when present not usually strong nor 

numerous. Suture in adult has three prOlninent 

lateral lobes and six or seven smaller lateral lobes. 

Placenticeras pseudo placenta Hyatt 

Plate 2, Figtlres 20-21 

1894. Placenticeras placenta'! (part) Stanton, U. S. Geol. Survey 

Bull. 106, pI. 39, fig. 1 [not figs. 2, 3]. 

1903. Placenticeras pseudo placenta Hyatt, U. S. Geol. Survey 

Mon. 44; p. 216, pI. 43, figs. 3-11; pI. 44. 

Hyatt did not anywhere offer a real diagnosis of 

this species, though from his figw'es and casual 

remarks it may be deduced that he had in nlind a 

nloderately stout shell, with height of the whorl about 

twice the width, flanks of whorl flattened in younger 

stages, very gently arched in later stages; narrow 

uiubilicus; venter moderately broad, about as in P. 

planum Hyatt and P. stantoni Hyatt; nodes and ribs 

inconspicuous or absent at all stages; suture with 

first three lobes and first three saddles subequal; all 

the parts of the suture short, very solid, and only 

moderately incised; fourth lateral lobe nluch shorter 

than the third. 

A single fragnlen t of a species of Placenticeras 

preserving part of three successive whorls presents 

characters that ally it strongly with P. pseudoplacenta 

Hyatt but also with P. p~anum Hyatt. 26 It reselubies 

the former species in the general form and proportions 

of the cross section of the whorl-height about twice 

the width-though the flanks are a little more rounded 

than in the type; in the absence of tubercles; and in 

26 Reesidc, J. B., jr., A comparison of the genera .ilfetaplacenticeras Spath and 

Placenticeras Meek: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 147, pp. 1-5, 1926. 

26 Hyatt, Alpheus, Pseudoceratites of the Cretaceous: U. S. Geol. Survey Mon. 

l4, p. 202, pI. 33, figs. 2-4; pl. 34, 1903. 
CEPHALOPODS FROM LOWER PART OF CODY S~LE OF OREGON BASIN. WYO. 9 

the degree of incision and proportions of the suture 

except for the first lateral saddle, which should be 

nearly equal in size to the, second and third saddles 

but is instead nearly twice as wide. It resembles the 

second species in the gently rounded rather than' 

flattened flanks and in the wide first lateral saddle; 

it differs in the absence of tubercles, somewhat stouter 

whorl-ratio of height to width as 2 to 4 as against 2 

to 5-and abrupt drop in size of the fourth lateral 

lobe with respect to the third lateral lobe. 

N one of the other species of Placenticeras are very 

close to this: P. syrtale (Morton) and its allies have 

prominent nodes; P. meeki Boehm (=P. whitfieldi 

Hyatt) and its allies have a more compressed shell 

and much lllore intricate suture, P. placenta (De I{ay) 

and its allies have a suture of different proportions 

and greater incision. 

Hyatt seems to have allowed some latitude with 

respect to the width of the first lateral saddle, so it 

seems best to assign the present specimen to P. 

lJSeudoplacenta. It is not the variety occidentale 

Hyatt,27 which is like the typical form in lacking conspicllous tubercles but which has a different suturemore conlplicated with the lobes and saddles unequalso 111uch so that the writer doubts that the variety 

occidentale really belongs to the species. 

Family PRIONOTROPIDAE Zittel 

Genus MORTONICERAS Meek 

Jlortonicel'as enlbraces am1110nites with compressed 

discoid shells, wide umbilicus, sub quadrate cross' section of the whorls; external border broad, bearing a' 

low rounded keel bordered by shallow furrows, which 

in turn are bordered externally by a row of elongated 

tubercles; ribs straight, simple or bifurcated, and 

ornaIllented by tubercles. Sutures of fe\y elementssiphonal lobe, three lateral lobes, and antisiphonal 

lobe; first lateral lobe about as long as the siphonal 

lobe but llluch longer than the second and third; 

first lateral lobe bifid. 

Meek 28 chose Ammonites vespertinus Morto~ as the 

genotype, believing it identical with Ammonites 

texanus Roemer. Later students accept the latter 

as the true genotype. 

Mortoniceras shoshonense Meek 

Plate 6, Figures 16-23; Plate 7, Figures 1-11; Plate 8, Figures 1-4 

1876. Mortoniceras shoshonense Meek, U. S. Geol. Survey 

Terr. Rept., vol. 9, p. 449, pI. 6, figs. 3 a, 3 c, 6 b. 

1894. Mortoniceras shoshonense Meek. Stanton, U. S. Geol. 

Survey Bull. 106, pp. 179, 180, pi. 43, figs. 1, 2. 

1898. Mortoniceras shoshonense Meek. Logan, Kansas Univ. 

Geol. Survey, vol. 4, p. 471, pI. 103, figs. 1, 2: 

Meek's original description is as follows: 

Shell compressed-discoidal, with umbilicus apparently nearly 

or quite twice as wide as the outer whorl; voIutiqns very 

narrow, with dorsoventral and transverse diameters equal, and 

17 Idem, p. 217, pI. 45, figs. 1,2. 

2S Moek, F. B., Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils of the upper Missouri 

Cowltry: U. S. Oeol. Survey Terr. Rept., vol. 9, p. 448, 1876. 

section subquadrangular, those within scarcely one-sixth 

embraced by the succeeding turn; costae each mainly represented by two nodes, the inner of which is low, compressed, 

and elongated, so as to extend from near the umbilical margin about halfway across the sides, while the outer near the 

peripheral margins is more prominent, rounded, and directed 

laterally; keel less prominent than the row of compressed 

nodes on each side about halfway between it and the rounded 

nodes along the margins of the periphery; compressed nodes 

on the periphery of each inner turn covered by the succeeding 

volution, the inner margin of which is indented by the rounded 

lateral nodes of that next within. 

Septa moderately approximated; siphonal lobe - oblong, 

about once and a half as long as wide, with small; short, nearly 

parallel, serrated terminal branches and three or four very 

short, digitate and simple branchlets and points on each side; 

first lateral sinus wider than the siphonal lobe (which it equals 

in length), unequally bipartite at the anterior end, both divisions 

being digitate and the larger one on the siphonal side deeply 

bifid; first lateral lobe somewhat longer but narrower than the 

siphonal and having its terminal division deeply bifid and its 

lateral margins bearing a few very nearly simple branchlets; 

second lateral sinus. scarcely more than half as wide as the 

first and much shorter on the umbilical side, unequally bifid or 

trifid at the end, with more or less sinuous margins; second 

lateral lobe only about half as long and wide as the first and 

trilobate, with the small middle division emarginate at the 

end; third lateral sinus a little shorter and narrower than the 

second, with a bipartite end and serrated margins; third lateral 

lobe nearly as long as the second but narrower and irregularly 

tridentate at the end; antisiphonal lobe about as long as the 

first lateral but narrower, with a few short nearly simple, 

lateral divisions and a tridentate posterior extremity. 

Meek's type is a small part only of a whorl but is 

sufficiently well characterized to define the species, 

as may be seen from Meek's excellent figures. 29 The 

specimens from Oregon Basin and other material in 

the writer's hands permit the following additional 

details of description, which Meek's specimen did 

not afford: 

The shell in' the earliest stages has a stout discoid 

form but quickly beconles compressed discoid. At 

the earliest diameter seen, 3.5 millimeters, the whorl 

is sub circular in cross section. A whorl later, at a 

dianleter of 7 millimeters, the cross section has become 

slightly higher than wide and still evenly rounded. 

A half whorl later, at a diameter of 10 millimeters, it 

is 4 millimeters high, 3.5 millimeters wide, and helmet--

shaped. A fourth whorl later, at a diameter of 13 

lllillimeters, it is approaching a subquadrate form. 

In the course of the succeeding whorl it becomes 

quadrate, higher than wide, a form maintained in 

all the later stages known-that is, up to a dianleter 

of 150 millimeters. The umbilicus is wide through 

all stages-a little less than half of the diameter; 

umbilical wall steep, umbilical shoulder rounded but 

well defined. Living chamber in specimens available for examination)ncomplete but occupying more 

than a half whorl. Aperture not preserved. 

The whorl at a diameter of 3.5 millimeters is smooth; 

at 5 millimeters the low rounded siphonal keel has 

IV Meek, F. B., op. cit., pl. 6, figs. 3a, 3c, 6b. 
10 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

appeared; at 7 millimeters radial welts appear on the 

ou tel' border of the flanks ;. at 10 millimeters the median 

keel is accompanied on each side by a faint rounded 

ridge, and the ventrolateral welts have become distinct rounded nodes and are connected with the unlbilical shoulder by a low rounded rib. At 13 milli-· 

meters the faint ridges bordering the median keel have 

broken into distinct nod'es-one to each rib, the ventrolateral nodes are still more . distinct and the umbilical 

part of the rib has become more prominent and nodelike. At a diameter of 18 to 20 millimeters the ventral 

nodeS" have 'become elongated parallel to the median 

keel, and the general aspect of the shell is much like 

that of the larger adult. In subsequent stages (up 

to a diameter of 150 millimeters). the ~igh point of 

the umbilical node moves outward nearly to the middle 

of the flank and is elongated radially; the ventrolateral node is subconical; the ventral node is much 

elongated parallel to the keel; "the k~el itself becomes 

relatively less and less. conspicuous. The ribs are 

simple and nearly straight at all stages; there are' 

none intercalated and none divide. There are from 

19 to 22 ribs to each whorl in the specimens in hand, 

the number varying but little with the stage of growth. 

The external suture retains about the same proportions from the earliest stage seen, at 3.5. millimeters, throughout the later stages. There arc 

numerous variations in small details. The first lateral 

10 be in the early stages has a single terminal branch 

but becomes blunt and rounded. in the later stages. 

The chief specific characters. of. M. shoshonense are 

the simple ribs bearing three nodes, one on the flank 

elongated radially, one on the ventrolateral margin 

and subconical, one .on the venter elongated parallel 

to the keel. From other American species. it is 

separated easily. M. texanum (Roemer)30 and its 

allies, M. lasswitzi Yabe and Shimizu 31 and M. 

roemeri Yabe and Shimizu,31 also M. delawarense 

(Morton)32 and its ally, M. omeraense Reeside,33 have 

five nodes on each rib. M. bourgeoisi Grossouv're var. 

americana Lasswitz 34 has a node on the middle of the 

ao Roemer, Ferdinand, Die Kreidebildungen von Texas, p. 31, pI. 3, figs. 1 a-c 

lnot figs. 1 d-ej, 1852. 

81 Yabe, Risakatsu, and Shimizu, Saburo, A note on the genus Mortoniceras: 

Japanese Jour. Geology and Geography, vol. 2, p. 30; 1923. 

82 Morton, S. G., Synopsis of the organic remains of the Cretaceous group in the 

United States, p. 37, pI. 2, fig. 5, 1834. 

83 Reeside, J. B., jr., The·cephalopods of the·Eagle sandstone and related formations 

in the Western Interior of the United States: U. S. Geol. Survey PrOf. Paper 151, 

p. 38, pI. 42, figs. 3, 4; pI. 43, figs. 1, 2, 1927. 

34 Lasswitz, Rudolf, Die Kreide-ammoniten.von Texas: Geol. und pal. Abh., n. 

ser., vol. 6, Heft 4, p. 252, pI. 8, fig. 1, 1904. 

flank. in addition to the umbilical and ventrolateral 

nodes and has nothing to do with either Jf. shoshoI nense or M. bourgeoisi. Other species named by 

Lasswitz are likewise easily separable. M. crenula-

·tum Anderson 35 does not belong' to Mortoniceras, for 

it has crenulated keel, much inclined ribs, and long 

spines. It is possibly a Prionotropis. j1. worthense 

Adkins 36 belongs to some other gen'us, probably 

Inflaticeras Stieler. j[.? vermilionense 11eek'37 is 

probably' a Prionotropis and at any rate lacks the 

conspicuous nodes and straight ribs of M. shoshonense. 

Poorly preserved and fragmentary specilnens of 

Mortoniceras collected by L. W. Stephenson fronl a 

tongue of the Austin chalk of Texas (4 lniles north of 

Broadway, Lamar County, and 2 miles east-northeast of Savage, Fannin County) have four or five rows 

of tubercles and are therefore distinct from j[. 

shoshense. Among European species it is closest to 

jf. bourgeoisi (D'Orbigny emended by Grossouvre),38 

from which it differs in acquiring the tubercles at a 

much earlier stage and in the nlore external position 

of the inner tubercle, though the resemblance otherwise is very great. 

Occurrence: M. shoshonens(3 is known from only a 

small area in north-central Wyonling. 11eek's type 

is said to have come from the head of Wind River 

valley and was collected by F. V. Hayden while a 

member of Raynolds 's expedition to explore the upper 

Missouri country. The other specimens known to the 

writer all came from the northern part of Big Horn 

Basin, from localities near the towns of Cody, Greybull, and Frannie, Wyo. 

Mortoniceras shoshonense Meek .var. crassum Reeside, n. var. 

Plate 8, Figures 5:""15 

This variety differs from the typical form in its 

coarser sculpture, somewhat stouter whorls, and somewhat greater involution. The general characteristics of the sculpture are the same, and there are no 

conspicuous differences in suture. 

The specimens in hand are from the same localities 

as the typical form. 

3~ Anderson, F. M., Cretaceous deposits of the Pacific coast: California Acad. 

Sci. Proc., vol. 2, No.1, p. 125, pI. 1, figs. 17, 18,1902. 

36 Adkins, W. S., The We no and Pawpaw formations of the Texas Comanchean: 

Texas Univ. Bull. 1856, p. 91, pI. 1, figs. 6-10,18-19,26; text fig. 12, 1920. 

37 Meek, F. B., Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils of the upper Missouri 

country: U. S. Geol. Survey Terr. Rept., vol. 9, p. 450, pI. 7, fig. 2,1876. 

38 De Grossouvre, Albert, .Les ammonites de Is craie sup~rieure, p. 73, pI. 13, fig. 

2; pI. 14, figs. 2, 5, 1894. 
:-:- . ._.::::-:..'==" ===============-================================================================= 

PLATES 1-8 

11 
PLATE 1 

l'uga 

FIGURES 1-4. Eutrephoceras sp., inner, side, and outer views, and suture of an internal cast. Cody shale, SOO feet above 

base, sec. 6, T. 51 N., R. 100 W., Wyo. Yale Peabody Mus. catalogue No. 6405_______ 2 

FIGURES 5-1S. Phlycticrioceras oregonense Reeside, n. gen. and sp__________________________________________________ 3 

5-S. Outer and side views, suture, and cross section at larger end of the entirely septate cast chosen 

as the type. Cody shale, SOO feet above base, sec. 6, T. 51 N., R. 100 W., Wyo. Yale_ 

Peabody Mus. catalogue No. 6407. 

9-13. Side, inner, and outer views, suture, and cross section near smaller end of a small specimen 

retaining parts of the shell. Cody shale, 350 feet above base, sec. 24, T. 5S N., R. 97 ""V., 

·Wyo. U. S. Nat. Mus. catalogue No. 73267. 

14-1S. Outer, side, and inner views, suture, and cross section at larger end of an entirely septate 

internal cast from same locality as the type. Yale Peabody Mus. catalogue No. 6407. 

FIGURES 19-24. Baculites asper Morton. Cody shale, SOO feet above base, sec. 6, T. 51 N., R. 100 W., Wyo. Yale Peabody 

Mus. catalogue No. 6415________________________________________________________ 4 

19-21. Side view, cross section, and suture of a small septate internal cast. 

22-24. Side view, suture, and cross section of a large septate internal cast. 

12 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

1 2 3 

]-I 

7 

5 8 

o 9 10 

20 

19 21 

14 15 16 

PROFESSI ONAL PAPER 150 PLATE 1 

I I~I/ I I "2 

X2 

23 

12 

" , , : ' '.' 

, , I ' . .' 

11 

4 

6 

22 

o 

24 

o 

18 

13 

CEP HALOPODS FROM TIlE LOWEn. PART OF THE CODY SIIALE 
U . S . GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 150 PLATE 2 

Q -~o 9 10 

7 

1 2 3 

13 

18 

11 14 20 17 21 

CEPHALOPODS rnOM THE LOWER PART OF TIlE CODY SHALE 
PLATE 2 

Fwurms 1-5. BaC1tlUes aS1Jer Morton, side, siphonal, and antisiphonal views, suture, and cross section of a cast representing 

a complete.living chamber. Cody shale, 800 feet above base, sec. 6, T. 51 N., R. 100 ·W., 

Page 

Wyo. Yale Peabody Mus. catalogue No. 6415__________ ____________________________ 4 

FWUHES 6-19. Bawl-ites codyensis Reeside, n. sp. Cody shale, 800 feet above base, sec. 6, T. 51 N., R. 100 W., ·Wyo. Yale 

Peabody :Mus. catalogue No. 6408_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ ____ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ ___ _ _ ____ ____ _ _ _ 4 

6-10. Siphonal, side, and antisiphonal views, suture and cross section of type specimen, a septate 

internal ca~t with some fragments of shell adhering. 

11-13. Side view, suture, and cross section of a large septate internal cast .. 

14-16. Side view, cross section, and suture of a septate internal cast with more closely set ribs. 

17-19. Side view, cross section, and suture of a small septa.te internal cast. 

FIOum~s ~0-21. Placenticeras 1JSe'/l,do])lacenta Hyatt, side and end views of an i,nternal cast. Gody shale, 800 feet above 

base, sec. 6, T. 51 N., R. 100, ",V., ,Wyo. Yale Peabody Mus., c~talogqe No. 6413______ 8 

13 
PLATE 3 

Page 

FIGURES 1-10. Binneyites parkensis Reeside, n. gen. and sp_______________________________________________________ 5 

1-5. Side, rear, and front views, cross section, and suture at 15 millimeters diameter, of the type, 

an internal cast. Cody shale 775 feet above base, SW. U NE. U sec. 6, T. 51 N., R. 

100 "V., Oregon Basin, Wyo. Yale Peabody Mus. catalogue No. 6420. 

6-10. Side and front views, suture at 2.5 millimeters diameter, suture at 4.5 millimeter~ diameter, 

suture at 9 millimeters diameter, of an internal. cast. Upper part of Colorado group 

(lower part of Cody shale), sec. 24, T. 58 N., R. 97 W., Wyo. U. S. Nat. Mus. catalogue 

No. 73268. . 

FIGURES 11-1S. Scapnites ventricos'Lts Meek and Hayden, side and front views of whorls at diameter of 30 millimeters retaining fragment of matrix ·with the impression of the dorsal furrow at the aperture and 

last suture; side, front, and rear views of whorls from a diameter of 4 to 7 millimeters; 

view of protoconch and several succeeding whorls; eight sutures at interval of 2/7 whorl, 

beginning about one whorl from protoconch and extending to end of third whorl from 

protoconch (diameter 0.8, 1.1, 1.4, 1.8, 2.3, 3.S, 5.0 milimeters). These figures all 

n from a small internal cast. Cody shale, 600 feet above base, sec. 6, T. 51 N., R. 100 "V., 

Wyo. Yale Peabody Mus. catalogue No. 642L___________________________________ 6 

FIGUUES 19-20. Scaphites ventricOSltS Meek and Hayden var. stantoni Reeside, n. var., side and rear views of cast of a 

nearly complete living chamber. Cody shale, SOO feet above base, sec. 6, T. 51 N., R. 

100 W., Wyo. Yale Peabody Mus. catalogue No. 6410____________________________ 7 

14 
U. S . GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSION AL PAPER 150 PLATE 3 

~Il( X6 ' 

10 

\ 

, I r I I I I X 4 

5 

1 2 3 4 

B 

6 

19 

20 

CEPHALOPODS FROM THE LOWEn PART OF THE CODY SHALE 
U. S . GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

-t ~ll ~~~. 3 : I 

4 

PROFESSIONAL PAPER 150 PLATE 4 

CEPHALOPODS FROM TI-IE LOWER PART OF THE CODY SHALE 
FWUJ"UDS 1-4. ScalJhites ventricosus Meek and Hayden, side and rear views, next to last suture, a~ld cross seotion at 50 millimeters of 'an internal cast somewhat larger than Meek and Hayden's type specimen but 

otherwise very much like it. Cody shale, 600 feet above base" sec. 6, T., 51 N., R. 100 vV., 

, Pagt-

'Vyo. Yale Peabody Mus. catalogue No. 64L ____________________ ,~_______________ 6 

FlO U HES 5-10. Scaphites 1JcntricoS1ts Meek and Hayden var. stanton~ ,n.~eside, n. v[u· ____________________ ~ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 7 

5-8. Front, side, and rear views and suture of an internal cast very similar to the type specimen though 

not quite as fine-ribbed. Cody shale, 800 feet above base, sec. 6, T. 51 :N'., R. 100 W., Wyo. 

Yale Peabody Mus: catalogue No. 6417. " 

9-10. Side and front views of the type specimen. Upper part of Colorado formation at Devils Slide .. 

Cinnabar Mountain, Mont. U. S. Nat. Mus. catalogue No. 18817. 

15 

• 
PLATE 5 

FIGURES 1-5. Scaphites ventricosus Meek and Hayden var. interject'us Reeside, n. var ________________ '- ______________ · __ _ 

1-4. Side and rear view.s, suture at diameter of 33 millimeters, and cross section through last suture 

of type, an internal cast. Cody shale, 800 feet above base, sec. 6, T. 51 N., R. 100 W., 

Wyo. Yale Peabody Mus; catalogue No. 6416. 

5. Side view of an internal cast with more distinct nodes and finer ribs than the type. Upper part 

of Colorado formation on Missouri River 4 or 5 miles below mouth of Marias River, 

Mont. "tJ. S. Nat. Mus. catalogue No. 28602. 

FIGURES 6-10. Scaphites ventricOSU8 Meek and Hayden var. depress1~s Reeside, n. var., side, front, and rear views, cross 

section, and suture of type, an internal cast. Cody shale, 800 feet above base, sec. 6, T. 51 

N., R. 100 W., Wyo. Yale Peabody Mus. catalogue No. 6417 _____________________ _ 

16 

• 

Page· 

7 

7. 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SU HVEY 

1 

5 

2 8 

I 

\ 

\ 

6 

7 

PROFESSIONAL PAPER 150 PLA'l'E 5 

4 

9 

10 

CEPHALOPODS FROM THE LOWER PAltT OF THE CODY SHALE 
U . S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

1 

9 

11 

12 

16 17 

2 3 

6 

10 

13 

, 

. 14 I 

, 

I 

1~:6 2J 

X3 1lcvvJ 

-, 'X1Q 

18 19 

PROFESSIONAL PAPER 150 PLATE 6 

I 

I 

r 

, 

: x 2 

~~ 

20 

15 

4 

5 

7 

8 

21 22 

CEPHALOPODS FROM THE LOWER PART OF THE CODY SHALE 
;' 

f 

PLATE 6 

FWUlms 1-8. Scaphites vennifonnis Meek and Hayden var. binneyi Reeside n. val'. Cody shale, 800 feet above base, sec. 6, 

T. 51 N., R. 100 W., vVyo. Yale Peabody Mus. catalogue No. 6417 _____________ :.. __ _ 

1-6. Front, side, rear, bottom, and top views and suture of type specimen, an internal cast retaining 

.parts of the shell. 

7-8. Front and side views of another specimen, an internal cast with parts of the.shqll. 

FIClUH.I~.s 9-)0. Scaphites vermiformis Meek and Hayden, side and bottom view of somewhat distorted specimen. Cody shale, 

800 feet above base, sec. 6, T. 51 N., R. 100 VV., Wyo. Yale Peabody Mus. catalogue No. 6422 _______ .. ______________________________ - ________________________ . ____ _ 

FIOUlms ll-15. SCCLphites ventricosus Meek and Hayden val'. oregonensis Reeside, n. val'. Cody shale, 800 feet above base, 

Page 

8 

7 

sec. 6, T. 51 N., R. 100 W., Wyo.. Yale Peabody Mus. catalogue No. 641L ______ . ____ 7 

11-12. Side and bot·tom views of type, a nearly complete cast of living chamber. 

13-15. Hear and side views and suture of a cast showing the septate whorls and part of living 

chamber. 

FIClulms 16-23 . . Mm·toniccras shoshonense Meek. Lower part of Cody shale, sec. 24, T. 58 N., R. 97 W., near.Frannie, 

Wyo. D.·S. Nat. Mus catalogue No. 73269 __________________________________ · .. _____ 9 

16-10. Side, rear, and front views and suture of a very young stage. 

20-23. Side, front, and rear views, and suture at diameter of ~3 millimeters of young stage retaining 

much of the shell. 

17 
PLATE 7 

PIl.ge 

FIGURES 1-11. Mortoniceras shoshonense Meek ______________________ ~._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 9 

18 

1-3. Side and rear views and suture at diameter of 90 millimeters of a nearly complete large individual. Upper part of Colorado group (lower part of Cody shale) near Cody, Wyo. 

U. S. Nat. Mus. catalogue No. 73270. 

4-7. Rear, front, and side views and suture at diameter of 7 millimeters of young stage retaining 

much of the shell. . Lower part of Cody shale, sec. 24, T. 58 N., R. 97 W., near Frannie, 

vVyo. - U. S. Nat. Mus. catalogue No. 73269 .. 

8-11. Rear, front, and side views· and suture at diameter of 38 millimeters of specimen retaining 

fragments of the shell. Cody shale, 775 feet above base, central part of NW. Xi: sec. 33, 

T. 51 N., R. 100 W., Oregon Basin; Wyo. Yale Peabody Mus. catalogue No. 6423. 
U. S . GEOLOGICAL SUHVEY 

X2 X2 

4 5 

1 

~ -1 11 'X2 

• 

6 

8 9 

PROFESSIONAL PAPER 150 PLATE 7 

2 

3 

10, 

I 

I 

I 

, 

CEPHALOPODS FHOM THE LOWEH PAHT OF THE CODY SHALE 
O. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSION AL PAPER 150 PLATE 8 

1 2 3 

9 11 

10 13 

5 6 

lJ~ 1 I 8 

14 15 

UM 4 ,X2 

-~' 12 x 6 

CEPHALOPODS FROM THE LOWELl PAHT OF THE CODY SHALE 
PLATE 8 

FIGURES 1-4. 1I1ortonicems shoshonense Meek, side, front, and. rear views and suture at diameter of 50 millimeters of a 

specimen retaining much of the shell and about the size of Meek's type specimen. The 

keel has been squeezed so as to appear sharp on parts of the venter. Upper part of 

Colorado group (lower part of Cody shale), south side of Shoshone River 3 miles east 

Page 

of Cody, Wyo. U. S. Nat. Mus. catalogue No. 7327L_____________________________ 9 

FIOU...lES 5-15. 1I1o,rtonicems shoshonense Meek val'. cmssum Reeside, n. vaL_________________________________________ 10 

5-S. Front, reM, and side views and suture at diameter of 45 millimeters of the type specimen, a 

part of a w.llOrl retaining much of the shell. Lower part of Cody shale, Shoshone River 

2 miles east of Cody, Wyo. U. S. Nat. Mus. catalogue No. 73272. 

9-12. Rear, front, and side views and suture at diameter of 9 millimeters of a small specimen preserving much of the shell. Lower part of Cody shale, sec. 24, T. 5S N., R. 97 W., near 

Frannie, Wyo. U. S. Nat. Mus. catalogue No. 73273. 

13. Side view of broken specimen of young·stage retaining the shell. Same locality as Figures 0-12. 

U. S. Nat. Mus. catalogue No. 73273. 

14-15. Side and rear views of an internal cast of part of a whorl. Cody shale, SOO feet above base, 

sec. 6, T. 51 N., R. 100 W., Oregon Basin, Wyo. Yale Peabody Mus. catalogue No. 6409 .. 

19 

.~ 

THE SCAPHITES, AN UPPER CRETACEOUS AMMONITE GROUP 

By JOHN B. REESIDE, Jr. 

INTRODUCTION 

This paper presents a summary of the principal publications dealing with the scaphites, an estimate of 

the generic divisions proposed, and a catalogue of the 

species' recorded in the literature available to the 

writer. 

The scaphites are an especially important group of 

ammonites because of their wide distribution and 

relative abundance in many of the Upper Cretaceous 

faunas of the wl"rld. In some areas the succession of 

species affords a more useful basis for faunal subdivision of the strata than any other single group of 

fossils, and in many other areas it is a very valuable 

auxiliary to the other groups. A fairly satisfactory 

intercontinental correlation has been based on the 

scaphites alone. 

The literature dealing with the scaphite group includes a large part of the papers that describe Upper 

Cretaceous cephalopods, though many such papers do 

not treat the scaphites to any greater extent than to 

describe or record species and do not enter into the 

m~ , "'.:', : (111 r ~,', '" s of classification and phylogeny. 

The w~.. 'il'f~Hze~, from the errors in the delimitation and chronologic assignment of American species 

noted in the works of European writers, that he 

aS~~A:"&' \ · ... c:icterable risk of falling into similar 

errors in atiJenlpting to deal with European species 

with which he has little or no first-hand 'acquaintance. 

lIe has had the temerity to essay in the appended 

catalogue of species a decision between conflicting 

statements in the European literature" both as to 

identity and as to chronologic assignment of various 

species, and bespeaks a kindly indulgence for such 

erron:; as r'I~,y be included. 

TAXONOMIC H~STORY OF THE SCAPHITES 

Parkinson 1 in 1811 applied the name Scaphites to 

"a fossil concamerated shell, commencing with spiral 

turns, the last of which, after being elongated, is re-

: ~0ctcd back toward the spiral part." He figured an 

example of the genus which was afterward referred to 

the species aequalis Sowerby, thereby making this 

species the genotype. 

I Parkinson, James, Organic remains of a former WOrld, vol. 3, p. 145, pI. 10, fig. 

10,1811. 

For many years afterward all forms of Mesozoic 

cephalopods that began with a normal ammonitic coil, 

departed from it, and bent back again to form a hook 

without leaving the original plane of coiling were referred to Scaphites Parkinson, though it was recognized by many students that such species as ivanii 

Puzos differed notably from the genotype. D'Orbigny,2 for example, separated the species known in 

1840 into two sections: 

Elongati, whose spire is composed of nonembracing whorls, 

completely uncovered, and whose crook is very long. (S. 

ivanii.) 

Breves, whose spire is composed of embracing whoi-ls, almost 

entirely covered, and whose crook is very short. (S. aequalis, 

compressus, constrictus, hugardianus.) [Translated.] 

With the advance in knowledge of ammonites, due 

to the labors of numerous students, and the resultant 

efforts to arrive at a classification expressive of genetic 

relationship, various assignments ,have been given 

to the scaphites by different authors-indeed, "are 

still given-for there is by no means complete agreement concerning the problems involved. 

, Neumayr 3 in 1875 considered the scaphites, with 

the exception of S. ivanii, to be a natural group 'and 

on the form of the aptychus and presence of auxiliary 

lobes in the suture to belong to the perisphinctid 

stem. On the form of the inner whorls he considered 

the group to have been derived from Olcostephanus 

Neumayr. 

Meek 4 in 1876 discussed in detail the genus 

Scaphites, referring it as the sole' genus to the family 

Scaphitidae Meek but not indicating - any relationship to other groups. He had already 5 proposed the 

subgenus Discoscaphites to include certain forms that 

presented differences from the' typical species, and 

he now proceeded to further elaboration. Meek 

proposed the subgenus Macroscaphites for the group 

of Scaphites ivanii Puzos, and it has, been considered 

since under that name by most students'as entirely distinct from the scaphites. He restricted Scaphites, in its 

, D'Orbigny, Alcide, PaH\ontologie francaise, 1st ser., Terrain crHaoo, vol. 1, p. 

514,1840. 

a Neumayr, Melchior, Die Ammoniten der Kreide und die Systematik der Ammonitiden: Deutsche geol. Gesell. Zeitschr., vol. 27, p. 924, 1875. 

• Meek, F. B., Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils of the upper Missouri 

country: U. S. Geol. Survey Terr. Rept., vol. 9, pp. 413-417, 1876. 

6 Meek, F. B., A preliminary list of fossils collected by Dr. Hayden in Colorado, 

New Mexico, and California: Am. Philos. Soc. Proe., vol. 11, p. 429, 1870: 

21 
22 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

narrower sense, to the rank of a subgenus with three 

sections-(a) group of Scaphites aequaZis Sowerby, 

with coiled part relatively small, narrow umbilicus, 

round venter, and a single row of nodes, if any, on the 

margin of the living chamber; (b) group of Scaphites 

nodosus Owen; with coiled part relatively large, deflected part short, venter more or less flattened, with 

a row of nodes on the margin, and a second row of 

nodes near the umbilicus; (c) group of Scaphites 

trinodosus and S. tridens Kner, with three' rows of 

nodes on the rounded periphery. Under the subgenus Discoscaphites Meek' 'proposed; to place two 

sections~(a) group of Scaphites conradi Morton, with 

narrow umbilicus, coiled part forming most of the 

much compressed shell, flat"tened peri"phery, and four 

to nine rows of nodes on each'fl'ank, the outer row beIng 

the largest; '(b f group' of Bcaphites cheyennefl,sis Owen, 

inuch like section a but with relatively wide umhilic'us 

and' little-deflected. body' ·chamber. Meeki:n his 

specific descriptions includes in- Discdscaphites 'species 

that do not possess the. numerous rows of· nodes,' 

relying on ·othercharacters for the assignment. . He 

remarks ·that some of his groups might appropriately 

be IIlade separate genera'. . _ . 

Zittel 6 in 1885 placed the genus Scaphites under-the 

Stephanoceratida~ of N eumayr but. apparently· was 

doubtful of its exact"relationship, for he separat.edthe 

discu.ssio.n of this genus and Or.ioceras Leveille from· 

that of the other me~bers o{ the family by a nde .. 

Zittel put intq Scaphites "~ith the· e~ception' of 

Ma.croscaphite~, whose suture agrees complet~ly with 

Lytoceras, . * * . * ,all uncoiled Cretaceous ammonites distinguished by ~. hook-shaped, reflected living 

ch~ll!per; and whose' s.ut':lre shows auxiliary .lobes.'~ 

[Tr'ansl~ted.] . . .. 

H,! DouvP-Ie,1.· according to' Grossou'vre,8 assign~d 

Scaphites oli the b~sis' of the' sutures t.o 'the family 

Pulc:he~idae Douyille ai;l.d co~pared. the young ()f 

certaIn' species to StoZiczkaia dispar (D'Orbigny) 

N,eu.D,1ayr., pouville, because of the .presence of 

tuberCles' on the shell, rejected, an assignment to the 

fa~ily -,tytocerat~dae" Neumayr favored by some 

students on ~CCO-q.ll.t of the bifid lobes of' the, adult 

suture. . . 

. , Gross~:>uvre 9 in 1894 placed the.genus i~ his' family 

Acanthoceratidae 'on the basis o'f the suture and the 

s~Ulpture. He consolidated Douville's' two groups 

PUlchellidae ,and Acanthoceratidae and therefore followed Douville In, his assignment .. Grossouvre included in the genus 

forms which in youth resemble Stoliczkaia dispar, have a narrow umbilicus, embracing whorls, rounded on the periphery,. 

6 Zittel,' K A., Handbuch der Palaeontologie, vol. 2, p. 480, 1885. " 

f A definite citation is not given but is probably DouviIl~, Henri, Notes'pour Ie 

cours de' pal~ontologie proCess~ A YEcole de mines en'1889-1890, given a'lfmited 

circulation in 1890. ' .... ... 

8 De Grossouvre, Albert, Les ammonites de la craie sup~rietire: Carte g~ol. FraD<~e 

M~m., Recherches sur la craie srip~rieure, pt. 2, Pal~ontologie, p.238, 1894. ' 

g Idem, p. 238. 

ornamented with simple ribs which .increase on the external 

region of the flanks by intercalation or by bifurcation. The 

last whorl separates from the others, forms a straight part, 

then bends back into a crook in such a way that the coiled 

part faces the mouth; the latter is ordinarily a little contracted, 

supplied ",-jth a. ventral apophysis, dorsal apophysis, and sometimes lateral lappets. On the straight· part and the bend, the 

ornamentation is often modified and becomes nodose; this character is especially accentuated in the latest forms. [Translated.] 

Logan 10 in 1899 discussed Scaphites, accepting the 

genus as a member of the Stephanoceratidae and 

regarding it as a progressive rather than a decadent 

or retrogressive group, because the sutures do not 

show degeneration but prog~ession if it is assumed that 

the later scaphites descended froD;l. the earlier. Logan 

studied the ontog~ny of Scaphites nodosus Owen and 

. thought he saw in it evidence of a development through 

.A narcestes, Tornoceras, GZyphioceras, Gastriogeras, P arq,Zegoceras,and Pro~orites. Later stage~ he thought to 

I:~;:;~mble Scaphites warreni,. and at the end. 9f the 

.fourth· ~horl the adUlt n.odosus form is reached. 

Hyatt'l1 in 1900 accepted the genera Scap~it.e8 

Parkinson and D,iscoscaphites Meek .and p~oposed 

Anascaphites with Scaphites, ventric08us Meek. and 

Hayden as the genotype and Jahnites with Scaph#es 

geinitzi D'Orbigny var. binodo~us Roemer of Jahn 12 

as the genotype. Hyatt gave no diagnoses of the 

g~nera but assigned them to the fal)1ily Scaphitidae 

:Meek ~nd placed them between the family Macroscaphitidae Hyatt and the" family Lytoceratidae 

.N eunlayr. Hyatt defined the family as follows: 

,Two or more rows of tubercles developed in the ephebic or 

ger<mtic stage; costae c0l1:tinuous across the venter;, aperture 

evenlY: constricted on the sides and with a slight, broad rostrum 

on the venter, caused by a recession of the lateral curves. 

There is 'a dorsal lappet~ but this is long' and bent only in 

J ahnites.' The young and sometimes ephebic stages of Scaphites 

p,osse~s the costae, form, and general aspect of Pachydiscus, and 

t~ere are spe~i~s transitional between t.hem., 

J .. P. Smith 13 in 1901 expressed the opinion. that the 

genus Scaphites is polyphyletic, and that some of the 

specie,s seem to have come from a HopZites-like ancestor, though others have larval stages similar, to those 

of Lytoceras. and, BacuZites and probably have a common origin with, them. 

W. D. Smith 14 in 1905 published the results of his 

work on the young stages of Scaphites nodosus Owen 

and S. condoni' Anderson .. He does not accept 

Logan~s views on the derivation of Scaphites, holding 

that the sutures alone are insufficient proof of derivation, and d~es not see the resemblances whi~h ~ogan 

10 Logan, W. N., Contributions to the paleontology oC the Upper Cretaceous series: 

Field Mus. Nat. Rist. Pub. 36, Geol. ser., vol. I, pp. 207-211, pIs. 22, 23, 1899. 

11 Hyatt, Alpheus, Cephalopoda, in Eastman, C. R., Textbook' of paleontology 

by Karl von Zittel, 1st ed., vol. I, p. 572, 1900. 

12 Jahn, Jaroslav, Ein Beitrag zur Kenntniss der Fauna der Priesener Schichten 

der bohmischen KreideCormation: K.-k. geol. Reichsanstalt Jahrb·., vol. 41, pp. 

179-184, text figs. 1-5, 1892. ., , . 

'13 Smith, J: P., The larval coil of Baculites: Am. Naturalist, voL 35, p. 45, 1901. 

14 Smith, W. D., The development of Scaphites: Jour. Geology, vol. 13, PI>. 

635-654, 1905. 
THE 'SCAPHITES, AN UPPER CRETACEOUS AMMONITE GROUP 23 

finds. lie likewise considers the genus a degenerate 

group, not progressive, because it unrolls, has a 

reduced nmnber of sutural elements, and is spin.ose in 

many ~pec,ies. Smith finds from his study of the f.orm 

of the whorls, sculpture, and sutural characters that 

"the Scaphites nodosus group is to be considered, as 

having C0111e fronl S01ne member of the Stephanopora tidae." 15 The young of this species show a 

developnlent fronl atriaenidian first lateral lobe to a 

dicranidian, and there is a constriction at the end of. the 

first whorl. Regarding the group of Scaphites concZoni, Smith, fr0111 the charact~r of the young stages, 

believes it to have a C0111nlOn ancestor with BaQulites 

and Lytoce~ras, or with Baculites' to have descended 

fr01n Lytoceras. fIe says: "The likeness of the young 

stages of S. condoni * *, * to the young of 

]3ctCuZites and Lytoceras is more in the general aspect of 

the shell rather than in any specific characters." 16 

The concloni group differs from the nodosus group 

chiefly in having bifid lobes throughout, whereas in the 

nocZosus group the first lateral lobe of the suture is 

supposed to develop fronl a trifid to a bifid fOrI11 , and 

in having a wide umbilicus and suppressed ribs as 

cOlllpared with the narrow umbilicus and prominent 

ribs of the nodosus group. The genus therefore, 

according to SI11ith, is poly,phyletic, the degenerate, 

phylogerontic descendant of several stocks. ' 

Pervinquiere 17 in 1907 considered scaphites of the 

type of Scaphites aequaZis Sowerby on the basis of 

form, sculpture, ~nd suture to have been derived 

frol11 OZcostephanus N eunlayr or Holcodiscus Uhlig, 

thus reverting to the opinion of Neumayr. He 

rejected an attachment to the Lytoceratidae because 

of the presence of several auxiliary 10 bes in the external 

suture and f?everal lobes in the internal suture,. and to 

Stoliczkaia Neumayr because of the form of the young. 

For the group like Scaphites cunZiiJei Forbes, Pervinquiere favored an assignmen't to the Lytoceratidae. 

Scaphites cun.ZiiJei has a discoid form, a wide u~bilicus, 

a suture whose first laterallob.e passes directly from 

the simple to the bifid stage, and a first whorl with a 

constriction like that of BacuZites and Lytoceras. The 

features antagonistic to the' 'assignment are the 

strong sculpture, at least in comparison with Lytoceras, 

and th~ presence of several internal lobes in the suture. 

Pervinquiere noted that some of the species of Discoscaphites Meek have a discoid form' and wide umbilicus, but he was unwilling to accept Meek's name 

because the development' of the AmerIcan forms 

was not known. He was unwilling also to include in it 

S. cunZiiJei because the living chamber of the cunlifJei 

group had not b~en found. 

U Smith, W. D., op. cit., p. 648. 

16 Idcm, p. 651. . _ _. . 0-

i7 Pervlnqulcro, ,Uon, Etudcs de pai~ontoiogie tunisieDDe, pt. 1, C~phalopodes 

dos terralnes secondalres, p~ 116, Paris, 1907. . ',. . 

Yabe 18 in 1910 proposed the genus Yezoites to include scaphites with a suture possessing a singlepointed internal lobe and a very high internal saddle 

next to it. The external suture, form, and other 

characters are like those of the normal scaphites. 

Yabe considered the internal suture to be the most 

significant criterion in determining the relationship 

of scaphites. He rejected Hyatt's classification, 

primarily because of the lack of elaboration of the 

genera. The full diagnosis of Yezoites is as follows: 

Shell as in Scaphites Pa:r;kinson, consisting of more or less 

widely umbilic~te sp,iral whorls l;l.nd of a free, at first straight 

and then reflected last whorl. .Border of the aperture either 

qniy thickened or with a con~triction and lateral lappets. 

The external part of the suture as in Scaphites; the internal part 

with high saddle and small notches in it. 

, Here belong three species, fmm the Scaphites beds of I,Iokkaido, which may be grouped in two sections: 

1. Umbilicus of the spiral whorls mostly covered by the 

flanks of the loose whorl; border of the aperture simply thickened. 

2. Umbilicus of the spiral whorls entirely open; border of 

the aperture witJ'l constriction and lateral lappets. [Translated.] 

Yabe did not assign a systematic position to either 

Scaphites or Yezoites. 

Nowak 19 in 1911 reviewed briefly the work of many 

previous students of the scaphites. He did not 

consider Yezoites Yabe a valid genus, believing from 

the work of Pervinquiere and W. D. Smith, .cited 

,above, that a high internal saddle may be present in 

groups that by other characters give strong evidence 

of different derivation. Nowak expressed no opinion 

as to the ideas of Meek and Hyatt regarding Scaphites. 

Contrary to Yab~'s opinion, Nowak believed that 

although the form of internal suture should not be 

neglected in studying scaphites, as has so often been 

done, it js'not the most important criterion but must 

be considered in conjunction with the form of the 

shell, the sculpture, and the external suture. The 

primary feature to be considered . in determining 

relationship is the ontogenetic development as a Whole. 

Nowak compared Scaphites aequaZis Sowerby, S. 

trid'ens Kner, and S. constrictus Sowerby with the 

representatives of other genera and concluded that 

at least three evolutionary series are represented, 

similar only in posses~ing an abnormalliving.chamberthe group of S. aequaZis, derived from HoZcogtephanus; 

the group of S. tridens, derived from Acanthoceras; and 

the group of S. constrictus, derived from Hoplites. 

For these gr,oups Nowak proposed the names Holcoscaphites, AcanthC?scaphites, and Hoploscaphites, respectiv:ely. The diagnoses of these genera given by 

18 Yabe, Hisakntsll, Die Scaphiten der Oberkreide von ,Hokkaido: Beitr., 

Pai11ontoiogie Oesterr.-Ungarns u. des Ori~;ltS, vol. 23, pp_ 159-174, pI. 15, 1910. 

19 Nowak, ·Jan, Untersuchungen tiber dieCephalopode~ der oberen Kreide in: 

Polen, pt. 2, Die Skaphiten: Acad. Sci. Cracovie Bull. internat., aDD6e 1911, s~r. Ba 

pp. 547-588,1912. - '.' 
24 SHORTER CONTRffiUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Nowak will perhaps present in briefes-tpossible form 

his re~sons for their institution: 

Genus Holcoscaphites.-Shetl with narrow umbilicus; umbilicus broader in youth, narrower in age; whorls stout, last living 

chamber abnormal. The sculpture of the normal whorls, 

especially in the young stages, like Holcostephanus. [That is, 

the ribs pass without nodes from the umbilicus, end at the 

edge of the venter with a nodose thickening, and then split 

into weaker secondary ribs. Later the ribs of the venter and 

flank are equal.] Lobes and saddles in external part [of suture] 

gradually smaller from the outside [of the whorl] inward; the 

same in the internal part but in the opposite direction. The 

bifid lobes develop out of trifid; the internal lobe trifid. 

Species: H. hugardianus D'Orbigny, aequalis Sowerby, geinitzi 

D'Orbigny, fritschi Grossouvre, geinitzi var. Lamberti Grossouvre 

(Jahn), ?compressus D'Orbigny, auritus' Schluter, hippocrepis 

De Kay, cf. meslei Grossouvre (Pervinquiere), inftatus Roemer, 

texanus Roemer, nodosus, Owen, and most of Yabe's species. 

Genus Acanthoscaphites.-Whorls always somewhat higher 

than wide, last living chamber abnormal. Sculpture consists 

of straight or only slightly bent ribs; in youth there are principal 

ribs which begin at the umbilicus with a nodose thickening and 

pass over the venter to the other side and auxiliary ribs which 

are intercalated between these on the venter. Later the auxiliary ribs become longer and, like the principal ribs and the 

umbilical nodes, disappear. In adult specimens there are 

[ventral] nodes. The suture possesses an external lobe, two 

lateral lobes, and one to two auxiliary lobes. The external 

lobe is longest; next in length comes the first lateral, which is 

bifid; the trifid second lateral and the following lobes are 

strikingly shorter than the first lateral. Three internal saddles, 

the first highest and broadest, the others progressively smaller. 

The bifid lobes develop out· of trifid. Lobes and saddles strongly 

incised. Species: A. tridens Kner, ?gibbus Schluter, roemeri 

D'Orbigny, cunliffei Forbes, ?ornatus Roemer. Species falling 

within this genus are certainly much more numerous, but their 

suture lines are mostly unknown. 

Genus Hoploscaphites.-Flat forms with involute whorls; 

the umbilicus in youth broader, then narrower. Sculpture 

consists of arched ribs, which at the middle of the flank and on 

the venter are bent forward; they fork at different heights on 

the flank without forming nodes. Increase in the number of 

ribs occurs also by intercalation. Suture consists of an external 

lobe, two lateral lobes, and two to three' auxiliary lobes. The 

first lateral lobe is usually highest, the external lobe next, and 

then the second lateral lobe, which reaches scarcely one-third 

the height of the first lateral lobe. The first internal saddle 

small and narrow, the second very broad and higher than the 

first. The lobes and saddles are not much divided and incised. 

The bifid lobes have arisen from trifid lobes. Species: H. 

rochatianus D'Orbigny, ?africanus Pervinquiere, thomasi 

Pervinquiere, ?aquisgranensis Schluter, ?monasteriensis Schluter. 

pungens Binckhorst, constrictus Sowerby. 

Whether scaphites do not occur also in other ammonite genera 

and families may be established only by further investigation, 

[Translated.] 

J. P. Smith 20 in 1913 accepted the genera Scaphites 

Parkinson, Discoscaphites Meek, and Jahnites Hyatt, 

placing them in the subfamily Scaphitinae Meek of 

the family Cosmoceratidae Zittel. He gives a diagnosis of the subfamily only, as follows: 

Whorl closely coiled in youth, opening out at maturity into 

.a hook-shaped body chamber. Form robust, thick-set, involute, 

10 Smith, J. P., Ammonoidea, in Eastman, C. R., Textbook of paleontology by 

Karl von Zittel, vol. 1, 2d ed., p. 670, 1913. 

surface highly ornamented with ribs and knots. Septae finely 

digitate, usually With several auxiliary lobes. 

Frech 21 in 1915 sought to group the scaphites of the 

EUJ;,opean and American Cretaceous into form groups 

characteristic of the successive zones and exhibiting a 

progressive increase in size and in complexity of 

sculpture from the older beds to the younger. The 

form groups do not imply community of descent. 

Frech makes out a case of nearly perfect parallelism 

between the two sides of the Atlantic, proposing to 

unite under the same names a number of species 

previously separated. His grouping is as follows: 

1. Group of S. aequalis. Small species with threadlike ventral 

ribs and fewer but stronger lateral ribs: S. aequalis, 

geinitzi, larvaeformis, warreni, and warreni var. silesiaca. 

Cenomanian and Turonian. 

2.' Group of S. vermiformis. Medium-sized species with coarse 

sculpture whose lateral ribs end in nodes: S. lamberh, 

.meslei, kieslingswaldensis, vermiformis. Emscherian and 

lower Senonian. 

3. Group of S. binodosus. Forms with two rows of lateral nodes 

on each flank and with ventral ribs, which are partly 

obliterated: S. binodosus, inflatus, binodosus (nodosu~) 

var. brevis, var. quadrangularis, var. plenus. Lower 

Senonian. Possibly also S. gibbus of the upper Senonian. 

4. Group of S. constrictus (Discoscaphites) , presenting only 

slight modifications from the binodosus group. Compressed forms with narrow venter and high sides; 

dichotomous lateral ribs on the inner whorls, two rows of 

nodes on the living chamber (umbilical and external), in 

some species accompanied by suppression of the ribs. 

(a) Ribs on the septate whorls; living chamber smooth 

except for two rows of nodes: S. hippocre'jJis,aquisgranensis. 

Lower Senonian. 

(b) Ribs on the septate and unseptate whorls; the 

two rows of nodes irregularly developed, in some species 

distinct throughout (S. compressus Roemer), in others· 

with umbilical row suppressed (S. constrictus, roemeri, 

conradi, abyssinus). Middle and upper Senonian. 

5. Group of S. pulcherrimus, with three to four rows of nodes on 

each flank, one row on the ventral margin; numerous· 

ribs. Upper Senonian. 

(a) Most species have the four rows of nodes (S. 

spiniger, pulcherrimus), though some have more numerous Trachyceras-like rows of nodes (S. cheyennensis, 

spinosissimus) . 

(b) One species, reaching the largest size, has between 

the two rows of lateral nodes a third row of less numerous 

but very strong nodes in the plane of symmetry (S. 

tridens). 

Nowak 22 in 1916 dealt with the importance of the 

scaphites in the subdivision of the Upper Cretaceous. 

He disagreed with Frech as to the desirability of 

Frech's form groups, because the similarities used by 

Frech are largely superficial and take no account of 

genetic relationships. N odes appear in different 

groups at different times and with different intensity, 

and the maximum development occurs at different 

times. Nowak considered the high point of developII Frech, Fritz, Ueber Scaphites: Centralbl. Mineralogie, Jabrg. 1915, NO.'18, pp • 

553-568; No. 21, pp. 617-621,1915. 

22 Nowak, Jan, Zur Bedeutung von Scaphites fUr die Gliederung der Oberkreide: 

K.-k. Geol. Reicbsanstalt Verh., Jabrg. 1916, No.3, pp. 56-67, 1916. 
THE SCAPHITES, AN UPPER CRETACEOUS AMMONITE GROUP 25 

ment to have come in his Holcoscaphites in the Cenomanian, in his Acanthoscaphites in the middle of the 

Mucronatus zone (upper Campanian), and in his 

Hoploscaphites in the very late Cretaceous (Maestrichtian). Some of the species of Acanthoscaphites reach 

much larger size than any of the later Holcoscaphites. 

Concerning the relation between the European and 

American species, Novak added to the aequaZis group, 

besides S. Zarvaejormis Meek and Hayden and S. 

warreni Meek and Hayden, S. giZZisi Anderson, S. 

kZamathensis Anderson, S. condoni Anderson, and the 

Emscherian S. vermiformis Meek and Hayden. N 0-

wak did not accept Frech's consolidation of S. binodosus Roelner and S. nodosus Owen but assigned S. 

nodosus var. plenus Meek to S. tridens Kner val'. 

quadrispinosus Geinitz, and S. nodosus var. quadranguZaris Meek and Hayden to S. roemeri D'Orbigny. 

He did not accept Frech's combination of S. roemeri 

D'Orbigny and S. nicoZZeti Meek nor· of S. iriflatus 

Roemer and S. nodosus Owen var. brevis Meek. He 

accepted the identity of S. conradi val'. intermedius 

Meek with S. constrictus and also assigned to it S. 

nicoZZeti Meek, S. mandanensis (Morton), and S. 

abyssinus (Morton). Nowak on the basis of the 

scaphites and other fossils correlated the American 

Fox Hills sandstone with the Maestrichtian and the 

upper part of the Pierre shale with the upper Campanian, a more definite correlation than that made by 

Frech. 

In tabular form Nowak's grouping is as follows: 

Distribution of the scaphites according to J. Nowak 

Ago Bolcoscaphitcs 

Maestrichtian. 

g 

'S 

0' 

~ Q.) 

00 Campanian. 

inflatus. 

Santonian. hippocrepis. 

Coniacian-Emscherian. meslei. 

lamberti. 

auritus. 

Turonian. geinitzii [= gillisi]. 

warreni. 

larvaeformis. 

vermiformis. 

Cenomanian. aequalis [=? condoni]. l =pseudoaequalis.] 

Upper Gault. [Vraconian.] , hugarOianus. 

Spath 23 in 1922 recognized Nowak's three genera 

as valid. He suggested that possibly some Campanian members of the genera HopZoscaphites and 

Acanthoscaphites have been derived from a group of 

desmoceratids to which he gave the name Menuites 

Spath (including Ammonites menu Forbes, A. sturi 

Redtenbacher, A. portZocki Sharpe). He believed 

that other . late Senonian scaphites now included in 

Nowak's genera have come from the group of HopZites 

vari Schhiter (HopZitopZacenticeras Paulcke). 

The writer, in recent papers,24 has accepted Nowak's 

divisions of the scaphites as valid, though not acceptt8 Spath, L. F., On tho Sononian ammonite fauna of Pondoland: Roy. Soc. South 

Africa 'l'mns., vol. 10, pp. 123, 136, 1922. 

2~ l'toosido, J. B., jr., Tho cephalopods of the Eagle sandstone and related forma. 

tions In tho Western Interior of tho Unitod States: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 

151, pp. 20-21, 1927; Cephalopods from tho lower part of the Cody shale of Oregon 

Basin, Wyo.: U. S. Gool. Survey Prof. Paper 150, pp.~, 1927. 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

Acanthoscaphites Hoploscaphites 

constrictus, tenuistriatus. [ = nicolleti, conradi intermedius, mandanensis, abyssinus.] 

cheyennensis. 

conradi. 

cunliffei. 

tridens, trinodosus. [=nodo- sus plenus.] monasteriensis. 

roemeri. [ = nodosus quad- gibbus. rangularis.] 

pulcherrimus. 

spiniger. 

aq uisgranensis. 

binodosus. 

potieri. 

arnaudi. 

?rochatianus. 

?africanus. 

I 

ing his names HoZcoscaphites and HopZo8caphites (see 

below, p. 27), and has proposed Desmoscaphites to 

include scaphites with the following features: Shell 

of moderate size with stout, well-rounded whorls; 

umbilicus small; sculpture on earlier whorls of stout 

rounded ribs, which increase both by forking and by 

intercalation and are more or less arched forward 

on the venter, and whose orderly sequence is interrupted by f3ix to eight constrictions per whorl; sculpture on later whorls without constrictions and finer; 

suture has large siphonal lobe, first lateral saddle 

about same size as siphonallobe and unsymmetrically 

trifid~ first lateral lobe a little shorter than the siphonal 

lobe and symmetrically trifid, remaining elements 

small. Desmoscaphites, on the basis of the constrictions on the early whorls and the suture, is believed 

to have come from a' desmoceratid stock. 
26 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927. 

PRESENT STATUS OF THE GROUP 

The' summary of the more important papers relating to the scaphites given above shows that, Macro8caphites not included, nine generic names have been 

proposed: 

Scaphites Parkinson, 1811. 

Discoscaphites Meek, 1870. 

Anascaphites Hyatt, 1900. 

Jahnites Hyatt, 1900. 

Yezoites Yabe, 1910. 

Holcoscaphites Nowak, 1912. 

Acanthoscaphites Nowak, 1912. _ 

Hoploscaphites Nowak, 1912. 

Desmoscaphites Reeside, 1927. 

Scaphites Parkinson was sufficiently comprehensive 

in its original definition to include all the later names 

and has the species aequalis Sowerby as the genotype. 

(See pI. 10, figs. 13-15.) 

Discoscaphites Meek was established on the basis 

of the compressed form of the shell and the presence 

of numerous rows of nodes on the ribs, though in 

the actual application of the name by Meek species 

without nodes on the flanks were included in the 

genus. . The genotype is the species conradi Morton. 

(See pI. 9, figs. 2-7.) 

Anascaphites Hyatt was defined only by the citation of the species ventricosus Meek and Hayden as 

the genotype. It is a very stout shell, without 

nodes but with numerous relatively fine, sharp ribs, 

and attains a large size 'for the group. The writer 25 

has studied and described typical examples of the 

species and believes that the suture, the various stages 

in the development of the shell, and the adult features 

ally it closely with Scaphites aequalis and that it 

does not deserve generic rank. (See pI. 10, figs. 1, 2.) 

Jahnites Hyatt was based on Scaphites geinitzi 

D 'Orbigny var. binodosus Roemer as elaborated by 

Jahn, who found it to have a relatively long, bent 

dorsal lappet, apparently the fundamental character 

which Hyatt had in mind in establishing the genus. 

(See pI. 10, fig. 3.) However, a dorsal lappet occurs 

in species of seemingly distinct derivation, differing 

in them only in length. The species ventricosus, 

warreni, stantoni, nodosus, nicolleti and some European 

species show a distinct dorsal lappet, bent much as 

Jahn's figures show it, though shorter. The feature 

is therefore hardly of generic value. 

Yezoites Yabe was based on scaphites like S. aequalis 

in m'ost characters but possessing an internal suture 

with a long single-pointed dorsal lobe; a. very high, 

somewhat dissected saddle' next to it; and a small 

second internal lobe and saddle. The species planus 

Yabe was used by Yabe as the chief basis' for his dis25 Reeside, J. B., jr., Cephalopods from the lower part of the Cody shale of Oregon 

Basin, Wyo.: U. S. Geol. Survey Pro!. Paper 150, pp. 6-7, pIs. 1-8, 1927. 

cussion and is to be taken as .the genotype. (See 

pI. 10, figs. 4-9.) As Nowak· has shown, the distinctive features occur in scaphites that from other characters seem to have had differing derivations, and it is 

unwise to ignore everything but the internal suture in 

seeking generic characters. 

Holcoscaphites Nowak was founded upon Scaphites 

aequalis, which, though not so designated, must be 

taken as the genotype. It includes 'chiefly smaller 

shells with narrow umbilicus; stout whorls; ribs that 

form a nodose thickening or actual node at the margin 

of the venter and split into finer ribs on the 'venter; 

suture with parts gradually smaller from the median 

plane of the shell to the . line of in volu tion and with 

bifid lateral lobes in ·the adult stages derived' from 

trifid embryonic lobes; suture only moderately incised. 

(See pI. 9,·fig.· 1.) This generic group certainly appears to be valid, but inasmuch as Scaphites Parkinson 

was previously founded on the same genotype it is 

not in accord with the usual practice to drop the 

earlier name, which should rather be restricted to 

the scope of the later definition. This group should 

therefore be designated Scaphites Parkinson emended. 

It is interesting to note that this restricted genus has 

nearly the compass of Meek's section a of Scaphites 

s. s. (See p. 22.) 

Acanthoscaphites Nowak, founded on the species 

tridens Kner, includes shells that generally attain a 

large size for the group, with whorls somewhat 

higher than wide; ribs straight, with nodose thickening 

near the umbilicus, intercalated secondary ribs, and 

in the adults lateral and ventral nodes; suture with 

long external lobe, long bifid first lateral lobe, and 

much shorter second lateral and auxiliary lobes; 

three internal saddles, decreasing regularly from the 

dorsal lobe to the line of involution; bifid lobes in the 

adult suture developed' from trifid embryonic lobes; 

suture much incised. (See pI. 11, figs. 1, 2.) This 

generic group appears to be valid. Meek long ago 

had set it apart as his sections band c of Scaphites 

s. s. (See p. 22.) 

Hoploscaphites Nowak, founded on the species 

constrictus Sowerby, includes compressed shells with 

involute whorls, mostly of moderate size for the 

group; ribs curved, increasing in number by intercalation and by forking; nodes few or numerous on 

the flanks; suture usually with first lateral lobe 

longest, external lobe next in length, and second 

lateral and auxiliaries much shorter; first internal 

saddle narrow, second wide; suture only moderately 

incised; bifid lobes in the adult arise from trifid 

embryonic lobes. (See pI. 9, figs. 8-10.) This 

group also seems to be valid, but inasmuch as Nowak 

puts into it all of Meek's species of Discoscaphites, it 

seems to the writer that Meek's earlier name has 
THE SCAPHITES, AN UPPER CRETACEOtJS AMMONITE GROUP 27 

precedence. There appears to be no doubt" that 

Nowak is correct in associating the discoscaphites 

with his Hoploscaphites, and as Frech previously had 

used the generic name Discoscaphites for the species 

constrictus, the usage of the name for the whole group 

may be considered established. 

Desmoscaphites Reeside, with the species bassleri 

Reeside as the genotype, includes moderately large 

shells with constrictions on the early whorls and with 

a symmetrically trifid first lateral lobe in the adult 

suture. It is therefore distinct from the other 

divisions and is a valid genus. (See pI. 10, figs. 10-12.) 

Of the nine names proposed there are, in short, 

four apparently valid. These designate four genera, 

which represent three families and four subfamilies: 

Stepheoceratidae: 

Scaphitinae: 

Scaphites Parkinson (Holcoscaphites Nowak, Anascaphites Hyatt, Jahnites Hyatt, Yezoites Yabe). 

Desmoceratidae: 

Silesitinae: 

Desmoscaphites Reeside. 

Cosmoceratidae: 

Hoplitinae: 

Discoscaph,ites Meek (Hoploscaphites Nowak). 

Acanthoceratinae: 

Acanthoscaphites Nowak. 

The following assignment of species to generic 

groups is based for the European species largely on 

Nowak's assignments and. for the American species 

in part on Nowak's assignments but in larger part on 

long-accepted assignments and comparisons such as 

those made by Meek. Whether all the forms; 

customarily placed in the species nodosus Owen belong 

to Acanthoscaphites may be doubted, but this comprehensive species needs extensive revision before 

much can be said of it with confidence, and in the 

meanwhile it may be left as Nowak assigned it. 

Scaphites: aequalis, aequalis var. turonensis, aquilaensis, 

aquilaensis var. costatus, aquilaensis var. nanus, auritus, 

compressus?, condoni, condoni var. appressus, evolutus, 

formosus, fritschi, geinitzi, geinitzi var. intermedia, 

gillisi, gracilis, hilli, hippocrepis, hippocrepis var. crassus, 

hippocrepis var. pusillus, hippocrepis var. tenuis, hugardianus, inermis, infiatus, kieslingswaldensis, kingianus, 

klamathensis, lamberti, larvaeformis (Meek and Hayden), larvaeformis (Frech), leei, leei var. parvus, levis, 

meria-ni?, meslei, mullananus, obliquus, peroni, peroni 

var. inornatus, perrini, planus (Roman" and Mazeran), 

planus (Yabe), planus var. gigas, pseudoaequalis, puerculus, 

puerculus var. teshioensis, rochatianus, roguensis, semicostatus, septemcostatus, similaris, similis, stantoni, 

tenuicostatus, tex!,tnus, thomasi, ventricosus, ventricosus 

var. stantoni, ventricosus var. depressus, ventricosus var. 

oregonensis, ventricosus var. interjectus, vermiformis, 

vermiformis var. binneyi, warreni, warreni var. silesiaca, 

yonekurai, yokoyamai. 

Desmoscaphites: bassleri, novimexicanus. 

Discoscaphites: abyssinus, africanus?, angulatus, aquisgranensis, arnaudi, binodosus, cheyennensis, conradi, conradi 

var. gulosus, conradi var. intermedius, conradi var. 

petechialis, constrictus, constrictus var. crassus, constrictus var. quiriquinensis, constrictus var. vulgaris, 

diversesulcatus, gibbus, haugi?, iris?, mandanensis, monasteriensis, nicolleti, niedzwiedzkii, nodosus (Lopuski)?, 

potieri, pungens, tenuistriatus, verneuilli? 

Acanthoscaphites: cunliffei, nodosus (Owen), nodosus var. 

brevis, nodosus var. plenus, nodosus var. quadrangularis, 

pulcherrimus, quadrispinosus, reesidei?, roemeri (D'Orbigny), splmger, subglobosus?, tridens, tridens var. 

bispinosus, trinodosus, trispinosus, varians. 

Unassign"ed /I Scaphites": . brahminicus, idoneus?, ornatissimus, 

ornatus, pavana, plicatellus, pygmaeus, roemeri (Brauns), 

spinosissimus, tuberculatus, verrucosus, worthensis? 

CATALOGUE. OF THE SPECIFIC NAMES APPLIED TO 

SCAPHITES 

The following catalogue of the specific names 

applied to scaphites includes all that the writer has 

met in a perusal of the literature at his disposal. For 

some of the species no generic assignment is given, 

owing to the facts that the data given in the literature are insufficient and that the writer lacks adequate 

material on which to base a conclusion. 

Synonyms and abandoned names are shown III 

italics; valid names are shown in heavy-face type. 

abysslnus (Morton) Meek. Discoscaphites. 

Ammonites abyssinus, Morton, S. G., Description of some 

new species of organic remains of the Cretaceous 

group of the United States: Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia Jour., vol. 8, p. 209, pI. 10, fig. 4, 1841. 

Scaphites abyssinus, Meek, F. B., and Hayden, F. V., 

Smithsonian check list, 1860. 

Scaphites (Discoscaphites) abyssinus, Meek, F. B., Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils of the upper 

Missouri country: U. S. Geol. Survey Terr. Rept., 

vol. 9, p. 441, pI. 35, figs. 2, 4, 1876. 

Fox Hills sandstone. [Maestrichtian.]' 

aequalls Sowerby. Scaphltes. 

Sowerby, James, Mineral conchology of Great Britain, 

vol. 1, p. 53, pI. 18, figs. 1-3, 1813. 

Cenomanian. 

aequalls Sowerby var. turonensls Roman and Mazeran. 

Scaphltes. 

Roman, Frederic, and Mazeran, Pierre, Monographie 

paleontologique de la faune turonienne du bassin 

d'Uchaux et de ses d6pendances: Mus. hist. nat. Lyon 

Archives, vol. 12, Mem. 2, pp. 12-13, pI. 4, figs. 10-14, 

1920. 

Turonian. 

afrlcanus (Pervinquiere). Discoscaphltes? 

Scaphites africanus, Pervinquiere, Leon, Etudes de paleontologie tunisienne, pt. 1, C6phalopodes des terraines 

secondaires, p. 123, pI. 4, figs. 34, 35, 1907. 

Hoploscaphites? africanus, Nowak, Jan, Untersuchungen 

tiber die Cephalopoaen der oberen Kreide in Polen, 

pt. 2, Die Skaphiten: Acad. sci. Cracovie Bull. 

internat., annee 1911, ser. B, p. 566, 1912. 

Cenomanian. 

?andoorensls (Stoliczka) Kossmat. 

Ammonites andoorensi.<;, Stoliczka, Ferdinand, Fossil 

Cephalopoda of the Cretaceous rocks of southern 

India, Ammonitidae, vol. 1, p. 94, pI. 47, fig. 3, 1865. 

Scaphites? andoorensis, Kossmat, Franz, Untersuchungen 

tiber die stidindische Kreideformation: Beitr. Palaontologie Oesterr.-Ungarns u. des Orients, vol. 11, p. 139, 

pI. 17, fig. 3, 1897. . 

Upper Trichinopoly [Santonian?]. 

o 
28 SHORTER CONTIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

angulatus (Lopuski). Discoscaphites. 

Scaphites angulatus, Lopuski, Geslaw, Contribution a 

l' etude de la faune cretacee du plateau de Lublin: Soc. 

sci. Varsovie Compt. rend., annee 4, pt. 3, p. 136, 

pI. 3, figs. 8-10, 1911. 

Maestrichtian. 

[= H oploscaphites constrictus var. tenuistriatus according to 

Nowak, Jan, Untersuchungen uber die Cephalopoden 

der oberen Kreide in Polen, pt. 2, Die Skaphiten: 

Acad. sci. Cracovie Bull. internat., annee 1911, ser. 

B, p. 586, 1912.] 

aquUaensls Reeside. Scaphites. 

Reeside, J. B., jr., The cephalopods of the Eagle sandstone 

and related formations in the Western Interior of the 

United States: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 151, 

p. 25, pI. 18, figs. 15-27; pI. 19, figs. 1-7, 1927. 

Lower Campanian. 

aquliaensls Reeside var. costatus Reeside. Scavhites. 

Reeside, J. B., jr., The cephalopods of the Eagle sandstone 

and related formations in the Western Interior of the 

United States: U. S.' Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 151, 

p. 25, pI. 19, figs. 8-13, 1927. 

Lower Campanian. 

aqullaensls Reeside var. nanus Reeside. Scaphites. 

Reeside, J. B., jr., The cephalopods of the Eagle sandstone 

and related formations in the Western Interior of the 

United States: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 15I. 

p. 26, pI. 19, figs. 14-21; pI. 20, figs. 1-6. 1927. 

Lower Campanian. 

aqulsgranensls (Schluter) Frech. Discoscaphites. 

Scaphites aquisgranensis, Schluter, Clemens, Cephalopod en 

der oberen deutschen Kreide, p. 81, pI. 24, figs. 7-9, 

Cassel, 1871. 

,_Hoploscaphites? ,aquisgranensis (Schluter), Nowak, Jan, 

Untersuchungen uber die Cephalopoden der oberen 

Kr~ide in Polen, pt. 2, Die Skaphiten: Acad. sci. 

Cracovie Bull. internat., annee 1911, ser. B, p. 566, 

1912. 

Scaphites (Discoscaphites) aquisgranensis (Schluter), Frech, 

. Fritz, Ueber Scaphites: Centralbl. Mineralogie, Jahrgang 1915, No. 21, p. 555, 1915. 

Lower Quadratenkreide [Lower Campanian]. 

arnaudl (De Grossquvre). Discoscaphites. 

Scaphites arnaudi, De Grossouvre, Albert, Les ammonites 

de la craie superieure: Carte geol. France Mem. 

Recherches sur la craie superieure,·pt. 2, Paleontologie, 

p. 242, pI. 32, fig. 8; 1894. 

Hoploscaphites arnaudi (De Grossouvre), Nowak, Jan, Zur 

Bedeutung von Scaphites fur die Gliederung der Oberkreide: IC-k. geol. Reichsanstalt Verh., Jahrg. 1916, 

No.3, p. 66, 1916. 

Middle Coniacian. 

auritus Schluter. Scaphltes. 

Schluter, Clemens, Cephalopoden der oberen deutschen 

Kreide, p. 77, pI. 23"figs. 5-11, Cassel, 1871. 

Scaphitenplaner. [Turonian.] 

aff. auritus Schluter. 

Burckhardt, Carlos, Faunas cretacicas de Zumpango del 

Rio: Inst. geol. Mexico Bol. 33, pp. 95, 96, pI. 22, . 

figs. 5-10, 1919. 

Turonian. 

auritus Fritsch and Schloenbach (not Schluter). See fritschi 

De' Grossouvre .. 

basslerl Reeside. Desmoscaphites. 

Reeside, J. B., jr., The cephalopods of the Eagle sandstone 

and related formations in the Western Interior of the 

United States: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 151, 

p. 16, pI. 21, figs. 17-21; pI. 22, figs. 8-12, 1927. 

Santonian. 

o 

blnodosus (Roemer). Discoscaphites. 

Scaphites binodosus, Roemer, F. A., Die Versteinerungendes 

norddeutschen Kreidegebirge, p. 90, pI. 13, fig. 6, 1841. 

Hoploscaphites binodosus (Roemer), Nowak, Jan, Zur Bedeutung von Scaphites fUr die Gliederung der Oberkreide: 

K.-k. geoI. Reichsanstalt Verh., Jahrg. 1916, No.3, 

p. 66, 1916. 

Upper marl at DuLmen. [Santonian according to 

Nowak.] 

brahmlnlcus (Stoliczka) Kossmat. 

Ammonites brahminicus, Stoliczka, Ferdinand, Fossil 

Cephalopoda of the Cretaceous rocks of southern 

India, Ammonitidae, vol. 1, p. 169, pI. 81, fig. 7, 1865. 

Scaphites brahminicus, Kossmat, Franz, Untersuchungen 

uber die sudindische Kreideformation: Beitr. Palaontologie Oesterr.-Ungarns u. des Orients, vol. 11, p. 137, 

1897. 

Upper Trichinopoly (?) beds. [Coniacian-Santonian?] 

cheyennensls (Owen) Meek. Discoscaphites. 

Ammonites cheyennensis, Owen, D. D., Description of new 

and imperfectly known genera and species of organic 

remains, collected during the geological surveys of 

Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota, p. 578, pI. 7, fig. 2, 

1852. 

Scaphites cheyennensis, Meek, F. B., and Hayden, F. V., 

Smithsonian check list, p. 23, 1864. 

Scaphites (Discoscaphites) cheyennensis, Meek, F. B., Preliminary paleontological report: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Terr. Second Ann. Rept., p. 297, '1872; Invertebrate 

Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils of the upper Missouri 

country: U. S. Geoi. Survey Terr. Rept., vol. 9, p. 

437, pI. 35, fig. 3, 1876. 

Fox 'Hills. [Maestrichtian.] 

compressus D'Orbigny. Scaphites? 

D'Orbigny, Alcide, Paleontologie fran9aise, 1st ser., Terrain 

cretace, vol. 1; p. 517, pI. 128, figs. 4, 5, 1841. 

Craie chloriMe. [Senonian?] 

afT. compress us (D'Orbigny) Bonarelli and Nagera. 

Bonarelli, Guido, and Nagera, J. J., Observaciones geol6-

gicas en las inmediaciones del Lago San Martin 

(Territorio de Santa Cruz): Ministerio de Agricultura 

(Argentina), Direcci6n general de minas, geologia e 

hidrologia, Bol. 27, ser. B, p. 28, 1921. 

compressus Roemer (not D'Orbigny). See roemeri D'Orbigny. 

comprimis Owen. [=Scaphites nicolleti (Morton).] 

Owen, D. D., Description of new and imperfectly known 

genera and species of organic remains collected 

during the geological surveys of Wisconsin, Iowa, and 

Minnesota, p. 580, pI. 7, fig. 4, 1852. 

condonl Anderson. Scaphites. 

Anderson, F. M., Cretaceous deposits of the Pacific coast: 

California Acad. Sci. Proc., 3d ser., Geology, vol. 2, 

p. 111, pI. 2, figs. 58-63, 1902. 

Lower Chico. [Cenomanian.] 

condonl Anderson var. appressus Anderson. Scaphites. 

Anderson, F. M., Cretaceous deposits of the Pacific coast: 

California Acad. Sci. Proc., 3d ser., Geology, vol. 2, 

p. 112, pI. 2, figs. 64-66, 1902. 

Lower Chico. [Cenomanian.] 

conradi (Morton) Meek. Discoscaphites. 

Ammonites conradi, Morton, S. G., Synopsis of the organic 

, remains of the Cretaceous group of the United States, 

p. 39, pI. 16, figs. 1, 3, 1834. 

Scaphites conradi, D'Orbigny, Prodrome de paleontologie, 

p. 214, 1850. 

Scaphites (Discoscaphites) conradi (Morton), Meek, F. B., 

A preliminary list of fossils collected by Dr. Hayden: 

Am. Philos. Soc. Proc., vol. 11, p. 429, 1871; Preliminary paleontological report: U. S. Geol. Survey 
THE SCAPHITES, AN UPPER CREATCEOUS AMMONITE GROUP 29 

conradi (Morton) Meek. Dlscoscaphltes-Continued. 

Terr. Second Ann. Rept., p. 297, 1872; Invertebrate 

Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils of the upper Missouri 

country: U. S. Geol. Survey Terr. Rept., vol. 9, p. 

430, pI. 36, fig. 2, 1876. 

Fox Hills sandstone. [Maestrichtian.] 

conradi (Morton) var. gulosus Morton. Discoscaphltes. 

Aml1tOnites conradi var. (}'ulosus, Morton, S. G., Synopsis of 

the organic remains of the Cretaceous group of the 

United States, p. 39, pI. 16, fig. 2, 1834. . 

SCa1Jhites conradi var. gulosus, Gabb, W. M., Synopsis of 

the Mollusca of the Cretaceous formations, p. 32, 

1861. 

SCa1Jhites (Discoscaphites) conradi var. gulosus, Meek, F. B., 

Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils of the 

upper Missouri country: U. S. Geol. Survey Terr. 

Rept., vol. 9, p. 432, pI. 36, fig. I, 1876. 

Fox Hills sandstone; [Maestrichtian.] 

conradi (Morton) var. Intermedius Meek. Discoscaphltes. 

Meek, F. B., Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils 

of the upper Missouri country: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Terr. Rept., vol. 9, p. 433, .pl. 34, fig. 3, 1876. 

Fox Hills sandstone. [Maestrichtian.] 

conradi (Morton) var. petechialls Morton. Discoscaphites. 

Ammonites.conradi Morton var. petechialis, Morton, S. G., 

Synopsis of the organic remains of the Cretaceous 

group in the United States, p. 39, pI. 16, fig. I, 1834. 

Scaphites conradi Morton var. petechialis Morton, Gabb, 

W. M., Synopsis of the Mollusca of the Cretaceous 

formations, p. 32, 1861. 

constrictus (Sowerby) Frech. Discoscaphltes. 

Ammonites constrictus, Sowerby, James, Mineral conchology 

of Great Britain, p. 189, pI. 184 A, fig. 1, 1817. 

SCa1Jhites constrictus D'Orbigny, Alcide, Pale ontologie 

fran9aise, 1st ser., Terrain cretace, vol. I, p. 522, pI. 

129, figs. 8-11, 1841. 

11 oploscaphites constrictus (Sowerby), Nowak, Jan, Untersuchungen uber die Cephalopoden der oberen Kreide 

in Polen, pt. 2, Die Skaphiten: Acad. sci. Cracovie 

Bull. internat., annee 1911, ser. B, p. 580, text figs. 

15, 16, 1912. 

Scaphites (Discoscaphites) constrictus (Sowerby), Frech, 

Fritz, Ueber Scaphites: Centralbl. Mineralogie, Jahrg. 

1915, No. 18, p. 554, 1915. 

Maestrichtian. 

constrlctus (Sowerby) val'. crassus Lopuski. Discoscaphltes. 

Lopuski, Geslaw, Contribution a l'etude de la faune 

cretacee du plateau de Lublin: Soc. sci. Varsovie 

Compt. rend., annee 4, pt. 3, p. 134, pI. 2, figs. 5, 6; 

pI. 3, figs. 1, 2, 1911. 

Maestrichtian. 

constrlctus (Sowerby) var. quiriquinensis Wilckens. 

Wifckens, Otto, Revision der Fauna der QuirquinaSchichten: Neues Jahrb., Beilage-Band 18, pp. 189-

193, p. l~figs. 3-~ 1904. 

Senonian. [Campanian?J 

constrlctus (Sowerby) var. tenulstrlatus Kner. See tenv.istriatu8 Kner. 

constrlctus (Sowerby) var. vulgaris Nowak. Discoscaphltes. 

11oploscaphites constrictus (Sowerby) var. vulgaris, Nowak, 

Jan, Untersuchungen uber die Cephalopoden der 

oberen Kreide in Polen, pt. 2, Die Skaphiten: Acad. 

sci. Cracovie Bull. internat., annee 1911, ser. B, 

p. 583, pI. 32, fig. 6; pI. 33, figs. 8-12, 1912. 

[Campanian?] . 

costatus Mantell. [=Scaphites aeq'ualis Sowerby.] 

Mantell, G. A., Geology of Sussex, pI. 22, figs. 3-12, 1822. 

cottae (Roemer). 

'Ammonites cottae Roemer, F. A., Die Versteinerungen des 

norddeutschen Kreidegebirges, p. 86, pI. 13, fig. 4, 

1840. 

Scaphites cottae Gumbel, C. W., Geognostische Beschreibung 

des Konigreiches Bayern, vol. 2, p. 764, 1868 . 

. [=Scaphites binodosus according- to Fritsch, Anton, and 

Schlonbach, Urban, Cephalopoden der bohmi~chen 

Kreideformation, p. 42,1872.] 

[=Scaphites auritus according to Schluter, Clemens, 

Cephalopoden der oberen deutschen Kreide; p. 77, 

1872.] 

[c:Scaphites geinitzi according to De Grossouvre, Albert, 

Recherches sur la craie superieure, pt. 1, Stratigraphie generale, fasc. 2, p. 652, 1901.] 

cunllffel (Forbes) Nowak. Acanthoscaphltes. 

Ammonites cunliffei, Forbes, Edward, Fossil invertebrates of south India: Geol. Soc. London Trans., 

2d ser., vol. 7, p. 109, pI. 8, fig. 2, 1845. 

Scaphites cunliffei, Stoliczka, Ferdinand, India Geol. 

Survey Records, vol. 1, p. 35, 1868. 

Acanthoscaphites cunliffei (Forbes), Nowak, Jan, Untersuchungen uber die Cephalopoden der oberen Kreide 

in Polen, pt. 2, Die Skaphiten: Acad. sci. Cracovie 

Bull. internat., annee 1911, ser. B, p. 565, 1912. 

Valudayur beds. [Upper Campanian.] 

ouvieri Morton [=Scaphites hippocrepis (DeKay) Morton]. 

Morton, S. G., Description of two new species of fossil 

shells of the genera Scaphites and Crepidula: Acad. 

Nat. Sci. Philadelphia Jour., 1st ser., vol. 6, p. 109, 

pI. 7, fig. I, 1828. 

dlversesulcatus (Alth). Discoscaphites. 

Ammonites diversesulcatus, Alth, Alois, Geognostischpalaeontologische Beschreibung der nachsten Umgebung von Lemberg: Naturw. Abh. (W. Haidinger), 

vol. 3, pt. 2, No.9, p. 204, pI. 10, fig. 28, 1850. 

[ = H oploscaphites constrictus var. tenuistriatus according to 

Nowak, Jan, Untersuchungen Uber die Cephalopoden 

der oberen Kreide in Polen, pt. 2, Die Skaphiten: 

Acad. sci. Cracovie Bull. internat., annee 1911, ser. 

B, p. 586, 1911.] 

[=Scaphites roemeri according to SchlUter, Clemens, 

Cephalopoden der oberen deutschen Kreide, p. 89, 

1871.J 

[Maestrichtian.] 

evolutus Pervinquiere.· Scaphites. 

Pervinquiere, Leon, Sur quelques ammonites du cretace 

algerien: Soc. geol. France Mem. 42, p. 25, pI. 2, 

figs. 3-9, 1910. 

Cenomanian. 

?falcifer GUmbel. 

Gumbel, C. W., Geognostische Beschreibung des bayrischen 

Alpengebirge, p. 574, 1861. 

[=Scaphites constrictus Sowerby according to Bohm, 

Johannes, Die Kreidebildungen des Furbergs und 

Sulzbergs bei Siegsdorf in Oberbayern: Palaeontographica, vol. 38, p. 48, 1891.] 

formosus Yabe. Scaphites. 

Yabe, Hisakatsu, Die Scaphiten aus der Oberkreide von 

Hokkaido: Beitr. Palaontologie Oesterr.-Ungarns u. 

des Orientsl vol. 23, p. 166, pI. 15, fig. 8, 1910. 

[Cenomanian.] 

frltschl De Grossouvre. Scaphites. 

Scaphites auritus, Fritsch, Anton, and Schlonbach, Urban, 

Cephalopoden der bohmischoo Kreideformation, p. 44, 

pI. 13, figs. 9, 11, 14, 15; pI. 14, ·fig. 12, 1872. 
30 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

frltschi De Grossouvre. Scaphites-Continued. 

Scaphites jritschi, De Grossouvre, Albert, Les ammonites 

de la craie superieure: Recherches sur la craie superieure, pt. 2, Paleontologie, p. 243, 1894. 

[Turonian ?] 

geinitzi D'Orbigny. Scaphites. 

D'Orbigny, Alcide, Prodrome de paleontologie, p. 214, 

1850. 

Turonian. 

geinitzi D'Orbigny -var. binodosus Roemer of Fritsch and 

Schloenbach (not S. binodosus Roemer). See lamberti 

De Grossouvre. 

geinitzi D'Orbigny var. intermedia Scupin. Scaphites. 

Scupin, Hans, Die L6wenberger Kreide und ihre Fauna: 

Palaeontographica, suppI. 6, pt. 2, p. 98, 1913. 

Priesenerschichten. [Turonian.] 

ai!. geinitzi D'Orbigny. Scaphites. 

Burckhardt, Carlos, Faunas cretacicas de Zumpango del 

. Rio: lnst. geoI. Mexico Bol. 33, p. 93, pI. 22, figs. 1-4, 

1919. 

Turonian. 

ai!. geinitzi Jahn, not (D'Orbigny) SchlUter. Scaphites. 

Burckhardt, Carlos, Faunas cretacicas de Zumpango del 

Rio: Inst. geoI. Mexico Bol. 33, p. 96, pI. 22, fig. 12, 

1919. 

. Turonian. 

gibbus '(SchlUter). Discoscaphites. 

Scaphites gibbus, SchlUter, Clemens, Cephalopoden der 

oberen deutschen Kreide, p. 87, pI. 26, figs. 6-9, 1871. 

Hoploscaphites gibbus (SchlUter), Nowak, Jan, Zur Bedeutung von Scaphites fUr die Gliederung der Oberkreide: 

IC-k. geol. Reichsanstalt Verh., Jahrg. 1916, No.3, 

p. 66, 1916. 

Mucronatenkreide. [Maestrichtian.] 

gUUsi Anderson. Scaphites. 

Anderson, F. M., Cretaceous deposits of the Pacific coast: 

California Acad. Sci. Proc., 3d ser., Geology, vol. 2, 

p. 110, pI. 3, figs. 85-88, 1902. 

Lower Chico. [Cenomanian.] 

gracilis Yabe. Scaphites. 

Yabe, Hisakatsu, Zur Stratigraphie und Palii.ontoiogie der 

oberen Kreide von Hokkaido und Sachalin: Deutsche 

geoI. Gesell. Zeitschr., vol. 61, p. 421, 1909. 

Yabe, Hisakatsu, Die Scaphiten aus der Oberkreide von 

Hokkaido: Beitr. PaHiontologie Oesterr.-Ungarns u. 

des Orients, vol. 23, p. 166, pI. 15, figs. 9, 10, 1920. 

[Cenomanian.] 

haugi (De Grossou vre). Discoscaphites? 

Scaphites haugi, De Grossouvre, Albert, Les ammonites de 

la craie superieure: Recherches sur la craie superieure, 

pt. 2, Paleontologie, p. 244, pI. 31, fig. 5, 1894. 

Middle Campanian. 

hUll Adkins and Winton. Scaphites. 

Adkins, W. S., and 'Winton, W. M., Paleontological correlation of the Fredericksburg and Washita formations in 

north Texas: Texas Univ. Bull. 1945, p. 36, pI. 7, 

figs. 3-6, 1919. 

Lower beds of Pawpaw formation (upper Washita). 

[Cenomanian.] 

hippocrepis (DeKay) Morton; Scaphites. 

Ammonites 'hippocrepis, DeKay, J. E., Report on several 

fossil multilocular shells from the State of Delaware: 

New York Lyceum Nat. Hist. Annals, vol. 2, pp. 

273-277, pI. 5, fig. 2, 1827. 

Scaphites hippocrepis, Morton, S. G., Synopsis of the 

organic remains of the Cretaceous group in the 

United States, p. 41, pI. 7, fig. 1, 1834. 

Merchantville clay of New Jersey. [Lower Campanian.] 

hippocrepis (DeKay) var. crassus Reeside. Scaphites. 

Reeside, J. B., jr., The cephalopods of the Eagle sandstone 

and related formations in the Western Interior of the 

United States: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 151, 

p. 23, pI. 17, figs. 6-15, 1927. 

Lower Campanian. 

hippocrepis (DeKay) var. pusillus Reeside. Scaphites. 

Reeside, J. B., jr., The cephalopods of the Eagle sandstone 

and related formations in the Western Interior of the. 

United States: U. S. GeoI. Survey Prof. Paper 151, 

p. 23, pI. 17, figs. 1-5, 1927. 

Lower Campanian. 

hippocrepis (DeKay) var. tenuis Reeside. Scaphites. 

Reeside, J. B., jr., The cephalopods of the Eagle sandstone 

and related formations in the vVestern Interior of the 

United States: U. S. Geoi. Survey Prof. Paper 151, 

p. 23, pI. 16, figs. 11-16, 1927. 

Lower Campanian . 

hugardianus D'Orbigny. Scaphites. 

D'Orbigny, Alcide, Paleontologie fran9aise, 1st ser., Terrain cretace, vol. 1, pp. 521, 525, 1841. 

Upper Gault. [Vraconian.]' 

? idoneus (Stoliczka) Kossmat. 

Ammonites idoneus, Stoliczka, Ferdinand, Fossil Cephalopoda of the Cretaceous rocks of southern India, 

Ammonitidae, vol. 1, p. 64, pI. 34, fig. 1, 1865. 

Scaphites? idoneus, Kossmat, Franz, Untersuchungen Uber 

die sUdindische Kreideformation: Beitr. Palaontologie 

Oesterr.-Ungarns u. des Orients, vol. 11, p. 139, 1897. 

Upper Trichinopoly beds. [Santonian?] 

inermis Anderson. Scaphites. 

Anderson, F. M., Cretaceous deposits of the Pacific coast: 

California Acad. Sci. Proc., 3d ser., Geology, vol. 2, 

p. 113, pI. 3, figs. 74-77, 1902. 

[= Yezoites puerculus (Jimbo) Yabe according to Yabe, 

Hisakatsu. Die Scaphiten aus der Oberkreide von 

Hokkaido: Beitr. PaHiontologie Oesterr.-Ungarns u. 

des Orients, vol. 23, p. 170, 1910.] 

Chico formation. [Cenomanian.] 

inflatus Roemer. Scaphites. 

. Roemer, F. A., Die Versteinerungen des norddeutschen 

Kreidegebirges, p. 90, pl. 14, fig. 3, 1841. 

Upper marl at DUlmen. [Lower Campanian according 

to Nowak.] 

. iris (Conrad). Discoscaphites? 

Scaphites iris, Conrad, T. A., Observations on a group of 

Cretaceous fossil shells found in Tippah County, 

Miss., with descriptions of fifty-six new species: 

Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia Jour., 2d ser., vol. 3, 

p. 335, pI. 35, fig. 23, 1858. 

[Ripley formation, Campanian or Maestrichtian.] 

kiesIingswaldensis Langenhan and Grundey. Scaphites. 

Langenhan, Alwin, and Grundey, Max, Das Kieslingswalder Gestein: Jahresbericht des Glatzer Oebirgsvereins, vol. 10, p. 9, pI. 1, fig. 1, 1891. [Publication 

not seen.] . 

Emscherian-Coniacian. 

kingianus Stoliczka. Scaphites. 

. Stoliczka, Ferdinand, Fossil Cephalopoda of the Cretaceous 

rocks of southern India, Ammonitidae, vol. 1, p. 169, 

pI. 81, fig. 7, 1865. 

Ootator beds. [Cenomanian.] 

klamathensis Anderson. Scaphites. 

Anderson, F. M., Cretaceous deposits of the Pacific coast: 

California Acad. Sci. Proc., 3d ser., Geology, vol. 2, 

p. 115, pI. 3, figs. 78-81, 1902. 

[Cenomanian.] . 
THE SCAPHITES, AN UPPER CRETACEOUS AMMONITE GROUP 31 

lambertl De Grossouvre. Scaphites. 

SCalJhites (Jeinitzi D'Orbigny val'. binodosus Roemer, 

Fritsch, Anton, and Schloenbach, Urban, Cephalopoden del' bohmischen Kreideformation, p. 43, pI. 14, 

fig. 13, 1872. 

Scaphites lamberti, De Grossouvre, Albert, Les ammonites 

de la craie superieure: Recherches sur la craie 

sllp6rieure, pt. 2, Paleontologie, p. 24, pI. 32, figs. 

1, 5, 1894. 

Lower and middle Coniacian. 

larvaeformls Meek and -Hayden (not Frech). Scaphites. 

Meek, F. B., and Hayden, F. V., Descriptions of new organic 

remains collected in Nebraska Territory in the year 

1857 by Dr. F. V. Hayden: Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphitt Proc., vol. 10, p. 58, 1859. 

Meek, F. 13., Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils 

of the upper Missouri country: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Terr. Rept., vol. 9, p. 418, pI. 6, fig. 6, 1876. 

Carlile shale. [Upper Turonian.] 

larvaeformls Frech (not Meek and Hayden). Scaphttes. 

li'rech, Fritz, "Uber Scaphites: Centralbl. Mineralogie, 

Jahrg. 1915, No. 21, p. 556, fig. 2, 1915 

Turonian. 

leel Reeside. Scaphites. 

Reeskle, J. B., jr., The cephalopods of the Eagle sandstone 

and related formations in the Western Interior of the 

United States: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 151, 

p. 26, pI. 20, figs. 17-22; pI. 21, figs. 1-7, 1927. 

Lower Campanian. 

lcel Reeside val'. pa.;vus Reeside. Scaphites. 

Reeside, J. B., jr., The cephalopods of the Eagle sandstone 

and related formations in the Western Interior of the 

United States: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 151, 

p. 27, pI. 21, figs. 8-16, 1927. 

Lower Campanian. 

levis Reeside. Scaphites. 

Reeside, J. B., jr., The cephalopods of the Eagle sandstone 

and related formations in the Western Interior of the 

United States:' U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 151, 

p. 26, pI. 20, figs. 7-16, 1927. 

Lower Campanian. 

mandanensls (Morton) Meek. Discoscaphttes. 

Ammonites mandanensis Morton, S. G., Description of 

sone new species of organic remains of the Cretaceous 

group of the United States: Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia Jour., 1st ser., vol. 8, p. 208, pI. 10, fig. 2, 

1841. 

Scaphites mandanensis (Morton) Meek, F. B., and Hayden, 

F. V., Descriptions of new fossil species of Mollusca 

collected by Dr. F. V. Hayden in Nebraska Territory: Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia Jour., vol. 8, 

p. 281, 1857. 

Scaphites (Discoscaphites) mandanensis (Morton), Meek, 

F. B., Preliminary paleontological report: U. S. Geol. 

Survey Terr. Second Ann. Rept., p. 297, 1872; Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils of the 

upper Missouri country: U. S. Geol. Survey Terr. 

Rept., vol. 9, p. 443, pI. 35, fig. 1, 1876. 

Fox Hills sandstone. [Maestrichtian.] 

merlanl Pictet and Campiche. Scaphites? 

Pictet, F. J., and Campiche, G., Description des f03siles 

du terrain cretace des environs de Sainte Croix, pt. 2: 

Mat6riaux pour la pa16ontologie suisse, ser. 3, Mon. 

2, p. 16, pI. 44, 1861. 

Upper Greensand [Cenomanian]. 

meslei De Grossouvre. Scaphites. 

De Grossouvre, Albert, Les ammonites de la craie superieure: Recherches sur la craie superieure, pt. 2, 

Paleontologie, p. 239, pI. 32, figs. 4, 7, 1894. 

I.ower and middle Campanian. 

monasteriensis (Schluter). Discoscaphites. 

Scaphites monasteriensis, Schluter, Clemens, Cephalopoden 

del' oberen deutschen Kreide, p. 91, pI. 27, figs. 6, 7, 

1871. 

Hoploscaphites monasteriensis (Schluter), Nowak, Jan, 

Untersuchungen uber die Cephalopoden del' oberen 

Kreide in Polen, pt. 2, Die 8kaphiten: Acad. sci. 

Cracovie Bull. internat., annee 1911, ser. B, p. 566, 

1912. 

Mucronatenkreide. [Maestrichtian.] 

morea1tensis Owen. [=Discoscaphites cheyennensis (Owen) 

Meek.] 

Owen, D. D., Description of new and imperfectly known 

genera and species of organic remains, collected 

during the geological surveys of Wisconsin, Iowa, 

and Minnesota, p. 579, pI. 8, fig. 7, 1852. 

Fox Hills sandstone. [Maestrichtian.] 

mullananus (Meek and Hayden) Stanton. Scaphltes. 

Ammonites mullananus, Meek, F. B., and Hayden, F. V., 

Description of new Cretaceous fossils from Nebraska 

Territory collected by the expedition sent out by the 

Government under the command of Lieut. John 

Mullan: Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia Proc., 1862, 

pp.23-25. 

Ammonites? mullananus, Meek, F. B., Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils of the upper Missouri 

country: U. S. Geol. Survey Terr. Rept., vol. 9, 

pp. 607-609, pI. 8, figs. 1a-c, 1876. 

Scaphites mullananus, Stanton, T. W., The Colorado 

fauna: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 106, p. 187, pI. 44, 

figs. 2-4, 1893. 

[Upper part of Colorado group, Coniacian.] 

multinodosus Von Hauer (1858, not Von Hauer 1866). 

Von Hauer, Franz, "Uber die Cephalopoden del' Gosauschichten: Beitr. PaHiontographie Oesterreich, vol. 1, 

p. 9, pI. I, figs. 7, 8, 1858. 

[=Scaphites constrictus D'Orbigny according to De Grossouvre, Albert, Les ammonites de la craie superieure~ 

Recherches sur la craie superieure, pt. 2, Paleontologie, 

p. 248, 1894.] 

[Maestrichtian ?] 

multinodos1lS Von Hauer (1866, not Von Hauer 1858). 

Von Hauer, Franz, Neue Cephalopoden aus den Gosaubilden del' Alpen: K. Akad. Wiss. Wien Sitzungsber., 

vol. 53, p. 7, pI. 1, figs. 7, 8, 1866. 

[=Scaphites p1llcherrim1ls Roemer according to De Grossouvre, Albert, Les ammonites de la craie superieure: 

Recherches sur la craie superieure, pt. 2, Pa16ontologie, 

p. 251, 1894.] 

nebrascensis Owen. [= Discoscaphites conradi (Morton) Meek.] 

Owen, D. D., Description of new and imperfectly known 

genera and species of organic remains, collected 

during the geological surveys of Wisconsin, Iowa, and 

Minnesota, p. 577, pI. 8, fig. 3; pI. 9, fig, 2; 1852. 

nicolleti (Morton) Meek. Discoscaphites. 

Ammonites nicolleti, Morton, S. G., Description of some 

new species of organic remains of the Cretaceous 

group of the United States: Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia Jour., 1st ser., vol. 8, pt. 2, pt. 209, pI. 10, fig. 

3, 1842. 
32 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

nicolleti (Morton) Meek. Discoscaphitcs-Continued. 

Scaphites nicolleti (Morton), Meek, F. B., and Hayden, 

F. V., Descriptions of new fossil species of Mollusca 

collected by Dr. F. V. Hayden in Nebraska Territory: 

Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia Jour., vol. 8, p. 281, 1857. 

Scaphites (Discoscaphites) nicolleti (Morton), Meek, F. B., 

Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils of the 

upper Missouri country: U. S. Geol. Survey Terr. 

Rept., vol. 9, p. 435, pI. 34, figs. 2, 4, 1876. 

Fox Hills sandstone. [Maestrichtian.] 

nledzwledzkll (Uhlig). Discoscaphltes. 

Uhlig, Vict~r, Bemerkungen zur Gliederung der karpathis chen Bildungen: K.-k. geol. Reichsanstalt Jahrb., 

vol. 43, p. 220, fig. 2, 1894. 

[=Scaphites constrictus var. niedzwiedzkii according to 

Wisniowski, Thaddeus, trber die obersenone Flyschfauna von Leszczny: Beitr. Palaontologie Oesterr.-

Ungarns u. des Orients, vol. 20, p. 104, 1907.] 

Senonian. [Maestrichtian?] 

nodosus (Owen) Nowak (not Lopuski). Acanthoscaphltes. 

Scaphites nodosus, Owen, D. D., Description of new and 

imperfectly known genera and species of organic 

remains, collected during the geological surveys of 

Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota, p. 581, pI. 8, fig. 

4, 1852. 

Acanthoscaphites . nodosus (Owen), Nowak, Jan, Zur 

Bedeutung von Scaphites fUr die Gliederung der 

Oberkreide: IC-k. geol. Reichsanstalt Verh., Jahrg: 

1916, No.3, p. 63, 1916. 

Upper Pierre shale. [Upper Campanian.] 

nodosus (Owen) var. brevis Meek. Acanthoscaphltes. 

Scaphites nodosus Owen var. brevis, Meek, F. B., Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils of the upper 

Missouri country: U. S. Geol. Survey Terr. Rept., 

vol. 9, p. 426, pI. 25, fig. 1, 1876. 

Upper Pierre shale. [Upper Campanian.] 

n6doS1tS Owen var. 'exilis Meek and Hayden. [=Scaphites 

nodosus var. quadrangularis Meek and Hayden.] 

Meek, F. B., and Hayden, F. V., Descriptioris of new lower. 

Silurian (Primordial), Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Tertiary fossils collected in Nebraska by the exploring 

expedition under the command ·of Capt. W. F. Raynolds.: Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia Proc., vol. 12, p. 

420, 1862. 

nodosus (Owen) var. plenus Meek and Hayden. Acanthoscaphltes. 

Meek, F. B., and Hayden, F. V., Descriptions of new 

organic remains from the Tertiary, Cretaceous, and 

Jurassic rocks of Nebraska: Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia. Proc., vol. 12, p. 177, 1861. 

Meek, F. B., Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils of 

the upper Missouri country: U. S. Geol. Survey Terr. 

Rept., vol. 9, p. 429, pI. 26, fig. 1, 1876. 

[ = Acanthoscaphites tridens-quadrispinosus according to 

Nowak, Jan, Zur Bedeutung von Scaphites fUr die 

Gliederung der Oberkreide: K.-k. geol. Reichsanstalt 

Verh., Jahrg. 1916, No.3, p. 59, 1916.] 

Upper Pierre shale. [Upper Campanian.] 

nodosus (Owen) var. quadrangularis Meek and Hayden. 

Acanthoscaphites. 

Meek, F. B., and Hayden, F. V., Descriptions of new lower 

Silurian (Primordial), Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Tertiary fossils collected in Nebraska by the exploring 

expedition under the command of Capt. W. F. Raynolds: Acad. Nat. ScL Philadelphia Proc., vol. 12, p. 

420, 1862. 

nodosus (Owen) var. quadrangularis Meek and Hayden. 

Acanthoscaphites-Continued. 

Meek, F. B., Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils of 

the upper Missouri country: U. S. Geol. Survey Terr. 

Rept., vol. 9, p. 428, pI. 25, figs. 2-4, 1876. 

[= Acanthoscaphites roemeri (D'Orbigny), according to 

Nowak, Jan, Zur Bedeutung von Scaphites fUr die 

Gliederung der Oberkreide: K.-k. geol. Reichsanstalt 

Verh., Jahrg. 1916, No.3, p. 63, 1916.] 

Upper Pierre sh!1le. [Upper Campanian.] 

nodosus Lopuski (not Owen). Discoscaphltes? 

Scaphites nodosus, Lopuski, Geslaw, Contribution a l'etude 

de la faune cretacee du plateau de Lublin: Soc. sci. 

Varsovie Compt. rend., an nee 4, pt. 3, p. 122, 1911. 

Maestrich tian. 

novimexicanus Reeside. Desmoscaphites. 

Reeside, J. B., jr., The cephalopods of the Eagle sandstone 

and related formations in the Western Interior of the 

United States: U. S. Geoi. Survey Prof. Paper 151, 

p. 17, pI. 11, figs. 1-4, 1927. 

Santonian. 

obllquus Sowerby. Scaphites. 

Sowerby, James, Mineral conchology of Great Britain, vol. 

1, p. 53, pI. 18, figs. 1,2, 1813. 

Cenomanian. 

ornatissimus D'Orbigny. 

D'Orbigny, Alcide, Prodrome de paleontologie, p. 214, 1850. 

Senonian [of D'Orbigny]. 

ornatus (Roemer) Nowak (not Gumbel): Acanthoscaphltes? 

Scaphites ornatus, Roemer, F. A., Versteinerungen des 

norddeutschen Kreidegebirges, p. 91, pI. 13, fig. 8, 1841. 

Acanthoscaphites? ornatus (Roemer), Nowak, Jan, Untersuchungen uber die Cephalopoden der oberen Kreide 

in Polen: Acad. sci. Cracovie Bull. internat., annee 

1911, ser. B, p. 565, 1912. 

Lower marl at LemfOrd: [Campanian?] 

ornatus Gumbel (not Roemer). 

Gumbel, C. W., Geognostische Beschreibung des bayrischen 

Alpengebirge, p. 576, 1861. 

[=S. constrictus Sowerby according to Bohm, Johannes, Die 

Kreidebildung des Furbergs und Sulzbergs bei Siegsdorf 

in Oberbayern: Palaeontographica, vol. 38, p. 48, 

1891.] 

pavana (Forbes) Kossmat. 

Ammonites pavana, Forbes, Edward, Fossil invertebrates 

of South India: Geol. Soc. London, ser. 2, vol. 7, p. 

110, pI. 7, fig. 5, 1846. 

Scaphites pavana, Kossmat, Franz, Untersuchungen Uber 

die sudindische Kreideformation: Beitr. Palaontologie 

. Oesterr.-Ungarns u. des Orients, vol. 11, p. 138, 1897. 

[=S. cunliffei var. pavana according to Pervinquiere, 

Leon, Etudes de paleontologie tunisienne, pt. 1, 

Cephalopodes des terrains secondaires, p. 124, 1907.] 

Valudayur beds. [Campanian.] 

peroni Pervinquiere. Scaphites. 

Pervinquiere, Leon, Sur quelques ammonites du cretace 

algerien: Soc. geol. France Mem. 42, p. 26, pI. 2, 

figs. 10-13, 1910. 

Cenomanian. 

peroni var. inornatus Pervinquiere. Scaphites. 

Pervinquiere, Leon, Sur quelques ammonites du cretace 

algerien: Soc. geol. France Mem. 42, p. 26, pI. 2, figs. 

14-16, 1910. 

Cenomanian. 
THE SCAPHITES, AN UPPER CRETACEOUS AMMONITE GROUP 33 

perrlnl Anderson. Scaphltes. 

Anderson, F. M., Cretaceous deposits of the Pacific coast: 

California Acad. Sci. Proc., 3d ser., Geology, vol. 2, 

p. 114, pI. 2, figs. 71-73, 1902. 

Lower Chico. [Cenomanian.] 

[= Yezoites perrini according to Yabe, Hisakatsu, Die 

Scaphiten aus del' Oberkreide von Hokkaido: Beitr. 

Palaontologie Oesterr.-Ungarns u. des Orients, vol. 23, 

p. 172, pI. 15, figs. 28, 29, 1910.] . 

planus Roman and Mazeran (not Yabe). Scaphites. 

Roman, Frederic, and Mazeran, Pierre, Monographie 

paleontologique de la faune turonienne du bassin 

d'Uchaux et de ses dependances: Mus. hist. nat. Lyo~ 

Archives, val. 12, Mem. 2, p. 13, pI. 4, figs. 15-17, 1920. 

Turonian. 

planus Yabe (not Roman and Mazeran). Scaphltes. 

Scaphites lJlamts, Yabe, Hisakatsu,. Zur Stratigraphie 

und Paliiontologie del' oberen Kreide von Hokkaido 

und Sachalin: Deutsche geol. Gesell. Zeitschr., 

vol. 6, p. 415, 1909. 

Yezoites lJlamts, Yabe, Hisakatsu, Die Scaphiten aus del' 

Oberkreide von Hokkaiao: Beitr. Palaontologie 

Oesterr.-Unga1'lls u. des Orients, vol. 23, p. 16.7, pI. 

15, figs. 11-18, 1910. 

[Cenomanian.] 

planus Yabe vttr. gigas Yabe. Scaphltes. 

Yezoites lJlan'us val'. gigas, Yabe, Hisakatsu, Die S.caphiten aus del' Oberkreide von Hokkaido: Beitr. Palaontologie Oesterr.-Ungarns u. des Orients, vol. 23, p. 167, 

pI. 15, fig. 19, 1910. 

[Cenomanian.] 

pllCll,tcllus Roemer. 

Roemer, F. A., Versteinerungen des norddeutschen Kreidegebirges, p. 91, pI. 13, fig. 7, 1841. 

Lower marl at LemfOrd. [Campanian?] 

potlcrl Do Grossouvre. DiscoscaphU;es. 

Scaphit~s 1Jotie1"i, De Grossouvre, Albert, Les ammonites de 

Ia craie sllp6rieure: Recherches sur la craie superieure, 

pt. 2, Paleontologie, p. 242, pI. 22, fig. 3, 1894. 

Lower and middle Campanian. 

pscudoacqualls Yabe. Scaphitcs. 

Yabo, IIisakatsu, Zur Stratigraphie und PaHiontoiogie' del' 

oberen Kreide von Hokkaido und Sachalin: Deutsche 

geol. Gesell. Zeitschr., vol. 61, p. 415, 1909. 

Yabe, I-Iisakatsu, Die Scaphiten aus del' Oberkreide von 

Hokkaido: Beitr. Palaontologie Oesterr.-Ungarns u. 

des Orients, vol. 23, p. 163, pI. 15, figs. 1-3, 1910. 

[Cenomn,nian.] 

puerculus Jimbo. Scaphltes. 

Scaphites lnw1'cttlus, Jimbo, K., Beitrage zur Kenntniss del' 

Fauna dol' Kreideformation von Hokkaido: Paleont. 

Abh. (Dames & Kayser), vol. 6, pt. 3: p. 37, pI. 5, 

fig. 4, 1894. 

Yezoites P1W1'C1tlus, Yabe, Hisakatsu, Die Scaphiten aus del' 

Oberkreide von Hokkaido: Beitr. Palaontologie Oesterr.-Unga1'lls u. des Orients, vol. 23, p. 170, pI. 15, 

figs. 20-22, 1910. 

[Cenomanian.] 

puerculus Jimbo val'. teshloensls Yabe. Scaphltes. 

Yezoites p'uerculus val'. teshioensis, Yabe, Hisakatsu, Die 

Scaphiten aus del' Oberkreide von Hokkaido: Beitr. 

I)alaontologie Oesterr.-Ungarns u. des Orients, vol. 23, 

p. 170, pI. 15, figs. 23-27, 1910. 

[Cenomanian.] 

pulchcrrlmus (Roemer) Nowak. Acanthoscaphltes. 

Scaphites p'ulcherrimus, Roemer, F. A., Versteinerungen 

des norddeutschen Kreidegebirges, p. 91, pI. 14, fig. 4, 

1841. 

pulcherl'imus (Roemer) Nowak. Acanthoscaphites-Con. 

Acanthoscaphites lJulcherrimus (Roemer), Nowak, Jan, Zur 

Bedeutung von Scaphites fUr die Gliederu~g del' 

Oberkreide: IC-k. geol. Reichsanstalt Verh., Jahrg. 

1916, No.3, p. 63, 1916. 

Lower marl. [Upper Campanian.] 

pungens (Binckhorst). Discoscaphites. 

Ammonites p1mgens, Binckhorst, J. T., Monographie des 

gasteropodes et des cephalopodes de la craie superieure 

du Limbourg, Classe des cephalopodes, p. 32, pI. 5a3, 

figs. 1 a-d, 1861. 

Scaphites pungens~ De Grossouvre, Albert, Description des 

ammonitides du cretace superieur du Limbourg beIge 

et hollandais et du Hainaut: Mus. roy. hist. nat. 

Belgique Mem_, vol. 4, p. 37, pI. 11, fig. 1, 2, 1908. 

Hoploscaphites pungens (Binckhorst), Nowak, Jan, Untersuchungen uber die Cephalopoden del' oberen Kreide 

in Polen, pt. 2, Die Skaphiten: Acad. sci. Cracovie 

Bull. internat' J annee 1911, ser. B, p. 566, 1912. 

Maestrichtian. 

pygmaeus Holzapfel. 

Holzapfel, Eduard, Die Mollusken del' aachener Kreide, 

Abt. 1, Cephalopoda und Glossophora: Palaeontographica, vol. 34, p. 63, pI. 7, fig. 19, 1888. 

Lower Senonian. [Lower Campanian.] 

quadrispinosus (Geinitz) Nowak. Acanthoscaphites. 

Scaphites q1tadrispinoS1tS, Geinitz, H. B., Das Quadersandsteingebirge in Deutschland, p. 116, pI. 7, fig_ 2; 

pI. 8, fig. 2, 1850. 

[=Scaphites tridens Kner according to Schluter, Clemens, 

Cephalopoden del' oberen deutschen Kreide, p. 94, 

1871.] 

[ = Acanthoscaphites . tridens Kner val'. quadrispinoS1tS 

Geinitz, according to Nowak, Jan, Untersuchungen 

uber die Cephalopoden del' oberen Kreide in Polen, 

Teil 2, Die Skaphiten: Acad. sci. Cracovie Bull. 

internat., almee 1911, ser. B, p. 577, 1912.] 

[Upper Campanian.] 

reesidei (Wade). Acanthoscaphites? 

SCalJhites reesidei, Wade, Bruce, The fauna of the RIpley 

formation on Coon Creek, Tenn.: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Prof. Paper 137, pp. 183-184, pI. 61, figs. 3-7, 1926. 

Ripley formation. [Upper Campanian.] 

reniformis Morton. 

Scaphites reniformis Morton:, S. G., Supplement to the 

"Synopsis of the organic remains of the ferruginous 

sand formation of the United States": Am. Jour. Sci., 

1st ser., vol. 23, p. 291, 1833. 

Scaphites reniformis Morton, S. G., Synopsis of the organic 

remains of the Cretaceous group of the United States, 

p. 42, pI. 2, fig. 6, 1834. 

[=Scaphites hippocrepis according to Gabb, W. M., Synopsis of the Mollusca of the Cretaceous formation: Am. 

Philos. Soc. Proc., vol. 8, p. 33, 1861.] 

rochatianus D'Orbigny. Scaphites. 

D'Orbigny, Alcide, Prodrome de paleontologie, p. 147,1850. 

Cenomanian. 

roemerl (D'Orbigny) Nowak (not Brauns). Acanthoscaphltes. 

Scaphites compressus, ~oemer, F. A., Versteinerungen des 

norddeutschen Kreidegebirges, p. 91, pI. 15, fig. 1, 

1841. 

Scaphites roemeri, D'Orbigny, Alcide, Prodrome de paleontologie, p. 214, 1850. 

Acanthoscaphites roemeri (D'Orbigny), Nowak, Jan, Zur' 

Bedeutung von Scaphites fUr die Gliederung del' Ober-. 

kreide: K.-k. geol. Reichsanstalt Verh., Jahrg. 1916,. 

No.3, p. 62, 1916. 

Upper Campanian. 
34 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

roemeri Brauns (not D'Orbigny). 

Scaphites binodosus, Roemer, F. A., Die Quadratenkreide 

des Sudmerberges bei Goslar: Palaeontographica; vol. 

13, p. 197, pI. 32, fig. 9, 1865. 

Scaphites sp., Schluter, Clemens, Cephalopoden der oberen 

deutschen Kreide, pI. 23, fig. 23, 1871. 

Scaphites roemeri, Brauns, A., tiber den Sudmerberg bei 

Ocker: Zeitschr. ges. Naturwiss., 1875, p. 342, pI. 8, 

figs. 4, 5. 

Emscher. [Coniacian.] 

roguensis Anderson. Scaphites. 

Anderson, F. M., Cretaceous deposits of the Pacific coast: 

California Acad. Sci. Proc., 3d ser., Geology, vol. 2, 

p. 112, pI. 2, figs. 67-70, 1902. 

Lower Chico. [Cenomanian.] 

semicostatus Roemer. Scaphites. 

Roemer, F. A., Die Kreidebildungen von Texas, p. 35, pI. 1, 

fig. 5, 1852. 

Austin chalk. [Coniacian.] 

septem-costatus Cragin. Scaphites'l 

Cragin, F. W., A contribution to the invertebrate paleontology of the Texas Cretaceous: Texas Geol. Survey 

Fourth Ann. Rept., pt. 2, p. 241, 1893. 

Eagle Ford shales. [Turonian.] 

simUaris Stoliczka. Scaphites. 

Scaphites aequalis, . Stoliczka, Ferdinand, Fossil Cephalopoda of the Cretaceous rocks of southern India, p. 

167, pI. 81, fig. 46, 1865. 

Scaphites similaris, Stoliczka, Ferdinand, India GeoI. 

Survey Records, vol. 1, p. 36, 1868. 

Ootatoor. [Cenomanian or Turonian.] 

slmilis Whitfield. Scaphites. 

Whitfield, R. P., Gastropoda and Cephalopoda of the 

Raritan clays and greensand marls of New Jersey: 

U. S. GeoI. Survey Mon. 18, p. 267, pI. 44, figs. 1, 2, 

1892. 

Merchantville chiy. [Lower Campanian.] 

spiniger (Schluter) Nowak. Acanthoscaphites. 

Scaphites spiniger, Schluter, Clemens, Cephalopoden der 

oberen deutschen Kreide, p. 82, pI. 25, figs. 1-7, 1871. 

Acanthoscaphites spiniger (Schluter), Nowak, Jan, Zur 

Bedeutung von Scaphites fur die Gliederung der 

Oberkreide: K.-k. geo!. Reichsanstalt Verh., Jahrg. 

1916, No.3, p. 67, 1916. 

Mucronatenkreide. [Upper Campanian.] 

.8pinosissimus Frech. 

Frech, Fritz, tiber Scaphites: CentralbI. Mineralogie, Jahrg. 

1915, p. 564, fig. 12, 1915. 

Upper Mucronatus zone. [Upper Campanian.] 

stantoni Reeside. Scaphites. 

Reeside, J. B., jr., The cephalopods of the Eagle sandstone 

and related formations in the Western Interior of the 

United States: U. S. Geo!. Survey Prof. Paper 151, 

p .. 23, pI. 17, figs. 16-21; pI. 18, figs. 1-7, 1927. 

Lower Campanian. 

stephanoceroides Yabe. 

Yabe, Hisakatsu, Zur Stratigraphie und Paliiontologie der 

oberen Kreide von Hokkaido und Sachalin: Deutsche 

geol. Ges~ll. Zeitschr., vol. 61, p. 442, 1909. 

[~ Yezoites perrini according to ,¥abe, Hisakatsu, Die 

Scaphiten aus der Oberkreide von Hokkaido: Beitr. 

PaHiontologie Oesterr.-Ungarns u. des Orients, vol. 

23, p. 172, 1910.] 

~triatus Mantell (not Kner). [=Scaphites-aequalis Sowerby.] 

Mantell, G. A., Geology of Sussex, pI. 22, figs. 14, 15, 1822. 

striatus Kner (not Mantell). 

Kner, Rudolph, Versteinerungen des Kreidemergels von 

Lemberg und seiner Umgebung: Naturw. Abh. (W. 

Haidinger), vol. 3, pt. 2, No.1, p. 10, 1850. 

[=Scaphites aequalis Sowerby according to Alth, Alois, 

Geognostisch-palaeontologische Be s c h rei bun g der 

nachsten Umgebung von Lemberg: Naturw. Abh. 

(W. Haidinger), vol. 3, pt. 2, No.9, p. 206, pI. 10, 

fig. 31, 1850.] 

[=Scaphites roemeri D'Orbigny according to Schluter, 

Cle~ens, Cephalopoden der oberen deutschen Kreide, 

p. 90, 1871.] 

[ = H oplosca phites constrict us var. ten uistriat'l.lS (Kner) 

according to Nowak, Jan, Untersuchungen uber die 

Cephalopoden der oberen Kreide in Polen, Teil 2, Die 

Skaphiten: Acad. sci. Cracovie Bull. internat., annee 

1911, ser. B, p. 585, 1912.] 

Maestrichtian. 

stilri Redtenbacher. 

Scaphites? st'l.'iri, Redtenbacher, Anton, Cephalopodenfauna der Gosauschichten in den nordostlichen Alpen: 

IC-k. geol. Reichsanstalt Abh., vol. 5, Heft 5, p. 129, 

pI. 30, fig. 10, 1873. 

[=Menuites stflri according to Spath, L. F., On the Senonian ammonite fauna of Pondoland: Roy. Soc. South 

Africa Trans., vol. 10, p. 123, 1922.] 

subgJobosus (Whiteaves). Acanthoscaphites? 

Whiteaves, J. F., Report on the Invertebrata of the 

Laramie and Cretaceous rocks of the vicinity of the 

Bow and Belly Rivers and adjacent localities in the 

Northwest Territory: Contr. Canadian Paleontology, 

vol. 1, p. 52, pI. 7, figs. 3, 8, 1885. 

[=Scaphites mullananus? according to Stanton, T. W., 

The Colorado formation and its invertebrate fauna: 

U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 106, p. 189, 1893.] 

Bearpaw shale. [Upper Campanian.] 

tenuicostatus Pervinquiere. Scaphites. 

Pervinquiere, Leon, Sur quelques ammonites du cretace 

algerien: Soc. geol. France Mem. 42, p. 28, pI. 2, 

figs. 17-19, 1910. 

Middle Cenomanian. 

tenuistriatus (Kner). Discoscaphites. 

Kner, Rudolph, Versteinerung des Kreidemergels von 

Lemberg und seiner Umgebung: Naturw. Abh. (W. 

Haidinger), vol. 3, pt. 2, No.1, p. 10, pI. 1, fig. 5, 

1850 . 

[=Scaphites constrictus var. tenuistriatus according to De 

Grossouvre, Albert, Les ammonites de la craie 

superieure: Recherches sur la craie superieure, pt. 2, 

Paleontologie, p. 249, 1894.] 

[= H oploscaphites constrictus var. t~nuistriatus according to 

Nowak, Jan, Untersuchungen uber die Cephalopoden 

der oberen Kreide in Polen, pt. 2, Die Skaphiten: 

Acad. sci. Cracovie Bull. internat., annee 1911, ser. B, 

p. 585, 1912.] 

[Maestrichtian ?] 

d. teshioensis (Yabe) Burckhardt. 

Burckhardt, Carlos, Faunas cretacicas de Zumpango del 

Rio: Inst. geol. Mexico BoI. 33, p. 97, pI. 22, fig. 11, 

1919. 

Turonian. 

texanus Roemer. Scaphites. 

Roemer, F. A., Die Kreidebildungen von Texas und ihre 

organischen Einschlusse, p. 35, pI. 1, fig. 4, 1852. 

Austin chalk. [Emscherian.] 
THE SCAPHITES, AN UPPER CRETACEOUS AMMONITE GROUP 35 

thomasl Pervinquiere. Seaphltes. 

Pervinquiere, L60n, Etudes de paleontologie tunisienne, 

pt. 1, C6phalopodes des terraines secondaires, p. 121, 

pI. 4, figs. 30, 31, 1907. 

Cenomanian. 

trldens (Kner) Nowak. Aeanthoseaphltes. 

Scaphites tridens, 1(ner, Rudolph, Versteinerungen des 

Kreidemergels von Lemberg und seiner Umgebung: 

Naturw. Abh. (W. Haidinger), vol. 3, pt. 2, No.1, 

'p. 10, pI. 2, fig. 1, 1850. 

AcanthosCalJhites tridens (Kner), Nowak, Jan, Untersuchungen tiber die Cephalopoden der oberen Kreide 

in Polen, pt. 2, Die Skaphiten: Acad. sci. Cracovie 

Bull. internat., ann6e 1911, ser. B, p. 570, pI. 32, 

fig. 4; pI. 33, figs. 27, 29, 1912. 

[Upper Campanian.] 

trldens (Kner) var. blspinosus Nowak. Aeanthoseaphites. 

Nowak, Jan, Untersuchungen tiber die Cephalopoden der 

oberen Kreide in Polen, pt. 2, Die Skaphiten: Acad. 

sci. Cracovie Bull. internat., ann6e 1911, ser. B, p. 

577, pI. 32, figs. 1-3, 1912. 

[Upper Campanian.] 

trinodosus (Kner) Nowak. Aeanthoseaphites. 

SCa1Jhites trinodos~ts, Kner, Rudolph, Versteinerungen des 

Kreidemergels von Lemberg und seiner U mgebllng: 

Naturw. Abh. (W. I-Iaidinger), vol. 3, p. 2, No.1, 

p. 11, pI. 2, fig. 2, 1850. 

[=Scaphites tridens according to Schliiter, Clemens, 

Cephalopoden der oberen deutschen Kreide, p. 95, 

1871.] 

[= AcanthosCalJhites tridens var. trinodosus according to 

Nowak, Jan, Untersuchungen tiber die Cephalopoden, 

der oberen Kreide in Polen, pt. 2, Die Skaphiten: 

Acad. sci. Cracovie Bull. internat., annee 1911, scr. B. 

p. 576, 1912.] 

[Upper Campanian.] 

trlspinosus (GeiJiitz) Nowak. Aeanthoseaphites. 

Scaphites trispinosus, Geinitz, H. B., Das Quadersandsteingebirge, p. 116, pI. 7, figs. 1 a-b, 1850. 

[ = A.canthoscaphites tridens var. trispinosus according to 

Nowak, Jan, Untersuchungen tiber die Cephalopoden 

der oberen Kreide in Polen, pt. 2, Die Skaphiten: 

Acad. sci. Cracovie Bull. internat., annee 1911, ser. 

B, p. 578, 1912.] 

Upper Campanian. 

tubcreulatus Giebel. 

Giebel, Naturw. Ver. Halle Jahresber., 1849, p. 20. [Original publication not seen.] 

[=Scaphites coml)reSS~tS Roemer (S. roemeri D'Orbigny) 

according to Frech, Fritz, nber Scaphites: Cen~ralbl 

Mineralogie, Jahrg. 1915, No. 18, p. 556, text fig. 14, 

1915.] 

[Upper Campanian?]. 

varlans (Lopuski) Nowak. Aeanthoseaphites. 

Scaphites varians, Lopuski, Geslaw, Contribution a l'etude 

de la faune cretacee du Plateau de Lublin: Soc. sci. 

Varsovie, Compt. rend., annee 4, p. 137, pI. 4, figs. 1-3, 

1911. 

[A ncanthoscaphites tridens var. varians (Lopuski), Nowak, 

Jan, Untersuchungen tiber die Cephalopoden der oberen 

Kreide in Polen, pt. 2, Die Skaphiten: Acad. sci. 

Cracovie Bull. internat., annee 1911, ser. B, p. 578, 

pI. 33, figs. 1-3, 1912. 

Upper Campanian. 

ventrieosus Meek and Hayden. Seaphites.· 

Meek, F. B., and Hayden, F. V., Descriptions of new 

Cretaceous fossils from Nebraska Territory: Acad. 

Nat. Sci. Philadelphia Proc., vol. 14, p. 22, 1863. 

Meek, F. B., Invertebrate Cretaceous' and Tertiary 

fossils of the upper Missouri country: U. S. Geol. 

Survey Terr. Rept., vol. 9, p. 425, pI. 6, figs. 7, 8, 

1876. 

Upper Colorado formation. [Coniacian.] 

ventrleosus Meek and Hayden var. stantoni Reeside. Seaphltes. 

Reeside, J. B., jr., Cephalopods from the lower part of the 

Cody shale of Oregon Basin, Wyo.: U. S. Geol. 

Survey Prof. Paper 150, p. 7, pI. 3, figs. 19, 20; 

pI. 4, figs. 5-8, 1927. 

Cody shale (Coniacian). 

ventrleosus Meek and Hayden var. depressus Reeside. 

Seaphltes. 

Reeside, J. B., j r., Cephalopods from the lower part of th~ 

Cody shale of Oregon Basin, Wyo.: U. S. Geol. 

Survey Prof. Paper 150, p. 7, pI. 5, figs. 6-10, 1927. 

Co.dy shale (Coniacian). 

ventrieosus Meek and Hayden var. oregonensls Reeside 

Seaphites. 

Reeside, J. B., jr., Cephalopods from the lowp.r part of the 

Cody shale of Oregon Basin, Wyo.: U. S. Geol. 

Survey Prof. Paper 150, p. 7, pI. 6, figs. 11-15, 1927. 

Cody shale (Coniacian). 

ventrieosus Meek and Hayden var. interjeetus Reeside. 

Seaphites. 

Reeside, J. B., jr., Cephalopods from the lower part of the 

Cody shale of Oregon Basin, Wyo.: U. S. Geol. 

Survey Prof. Paper 150, p. 7, pI. 5, figs. 1-5, 1927. 

Cody shale (Coniacian). 

vermicosus (Shumard) Adkins. [Misprint for Scaphites verrucosus Shumard?] 

Adkins, W. S., The Weno and Pawpaw formations of the 

Texas Comanchean: Texas Univ. Bull. 1856, p. 84, 

1918. 

vermiculus Shumard. 

Shumard, B. F., Description of new Cretaceous fossils from 

Texas: St. Louis Acad. Sci. Trans., vol. 1, p. 594, 1860 

White, C. A., Contributions to invertebrate paleontology, 

No.2, Cretaceous fossils of the Western States and 

Territories: U. S. Geol. and Geog. Survey Terr. 

Twelfth Ann. Rept., pt. 1, p. 39, pI. 18, fig. 8, 1883. 

[=Macroscaphites according to Meek, B. F., Invertebrate 

Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils of the upper Missouri 

country: U. S. Geol. Survey Terr. Rept., vol. 9, p. 

419, 1876.] 

vermiformis Meek and Hayden. Seaphltes. 

Meek, F. B., and Hayden, F. V., Descriptions of new 

Cretaceous fossils from Nebraska Territory: Acad. 

Nat. Sci. Philadelphia Proc., vol. 14, p. 22, 1863. 

Meek, F. B., Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils 

of the upper Missouri country: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Terr. Rept., vol. 9, p. 423, pI. 6, fig. 4, 1876. 

Upper Colorade formation. [Coniacian.] 

vermiformls Meek and Hayden val'. blnneyl Reeside. Seaphltes. 

Reeside, J. B., jr., Cephalopods from the lower part of the 

Cody shale of Oregon Basin, Wyo.: U. S. Geol. 

Survey Prof. Paper 150, p. 8, pI. 6, figs. 1-8, 1927. 

Cody shale. (Coniacian.) 
36 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

verneuili (D'Orbigny) De Grossouvre. Discoscaphites 

Ammomtes verneuili, D'Orbigny, Alcide, Pah~ontologie 

fran9aise, Terrain cretace, Cephalopodes, p. 329, pI. 

98, figs. 3-5, 1840. 

Scaphites verneuilli, De Grossouvre, Albert;Les ammonites 

de la craie su perieure: Recherches sur la craie su perieurc, 

pt. 2, Paleontologie, p. 253, pI. 26, fig. 2, 1894. 

Upper Campanian. 

verrucosus Shumard. 

Shumard, B. F., Descriptions of new Cretaceous fossils 

from Texas: Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. Proc., vol. 8, p. 

1.89, 1862. 

Navarro formation. [Campanian.] 

warreni Meek and Hayden. Scaphites. 

Meek, F. B., and Hayden, F. V., Descriptions of new 

organic remains from the Tertiary, Cretaceous, and 

Jurassic rocks of Nebraska: Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia Proc., 1860, p. 177. 

Meek, F. B., Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils· 

of the upper Missouri country: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Terr. Rept., vol. 9, p. 420, pI. 6, fig. 5; text figs. 61-63, 

1876. 

Carlile shale. [Upper Turonian.] 

warreni Meek and Hayden var. silesiaca Frech. Scaphites. 

Scaphites lamberti, Leonhard, Richard, Die Fauna der 

Kreideformation in Oberschlesien: Palaeontographica, 

vol. 44, p. 61, pI. 6, figs. 7, 8. 

Scaphites warreni·va1,'. silesiaca, Frech, Fritz, Uber Scaphites: 

Centralbl. Min.e.ralogie, Jahrg. 1"915, No. 21, p. 557, 

figs. 6, 8. 

[Turonian.] 

?worthensis Adkins and_Winton. [M acroscaphites?] 

Adkins, W. S., and Winton, W. M., Paleontological correlation of the Fredericksburg and Washita formations 

in north Texas: Texas Univ. Bull. 1945, p. 36, pI. 7, 

figs. 1, 2, 1919. 

Lower Washita. [Cenomanian?] 

wyomingensis Meek. [=S. warreni Meek and Hayden.] 

Meek, F. B., Invertebrate Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils 

of the upper Missouri country: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Terr. Rept., vol. 9, p. 421, pI. 13, figs. 5-7, 1876. 

yonekurai Yabe. Scaphites. 

Yabe, Hisakatsu, Zur Stratigraphie und PaHiontologie der 

oberen Kreide von Hokkaido und Sachalin: Deutsche 

geol. Gesell. Zeitschr., vol. 61, p. 421, 1909. 

Yabe, Hisakatsu, Die Scaphiten aus der Oberkreide von 

Hokkaido: Beitr. Palaontologie Oesterr.-Ungarns u. 

des Orients, vol. 23, p. 165, pI. 15, figs. 4-7, 1910. 

[Cenomanian ?] 

yokoyamai Jimbo. Scaphites. 

Jimbo, K., Beitrage zur Kenntniss der Fauna der Kreideformation von Hokkaido: Paleont. Abh., vbl. 6, No. 

3, p. 37, pI. 5, fig. 3, 1894. 

XCenomanian ?] 

LIST OF SPECIES ARRANGED BY MAJOR CHRONOLOGIC DIVISIONS 

Below is a list of species arranged by major chronologic divisions. A query (?) indicates doubt as to 

age. Under each division the species in group a are 

American; those in. group b extra-American. 

Maestrichtian: 

(a) abyssinus, cheyennensis, conradi, conradi var. gulosus, 

conradi var. intermedius, conradi var. petechialis, 

?iris, mandanensis,' nicolleti. 

(b) angulatus, constrictus, constrictus var. crassus, constrictus var. vulgaris, diversesulcatus, gibbus, monasteriensis, niedzwiedzkii, nodosus (Lopuski), tenuistriatus. 

Upper Campanian: 

(a) nodosus (Owen), nodosus var. brevis, nodosus' var. 

plenus, nodosus var. quadrangularis, reesidei, 

subglobosus, verrucosus. 

(b) ?compressus, ?constrictus var. quiriquinensis, cunliffei, 

haugi, ?ornatus, pavana, ?plicatellus, pulcherrimus, 

quadrispinosus, roemeri (D'Orbigny), spiniger, spinosissimus, tridens, tridens var. bispinosus, trinodosus, 

trispinosus, tuberculatus, varians, verneuilli. 

Lower Campanian: 

(a) aquilaensis, aquilaensis var. costatus, aquilaensis var. 

nanus, hippocrepis, hippocrepis var. crassus, hippocrepis var. p.usillus, hippocrepis var. tenuis, 

leei, leei var. parvus, levis, similis, stantoni. 

(b) aquisgranensis, infiatus, meslei, potieri. 

Santonian: 

(a) bassleri, novimexicanus. 

(b) ?andoorensis, binodosus, ?idoneus. 

Coniacian: 

(a) mullananus, semicostatus, texanus, ventricosus, ventricosus var. depressus, ventricosus var. interjectus, 

ventricosus var. oregonensis, ventricosus var. 

stantoni, vermiformis, vermiformis var. binneyi. 

(b) arnaudi, ?brahminicus, kieslingswaldensis, lamberti, 

roemeri (Brauns). 

Turonian: 

(a) larvaeformis, septemcostatus, warreni. 

(b) aequalis var. turonensis, auritus,' ?fritschi, geinitzi, 

geinitzi var. illtermedius, planus (Roman and 

Mazeran), warreni var. silesiaca. 

Cenomanian: 

(a) condoni, condoni var. appressus, gillisi, hilli, inermis, 

klamathensis, perrini, roguensis. 

(b) aequalis, africanus, evolutus, formosus, gracilis, kingianus, obliquus, peroni, peroni var. inornatus, planus 

(Yabe), planus var. gigas, pseudoaequalis, puerculus, 

puerculus var. teshioensis, rochatianus, similaris, 

tenuicostatus, thomasi, yonekurai, yokoyamai. 

Upper Gault: 

(b) hugardianus. 
PLATES 9-11 

37 
PLATE 9 

Page 

FIGURE 1. Scaphites aequalis Sowerby, from Podzameczek, Poland; three sutures, after Nowak, Acad. sci. Cracovie Bull. 

internat., annee 1911, ser. B, text fig. 6, p. 568, 1912. Referred by Nowak to Holcoscaphites ______________________ 24,26 

FIGURES 2-4. Discoscaphites conradi (Morton) Meek, from top of Pierre shale on Beaver Creek, 1 mile south of Linton, 

N. Dak.; side and peripheral views and suture _______________________________________________________________ 24,26 

FIGURES 5-7. Discoscaphites nicolleti (Morton) Meek, from top of Pierre shale half a mile north of Linton, N. Dak.; side 

and peripheral views and sutu~e_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 24, 26 

FIGURE 8. Discoscaphites constrictus (Sowerby) Frech var. vulgaris Nowak, from Lemberg, Poland; side view, after Nowak, 

op. cit., pI. 33, fig. 10, 1912. Referred by Nowak to HoploscaphiteB- ________________________________________ ___ 24,26 

FIGURE 9. Discoscaphites constrictus (Sowerby) Frech var. tenuistriatus Kner, from Lemberg, Poland; side view, after 

Nowak, op. cit., pI. 33, fig. 14, 1912. Referred by Nowak to Hoploscaphites _____________________________________ 24,26 

FIGURE 10. Discoscaphites constrictus (Sowerby) Frech; two sutures, enlarged, after Nowak, op. cit., text figs. 15, 16, p. 581, 

1912. Referred by Nowak to H oploscaphites ______ ___________________________________________________________ 24, 26 

38 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIO NAL. PAPER 150 PLATE g 

2 

6 

X2 

9 3 8 

FIGURES ILLUSTRATIr\G THE GENERA OF THE SCAPHITES 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURYE Y 

\ 

\ 

\ 

i 

I 

I 

3 

1 

I PROFESSIO AL PAPER 150 PLATE 10 

13 

4 

12 

5 

11 

~ I I X 15 

8 

10 

FIGURES ILLUSTRATING THE GENERA OF THE SCAPHITES 
PLATE 10 

:'FIGUUE 1. Scaphites ventricosus Meek and Hayden, from upper part of Colorado formation at Chippewa Point, near Fort 

Benton, Mont.; side view, after Meek, U. S. Geol. Sm:vey Terr. Rept., vol. 9,' pI. 6, fig. 7b, 1876. Hyatt's type of 

Page 

A nascaphites_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 22, 26 

:FIOUItE 2. ScalJhites ventricos~ts Meek and Hayden, from Cody shale in sec. 6, T. 51 N., R. 100 W., Wyo.; suture of a typical speciInen ______________________________________________________________________________________ :. _________ 22,26 

.lrIOuHE 3. SCa1Jhites geinitzi D'Orbigny val'. binodos~ts Roemer, from Priesen, near Laun, Bohemia; side view, after Jahn, 

IC-k. geol. Reichsanstalt Jahrb., vol. 41, text fig. 3, p. 181, 1892. Hyatt's type of Jahnites ________________________ 22, 26 

FIGUH.ES 4, 5. SCa1Jhites 1Jlan1ts Yabe, from vicinity of Opiraushibets, Province of Teshio, Hokkaido, Japan; side and 

peripheral views, after Yabe, Beitr. PaHiontologie Oesterr.-Ungarns u. des Orients, vol. 23, pI. 15, figs. 15a,b, 1910. 

Referred to Yezoites by Yabe_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 23, 26 

:l!'IOUIl.1nS 6, 7. Scaphites planus Yabe, from same locality as Figures 4 and 5; dorsal and ventral sutures, after Yabe, op. 

cit., pI. 15, figs. 17, 18, 1910. Refe~red to Yezoites by Yabe _______________________________________________ ~ ___ 23,26 

l rlOUH.1D 8. SCa1Jhitcs 1}'!terc~tl~ts Jimbo, from same locality as Figllres 4 and 5; dorsal suture ,vith part of ventral suture, 

after Yabe, op. cit., pI. 15, fig. 22,1910. Referred to Yezoites by yabe ______________________________ :... __________ 23,26 

.FlOUH.E 9. SCa1Jhites sp., from Lenentz, Laun, Bohemia; dorsal suture, after Yabe, op. cit., pI. 15, fig. 30, 1910. Referred 

to Yezoites by Yabe__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 23, 26 

!rlOUUES 10-12. Desmoscaphites bassleri Reeside, from the Telegraph Creek formation in sec. 27; T. 1 S., R. 30 E., Mont.; 

side view and suture of adult and side view of early whorls ____________________________________________________ 25,27 

.FraUltES 13, 14. SCalJhites aeq1wlis Sowerby; from the Greensand of Yeovil, England; side and peripheral views of the 

type specimen, after Sowerby, Mineral conchology of Great Britain, pI. 18, figs. 1,2,1813 _________________________ 21,26 

lrIOumn 15. Scaphites aeq'ualis Sowerby, from Dorsetshire, England; side view of the genotype specimen, Scaphites of 

Parkinson; after Parkinson Organic remains of a former world, pI. 10, fig. 10, 181 L ________ ~ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 21. 27 

3g 
PLATE 11 

Pago 

FIGURE 1. Acanthoscaphites tridens (Kner) Nowak, var. trispinos1ls Geinitz, from Porszna, Polandj side view, after Nowak, 

Acad. sci. Cracovie Bull. internat., annee 1911, ser. B, pI. 32, fig. 5, 1912 ________________________________________ 24,27 

FIGURE 2. Acanthoscaphites. tridens-trinodosus (Kner) Nowak, from Kierniczki, Polandj two sutures, after Nowak, op. cit., text figs. 8, 9, p. 572, 1912_' ____________________________________________________________________________ 24,27 

40 
U . S. GEOLOGI CAL SUHVEY PHOFESSION AL PAPEH 150 PLATE 11 

FIGURES ILLUSTRATING THE GENERA OF THE SCAPHITES 
A SECTION OF THE KAIBAB LIMESTONE IN KAIBAB GULCH, UTAH 

By L. F. NOBLE 

INTRODUCTION 

Of the Paleozoic formations in the plateau province 

of Arizona and Utah the Kaibab limestone, the 

youngest formation of the succession, is perhaps the 

best known. It is probably the most widely distributed Paleozoic formation in the province, its outcrops 

covering a large part of northern Arizona and appearing at many places in southern Utah. In southern 

Nevada, beyond the western boundary of the province, 

it is exposed in several mountain ranges, in one of 

which it extends to the border of California. At the 

Grand Canyon it is one of the chief elements in the 

landscape, constituting the surface of the Kaibab and 

Coconino Plateaus, through which the deepest part of 

the canyon is cut, and forming the first cliffs that drop 

away at the rim of the canyon. Its abundant fossil 

fauna and its position at the top of the Permian 

series beneath a widespread unconformity of erosion 

furnish interesting problems for the paleontologist and 

stratigrapher. At In any places it is of considerable 

econOlnic nnportance for the deposits of gypsum and 

liule that it contains. 

The Kaibab Innes tone was named by Darton,! who 

states: 

The upper limestone of the Carboniferous in northern 

Arizona has heretofore been known as the "Aubrey" limestone, but as Aubrey has now been adopted by the United 

States~ Geological Survey for the group of which this limestone. 

forms a part, a distinct name is required for it. Accordingly 

I<aibab has been selected, from the I<aibab Plateau, on the 

north side of the canyon, which is capped by the formation 

in typical development over a very large area. 

InasnnlCh as the formation not only makes the entire 

surface of the ICaibab Plateau but is magnificently 

exposed in cross section in the wall of the Grand 

Canyon all around the south end of the plateau, the 

nallle given to it by Darton is eminently appropriate. 

Curiously, however, although the ICaibab Plateau is 

the type locality for the Kaibab limestone, no detailed 

section of the formation has been made anywhere in 

the plateau. Consequently no type section of the 

fOl'lnation is on record. 

During a stratigraphic reconnaissance of the region 

north of Colorado River in Arizona and Utah in the 

SUlnmer of 1922,2 Prof. H. E. Gregory and I had 

occasion to visit the Kaibab Plateau, and I took the 

opportunity to obtain a section of the Kaibab limestone in this, the type locality. Our search in the 

I Darton, N. H., A roconnaissanco of parts of northern New Mexico and northern 

Arizoua: U. S. 0001. Survey Bull. 435, p. 28, 1910. 

I Grogory, n. E., and Noble, L. F., Notes on a geological traverse from Mohave, 

CaliC., to tho mouth of San Juan River, Utah: Am. Jour. ScL, 5th ser., vol. 5, pp. 

229-238, 1923. 

plateau for a place where unquestionably all the formation is exposed was rewarded in Kaibab Gulch, 

8 miles southwest of the abandoned settlement of 

Paria. Kaibab Gulch, which lies in Utah about 6 

lniles north of the Arizona boundary, is a deep canyon 

cut entirely across the northern part of the Kaibab 

Plateau. The gulch enters the plateau abruptly from 

the west, crosses it in a course that is slightly south 

of east, and emerges at the point where the strata 

along the eastern margin of the plateau depart from 

their horizontal attitude and dip eastward in the east 

Kaibab fold. Here, where the gulch crosses the fold, 

a magnificent section of the Kaibab limestone with a 

part of the Hermit shale below it and a part of the 

Moenkopi formation above it is exposed along the bed 

of the stream. 

So far as we could ascertain the region around and 

just north of Kaibab Gulch is the only area within or 

along the borders of the Kaibab Plateau where both 

the upper and the lower contacts of the Kaibab limestone are exposed. Elsewhere the characteristic red 

shale and sandstone that are unmistakably recognizable as belonging to the lower part of the overlying 

Moenkopi formation have been removed by erosion, 

so that it is impossible to tell how much of the top 

part of the Kaibab liInestone remains. Owing to this 

uncertainty the many fine exposures of the limestone 

in the cliffs of the Grand Canyon around the south 

end of the plateau and the exposures in the escarpment of the west ICaibab fault along the western border of the plateau are considered inappropriate for a 

type section, although many of these exposures reveal 

the beds of the formation in every detail from the 

base upward and are far more accessible than the exposures in Kaibab Gulch. The section in Kaibab 

Gulch is therefore proposed as the type section of the 

Kaibab liInestone, because it is the only section in the 

type area that is known to be complete. 

The location of the section in Kaibab Gulch and of 

other sections of the Kaibab limestone and the formations imnlediately above and below it that have 

been measured within a radius of 90 miles of the 

Kaibab Gulch section is shown on Figure 1. The distance and direction of each section from Kaibab Gulch, 

the formations included in each, and the report in 

which each measurement appears, if published, are 

given in a table below the map. 

Kaibab Gulch is shown on the Kanab topographic 

·map published by the United States Geological Survey, but its name is not printed on the map. It may 

be identified' as a deep canyon coming from the west 

41 
42 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

3Br---------+------------,f-----~+_----------~~----+_--~~--~~ 

u 

Q) 

·c 

t1I 

V 

I.. 

I.. 

;:, 

:r 

PLATE-AU 

1120 111° 

ql-_-.J.._--'_--''--_.L--_5..L.P __________ I...JQo Miles 

and intersecting the eastern boundary of the quadrangle at a point 

6 miles north of the southeast 

corner. 

SECTION IN KAIBAB GULCH 

The section measured in Kaibab 

Gulch includes the entire exposed 

FIGURE I.-Index map of parts of Utah and Arizona showing location of columnar section (dot numbered 1) 

in Kaibab Gulch given in Plate 12 and location of other sections of Carboniferous and Triassic strata in the 

. area covered by the map. The location of each section is designated by a numbered dot 

. thickness of the I(aibab limestone, a 

small part of the overlying formation, and a part of the underlying 

formation. The overlying formation, as elsewhere in the Grand Canyon region, is the Moenkopi. The 

underlying formation,· however, is 

not the one that is found in contact 

with the Kaibab limestone elsewhere. 

At all other places in the Grand Canyon region where its lower contact is 

exposed the Kaibab rests upon the 

Coconino sandstone, but at Kaibab 

Gulch it rests upon the Hermit 

shale, the formation next older than 

the Coconino.. The. absence of the 

Coconino sandstone is a unique feature of the section. The contacts 

of the Kaibab limestone with the 

overlying Moenkopi formation 

and with the underlying Hermit 

shale are shown in Plate 13, A, B, 

and O . 

No. 

on 

map 

Locality· 

Approximate 

distance 

from 

Kaibab 

Gulch 

(miles) 

Direction 

from 

Kaibab 

Gulch 

1 Kaibab Gulch, Kaibab Plateau _____________________________ _ 

2 Lees Ferry, Colorado RiveL _________ _ 

3 Canyon of Kanab Creek, 22 miles 

south of Kanab. 

4 Jumpup Canyon, near Kanab Creek_. 

5 Hacks Canyon, near Kanab Creek ____ _ 

6 Bass trail, Grand Canyon ____________ _ 

7 Virgin River Canyon. Four sections 

designated 9, 10, 11, and 12 by the 

authors. 8 Circle Cliffs __________________________ _ 

\) Rock Canyon. Two sections desig- nated 6 and 7 by the authors. 

10 Hurricane Cliff, 6 miles south of Hurri- cane. Section designated 8 by the 

authors. 

11 Hurricane Cliff, 18 miles south of Hurricane. Section designated 4 by the 

authors. 12 Cedar Mountain, Grand Canyon _____ _ 

13 Toroweap Canyon, near ·Grand Canyon. 

14 San Juan River, near Zahns Camp ___ _ 

30 S. 52° K __ 

38 S. 56° W __ 

50 S. 38° W __ 

53 S.46° W __ 

70 N. 43° E __ 

70 S. 84° W __ 

75 S. SOo W __ 

75 S. 10° E __ _ 

85 S.47°W __ 

Formations measured 

Moenkopi formation (base), Kaibab 

limestone (Coconino sandstone absent), Hermit shale (top) Moenkopi and overlying Mesozoic 

formations, Kaibab limestone, Coconino sandstone. 

Kaibab limestone (base), Coconino 

sandstone, Hermit shale (top). Kaibab limestone (base), Coconino 

sandstone, Hermit shale, Supai formation (top). Kaibab limestone, Coconino sandstone, Hermit shale, Supai formation (top). . Kaibab limestone, Coconino sandstone, Hermit shale, Supai and 

underlying Paleozoic formations. 

Moenkopi formation (base), Kaibab , limestone (top). . 

Kaibab limestone, Coconino (?) sand- stone (top). Moenkopi formation (base), Kaibab 

limestone, Coconino (?) sandstone, 

Supai (?) formation (top). Moenkopi formation (base), Kaibab 

limestone, Coconino (?) sandstone, 

Supai (?) formation (top). Kaibab limestone (base), Coconino 

sandstone and Supai formation (un- differentiated) . Shinarump conglomerate, Moenkopi formation, Kaibab limestone (top). Kaibab limestone, Coconino sandstone, Hermit shale, Supai formation. 

Moenkopi and overlying Mesozoic formations (Kaibab limestone absent), 

Coconino sandstone. 

Author and report 

Noble, L. F., this report. 

Longwell, C. R., Miser, H. D., Moore, R. C., Bryan, Kirk, 

and Paige, Sidney, Rock formations in the Colorado 

Plateau of southeastern Utah and northern Arizona: 

U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 132, p. 16, 1923. Noble, L. F., and Gregory, H. E., unpublished data. 

Noble, L. F., this report. 

Reeside, J. B., jr., and Bassler, Harvey, Stratigraphic sections in southwestern Utah and northwestern 'Arizona: 

U. S. G<3ol. Survey Prof. Paper 129, p. 69, 1922. - Noble, L. F., A section of the Paleozoic formations of the 

Grand Canyon at the Bass trail: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 131, pp. 23-73, 1922. Reeside, J. B., jr., and Bassler, Harvey, op. cit., pp. 72-73. 

Longwell, Miser, Moore, Bryan, and Paige, op. cit., pp. 20-21. Reeside, J. B., jr., and Bassler, Harvey, op. cit., pp. 70-71. 

Idem, pp. 71-72. 

Idem, p. 70. 

Noble, L. F., op. cit. (Prof. Paper 131), pp. 71-72.· 

Reeside, J. B., jr., and Bassler, Harvey, op. cit., pp. 69-70. 

Longwell, Miser, Moore, Bryan, and Paige, op. cit., p. 17; 
A SECTION OF THE KAIBAB LIMESTONE IN KAIBAB GULCH, UTAH 43 

The columnar section (pI. 12) showsdiagraIl1matically 

the topographic profile of the beds, their sequence 

and general lithology, and the subdivisions into which 

the writer has grouped them. The nunlber at the 

right of each bed or set of beds in the columnar section 

is the number used to designate the same bed or set 

of beds in the detailed section given in the text. In 

the columnar section the strata are represented as 

horizontal, but actually they dip eastward at angles 

ranging from 10° to 20°. The section was measured 

in a traverse along the bed of the gulch by ascending 

the walls to measure each set of strata at the place 

where it was best exposed, then locating at the next 

favorable place the stratum last measured and 

resunling measurement at that stratum. The length 

of the traverse necessary to obtain the complete 

section, following the windings of the gulch, was 

about a mile. The measurements were made with a 

Locke level. They are not as accurate as they would 

have been if the strata were horizontal and were 

exposed in a single vertical section, as in the wall of 

the Grand Canyon; nevertheless the windings of the 

gulch afforded so many exposures in cliff faces parallel 

with the stril\:e that the writer believes the error was 

not great .. 

The section is given below in two forms-a general 

section showing the major subdivisions and a detailed 

section with comments on the several beds. The 

110enkopi formation was measured and described by 

Professor Gregory; the Kaibab limestone and the' 

HerIl1it shale by nle. 

Section in Kaibab Gulch 

General section 

Moenkopi formation (Lower Triassic): 

Dark reddish-brown shale and thin-bedded sandstone with here and there a thin irregular bed of 

conglomerate at the base. All higher Moenkopi 

Feet 

strata have been removed by erosion__________ 12 

Unconformity. 

Kaibab limestone (Permian): 

A. Very irregular beds of coarse breccia-conglomerate, interstratified with buff shale and calcareous 'sandstone and capped by massive 

beds of buff limestone. The limestone forms 

a strong cliff; the shales and sandstones form 

a slope broken by irregular cliffs of breccia_ _ 77 

B. Massive gray crystalline limestone, cherty and 

fossiliferous, containing a bed of sandstone 

in the middle and passing at top into alternating beds of chert and buff earthy limestone. 

The beds of gray crystalline limestone form 

strong cliffs; the alternating beds of chert and 

buff limestone above the gray limestone form 

a steep ledgy slope______________________ 326 

C. Buff and reddish fine-grained sandstone, poorly 

consolidated and irregularly bedded, inter-' 

stratified with beds of sandy breccia and 

travertine; forms slope _________________ .:._ 150 

Kaibab limestone (Permian)-Continued. Feet 

D. Massive buff siliceous limestone, oherty and 

somewhat fossiliferous, containing some calcareous sandstone near the middle and a 

well-defined bed of hard fine-grained buff 

cross-bedded sandstone near the base. All 

beds except the calcareous sandstone in the 

middle of the member form strong cliffs____ 119 

E. Alternating beds of arenaceous limestone and 

irregularly bedded fine-grained buff sandstone. One thin bed of limestone, in the 

middle of the member, is very fossiliferous. 

The member forms a steep ledgy slope, 

broken by small cliffs_____________________ 45 

Hermit shale (Permian): 

Red ,sandy shale and fine-grained massive friable 

red sandstone, which exhibits concretionary 

structure; base of formation concealed; beds 

717 

form slope_________ ________________________ u5 

Detailed section 

Feet 

Moenkopi formation: 

1. Sandstone, dark reddish-brown, thin bedded, each 

bed consisting of overlapping laminae; foliation 

surfaces show abundant mud cracks and ripple 

marks; weathering forms" slab talus" _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3 

2. Shales, dark reddish brown, very unevenly bedded, 

sun baked, glistening foliation surfaces_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4 

3. Conglomerate, gray and brown, composed essentially of flat pebbles of limestone and red shale; 

in some places forms a definite bed 4to 8 inches 

thick; in other places lenses of conglomerate 

are embedded in yellow lime shale and brown 

sandy shale through a vertical distance of 3 

to 5 feet; in still other places the conglomerate is underlain or even replaced by thin 

layers or aggregates of quartz. Contact with 

underlying limestone is sharp and somewhat 

uneven; appears to represent a surface of 

erosion_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ~-5 

Unconformity. 

Kaibab limestone: 

A. 1. Massive buff limestone containing a little 

chert; fossiliferous, but all forms seen were 

too poorly preserved to be determinable; 

weathered surfaces of the rock feel sandy or 

12 

gritty________________________________ 2 

2. Chert__________________________________ ~ 

3. Massive buff limestone like No.1; contains 

many cavities, formed probably by the 

solution of fossils. Calcite fills many cavities and occurs in veins. Fossils occur 

sparingly, but all those seen were too poorly 

preserved to be determinable. Chert not 

abundant___ _ ____ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 12 

4. Chert and sand_________________________ 1 

5. Massive buff limestone like No.3; appears 

to form one solid bed__________________ 9 
44 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Kaibab limestone-Continued. Page 

A. 6. Buff shale, soft, sandy, and very thinly 

laminated. The laminae are wavy and 

many are as thin as paper; some are reddish. A few layers of calcareous sandstone 

averaging one-fourth inch thick are interbedded with the shale__________________ 2 

7. Dense fine-grained sandy buff limestone____ ~ 

8. Buff shale, like No. 6j basal 4 feet consists 

entirely of sandy mud; upper 3 feet contains a few ~-inch layers of fine-grained 

calcareous buff sandstone_______________ 7 

9. Massive bed of coarse breccia; forms strong 

cliff; rests upon an uneven surface, which 

exhibits considerable relief, the breccia 

bed ranging in thickness from 4 to 14 feet 

in a horizontal distance of 100 feet. Most 

'of the breccia fragments are chert but some 

are limestone and s~ndstone; they are of all 

sizes up to 6 inches in diameter; all are angular. The matrix is buff sand _________ 4-14 

10. Irregular bed consisting partly of sandy 

breccia and partly of calcareous sandstone. Cont~cts with overlying and 

underlying beds are uneven_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1-4 

11. Buff calcareous sandstone with thin partings 

of shale at the bottom and lenses of chert 

at the top; bedding planes wavy________ 5 

12. Massive buff calcareous sandstone; thickness ranges from 1 to 3 feet in a horizontal 

distance of 100 feeL___________________ 1-3 

13. Greenish sandy shale; laminae wavy; thickness ranges from 1 to 3 feet in a horizontal 

distance of 100 feet. Contacts with 

overlying and underlying beds uneven___ 1-3 

14. Conglomerate composed of chert and sandstone fragments embedded in a matrix of 

sand, which exhibits gnarly, contorted 

structure; thickness ranges from 1 to 3 

feet in a horizontal distance of 100 feet. 

Contacts with overlying and underlying 

beds uneven__________________________ 1-3 

15. Irregular bed composed entirely of hard 

chert. Contacts with overlying and 

underlying beds uneven, wavy _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 

16. Partly concealed interval forming a gentle 

debris-covered slope; the few outcrops consist of buff soft calcareous sandstone_____ 10 

B. 1. Buff crystalline limestone forming a small cliff _________________________________ _ 

2. Beds of buff earthy limestone alternating 

with beds composed almost entirely of 

chert nodules; much of the chert is white. 

The altern,ations are very regular, the 

limestone beds averaging 6 inches in thickness and the .. chert beds 3 inches. The 

beds form a ledgy slope. This unit resembles alternating beds of chert and calcareous sandstone that occur at the top of the 

Kaibab limestone in the southern rim of 

the Grand Canyon near Cedar Mountain 

(locality 12: see fig. 1) ________________ _ 

77 

2 

55 

Kaibab limestone-Continued. 

B. 3. Very fossiliferous, very cherty, gray to buff 

crystalline limestone. The chert is in 

large lumps, which are scattered irregularly 

through the rock and most of which are 

several inches in diameter. The bedding 

planes of the limestone are obscure, but 

the beds appear to be very thick, some as 

much as 20 feet. The rock forms an almost vertical cliff. This unit resembles 

and corresponds in position to the Kaibab 

beds that form pinnacles of erosion at 

many places along the north rim of the 

Grand Canyon _______________________ _ 

4. Chert and fine-grained sand forming a ledge_ 

5. Very massive bed of hard, dense, fine-grained 

buff sandstone, practically a quartzite; 

forms strong cliff; weathered surfaces exhibit cross-bedded structure; contains a 

few tiny rounded pebbles, the largest of 

which does not exceed a quarter of an 

in.ch in diameter; otherwise the rock resembles in composition the Coconino sandstone of the Kaibab division of the Grand 

Canyon. The cement appears to be all 

siliceous. The sandstone rests with wavy, 

uneven contact upon a bed of chert and sand ________________________________ _ 

6. Very cherty, very fossiliferous, gray crystalline limestone, weathering buff; forms 

.strong cliffs. The beds of limestone average about 5 feet in thickness and are separated by beds of chert and sand, most of 

which are less than 1 foot thick, but some 

of which are as much as 4 feet. Chert occurs throughout the limestone in nodules 

and in bands. Cavities lined with quartz 

crystals are fairly abundant. The fauna 

of the unit is of the familiar normal Kaibab \ 

type (the "Productus ivesi fauna") ____ _ 

7. Gray crystalline limestone in massive beds, 

separated by thin beds of sandstone with 

wavy, .irregular contacts; forms strong 

cliff; contains a small quantity of chert 

in bands and nodules. Fossils and cavities lined with quartz crystals occur sparingly. The limestone beds average 4 feet . in thickness __________________________ _ 

C. 1. Soft sandstone; bedding contorted. Contacts with overlying and underlying beds are uneveu, wavy _____________________ _ 

2. Gray crystalline limestone, texture sugary __ 

3. Irregularly bedded hard sandy limestone; under surface very uneven; this and the two 

overlying beds make small cliffs _______ _ 

4. Soft buff contorted sandstone; contains 

lenses of red shale averaging less than an 

inch thick; makes a slope and alcove; outcrops partly concealed ____________ ..: ___ _ 

5. Irregularly bedded porous sandy limestone 

seamed with calcite; the rock is in part 

travertine; bedding wavy throughout; 

rests upon an uneven surface; forms a cliff _________________________________ _ 

Feet 

85 

10 

14 

140 

20 

326 

1 

1 

3 

15 

7 
A SECTION OF THE KAIBAB LIMESTONE IN KAIBAB GULCH, UTAH 

Kaibab limestone-Continued. 

C. 6. Soft buff sandstone; bedding exceedingly 

contorted; contains a few brecciated beds 

and some sandy travertine; rests upon 

an irregular surface; forms a slope and alcove _______________________________ _ 

7. Gray sandy limestone, in part travertine; 

makes a small cliff ____________________ _ 

8. Beds of breccia and travertine interstratified with irregularly bedded yellowishbuff sandstone; make a cliff. The upper 

2 feet is entirely travertine. The breccia 

consists of sandstone fragments of all sizes 

up to 4 feet in diameter embedded in a 

matrix of contorted calcareous sand. All 

beds are very irregular and in all of them 

the bedding is contorted and wavy _____ _ 

9. Beds of breccia and soft sandstone like No.8; 

make a slope; much of the breccia re- sembles fanglomerate _________________ _ 

10. Brownish-buff fine-grained calcareous sandstone in beds up to 1 foot thick; almost alimestone __________________________ _ 

11. Reddish sandstone; forms slope; outcrops partly concealed _____________________ _ 

12. Buff hard fine-grained sandstone, composed 

of tiny transparent quartz grains, which 

sparkle in the sunlight; material resembles 

that of the Coconino sandstone of the 

Grand Canyon; forms a small cliff ______ _ 

13. Reddish soft fine-grained sandstone _______ _ 

14. Buff to brown porous calcareous brecciated 

sandstone seamed with calcite; largely 

travertine; forms a small cliff __________ _ 

15. Red soft sandstone; bedding gnarly and 

contorted; outcrops largely concealed ___ _ 

16. Buff to brown calcareous sandstone seamed 

with calcite; forms small cliff; bedding irregular, gnarly __________________ . ___ _ 

17. White soft fine-grained sandstone; bedding 

irregular, gnarly; rests upon a wavy surface 

exhibiting relief of a foot or more in a distance of 50 feeL ___________________ _ 

18. Red soft fine-grained sandstone; outcrops largely concealed _____________________ _ 

. 19. Breccia; angular fragments of sandstone, 

shale, limestone, and chert of all sizes up 

to several feet in diameter embedded in a 

matrix of gnarled and contorted yellowishbuff sand. Much of the deposit is cemented with carbonate of lime and exhibits the 

characteristic porous structure of traver- tble ________________________________ _ 

20. Largely concealed; the few outcrops seen 

consist of brownish-buff soft sand _____ _ 

21. Gnarly buff calcareous sandstone _________ _ 

22. Concealed; probably soft sandstone ______ _ 

23. Breccia in travertine, like No. 19 _________ _ 

D. 1. Platy gray limestone in beds averaging one- fourth inch thick _____________________ _ 

2. Dense siliceous buff limestone in beds 

ranging from 1 to 3 feet thick. Bands of 

chert nodules abundant _______________ _ 

Feet 

8 

3 

8 

17 

6 

3 

2 

8 

15 

2 

2 

12 

5 

12 

3 

12 

3 

150 

4 

10 

Kaibab limestone-Continued, 

D. 3. Dense siliceous limestone like No.2; forms 

two massive beds each 9 feet thick; contains many cavities lined with quartz 

crystals; contains also nodules of chert, 

bu t the chert is not conspicuously abundant ___________________________ _ 

4. Massive arenaceous limestone exhibiting 

gnarly contorted bedding on weathered surfaces _____________________________ _ 

5. Buff arenaceous limestone or calcareous 

sandstone forming a single massive bed; 

bedding planes level and even. This and 

the five overlying beds of D unite in 

forming a sheer high cliff ______________ _ 

6. Soft calcareous sandstone; bedding irregu'lar, gnarly; forms alcove __________________ _ 

7. Arenaceous limestone; most beds exhibit 

faint cross-bedding on weathered surfaces, 

but some exhibit gnarly bedding; makes a steep ledgy slope _____________________ _ 

8. Buff limestone in massive beds from 6 

inches to 4 feet thick; forms a strong cliff; 

weathered surfaces feel sandy or gritty. 

Thin platy partings of calcareous sandstone separate most of the beds .. The 

liinestone contains a large amount of chert, 

most of which is in rounded masses or 

nodules of all sizes up to a foot in diameter, but some of it occurs in bands. 

Fossils, chiefly large brachiopods, are 

abundant, and the rock contains many 

cavities formed by the solution of fossils. 

Most of the cavities are lined with quartz 

crystals. This limestone resembles the 

massive siliceous limestone in the lower 

part of the Kaibab at Bass trail, Grand Canyon ___ - _________________________ _ 

9. Massive bed of chert; forms an alcove _____ _ 

10. Massive bed of hard fine-grained buff sandstone; forms strong cliff. The rock is 

vesicular, and weathered surfaces are 

cavernous. Basal 3 feet strongly and 

conspicuously cross-bedded; remainder 

of bed contorted, gnarly. The sand 

grains consist of quartz and are tightly 

packed together; most of them are transparent and rounded. The cementing 

material appears to be carbonate of lime, 

but some of it may be silica. The rock 

sparkles in the sunlight like the typical 

Coconino sandstone of the Grand Canyon. 

The lower part of the bed contains lenses of 

fine conglomerate, whose constituent 

pebbles are tiny sheaflike aggregates of 

radially disposed quartz crystals. Most 

of these aggregates are less than a quarter 

of an inch in diameter, but some are 

as much as 1 inch. They appear to 

represent weathered quartz geodes _____ _ 

11. Buff shaly sandstone, soft, poorly exposed; forms alcove _________________________ _ 

12. Gray crystalline limestone in massive beds 

ranging from 4 inches to 2 feet thick. 

Rock hard and more or less vesicular; 

forms strong cliff___ . ________________ _ 

45 

Feet 

18 

7 

12 

10 

16 

22 

1 

9 

2 

8 

119 
46 'SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Kaibab limestone--Continued. Feet 

E. 1. Buff gnarly sandstone; soft; forms alcove; 

weathered surfaces are cavernous. The 

basal 2 inches of the bed is a conglomerate 

consisting of chert fragments that average 

a quarter of an inch in diameter_________ 8 

2. Alternating . beds of buff sandy shale in 

paper-thin laminae and buff chert. One 

chert bed is 6 inches thick______________ 2 

3. Buff hard fine-grained arenaceous limestone or calcareous sandstone; seamed 

with calcite; exhibits faint cross-bedded 

structure on weathered surfaces_________ 2 

4. Lumpy and gnarly fine-grained sandstone; 

soft; forms alcove_____________________ ~ 

5. Buff hard fine-grained arena~eous limestone 

or "calcareous sandstone; seamed with 

calcite; fo~ms a cliff____________________ 2 

6. Alternating beds of gray chert and buff sand. 

The chert beds average. an inch thick; 

some of them are composed of solid chert, 

others are bands of elongated nodules_ _ _ _ 2 

7. Buff hard fine-grained arenaceous limestone 

or calcareous sandstone; forms cliff______ 2 

8. Irregularly bedded buff soft fine-grained 

sandstone; structure contorted and gnarly _ 5 

9; Sandy buff crystalline limestone; .hard; 

weathers into nodular lumps; very fossiliferous, but aU fossils seen were too 

poorly preserved to be determinable_ _ _ _ _ ~ 

10. Buff calcareous shale ___________ ·__________ ~ 

11. Sandy buff limestone, somewhat cherty; 

fossiliferous but fossils very poorly pre- served __________________________ ._ _ _ _ _ ~ 

12. Soft lumpy sandstone, very irregularly 

bedded; largely a conglomerate or breccia 

of sandstone lumps embedded in a matrix 

of churned-up sand ____ ..,_______________ 3 

13. Buff sandy calcareous shale_______________ 1 

14. Yellowish-buff hard fine-grained evenly bedded sandstone_ _ _ _ ____ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ __ 2 

15. Buff soft fine-grained sandstone; bedding 

gnarly and contorted__________________ 5 

16. Buff fine-grained hard arenaceous limestone 

or calcareous sandstone; laminae very thin, 

horizontal; makes a small cliff _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 

17. One-inch parting of calcareous shale in 

paper-thin laminae. 

18. Arenaceous limestone or calcareous sandstone, like No. 16_____________________ 2 

19. Two-inch parting of calcareous shale, like 

No. 17. 

20. Arenaceous limestone or calcareous sandstone, like No. 16_____________________ 1 

21. Same kind of rock as No. 20, but even more 

thinly laminated______________________ 1 

22. Arenaceous limestone or calcareous sandstone, like No. 16_____________________ 2 

23. Six-inch parting of ·calcareous shale, like 

No. 17. 

24. Arenaceous limestone or calcareous sandstone, like No. 16_____________________ 1 

45 

Total thickness of Kaibab limestone_ _ 717 

o 

Hermit shale: _ Feet 

1. Buff and greenish-buff slightly sandy clay shale 

containing stringers of gypsum. Brownish 

streaks of limonite occur along the stringers 

and between laminae of the shale. Some of 

the gypsum stringers are as much as half an 

inch thick. The shale resembles a consolidated playa mud. 

2. Greenish-buff massive fine-grained sandstone 

exhibiting marked concretionary structure; 

in weathering splits off in concentric shells 

along the concretionary surfaces; differs only 

in color from the concretionary red sandstone 

(3) lying beneath it. The greenish-buff sandstone (2) and the· topmost foot of the underlying red sandstone (3) appear to constitute 

a sort of mud-ball conglomerate__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 

3. Very fine grained massive red sandstone, essentially a consolidate4 sandy mud; exhibits 

marked concretionary structure and weathers 

into rounded surfaces or into huge balls that. 

shell off in layers, like an onion. This concretionary structure is exactly like that characteristic of the upper part of the Hermit 

shale in the Kaibab division of the Grand 

Canyon. The material of which the sandstone is composed does not differ in any 

respect from that which constitutes the shale 

and sandstone beds of the Hermit shale in 

the Grand Canyon. The sandstone contains 

a few buff streaks, but the difference in color 

bears no relation to bedding.· The rocK 

exhibits no partings or bedding planes and is 

not cross-bedded __ ._ _ _______ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ __ ___ 7 

4. Very massive bed, like No.3; ·upper portion 

contains buff streaks and blotches_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 22 

5. Red sandy' shale; not conspicuously different 

from the overlying sandstone in composition 

but is laminated and soft, whereas the sandstone exhibits no bedding planes and is 

relatively compact ________________________ . 7 

6. Massivered concretionary sandstone, like No. 3_ 3 

7. Red soft sandy shale, like No. 5_______________ 8 

8. Massive red concretionary sandstone, like No. 3_ 4 

Talus, extending downward to the bed of Kaibab 

Gulch and concealing all underlying rocks. 

COMPARISON WITH OTHER SECTIONS 

SECTION AT BASS TRAIL 

55 

In 1916 I measured a detailed section of the Paleozoic formations of the Grand Canyon at the Bass 

trail, in the Shinumo region, to' supersede the generalized and inadeq ua te reconnaissance section given in 

my report on the Shinumo quadrangle. 3 This detailed 

section is described in a report published in 1922.4 

The part of it that inCludes the Kaibab limestone, 

Coconino sandstone, and Hermit shale is reprinted 

below for comparison with the section in Kaibab 

Gulch. The locality (No.6, fig. 1) is 65 miles sputhwest of Kaiba.b Gulch. 

3 Noble, L. F., The Shinumo quadrangle, Grand Canyon district, Ariz.: U. S. 

Geol. Survey. Bull. 549, pp. 60-73, 1914. 

• Noble, L. F., A section of the Paleozoic formations of the Grand Canyon at the 

Bass trail: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 131, pp. 23-73, 1922. 
U. S. OEOLOQICAL SUUVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 150 PLATE 12 

~ __________ ~ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ~"~~.~".-~-~ft'~-:~w- remo~dbyeroshn 

M9ENKOPI ~~~T ~' , ' 'shalf 

~~·~~v~~~r~2~"~~~I~"v~~"~r--·'8~~O~O·--------------------------- .... ""~ --------------------------------------------------------------------~~N(~OA'FO~H~~'----~~~~~~~~~ - F-' A 'end 77 

r 3 Ve", ;rre8utsr beds r COOr.;(, 

4 hreccia-con!jlomerare, inter- I 5 stratified WI'th bufT'shale 

rw 

W 

LL 

w 

z 

o 

r-

(f) 

w 

~ 

m 

« 

(D 

HERMIT 

SHALE 

Bod or 

Gulch 

If--700 

If--600 

If--500 

~400 

f--300 

1--200 

F 

1--100 

rSO 

Z 

<:> T T ... <:> 

\ 10 3 

7 

8 

/"", 1- _1/, ........ ~ ..... ~ (~ 

F, 

I 

f1 

10 '0 

, 6. 

f' '0 

• c 

" I' 

\" , " 

/' I,e 

/ 

'" 

¢.~I=~~11~6~'j7 and calcareous sandstone- ~ 8 end capped/¥.massive Ji;:6:,::O::;' ';'0 beds o/' buff l,mestone. 

,..

' . 9 ThelimestonelOrmsa 'Jli'( 10 strong cliFf} the shale 

, , ,~"._ and sandstone IOrm,L a 

~'.. ... ~~m ~7t:~~% ''C'ifUt<1 

./ 16 

,c 

0' I" I' 

I, >' 

I' , 

Ie I' 

, 

2 

B 326 feet 

Massive Crgy c'Ystallli7(~ lImestone, cherty and fOssiliferous; containing a bed oTS8ndstone 

in the middle and passing at 

top into alternating beds OT 

chert and bufTearthy /imestone . The beds orgr"!Y Clystal/;ne limestone rorm strong cli/'/S 

the akernating beds oT 

chert and bulT'limestone 

(2) above the grl!Y Itinestone 

fOrm a steep le<fly slope 

''',' 10 [, 

c " 0 

, 

1,01 [, ,0 ' '9 .6 ? 8 

3 ' '0 'I' ;'0 , 0' _ ,[ '. , 

'1 0 ',I"e I' , 

:, 'c\ I ,0 

, I, " • , , 

1'0' , 1°,' " 0. " 

I '0 ~ ',0 , 

, 

,oIl, , 

[','0" [', 

0.1 ,0' 

1'-'-0 , , , , 

',0:, Ie, 

, >, 

<> , 

F'{~-'~~~ -,- -~ .!:' -" 

7 

.... sanc.istol7e ?) 

D 119 feet 

C 150 teet 

Bufrsnd reddIsh fine-orained sandstoneJ poor{y consqlidated and 

irregularfy bedded, interstrati/ied 

with beds of'san& oreccls and 

travertine. 

FOrms slope 

Mass/ve burr silIceous Itmestone, cherty and sbmewhat fOssiliferous, 

containing some calcareous sandstone near the n7/d'dle and a 

well defined bedoT'hard nne-8rained huFFcross-hedded sandstone near the base ' 

All beds except t-he calcareous sandstone in the mIddle oT'the mel77ber 

fOrm stron8 ckHs 

tz:; Alternating beds or ar:enaceo/.ts Itinestone and irre8ularfy bedded flne -grained 

E 45 teet buff sandstone. Two thIn beds of" Itmestone in the middle orthe member are 

vey ross/It!erous. The member IOrms a steep led.{y slope broken 0/ small cltl1.S 

Red S8no/ shale and fine-grained masSive fNable red sandstone which exhibt't;s concrett'onary 

structure,' base or fOrmation concealed Beds IOrm slope 

COLUMNAR SECTION OF THE KA.IBAB LIMESTONE IN KAIBAB GULCH, UTAH 

With a part of the overlying Moenkopi formation and of the underlying Hermit shale 
U . S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 150 PLATE 13 

A. KAIBAB GULCH, UTAH, LOOKING WESTWARD UP THE GULCH FROM A POINT 

NEAR THE MOUTH 

m, Moenkopi formation; a, h, s ubdi visions A and n of Kaibab li mestone. The strata dip toward t he observer, and Lhe bed of the gulc h descends i n t he same direction hut at a lower angle, so that suc- cessively lower strata are encountered 111 ascend ing the gulch. The summit of the Kaibab lime- stone (shown in B) is crossed at the mouth of t he u! . and the base (shown in C) about a mile above the mOllth. Thus a traverse oL'thc bed of the gulch y ieldsacomp!ete secLion of the forma tion 

B. CONTACT BETWEEN MOENKOPI FORMATION AND KAIBAB LIMESTONE AT TI-IE 

MOUTH OF KAIBAB GULCH 

m, Moenkopi formation; a, limestone at Lop of subdivision A of Kaibab limestone 

c. CONTACT BETWEEN KAIBAB LIMESTONE AND HERMIT SHALE IN KAIBAB GULCH 

d, e, Subdivisions D and E of Kaibo.b limestone; h, Hermit shale 
U . S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 150 PLATE 14 

A 

B 

A, B. UNCO FORMITY BETWEEN HERMIT SHALE A ' D SUPAI FORMATION IN 

CA YON OF LOWER KA AB CREEl EAR JUMPUP CANYON, UTAH 

k , Kaibab limeslonc; c, Coconino sandstone; h, Hermit shale; 5, Supai formation. In A the hill of sandstone of the Supai formation in the lower right corner projects 30 feet above t he bose of the H ermit. shale in the hollow at. the left of the hi ll. Tn B Lhc base of lhe H ermit shale in t he: stccp- sided hoUow at the right. is 40 feet below the sumrnit. of the sandstone of the Supai formation at. the left of Lhe hollow 

C. CANYON OF LOWER KAIBAB CREEK, UTAH 

Looking souLh n ene mouLh of Jumpup au.~'l'l showiug broad platform (" The Esplanade ") on t he summil of the Supai formation at the h~rizo~ of the unconformity shown in A and B . k. Kaibab IimesLonc; C, Coconino sandstone; h, Hermit.. shale; s, Supai formation; ig, inner gorge of Kanab Creek. In structure. composition, and mo:le of weathering the cross-bedded sandstone at the lop of tbe Supai sandstone shown in the view is 81 rik ingly similar to the Navajo sandstone exposed in Glen Canyon of Colorado River. A water pocket in the sandstone of the Supai is shown in the lower right corner 
A SECTION OF THE KAIBAB LIMESTONE IN ~AIBAB GULCH, UTAH 47 

Section at Bass trail 

General scctlon 

J{aibab limestone (Permian): 

A. Grn,y crystalline limestone, very fossiliferous and 

somewhat cherty, passing at base and top into 

alternating beds of very cherty limestone and 

buff calcareous sandstone; forms cliffs and 

Feet 

steep slopes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 292 

B. Buff and reddish fine-grained sandstone, poorly 

consolidated and irregularly bedded, containing beds of sandy breccia near top; forms slope~___________________________________ 136 

C. Buff sandstone and limestone in alternating beds, 

passing at top into massive siliceous limestone; 

upper portion forms a strong cliff; central 

portion forms cliffs and ledges; lower p.ortion 

forms a slope____________________________ 134 

Coconino sandstone (Permian): 

PI11e-buff, uniformly fine-grained sandstone, characterized by cross-bedding on a huge scale; presents the appel1rance of a single massive bed; 

forms the strongest and highest cliff in the upper 

562 

wall of the Cl1nYOlL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 330 

Hermit shale' (Permil1n): 

Deep brick-red sandy shale and fine-grained friable 

Sl1ndstone; charn.cterized in upper portion by 

concretionary structure; beds form slope_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 332 

Unconformity. 

Detailed scctlon 

Kl1ibl1b limestone: 

A. 1. Limestone, buff, compact; efferve~ces strongly 

with dilute hydrochloric acid; caps a small 

cliff on the rim of the Grand Canyon at the 

head of Bass trail. Bass Camp, on 'the 

Coconino Plateau, at the head of the trail, 

is built on this stratum. Higher beds, 

which form the surface of the plateau just 

east of the camp, are not included in this 

section _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

2. Limestone, buff, siliceous; texture compact, 

chalky; contains small cavities lined with 

tiny crystals_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6 

3. Sl1ridstone, buff, fine grained, calcareous; 

effervesces with acid_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5 

4. Alternl1ting thin beds of variegated chert and 

fine-grained calcareous sandstone_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 25 

5. LiInestone, gray, crystalline, very cherty, fossiliferous. The chert occurs in nodules and 

in bl1nds; in places it constitutes half of 

the rock. Aside from the abundance of 

chert the limestone resembles No. 6_______ 40 

6. Limestone, grn.y, hard, crystalline, somewhat 

cherty, very fossiliferous; effervesces 

strongly with acid. Beds differ greatly in 

thickness; some ar'e a few inches thick, 

others several feet. The chert occurs in 

scattered nodules and in bands but is not 

a conspicuous feature of the rock_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 126 

7. Alternl1ting beds of fine-grained buff calcareous sl1~~dstone, buff limestone, and chert; 

form small conspicuous cliff _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 10 

8. Limestone, gray, hard, crystalline, somewhat 

cherty, fossiliferous; resembles No. 6 _ _ _ _ _ 60 

Kaibab limestone-Continued. Feet 

A. 9. Sandstone, lemon-buff, fine grained, calcareous; bedding irregular, gnarly; forms a 

gentle slope covered in most places by talus ____ ,'_____ ___ ___________________ 10 

10. Limestone, thin bedded, very cherty; effervesces with acid. The chert constitutes 

more than half of the rock and occurs in 

parallel bands whose average thickness is 2 

inches________________________________ 8 

292 

B. 1. Sandstone, buff, massive, fine grained, calcareous; effervesces weakly with acid_______ 4 

2. Breccia composed chiefly of angular fragments' of evenly bedded buff fine-grained 

sandstone embedded in a matrix of fine 

lemon-buff sand; contains a few fragments 

of siliceous limestone. The fragments 

range in diameter from less than an inch to 

'more than 4 feet. The contact of the 

breccia with the underlying sandstone is 

wavy and irregular, exhibiting in places 

inequalities of several feeL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 17 

3. Sandstone, buff, fine grained, friable. The 

component grains are quartz, as in other 

sandstones of the Kaibab, but are very 

loosely cemented, so that the rock crumbles 

to sand when struck with the hammer _ _ _ _ _ 1 

4. Sandstone, like No. 3 but bright red_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

5: Buff sandstone, like No. 3_________________ 8 

6. Bright-red sandstone, like No.4 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

,7. Lemon-buff sandstone, like No. 3__________ 5 

8. Bright-red sandstone, like No.4; contains a 

I-inch layer of pale-green sandstone in the 

centralpart___________________________ 7 

9. Sandstone, lemon buff, fine grained, friable; 

bedding irregular, gnarly; contact with 

underlying sandstone slightly wavy and 

irregular _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3 

,10. Sandstone, bright red, shaly; bedding gnarly; 

contact with underlying breccia wavy and 

irregular, exhibiting inequalities of 2 feet or more_________________________________ 3 

11. Breccia composed of angular fragments of finegrained sandstone averaging 4 inches in 

diameter. Very little matrix between the 

fragments. The contact with the underlying sandstone is irregular, exhibiting inequalities of several feet_ _ _ _ _ ___________ 4 

12. Reddish-buff loosely consolidated fine-grained 

sandstone in indistinct but fairly even beds, 

some of which display gnarly structure; 

forms debris-covered slope; exposures poor. 

The upper 3 feet of the sandstone is bright 

red and thinly laminated________________ 12 

13. Sandstone, like No. 12, but more compact, 

forming a weak cliff; gnarled and twisted 

structure very pronounced; color lemonbuff to reddish buff_____________________ 10 

14. Sandstone, like No. 12, very soft, forming a 

gentle slope that is covered nearly everywhere by talus; no good exposures obtainable; white, ,lemon-buff, greenish, and 

bright red; in some places the color is in 

blotches or streaks; in other places a single 

color characterizes each bed _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 58 

136 
48 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Kaibab lImestone-Continued. 

C. 1. Limestone, buff, dense, siliceous; in heavy, 

massive beds; forms a strong cliff; contains 

much chert in bands and nodules and 

Feet 

many small cavities lined with crystals of 

quartz or calcite. In app~arance the rock 

suggests silicified chalk. Some beds effervesce weakly with acid_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 48 

2. Limestone, like No. 1 but in thinner beds (1 

foot or less), which are separated by thin 

partings of buff fine-grained shaly sandstone; forms a steep ledgy slope_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 12 

3. Limestone like No .. 1; forms a cliff__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 16 

4. Shaly sandstone, lemon-buff, soft, thin bedded, 

fine grained; makes alcove under over- hanging cliff of No. 3 __________________ _ 

5. Limestone, buff, in heavy beds wit~ thin 

sandy partings; not notably siliceous; ef- -

2 

fe!"vesces strongly -with acid; forms cliff___ _ 872 

6. Shaly sandstone, like No.4; makes alcove 

under overhanging cliff of No. 5 _________ _ 3 

7. Limestone, like No.5 but in thinner beds (1 

or less); forms ~lope____________________ 11 

8. Limestone, buff, dense, siliceous, in heavy 

beds; contains many crystal-lined cavities 

apparently formed by the solution of 

brachiopods; does not effervesce with acid_ 572 

9. Limestone, like No.7, in beds separated by 

very thin partings of sand ______________ _ 

10. Sandstone, buff, fine grained ______________ _ 

11. Limestone, like No.7, but in a single bed ___ _ 

12. Sandstone, buff, fine grained _______________ _ 

. 13. Limestone, buff, siliceous, fossiliferous; does 

not effervesce with acid; contains many 

small cavities lined with calcite crystals __ _ 

14. Alternating beds of lemon-buff fine~grained 

sandstone and buff limestone; beds aver- age 3 inches thick _____________________ _ 

15. Limestone, buff, not notably siliceous; effervesces strongly with acid _____________ _ 

i6. Sandstone, lemon-buff, fine grained ________ _ 

17. Sandstone, red, fine grained. The base of 

this layer truncates inclined laminae of 

5 

5 

172 

6 

72 

2 

the underlying Coconino sandstone, which dip'15° S _____ ~ ___ ~____________________ 72 

""134 

Coconino sandstone: Pale-buff fine-grained sandstone,---

cross-bedded on a huge scale; appears like 

single massive bed; forms highest cliff in 

upper wall of canyon. The base of the 

sandstone is marked by an abrupt change 

from buff sandstone to underlying red 

shale, and the contact is an even line. In 

places the under surface of the sandstone 

shows impressions of sun cracks. For 25 . 

feet above the base the cross bedding is 

on a small scale, and horizontal layers alt0rnate with cross-bedded layers; then the 

coarse cross-bedding begins and continues 

upward until the sandstone is truncated by 

the level base of the Kaibab _____________ 330 

Hermit shale: 

1. Sandstone, red, soft, fine grained, massive, with 

a thin layer of green shale at the top. Exhibits well-marked concretionary structure; 

the concretions are spheroidal forms which 

_ range fron;l half an inch to 4 feet in diameter 

and consist of the general mass of the rock; 

in weathering the rock splits off in concentric 

shells along the concretionary surfaces _____ _ 5 

Hermit shale-Continued. Feet 

2. Sandstone, fine grained, massive; resembles the 

Coconino sandstone in texture and composition but is not cross-bedded; lower half buff; 

upper half red with buff blotches_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6 

3. Concretionary sandstone, like No.1, in massive 

layers____________________________________ 16 

4. Shale, deep red, thinly laminated, sandy _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 24 

5. Beds of soft massive concretionary red sandstone 

like No. 1 alternating with thinner beds of 

deep-red shale like No.4; sandstones and 

shales not conspicuously different in com- position _________ ~________________________ 28 

6. Shale, deep red, sandy______________________ 16 

7. Sandstone, pink, hard, very fine grained; contains cracks and cavities filled with crystals 

of calcite (dog-tooth spar) ; rock itself does not 

effervesce with acid; forms 'small prominent cliff __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6 

8. Shale, soft, brick-red, thinly laminated, sandy _ _ 28 

9. Sandstone, brick-red, friable, massive; forms 

weak cliff_____________ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

All underlying beds of shale are like No.8; 

all underlying beds of sandstone like . No.9. 

The beds designated shale and ~~ndstone. actually differ little in composition; both consist 

essentially of sandy mud colored red by a 

strong ferritic pigment. The beds designated 

sandstone are massive and relatively compact, 

as contrasted with the beds designated shale, 

which are thinly laminated and soft. Both 

types of rock are friable. 

10. Shale, containing beds of massive' friable sandstone near the top________________________ 33 

11. Sandstone in massive beds; contains a I-foot 

layer of shale in ~he middle part; forms weak 

cliffs_____________________________________ 8 

12. Shale _______________________________ ~______ 11 

13. Sandstone; forms weak cliff___________________ 10 

14. Shale______________________________________ 33 

15. Alternating lenticular beds of intraformational 

conglomerate and red fine-grained sandstone 

averaging 1 foot in thickness; beds display 

indistinct sun cracks and rain prints; form 

weak cliff. The conglomerate consists chiefly 

of flattened pebbles of fine-grained sandstone 

or sandy shale less than 1 inch in diameter, 

embedded in a matrix- of red sandy mud but 

contains some nodular or concretionary fragments of limestone_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6 

16. Shale______________________________________ 11 

17. Sandstone__________________________________ 3 

18. Shale __________ ~___________________________ 40 

19. Sandstone ____________ -______________________ 2 

20. Shale______________________________________ 6 

21. Sandstone; forms weak cliff__________________ 5 

2aShale______________________________________ 16 

23. Sandstone; forms weak cliff__________________ 5 2~ Shale ______________ :_______________________ 12 

332 

A comparison shows that the section at Kaibab 

Gulch and the section at the Bass trail are remarkably 

alike~ notwithstanding the fact that they are 65 miles 

apart. The major subdivisions of the Kaibab limestone seen at the Bass trail are at once recognizable in 

the section at Kaibab-Gulch, each subdivision at either 

place consisting of beds that are similar in lithology 
A SECTION OF' THE KAIBAB LIMESTONE IN KAIBAB GULCH, UTAH 49 

and successiQn and exhibit a sinlilar tQPQgraphic 

prQfile to' thQse that make up the cQrresPQnding subdivisiQn at the Qther place. Many beds at CQrresPQnding hQrizQns in the twO' lQcalities are lithQlQgically identical. The chief differences between the 

twO' sectiQns are the absence Qf the CQcQninQ sandstQne at Kaibab Gulch and the fact that the tQpmQst 

subdivisiQn Qf the ICaibab limestQne (subdivisiQn A Qf 

the I<:aibab Gulch sectiQn) apparently is nQt repre-

·sonted at tho Bass trail. MQreQver, all the subdivisiQns Qf the ICaibab are sQmewhat thicker at Kaibab 

-Gulch than they are at Bass CanYQn, and mQst Qf 

them include a sQmewhat greater variety Qf beds. 

There can be nO' reasQnable dQubt that the 55 feet 

·Qf red shale and sandstQne expO' sed beneath the 

.Kaibab limestQne in ICaibab Gulch is equivalent to' a 

part Qf the Hermit shale Qf the Bass CanYQn sectiQn. 

The evidence UPQn which this cQrrelatiQn is based is 

-the peculiar and distinctive character Qf the beds at 

the tQP Qf the Hermit shale: At the Bass trail, as 

nlay be seen in the detailed sectiQn, many beds in the 

upper 79 feet (units 1 to' 5) Qf the Hermit shale exhibit 

.0. well-Inarked concretiQnary structure that appears 

.Qnly Qn weathered surfaces Qf the rQck. A similar 

;structure is characteristic Qf the upper part Qf the 

fQnnatiQn at Qther lQcalities where I have examined 

.it in detail-at I-Iermit Basin, the type lQcality; 5 

and at JUlnpup CanYQn in the valley Qf lQwer Kanab 

-Creek. . (See p. 54.) Inasmuch as the lQcalities are 

widely separated, it is evident that the cQncretiQnary 

'structUl'e is a persistent and widespread feature Qf the 

upper part Qf the Hermit shale. NQW the red sandy 

·shale and sandstQne beneath the ICaibab limestQne in 

]Caibab Gulch are identical in cQmpQsitiQn and appear-

.ance with the rQcks that cQnstitute the Hermit shale 

,at the Bass trail apd at the type lQcality in Hermit 

:Basin, and they exhibit the cQncretiQnary structure just 

.described, They can nQt PQs!;'ibly represe{lt the CQCQ-

-ninO' sandstQne, a buff crQss-bedded sandstQne, whQse 

,appearance and lithQlQgic character are distinctive 

,and unmistakable, and they dO' nQt resemble the rQcks 

·characteristic Qf the upper part Qf the Supai fQrmatiQn, 

which are chiefly hard crQss-bedded sandstQnes. I 

have therefQre assigned them to' the Hermit shale and 

.cQrrelated theln with the upper part Qf that fQrmatiQn 

as eXPQsed at the Bass trail. The thickness Qf the 

,Hel'lnit shale at ICaibab Gulch is Qf CQurse unknQwn, 

because the base is nQt eXPQsed there. 

The series Qf beds that cQnstitutes subdivisiQn C, 

the lQwest subdivisiQn Qf the Kaibab lim~stQne at the 

:Bass trail, cQrresPQnds clQsely in lithQlQgy., successiQn, 

and tQPQgraphic expressiQn to' the series that cQnstitutes subdivisiQns D and E Qf the sectiQn at Kaibab 

GNoblo, L. F., A soction of tho Paleozoic formations of the Grand Canyon at the 

. Bass trail: U. S. Gool. Survoy Prof. Papor 131, pI. 19, 1922. 

Gulch and is almQst certainly its stratigraphic equivalent. When I measured the sectiQn at the Bass trail 

I CQuld have divided subdivisiQn C intO' twO' units, 

which in lithQlQgy and tQPQgraphic prQfile WQuld be as 

distinct frQm each Qther as subdivisiQns D and E at 

Kaibab Gulch. The lQwer part Qf subdivisiQn C at the 

Bass trail cQnsists Qf beds 9 to' 17, described in the 

detailed sectiQn (p. 48). This series Qf alternating 

sandstQne and limestQne, which is 28 feet thick at the 

Bass trail, clQsely resembles the series Qf alternating 

sandstQne and limestQne that cQnstitutes subdivisiQn E 

at Kaibab Gulch and is45 feet thick. At bQth lQcalities 

the sandstQnes range frQm buff and pink to' a peculiar 

shade Qf lemQn-yellQw and are fine-grained, SQft, and 

fQr the mQst part thinly laminated, and the limestQnes 

are buff, thin bedded, and mQre 0'1' less siliceQus. In 

general the sandstQnes are sQmewhat mQre irregularly 

bedded at Kaibab Gulch than at the Bass trail, and 

the limestQnes are rather mQre sandy, but these differences are nQt essential. At both lQcalities these beds 

fQrm a slQpe which is in strQng tQPQgraphic CQntrast 

with the cliffs fQrmed by the massive limestQne abQve 

them. In view Qf all these facts I have cQrrelated 

the slQpe-fQrming part Qf subdivisiQn C at the Bass 

trail with subdivisiQn E at Kaibab Gulch. 

At the Bass trail a thin bed Qf very fQssiliferQus 

limestQne (NO'. 13) QCcurs in the lQwer middle part 

Qf the slQpe-fQrming unit Qf subdivisiQn C. At 

Kaibab Gulch twO' very thin beds Qf similar fQssiliferQUS limestQne (NO's. 9 and 11), separated by a 6-inch 

parting Qf calcareQus shale, Qccur in the lQwer part Qf 

subdivisiQn E. NO' Qther beds in the twO' units 

appear to' cQntain fQssils at either lQcality. AlthQugh 

the distance between the lQcalities is much tQQ great 

fQr cQrrelatiQn Qf individual thin beds, the Qccurrence 

Qf the fQssiliferQus beds at apprQximately the same 

hQrizQn in the twO' sectiQns suggests that these fQssiliferQus beds are stratigraphically equivalent and 

serves further -to' emphasize the lithQlQgic similarity 

Qf the twO' sectiQ'ns. . 

The upper part Qf subdivisiQn C at the Bass trail 

cQnsists Qf beds 1 to' 8 described in the detailed 

sectiQn (p. 48), is 106 feet thick, and is cQmpQsed 

almQst entirely Qf limestQne. The tQpmQst bed 

(NO'. 1) is a massive buff siliceQus limestQne cQntaining bands and nQd ules Qf chert and many small 

cavities lined with crystals Qf quartz 0'1' calcite. This 

bed, which is 48 feet thick, is very hard and fQrms a 

strQng cliff, BelQw it is a bed (NO'. 2) cQmpQsed Qf 

layersQf similar limestQne separated by thin partings 

Qf shaly sandstQne. This bed, which is 13 feet thick, 

fQrms a steep ledgy slQpe. BelQw the slQpe-fQrming . 

bed is a set Qf beds (NO's. 3 to' 8) cQnsisting chiefly Qf 

massive buff cherty and vesicular limestQne like NO'. 1 

but including a few thin interbedded layers Qf sand-
50 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, '1927 

stone. This set of beds, 46 feet thick, makes a series 

.of cliffs broken at intervals by narrow ledges at the 

horizons where partings of sand occur. 

Subdivision D of the I\::aibab Gulch section, like. the 

cliff-forming unit at the. Bass trail just described, 

consists chiefly of limestone that makes strong cliffs, 

includes also a few beds of sandstone, and is 119 feet 

thiclc l\10st of the limestone is similar in composition 

and appearance to that which. constitutes the cliffforming unit at the Bass trail, for it is buff, 'massive, 

siliceous, more or less cherty, and vesicular, containing: many small cavities lined with quartz crystals. 

Indeed, the limestones are so alike at both localities 

that, ·aside from differences in thickness, the lithologic 

description of anyone or beds 2, 3, or 8 at Kaibab 

Gulch might be applied without change to anyone 

of. beds J, 3, or 8 at the Bass trail. 

Accordingly -!,'have correlated the upper or cliffforming unit of subdivision C at the Bass trail with 

subdivision D at Kaibab Gulch. Although the 

distance between the localities makes definite correlation of .individual beds impossible, it is probable that 

the limestone bed, ·No. I, which makes a cliff at.the 

top of the cliff-forming unit of subdivision C at the 

Ba~s trail, is roughly equivalent to the limestone 

beds, Nos. 1 to 5, which make a cliff at the top of 

subdivision Dat Kaibab Gulch; that the underlying 

slope-forming bed of limestpne and shaly sandstone, 

No.2, at the Bass trail is roughly. equivalent to tile 

slope-forming beds of calcareous sandstone and 

arenaceous limestone, Nos. 6 and 7, at Kaibab 

Gulch; and that the lower cliff-forming beds of 

limestone and sandstone, Nos. 3 to 8, at the Bass 

trail are roughly equivalent to the similar cliff-forming 

beds, Nos. 8 to 12, at Kaibab. Gulch. 

The only rock in subdivision D at Kaibab Gulch that 

has no counterpart in the corresponding unit at the 

Bass trail is a 9-foot bed of hard fine-grained buff . 

sandstone, No. 10, which lies 10· feet above the base 

of the subdivision. A peculiar feature of this sandstone 

is the occurrence in it of lenses of fine conglomerate 

whose constituent pebbles are tiny sheaflike aggregates 

of radially disposed crystals. The basal 3 feet of the 

sandstone is strongly cross-bedded, whereas the. upper 

6 feet exhibits gnarly, contorted bedding. The radial 

aggregates of -quartz crystals appear to be confined to 

the cross-bedded lower part of the sandstone. Where 

free from conglomerate the cross-bedded, sandstone at 

first sight resembles the typical Coconino sandstone 

of the Grand Canyon-so much so that, when I-first 

encountered blocks of the s.andstone in talus in the 

bed of K~ibab Gulch, I thought that they were fragments of the Coconino ,sandstone and ,that I should 

therefore find ,the Coconino below the base of the 

Kaibab higher up the gulch. _ However, when I ,traced 

the fragments to their source and found the parent 

bed (N o. 10) in the Kaibab limestone at a horizon 

more than 50 feet above the base of beds lithologically 

similar to Kaibab beds that overlie the Coconino at 

the Bass trail, it was evident that the bed could not 

possibly represent the Coconino sandstone. Closer 

inspection showed that it differs from the Coconino of 

the type locality in that the sand grains are bound 

together by calcareous cement, whereas the 'cementing 

material of the typical Coconino is siliceous. Moreover 

it is vesicular, whereas the Coconino sandstone is 

compact and massive. Nor are streaks of conglomerate 

known to occur in the Coconino, one of whose distinctive features in the type locality is' its unifornl 

fineness of grain. 

- Subdivision B of the Kaibab.limestone at the Bass 

trail, .136 feet thick, is composed entirely of sandstone 

and is the most sharply defined unit of the formation 

in the Kaibab division of the Grand Canyon. The 

sandstone is soft and friable, so that everywhere the 

subdivision makes a gentle slope, in contrast with the 

cliffs and steep slopes formed by the overlying and 

underlying limestone subdivisions. At most places 

the sandstone exhibits reddish and yellowish hues, 

which contrast strikingly -with the grays and pale 

buffs of the adjacent limestone. The lithologic character of the subdivision, moreover, is peculiar and 

distinctive. Much of the sandstone exhibits a gnarly, 

contorted structure, which appears to be a form of 

cross-bedding. Wavy, irregular contacts separate 

many of the beds. Local unconformities are common. 

Interbedded with the sandstone are. irregular beds of 

sandy breccia, which, although they do not occur 

everywhere at the same horizon, are a constant 

feature of the subdivision wherever it is exposed. At 

some places in the Kaibab division the breccia consists of angular fragments of sandstone and other 

rocks in an irregularly bedded m,atrix, of sandy material, resembles a coarse fanglomerate, and is clearly 

of detrital Qrigin; at other places it has the appearance of rock. that has been brecciated in place, either 

by pressure or by the beds caving in and breaking 

because some soluble material, perhaps gypsum, was 

leached out of them. In places the breccia isassociated with deposits of travertine. At some places, 

although not at the Bass trail, lenses of sandy red shale 

are interbedded with the sandstone and breccia. 

_ Subdivision C at Kaibab Gulch, 150 feet thick, 

occupies the. same' position in the Kaibab limestone 

that subdivision B occupies at the Bass trail .. It consists of soft slope-making beds of sandstone and sandy 

breccia that- exhibits. all the distinctive characteristics just described and is a no less sharply "defined 

unit than subdivision B. Unquestionably, therefore, 

-subdivision B at the Bass trail' is the stratigraphic 

equivalent. of subdivision 0 at Kaibab" Gplch.-" "As 

may be seen in the det/iLiled section.s there IS no, essential difference in the lithology of the two subdivisions. 

In general, the beds at Kaibab Gulch are more cal-
A SEC,TION. OF THE KAIBAB LIMESTON~ IN, KAlBAB GULCH, UTAH 51 

carcous than those at the Bass trail, for they include 

beds of t'ravertine and a few beds of limestone. Lenses 

of red shale occur at Kaibab Gulch but not at the 

Bass trail. However,beds of red shale, travertine, and 

sandy lil'nestone similar to those at Kaibab, Gulch 

occur in subdivision B at places in the Grand Canyon 

not far fr0111 the Bass trail. 

The sandstone breccia unit just described is certainly a widespread and persistent nleI11ber of the 

ICaibab lilnestone. Its presence at I\:aihab Gulch, 

as, well as throughout the I\:aibab division of the 

Grand Canyon, indicates that it underlies all the 

ICaibab Plateau. It is exposed at many localities in 

a wide region west and northwest of the Kaibab 

Plateau, as is shown in the sections of the I\:aibab 

liI11estone nleasured by Reeside and Bassler.6 It is 

present in the region around Cataract Creek, as 

shown in a section measured by Newberry.7 The 

origin of this member of the Kaibab is an interesting 

problem, for although the member is overlain and 

underlain by fossiliferous limestones that are unquestionably marine, some lithologic features suggest 

that not all parts of it are of marine origin. The beds 

of travertine at I\:aibab Gulch, for example, are 

indistinguishable in appearance from certain beds of 

fresh-water limestone that occur in Tertiary deposits 

of the desert region of California and N eV,ada, notably 

at Callville Wash, in southerri Nevada, and in the 

Death Valley region of California. The presence of 

breccia beds resembling fanglomerate is suggestive, 

as is also the presence of red shale. Some of the 

shale exhibits sun cracks. West of the I\:aibab Plateau the nlember contains beds of gypsum at many 

horizons, as is shown in the sections measured by 

Reeside and Bassler and by Newberry. A 'section 

that I measured at Jumpup Canyon, near ICanab 

Creek, where the member contains a great dea:l of 

gypsum, is ,given on pages 54-57, for comparison with 

the section 'at I\:aibab Gulch. Similar occurrences of 

gypsum are very common in Tertiary and Quaternary 

beds of the Grea,t Basin region that are certainly not 

Inarine. On the other hand, beds of fossiliferous 

nlarine limestone occur' in the upper part of this 

sandstone breccia member at Jumpup Canyon ·not 

far above beds that contain gypsum, and in different 

parts of the region gypsum occurs in other meinbers 

of the I\:aibab that contain fossiliferous marine 

limestone. 

Subdivision A at the Bass trail, 292' feet thick" is 

composed chiefly' of gray crystalline fossiliferous 

cherty limestone but includes beds of calcareous 

sandstone: The chert is exceedingly abundant in 

this subdivision throughout the Grand· Canyon 

o Roosldo, J. B., Jr., and Bassler, Harvey, Stratigraphic sections in southwestern 

Utah and n'orthwestern Arizo'na~ U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 129, pp. 58-59, 

69-77, 1922. 

7 NewberrY, J. S., Report upon the Colorado River of the West, explored in 

1857":58 by Llout. J. 'C. Ives, pt. 3, Geological Report, 1861. 

region, and it is .to this feature that .the Kaibab limestone owes the old name "cherty limestone," given 

to. it by, the early geologic explorers. At the Bass 

trail the chert is most abundant near the base and top 

of tbe subdiyi~ion ; near the topit forms a conspicuous 

set of beds (No.4) composed of almost solid layers of 

chert alternating with layers of calcareous sandstone. 

This set of aIteniating beds is present and easily 

rec'ognizable everywhere in the Kaibab diviSIon of 

the canyon. The limestone beds in the middle part 

of the subdivision (Nos. 5,- 6, and 8) are exceedingly 

fo~siliferous, and the fauna of beds 6 'and 8, at least, 

is the' so-called "Productus ivesi" fauna 'of the 

, "normal I\:aibab" type 8 and not the upper "Bellerophon limestone" fauna of the I\:aibab .. vVhether bed 

~ or the overlying beds at the top of the subdivision 

at the Bass trail contain the" Bellerophon" fauna. or 

the "Productus ivesi" fauna has not been determined. The subdivision as a whole is a strong. cliff 

maker, and its topographic profile is a succession of 

cliffs and steep slopes. . 

. Subdivision B at Kaibab Gulch, 326 feet thick, 

consists of b~9.s that differ in no essential particular 

from those that constitq.te subdivision A at the Bass' 

trail; they are composed chiefly of massive gray 

cryst,alline limestone, which is fossiliferous· and cherty. 

As in A at the Bass trail, the limestones in the middle 

of subdivision B at Kaibab Gulch. (beds 3 and 6) are 

very fossiliferous, and bed 6, at least, contains the 

"Productus ivesi" fauna; as in A, the chert becomes 

particularly abundant near the top of the subdivision, 

where it forms a set of beds alternating with earthy 

limestone layers (No.2), which are a counterpart of 

the alternating chert and calcareous sandstone bed's 

(N o. 4) near the top of A. Like A, the entire' subdivision is a cliff maker. _ Dis~egarding a few 'feet of 

beds at the base and 'top of A at the Bass trail whose 

correlation is unc'ertain, the· subdivision is undoubtedly 

the stratigraphic equivalent of B at Kaibab Gulch. 

Although it is not possible definitely to correlate 

individual 'beds in the two sections owing to the distance that separates the localities, it seems probable 

that beds 5 to 1-0 of the Bass trail subdivision are 

together roughly equivalent to beds 3 to 7 of the 

Kaibab Gulch subdivision; and that bed 4 at the 

Bass trail, consisting of alternating layers,'of chert and 

calcareous sandstone, is equivalent to bed 2 at Kaibab 

Gulch, consisti:q.g of a similar set of alternating layers 

of chert and sandy limestone. It is possible, however, 

that bed 5 at the Bass trail is also all or in part equivalent to bed 2 at Kaibab Gulch. . Bed 5 at Kalbab Gulch, 

a .hard quartzitic cross-bedded sandstone, appears to 

have no counterpart in the section at the Bass trail. 

The correlation of beds -1, .2, and 3 at the top of subdivision A at the Bass trail is altogether uncertain; 

they- may .be eq~uiv-alent to.--heds-at.the-·summit.of.B 

8 Reeside, J. B .• jr., and Bassler, Harvey, op-. cit:, pp: 6(Hi7 .. 
52 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

at Kaibab Gulch, but it is conceivable that they, 

together with some overlying beds exposed on the 

Coconino Plateau that are not included in the Bass 

trail section, are equivalent to a part of A, the topmost subdivision of the Kaibab limestone at Kaibab 

Gulch. 

SECTIONS MEASURED BY REESIDE AND BASSLER IN 

SOUTHWESTERN UTAH AND NORTHWESTERN ARIZONA 

In 1919 J. B. Reeside, jr., and Harvey Bassler maae 

a stratigraphic reconnaissance of southwestern Utah 

and northwestern Arizona in the course of which they 

measured 22 detailed sections of the Paleozoic and 

Mesozoic rocks at separate localities scattered over. 

this wide region. These sections are described in a 

report published by the Geological Survey in 1922.9 

Most of the sections include a part of the Kaibab 

limestone, and many of them include all of it. The 

location of all these sections that lie within a radius of 

85 miles of Kaibab Gulch is shown in Figure 1. These 

sections a~e by far the most important contribution to 

the study of the formation that has be~n made. As 

summarized and discussed by .Reeside and Bassler they 

constitute the standard section to which all sections 

of the Kaibab limestone in the neighboring region 

must be referred for comparison and correlation. 

The general section of the Kaibab limestone for the 

area studied by Reeside and Bassler is summarized as 

follows: 

Section of K aibab limestone 

5. Harrisburg gypsiferous member: Gypsum, shale, 

and limestone, with platy chert. Locally the 

"Bellerophon limestone" at top ____________ _ 

4. Upper limestone member: Massive cliff-forming cherty gray limestone _____________________ _ 

3. Upper slope-forming member: Soft beds resem- bling basal member _______________________ _ 

2. Lower limestone member: Massive gray limestone with much chert _______________ "_ _____ _ 

1. Lower slope-forming member: Gypsum, gray and 

yellow shale, soft gray sandstone, and some 

thin-bedded dark-drab limestone _____________ . 

The writers state: 10 

Feet 

0-280± 

185-455 

80-285 

150-230 

0-100 

In most of the exposures seen in our work the Kaibab limestone shows a fivefold topographic and lithologic division-(1) 

a lower soft member consisting of gypsum, gray and yellow 

shale, soft gray sandstone, and subordinate amounts of thinbedded dark-drab limestone; (2) a lower cliff-forming member 

of gray massive limestone with much brown to black concretionary chert; (3) an upper soft member with much the same 

character as the lower one; (4) an upper massive cliff-forming 

limestone which is similar to the lower one but contains more 

chert and which from . Bright Angel Creek to southwestern 

Utah shows towerlike erosion forms along its upper cliff face; 

(5) a topmost member, less resistant than the underlying beds 

~nd highly variable in composition and thickness, consisting of 

shale, gypsum, and limestone. The limestone of the top member is at some places arenaceous, at others partly silicified, at 

still others filled with masses of light-colored chert that breaks 

9 Reeside, J. B., jr., and Bassler, Harvey, op. cit. 

10 Idem, p. 58. 

into flat platy fragments; at many places the upper layers 

contain many small angular fragments of chert. In color it is 

light gray, yellowish brown, pink, and rarely a sugary white. 

The sandstone is gray to yellow, calcareous, and locally gypseous-that is, it has a gypsum cement. The shale may be 

gray, yellow, or rarely red. It is usually gypseous and in some 

places sandy. . 

These divisions of the Kaibab limestone vary much in thickness from point to point, and it seems unlikely that exactly the 

same beds enter into the same divisions at all localities. * * * 

The topmost member (5) is composed of ·peculiar and characteristic rocks. It may be recognized, in spite of its variability, wherever it occurs, and as it is a definite unit between 

the upper cliff-forming limestone of the Kaibab and the basal 

beds of the Moenkopi formation it is here named the Harrisburg gypsiferous member, from its occurrence in the Harrisburg 

dome, 8 miles east of St. George. A section measured here 

shows a thickness of 280 feet. This member may be absent 

from some of the sections examined, but in others it reaches a 

thickness of nearly 300 feet. It is apparently the same unit 

as that designated "Super-Aubrey beds" by Huntington and 

Goldthwait. The uppermost limestone beds locally contain an 

abundance of a species of Bellerophon and are the" Bellerophon 

limestone" of some of the earlier geologists. 

The section of the Kaibab limestone at Kaibab 

Gulch shows a fivefold topographic and lithologic 

division comparable to the fivefold division of the 

general section for southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona just described, and it appears highly 

probable that the subdivisions of the section at 

Kaibab Gulch are equivalent to the subdivisions of 

Reeside and Bassler's general section, although the 

correlation of A, the topmost subdivision at Kaibab 

Gulch, is more uncertain than that of the other four. 

Inasmuch as the nearest section measured by Reeside 

and Bassler (locality 5, fig. 1) is 53 miles from Kaibab 

Gulch and all the other sections more than 68 miles 

distant, it is hardly to be expected that equivalent 

subdivisions would correspond in all details of lithology 

and contain exactly the same beds. Nevertheless, in 

a broad way, they correspond remarkably-as closely, 

indeed, as the subdivisions at the Bass trail correspond 

with those at Kaibab Gulch; so that correlation can 

be made with at least as much confidence as that 

between the Bass trail and Kaibab Gulch sections. 

Subdivision E, the basal slope-making unit at 

Kaibab Gulch, which consists chiefly of soft sandstone and includes thin beds of limestone, some shale, 

and a thin bed or two of sandy breccia, is almost 

certainly the correlative of No.1, the "lower slopeforming member" of Reeside and Bassler, composed 

of gypsum, gray and yellow shale, soft sandstone, and 

thin-bedded limestone. Like subdivision C, which is 

composed of soft sandstone, sandy breccia, and shale 

similar to those which occur in E, the unit contains 

gypsum .west of the Kaibab Plateau in the region 

studied by Reeside and Bassler but does not contain 

it at Kaibab Gulch nor in the Kaibab division of the 

Grand Canyon. 

. Subdivision D, which· constitutes the lower cliffmaking uIiit of the Kaibab limestone at Kaibab 
A SECTION OF THE KAIBAB LIMESTONE IN KAIBAB GULCH, UTAH 53 

Gulch and consists chiefly of massive siliceous cherty 

limestone of a distinctive type, is certainly roughly 

equivalent to No.2, the "lower cliff-forming member" 

("lower limestone 111ember") of Reeside and Bassler, 

which consists of similar limestone. 

Subdivision C, the sharply defined slope-making 

unit in the middle of the Kaibab at Kaibab Gulch, 

which is composed of soft sandstone, sandy breccia, 

and travertine, is the equivalent of No.3, the "upper 

slope-forming member" of Reeside and Bassler, 

which, like No.1, consists of soft sandstone, shale, 

and thin-bedded limestone and includes beds of gypsum. Subdivision C does not contain gypsum at 

ICaibab Gulch; nevertheless its correlation with No.3 

is definitely established, for at Jumpup Canyon 

(locality 4, fig. 1), on the border of the region studied 

by Reeside and Bassler, where I measured a section of 

the ICaibab limestone (p. 54), the equivalent unit contains 111any beds of gyp'sum interstratified with beds 

of soft sandstone, breccia, and shale that are lithologically identical with the beds of sandstone, breccia, 

and shale that constitute subdivision C at Kaibab 

Gulch. 

Subdivision B, the upper cliff-making member of 

the Kaibab at ICaibab Gulch, is composed of the type 

of rock that is lllost commonly associated with the 

name Kaibab limestone in the minds of geologists who 

have worked in the plateau region-the massive gray 

or buff cherty fossiliferous limestone that is conspicuously exposed in the cliffs under the rim of the 

Grand Canyon in the Kaibab and Coconino Plateaus. 

All the lower half of the subdivision contains fossils 

of the typical "Productus ivesi" fauna in great 

abundance. Fossils are almost as abundant at many 

horizons in the upper half, but unfortunately I did 

not determine whether they represent the" Productus ivesi" fauna or the higher "Bellerophon" falma. 

No.4, the "upper limestone member" (or "upper 

massive cliff-forming member") of Reeside and Bassler, consists, lilre subdivision B, of the familiar cherty 

limestone which" fr0111 Bright 'Angel Creek to southwestern Utah shows towerlike erosion forms along its 

upper cliff face." The abundant fossils that it contains represent the" Productus ivesi" fauna. In all 

probability the whole of subdivision B is equivalent to 

No.4, although it is barely possible that the upper 

part of B, the character of whose fauna has not been 

deterlnined, may represent a part of the Harrisburg 

lnember of Reeside and Bassler. The beds in the 

upper half of B, however, do not at all suggest those 

of the Harrisburg 111ember in lithology and order of 

succession, notwithstanding the fact that the Harrisburg lllmnber is an exceedingly variable unit. 

Subdivision A at ICaibab Gulch, which consists at 

the top of Inassive buff limestone and contains at the 

bas'e very irregular beds of coarse breccia-conglomerate 

interstratified with shale and soft sandstone, appar95489°-28--5 

ently represents No.5, the Harrisburg gypsiferous 

member of Reeside and Bassler, which, as shown by 

those writers, occupies the stratigraphic position of A 

and which, although exceedingly variable in lithology, 

consists at many places of roeks very similar to those 

that constitute subdivision A. The fact that the 

Harrisburg member contains gypsum in the region 

studied by Reeside and Bassler, whereas A at Kaibab 

Gulch does not contain it is not at all inconsistent 

with the lithology of A. As I ha-ye already shown, 

two other subdivisions of the Kaibab limestone, 0 

and E, which are gypsiferous west of the Kaibab 

Plateau are not gypsiferous at Kaibab Gulch, but they 

contain at Kaibab Gulch beds of sandy brecci~, soft 

sandstone, and shale. Similar beds of breccia, sandstone, and shale are interstratified with the gypsunl 

at many of the places west of the Kaibab Plateau 

where the subdivisions are gypsiferous. Accordingly 

this association appears to be significant; in other, 

words, the breccia, sandstone, and shale beds in A 

at Kaibab Gulch are what would be expected at a 

horizon where gypsum occurs at other localities. 

I have' tentatively correlated subdivision A at 

Kaibab Gulch with the Harrisburg member of Reeside 

and Bassler and have incJuded it in the Kaibab limestone. Nevertheless the possibility exists that it 

belongs at the base of the Triassic Moenkopi formation, for it may represent a basal member of the' 

Moenkopi that occurs here and th~re in the region. 

studied by Reeside and Bassler, contains. Triassic fos-Iy 

sils, and has been named by them the Rock Canyon 

conglomeratic member. This member of the Moenkopi is described as follows: 11 

The basal discontinuous unit [of the Moenkopi formation] is 

an exceedingly variable assemblage of shale, limestone, gypsum, 

conglomerate, and a minor amount of sandstone. To this unit 

we have given the name Rock Canyon conglomeratic member, 

from Rock Canyon, 5 miles north of Antelope Spring, Ariz. 

A detailed section at this locality [locality 9, fig. 1] is given on 

page 70 (section 6). The limestone is gray to pink, is usually 

coarse, and contains chert fragments. The shale may be gray" 

yellow, or red. The conglomerate is made up of limestone and' 

chert boulders, locally as much as 3 feet in diameter but usually 

less than a foot,' in a limestone cement and occurs in very 

irregular beds, which may lie at any stratigraphic level in the 

basal unit. Locally the included limeston~ fragments are 

angular and the material is really a breccia, th<;>ugh at most 

points observed they are rounded or only subangu]ar. Locally 

this basal member is absent, as the sections show, and the 

lowe~ red beds of the Moenkopi formation rest directly' on 

limestones containing Kaibab fossils. At the head of Rock 

Canyon a great gash 700 feet wide and 250 feet deep has been 

cut into the Kaibab and filled with a confused mass of limestone, shale, gypsum, and conglomerate. This mass contains 

thin' veins of asphaltite and zones impregnated with asphaltic 

material. 

In lithology subdivision A corresponds as well to 

the Rock Canyon member of the Moenkopi just 

described as it does to the Harri~burg member of the 

II Reeside, J. B., jr., ~nd Bassler, Harvey, op. cit., p. 60. 
54 SHORTER 'CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Kaibab, as may be seen by comparing the detailed 

section of subdivision A (pp. 43-=-44) with Reeside and 

Bassler's detailed section of the Rock Canyon member 

at the type locality and with, their section of the 

Harrisburg member at the narrows of Virgin RiverP 

Both these sections, lilm the section, at Kaibab Gulch, 

consist at the base of irregular beds of breccia and 

conglomerate, soft sandstone or shale, and limestone 

or chert, which pass up into gray and buff limestones. 

The' correlation of ,subdivision A therefore remains uncertain and can be settled only by determination of 

the fossils that the subdivision contains. Fossils are 

fairly 'abundant in the limestone at the top of the subdivision, but all those that I saw were too obscure or 

too poorly preserved to be determinable, and I had 

not time to search carefully for better specimens. A 

systematic search at I{aibab Gulch would undoubtedly 

yield' determinable material, which would establish 

definitely the correlation of the subdivision. 

" 

SECTION IN JUMPUP CANYON 

During the,' eary part of our stratigraphic reconnaissance in ,the summer of 1922 Professor' Gregory 

and I measQred .. 'an incomplete section of the Kaibab 

limestone~ Coconino sandstone, and Hermit shale in 

Jumpup Canyon" 'a 'tributary gorge that enters the 

lower canyon' of Kanab Creek from the east at a'point 

about 6' miles' north of the junction of Kan~b Creek 

with Colorado' River.' The section is interesting 

because it shows in detail the lithology of the slopemaking unit of the middle Kaibab (the 'correlative 

of subdivision C at Kaibab Gulch, of B' at the Bass 

trail, and of No.3 of Reeside and Bassler) at a place 

where the unit contains gypsum; because it shows in 

detail the lithology of the Hermit shale at a place 

where th~t, formation isex'traordinarily thick and 

calls attention to the presence in the canyon of lower 

Kanab C;eek of an' unconformity at the base of the 

Hermit shale similar to the unconformity that is 

well displayed at the type'locality of. the formatIon 

in the canyon of Hermit Creek in the Grand Canyon; 

and 'because itafiords data concerning the thinning 

of the Coconino sandstone northward of Kanab, 

Creek. 'The section is therefore included in this 

report for comparison with the section at Kaibab 

Gulch, although in th.e Kaibab limestone at Jumpup 

Canyon only the unit mentioned above was measured 

in sufficient detail to make the section of much value 

for comparison with the stf:Lndard sections of the 

region. 

Jumpup Canyon ,is shown on the Kaibab topographic 

map published by the United States Geological Survey, but the name of the canyon is not printed on the 

map. It may be ide,ntified as the first large gorge 

that enters the canyon of K'anab Creek from the 

east above the junction of Kanab Creek and Colorado 

11 Idem, p. 75. 

River. The location of the section is shown on 

figure 1 (locality 4). It is roughly 50 miles southwest 

of Kaihab Gulch, 25 miles northwest of the Bass 

trail, and 10 miles southeast of Hacks Canyon, where 

the nearest section of Reeside and Bassler was measured (locality 5, fig. 1). It is not far fro In the general 

locality on Kanab Creek where Walcott Ineasured 

the section shown in columnar form in my report 

on the Paleozoic'rocks of the Grand Canyon/3 but 

inasmuch as Walcott's section is a composite section 

measured along 25 miles of Kanab Canyon between 

Shinumo Canyon and Colorado River, the writer 

does not know just what parts of Walcott's section 

were measured near Jumpup Canyon. 

Subdivision C of the Hermit shale and subdivision 

A of the Supai formation were measured by Professor 

Gregory in Jumpup Canyon at different places 1 to 4 

miles above the junction of Jumpup Creek with 

Kanab Creek. The Kaibab 'limestone, Coconino 

sandstone, and subdivisions A and B of the Hermit 

shale were measured by me in the walls of Jumpup 

Oanyon at different places 4 to 7 miles above the 

mouth of Jumpup Creek. ' 

Section in Jumpup Canyon 

General section 

Kaibab limestone: 

Summit of formation not exposed. Feet 

A. Massive gray fossiliferous cherty limestone, 

forming strong cliffs and steep slopes. Not 

examined in detail D:or measured, but exposed 

thickness appears to exceed 250 feeL ________ 250+ 

B. Gypsiferous member: Yellowish-buff and pinkish fine-grained sandstone; poorly consolidated 

and irregularly bedded,' interstratified with 

beds of gypsum and gypsiferous shale; contains near the top beds of sandy breccia and a 

few thin beds of fossiliferous gray limestone; 

forms a gentle slope ________ .:. ______________ 161 

a. At the base buff sandstone and limestone in alternating beds, passing up into massive siliceous 

buff limestone, fossiliferous and cherty, which 

constitutes the greater part of the subdivision 

and makes strong cliffs ____________________ 172± 

Coconino sandstone: Fine-grained buff sandstone, crossbedded throughout; fo'rms a sheer cliff_____________ 90 

Hermit shale: 

A. Alternating beds of red sandy shale and finegrained massive friable sandstone; form a 

slope; many beds exhibit concretionary structure_____________________________________ 44 

B. Alternating beds of red shale and sandstone, 

forming a slope; beds do not ~xhibit concretionary structure but otherwise are like A_ _ _ _ 450 

C. Alternating beds of red shale and sandstone; 

like B in composition, but the sandstone beds 

are rather more massive and resistant than 

those of B, so that the subdivision forms a 

ledgy slope broken by weak cliffs and exhibits 

a profile distinctly steeper than that of B_ - - -~ 

801 

13 Noble, L. F., A section of the Paleozoic formations of the Grand Canyon at the 

Bass trail: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 131, pI. 19, 1922. 
A SEOTION OF THE KAIBAB LIMESTONE IN KAIBAB GULCH, UTAH 55 

Unconformity, obscure at the place in Jumpup Canyon 

where this section was measured, because the surface 

of erosion exhibits no relief there, but very distinct at 

many localities 1 to 5 miles away, where the surface of 

erosion exhibits a relief of 40 feet or more in distances 

of a few hundred feet. 

Supai formation: 

A. Upper cliff-making member: Violently and persistently cross-bedded fine-grained hard calcareous sandstone in heavy, massive beds, which 

everywhere form strong cliffs; pale red to pale 

yellowish red, contrasting with the prevailing 

d~ep red of the Hermit shale. Partings of red 

sandy shale 01' platy red sandstone separate 

many beds of the massive cross-bedded sandstone. The summit. beds of this cliff-making 

subdivision of the Supai form the floor of a 

broad platform in Jumpup Canyon and 

throughout the lower canyon of Kanab Creek; 

this platform is the Esplanade of the western 

Grand Canyon. Thickness of subdivision 

not measured, probably about 400 feet: 

Detailed section 

Kaibab limestone: Feet 

A. Massive gray fossiliferous cherty limestone, forming strong cliffs. Not measured. 

B. 1. Concealed; probably yellow sandstone; makes 

slope_________________________________ 5 

2. Gray limestone in beds averaging 6 inches 

thick; makes small cliff_________________ 4 

3. Concealed; probably yellow sandstone; makes 

&ope_________________________________ 5 

4. Dense fossiliferous gray limestone forming small cliff _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

5. Yellowish breccia, base concealed. The breccia coilsists of fragments of sa~dstone and 

limestone embedded in a matrix of yellow 

'sand__________________________________ 6 

6. Dense fossiliferous gray limestone_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 

7. Breccia'like No. 5________________________ 5 

8. Concealed. The few outcrops seen are very 

soft fine-grained yellowish sandstone_ _ _ _ _ _ 24 

9. Massive gypsum _________________ ';' _ ~ _ _ _ _ _ 4 

10. Yellowish-buff sandy shale, largely concealed; 

contains at least three 6-inch beds of mas- sive gypsum___________________________ 15 

11. Massive gypsum_________________________ 8 

12. Pinkish sandy shale, partly concealed; contains several1-foot beds of massive gypsum_ 16 

13. Gypsum containing a small amount of whitish 

shale and exhibiting very thinly laminated 

structure_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 22 

14. Gypsiferous yellowish sandy shale, containing three 6-inch beds of massive gypsum_ _ 11 

15. Massive gypsum, containing a small amount 

of yellow sand _____ - - ________ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5 

16. Sandy shale impregnated with gypsum and 

cut by many tiny stringers of gypsum_ _ _ _ 16 

17. Soft whitish-buff fine-grained sandstone in 

beds averaging 4 inches thick; probably a 

calcareous sandstone; largely concealed, but 

many beds of the sandstone appear to be separated by layers of gypsiferous shale. Outcrops are covered by puffy, gypsiferous soiL 12 

161 

Kaibab limestone-Continued. ' Feet 

C. 1. Pale-buff arenaceous limestone in two 2%-

foot beds, which are separated by a thin 

parting of shaly sandstone. Forms cliff__ _ 5 

2. Pale-buff arenaceous limestone, containing 

lenses, bands, and nodules of chert that 

become less abundant toward the top. 

"Teathered surfaces of the rock f\,!el gritty 

and exhibit a faint thinly laminated structure. Forms a steep ledgy slope_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 8 

3.' bense siliceous buff limestone in massive 

beds; some of which appear to be more 

than 20 feet thick, fossiliferous and cherty; 

contaiIls many cavities. The chert. occurs 

in lenses, bands, and nodules and in some 

beds is very abundant. The limestone 

forms strong cliffs. Not examined closely 

nor measured. Thickness estimated 

roughly _______________ ._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 135 ± 

4. Buff fine-grained sandstone. No bedding 

planes observable. Rather soft; forms an 

alcove under the high cliffs of No. 3 _ _ _ _ _ _ 5% 

5. Three I-foot beds of dense siliceous buff limestone separated by two 2-inch layers of 

sandy shale. The bottom bed of limestone rests upon a wavy, irregular surface, 

which exhibits vertical inequalities of a 

foot or more in a distance of 100 feet_ _ _ _ _ 3% 

6. Whitish-buff dense fine-grained sandstone. 

No bedding planes observable__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2% 

7. Hard dense fine-grained buff crystalline 

limestone in four beds ranging in thickness 

from 6 inches to 2 feeL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4% 

8. Reddish soft sandstone, partly concealed. 

'N 0 bedding planes observable. The sand 

grains resemble those of the underlying 

Coconino. The base of the bed truncates 

with level, even contact the inclined wedges 

of the underlying Coconino sandstone__ _ _ _ 8 

Coconino sandstone: Fine-grained buff sandstone, 

cross-bedded throughout. Forms a sheer cliff. At 

the point where this section was measured one inclined wedge is nearly as thick as the entire formation. 

172 

The laminae of the wedges dip south or southwest. 

Contact with underlying shale level, even_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 90 

Hermit shale: 

A. 1. Greenish sandy shale (typical playa mud) _ _ _ 1 

2. Fine-grained white sandstone_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5 

3. Red sandy shale, exhibiting concretionary 

structure on weathered surfaces__________ 3 

4. Red sandstone _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5 

5. Concretionary red shale, like No. 3 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6 

6. Reddish-buff calcareous sandstone_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

7. Red shale________________________________ 2: 

8. Reddish-buff calcareous sandstone ______ ._ _ _ _ 5: 

9. Concretionary red shale, like No. 3 _' _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4: 

10. White sandstone, fine grained, calcareous, 

lnassive_ - --- - _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ 3: 

11. Concretionary red shale, like No. ;3-.-------- 8: 

44 
56 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Hermit shale-Continued. 

B. 1. Massive fine-grained friable red sandstone __ _ 2. Sandy red shale _________________________ _ 

3. Sandstone, like No. L ___________________ _ 

4. Shale, like No. 2 _________________________ _ 5. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

6. Shale ________ ~ _________________________ _ 

7. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

8. Shale __________________________________ _ 

9. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

10. Shale __________________________________ _ 

11. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

12. Shale __________________________________ _ 

13. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

14. Shale __________________________________ _ 

15. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

16. Shale __________________________________ _ 

17. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

18. Shale _______ ~ __________________________ _ 

19. Sandstone ________________________ '- _____ _ 

20. Shale ______________________ ~ ___________ _ 

21. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

22. Shale __________________________________ _ 

23. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

24. Shale __________________________________ _ 

25. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

26. Shale __________________________________ _ 

27. Sandstone ____________ : ____ ~ ____________ _ 

28. Shale __________________________________ _ 

29. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

30. Shale __________________________________ _ 

31. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

32. Shale __________________________________ _ 

33. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

34. Shale __________________________________ _ 

35. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

36. Shale __________________________________ _ 

37. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

38. Shale __________________________________ _ 

39. Sandstone ______ ~ __ ~~ ___________________ _ 

4~ Shale __________________________________ _ 

41. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

42. Shale __________________________________ _ 

43. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

44. Shale __________________________________ _ 

45. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

46. Shale __________________________________ _ 

47. 8andstone ______________________________ _ 

48. Shale __________________________________ _ 

49. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

50. Shale __________________________________ _ 

51. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

52. Shale __________________________________ _ 

E3. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

.54. Shale; contains greenish bands at intervals __ 5~ Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

56. Shale; basal 2 inches greenish _____________ _ ,57. Sandstone ___________________________ ~ __ _ 

.58. Shale ______________ --------------------- 59. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

,60. Shale ____________________ - ___ - _________ _ 

·61. Sandstone ______________________________ _ 

,62. Shale __________________________________ _ 

~3. Sandstone ••• ___________________________ _ 

Feet 

3 

3 

7 

4 

4 

5 

4 

5 

12 

17 

5 

11 

4 

8 

6 

6 

11 

19 

1 

3 

1 

1 

1 

5 

4 

5 

2 

7 

9 

10 

3 

1 

5 

8 

3 

6 

l' 

5 

1 

7 

1 

5 

3 

23 

5 

5 

6 

12 

5 

18 

4 

17 

5 

59 

4 

5 

2 

3 

3 

5 

2 

4 

2 

Hermit shale-Continued. Feet 

B. 64. Shale___________________________________ 24 

65. Sandstone_______________________________ 5 

[All beds below this point were measured 

and described by H. E. Gregory] 

C. 1. Hard massive buff to red calcareous sandstone; 

contains greenish blotches; forms small 

450 

cliff___________________________________ 4 

2. Sandy red shale containing greenish spots 

and layers_____________________________ 8 

3. Red sandstone, hard, lumpy; weathers into 

knobs; forms vertical cliff. The rock is 

composed of fine uniform quartz grains 

bound together by calcareous cement, crossbedded. Thickness estimated____________ 40 

'4. Red shale or, thin-bedded sandstone; breaks 

into small chunks of hardened sand or mud; 

shows worm trails and mud pellets; includes 

several greenish-white sandy bands; has 

mica sprinkled on surface; forms slope_ _ _ _ 35 

5. Red sandstone, massive, chunky _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

6. Like No.4; includes four greenish-white sandy 

bands_________________________________ 42 

7. Red sandstone, chunky____________________ 2 

8. Red shale, lumpy, nodular, uneven, sandy; 

forms flat slope_________________________ 20 

9. Red sandstone, massive; forms cliff_________ 2 

10. Red sandy shale; forms slope______________ 38 

11. Red sandstone, unevenly bedded; forms two 

layers the bottoms of which are white and 

exhibit mud cracks, mud holes, worm trails, 

etc___________________________________ 12 

12. Red, unevenly bedded shaly sandstone or 

sandy shale, lumpy' and friable with no apparent change in: texture' or composition; 

forms two shale slopes and two broken 

cliffs__________________________________ 55 

13. Red friable sandstone_ __ __ __ _ _ __ __ _ __ _ _ ___ 6 

14. Red shaly sandstone with greenish-white spots 8 

15. Red sandstone, uniformly fine-grained; roughly 

separated into three beds, cross-bedded____ 10 

16. Red mud shale,plastered against uneven 

under surface of No. 15_,_________________ 1 

17. Red shale or sandstone; weathers into thin 

sandy shales like mud in arid stream. 

Greenish-white streaks of thinly laminated 

shale make three parting planes. Beds are 

very uneven; contacts wavy ____ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 22 

Supai formation: 

A. 1. Sandstone, calcareous; weathers into hoodoo 

forms; exhibits greenish-white streaks, 

blotches, and dots. The rock is crossbedded, and the sand grains are uniform in 

size and very small. In texture and color 

307 

it is exactly like No.4, below____________ 4 

2. Light-red sandstone, composed of quartz 

grains bound together with calcareous cement; forms two massive beds separated by 

crumbly sandstone; has amorphous lumps 

of limestone ___ ..; __ ••• _. ___ • __ - - - _ - __ • -. 11 
A SECTION OF THE KAIBAB LIMESTONE IN KAIBAB GULCH, UTAH 57 

Supai formation-Continued. 

A. 3. Calcareous cross-bedded sandstone, like No.1. 

Texture and color like No. 4 ____________ _ 

4. Sandstone, light red to yellow-red; makes 

striking contrast with dark-red Hermit and 

white Coconino, which appear on same valley wall; everywhere makes strong cliffs. 

The sandstone is roughly arranged in beds 

10 to 50 feet thick, whose appearance is 

strikingly like that of the Navajo sandstone. Parting planes are marked by nothing or by lenses and short beds of sandstone 

and sandy shale that resemble the sandstone and shale of the Chinle formation. 

Nearly all beds are cross-bedded tangentially 

and angularly. The component sand grains 

are surprisingly uniform in size and composition and are mostly quartz with lime 

cement; all grains are almost microscopic; 

a fcw red specks are garnet. This cliffmaking sandstone unit (No.4) with the 

three overlying beds (Nos. 1,2, and 3) is the 

rock that floors the Esplanade throughout 

the canyon of Kanab Creek and in the 

neighboring Grand Canyon. It constitutes the upper cliff-making subdivision of 

the Supai, and its steep profile is everywhere in sharp contrast with the gentler 

profile of the overlying Hermit and underlying Supai beds. At most places in the 

Canyon of Kanab Creek the surface of the 

Esplanade lies at the top of No.4, but at 

Borne places it lies at the top of one of the. 

overlying beds, 1, 2, or 3; the surfaces of 

all four beds weather into water pockets. 

An all-day search in Jumpup Canyon failed 

to reveal a place where the cliffs of No.4 

could be descended; consequently this unit 

could not be examined in detail nor measureel. Thickness estimated; may be as much as_~ ___________________________ _ 

Feet 

5 

400 

Subdivision A of the Supai formation on lower 

I(anab Creek does not differ essentially in composition 

from A, the corresponding cliff-making subdivision 

of the Supai at the Bass trail. Like that subdivision, 

it forms the resistant unit which underlies the Esplanade and determines its floor. The sandstone of which 

the unit is chiefly composed is, however, much more 

violently and persistently cross-bedded at Kanab 

Creek than it is at the Bass trail and appears to form 

thicker and more massive beds. In composition it is 

astonishingly like the· Navajo sandstone, which I 

studied later in the Glen Canyon region of Colorado 

River, and under erosion assumes fornls lil~e those 

assumed by the Navajo sandstone. Some of the 

bedding is of the" gnarled" or "contorted" type. 

Along I(anab Creek just below the mouth of Hacks 

Canyon I was able to examine some of the beds in 

the upper part of B, the underlying subdivision of the 

Supai, but I could not examine the subdivision in 

detail, as it was impossible at the time to descend along 

I(anab Creek, owing to high water. I was interested 

to find in the upper part of B, beds of limestone 

conglo~erate similar to a bed that occurs in subdivision 

B in the Kaibab division of the Grand Canyon. 14 

One bed is 20 feet thick, and another, higher in the 

subdivision, is 1 foot thick. The lower bed occurs at 

approximately the horizon at which the similar 

bed occurs at the Bass trail. The rock stril®gly 

resembles the "saurian conglomerate" of the Chinle 

formation which I had opportunity later to examine 

in the V ~rmilion Cliffs. The occurrence of the distinctive beds of conglomerate at Kanab Creek indicates that they are a persistent feature of the Supai 

over a wide area, for they occur also in the Aubrey 

cliff near Seligman as well as throughout the Kaibah 

division of the Grand Canyon. Further study of the 

Supai formation will be necessary to determine the 

stratigraphic significance of these conglomerate beds; 

it is conceivable that they mark a widespread zone of 

unconformity within the formation or at any rate a 

datum plane that will prove useful for correlation. 

The unconformity that separates the Hermit shale 

from the Supai formation in Kanab Canyon is an exact 

counterpart of the unconformity which separates 

these formations in the Kaibab division of the Grand 

Canyon and which I have described in another paper.15 

In Kanab Canyon as in the Grand Canyon it ~s so 

clear at some places that it may be recognized at a 

glance and so obscure at other places that it can not 

be detected. The unconformity lies at or just above 

the general level of the Esplanade, the platform developed on the hard summit beds of the Supai. Along 

the east side of I{anab Canyon, between the mouth of 

Hacks Canyon and Jump up. Canyon, it is clearly 

exposed for a distance of 3 or 4 mil~s and is unmistakable. The surface of erosion exhibits considerable 

relief; in places channels 40 feet deep have been ~roded 

in the Supai beds. These hollows are filled wlth the 

Hermit shale. At places residual hills of Supai, 30 

feet or more high, project into the Hermit shale. 

The photographic views in Plate 14 show some of 

these details of the unconformity. Near the mouth 

of Jumpup Canyon where the section given above 

was measured, the unconformity C01Jl~ not be detected, 

notwithstanding the fact that good exposures of it 

appear in the canyon of Kanab Creek a mile away. 

It is therefore possible that some of the beds assigned 

to the base of the Hermit shale in the sections are 

Supai beds, although it ~s improbable from. the observed 

stratigraphic position of the unconformIty at plac~s 

not more than a mile away that the base of the HermIt 

lies much higher than the position assigned to it in 

the section. All the beds in the section that are assigned to the Supai, at any rate, are unquestionably 

H No bIc, L. F., A section of the Palcozoic formations of the Grand Canyon at the 

Bass trail: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 131, p. 61, 1922. 

I~ Idem, pp. 63-64. 
58 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Supai. I experienced a similar difficulty in determining the base of the Hermit shale at the Bass trail, 

where the unconformity is also obscure. 

Although the unconformity just described appears 

to be a widespread feature in the Grand Canyon 

region, as is indicated by its presence in Kanab Canyon 

as well as in the Kaibab- division of the Grand Canyon, 

it probably does not mark any great or significant time 

interval, for subdivision A of the Supai below the 

unconformity as well as the Hermit shale above it 

is believed to be, of Permian age. Inasmuch as the 

unconformity coincides roughly with the general level 

of the Esplanade or lies just above it, the Esplanade 

might be regarded as an exhumed and now more or 

less dissected erosion surface of Permian time. 

At Jumpup Canyon I divided the Hermit shale into 

three subdivisions, A, B, and C, for convenience in 

measuring the section. These subdivisions have no 

particular stratigraphic significance, because the formation'is essentially a unit in lithology, all parts of it 

consisting of similar material-sand and red sandy 

mud, which form alternating beds of sandstone and 

sandy shale. Other geologists might subdivide the 

same section differently or might not subdivide it at 

all. For example, the subdivisions into which Reeside 

and. Bassler 16 have divided the formation .at Hacks 

Canyon and those into which Walcott 17 has subdivided 

it along Kanab Creek do not correspond with those into 

which I have subdivided it at Jumpup Canyon, 

although the three sections are essentially similar in 

lithology. Subdivision A of the Hermit shale at 

Jumpup Canyon differs from other subdivisions of the 

formation at that locality only in that many beds in 

it exhibit a pecUliar concretionary structure on weathered surfaces that does not appear in the other subdivisions. Subdivision C differs from A and B only in 

that the beds of which it is composed are rather more 

massive than those of A and B, so that the subdivision 

exhibits a somewhat steeper topographic profile than 

the other subdivisions. 

In lithology the section of the Hermit shale at 

Jumpup Canyon does not diffe~ in any essential respect from the sections of that formation at the Bass 

trail and at the type locality in Hermit Basin.Is At 

Jumpup Canyon, as at these other localities, the upper 

part of the formation is marked by concretionary 

structure, and the Hermit beds exposed at· Kaibab 

Gulch (see p. 46) evidently represent this concretionary part of the formation. The most noteworthy 

feature of the Hermit shale at Jumpup Canyon is its 

great thickness (800 feet) as contrasted with its 

thickness at the Bass trail (332 feet) and at Hermit 

Basin (317 feet), from which it is evident that the 

formation maintains at least as far as Kanab Canyon 

16 Reeside, J. B., and Bassler, Harvey, op. cit., p. 69. 

17 Noble, L. F., op. cit., pI. IS,. 

IS Idem, pp. 64-65. 

the steady increase in thickness northwestward that 

it exhibits in the Kaibab division of the Grand Canyon. 

The fact that the Coconino sandstone thins steadily in 

the same direction (see below) is in accordance with the 

observation 19 that in the Kaibab division of the Grand 

Canyon the thickness of the Coconino is everywhere 

in inverse ratio to that of the. underlying Hermit. 

The significanc~ of this relation is not known. 

The three subdivisions, A I, A 2, and A 3 of the 

Aubrey group in Walcott's composite section along 

Kanab Creek 2(} correspond in lithology and in aggregate thickness (775 feet) to the Hermit shale (801 

feet) at Jumpup Canyon and undoubtedly represent 

that formation. Walcott's underlying subdivision B, 

composed of massive cross-bedded sandstone (315 feet 

thick) undoubtedly represents subdivision A of the 

Supai in the section at Jumpup Canyon. 

The upper 550 feet, at least, of the beds classed as 

Supai in Reeside and Bassler's section at Hacks 

Canyon,21 and perhaps a part of the underlying beds, 

are Hermit shale. 

In our traverse down Kanab Creek from Fredonia 

to Jumpup Canyon we had an opportunity to trace 

the Coconino sandstone continuously for 20 miles in 

the eastern wall of Kanab Canyon-from the point 

where it first appears in the bed of Kanab Creek to 'the 

mouth of Jumpup Canyon. We found that between 

these points the sandstone thins steadily northward, 

its thickness diminishing from 90 feet at Jumpup 

Canyon to 15 feet in the bed of ICanab Creek (locality 

3, fig. 1). Throughout this long exposure in Kanab 

Canyon the Coconino appears to be one bed, made 

up of cross-bedded wedges, not several beds; and this 

bed is continuously traceable frOln Jumpup Canyon 

into the thick bed that constitutes the formation in the 

ICaibab division of the Grand Canyon, the type locality 

. of the Coconino sandstone. West of Kanab Canyon, 

however, the Coconino, as identified by Reeside and 

Bassler,22 consists of several members, and it is uncertain whether one or all of these members should be 

correlated with the single massive bed that represents 

the formation at the type locality. N ear Ryan, 25 

miles northeast of Jumpup Canyon in the general 

-direction of Kaibab Gulch, the Coconino is exposed 

in the escarpment along the West Kaibab fault. 

Here, as seen from a distance of a mile, it appears 

to be about 25 feet thick and, as at Jumpup Canyon, 

to constitute a single bed. It rests upon beds of 

Hermit shale whose exposed thickness appears to be. 

at least 600 feet. 

The facts just noted show that the Coconino must 

wedge out to the vanishing point somewhere between 

the localities on Kanab Creek and at Ryan, where it 

19 Noble, L. F., op. cit., p. 67. 

20 Idem, pI. 19. 

21 Reeside, J. B., jr., and Bassler, Harvey, op. cit., p. 69. 

22 Idem, p. 57. 
A SECTION OF THE KAIBAB LIMESTONE IN KAIBAB GULCH, UTAH 59 

has decreased, respectively, to 15 and 25 feet, and 

Kaibab Gulch, where it is absent. 

The Coconino-Herlnit contact is a well-Inarked 

spring horizon in Jumpup Canyon and other tributary 

gorges of I{anab Canyon, just as it is throughout the 

I{aibab division of the Grand Canyon and along the 

western border of the ICaibab Plateau. Evidently the 

Hennit shale is llluch lllore impervious than the 

Coconino sandstone and offers everywhere a barrier 

to percolation. This relation nlay be worthy of consideration, for it is conceivable that fuller Imowledge 

of the thickness and distribution of the Coconino in 

the plateau country will reveal geologic structure 

favorable for the accumulation of underground water 

above the contact in sufficient quantity to be recoverable by wells. , 

In a broad way the units into which the Kaibal;> 

lilnestone is divisible at Jmnpup Canyon exhibit the 

distinctive features of lithologic character, succession, 

and topographic expression that corresponding units, 

of the fornlation display at Kaibab Gulch, at the Bass 

trail, and in the region studied by Reeside and Bassler, 

so that the section at Jumpup Canyon may be correlated confidently with these other sections. Subdivisions A, B, and C at Jmnpup Canyon are obviously 

equivalent, respectively, to subdivisions A, B, and C 

at the Bass trail. Apparently beds 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 

of C, the alternating beds of sandstone and limestone 

at the base of the I{aibab at Jumpup Canyon, are 

equi~alent to subdivision E at Kaibab Gulch and to 

No.1, the "lower slope-fornling member," of Reeside 

and Bassler; and beds, 1, 2, and 3 of C at Jumpup 

Canyon, composed of nlassive buff siliceous limestone, 

are equivalent to subdivision D at Kaibab Gulch and 

to No.2, the "lower limestone lnember," of Reeside 

and Bassler, which are conlposed of linlestone of thi~ 

distinctive type. 

Subdivision B, the gypsiferous nlember of the 

Kaibab at Junlpup Canyon, is certainly equivalent 

to C at ICaibab Gulch and to No.3, the "upper 

slope-fonning nlOlllber," of Reeside and Bassler. The 

section of this unit at Junlpup Canyon affords a 

connecting link between the sections at Kaibab 

Gulch and the Bass trail, where the unit contains no 

gyps mll , and the sections in the region studied by 

Reeside and Bassler, where it is composed chiefly of 

gypsmn. At Junlpup Canyon the unit not only 

contains the characteristic beds of breccia, soft 

sandstone, and shale that constitute it at E::aibab 

Gulch and Bass Canyon and the beds of gypSUltl 

that are characteristic of it in the sections of Reeside 

and Bassler but contains also, in its upper part, beds 

of fossiliferous limestone interstratified with the 

distinctive sandy breccia. Subdivision C at Jumpup 

Canyon, which I did not 11leasure, is the fallliliar 

cherty linlestone lnelnber of the I{aibab and is the 

correlative ofa part, at least, of B at Kaibab Gulch 

and of No.2, the "upper limestone member," of 

Reeside and Bassler. In all probability No.5, the 

overlying Harrisburg member of Reeside and Bassler, 

with which I have tentatively correlated subdivision A 

at Kaibab Gulch, is represented by beds on the 

ICaibab Plateau along the rilll of Jumpup Canyon, 

but I did not have an opportunity to examine these 

beds. 

SECTION NEAR LEES FERRY 

N ear' Lees Ferry, 30 miles southeast of Kaibab 

Gulch, the following section (No.3, fig. 1) was 

measured by Bryan :23 

Section near Lees Ferry 

Moenkopi formation: Red sandy shale and thin-bedded 

sandstone with seams of gypsum; in places has beds 

of red and gray sandstone 2 to 6 feet thick and in one 

locality 12 feet of gypsiferous limestone at the top. 

Feet 

Base generally 1 to 10 feet of chert conglomerate___ _ _ 500 ± 

Unconformity. 

Kaibab limestone : Yellow limestone with many more or less rounded nodules of chert ____________________ 250 

Coconino sandstone: Gray cross-bedded massive sandstone ____________________________________________ 300 

Unconformity (?). 

Hermit (?) shale: Red shale and sandstone ____________ } 

Unconformity (?) (not observed). 500 ± 

Supai formation: Red shale with beds of blue limes~one_ 

Bryan's section of the Kaibab limestone is not 

sufficiently detailed to afford a basis for determining 

what part of the ICaibab at ICaibab Gulch is represented at Lees Ferry. As described by Bryan the 

Kaibab linlestone at Lees Ferry consists entirely of 

cherty limestone; this limestone might represent 

that of either subdivision B or subdivision D at 

Kaibab Gulch or both. Subdivision C at I{aibab 

Gulch, the well-defined soft sandstone and breccia 

member of the middle ICaibab, does not appear to be 

represented at Lees Ferry. Its absence there seems 

surprising, for Lees Ferry is nluch nearer Kaibab 

Gulch than any other locality from which a measured 

section of the ICaibab has been published. One 

would expect to find at least as close a correspondence 

between the Kaibab Gulch and Lees Ferry sections as 

between the Kaibab Gulch and Bass trail sections, 

which are more than twice as far apart. The absence 

of the Coconino sandstone at Kaibab Gulch and its 

presence at Lees Ferry, only 30 miles away, where it 

is 300 feet thick, is even more surprising. The 

Kaibab limestone, moreover, is only a little more 

than one-third as thick at Lees Ferry as it is at 

Kaibab Gulch. These differences in thiclmess serve 

further to emphasize the contrast between the sections 

at the two localities. 

23 Longwell. C. R., Miser, H. D., Moore, R. C., Bryan, Kirk, and Paige, Sidney, 

Rock formations in the Colorado Plateau of southeastern Utah and northern 

Arizona: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 132, p. 16, 1923. 
60 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY,' 1927 

SECTION IN THE CIRCLE CLIFFS 

In the Circle Cliffs, 70 miles northeast of Kaibab 

Gulch, the following section (No.8, fig. 1) was 

measured by R. C. Moore: 24 

Section in Circle Cliffs 

Moenkopi formation. 

Kaibab limestone: Feet 

Yellow dolomitic limestone in massive, evenly 

bedded ledges; weathers in large angular blocks 

pitted by solution; part contains many dendrites 

of manganese oxide and concretions of a mineral 

resembling wad; contains fossils; forms resistant 

cap of prominent bench_______________________ 37 

Light-yellow soft dolomitic massive limestone, 

filled with angular fragments of chert; weathers 

in smooth slope; exposed ______ --______________ 15 

Soft light creamy-yellow thin to medium bedded 

limestone; weathers in slope; partly concealed__ 37 

White very sandy limestone, rounded sand grains 

scattered rather evenly; weathers in thick ledges_ 34 

White medium to coarse grained massive sandstone; 

rounded quartz grains in a lime matrix____ _ _ _ _ _ _ 19 

White very sandy limestone; rounded sand grains 

scattered rather evenly; weathers in thick ledges; 

forms bench_________________________________ 21 

Coconino (?) sandstone: White medium to coarse 

grained moderately soft massive sandstone; rounded 

quartz grains in a lime matrix; breaks into irregular 

163 

blocks on weathering; exposed____________________ 73 

At the Circle Cliffs, as at Lees Ferry, it is impossible 

with any degree of assurance to correlate the section 

in detail with the section at Kaibab Gulch. The 

fossiliferous and cherty limestones in the Circle Cliffs 

section, which, as shown by Moore,25 contain the 

typical "Productus ivesi" fauna, might represent 

either the limestones of subdivision B at Kaibab 

Gulch or those of subdivision D. Sandstones occur 

in all the subdivisions of the Kaibab at Kaibab 

Gulch, and any of them except those in subdivision A 

might represent sandstones in the Circle Cliffs section. The sandstone assigned to the Coconino at the 

Circle Cliffs appears to differ somewhat from the 

Coconino of the type locality in the Kaibab division 

of the Grand Canyon; the grains of sand, as described 

by Moore, are medium to coarse, whereas in the type 

locality they are uniformly fine; and the cementing 

material is calcareous at Circle Cliffs, whereas it is 

siliceous at the type locality. However, these differences are not necessarily significant in view of the 

distance that separates the sections. 

SECTION NEAR ZAHNS CAMP, SAN JUAN RIVER 

In a section measured by H. D. Miser 26 at Zahns 

Camp on San Juan River (No. 14, fig. 1), 85 miles 

2j Longwell, C. R., and others, op. cit., pp. 20-21. 

25 Idem, p. 9. 

26 Idem, p. 17. 

east of Kaibab Gulch, the Kaibab limestone is entirely 

absent and the Moenkopi formation rests upon the 

Coconino sandstone. 

.cONTRAST WITH SECTIONS EAST OF KAIBAB PLATEAU 

The sections at Lees Ferry, Zahns Camp, and the 

Circle Cliffs, which lie, respectively, southeast, east, 

and northeast of Kaibab Gulch, present a striking contrast with the sections that lie south, southwest, and 

west of Kaibab Gulch in the degree of certainty with 

which they can be correlated in detail with the Kaibab 

Gulch section. As shown in this report, the members 

of the Kaibab limestone in the section to the south, 

southwest, and west are represented by members at 

Kaibab Gulch that are iramediately recognizable as 

equivalent units, whereas correlation of the members 

of the Kaibab at Kaibab Gulch with those in the 

se~tions to the southeast, east, and northeast is difficult 

if not impossible, and in the section at Zahns Camp 

the Kaibab limestone is not represented at all. It is 

therefore evident that the Kaibab limestone experiences much greater changes in lithology in the region 

immediately east of the Kaibab Plateau than it does 

over a very wide region west of the plateau. The 

fact that, as described by Longwell,27 the formation 

as far west as the Muddy Mountains in Nevada consists of units corresponding closely to the four lowest 

subdivisions at Kaibab Gulch indicates that its comparative uniformity west of the Kaibab Plateau is 

widespread indeed. 

The absence of the Coconino sandstone from the 

section at Kaibab Gulch taken in connection with its 

thinning almost to the vanishing point up Kanab 

Creek, its presence as a thin bed (25 feet thick) overlying the Hermit shale on the West Kaibab fault at 

Ryan, and its thickness of 300 feet near Lees Ferry 

(measured by Bryan) and of 250 to 650 feet, increasing 

southeastward, in ,the Kaibab division of the Grand 

Canyon, appears to mark the Coconino as a well-defined 

lentil that wedges out northward from the type locality 

in the Kaibab division and disappears in the region 

around Kaibab Gulch. (See fig. 1.) Accordingly the 

presence at Kaibab Gulch of massive cross-bedded 

sandstone (bed 10 of subdivision D) in the lower part 

of the Kaibab but above fossiliferous limestone (beds 

9 and 11 of subdivision E) suggests the possibility that 

sandstone assigned to the Coconino in the Circle Cliffs 

region northeast of Kaibab Gulch may form a part of 

the Kaibab, if the name Coconino sandstone is restricted to the single definite bed that represents the 

formation in the type locality. It is conceivable also 

that the Coconino and Kaibab interfinger in the Circle 

Cliffs region. 

27 Longwell, C. R., Geology of the Muddy Mountains, Nev.: Am. Jour. Sci., 

5th ser., vol. 1, p. 48, 1921. 
SEDIMENTAHY ROCKS OF THE SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND SOME ADJACENT AREAS IN 

EASTERN UTAH 

By JAMES GILLULY and JOHN B. REESIDE, Jr. 

INTRODUCTION 

Eastern Utah is a part of the Colorado Plateau 

province, 'a land of naked rocks, of canyons, buttes, 

nlesas, and cliffs. Exposures of bedrock are ahnost 

ideal, and the rocks over large areas lie with only 

available information on the stratigraphy of the region 

treated .. 

In connection with a study of the oil possibilities of 

the San Rafael Swell, its entire area except part of. the 

eastern margin was mapped by plane table in detail in 

~ _____ ~~------r-j4t 

1924 and 1925. This 

work was begun by 

E. M. Spieker but 

,shortly afterward 

was taken over and 

slight inclinations, 

though a few laccolithic mountain 

masses and a few 

abrupt folds vary 

the general silnplicity of the structure. 

Nevertheless, the 

paucity of fossiliferous strata and 

sonle as tonishing 

la teral changes in 

the sedi111cnts have 

. I.trJr--H----+--~-~?-k-_l_----H:z-~__:1ft__j occasioned Inism tercontinued to its completion by Mr. Gilluly. Small areas 

near Cisco and Crescen t were also 

visited. Mr. Reeside spen t several 

weeks studying the 

stratigraphy of the 

Swell in 1924 and 

visited parts of it 

again in 1925. 

pretation of even I 

the Inost persistent ~II 

lithologic units, and ~ 

consjderable uncer- fill 

tain ty has existed 3~,~-;It-;;--::--~r-hY----+~--:--41~~~~~~~ry~-j 

as to correlation I 

between the different s-ections and as 

to the appropriate 

nomenclature. ConThe correlation of 

the strata of the 

Colorado Plateau is 

of great value in 

decipherin g the 

pal e 0 g e 0 g l' a phi c 

relations of the re- 3~ 3~ tinuous tracing is gion and, because 

of course the 1110St of the recognized 

sn,tisfactory 111eans influence of paleoof effccting such geographic condicorrelations, though tions on the acvery closely spaced cumulation of oil 

stratigraphic sec- and gas, it is of contions will suffice to siderable economic FIGURE 2.-Index map of Utah, showing location of numbered stratigraphic sections given on pp. 

g i v e use f u I and 82-110. Shading indicates area of detailed map accompanying a paper on the economic geology of importance as well. 

sOll1etilnes complete tho San Rafael Swoll (U. S. Gool. Survey Bull. -, in preparation) Acco rding ly, the 

answers to the questions involved. The present areas intervening between Cisco and the San Rafael 

paper serves to record stratigraphic data obtained, in Swell were studied by the writers jointly for two weeks 

part by detailed work and in part by more or less in 1925 and a week in 1926. As the Green River Desert 

isolated observations, in the portion of the Plateau region had been mapped by Emery 1 in 1917 and much 

province which includes the San' Rafael Swell and of the country east of Green River by Lupton 2 in 

some contiguous districts. The results of earlier I Emery, W. B" The Green River Desert section, Utah: Am. Jour. ScI., 4th ser., 

investigators are interpreted in the light of these recent vol. 46, pp. 551-577, 1918. 2 Lupton, C. T., Oil and gas near Green River, Utah: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 

data, and an effort is made to present briefly the 541, pp.115-134, 1914. 

61 
62 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GBNERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

1912, and as the exposures are very complete and the 

topography such as to emphasize the stratigraphic 

divisions the work was greatly facilitated, and considerable .confidence is felt in the correlations here made 

between the Swell and the mouth of Dolores River. 

The interpretation of the lateral variations of the 

different units and the correlations arrived at are 

shown in Plate 15. 

PREVIOUS WORK 

Dutton,S Gilbert,4 and Powell,5 in connection with 

the early surveys of the plateau province, described 

adjacent districts and only incidentally mentioned 

the San Rafael Swell and Green River Desert area. 

More recent work by Cross,6 Lupton/ Dake,8 Lee,9 

Emery,10 Prommel,l1 Moore,12 and Longwell and 

others 13 deals directly with its stratigraphic problems. 

Papers on neighboring areas by many writers have 

been consulted in making correlations and will be 

referred to in the appropriate places. 

TOPOGRAPHY 

The San Rafael Swell is an elongate oval area, surrounded by a rim of inward-facing, almost vertical 

cliffs. From the top of the cliffs the surface slopes 

outward in all directions, gently on the west toward 

Castle Valley and on the north toward the Uinta . 

Basin and more steeply on the south and east toward 

Fremont River .and the Green River Desert. The 

Green River Desert lies largely on the north and west 

slopes of a huge but gentle uplift centering near the 

Blue Mountains. South of the Swell are the Henry 

Mountains, a group of smoothly rounded masses 

projecting high· above the general surface. West of 

these mountains lies the Waterpocket Fold, a district 

remarkably reE?embling the San Rafael Swell in topography. The north end of this fold is the southern 

extremity of the area here discussed. To the west 

the region is bounded by one of the High Plateaus, 

8 Dutton, C. E., Report on the geology of the High Plateaus of Utah, U. S. Geog. 

and Geol. Survey Rocky Mtn. Region, 1880. 

j Gilbert, G. K., Report on the geology of the Henry Mount8ins, U. S. Geog. and 

Geol. Survey Rocky Mtn. Region, 1877. 

6 Powell, J. W., Exploration of the Colorado River of the West, 1875. 

6 Cross, Whitman, Stratigraphic results of a reconnaissance in western Colorado 

and eastern Utah: Jour. Geology, vol. 15, pp. 63H79, 1907. 

7 Lupton, C. T., Oil and gas near Green River, Utah: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 

541, pp. 115-134, 1914; Gypsum along the west flank 'of the San Rafael Swell, Utah: 

U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 530, pp. 221-231, 1913; Geology and coal resources of Castle 

Valley in Carbon, Emery, and Sevier Counties, Utah: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 

628, 1916. 

8 Dake, C. L., The horizon of the marine Jurassic of Utah: Jour. Geology, vol. 27, 

pp. 634-646, 1919; The pre-Moenkopi unconformity of the Colorado Plateau: Jour. 

Geology, vol. 28, pp. 61-74, 1920. 

gLee, W. T., Early Mesozoic phYSiography of the southern Rocky :Mountains: 

Smithsonian Miscellaneous CoIl., vol. 69, No.4, 1918. 

10 Emery, W. B., op. cit. 

II Prommel, H. W. C., Geology and structure of portions of Grand and San Juan 

Counties, Utah: Am. Assoc. Petroleum Geologists Bull., vol. 7, No.4, pp. 384-399, 

1923. 

12 Moore, R. C., Stratigraphy of a part of southern Utah: Am. Assoc. Petroleum 

Geologists Dull., vol. 6, No.3, pp. 199-227, 1922. 

13 Longwell, C. R., Miser, H. D., Moore, R. C., Bryan, Kirk, and Paige, Sidney, 

Rock formations in the Colorado Plateau of southeastern Utah and northern Arizona: 

U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 132, pp. 1-25, 1923. 

the Wasatch Plateau, whose top reaches altitudes of 

9,000 to 11,000 feet. From the north end of the 

Wasatch Plateau the much lower escarpment of the 

Book Cliffs continues eastward to and beyond the 

Colorado State boundary and the limits of the area 

described in this paper. South of the Book Cliffs, 

east of Green River, and north of the La Sal Mountains 

is a large district showing only minor topographic 

features rising above the general surface of the plateau. 

Over most of the area drainage channels are deeply 

incised, and to speak of a "general plateau surface" 

is justified only in dealing with the very largest topographic units. In detail, the country is dissected by 

an intricate maze of nearly or quite impassable canyons and dotted with buttes and mesas of gigantic. 

dimensions. The local topography is· governed in 

minute detail by the rock structure. Massive sandstones form steep ledges or-even-topped benches, and 

softer shales weather into slopes. Drainage is carried 

through the thick sandstones by narrow and verticalwalled canyons; through the. shales by wider valleys 

with gentler side slopes. Structural terraces aJong 

the watercourses, due to the erosion of soft beds from 

the nearly flat-Iyjng resistant beds, are a prevailing 

feature. (See pI. 16.) 

SEDIMENTARY ROCKS 

GENERAL FEATURES 

The rocks exposed in the districts discussed in this 

paper range in age from Pennsylvanian to Upper 

Cretaceous. The most widely exposed fonnations 

are those of the Triassic and Jurassic systems. PreTriassi~ beds come to the surface in the area locally 

called Sinbad, within the San Rafael Swell, in the 

Waterpocket Fold, and in the canyons of Colorado 

River and its eastern tributaries. A band of Cretaceous beds crops out about the edges of the districton the south between the Swell and the Henry Mountains; on the west and north in Castle Valley, the 

Wasatch front, and the Book Cliffs and the adj acent 

lower plateau. 

A few dikes and sills in the southwestern part of the 

San Rafael Swell are the only igneous rocks in the area, 

though igneous rocks are prominent in the near-by 

La Sal, Blue, and Henry Mountains and in the southern 

High Plateaus. N one of the igneous bodies are described in this paper. 

Sandstones overwhelmingly predominate in all the 

. formations older than the Mancos shale. The 

Triassic and Jurassic rocks, the main concern of this 

paper, are mostly nonfossiliferous and are probably 

in large part of continental origin. 

A generalized section of the rocks exposed in the 

San Rafael Swell is given in the accompanying table. 

The correlation with more easterly areas is discussed in 

detail only for the formations included between the 

Chinle and Morrison, and is shown diagrammatically 

in Plate 15. 
System Series 

Quat-emary . 

Cretaceous. Upper Cretaceous. 

---.... -------------------

Cretaceous (?). Lower Cretaceous (1). 

General section of rock formations in the San Rafael Swell, Utah 

Group and formation 

Alluvium and terrace gravel. 

Unconformity 

Mancos shale. 

Dakota (?) sandstone. 

Unconformity 

Morrison formation. 

Thickness 

(feet) 

4,OOO± 

0-55 

415-847 

Character 

Sandy clay, sand, and gravel in alluvial fans; terrace 

gravels on benches along streams. 

Gray marine shale, sandy beds in lower part, rather 

persistent sandstone members about 200 feet above 

the base and 600 feet above the base. 

Conglomerate; coarse and fine sandstone, in places 

quartzitic; gray and greenish clay. 

Clay and shale, variegated, dominantly green-gray, 

maroon, and mauve; gray sandstone and conglomerate, very lenticular, massive, and cross-bedded; such 

lenses especially numerous toward the base, where 

they form the Salt Wash sandstone member; subordinate thin lenticular limestones; a rather persistent 

conglomerate 250 to 350 feet below the top. 

Remarks 

McElmo, except basal part, of Cross; a McElmo of 

Emery;b Upper McElmo of Lupton C d and Dake." 

At base is Salt Wash sandstone member of Lupton,c 

Emery, band Dake." 

------------------------I-------------I-Unconformity-------~-----1------------------------1------------------------

According to W. T. Lee,l probably basal McElmo at 

type locality; basal part of McElmo of Cross a and 

middle part of McElmo of Lupton; c d part of lower 

McElmo of Dake" included in Navajo by Emery.b 

Summerville formation. 125-331 

Thin-bedded chocolate-colored sandstone; earthy redbrown sandstone and shale; some- gypsum, and a little limestone in some sections. 

O

§' Curtis formation. 76-252 Green-gray conglomerate and shale, and gray heavy- Included in Navajo by Emery; b Salt Wash of Lupton. d 

bedded sandstone. ~ Unconformity-----+------I--------------------------/---------------------------------------------

~ Thin-bedded red shale and sandstone at the base; heavy, Upper La Plata sandstone of Cross; a included in Navajo Jurassic. Upper Jurassic. ~ Entrada sandstone. 265-844 massive red-brown earthy sandstone above; weath- sandstone by Emery; b "varicolored sandstone and 

p::j ers into rounded forms and steep cliffs. shales" of Longwell and others; g included in McElmo ~ of Lupton,c d in lower McElmo (Sundance?) of Dake.· d! 

00 Base of McElmo of Lupton; d included in "marine 

Carmel formation. 170-650 

Dense limestone and buff and red sandstone at the 

base; toward the top dominantly red and green shale 

with thin sandstones and heavy beds of gypsum. 

Jurassic" of Dake" and Lee; h Todilto (?) formation 

of Emery; b "gypsiferous shales and sandstones" of 

Longwell and others; g middle La Plata of Cross a 

and Paige.i 

------------------------I------------I-Unconformity (1)------1------1------------------------1------------------------

9< Navajo sandstone. 440-540 Tan to light-gray massive cross-bedded calcareous Gregory's usage; j lower La Plata of Cross; a included 

o sandstone, with a few thin local limestones. in Wingate sandstone by Emery. b 

Jurassic (1). 

6b 

~ Red-brown sandstones, green and red shale, and shale ~ T~dilto (?) formation. 44-240 conglomerate, irregularly interfingering and chan- ~ neled. d! 

o 

~ Buff to tan, pink, and dark-gray massive cross-bedded Q) -Wingate sandstone. 360-400 limy sandstone, with a few thin lenses of limestone. a In most places stained red by wash. 

Included in Wingate sandstone by Emery. b 

Gregory's usage; j lower part of Wingate sandstone of 

Emery; b Upper Dolores sandstone of Cross. a 

------------------------I------------I-Unconformity-------I-----!I------------------------I------------------------

Upper Triassic. 

Green and red micaceous sandstone and thin red-brown 

Chinle formation. 141-225 shales; limestone conglomerate; variegated marl; all 

lenticular, channeled, and interfingering. 

Lower Dolores of Cross. a 

------------------------------------1---------------/-------1-------------------------+--------------------------

Upper (?) Triassic. Shinarump conglomerate. 70-178 

Cross-bedded lenticular conglomerate, sandstone, clay, 

and shale; interfingering. Much silicified wood. 

Quartz and chert pebbles predominate in the con- glomeratic portions. Triassic. ~---------------------I-Unconformity--------------r---------:I------------------------------------------------1------------------------------------------------

Lower Triassic. Moenkopi formation. 735-850 

Green-gray pyritic shale; gypsiferous green and red 

shale; red micaceous ripple-marked sandstone; gray 

to buff sandstone; red sandstone. Very limy 

throughout. A massive, persistent light-gray 

marine limestone and sandstone member 140 to 200 

feet above the base and 40 to 150 feet thick--the 

Sinbad limestone member. 

---------------I-----------------------I-Unconformity--------------I,---------I----------------------------------------------1-----------------------------------------------

Carboniferous. Permian. 

Kaibab limestone. 0-85 Light-gray to cream-colored cherty limestone; some oolite; somewhat sandy in places. 

Coconino sandstone. 715 

White to buff sugary, friable to hard massive cross- bedded quartz sandstone of uneven grain. Some 

grit toward the base, and the lowest 40 feet largely 

limestone. Base not exposed. 

o Cross, Whitman, Stratigraphic results of a reconnaissance in western Colorado and eastern Utah: Jour. Geology, vol. 15, p. 641, 1907. b Emery, W. B., The Green River Desert section, Utah: Am. Jour. ScL, 4th ser., vol. 46, pp. 551-577, 1918. • Lupton, C. T., Oil and gas near Green River, Grand County, Utah: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 541, pp. 116--133, 1914. tf Lupton, C. T., Geology and coal resources of Castle Valley in Carbon, Emery, and Sevier Counties, Utah: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 628, pp. 19-26, 1916. • Dake, C. L., The horizon of the marine Jurassic of Utah: Jour. Geology, vol. 'l:l, pp. 634-646, 1919. I Lee, W. T., personal communication. Q Longwell, C. R., and others, Rock formations of the Colorado Pfateau in southern Utah and northern Arizona: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 132, pp. 1-23, 1923. A Lee, W. T., Early Mesozoic physiography of the southern Rocky Mountains: Smithsonian Misc. ColI., vol. 69, No.4, 1918. i Paige, Sidney, The La Plata group in the plateau country (unpublished), read before the Am. Assoc. Adv. ScL, December, 1924, Washington, D. C. i Gregory, H. E., The geology of the Navajo country: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 93,1917. 

Present only in patches in San Rafael Swell; only 

uppermost part of typical Kaibab. 

May include chronologic equivalents of part of typical 

Kaibab limestone, typical Coconino sandstone, Hermit shale, and part of Supai formation. 

95489°-28. (Face p. 62.) 
SEDIM]~NTAHY ROCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 63 

PRE-TRIAS~IC ROCKS 

The exposed rocks older than Triassic are of entirely 

different facies in the eastern and western parts of the 

area here described. The western facies was studied 

in considerable detail in the '"Vaterpocket Fold and at 

nmnerous localities in the San Rafael Swell. Observations on the eastern facies in the canyons of Colorado River and its tributaries near and east of Moab 

were so meager and so cursory that the writers will 

not attelnpt in this paper any extended comparison 

with the rocks of the San Rafael Swell. 

COCONINO SANDSTONE 

In the western localities the rocks exposed below 

the Triassic are designated here the Coconino sandstone and the H::aibab limestone. The Coconino is a 

massive, highly cross-bedded buff to white sandstone, 

at some places blotched irregularly with red and brown. 

The thick beds are unbroken by shale. It is dominantly lime-cenlented and somewhat friable but 

nevertheless stands in nearly vertical cliffs whose 

intricate jointing is characteristic. The grain is 

lmeven but chiefly fine. The basal 40 feet of the 

thickest exposure in the San Rafael Swell, in the 

Black Box Canyon of San Rafael River, is chiefly 

limestone and may belong to an older but conformable 

formation rather than the Coconino sandstone, though 

no decisive evidence on this point was obtained. No 

determinable fossils have been found in the sandstone, 

and correlation with the type Coconino sandstone, of 

Pennian age, is based upon the apparently conformable stratigraphic position beneath the Kaibab limestone and upon the lithology. In the Circle Cliffs, at 

Lees Ferry, and in the Grand Canyon district (the 

type region of the Coconino sandstone and Kaibab 

lilnestone) silnilar lithologic units occur with identical 

relations-a limestone formation conformably above a 

sandstone. It is true that it is not possible to trace 

the fornlations between the San Rafael Swell, Cataract Canyon, the Circle Cliffs, and Lees Ferry and the 

Grand Canyon and that there may be question as to 

the lateral changes in lithology and the chronologie 

equivalence of the silnilar units. As noted on the 

table, the ICaibab lunestone in the San Rafael Swell is 

only the very latest part of the formation as it is 

represented in the type area, and sonle part of the 

Coconino sandstone of the San Rafael Swell may 

therefore be of the age of the typical ICaibab limestone. 

Near the junction of Green and Colorado Rivers, 

United States G~ological Survey field parties collected Permian fossils from limestones at the base of 

beds that gr~de laterally within a few miles into the 

Coconino sandstone of Cataract Canyon. Under 

these fossiliferous beds a red, nearly barren zone 

several hundred feet thick rests conformably on the 

top of beds assigned to the Goodridge formation and 

containing fossils of Pennsylvanian (Hermosa) age. 

These facts suggest that the lithologic unit designated 

Coconino sandstone in the San Rafael Swell and Cataract Canyon may contain time equivalents of part of 

the Supai formation, the Hermit shale, the Coconin() 

sandstone, and the Kaibab limestone of the Grand 

Canyon region. The name is in use, however, and it 

seems best for the present, at least, to continue using 

this name as a convenient designation for the lithologic: 

lmit, without implying chronologic identity with th81 

typical Coconino sandstone. 

The greatest thickness measured in the San Rafael 

Swell is 715 feet in the Black Box Canyon of San 

Rafael River, in the north end of the Swell. The 

base is not exposed here nor at any other point in the 

region described by the writers. In Cataract Canyon 

the sandstone measures nearly 1,000 feet, according 

to Longwell, Miser, Moore, Bryan, and Paige,14 who 

state further that it "has been traced by B. S. Butlerr 

F. L. Hess, H. E. Gregory, C. R. Longwell, and H. D. 

Miser practically the entire distance from Cataract 

Canyon to the San Juan oil field by way of White 

Canyon." 

The Coconino thins to the south and west of this 

region. In the Grand Canyon district it is 250 to 350 

feet thick, and Reeside and Bassler 15 and Longwell 1& 

have shown that still farther to the west it thins yet 

more and finally is inseparable from the westward 

equivalent of the underlying Supai formation. 

KAIBAB LIMESTONE 

Conformably above the Coconino sandstone in the 

Waterpocket Fold and in parts of the San Rafael 

Swell lies the Kaibab limestone. Fossils collected by 

Powell 17 and Newberry 18 near the confluence of the 

Green and the Colorado were in~erpreted some years 

ago by G. H. Girty 19 as probably indicating the 

presence in that district of a formation equivalent ro 

the "Aubrey" limestone (Kaibab). More recent data. 

confirm this probability, as the highest marine fossils 

in collections made by Geological Survey parties and 

examined by Mr. Girty 20 contain the same species as 

the older collections, though no limestone comparable 

to the ICaibab limestone of the San Rafael Swell has 

been found at the top of the section. The Kaibab 

limestone wa's not seen in Elaterite Basin by either 

Emery 21 or the writers, nor is it reported by any of 

the geologists who have worked along Cataract Canyon, on San Juan River, or in the Henry Mountains. 

It is present only in thin patches in the San Rafael 

country, being cut out at many places by the preTriassic unconformity. 

14 Longwell, C. R., and others, op. cit., p. 8. 

16 Reeside, J. B., jr., and Bassler, Harvey, Stratigraphic sections in southwestern 

Utah and northwestern Arizona: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 129, p. 57, 1922. 

16 Longwell, O. R., The geology of the Muddy Mountains, Nev., with a section 

to the Grand Wash Cliffs, in western Arizona: Am. Jour. Sci., 5th ser., vol. 1, p. 47. 

1921. 

17 Powell, J. W., op. cit., pp. 88-92. 

18 Newberry, J. S., Report of expedition from Santa Fe, N. Mex., to the junction 

of the Grand and Green Rivers of the Great Colorado of the West, in 1859, p. 98. 

WaShington, 1876. 

19 Cross, Whitman, Stratigraphic results of a reconnaissance in western Colorado 

and eastern Utah: Jour. Geology, vol. 15, pp. 670-674, 1907. 

20 Girty, G. H., oral communication. 

21 Emery, W. B., op. cit. 
64 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

The maximum thickness of the Kaibab limestone 

measured in the San Rafael Swell is 85 feet~' and it 

ranges from this thickness down to a thin film. In 

the Circle Cliffs it is 163 feet thick,22 at Lees Ferry 

250 feet,23 in the Grand Canyon 400 to 600 feet,24 and 

in southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona 775 

to 1,050 feet. 25 Evidently the Kaibab limestone thins 

to the northeast. 

As the Coconino sandstone thickens northeastward, 

and as the Kaibab limestone lies upon it with an 

apparently conformable contact, it seems probahle 

that the limestone thins almost wholly by the lateral 

gradation of the limy (Kaibab) facies into the sandy 

(Coconino) facies. That this nlay not be the sole 

reason for 'the thinning is indicated by the erosional 

unconformity below the Moenkopi formation in the 

San Rafael Swell-an unconformity remarkably well 

shown in a multitude of canyons on Sinbad and 

clearly seen as an irregular, rolling surface, in some 

places rising so as to leave a notable thickness of 

Ii:aibab limestone and in others sinking so that the 

basal chert conglomerate of the Moenkopi formation 

rests directly on the' clean sandstone of the Coconino. 

There can be no question of the relief on this surface, 

as the Kaibab remnants are separated by wide areas 

over which they are absent. It is manifest, therefore, 

that some of the Ii:aibab limestone has been removed 

and that in some part the eastward thinning of the 

Kaibab is due to pre-Triassic erosion. 

Yet it is likely that this erosion in a broad view was 

not very great, for fossils collected from the Kaibab 

limestone near the head of Black Box Canyon of San 

Rafael River were determined by G. H. Girty to 

belong probably to the widespread Bellerophon zone, 

a relatively thin but persistent zone at the top of -the 

Kaibab in the Grand Canyon district and adjacent 

regions to the north and west of it. Mr. Girty's report 

is as follows: 

The fauna of lot 5472 has obvious Paleozoic affinities and 

shows relationships to the fauna of the Manzano group and 

that of the Phosphoria formation. The fauna of lot 5476 is in 

many respects peculiar, for it consists largely of mollusks, with 

a notable rarity though not complete absence of brachiopods. 

Some of the pelecypods of this fauna, which are represented in 

greater variety and perfection in other collections, are peculiar, 

and they apparently represent genera new to the Carboniferous. 

Nevertheless the Paleozoic age of the fauna seems well assured 

through the presence of such types as Composita and Euphemus. 

This is apparently the horizon which has sometimes been called 

the "Bellerophon limestone" and has been regarded as marking 

the top of the Paleozoic. 

5472. Head of Black Box Canyon of San Rafael River. 

Kaibab, just below lower Moenkopi: 

22 Longwell, O. R., and others, op. cit., p. 21. 

23 Idem, p. 16. 

U Noble, L. F., The Shlnumo quadrangle, Grand Canyon district, Ariz.: U. S. 

Geol. Survey Bull. 549, p. 70, 1914. 

25 Reeside, J. B., and Bassler, Harvey, op. cit., pp. 69-76. 

Pustula aff. P. montpelierensis. Schizodus Sp. 

Pustula nevadensis? A viculipecten sp. 

Composita sp. Lima? sp. 

Edmondia aff. E. gibbosa. Myalina aff. M. perattenuata. 

Parallelodon sp. Griffithides sp. 

5476. Head of Black Box Canyon of San Rafael River. 

Coquina limestone of Kaibab, just below lower Moenkopi shale: 

Sponge? Pleurophorus? sp. 

Batostomella? sp. Anatina? sp. 

Composita mexicana? Plagioglypta canna. 

Nucula levatiformis. Bucanopsis modesta. 

Leda obesa? Euphemus subpapillosus. 

Schizodus? sp. Sphaerodoma sp. 

The Weber quartzite and overlying Park City formation of the Uinta Mountain region present a lithologic 

sequence similar to that of the Coconino sandstone and 

Kaibab limestone of the San Rafael Swell, and the 

similarity is somewhat strengthened by the presence 

in the upper (Phosphoria) part of the Park City of a 

few species that are also present in the Kaibab, such 

as Plagioglypta canna, Leda obesa, and Euphemus 

subpapillosus. 'In both regions the next higher formation is the marine Lower Triassic. 

On the other hand, many students of the Uinta 

region believe that there is an unconformity within or 

beneath the Park City formation and that the Weber 

quartzite is proved by the included fossils to be all of 

Pennsylvanian age. If the Coconino sandstone is of 

Permian age, as seems probable in spite of the lack of 

paleontologic evidence, the similarity of the two sections is therefore merely superficial. It is possible 

that the top of the'Weber quartzite as it is defined at 

some places is Permian 26 and that SOITIe part of the 

Coconino sandstone of the San Rafael Swell is contemporaneous, but it seems more likely that they are 

of different ages. The unconformity above the I{aibab 

formation has no recognized counterpart above the 

Park City formation, and the Park City is possibly 

somewhat younger than the Kaibab. At any rate a 

positive correlation bet'\veen the San Rafael Swell and 

the Uinta Mountain region is not indicated by the 

evidence now available. ' ' , 

Concerning the relations between the Coconino and 

Kaibab formations of this paper and the Tensleep 

sandstone and the overlying Phosphoria fonTIation of 

. central Wyoming even less may be affirmed, though 

again the two regions show the similar condition of a 

sandstone formation followed by a limestone formation, 

and that in turn by Triassic beds. The Phosphoria 

likewise has some species in common with the Kaibab 

of the San Rafael Swell. 

PRE-TRIASSIC UNCONFORMITY 

The unconformity at the base of the Triassic, 

mentioned above, is a striking feature in the S~n Rafael 

Swell and one of major importance in the geologic 

26 Girty, G. H., oral communication. 
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 65 

history of the whole plateau province. Many workers 

in the Southwest have recognized it, and it has now 

been traced through lnuch of southern Utah, northern 

New Mexico, northern Arizona, and eastern Nevada.27 

Yet, although the unconformity is exceedingly widespread, it occurs over large areas close to the same 

stratigraphic horizon, and if it is true, as has been 

suggested,28 that the Coconino and Kaibab grade 

laterally one into the other, the unconfonnity is not 

necessarily of nluch importance structurally over the 

plateau province as a whole-that is, it does not indicate a period of orogenic activity. 

TRIASSIC SYSTEM 

LOWER TRIASSIC SERIES 

MOENKOPI FORMATION 

Distrib7.ttion and topographic expression.-The Moenkopi formation lies at the base of the Triassic section 

over most of the plateau province. It crops out over 

wide areas in the Waterpocket Fold, the San Rafael 

Swell, Elaterite Basin, and· the canyons of other 

deeply incised tributaries of Green River. 

Over most of this area the Moenkopi formation is 

exposed in badland topography or in steep slopes 

beneath the resistant cap of Shinarump conglomerate. 

80111e thick sandstones, however, crop out as ledges, 

and in the San Rafael Swell the details of the form of 

the huge Sinbad Dome are beautifully shown in the 

flexures of a very nlassive limestone-the Sinbad 

limestone member-which forms the surface rock over 

probably four-fifths of Sinbad. 

Lithology and thickness.-On the west side of the 

San Rafael Swell the Moenkopi formation is 735 to 

850 feet thick and consists of dominantly red-brown 

lllicaceous ripple-marked sandstones, gray lenticular 

sandstones, and maroon shales, all extremely variable 

laterally. It includes also, about 200 feet above the 

base of the formation, a fairly persistent member of 

thick-bedded light-gray sandy limestone and sandstone, 40 to 150 feet thick, here named the Sinbad 

limestone member, from its excellent exposures in 

Sin bad. N ear San Rafael River the part of the formation above the Sinbad member has few red strata, and 

the shales are pyritic and exhibit a dominantly greenish-gray hue in marked contrast with the usual color17 Gilbert, G. K., op. eft., p. 8. Walcott, C. D., The Permian and other Paleozoic 

groups of the Kanab Valley, Ariz.: Am. Jour. Sci., 3d ser., vol. 20, pp. 221-225, 1880. 

Ward, L. F., Status of the Mesozoic floras of the United States: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Mon. 48, p. 19, 1905. Robinson, H. H., Tho San Franciscan volcanic field: U. S. 

Gool. Survoy Prof. Paper 76, p. 24, 1913. Lee, W. T., The Iron County coal field, 

Utah: U. S. Gool. Survey Bull. 316, pp. 362-364, 1917; General stratigraphic break 

between Pennsylvanian and Permian in western America [abstract]: Geol. Soc. 

America BulL, vol. 28, pp. 169-170, 1917. Gregory, H. E., Geology of the Navajo 

country: U. S. Gool. Survey Prof. Paper 93, p. 21, 1917. Shimer, H. W., PermoTriassic of northwestern Arizona: Geol. Soc. America BulL, vol. 30, p. 494, 1919. 

Dake, C. L., The pro-Moenkopi (pre-Permian?) unconformity of the Colorado 

Plateau: Jour. Geology, vol. 28, pp. 66-74, 1920. Longwell, C. R., The pre-Triassic 

ullconformity in southern Nevada: Am. Jour. ScI., 5th ser., vol. 10, pp. 93-106, 1925. 

Longwell, C. R., and others, op. cit., p. 9. Reeside, J. B., jr., and Bassler, Harvey, 

op. cit., pp. 60-61. 

IS Longwell, C. R., and others, op. cit., pp. 8-9. 

ing. This gray facies interfingers with the red facies 

and passes directly into it. Discontinuous gypsum 

beds occur near the base of the formation in places 

but are nowhere conspicuous in the Swell. Although 

the formation appears to be more sandy in the south 

than in the north, no equivalent of the DeChelly (?) 

sandstone lentil 29 was recognized. 

The Moenkopi is only 585 feet thick at Temple 

Mountain, on the east flank of the Swell, and 356 feet 

thick in Elaterite Basin, according to the measurements of Emery.3o The Sinbad limestone member is 

represented about 140 feet above the base at Temple 

Mountain but is not present in Elaterite Basin. 

Oonditions of deposition.-The irregular lenticular 

sandstones, the recurrence of mud cracks, clay pellets 

in sandstones, uniform micaceous beds, and rapid 

variations, vertically and laterally, all point to continental conditions of deposition for the greater part 

of the formation. But in the lower part the long, even 

bedding lines, the good sorting of material, and the 

association with the unquestionably marine Sinbad 

limestone member indicate that this portion is of 

marine origin, at least in the San Rafael Swell. 

The green-gray pyritic carbonaceous shales of the 

local area in the northwestern part of the Swell, though 

they have not yielded fossils, probably represent deltapool conditions where much sulphur accumulated. 

This facies is not confined to the part of the formation 

below the marine limestone but in this local area, near 

Window Blind Butte and the mouth of Buckhorn 

Wash, extends to the very top, and it is probable that 

here all the Moenkopi is marine. A similar, probably 

local replacement of normally red strata by gray 

strata has been noted 31 on Vermilion Creek in Moffat 

County, Colo., where the Woodside and Thaynes (?) 

formations contain only gray beds, though not far to 

the west they are so red as to justify the name Flaming 

'Gorge given to the exposures on Green River by 

Powell. A second locality of gray beds replacing red 

in the Woodside and Thaynes (?) formations was 

noted by Messrs. Spieker and Reeside on the south 

flank of Blue Mountain in T. 4 N., R. 102 W., Colorado. A second locality in the Moenkopi fo:r:mation, 

reported by E. T. McKnight, is adjacent to Green 

River a few miles above its junction with the Colorado. 

Probably marine strata occur at many other places 

in the San Rafael Swell, but fossils are rare, if present 

at all, and it is believed that most of the Moenkopi of 

this region is continental. 

Local unconformities are present within the forma--

tion; one notable example may be seen in the cliff" 

face at Tan Seeps, in Sinbad. N one of these appear 

29 Miser, H. D., Geologic structure of San Juan Canyon and adjacent country,. 

Utah: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 751, pp. 122-123, 1925. Gregory, B. E., op. cit., pp •. 

31-33. 

30 Emery, W. B., op. cit., pp. 558-559. 

31 Sears, J. D., Geology and oil and gas prospects of part oC Moffat County, Colo.,. 

and southern Sweetwater County, Wyo.: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 751, pp. 281,. 

284,1925. 
66 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

·to be of any considerable extent, being normal local 

~features in a continental deposit. 

Age and correlation.-The correlation of the MoenKopi formation of the San Rafael Swell with the type 

lv-foenkopi of the Navajo Reservation is based upon 

its lithologic character, its stratigraphic position between unmistakable Kaibab lllnestone and Shinarump 

·conglomerate, and fossil collections made from the 

Sinbad limestone member. The fossils were submitted 

to G. H. Girty for determination. He reports as 

follows: 

The three lots, 5473, 5474, 5475, display th~ same fauna, the 

·one which in the Grand Canyon section was at first called 

Permian, in the Wasatch section "Permo-Carboniferous," and 

"in the Idaho section Lower Triassic. An abrupt and impressive 

:faunal change marks the transition from Permian to Triassic 

:in all these sections, and the higher fauna is now generally 

.recognized as of Mesozoic age. 

The table below shows the species found. 

Fossils of the Moenkopi formation 

15473 5474 5475 

Echinoid spines ________ -_-_-_-_-__ .-_-_-_-_-_-__ -_-_-_-_-_-__ -_-11._-_-_-_ = ~ ]>leuromya? sp _____________________________ 1 X X X 

Pleuromya? n. sp ___________________________ X X X 

.Edmondia? sp., severaL ____________________________ ...: X 

Myophoria n. sp ___________________________ J X ---- X 

Myacites inconspicuus _______________________ ! X ---- ___ _ Entolium n. sp _____________________________ X ____ X 

Aviculipecten san rafael n. sp _________________ X ____ X 

A viculipecten san rafael , several varieties_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ X 

Aviculipecten occidaneusL __________________ X ____ X 

Aviculipecten thaynesianus __________________ X _______ _ Aviculipecten sp. indet ______________________ , X ____ X 

Myalina n. sp., severaL _____________________ X ____ X 

Bakewellia? n. sp ________________________ - - ________ . _ X 

Pteria? sp - - ______________________________________ .: X 

Astartella forresterL - - - ________ - - _______ - - - _ X __ - - X 

Pleurophorus n. sp __________________________________ X 

Pleurophorus sp __________________________________ -- X 

Laevidentalium? n. sp ______ · _________________ X ____ X 

Natica lelia ________________________________ X ____ X 

Natica lelia var _____________________________________ X 

N aticella sp ________ - - - ____ - - - - - - ________ - - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ X Bolopea sp _____________________ · ___________________ X 

.Aclisina? sp - _____ - - - - - ___ - - - - - - - _____ - - - - - _ X - _ - - X 

Bulimorpha n. sp ___________________________ X ____ X 

.Sphaerodoma? n. sp _________________________________ X 

Zygopleura n. sp ____________________________________ X 

Meekoceras gracilitatis? _ - _ - __ - - - - ___ - _ - - - - - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ X 

.Meekoceras? sp _____________________________________ X 

'Ostracoda, indeterminate ____________________________ X 

5473. 200 yards up Red Canyon from its junction with San 

-Rafael River. Sinbad limestone member of Moenkopi forma-

·tion. Collected by James Gilluly. 

. 5474. Half a mile south of head of Black Box, San Rafael 

-River. Sinbad limestone member of Moenkopi formation. 

'Collected by James Gmuly. 

5475. Black Box, San Rafael River. Basal zone of Sinbad 

-limestone member of Moenkopi formation. Collected by 

. ~ames Gilluly. 

As Mr~ Girty's statement show:s, the marine fossils 

·Of the Moenkopi formation of the San Rafael Swell 

:permit a very satisfactory correlation. with the group 

that includes the Woodside, Thaynes, and Ankareh 

10rmations of the western Uinta Mountain regIon, 

now accepted widely as Lower Triassic, though long 

thought to be Permian. In the eastern Uinta Mountains 32 there is doubt as to the identity of the Ankareh 

formation, but it seems at least very lilmly that the 

Woodside and Thaynes formations are represented 

even though paleontologic evidence is still lacking. 

Farther northeast, in WYOlning, the Chugwater formation seenlS to be the most likely representative of 

the Lower Triassic, though paleontologic evidence is 

restricted to pelecypods of doubtful affinities. and to 

the single gastropod Natica lelia, all contained In a 

limestone in the upper part of the formation. 

UPPER (?) TRIASSIC SERIES 

SHINARUMP CONGLOMERATE 

Distribution and topographic expression.---One of 

the most remarkable formations of the plateau 

province is the Shinarump conglomerate. It is 

present over nearly all the region from western 

New Mexico 33 to southeastern Nevada 34 and northward to the north end of the San Rafael Swell. It is 

not definitely recognizable in western Colorado nor 

in the Uinta Mountains, unless it is represented 

by the siliceous conglomerate at the base of the 

Ankareh (?) formation which rests unconformably 

upon the Thaynes (?) formation in the eastern Uinta 

region,35 though there is at the present time very little 

evidence other than the structural relations of the 

beds. It is possible . that the Ankareh (?) is merely 

an introductory phase of the Nugget sandstone and 

much later than the Shinarump. 

The topographic expression of the Shinarump is 

strong. It lies between two formations of relatively 

unresistant material that break down into slopes, 

between which the Shinarump, though not really an 

extremely hard formation, has the relief of one. It 

forms vertical cliffs capping steep l\1oenkopi slopes, 

and from its top the weak Chinle formation has at 

many places been swept for considerable distances, 

leaving wide conglomerate-capped terraces and mesas 

characteristic of the fornlation. Even where the 

Shinarump is only 30 or 40 feet thick, the wall it offers 

is in many places unscalable for miles. 

Lithology and thickness.-The Shinarump lies unconformably . on the Moenkopi, its conglomerates and 

sandstones resting in the hollows' of the uneven Moenkopi surface. Whether this unconformity is angular 

as well as erosional is not certain. The thinning of 

the Moenkopi eastward from the south end of the 

San Rafael Swell may conceivably be due to original 

thinning of the formation or to angular unconformity . 

32 Sears, J. D_, op. cit., p. 284. Reeside, J. B., jr., Notes on the geology of Green 

River Valley between Green River, Wyo., and Green River, Utah: U. S. Gcol. 

Survey Prof. Paper 132, pp. 48, 49, 1923 . 

. ·83 Gregory, H. E., op. cit., p. 38. 

8l Longwell, C. R, Geology of the Muddy Mountains, Nev., with a section to 

the Grand Wash Cliffs in western Arizona: Am. Jour. SeL, 5th ser., vol. 1,. pp. 

39-62, 1921. 

3~ Sears, J. D., op. cit., p. 284. Reeside, J. B., jr .. op. cit., pp. 40, 43, 49. 
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 67 

At the southwest end of the Swell, on Muddy Creek, 

tho thickness is 735 feet. At Temple Mountain, on 

the southeast reef, Emery nleasured 585 feet and in 

Klaterite Basin only 356 feet. No systenl of variations 

is apparent in northeastern Arizona and northwestern 

New Mexico with which this progressive eastward 

thinning of the Moenl(opi can be checked. It is certainly presumptive evidence of pre-Shinarump beveling in this region, however. 

Throughout the San Rafael Swell and Green River 

Desert the Shinarunlp conglonlerate is rarely lnissing 

where the beds at its horizon are exposed, yet it almost 

nowhere exceeds 200 feet in thickness and in the greater 

part of the exposures ranges between 30 and 100 feet. 

Its.lithologic character is not such as to suggest this 

TeInarkable persistence. Everywhere the Shinarump 

is clearly recognizable as an interfingering series of 

lenticular gritty sandstones, conglomerates, clean sandstones, variegated mudstones, and even shales-a 

series cut by hundreds of cha1ll1el unconformities 

within itself and composed of lenses which thicken and 

thin with bewildering rapidity. Despite its local variations, its continuity is essentially unbroken in the 

western part of the district here discussed. In this 

area the' conglomeratic facies is perhaps less striking 

than it is farther south, for in many of the exposures 

the formation is hardly more than a coarse sandstone. 

'1"he principal pebbles in the conglomerates are white 

and yellow quartz, black chert, yellow quartzite, and 

subordinate dense gray limestone, all well rounded and 

set in a matrix of quartz sand. Silicified and carbonized wood is almost invariably present in this area, as 

it is through the entire province. Mud balls are nunlerous·. Carnotite and other uranium minerals occur 

at certain places, notably at Temple Mountain, on the 

. southeast flanl( of the Swell, where the deposits' were 

mined during the World War. 

Oonditions oj deposition.-The numerous lateral and 

vertical variations of the Shinarump conglomerate 

and its apparently conformable position beneath the 

Chinle fonnation, which is definitely continental, point 

to a contineiltal origin for the Shinarump conglomerate also. The evidence is not conclusive, but the improbabilities that arise on a postulate of marine origin 

seenl so great that the evidence cited appears suffici(:mt. 

A nlarine transgression extending over 100,000 sq11are 

nliles (the minimum areal extent of the Shinarump 

conglomerate) -w~uid 'be expe~ted' to 'leav~ offshore 

sedilnents and marine fossils. The only suggestion of 

such fossils is a collection of pelecypods found by Gregory in the Shinarunlp at Beautifl~l Valley; Ariz. , one of 

which was interpreted by T. W. Stanton as '~, almost 

certainly marine." 36 This specinlen has a 'Garditoid 

aspect quite unlike that of any nonmarine shells pre-

.viously recorded from western North America. J tis, 

however, like shells of the genus Diplodon, , lately deM Qregory, n. E., op. cit. (Pro!. Paper 93), p. 41. 

scribed from the nonmarine Triassic Newark group of 

the eastern United States and has been recently assigned to that genus. 36a The other specimens are fragmentary and of little value but could be parts of shells 

of Unio, a fresh-water form. This isolated occurrence 

therefore affords little ground for overthrowing the 

lithologic evidence in favor of a continental origin, yet a 

final conclusion must be postponed until further evidence is available. 

Age and correlation.-No reports of diagnostic fossils 

from the Shinarump have been published, but its fossil 

wood has Upper Triassic affinities,37 and cycad foliage 

of Upper Triassic aspect was collected by R. C. Moore 38 

near vVaterpocket Wash, Garfield County, Utah. 

The ,Chinle has furnished Upper Triassic vertebrates 

and fresh-water invertebrates, and it is probable that 

the Shinarump is the "basal conglomerate" of the 

sedimentation which was continued in the Chinle and, 

like that formation, is of Upper Triassic age. 

Correlation with areas outside the plateau province 

seems impossible at present. The Shinarump probably lenses out to the east beneath the overlap of the 

Chinle formation, so that the" saurian conglomerate" 

, of the San Juan Mountains, though similarly placed, 

being the basal member of the Dolores formation of 

that region, is not the equivalent of the Shinarump. 

UPPER TRIASSIC SERIES 

CHINLE FORMATION 

Distribution and topographic expression.-The Chinle 

. formation is exposed in the San Rafael Swell, ill the 

Waterpocket Fold, in Elaterite Basin and neighboring 

canyons, and along the Colorado above the junction 

with Green River. It is undoubtedly equivalent to 

the lower part of the Dolores' formation of the San 

Juan Mountains, the, upper sandstone of that unit 

probably being the equivalent of the Wingate sandstone of the plateau. ' 

I t is typically exposed ill steep slopes between the 

ledge of Shinarump conglomerate and the base of the 

Wingate sandstone. ' ~ ," ' 

Lithology and thickness.-The Chinle formation is 

apparently conformable upon the Shinarump conglomerate. It is a series of green-gray sandstones, 

micaceous red-brown sandstones, variegated.' marls, 

linlestone conglomerates, and maroon shales, all very 

lenticular and interfingering'with one another, . 'though 

the individual units are considerably more' persistent 

than those in the Shinarump "congI9merate. The 

bedding is rather irregular, and few of the sandstones 

exceed 5 feet in thickness. Individual beds that can 

be followed for more than half a mile are exceptional. 

'The sandstones'ail contain pellets of shale; the shales 

80B Reeside, J., D., jr" Two new unionid pelecypods from the Upper Triassic: 

Washington Acad: Sci. Jour., vol. 17, pp; 476-478, figs. 1-2, 1927. 

87 Gregory, H. E., op. cit" p. 41. "'- ,_ 

8S Berry, E. W., Cycads in the Shinarump conglomerate of southern Utah: 

Washington Acad. Sci. Jour .• vol. 17, pp. 303-307, figs. 1-5, 1927. 
68 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

have mud-cracked, curled surfaces at many horizons; 

and these features, combined with the lateral variability of the formation, point to a continental origin. 

Silicified tree trunks like those in the Shinarump 

conglomera te are very common. 

The Chinle format jon ranges in thickness from 141 

to 225 feet in the San Rafael Swell and is 300 feet thick 

in Elaterite Basin, according to Emery.39 These 

thiclmesses are all notably less than those shown in the 

country to the south. In the Henry Mountains the 

formation ("Shinarump, division a," of Gilbert 40) is 

300 feet thick, in the Circle Cliffs 475 feet, and along 

San Juan River from 830 to 1,182 feet,41 but in all 

these localities it is notably more shaly than within 

the region here discussed. The Chinle formation is 

continental in origin. Possibly the source of the sediment lay to the north, so that the coarser material was 

deposited on the nearer part of the basin of deposition 

while most of the finer was carried farther to the south. 

It might well be that ina basin of continental deposition a very great thickness of fine detritus might accumulate in the deeper part while a mur,h thinner body 

of coarser sediment was being deposited on the 

marginal portions. Especially is this probable in 

basins where a large fraction of the contributed sediment is in a finely divided state and in those where the 

area of deposition encroaches gradually upon the 

original area of denudation. This matter has been 

elucidated by Lawson 42 for the bolson deposits, but 

a prio:r:i the principle involved appears to the writers 

ras be.in·g of very general application. The lithology of 

the Chinle does not appear to be that of a fanglomerate 

but rather more characteristic of flood-plain or swamp 

deposits, but it is suggested that the relations between 

distribution of thickness and coarseness of sediments 

of the one may apply with some modifications to the 

other as well. Later erosion may have stripped off 

more of the coarser deposits than of the finer, so that 

the variations in thickness are not necessarily altogether 

deposi tiona!. 

There is a marked unconformity at the top of the 

Chinle in the San Rafael Swell. Cracks in the upper 

surface are filled to depths of 6 or 8 feet with sands 

of the overlying Wingate; and fragments of shale and 

chunks of sandstone of the Chinle are incorporated in 

the basal beds of the Wingate sandstone. The upper 

surface of the Chinle formation is slightly rolling when 

viewed in the large, and its members are cut off at 

low angles, a truncation which is visible on close 

inspection. 

That this unconformity is not everywhere prominent 

if, indeed, it is everywhere present, is seen from the 

80 Emery, W. B., op. cit., p. 563. 

40 Gilbert, G. K., op. cit., p. 6. 

" Longwell, C. R., and others, op. c~t., pIs. 1 and 2, pp. 6 et seq. 

~ Law~on, A. C., The epigene profiles of the desert: California Univ. Dept. 

Geology Bull., vol. 9, pp. 23-48, 1915. 

references to its uncertainty by Emery,43 Gregory,4(1. 

and Reeside and Bassler,45 but the definite evidence 

seen in the San Rafael Swell is corroborated by observations made elsewhere by Dutton,46 Gilbert,47 and 

Lee.48 

The unconformity between the Dolores and La Plata 

in the San Juan Mountains described by Cross 49 is not 

valid evidence of a break between Chinle and Wingate, 

as thought by Gregory,50 because, if Cross's correlation 

of the upper sandstone of the Dolores with the Wingate 

sandstone (called Vermilion Cliff by Cross) is correct, 

that unconformity lies at the top of the Wingate 

instead of at- the base. This matter is further discussed below. 

The evidence for the Upper Triassic age of the Chinle 

has been summarized by Gregory.51 No new data 

bearing on this question were obtained by the writers. 

JURASSIC (1) SYSTEM 

GLEN CANYON GROUP 

Throughout the plateau country the most prominent formations present are the group of massive 

sandstones that rest upon the Chinle formation. 

To these sandstones the name Glen Canyon group 

has been given by Gregory and Moore,52 a name that 

for some areas replaces the term La Plata "group'" 

and for other areas is applied for the first time as a 

name for the sandstone assemblage as a whole. The 

name is derived from the excellent exposures of the 

rocks in Glen Canyon of Colorado River, Kane County, 

Utah, and adjacent areas in Arizona. In the Navajo 

country the group is ordinarily divisible into three 

units-a thick cross-bedded, dominantly red sandstone at the base, a similar massive sandstone, chiefly 

tan or white, at the top, and a middle thinner-bedded 

unit of red shales, lenticular sandstones, and limestones, which is, in most localities, much more limy 

than the sandstones it separates. The upper and 

lower divisions were named by the early explorers 

the White (or Gray) Cliff and Vermilion Cliff groups, 

respectively, and have been recognized widely by 

many workers since. The middle thin-bedded division has received less notice until more recently, 

largely because it is not everywhere developed. 

In southwestern Utah the group is not so readily 

divisible but forms a single unbroken unit, in which 

43 Emery, W. B., op. cit., p. 563. 

44 Gregory, H. E., op. cit. (Prof. Paper 93), p. 48. 46 Reeside, J. B., jr., and Bassler, Harvey, op. cit., p. 64., 

46 Dutton, C. E., Report on the geology of the High Plateaus of Utah, p. 148, 

U. S. Geog. and Geol. Survey Rocky Mtn. Region, 1880. 

47 Gilbert, G. K., op. cit., p. 9. 

48 Lee, W. T., oral communication. 

49 Cross, Whitman, U. S. Geol. Survey Geol. Atlas. Engineer Mountain folio 

(No. 171), p. 7, 1910, and several other foUo.c:. 

60 Gregory, H. E., op. cit. (Prof. Paper 93), p. 48. 

61 Idem;"pp. 46-47. 62 Gregory, H. E., and Moore, R. C., manuscript report on geology of southern 

Utah and northern Arizona. 
SEDIMENTA'HY nOCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 69 

thore is no consistent coloring but which varies 

capriciollsly from red to white, though red is more 

common in the lower part and white in the upper 

part.53 

To the east, where the divisions are more marked,54 

Gregory 55 has applied naines to distinguish thein. 

For the lower massive division Dutton's nanle Wingate sandstone was adopted. The name Todilto 

fornlation was chosen for the thinner-bedded middle 

division, and Navajo sandstone for the upper massive 

division. The nanle Todilto was originally used for 

the thin lniddle division of limestone and sandstone 

in Todilto Park, N. Mex., and its applicability in 

more westerly areas to which the division can not be 

traced continuously is based on the position of the 

beds to which it is applied, between accepted Wingate 

and Navajo sandstones. 

Lee 56 has suggested that the type Todilto is probably later than the so-called White Cliff of the Henry 

110untains, a suggestion to which Emery 57 agreed 

and which was certainly not excluded by the scanty 

amount of detailed work which had been done in the 

intervening areas at that time. 

WINGATE SANDSTONE 

Distribution.-The Wingate sandstone is widely distributed. It is present in the San Rafael Swell, 

southeastward into western Colorado, and wherever 

beds at its horizon are exposed over all of northwestern New Mexico, northeastern Arizona, and 

southern Utah. It has been traced by Gregory and 

1100re 58 into the single massive sandstone at Zion 

Canyon, which includes equivalents of both Wingate 

and Navajo sandstones, and it is with little doubt 

represented in the Jurassic sandstone in southern 

Nevada described by Longwell.59 (See pI. 17, A, B.) 

Thickness.-In the Navajo country the Wingate 

sandstone ranges from 30 to 450 feet in thickness.6o 

In the Circle Cliffs it averages 300 feet.6r In the 

Henry Mountains it is the lower part of the 500 feet 

of the so-called Vermilion Cliff group measured by 

Gilbert.62 In the San Rafael Swell the measurements 

range between 360 and 400 feet. According to 

Emery 63 the massive member at the base of his 

Wingate sandstone in Elaterite Basin is 375 feet thick. 

The Orange Cliffs of the upper Colorado Valley are 

made by this massive sandstone, capped by a hard 

68 Recslde, J. B., Jr., and Bassler, Harvey, op. cit., p. 63. 

III Butler, D. S., '1'ho ore depOSits of Utah: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 111, 

p. 82, 1020. Dake, C. L., op. cit., p. 638. . 

66 Gregory, H. E., op. cit., pp. 50-50. 

66 Loe, W. T., Early Mesozoic phYSiography of the southern Rocky Mountains: 

Smlthsonlnn Misc. Coli., vol. 60, No.4, pp. 13, 14, 1918 

67 Emery, W. D., op. cit., pp. 568-570. 

68 Gregory, H. E., nnd Moore, R C., op. cit. 

6g Longwell, C. R, Geology of tho Muddy Mountains, Nev.: Am. Jour. ScI., 

aUl ser., vol. 1, p. 46, 1021. 

00 Gregory, H. E., op. cit. (Prof. Paper 03), p. 54. 

01 Moore, R C., Strntlgrnphy of a part of southern Utah: Am. Assoc. Petroleum 

Oeologlsts Dull., vol. 6, p. 217, 1022. 

eJ Gilbert, G. K., op. cit., pp. 6-7. 

ea Emery, W. D., op. cit., p. 565. 

954890 -28--6 

ledge at the base of the thin-bedded Todilto (?) formation. The sandstone becomes thinner in this direction, being 210 feet thick near Courthouse mail 

station on the road between Moab and Thompsons, 

250 to 275 feet in Salt Valley, and 250 feet near the 

mouth of Dolores River. Sections and photographs 

by Coffin 64 show its continuation, with comparable 

thickness, up Dolores River to the south and in Sinbad and Paradox Valley. Mr. Reeside, in company 

with C. E. Dobbin, visited Sinbad and Paradox 

Valley in 1926 and agrees with this interpretation. 

LithoZogy.-Throughout the we.stern part of the 

San Rafael Swell the Wingate sandstone is very 

massive, with few or no partings of shaly material 

between the beds. Most of the strata are highly 

cross-bedded on a very large scale and .in a most 

irregular manner, though not a few are characterized 

by slabby fractures- and even bedding. The grain is 

uniformly fine, no silt occurs except in a few lenticular 

beds, and almost no mineral but quartz is present 

except for the few thin lenses of limestone. These 

limestones are largely silicified, and none observed 

exceed 2 feet in thickness. The cement of the sandstone is nearly everywhere lime, commonly not very 

firm. 

Toward the east the beds appear to become less 

massive. A 340-foot cliff of Wingate at the mouth 

of Buckhorn Wash is divisible into only four beds, 

and in Salt Valley the average bed is only about 12 

feet thick. The shale partings are very thin in Salt 

Valley, but only a few miles to the east, at the mouth 

of Dolores River, the average bed, except the one 

massive unit that forms the uppermost 40 feet, is 

only 3 to 8 feet thick, and the layers are nearly everywhere separated by shale partings not more than an 

inch thick. This thin bedding is not prominent, 

however, in the western Colorado localities discussed 

by Coffin. 

The color of the Wingate cliff is nearly ev~rywhere 

red. At many places this is not at all an original hue 

but is due to wash from the maroon shale lenses in 

the overlying Todilto (?) formation. Where the dip 

is steep and the shales have been swept back some 

distance from the lip of the cliff, the sandstone may 

be buff or gray. However, in many places the color 

is an original pink, somewhat darkened on weathering. 

On the whole this formation is reddish as compared 

with the overlying N avajo-a distinction which long 

ago gave rise to the name Vermilion· Cliffs and whose 

validity is somewhat emphasized by the local name 

Orange Cliffs applied to the ledges of this formation 

from the mouth of Green River eastward. 

Oonditions of deposition.-The origin of the Wingate 

sandstone has long been a subject of interest in the 

geology of the plateau. The conditions that permitted the deposition over such tremendous areas of 

64 Coffin, R. C., Radium, uranium, and vanadium deposits of southwestern 

Colorado: Colorado Geol. Survey Bull. 16, pp. 48-55, 1921. 
70 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

such thick masses of uniform fine· sand, including in 

the western exposures so few thin beds, are indeed 

difficult to picture. The remarkable large-scale tangential cross-bedding and the absence of fossils, except 

a few dinosaur tracks, fit well the character of a desert 

dune deposit. The considerable alllount of indisputably water-laid material and the limestone pans 

are explicable, if such an origin is assumed, as due to 

wash during storms and to deposition in playas in 

periods of high ground-water level. The thinner 

bedding toward the east seems to require deposition 

in water, and the shale partings there confirm this 

inference. Whether these waters were Inarine, brackish, or fresh, however, no evidence known to the 

writers appears to disclose. 

Age and correlation. -Opinion as to the age of the 

Wingate sandstone has fluctuated from a general 

assignment to the Triassic to about the same agreement on the Jurassic. The information upon which 

to decide this question has been eagerly sought for 

more than 40 years, and hardly any more pertinent 

data are available to-day than at the time of the early 

,explorers. Cross 65 assigned the Wingate (his so-called 

Vermilion Cliff sandstone) to the Triassic, on the 

basis of the Triassic fossils in the Dolores and the 

,correlation of his Vermilion Cliff with the upper sand-

:stone portion of that formation. Recent work has 

.emphasized the significance of the unconformity between the Chinle and the Wingate to which Gilbert 66 

·called attention long ago, and, if the correlation of 

,Cross is correct, this unconformity occurs between 

the fossiliferous beds of the Dolores and the base of 

..the sandstone member. Accordingly the fossils can 

not be considered as proving the Triassic age of the 

;so-called Vermilion Cliff-the present Wingate sand~ 

;stone. Gregory's assignment of the Wingate to the 

.Jurassic, on the other hand, was due to his interpretation of it as the lower part of the La Plata sandstone of 

·the Sa:q. Juan Mountain region. 67 As this correlation 

is almost certainly incorrect, the inference of J m'assic 

.age derived from the assignment of the La Plata to 

the Jurassic period fails. ·The question is discussed 

:at length on pages 72-73, after the description of the 

Navajo s.andstone, for both formations are closely 

involved, and the data available are similar for both. 

The correlation of the Wingate sandstone of this 

district with that of surrounding regions is based 

largely on (1) its distinctive lithology and position 

between the equally distinctive Chinle formation .and 

the overlying thin-bedded Todilto (?); (2) the tracing 

of the Wingate from the Navajo country to the Waterpocket fold by Gregory and Moore, to the north end 

of the Fold by 1100re, and thence throughout the 

6~ Cross, Whitman, Stratigraphic results of a reconnaissance in western Colorado 

and eastern Utah: Jour. Geology; vol. 15, p. 636, 1907. 

66 Gilbert, G. K., op. cit., p. 9. Dutton, C. E., op. cit., p. 148. Emery, W. B., 

<>p. ·cit., p ... !,!63. Gregory, H. E., op. cit. (Prof. Paper 93), p. 48. Reeside. J. B., jr., 

and Bassler, Harvey, op. cit" p. 64 

67 Gregory, H. E.,·op .. cit., p. 51. 

San Rafael Swell by the present writers. The correlation of the Wingate sandstone, thus verified as a 

continuous unit from northern Arizona to San Rafael 

River, with the ·lower massive member of Elnery's 

Wingate in Elaterite Basin is based on its lithologic 

character and its position above the Chinle. Variable 

thickness of the member without any unconfornlity 

at the top is mentioned by Emery as an argument 

against the classification of it as a fornlation, but this 

argmnent loses much weight in view of the possible 

irregularities because of the unconformity at the base 

and fails completely in the face of the actual tracing 

of the outcrop over so wide an area. Although nlapping of the unit was not carried up the Colorado from 

the mouth of Green River, the clear-cut features of 

the lithology permit no doubt of the identity of the 

sandstone of the Orange Cliffs at Elaterite Basin with 

that at Moab. From Moab it was traced without 

any break as far as the mouth of Dolores River. The 

work of Coffin extends its continuity from a locality 

a few miles southeast of this point as far as Paradox 

Valley. In view of the correlation offered by Cross 68 

between Colorado River and the type section of the 

Dolores formation in the San Juan Mountain country, 

it seems that the Wingate is to be definitely correlated 

with the upper sandstone member of the Dolores 

formation and not with the lower part of the La 

Plata, as has been long assumed· in spite of Cross's 

early work. 

TODnTO (1) FORMATION 

Distribution and topographic expression. -The name 

Todilto was applied by Gregory 69 to a limestone resting on the Wingate sandstone in Todilto Park, N. Mex. 

In the region northwest of the type locality and ~eparated from it by areas in which younger beds only are 

exposed, Gregory applied Todilto to a unit which 

contained thin-bedded sandstone, shale, and minor 

beds of . limestone and which he believed to occupy 

a place in the sequence of formations identical with 

that of the typical Todilto limestone. No work has 

been done in later years to substantia~e this correlation, and there is at the present time some doubt 

that it is correct. In this paper the name Todilto is 

therefore applied with a query to the unit of sandstone 

and shale in the northern exposures. The Todilto (?) 

formation, as thus defined, is widely distributed, 

though it has not been recognized in the Vermilion 

Cliffs near Lees Ferry nor in southwestern Utah. It 

· has been traced from the. San Juan River region to 

Rainbow Bridge through Cataract Canyon and to the 

· Henry Mountains by Miser, Paige, and Longwell 70 and 

northward along the W aterpocke~ Fold by Moore.71 

The formation is well developed in the San Rafael 

~& Cross, Whitman, and Howe, Ernest, Red beds of southwestern Colorado and 

· their correlation: .Geol. Soc. America Bull., vol. 16, pp. 472-473, 1905. 

69 Gregory, H. E., op. cit. (Prof. Paper 93), pp. 55-56. 

70 Longwell, C. R., and others, op. cit., p. 12. 

71 Moore, R. C., op. cit., p. 218. 
SEDIMll)NTAllY ROCl,{S OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 71 

Swen (see pI. 17, 0), in the Green River Desert, and 

up Colorado River from the mouth of Green River. 

It was recognized between Moab and Monticello and 

in Salt Valley and was traced to the east by the writers' 

as far as the Inouth of Dolores River. It is unquesti0nably present well southeast of this point, as is 

seen from the descriptions and photographs by 

CofIin.72 . 

Throughout this area the Wingate sandstone typi-

·cally stands in a nearly vertical wall, the top of which 

is a resistant, very limy sandstone. This is the lowest 

lllember of the thinner-bedded, somewhat shaly 

'sandstones and occasionallinlestones of the Todilto (?) 

formation. In most localities only the lower menibel' is very resistant, so that it caps the Wingate 

. cliffs ; the upper parts are softer and weather down 

'quicldy, leaving benches beneath the overlying cliffs 

of the N avaj 0 sandstone. 

Thickness and ZithoZogy.-In the Navajo country 

the Todilto (1) fornlation is as much as 200 feet in 

thickness.73 Moore measured 125 to 215 feet of 

'Todilto (?) in the Circle Cliffs,74 Longwell assigns a : 

thickness' of 249 feet to it near Trachyte Creek,75 

:and in the San Rafael Swell it ranges in thickness frOln 

44 to 240 feet and averages probably about 120 feet. 

Toward the east it averages about the same, being 

150 feet thick (measured by Emery) in Elaterite 

Basin, 120 feet near Oourthousemail station on the 

Moab-Thompsons road, 75 to 100 feet in Salt Valley, 

.and about 200 feet near the mouth of Dolores River. 

The Todilto (?) formation differs but little in c01Uposition fronl the Navajo and the Wingate. It is 

thinner bedded, however, is exceedingly variable, and· 

'carries many lenses of clean well-laminated shale, 

:usually red. Lirnestones occur locally, though they 

:are hardly Inore numerous in the Todilto .(1) than in 

the Navajo and Wingate. Shale pellets and angular 

,chunks of shale are very common in the sandstone 

. beds. 

The contact of the Todilto (1) formation with the 

Wingate sandstone in most of the western localities 

is abrupt rather than transitional, but the impression 

was gained, as the beds were traced toward the· east, 

that the Todilto lithology is increasingly difficult to 

·differentiate sharply from that of the Wingate sa.nd-

:stoneJ and in the upper Dolores Valley the two were 

not differentiated by Coffin 76 but were both included 

in the upper sandstone of the Dolores formation. 

The upper boundary of the Tod:ilto (?) is also difficult to determine in SOlne localities. Usually there 

is a rather definite change from the more or less 

parallel bedding of the Tod:ilto (?) to the irregular 

-cross-bedding of the Navajo sandstone, but the 

Navajo in its variations locally approaches in bedding 

72 Coffin, n. c., op. cit., pp. 48-50. 

73 Gregory, II. E., op. cit. (Prof. Paper 93), pp. 55-56. 

71 Moore, R C., op. cit., p. 205. 

U Longwell, C. n., and others, op. cit., pI. 2. 

'70 Coffin, n. C., op. cit., pp. 48, 50. 

that of the Todilto' (?), and at many places it would 

be difficult to select any except an arbitrary boundary 

through a distance of 50 feet, or even more. It is the 

opinion of the writers that deposition was essentially 

continuous from the base of the Wingate to the top 

of the Navajo, with only such breaks as inevitably 

accompany continental deposition and only such 

erosion as would be expected in local variations of 

streams. 

Oonditions of deposition.-From the ir'regular, lenticular form of the beds, the interfingering shale, 

sandstone, and shale conglomerate, the presence of 

mud cracks, and numerous unquestionable scoured 

and filled channels, the origin of the Todilto (?) 

formation is ascribed with considerable confidence to 

deposition by rapidly shifting currents. Whether 

these currents were in rivers or tidal channels is somewhat uncertain. The only fossils found in the formation in Arizona have been dinosaur tracks and in the 

San Rafael Swell a small indeterminate pelecypod in 

sec. 16, T. 20 S., R. 13 E., west of Cottonwood Springs. 

The tracks probably favor a continental origin for the 

formation; the pelecypod may be marine or nonmarine. Near Moab, Utah, A. A. Baker 77 has 

recently colleoted several species of UniQ tha.t jndic~te 

with certainty deposition of the formation in fresh 

water in that area. The question is therefore unsettled, though a continental origin seems much more 

probable. 

Age and correZation.-The dinosaur tracks found by 

Gregory in Arizona were determined by Lull 78 to be 

not older than uppermost Triassic. The ghells fou:ld 

by Mr. Baker near Moab belong to long-ranging types 

that might be found at many horizons from Upper 

Triassic upward. No other data are available for this . 

formation as distinct from the associated Wingate 

and Navajo sandstone.s, and the age of the group is 

discussed after the description of the Navajo . 

Emery 79 noted this zone in the Green River Desert, 

but as he believed that its variable distance above the 

base of the Wingate (as shown by his Elaterite Basin 

and Temple Mountain sections) precluded the possibility of its representing the Todilto of the NavajO' 

country, he included it in the Wingate. The evidence 

of the unconformity beneath the Wingate has been 

strengthened by numerous observations since that 

time, and the irregularities in thickness seem thereby 

sufficien tly. explained. 

. That the thin-bedded zone-the Todilto (?) formation-resting upon the Wingate is at a somewhat 

variable distance above the base is indeed the fact. 

Yet if the mass of lenticular sandstones and shales 

constituting the Todilto (?) is considered a fluviatile 

deposit between two series of dune sands, such variation is to be expected and offers no bar to the con77 Oral communication. 

78 Gregory, H. E., op. cit. (Prof. Paper 03), p: 56. 

7Q Emery, W. B., op. cit., pp. 565-567. 
72 ·SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

ception of the unit as a formation. The point that 

seems most important is the continuity of a zone of 

deposits by shifting currents, perhaps tidal but probably fluviatile, between two deposits, which, whatever 

their origin, were surely laid down under fairly similar 

conditions that were widely different from those of 

the intermediate zone. The question whether this 

intermediate series is everywhere of exactly the same 

age seems not a crucial one in view of the wide areas 

over which it is unbroken, and if its beds are homotaxial rather than synchronous in deposition, it seems 

still to merit recognition as a distinct formation, with 

an important p]ace in the geologic history of the plateau country. 

Toward the southeast the Todilto (?) is clearly 

recognizable in western Colorado, where it is included 

by Coffin 80 in th~ Dolores. The thin-bedded sandstones just above his massive Dolores sandstone are 

almost certainly equivalent, at least in the lower part, 

to the Todilto (?) formation of southeastern Utah, 

though they may also include a small part of the 

Navajo at the top. 

NAVA.JO SANDSTONE 

Distribution and topographic expression.-The N avajo sandstone is one of the most widespread forlnations 

of the plateau country. It was named from its 

prominent development in the Navajo Reservation 

but has been traced to the west and north and has 

been recognized as making up the White Cliffs of 

southern Utah. It is present in the walls of Glen 

Canyon, the Echo Cliffs, the Waterpocket Fold, and 

the Henry Mountains. The Navajo forms a cliff 

completely encircling the San Rafael Swell (see pI. 

18) and is exposed in many canyons through the Green 

River Desert and up Colorado River to the eastern 

border of Utah. In Colorado it is identifiable as the 

"Lower La Plata" of Coffin,81 and farther south it 

occurs in the type La Plata of the San Juan Mountain 

region.82 

Through most of this area the Navajo forms a very 

characteristic topography, marked by huge domes 

and rounded masses where the overlying rocks are 

soft or have been removed and by sheer cliffs many 

scores of feet high where they are resistant. These 

cliffs and domes are among the most prominent 

features of the country and give much of the picturesque grandeur for which plateau scenery is so famous. 

Lithology and thickness.-The lower contact of the 

Navajo sandstone is in most places definite, though 

locally gradational, as water-laid material is common 

in the sandstone and in places occurs at the base; 

that is, condit.ions characteristic of Todilto (?) deposition persisted longer in some places than in others. 

Cross-bedding on a large scale is typical; a bed 100 

feet or more thick may show no true bedding but only 

80 Coffin, R. C., op. cit., p. 50. 

81 Idem, pp. 61-76. 

e3 Lee, W. T., U. S. Interior Dept. Mem. for the Press, Mar. 30, 1926. 

long lines of tracery descending at angles as high as 

30° with the true bedding and curving at the base 

into parallelism with it. Some angular cross-bedding 

is also present, as well as a subordinate amount of 

even, parallel lamination, but the dOlninant and 

striking feature of the sandstone, here as elsewhere, is 

the large-scale tangential bedding. 

The individual laminae differ but very slightly in 

grain, the bedding being apparently brought out by a 

scattering of slightly coarser grains over the surface 

of normal laminae. Nearly all the grains are quartz, 

though some agate and a little feldspar are present. 

Toward the top of the formation in the San Rafael 

Swell there is in many places an' interrupted zone of 

lenticular limestones, though isolated limestone lenses 

occur at many other horizons also. The limestone 

zone is typically expressed in the topography as a wide 

bench, above which the" beehive" domes of the upper 

Navajo rise and below which the cliffs fall vertically 

to the upper bench of the Todilto (?) formation. One 

zone of sporadic pebbles 2 or 3 inches in diameter was 

found on the wedge between Buckhorn Wash and San 

Rafael River, but it is apparently almost unique. 

The pebbles are quartz, highly polished and facetedperfect examples of "dreikan ter." 

In the southwesterly exposures the Navajo is described as white; in the Navajo Reservation it is 

red. In the San Rafael Swell it is dominantly gray 

to tan but in places red. Toward the east the principal color is gray, though in places the formation is 

white. The cement is calcite, locally stained with 

iron oxide .. 

Oonditions oj deposition.-The Navajo has been considered a typical eolian deposit by many writers since 

the first suggestion of this origin by Gregory. Indeed, 

it seems difficult to conceive of any other mode of 

deposition for this tremendous mass of sand. The 

cross-bedding, cutting itself off at all angles apparently 

without system; the texture, a scattering of larger 

grains over wide surfaces of smaller; the well-rounded 

grains; and the absence of silt are all reconciled with 

this theory, though none of these features can be said 

to constitute proof in itself. The presence of the 

dreikanter mentioned above also accords with this 

view. The liinestone lenses unquestionably bespeak 

the existence of some basins, probably ephemeral, in 

which water stood, and there is evidence in the even 

stratification of many beds that many clastic members 

of the sandstone were also deposited from water. 

This would, of course, be expected in any desert dune 

country, for the torrential rains of such a region would 

surely leave traces of their reworking of some dune 

sand and its deposition in interdune depressions. 

Age and correlation.-No fossils have ever been reported from the Navajo sandstone. Its age can 

accordingly not be definitely determined but must be 

judged by its general stratigraphic relations. Whatever the age of the Navajo, it is closely bound up with 
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 73 

the WinO'ate and Todilto. Tracing over wide regions b 3 G 84 M' 84 L 84 in the plateau by Moore, 8 regory, Iser, ee, 

and the writers although disclosing local unconfornlities within the Todilto (?) formation and at its 

base, has led to complete agreement that the three 

sandstones are a unit of deposition and that these 

unconformities are all' attributable to such minor 

fluctuations in the streams depositing the Todilto (?) 

formation as would be expected in any fluviatile deposi~. Emery so minimized the importance of the 

Todilto (?) formation that he recognized no break 

between the base of the Wingate and the top of the 

Navajo but referred the entire thickness to the Wingate sandstone.85 Toward the east no pre-La Plata 

(post-Todilto) unconformity was recognized by Coffin 

north of Paradox Valley, though to the south of that 

locality evidence of at least local erosion was found. 86 

Cross 87 found an unquestionable unconformity between his Dolores and La Plata formations in the 

San Juan Mountains, but the evidence cited by him 

semns not to exclude completely the explanation that 

the La Plata overlaps the Dolores formation, for it 

thins remarkably in the direction of the mountains, 

as does also the Dolores, perhaps owing to nondeposition: This hypothesis is not advanced very 

confidently, however, for the San Juan Mountain 

area has been an active orogenic center at several 

periods, so that unconformities present there may well 

be absent in the comparatively inactive regions to 

the west. It is certain, at any rate, that in southwestern Utah there is no unconformity in the thick 

1l1aSS of sandstone-well shown, for example, at Zion 

Canyon-into which both Wingate (Vermilion Cliff 

and tC upper Dolores massive sandstones" of Cross) 

and Navajo (White Cliff and lower La Plata of Cross) 

have been traced.88 

Above the Navajo sandstone lies the fossiliferous 

nlarine Upper Jurassic zone of Utah. With the fossils 

of the Chinle formation also taken into account, the 

aO'e of the entire Glen Canyon group is fixed as later 

than sonle part of the Upper Triassic and earlier than 

S0111e part of the Upper Jurassic. ~he question where 

to draw the Jurassic-Triassic boundary thus presents 

a dilemlna. If the boundary is placed at the base of 

the 'Vingate sandstone it is necessary to assume continuous deposition between the two periods in the San 

Juan Mountain region, for there is no evidence of a 

stratiO'raphic break beneath the massive sandstone of 

the Dolores fornlation pre'sent in that region and 

believed to be equivalent to the Wingate. If the 

pronlinent unconformity at the base of the La Plata 

sandstone of the San Juan Mountains is selected as a 

boundary the conditions are reversed; the unconfonnity of the plateau province is in the Inidst of the 

83 Mooro, R C., op. cit., pp. 216-217. 

21 Oral communication. 

S~ Emory, W. D., op. cit., p. 565. 

se Coffin, n. C., op. cit., pp. 71-72. . 

87 Cross, Whitman, and Holo, A. D., U. S. Geol. Survey Geol. Atlas, Engmeer 

Mountain folio (No. 171), 1910. See also Cross, Whitman, folios 57, 60, 130, 153. 

88 Grogory, H. E., and Moore, R. C., op. cit. Reeside, J. D., jr" and Bassler, 

Harvoy, op. cit., p. 64. 

Upper Triassic, and sedimentation was continuous 

across the Triassic-Jurassic, boundary in such areas as 

the Zion Canyon region and essentially continuous in 

the San Rafael Swell. On the whole it seems that there 

is no present basis for any categoric location of this 

boundary. The Glen Canyon group may be Jurassic 

or Triassic; the probabilities slightly favor the Jurassic 

age of most of it, as indicated here by assignment to 

the Jurassic with a question. 

Of the regions north of those mentioned here only 

the Uinta 1\10untain region and central Wyoming 

seem to offer a correlative of the Glen Canyon group. 

In the Uinta Mountain region the Nugget sandstone 

is similar in lithology and in position beneath the 

marine Upper Jurassic Twin Creek limestone, though 

there is no evidence available to show what part of 

the Glen Canyon group the Nugget may represent. In 

central Wyoming a much thinner sandstone, usually 

included in the Sundance formation as a basal member, 

suggests in many features that it may be equivalent to 

the Nugget sandstone and to some part of the Glen 

Canyon group. 

JURASSIC SYSTEM 

SAN RAFAEL GROUP 

Above the Navajo sandstone is the long-recognized 

marine Upper Jurassic succession, here named the 

San Rafael group, fro!!l its splendid exposures ~ the 

San Rafael Swell. It is divisible into four formatIOns, 

described below as the Carmel, Entrada, Curtis, and 

Summerville formations, in ascending order. 

CARMEL FOR~ATION so 

Distribution and topographic expression.-The Carmel formation is the lowest formation of the group. 

It has been traced from southwestern Utah, where it 

was first observed by Gilbert, with few interruptions 

around the south end of the High Plateaus, along the 

M Waterpocket . 91 1 Fold,90 in the Henry ountalns, a ong 

Glen Canyon,92 and throughout the San Rafael Swe!l. 

. In the eastern part of the Green River Desert no fossils 

have been found in the Carmel formation, nor have 

any been reported from it in the neighborhood of 

Bluff thouO'h the formation is recognizable there. 

Trac~d to the east it is represented by thin-bedded 

sandstones and shales which are correlated 93 with the 

Iniddle luny menlber of the La Plata sandstone of the 

San Juan 1\10untains. It is recognizable on the west 

side of the High Plateaus near Salina (where it is 

saliferous), 1\1: anti, and Thistle, and it is, in part at 

least, represented farther north in the. Uinta and 

Wasatch Mountains by the Twin Creek lImestone. 

The lower part of the formation is in most places 

very limy and resistant, capping vertical cliffs of the 

Navajo (pI. 18, A) and extending in wide esplanades 

peneath the slopes of' the weak shales in the upper 

89 This formation is named from l\-Iount Carmel, Utah, whcre Gilbert first reo 

corded it, by H. E. Gregory and R. C. Moore (op. cit.). 

gO Gregory, H. E., and Moore, R. C., oral communications. Dako, C. L., op. 

cit., p. 637. 

91 Gilbert, G. K., op. cit., p. 6. 

02 Paige, Sidney, ora) communication. 

93 Lee, W. T., U. S. Interior Dept. Mem. for the Press, March 30, 1926. 
74 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

part. Where little limestone is present, however, the 

formation is swept from the upper surface of the 

Navajo, which is left as a terrace. ' 

Lithology and thickness.-Measurements of thickness of the Carmel formation range in the San Rafael 

Swell from a maximuln of 650 feet near the junction 

of Last Chance and Starvation Creeks, on the west 

flank, to 170 feet at Black Dragon Canyon and 95 

feet (described as Todilto (?) by Emery) near Temple 

Mountain, on the east flank. At the mouth of San 

Rafael River it is 95 feet; near Courthouse mail station, 47 feet; in the Salt Valley anticline, 60 feet. It 

is represented by only a thin shaly zone at the mouth 

of Dolores River, but at Bluff it is 50 feet thick. 94 

The lower contact of the Carmel is an apparently 

smooth or only slightly rolling surface. The basal 

beds are nearly everywhere very limy buff to greenish-yellow sandstones, evidently composed of reworked 

sand from the Navajo sandstone. Its parallel, even 

bedding cuts off the steep cross-bedding of the Navajo 

over wide surfaces, but whether an unconformity is 

. represented is impossible to determine, because of the 

irregular bedding of the Navajo. Above the buff 

sandy basal beds there is in many places a few feet 

of light-gray limy shale, and then a series of gray 

fossiliferous sandy limestones which reach thicknesses 

approaching 100 feet in places along the west side of 

the Swell. Elsewhere they are much thinner, and for 

considerable distances east of the Swell the limestone 

facies is not present, though the middle calcareous 

member of the La Plata sandstone of western Colorado 

is very probably at this horizon. The fossils are confined to the limy phase in the Swell, but none have 

been reported from the limestones of the La Plata of 

Colorado. 

Where the formation is thickest the basal limestones 

pass upward into a series of gray, orange-red, and 

greenish shales, with much gypsum in highly contorted beds and massive strata as much as 40 feet 

thick. Anhydrite occurs in some of the limestones, 

and some salt is present in the formation along Muddy 

River and in -the western part of the Swell. The 

well-known salt deposit near Salina is almost surely 

in equivalent beds. 

The thinner facies of the Carmel formation in and 

east of the Green River Desert is a, series of thin shaly 

brown and gray sandstones and red sandy shales, with 

a few gypsum lenses and a little limestone. Along the 

Waterpocket Fold the series is very gypsiferous, and 

this facies is more persistent than the limy one. 

In the eastern localities the boundary with the conformably overlying Entrada sandstone is difficult to 

draw. There is a highly contorted zone of red-brown 

earthy sandstone with minor amounts of interbedded 

red shale which is to be placed either at the top of the 

Carmel formation or at the base of the Entrada sandstone. The contortions (shown in pIs. 18, 0, and 19, A) 

are surely depositional features, possibly due to subaqueous erosion and flow. The bedding both above 

and below the contorted zone is even and horizontal, 

94 Longwell, C. R., and others, op. cit., pI. 1. 

proving the absence of angular unconformity. In the 

opinion of the writers most of this zone is better included in the Entrada sandstone, as it is dominantly 

and stone, and it is so included in the accompanying 

sections and charts. Some observers, however, would 

perhaps be inclined to draw the boundary between the. 

Carmel and Entrada formations at the top of the zone. 

Either assignment appears permissible, in the opinion 

of the writers, as the two formations appear to be conformable and to represent continuous deposition. The 

division into two units is quite arbitrary, is made purely 

for the purpose of emphasizing the lithologic differ-· 

ences, and is not believed to have important significance 

in the geologic history of the region. 

Oonditions of deposition.-The marine origin of the· 

limestone facies of the Carmel formation is clearly 

proved by the inclusion of abundant marine fossils. 

Very shaly limestones closely associated with the fos-· 

siliferous sandy limestones contain nodules of anhy-· 

drite, and at least one on the west flank of the Swell is. 

traceable directly into a shaly anhydrite zone. Much. 

of the gypsum, though by no means all, in the upper, 

noncalcareous part of the formation is cavernous and. 

contorted on a scale which must imply volume changes 

of considerable amount, a feat~e that would seem to· 

point to derivation of at least some of the gypsum from 

anhydrite. The association with salt mentioned above,. 

though not conclusive, also points to deposition in 

lagoons by evaporation of marine waters. The inter-· 

bedded shales are very even, and there are few abrupt. 

variations in lithology, so that no support is given by' 

the lithology to a hypothesis of deposition in an interior 

bas~. The hypothesis of marine origin is furtherfavored by the apparently conformable contact with 

the overlying Entrada formation, whose deposition in 

marine waters, although not yet established by the 

finding of fossils, seems probable from the character 

of its stratification and lithology. No dogmatic state-· 

ment appears warranted, but the hypothesis of a marine 

origin of the entire Carmel formation in the San 

> Rafael Swell area seems to be the most workable. 

The thinner, more variable shales and sandstones of 

the more easterly regions of the. Green River Desert, 

Moab, and Salt Valley may represent deposits in the, 

fluctuating margin of such a salt lagoon, and the disappearance of the formation at the mouth of Dolores. 

River and the recurrence of thin-bedded limy material 

in the middle of the La Plata sandstone of Colorado 

would accord with erosion and continental deposition. 

in those districts. All this is speculative in the extreme, but such data as are at present available seem. 

to agree with it fairly well. 

Age and correlation.-The age of the Carmel forma-· 

tion has long been recognized on the basis of many fossil collections as Upper Jurassic. In the course of the. 

work covered by this report fossils were collected from 

the limestones of the lower part of the formation in 

many parts of the area. These fossils are listed in the 

accompanying table, together with others collected 

some years ago by Robert Forrester and not yet notecl 

in the literature~ 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 150 PLATE 15 

en 

~ 

o 

til 

u 

<: 

Etil 

c:: 

U 

~ <: 

c:: 

:; 

[;i 

c.. 

c.. 

~ 

u 

~ <: 

c:: 

:; 

Generalized 5e(:tion of rocks i:l the northern part of the San Rafael Swell on and south of Cedar Mountain 

.;: " 

c§ 

c 

" r.n .... 

fonnation 

325 feet 

Navajo 

sandstone 

480 feet 

...... ....... ..... 

Generalized section of rocks in the eastern part of the San Rafael Swell at Rlac=k Dragon 

Canyon No. 22 

Morrison 

formation 

600 feet 

~ ,~~IJU.::ilU'I~IIIUl·L 

'" " 

"- "-

..... 

'" 

" " 

'" "- "- "-'~::.~1 

S~mmerville 

fonnation 

Zll feet 

Curtis 

fonnation 

170 feet 

Entrada 

sandstone 

405 feet 

Carmel 

fonnation 

169 feet 

Navajo 

sandstone 

520 feet. 

"-

" 

-

/ 

"-

'-

/ 

Generalized section of rocks near iunction of San Rafael and Green Rivers and Green River Desert 

"-

" 

-

/ 

/ / 

No. 23 

Entrada 

sandstone I(a) 

498 feet 

Navajo 

sandstone I(b) 

280 feet 

Todilto (?) 

formation I(b) 

150 feet 

-- / / 

Todilto (7) 1/ Wingate 

"- formation / / 

"- Wingate "- ....... 239 feet / I 

sandstone (b) 

Generalized section of rocks in the Green River oil field on and near Salt Wash measured by C. T. Lupton (U. S. Ceol Sur· vey Bull. 541, p. 126, 1914) 

Nomenclature revised to conform to present report 

Generalized section measured near Thompsons-Moab road west of Courthouse mail station No. 24 

Morrison 

formation 

500+ feet 

Salt Wash 

,.<;andstone 

"lember 

Generalized 5e(:tion measured in Salt Valley anticline about 6 miles southeast of Midland Trail No. 25 

Morrison 

formation 

630 feet 

Salt Wash 

sandstone 

"'- member 

" '-

~ 150 feet I t"":-o,<.:''':''!. "'" '~~~ 

Summen'ille 

Entrada 

sandstone. 

~~~~! 528± feet 

---------- ---

-----------

tl

fOft"" 

-roo{/' 

" /" " 

Summen~lle 

fonnation 

90 feet 

Entrada 

sandstone 

365 feet 

Navajo 

sandstone 

158 feet 

Todilto,('{) 

formation 

160 feet 

Wingate 

sandstone 

210 feet 

Chinle 

formation 

Not measured 

EXPLANATION 

--

~ 

I*~~' ;.!IUa/· 

fonnation 

55 feet 

Entrada 

sandstone 

401 feet 

Cannel 

formation .. "eet 

Navajo 

sandstone 

170 feet 

Todilto (1) 

fonnation 

100 feet 

Wingate 

sandstone 

250 feet 

Chinle 

fonnation 

Not 

measured 

~I ~~ ""Iii ::. Chinle 

formation 

150 feet 

480 feet 

"",,,,,,u

tlCO ma---- "",/ =~--== ""," -=-~ 

Mudstone Chinle (lenticular) formation 

........... :.·.:~I mea~S'~ed 

(a) Measured sOuth and north of San Rafael River 

f~t~t~~~A~1 .~. 0 •• "0'-';"0 

Conglom erate 

l1li lli2d' III Shale and 

mudstone 

.~ 

Gypsum 

Regularly bedded 

sandstone Cross~edded . sandstone 

Earthy 

~ sandstone weather-~ Limestone 

ing Into rounded forms (b) Measured in Elaterite Basin by W. B. Emery (Am. Jour. Sci.. 4th ser., vol. 46, p. 566, 1918) Vertical scale 9 5~O I,O?O FU.T 

GENERALIZED COLUMNAR SECTIONS OF THE JURASSIC AND JURASSIC (?) ROCKS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

--

"- "-

"- ...... 

" "-

'" "-

Generalized 5e(:tion measured near junction of Dolores and Colorado Rivers just west of Dewey Bridge 

No. 26' 

Morrison 

formation 

400+ feet 

Summen'ille 

fonnation 

90 feet 

Entrada 

sandstone 

36J) feet 

Navajo 

sal)dstone 

243 feet 

Todilto (7) 

formation 

200,,= feet 

Wingate 

S!lndstone 

246 feet 

Chinle 

formation 

Not 

measured. 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAl. PAPER 150 PLATE 16 

ORTHWEST FROM POINT EAR HEAD OF BLACK BOX OF SAN RAFAEL RIVER, 

SAN RAFAEL SWELL, UTAH 

The cliff against wh ich the river runs is made by the S inbnd limest.one member of the l\iocnkopi formation. The slope above is made by t.he upper part of t.he l oenkopi format.ion. m, Upper part. of t.he l\1ocnkopi; s, Shinarump conglomerale; C, Chinle formation; w, \Vingalc sandstone ; t, Todilto (~) formation; n, Navajo sandslone 

m 

m 

B. VIEW LOOKING SOUTH j<' HOM THE HEEL" AT MOUTH OF BUCKIIOHN WASil, SA T RAFAEL SWELL 

'Vindow Blind Buue and, in the distance, Sinbad Plaleau . m, IVIoenkopi formation; S , Shinarump conglomerate; c, Chinle formation; w, \Vingate sandstone; t, Todilto (il) formation; n, Navajosandst.onc. Pholograph by E . l\1. Spieker 

c. , SAN HAFAEL SWELL 

m. l\1ocnkopi formation; s, Shinarump conglomerate; c, Chinle formalion; w, \Vingat.e sandst.one; t, Todilt.o (n· 

format.ion; n, Navajo s:lndst.onc 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 150 PLATE 17 

A . UNCONFORMITY, CHANNEL IN CHINLE SHALE FILLED 

BY SANDSTONE OF THE WINGATE SANDSTONE 

B. WINGATE SANDSTONE, HESTING ON CHINLE FORMATION 

NEAIt COURTIIOUSEMAIL STATION ON THOMPSONS-MOAB 

ROAD, UTAH Cliff 210 feet high 

C. TYPICAL OUTCHOP Ol? TODILTO (?) FOHMATION NEAR HEAD OF 

SPHING CANYON, NOHTHERN PART OF SAN HAFAEL SWELL, UTAH 

C, Chinle formation; w, \Vingate sandstone; t, Todilto (~) formation 
U. S. GEOLOGI CAL SURVEY 

A. CLIFF OF NAVAJO SANDSTONE, CAPPED BY 

BASAL LIMESTO ' E BEDS OF CA RMEL FORMA· 

TION ON SALT WASil, NORT HWESTERN PART 

OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL, UTAH 

Top of T odilto 0) formation barcly _ visihle nl"Qr right just above creck. Thickness of Navajo, 485 feet 

PROFE:SSIONAL PAPER 150 PLATE IS 

avajo sandstone forms white patch in left foreground; slope is mado by soft shale and sandstone of the Carmel form ation. The rounded cliff exposes the lower 325 feet of tho Entrada ~andstoue 

C. NEAREH VIEW OF CLIFF SII OWN IN B 

Shows contorted bedding at base of Entrada sandstone above slope made by Carmel formation 
U . S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 150 PLATE 19 

Bench in foreground made by Navaio sandstone; t.hin shaly zone (not prominent.) at foot of cliff composed of Carmel formation; t he cliff, which shows remarkab le conlort.ed bedding at the base, is made of Entrada sandstone, of which about 320 feet 

is here shown 

MUDDY RIVER AT THE MOUTH OF SAL'!' GULCH, WEST FLANK OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL, UTAH 

Cliff iu distance is made of Entrada sandstone, here represented by its Sorl, earthy facies 

c. T HE RED LEDGE, BETWEEN HUC I HOIl FLAT AND SAN RAFAEL RIVEH, WEST FLANK OF SAN 

l1AFAEL SWELL 

Earthy facies of Entrada sandstone forms the cliff, capped by basal sandstone of Curtis formation, which forms the light baud at the crest 
tT. S. OEOt"OOICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL pAPER 150 l'LNI.'E 20 

A. CLIFF AT MOUTH OF HORN SILVER GULCH, WEST ~' LANK OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL. UTAH 

NCONFORMITY BETWEEN EVENLY BANDED SHALES A D SA DSTONES OF TIlE SUMMERVILLE 

FORMATION AND TilE InREGULAR GYPSUI\-I , SA ' DSTONES, AND CLAYS OF TilE OVERLYING 

MonmSON FORMATlON, COTTONWOOD Sl'lU GS WASIl, NORTHEASTERN PART OF SAN RAFAEL 

SWELL 
• 

U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER J50 PLATE 21 

A . BUTTE OF SUMMERVILLE FORMATION NEAR CREST OF 

WOODSIDE ANTICLINE, NORTHEASTERN PART OF SAN 

RAFAEL SWELL, UTAH 

Capped by while gypsum of t he base of the Morrison formation. The white bands in the face of' t.he cliO' arc sandstones of the Summerv ille 

B. VARIEGATED CLAY AND SANDSTONE OF MORRISON FORMATION, BUCKHOHN FLAT, WESTERN PAHT OF SAN HAFAEL 

SWELL, UTAH . 

C. SALT WASH SANDSTONE MEMBER OF MORRISON FORMATfON UNCONFORMABLY OVERLYING GYPSUM, SHALES, AND 

THIN SANDSTONES OF SUMMERVILLE FORMATION, WOODSIDE ANTICLINE, NOHTHEASTEHN PAHT OF SAN RAFAEL 

SWELL 

Photograph by E. M. Spieker 
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 75 

Fossils of the Carmel formation 

______________ J on r",,, 0280 0281 0282 0284 12555 12'''' 112557 125" 12560 "'10 .2681 1258' 12835 .2839 12840 121141 _~ 

Serpula sp. undet ____________________ - -- - --- - X ---- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - __ - - _ - - - - - - --- - - - - - - ___ - ___ - - - - --- _ - ______ _ 

Pentacrinus asteriscus Meek and I, 

~;t;~f~gi ~~~~: i)~::::::::::::: -~ -: ~: :::: :~: :::: :::: :::: ::: t:: :::: :::: :::: : ::: :::: :::: :::: :::: :::: :::: 

Ostrea engelmanni? Meek _________________________ - ___ ---- ---- X ____________________________________ '- ______ _ 

Ostrea strigileclila White_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ X X X X X - - - - X X X ___ - X X - - - _ - _ - ___ - - X X X X 

Ostrea sp. undet _____________________ ---- - ___ ---- - ___ X ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Trigonia quadrangularis Meck _________________ X X ---- ---- X - _______ - ___ X X _____ X X X - ______ _ Trigonia montanaensis Meclc _______________________ - _ - _ - - X X X _ _ _ _ X __ - _ _ _ _ _ X __ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - X 

Trigonia n. sp. aff. T. americana 

Meek _____________________________ ---- - ___ ---- -, ,- ---- X ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Trigonia sp. undet ___________________ ---- ____ X X X ---- ---- ---- X ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Camptonectes pertenuistriatus Hall 

and "Vhitfield _________________ X - _______ X X ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---~ ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Cl1lnptonectes stygius White ___________ - ___ X X - ___ X X ---- ---- X ---- ---- ---- X ---- ---- X X X 

Camptonectes extenuatus Meek 

a.nd Ifayden _______________________ - __________ - ___ ---_ X X - _______ ---- X X ---- X ---- --'-- ---- --,--

Camptonectes bellistriatus? Meek 

and Hayden _______________ - - - ___ - - - - - - - - - _ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - _ - - - - - X - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- Camptonectes sp. undet _______________ X ____ - ___ ---- ---- ---- ---- X ---- X ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Plicatula n. sp _______________________________ - ___ - ___ ---- X - ___ ---_ - ___ ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Li1i:ll ~~~awl~f~~~~L_~~~i~l~~l:~~i~_ X _______________________________________________________________________ _ 

Plellromya 

~~f~;i:l~:ff~~~~~~~~~)~~~ newtoni? (Whitfield) ___________________________________________________ g ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ :~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ --- _____ ~):~:: X -~~~~ ___ ;~; - __ ~~~~ ---- ---- :~~~ Pleuromya kingi (Meek) __________ X ____________ - ___ - ___ - ___ ---_ ---_ - ___ ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- -- - ---- ----

~~~~\~~~Kl~:Pki~~f~~~k~~======== ==== ==== ==== _~_ ==== ==== ==== ==== ==== -X- ==== ==== ==== ==== ==== ==== ==== ==== ==== 

~~f:;!~~!;;,!i~~~;;;:::::::::::: :~: :~: :::: _~_ :~: _~_ :::: :::: :::: :::: :::: :::: :~: :::: :::: :::: :::: :::: :::: 

Tancredia inornata (Whitfield) _____________________ X ____________________ ---_ ---- X ________ - ___ ---- ---- ---- Dosinia sp. undet ____________________________________ - _______ - ___ - ___ - ___ ---- X X ----' X X ? ---- ----

Corbula? sp--------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- X ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Dentalium'f subquadratum Meek _______________________ ---- X ---_ X ---- X ---- ---- ---- - ___ ---- ---- ---- ---- Neritina? phaseolaris White _______________ X X - ___ ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- -'--- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Lyosoma powelli White _______________________________ - _________________________ - _ - _ - _ X __ - - - ___ 1_ - - - - - - - - - - -

Cu.rdioceras cf. C. distans Whitfield_ --'-- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----I X ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Lot 1, unnumbered. Ten miles below Castledale, Utah, on San Rafael River. Collected by Robert Forrester. 

Lot 2, unnumbered. Eight miles west of Cliff Siding, Emery County, Utah; 175 feet above base. Collected by Robert 

Forrester. 

6280. Big Holes, ~mery County, Utah; in lower 30 feet. Collected by Robert Forrester. 

6281. Coal "Vash, Emery County, Utah; in lower 30 feet. Collected by Robert Forrester. 

6282. Devils Canyon, Emery County, Utah; in lower 30 feet. Collected by Robert Forrester, 

6284. North of Salt Wash, Emery County, Utah; in lower 30 feet. Collected by Robert Forrester. 

12555. The Wedge, 2 miles south of Fullers Bottom, Emery County, Utah; 6 to 12 feet above base. Collected by W. H. 

Newhouse. 

12556. The Wedge, between Buckhorn Wash and San Rafael River, Emery County, Utah; 10 feet above base. Collected by 

D. J. Fisher. 

12557. San Rafael River below Fullers Bottom; 18 feet above base. Collected by W. H. Newhouse. 

12558. San Rafael River, below Fullers Bottom; 15 feet above base. Collected by W. H. Newhouse. 

12560. SaIl Rafael River, below Fullers Bottom; 17 feet above base. Collected by W. H. Newhouse. 

12570. Two miles west of Lost Spring, on Saleratus Wash, Emery County, Utah; in an oolite 100 feet above base. Collected 

by John B. Reeside, jr. 

12581. One and one-half miles west of Lost Spring, on Saleratus Wash, Emery County, Utah; in lower part. Collected by 

E. M. Spieker. 

12582. Buckhorn Flat, Emery County, Utah; about 100 feet above base. Collected by E. M. Spieker. 

12835. Cottonwood Springs Wash, sec. 10, T. 20 S., R. 13 E., Emery County, Utah; 68 feet above base. Collected by James 

Gilluly. 

12839. Cottonwood Springs Wash, sec. 35, T. 19 S., R. 13 E., Emery'County, Utah; 40 feet above base. Collected by James 

Gilluly. 

12840. Cottonwood Springs Wash, sec. 33, T. 19 S., R. 13 E., Emery County, Utah; at base. Collected by James Gilluly. 

12841. Salt 'Vash Canyon, sec. 25, T. 20 S., R. 9 E., Emery County, Utah; 16 feet above base. Collected by James Gilluly. 

12842. Salt Wash Canyon, sec. 25, T. 20 S., R. 9 E., Emery County, 'Utah; 21 feet above base. 
76 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

There is no doubt that this fauna is Upper Jurassic 

and that all the species also occur in the Sundance 

formation of Wyoming. Similar collections, with a 

few other species, have been reported by Howell and 

Gilbert,95 Dake,96 Emery,97 and Lupton 98 from 

various parts of Utah, though some of them may 

include also fossils from beds as late as the Curtis 

formation, described on pages 78-79. 

The correlation of the marine Jurassic of Utah has 

ltong been a matter of controversy. Cross 99 pointed 

out the fact that there are three great sandstone units 

in the neighborhood of the La Sal Mountains, the 

lowest forming part of the Dolores formation and 

equivalent to the Wingate sandstone, which he called 

Vermilion Cliff, and the upper two forming the La 

Plata .sandstone and equivalent, in his opinion, to the 

White Cliff sandstone of Powell, now known as N avajo. As the marine Jurassic lies above the Navajo 

it is thereby assigned to a place later than the La 

Plata sandstone as thus interpreted. Other writers 

found, over most of the Colorado Plateau, only the 

two sandstone units of Powell, with which Cross had 

correlated his three sandstones, and assumed a correlation of these two units with the two divisions of 

the La Plata of Cross. This assignment again placed 

the marine Jurassic above the La Plata sandstone and 

correlated the thin-bedded zone between the two 

sandsumes with the middle La Plata of Cross; that is, 

the Wingate, Todilto, and N ava30 formations were 

thought to be equivalent to the La Plata sandstone' 

and to form the La Plata" group."! The later work 

of Coffin 2 and Lee 3 and the tracing from the San 

Rafael Swell to Moab by the writers has shown that 

the lower sandstone (Wingate) is part of th'e Dolores 

formation, as Cross said;' that the upper sandstone 

(N avajo) is the middle sandstone of Cross, the lower 

La Plata only; and that the marine Jurassic includes, 

by a marked lateral change in lithology, the thinbedded middle zone and upper sandstone of Cross, 

the middle and upper La Plata. Emery 4 was nearly 

correct in his interpretation of the relations eastward 

from the Green River Desert, in which he called the 

present Carmel formation middle La· Plata and the 

present Entrada sandstone upper La Plata, though 

wrong, as pointed out by Dake 5 and as shown above, 

in classifying the present Carmel formation as the 

equivalent of Gregory's Todilto and in lumping the 

Navajo, Todilto (?), and Wingate formations as a 

03 Howell, E. E., U. S. Geog. and Geol. Expl. W. 100th Mer. Rept., vol. 3, p. 281, 

1875. Gilbert, G. K., idem, pp. 159, 174. 

06 Dake, C. L., op. cit., p. 636. 

07 Emery, W. B., op. cit., p. 568. 

os Lupton, C. T., op. eit. (Bull.;628), p. 24. 

00 Cross, Whitman, Stratigraphic results of a reconnaissanee in western Colorado 

. and eastern Utah: Jour. Geology, vol. 15, pp. 634-679, 1907. 

I Gregory, H. E., op. cit., p. 52 and elsewhere. Dake, C. L., op. cit., p. 637. 

Lee, W. T., Smithsonian Mise. CoIl., vol. 69, No.4, p. 12. Moore, R. G., op. eit., 

p.216. 

a Coffin, R. C., op. cit. 

S Lee, W. T., oral eommunieation. 

• Emery, W. B., op, cit., p. 567. 

a Dake. C. L., op. cit., pp. 644-646. 

unit under the name Wingate sandstone. In the 

following table the correlations based on the tra.cing 

and measurements of the present report are compared 

with those of the writers cited above. 

ENTRADA SANDSTONE 

Distribution and topographic expression.-Immediately ·succeeding the shales and gypsum of the Carmel 

formation, with apparent conformity, is a thick series 

of earthy sandstones and subordinate shales, here 

named the Entrada formation, from their strong development on Entrada Point, in the northern part of 

the San Rafael Swell. 

The Entrada sandstone is present around the Swell, 

in the Waterpocket Fold, northeast of the Kaiparowits 

Plateau, in the Henry Mountains, and along San Juan 

River, as well as in the Green River Desert and farther 

east in western Colorado. It constitutes a lower part 

of the "Flaming Gorge group" of Gilbert,6 is the lower 

part of the "Upper Jurassic sandstone" of Mo.ore,7 

and is part of the" varicolored sandstonoo and shales" 

discussed by' Longwell, Miser, Moore,' Bryan; and 

Paige.8 

There are two general types of topography in which 

the formation is displayed. Where it is clean and well 

sorted it stands in steep cliffs with rounded shoulders 

and in huge domes, such as are so characteristic of the 

Navajo sandstone. Where it is more earthy or less 

well cemented it crops out in a steep slope, .tbough in 

many places it weathers down much like a shale. 

Lithology and thickness.-The thickness of the 

Entrada sandstone is variable. At the type locality 

it is 312 feet, but toward the south it increases 

greatly. At Muddy River, on the west flank of the 

Swell, it is 844 feet, and Moore found 1,430 feet in the 

Circle Cliffs, though he probably includes at the top a 

few feet of strata equivalent to 'the Summerville formation. To the east of the Swell the thickness is more 

nearly constant for many miles, being 405 feet at 

Black Dragon Canyon, 498 feet at the mouth of San 

Rafael River, 375 feet near Courthouse mail station, 

401 feet in Salt Valley, and 360 feet at the mouth of 

Dolores River. 

There are two lithologic facies of the formation. 

Both consist dominantly of sandstone, but the one 

exposed to the east of the Swell is composed largely of 

clean well-sorted material, and the more westerly 

facies is somewhat finer grained and silty. Gilbert's 

description of the "Flaming Gorge group," a larger 

unit in which the equivalents of the Entrada greatly 

preponderate, applies very well to the Entrada 

sandstone over most of the San Rafael Swell.9 

The rock of the Flaming Gorge group is of a peculiar character. It is ordinarily so soft that in its manner of weathering 

6 Gilbert, G. K., The geology of the Henry Mountains, pp. 6-7, U. S. Oeog. and 

Oeol. Survey Rocky Mtn. Region, 1877. 

7 Moore, R. C., op. cit., pp. 219-221. 

s Longwell, C. R., and others, op. cit., p. 14 . 

o Gilbert, G. K., op. cit., p. 6. 
Correlation of the stratigraphic subdivisions of this paper with the classifications of previous workers in the region 

Age I Gregory, 19li; Navajo Gilbert, 18ii; BeDlY Moore, 1922; Circle Gilluly and Reeside, Dake, 1919; Water- Cross, 1907, and Paige, Emery, 1918; Green 

country Mountains Cliffs 1926; southeastern Utah pocket fold 1924 Ri ver Desert 

Dakota sand- Dakota sand- Dakota sand- Dakota sand- Dakota sand- Upper Cretaceous. . Dakota sandstone. Henrys Fork stone. stone (locally stone (locally stone. stone. 

group. absent). absent). 

f--

Morrison for- Upper Mcmation. Elmo. McElmo formaMcElmo forma- tion. 

Cretaceous(?) . tion. Salt Wash Salt Wash McElmo forma- sandstone member. McElmo forma- Salt Wash 

tion. member. tion. member. 

----------------- 0.. 

"Upper Summerville ;:::l 

formation. 

Flaming Gorge ~ group. ~Not Curtis forma- 0 Navajo sand- S Hiatus. Hiatus. present. tion. ~ Lower Mc- stone. 

Upper Jurassic. Co) Elmo (Sun- -- Jurassic sand- Entrada sand- ~ Upper La 

stone. " stone. dance?). 0.. Plata. 0. Undifferentiated ;:::l ;:::l 0 2 McElmo --(?)--- and 1-1 

Navajo. " Gypsiferous Carmel forma- b() b() Todilto (?) ~ Middle La ~ zone." tion. ~ Plata. ~ formation. ~ ~ 

(?) ~ ~ --(?) 

Ii Navajo sand- Gray Cliff group. 0.. Navajo sand- Navajo sand-\ 0.. Navajo sand- ~ Lower La ~ 

;:::l stone. ;:::l stone. stone. stone. H Plata. H 0 g 0 1-1 1-1 1-1 

b() b() 

Todilto forma- bD ~ .; urassic(?). ~ Todilto forma- ~ Todilto for- Todilto for- o Wingate ~ tion. ~ mation. tion. ~ mation. ~ _ sandstone. ~ Vermilion ~ ~ Vermilion Cliff ~ Qj 

~ P:: ~ S Cliff sand- ~ Wingate sand- group. Wingate Wingate sand- Wingate 1-1 ~ stone. stone. ~ 0 H stone. H sandstone. H sandstone. ..... 

rn ._----_._-------- - OJ 

Shinarump, Chinle forma- Chinle forma- Dolores forma- ~ Lower Do- Chinle forma- Upper Triassic. 0 Chinle formation. " di vision a." tion. tion. tion. "0 lores. tion. 

A ~ - - -- -- - - -------- -

Longwell and others, 

1923; southeastern Utah 

Dakota sandstone. 

McElmo formation. 

Varicolored 

sandstones and 

shales [Curtis 

not present]. 

Gypsiferous 

shales and 

sandstones. 

Navajo sandstone. 

Todilto formation. 

Wingate sandstone. 

Chinle formation. 

- -

rn 

trl 

t1 

H 

~ 

trl 

Z 

~ Jo1 

!:d 

o 

a 

~ 

rn 

o 

I'%j 

rn 

:.-

Z 

~ 

~ 

~ 

rn 

~ 

~ :.-

Z 

t1 

:.-

t1 

:;: 

a 

trl 

Z 

~ 

~ rn 

H 

Z 

d 

~ 

'-l 

'I 
78 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL ,GEOLOGY, ,1927, .. 

it appears to be a shale. It is eroded so much more rapidly 

than the Henry's Fork conglomerate above it that the latter is 

undermined and always appears in the topography as the cap 

of a cliff. Nevertheless, it is not, strictly speaking, a shale. 

The chief product of its weathering is sand, and wherever it 

can be examined in an unweathered condition it is found to be 

a 'fine-grained sandstone, massive and cross laminated like 

those of the Gray and Vermilion Cliffs but, devoid of a firm 

ce~ent. In a number of localities it has acquired, locally and 

accIdentally, a cement, and it is there hardly distinguishable 

from the firmer sandstones which underlie it. ' 

The chief modification this description requires is 

t,hat the sandstones are really not free from silt but 

contain a good deal. This is readily swept away by 

the winds, however, and is not seen in the talus from 

the formation. Its presence gives the sandstones a 

peculiar character, so that they weather like a granite 

'into bosses and rounded forms-a most characteristic feature of the formation. The term "earthy 

sandstone" seems best to describe the rock. 

To the east of the Swell the Entrada sandstone be":-

comes ~uch less earthy and better cemented, taking 

on the appearance of the underlying Navajo and Wingate sandstone. At the mouth of San Rafael River 

~t forms huge domes 325 feet high, but the bedding 

IS nearly parallel at a number of horizons within this 

thickness, and the earthy character' of the basal 30 

feet and the 140 feet overlying the domes shows the 

affinities with the San Rafael E~trada which the 

stratigraphic position would indicate. 

Farther east the earthy character is even less prominent but is still seen in a 15-foot zone included as the 

base of the formation at the mouth of Dolores River 

though it might perhaps be assigned to the Carmel 

formation. This basal earthy portion is in many' 

places highly contorted, as described on page 74, in a 

manner difficult to explain, for the' overlying and 

underlying strata are well exposed and undisturbed. 

This contorted character is a constant feature of the 

base of the formation over the plateau east of the San 

Rafael Swell and is seen at points so widely separated 

as Bluff, Dry .valley, and Salt Valley, as well as at 

the places already mentioned. Lee 10 has recognized 

this zone still farther south in northern New Mexico. 

Although the Entrada sandstone is massive and 

thick bedded in the western localities, it contains many 

shaly layers a few inches thick and exceedingly persistent. The partings between the thick beds are as 

a r~e very even and traceable over wide areas. Toward the east it is more massive, though there also 

the even bedding divisions are continuous for long 

distances. ' 

Oonditions of deposition.-The Entrada sandstone 

in the western areas is almost surely entirely waterlaid. The even bedding and continuity of single 

zones seems to point to a marine origin, though this 

inference is not yet confirmed by fossil evidence. 

Toward the east, also, it is largely water-laid, though 

10 Lee, W. T., U. S. Dept. Interior Mem. for the Press, March 30,1926. 

it there appears £0 be more highly and variably crossbedded as well as cleaner and less silty, and some beds 

suggest an eolian origin, or at least conditions comparable to those prevailing in Navajo time. 

Age and correlation.-The Upper Jurassic age' of the 

Entrada formation is proved by its position between 

fossiliferous strata of tha:t time. ,- It is correlated with 

the Upper Jurassic sandstone of the Circle Cliffs and 

is equivalent to a part of the group in southern Utah 

called "varicolored sandstones and shales" by Longwell and others. In the, San Rafael Swell it is part 

of the "McElmo formation" of Lupton 11 and was included (with some overlying beds) in the Navajo by 

Emery.12 Traced toward the east it is found to be 

the zone in Dry Valley and near Moab called " Upper 

La Plata" by Cross.13 Dake 14 follows Gilbert 15 in 

. referring the sandstone to the "Flaming Gorge 

group," adding that this is practically equivalent to 

the' "McElmo" of 'more -recent writers. Prommel 16 

called the corresponding strata in the Salt Valley 

anticline "Upper Navajo sandstone" and referred 

them to the La Plata" group," but, as is now known 

from traci~g, they occur above the true Navajo, 

though equIvalent ,to the upper part of the La Plata 

sandstone of Colorado. ' 

CURTIS FORMATION 

General character.-In the San Rafael Swell an 

erosional unconformity displaying irregularities of 

as much as 50 feet in height occurs at the top of the 

Entrada sandstone. Resting on this channeled surface is the Curtis formation, here named from its 

excellent exposures on Curtis Point, near the head of 

Cottonwood Springs Wash, on the northeast side of 

the Swell. It is a series of greenish-gray glauconitic 

,conglomerates, sandstones, and shales and contains 

Upper Jurassic fossils. 

Distribution and topographic expres8~on.-About the 

north end of the San Rafael Swell and well down the 

west side the Curtis formation forms the crest of a 

cliff and the dip slope behind it. Farther south the 

conglomeratic facies of the formation becomes less 

prom.inent and the whole forrnation thins greatly, so 

that ill the south end of the Swell, south of Starvation 

Creek, it forms a hardly noticeable shoulder in the 

steep slopes above the Entrada formation, while in the 

north end of the Waterpocket Fold it is a thin greenishgray shaly sandstone which lenses out completely a 

short distance to the south. To the east of the Swell 

also it becomes more shaly and, though still present as 

a ledge former near the mouth of San Rafael River , 

11 Lupton, C. T., Oil and gas near Green River, Utah: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 

541, pp. 125-126, 1914; Geology and coal resources of Castle Valley in Carbon, Emery 

and Sevier Counties, Utah: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 628, pp. 21, 23-24, 1916. ' 

12 Emery, W. B., op. cit., pp. 570--572, 1918. -

13 Cross, Whitman, Stratigraphic results of a reconnaissance in western Colorado 

and eastern Utah: Jour. Geology, vol. 15 pp. 644-651, 1907. 

14 Dake, C. L., op. cit., pp. 644-646. 

16 Gilbert, G. K., op. cit., P. 6. 

16 Prommel, H. W. C., op. cit., pp. 387, 392. 
SEDIMENTA.RY ROCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 79 

is no longer recognizable near Courthouse mail station, 

where its horizon is exposed. The formation is not 

known east or south of the extreme localities mentioned, and so far as known it is a restricted phase of 

the Inarine Jurassic. 

Lithology and thickness.-The Curtis formation, 

unlike most of the other strata of the plateau, may be 

identified usually by color alone. All its members have 

a peculiar greenish-gray color on fresh fracture, due to 

the glauconite contained in them. Weathering causes 

theln to turn brownish, but very dark colors are not 

COlnmon. 

At or near the base there is commonly from 3 to 20 

feet of conglomerate, containing well-rounded pebbles 

as much as 1 ~ inches in diameter, mostly varicolored 

chert and flint, in a gritty matrix. Most of the 

fOrIuation, however, is a fine sandstone, in beds from 

6 inches to 3 or 4 feet thick, cross-bedded and ripple 

marked throughout and commonly containing sporadic 

pellets of green shale. (See pI. 20, B.) Lime cement 

with sonle iron is irregularly distributed, and the 

sandstones cOlnmonly weather into biscuit-like or 

loglike forms owing to this differential cementation and 

to exfoliation. The shales that make up most of the 

upper part of the formation are well laminated, flaky, 

and luny. 

The Curtis formation is 193 feet thick at the type 

locality and 252 feet at Summerville Point, at the 

north end of the Swell.' Down the west side of the 

Swell it diIninishes to 166 feet at Horn Silver Gulch 

and to 76 feet just south of the junction of Last Chance 

and Starvation Creeks. At Sand Creek, in the northern part of the Waterpocket Fold, it is very shaly and 

was estimated as about 40 feet thick. The formation 

was not noted by 1100re 11 in his work near the Circle 

Cliffs. Just across Fremont River from Hanksville 

it is about 70 feet thick, but the formation is not 

l'ecognizable in .the description of the stratigraphy of 

the IIenry Mountains by Gilbert. 

At Black Dragon Wash the Curtis formation is 170 

feet thick; near the mouth of San Rafael River, 50 

feet. It is probably represented by the 40 feet of 

"sandstone, red below and gray above, v~ry calcareous; contains Inany small nodules," described by 

Lupton 18 in his section of the "McElmo" formation 

on Salt Wash. It is not recognizable at any of the 

more easterly points visited by the writers. 

Oonditions oj deposition.-The fossils collected from 

the Curtis formation at several places in the San 

Rafael Swell prove its lnarine origin. Its narrow areal 

distribution and its upper gradational boundary with 

the Sununerville formation, which is much more widespread, seenl to indicate that it never extended as a' 

distinct deposit much farther sOllth and east. Nothing definite is known of its northern or western limits. 

17 Mooro, R. C., oral communication. 

IS Lupton, C. T., Oil and gas near Green River, Utah: U. S. Geol. Survey BUll. 

Ml, p. 120, 1914. . 

Certainly its coarse basal facies and the ripple marks 

throughout the formation afford convincing evidence 

that it is a shallow-water deposit. The presence of its 

pebbles in crevices in the upper surf ace of the Entrada 

seems to point to its origin as a basal conglomerate, 

deposited by the sea encroaching on a land surface. 

Age and correlation.-The as~gnment of the Curtis 

formation to the Upper Jurassic is based upon the 

fossils shown in the following table, mostly collected 

in the northern part of the Swell: 

Fossils of the Curtis fonnation 

12568 12569 12511 12516 12579 

--------------11---------- Cidaris sp _________________________ X X ________ X 

Pentacrinus asteriscus Meek and Hayden ________________________ X X ____ - ___ X 

Eumicrotis curta HalL __________________ X ___________ _ Ostrea strigilecula White ____________ X X ________ X 

Camptonectes stygius White _________ X _______________ _ Tancredia inornata (Whitfield) __________________ X ___ _ Ammonite, indeterminable _______ -: __________ X.' _______ _ 

12568. Saleratus Creek, 1 mile ~outh of Lost Springs, in 

Saleratus Wash, Emery County, Utah; lower part of formation. 

Collected by E. M. Spieker. 

12569. One mile north of Lost Spring, Emery County, Utah; 

highest grit, about middle of formation. Collected by E. M. 

Spieker. 

12571. Lost Spring, Emery County, Utah. Collected by 

E. M. Spieker. 

12576. One mile north of Lost Spring, Emery County, 

Utah; 5 feet below top of formation. Collected by John B. 

Reeside, jr. 

12579. Humbug Wash, Emery County, Utah; base of formation. Collected by John B. Reeside, jr. 

The species named above, lilte those of the Carmel 

formation, all occur in the Sundance formation of 

Wyoming, and it seems assured that the tiIne of a·t 

least the lower three formations of the San Rafael 

group is included in the interval represented by the 

Sundance formation. It is not yet possible, however, 

to say precisely what parts of the San Rafael group 

are represented in the marine Upper Jurassic deposits 

of southwestern and central Utah, nor in the Twin 

Creek limestone of the Uinta 110untain region. 

It should be noted that the Curtis formation on the 

west flanl( of the Swell was called the Salt Wash 

sandstone member of the' "McElmo" by Lupton.19 

The true horizon of the Salt Wash sandstone member, 

as shown by detailed mapping and sections in the 

intervening areas between the west flank of the Swell 

and the type locality of the member, is 335 feet higher, 

the 8-foot conglomerate of Lupton's measured section 

being the equivalent of the true Salt vVash. 

SUMMERVILLE FORMATION 

Distribution and topographic expression.-In the San 

Rafael Swell the Curtis formation passes upward 

with a gradational boundary into the even-bedded 

Ig Lupton, C. T., Geology and coal resources of Castle Valley in Carbon, Emery, 

and Sevier Counties, Utah: U. S. Gool. Survey Bull. (J28, p. 25, 1916. 
80 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

red and white sandstones and maroon shales of the 

Summerville formation, so named from its excellent 

exposures on Summerville Point, just southeast of the 

head of Summerville Wash, in the north end of the 

Swell. This formation has a much greater areal 

exrent than the Curtis and is found in the Waterpocket Fold,20 in the JIenry Mountains, and throughout the region between the Swell and the mouth of 

Dolores River, wherever beds at its horizon are 

exposed. Very similar beds occur in Dry Valley and 

just north of Bluff, but detailed mapping would be 

required before exact equivalence can be confidently 

affirmed. I t is ordinarily exposed in a steep slope, 

though in some places in a vertical cliff capped by 

the conp'lomeratic Salt Wash sandstone member of 

the overlying Morrison ("McElmo") formation. The 

zone of thin al terna tions of shale and sandstone 

weathers in rounded slopes that resemble those of 

shale badlands in appearance but are so hard and so 

thickly covered with small sandstone fragments that 

it is very difficult to maintain one's footing on even 

moderate slopes. , 

Thickness and lithology.-The type section of . the 

Summerville formation includes 163 feet of thin alternating beds of chocolate-colored gypsifer6us mudstone and well-laminated sandstone, with some red 

clays toward the base. Even bedding is not so characteristic as it is in the Woodside anticline, on the 

northeast flank of the Swell, but the beds are fairly 

persistent and regular. To the south the formation 

increases in thickness for some distance, being 258 

feet thick at Horn Silver Gulch and 331 feet near 

Drunk Man's Point. Still farther south it thins considerably, so that near the junction of Starvation and 

Last Chance Creeks it is only 184 feet thick. The 

formation is not everywhere evenly laminated but 

contains a series of lenticular sandstones and shales 

of very irregular thickness, though the group as a 

whole changes only gradually from place to place. 

No measurement was made at Sand Creek, in the 

northern part of the Waterpocket Fold, but the 

formation was estimated to be much thinner there, 

perhaps only 100 feet thick. Eastward from the 

northern part of the Swell the formation is on the 

average somewhat thinner than in the type locality, 

being 128 feet thick in the Woodside anticline, 125 

feet on Cottonwood Springs Wash in sec. 34, T. 19 S., 

R. 13 E. (unsurveyed), 210 feet at Black Dragon 

Wash, on the east side of the Swell, and 125 feet near 

the junction of San Rafael and Green Rivers. Strata· 

120 feet thick just below the Salt Wash sandstone 

member of Lupton's Salt Wash section 21 appear to 

represent the Summerville. N ear Courthouse mail 

station about 60 feet of the Summerville formation 

20 Moore, R, C., oral communication. 

21 Lupton, C. T., Oil and gas near Green River, Utah: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 

541, p. 126, 1914. 

rests directly upon the Entrada, the Curtis not being 

recognizable there. In similar manner at Salt Valley 

55 -feet of the Summerville, and near Dolores River 

90 feet, is present directly above the Entrada sandstone. 

In these more easterly localities the bedding resembles that in the southerly exposures in the Swellthat is, it is marked by interlensing thin sandstones 

and maroon mudstones and shales. Chalcedony concretions are present over the entire area of exposure 

of the Summerville, and bedded gypsum is lilrewise 

very common though not persistent. 

Oonditions of deposition.-In the north end of the 

Swell the Summerville formation appears to represent 

deposition in rather quiet shallow waters, but it is 

ripple-marked and sun-cracked throughout, and its 

sandstones contain -pellets of the interbedded shales. 

The apparent conformity with the marine Curtis formation renders it probable that the Summerville likewise was deposited in an arm of the sea, though the 

gypsum beds, as well as the shallow-water features 

just mentioned, seem to indicate lack of free access 

thereto. Both to the south and to the east, however, 

the irregular lenticular nature of the sandstones 

seems to point to continental deposition, perhaps on 

a fiat shelving plain whose lower portion was covered 

by the shallow marine water in which were deposited 

the even sediments of the northern San Rafael Swell. 

This conception would agree with the general evidence 

tending to show that the Jurassic sea retreated toward 

the northwest. 

The chalcedony concretions are undoubtedly secondary for the most part. Perhaps they are to be ac- .,. 

counted for by vadose circulating waters during the 

exposure of these beds prior to the deposition of the 

unconformably overlying Salt Wash sandstone member of the Morrison formation. 

Age and correlation.-The conformable relation of 

the Summerville with the Curtis formation, which is 

of known Upper Jurassic age, together with the unconformity at the top beneath the Morrison formation 

(pI. 20, 0), whose Cretaceous age is questioned, 

renders it probable that the Summerville formation 

likewise belongs to the Upper Jurassic. No fossils 

have yet been found upon which to base a more 

unequivocal assignment. 

Correlation with beds in other areas must remain 

very tentative in view of the absence of fossils, the 

unconformity just above the Summerville, and the 

rapid lateral variations of the overlying Morrison. 

It is possible that the sandstones of the "lower 

McElmo" of Coffin22 (the "carnotite beds") represent equivalents of the Summerville in western 

Colorado, though they may possibly lie in the Salt 

W ash sandstone member of the Morrison formation. 

12 Coffin, R. C., op. cit., pp. 77-97 
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 81 

CRETACEOUS (1) SYSTEM 

LOWER CRETACEOUS (?) SERIES 

MORRISON FORMATION 

Lower contact.-There is an unconformity, both 

angular and erosional, at the top of the Summerville 

fon11ation. (See pIs. 20, 0, and 21, 0.) The angular 

discordance of the beds above and below is not everywhere apparent, and at no point observed in the San 

Rafael Swell does it exceed 40 , though in the Henry 

.Mountains a divergence of approximately 80 was 

o bserved on the road between Hanksville and the 

Granite ranch, on the northeast foothills of Mount 

Ellen. However, the erosional unconformity is everywhere present. An unconformity at this horizon has 

:been suggested by Emery 23 and Dake. 24 

Lithology and thickness.-The Morrison formation 

,consists of mudstones and clays of variegated colors 

(pI. 21, B), with many channel conglomerates, sand-

:stones, and lenticular limestones and at least locally 

~ome volcanic ash. On the east flank of the Swell, in 

I -the Green River Desert, and to the east there is at 

-the base of the formation a variable thickness, ranging 

:fr0111 about 50 feet to 200 feet or more, of thick 

lenticular conglomeratic sandstones with subordinate 

interbedded shales and mudstones-the Salt Wash 

sandstone nlember. (See pI. 21, 0.) To the west 

.and south this member rapidly diminishes in thickness 

:and in the southwestern part of the Swell is present 

.only at irregular intervals. These variations are 

.ah11ost surely due solely to variations in original 

.deposition, as the lenticular nature of. the individual 

beds of the conglomerate is very evident, and the 

interbedded 111udstones are identical with those of 

-the higher parts of the Morrison. 

The mudstones of the Morrison formation are of 

'various colors, as is usual with the unit elsewhere. 

Green, gray, white, maroon, purple, red, and many 

.other colors are represented in irregular and discontinued development. Most of the mudstones are 

limy, and lenticular liInestones occur here and there 

.at several horizons within them. 

In the northern part of the San Rafael Swell a per-

;sistent conglomerate from 3 to 40 feet thick con-

-taining 111any rounded pebbles of black chert occurs 

.about 250 to 300 feet below the top, but it was not 

.observed as a continuous bed either to the south or 

-to the east. Lenses of similar conglomerate, however, 

l'ecur to the east, though not at a constant horizon. 

Lee 25 believed that in the region from Moab eastward 

.conglO1l1erates siInilar to these may correspond to the 

basal conglomerate of the Cloverly formation of 

'i\Tyoming and should be grouped with overlying 

.highly colored shades and still higher beds of sand-

.stone and locally coal-bearing strata as the Dakota (?) 

IS Emory, W. B., op. cit., p. 573. 

U Dako, O. IJ., op. cit., p. 646. 

liD Loo, W. 'r., u. S. Dcpt. Interior Mem. for the Press, March 30, 1926. 

formation. He interprets the conglomerates in that 

region to be unconformable on the older beds and 

the overlying strata to be unbroken. The inconstancy of the conglomerates, the identical character 

of the overlying and underlying highly colored mudstones, and the practical impossibility of recognizing 

a dividing plane where the conglomerate is absent 

have led to the inclusion of the beds in the Morrison 

for the San Rafael Swell, especially as dinosaur bones 

were seen in the most persistent of these conglomerates . 

The designation Dakota (?) is applied in this paper 

only to the strata iInmediately beneath the Mancos 

shale and unconformably above the highly colored 

shales. 

The thickness of the Morrison formation v~ries 

greatly, both because of original irregularities of 

deposition and because of the notable unconformity 

at the top. East of the Woodside anticline, in the 

northern part of the Swell, it is 725 feet thick; at 

Horn Silver Gulch, on the west flank, 847 feet. Just 

south of Willow Springs Draw, on the west flank, it 

is only 415 feet thick, and it was estimated to be of 

about the same thickness in the north end of the 

Waterpocket Fold. 

N ear Green River the Morrison includes, according 

to the measurements of Lupton/6 475 to 525 feet of 

strata, for the lower 700 feet of his "McElmo formation" constitutes the San Rafael group of the present 

report. In the Salt Valley anticline 640 feet of the 

Morrison is exposed . 

Oonditions oj deposition.-The Morrison formation 

has long been considered an example of a flood-plain 

deposit, laid down by aggrading, wandering streams. 

On this hypothesis the lenticular conglomerates and 

sandstones represent old stream channels; the mud-

. stones represent the deposits away from the main 

channels; and the limestones are believed to be freshwater pond deposits. All the fossil evidence seems 

to harmonize with this interpretation as thoroughly 

as the physical evidence, and it is here accepted. 

Age and correlation.-The Morrison is assigned with 

question by the Geological Survey to the Cretaceous 

system. Many vertebrate remains were seen in the 

area, but only one collection was made. This was 

examined by C. W. Gilmore, who furnished the following information: 

The fossil bones apparently belong to one individual and are 

identified as pertaining to the well-known genus Diplodocus. 

Diplodocus belongs to that group of dinosaurs known as the 

sauropods, which contains the largest ones known. The genus 

is not known outside of the Morrison formation, so the presumption is that these bones come from equivalent beds. 

The limestone layers at places contain poorly preserved shells. One collection, made on Humbug Wash 

from limestones in mudstones between the lenses of 

conglomeratic sandstone of the Salt Wash member, 

26 Lupton, C. E., Oil and gas near Green River, Utah: U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 

541, .D. 124, 1914. 
\ 

\ 

82 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

contains"'S, Unio much like the Morrison Unio nucaZis 

Meek and calcareous tubes of an undeternlined 

organism; perhaps an annelid. 

As the fauna of the formation as observed in this area 

is similar to that of the type Morrison formation and 

the lithology is practically identical, the name Morrison formation is here applied to the strata. Previously the beds have formed part of the ,"McElmo" 

formation, but that name is abandoned here because 

the "McElmo" formation probably contains -at the 

type locality 27 beds equivalent to the Summerville 

formation and more particularly because the term 

"McElmo" has been used by several authors to 

include, in different parts of the plateau province, 

(1) all the strata between the base of the Carmel 

formation and the base of the Dakota sandstone, 

(2) the beds between the base of the Entrada and the 

base of the Dakota, and (3) the beds between the top 

of the Entrada and, the base of the Dakota. Such 

confusion has greatly impaired the usefulness of the 

name. 

CRETACEOUS SYSTEM 

UPPER CRETACEOUS SERIES 

DAKOTA (1) SANDSTONE 

Distribution and topographic expression.-The Dakota (?) sandstone is present around most of the northern part of the San Rafael Swell, where the beds at 

its horizon are exposed, but toward the south it 

becomes less prominent and is absent near Caineville 

and at many of the southwestern exposures along the 

Swell. To the east it is nearly everywhere present 

within the area covered by this study. 

The Dakota (?) sandstone invariably crops out 

either as a cuesta or as a mes.a, for it is interbedded 

with weak mudstones and shales. 

,Stratigraphy.-The Dakota (?) sandstone rests unconformably on the eroded surface of the Morrison 

formation. In places it is lacking entirely; in'places 

it may reach as much as 60 feet in thickness; everywhere it is extremely variable in constitution. It is 

ordinarily a rather friable buff to brown conglomerate, 

containing well-rounded pebbles of white, brown, 

black, and red quartz and chert in a matrix of coarsegrained cross-bedded sandstone. In some places it is 

very firmly cemented with silica and is a quartzite; but 

in most exposures it is cemented with lime, in places 

rather loosely. 

.Age and correZation.-Richardson collected typical 

Dakota plants from the sandstone near Elgin and near 

Woodside.28 These fix the age of the beds as in the 

early part 'of the Upper Cretaceous, but although the 

stratigraphic succession and lithology are similar to 

those of beds widely accepted as Da,kota, the likelihood 

of differences in age at so great distances from the 

27 Lee, W. T., oral communication. 

28 Richardson, G. B., Reconnaissance of the Book Cliffs coal field: U. S. Geol. 

Survey Bull. 371, p, 14, 1909. -

original Dakota localit.y and the difference of opinion 

as to how much shall be included under the name make 

it seem best to apply a guestion mark to the correlation. 

MANCOS SHALE 

The Mancos shale overlies the Dakota (?) sandstone 

with apparent conformity, usually with transitional 

contact. It crops out over a large area in Castle 

Valley, the broad plain south of the Book Cliffs and 

north of the Henry Mountains. It is everywhere a 

son, easily eroded formation and forms wide valleys 

with badland slopes leading back to steep cliffs which 

are formed by resistant sandstone members within 

the shale or overlying it. 

The relations of the Mancos shale and the overlying 

rocks in the region of Castle Valley and the Wasatch 

Plateau have been recently summarized.29 Only 

casual attention was given to them in the present 

work, as only negligible areas of Mancos were included 

in the district mapped. 

LOCAL SECTIONS 

The measured sections on which the much generalized descriptions and the interpretations given above 

ate largely based are presented in detail below. The 

localities are shown by corresponding numbers on 

Figure 2. 

1. Section 2 miles south of junction of Starvation and Last 

Chance Creeks, in southern part of San Rafael Swell, Utah 

,,' Feet 

Morrison formation:, Gypsum and limy sandstones of, 

various colors, conglomerate at base'. 

Unconformity; surface scoured into hollows 4 feet deep, 

in which occurs the conglomerate at the base of the 

Morrison. 

Summerville formation: 

1. Sandstone, chocolate-red, shaly; thin bedded 

(average 1 inch), well laminated in the large 

but irregularly in the hand specimen; interbedded with some thin green-gray sandstone 

as much as 4 inches thick; much seamed with 

gypsum, which is probably all secondary _ _ _ _ 184 

,Curtis formation: 

2. Sandstone, green-gray, glauconitic, gritty; becomes shaly toward the top; firmly cemented 

at base, softer above; gradation to Summerville through about 4 feet of interbedded redbrown and green-gray sandstone___________ 76 

Unconformity, not obviously angular; sharp lithologic 

change; upper surface of the Entrada sandstone 

bleached to a depth of about 6 inches . 

Entrada sandstone: 

3. Sandstone, red-brown, shaly, in beds as much as 

20 feet thick, alternating with poorly bedded 

lumpy chocolate-brown sandy shale in beds as 

much as 18 inches thick; the whole weathersin a horizontally fluted cliff, in which the 

individual beds are traceable for very long distances ________________ ;. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 299 

19 Spieker, E. M., and Reeside, J. B., jr., Cretaceous and Tertiary formations of 

the Wasatch Plateau, Utah: Geol. Soc. America Bull., vol. 36, No.3, pp. 43,5-454, 

1925. 
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 

Entrada sandstone-Continued. Feet 

4. Sandstone, red-brown, massive, cross-bedded; 

weathers in rounded exfoliating masses and 

forms a strong ledge_____________________ 14 

5. Chocolate-brown sandy shale and thin crossbedded micaceous shaly sandstone; beds 

about 4 inches thick; stands in a horizontally fl u ted cliff _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 23 

6. Sandstone, shaly, massive, cross-bedded, resistant; weathers in a strong rounded ledge 

traceable for long distances_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

7. Sandstone and shale, like No.3, except that 

there are no sharp divisions between the 

more sandy and the less salidy beds, and ,the 

sandsto'nes weather into "stone babies" and 

rounded masses; much seamed with secondary 

gypsum--------------------------------- 337 

Total Entrada sandstone _____________ 675 

Apparent conformity. 

Carmel formation: 

8. Mudstone, orange-brown, very soft; with some 

interbedded green silt and much selenite 

veining_________________________________ 8 

9. Silt, light green, and gypsum, containing seams 

of white and nodules of red-brown selenite; 

forms an irregular ledge with some interbedded lavender shale at some places; thick- ness variable _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

10. Shale, light green, soft; forms slope__________ 6~ 

11. Silt, light green, and shale, band~d with gypsum; forms low ledge_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 29 

12. Shale, light grayish green, limy, with some 

slightly ripple-bedded shaly limestone_ _ _ _ _ _ 41~ 

13. Interbedded green and chocolate-red gypsiferous 

silt and mudstone, much seamed with selenite; forms a slope_______________________ 6~ 

14. Mudstone, reddish brown, poorly consolidated_ 1 

15. Silt, grayish green, and gypsum-------------- ~ 

16. Mudstone, like No. 14______________________ 2 

17. Shale, light grayish green, limy, with some thin 

alabaster gypsum beds in a 4-foot zone about 

the middle of the member _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ~7~ 

18. Silt,' like No. 15, except that there is more 

gypsum in nodules toward the base________ 3 

19. Shale, like No. 12 __________________________ ' 2 

20. Gypsum, in some places with light-grE!en silt, 

elsewhere constituting the entire unit _______ , 3 

21. Shale, light green; gypsiferous, containing many 

seams of selenite averaging half an inch to 1 

inch thick; bedding contorted, highly folded; 

upper 1 to 4 feet a continuous ledge _______ _ 

22. Shale, light greenish gray, limy ___________ ' __ _ 

23. Gypsum"white; forms a ledge ___ ~-----------

24. Silt, light grayish green, gypsiferous--~- ______ _ 

25. Shale, grayish green, limy, interbedded with 

shaly limestone; forms' a slope ____________ _ 

26. Limestone, light greenish gray finely laminated; 

weathers into thin plates; forms a low ledge __ ' 

27. Shale, light greenish gray, with seams of gypsum as much as half an inch thick _____________ _ 

28. Silt, reddisll brown ________________________ _ 

29. Silt, light yellowish green ~and grayish green, with some limy shale _____________________ _ 

30. Silt, like No. 28 ___________________________ _ 

31. Silt anq shale, like No. 2'9 __________________ _ 

32. Lim~stone, light greenish gray, less shaly toward the top; weathers in thin plates ______ _ 

11 

15~ 

1 

1 

10 

1 

2% 

1~ 

17~ 

1 

2 

5 

Carmel formation-Con tin ued. 

33. Gypsum (alabaster) _______________________ _ 

34. Shale, light green, limy; weathers light yellow- ish green _______________________________ _ 

35. Silt, light greenish yellow; gypsiferous, grading 

toward the top into white gypsum with subordinate silt ________ ~ ________ ~ ___________ _ 

36. Gypsum, white ____________________________ _ 

37. Silt, light grayish green, gypsiferous; shaly in places __________________________________ _ 

38. Gypsum, white, including' a minor amount of 

light greenish-~ray limestone __________ ., __ _ 

39. Silt, light yellowish green and reddish brown, gypsiferous _________________ ~ ___________ _ 

40. Gypsum and limestone, like No. 38~ _________ _ 

41. Gypsum, white, resis~ant; forms a ledge ______ _ 

42. Silt, greenish yellow and reddish brown; 

gypsiferous, especially toward the top ______ _ 

43. Silt, reddish br<?wn and brick-red, gypsiferous--

44: Limestone, light greenish gray, somewhat shaly, 

partly replaced (?) by gypsum- ___________ _ 

'45. Limestone, light greenish gray to br~ght yellow, 

somewhat sandy, ripple-marked; gypsum 

along joint planes; weathers in thin platy slabs in lower part _______________________ _ 

46. Limestone, light and dark gray, massive; 

blocky, ledge-formi~g ___________ ~ _______ _ 

47. Limestone, light and dark gray, thin bedded, 

piaty; forms slope __________________ ~ ___ _ 

48. Limestone, like No. 46 _____________________ _ 

49. Limestone, resistant, banded light gray and 

light yellow ____________________________ _ 

50. Limestone, gray, weathering brownish yello~; platy, cross-bedded on a small scale 

in lower and upper parts; middle massive; 

forms resistant ledge ____________________ _ 

51. Mudstone, reddish brown, sofL _____________ _ 

52. Limestone, gray, thinly laminated, soft _____ _ 

53. Limestone, Hght greenisp gray, sandy; ripplemarked and ripple-bedded; platy, except 

upper 5 feet, which forms massive ledge ___ _ 

54. Limestone, very light gray, slabby, nonre- sistant ______________ ,. _______________ , ~ __ 

55. Limestone, white, ledge-forming; in places 

somewhat sandy; irregular in thick ness _____ , ; 

56. Sandstone, greenish gray, fine grained, limy; 

lower 1 to 4 feet finely laminated, ripplebedded; middle part weathers in rounded 

forms; upper part massive, forms irregular 

57. 

58. 

59. 

60. 

61. 

62. 

63. 

64: 

65. 

66. 

67. 

ledge _______________________________ ' ___ ..: 

Silt,' green and yellow, unconsolidated _______ ' __ 

Sandstone, bright yellow, limy, soft __________ _ 

Shale, sandy, light green ____________________ _ 

Sandstone, like No. 58 _____________________ _ 

Sandstone, white to light yellow, limy, fine 

grained, soft; forms a slope except uppermost 2feet ___________________________ ~-------

, Shale, light greenish gray and yellowish _______ _ 

Sandstone and mudstone, yellow to brown, soft 

to hard; forms variable ledge and slope ____ _ 

Mudstone, chocolate-colored, with some' light 

greenish gray shale at base _______________ _ 

Sandstone, light gray, massive, fine grained, limy; forms ledge _______________________ _ 

Mudstone, like No. 57 _____________________ _ 

Sandstone, light greenish gray" fine grained, 

thinly 1 am ina te d, ripple-bedded, limecemented; ledge former but variable along exposure ______ • ________________________ _ 

83 

Feet 

1 

5 

36~ 

3 

3 

3 

8 

5 

7 

1 

772 

27 

172 

3 

672 

2 

34 

1 

1 

3 

3 

23 

5 

5 

1 

1 

4 

1 

1 

2 

1 
84 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Carmel formation--Continued. . Feet 

68. Mudstone, maroon to dark gray, flaky -------- 72 

69. Sandstone, gray to yellow, fine grained, hard, 

sugary; reworked Navajo sandstones, crossbedded on a small scale___________________ 272 

Total Carmel formation___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 44972 

Unconformity. 

Navajo sandstone. 

2. Section on cliffs south of Muddy River, in southwestern part of 

Sin bad, San Rafael Swell, Utah 

Wingate sandstone: Feet 

1. Sandstone, buff to yellow, fine grained, limy, 

friable, highly cross-bedded_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 300+ 

Unconformity, marked by channeled surface, into the depressions of which the overlying sandstone is 

deposited. 

Chinle formation: 

2. Shale, green, sandy, not very well laminated; top 

surface shows channeling to depth of 1 foot or more _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . 3 

3. Sandstone in beds 2 to 3 feet thick; red-brown 

except top foot, which is green; earthy; 

weathers in rounded forms________________ 11 

4. Mudstone, limy, variegated purple and maroon, 

indistinctly laminated; forms a slope_______ 1372' 

5. Sandstone, gray, limy, fine grained, ripplemarked, thin bedded; lenticular, not persent 

in section 100 yards away_________________ 5 

6. Lower part mudstone, blocky, limy, in nearly 

vertical cliff; checks into small angular 

fragments; upper part alternately more and 

less shaly mudstone containing particles of 

grit and fragments of green shale _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 62 

7. Basal part shale, maroon, well laminated; upper 

part variegated mudstone like upper part of 

No.6 and even earthy sandstone__________ 38 

8. Sandstone, shaly, well bedded, olive-green, 

passing upward into well-laminated biotitebearing sandstone which is cross-bedded at 

high angles; thins to less than 1 foot within 

100 yards along the exposure_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 472 

9. Sandstone, greenish gray, highly cross-bedded, 

coarse grained; contains shale pellets_______ 1 

10. Shale, olive-green, flaky, somewhat sandy____ 1 

11. Sandstone, like No. 9 ___________ ~___________ 1 

12. Shale, like No. 10__________________________ 172 

Total Chinle formation _________________ 14172 

Contact apparently conformable. 

Shinarump conglomerate: 

13. Conglomerate, extremely variable, cross-bedded; 

pebbles largely of quartzite, white quartz, and 

white, black, gray, and cream-colored chert 

as much as three-fourths inch in diameter; 

matrix a coarse sandstone with much mudstone locally (probably transported as mud 

balls). Along the exposure the conglomerate 

is everywhere a cliff; in some places it is all in 

one bed; in others it occurs in many 2 to 3 

foot beds separated by mudstone lenses. 

Carbonaceous material is abundant________ 58 

14. Mudstone, green, sandy_____________________ 7 

15. Mudstone, shaly, mottled purple and green, 

showing slickensides on a small scale in 

nearly every plane; forms a ledge __ '-_______ 10 

16. Mudstone, very limy, mottled purple, green, 

and yellow; contains some angular fragments 

of yellow quartz a quarter of an inch or less 

in diameter:- _________________ ;.. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 23 

Shinarump conglomerate-Continued. Feet 

17. Shale, variegated green, brown, ocher, and 

purple; color changes unrelated to bedding; 

forms a smooth slope_____________________ 16 

Total Shinarump conglomerate __________ 114 

Unconformity, smooth surface, sharply cutting between 

decidedly different lithologic types. No angular discordance is discernible. 

Moenkopi formation: 

18. Alternating thin beds of red-brown micaceous 

shale and fine-grained limy red-brown micaceous sandstone, very well bedded; thick 

sandstones at 16-19, 32-36, 205-208, and 

212-217 feet above the base. Gypsum 

nodules occur in some of the sandstones, and 

seams of selenite are very common. Individual beds are traceable for long distances-v 

the sandstones as ledges, the shales as rounded sunken surfaces ________________ _ 

19. Sandstone, very limy, cross-bedded, in 6-inch 

beds; contains some shale partings and some 

2-inch gypsum seams near the base; forms a persistent ledge _________________________ _ 

20. Shale, maroon, flaky, evenly bedded, with a few 

thin limy sandstone beds at 12 to 14 feet from thebase _______________________________ _ 

21. Sandstone, micaceous, very limy; forms a strong 

persistent ledge,. ripple-marked and cross- bedded throughout ______________________ _ 

22. Shale, micaceous, evenly bedded, 'with subordinate shaly sandstones that weather intorounded forms; much selenite in seams _____ _ 

23. Alternating shale and sandstone, like No. 18, 

except that the heavy sandstones 'occur between 27 and 30 feet above the base and' in 

the top 4 feet of the unit _________________ _ 

24. Sandstone, red-brown, ripple-marked, very 

evenly bedded, micaceous; upper foot slabby; 

persistent ledge former ________ ,.. _________ _ 

25. Shale and sandstone, like No. 18, but without 

heavysandstones _______________________ _ 

26. Sandstone, like No. 24 ______________________ _ 

27. Shale, red-brown, slightly sandy, micaceous __ _ 28. Sandstone, like No. 24 _____________________ _ 

29. Shale, like No. 27 _________________________ _ 

30. Sandstone, like No. 24 _____________________ _ 

31. Alternating shale and sandstone, like No. 18 __ _ 

Sinbad limestone member: 

32. Limestone, gray, ripple-marked, sandy, 

cross-bedded; lower half in one bed, 

upper part in beds 6 inches or less 

in thickness ____________________ 672 

33. Shale, green-gray to blue-gray, well 

laminated; no sand present ______ 1 

34. Limestone, like No. 32 _____________ 872 

35. Shale, like No. 33 _________________ 672 

36. Limestone, gray; weathers to creamcolored or yellow; in beds 2 irlChes 

to 3 feet thick;' slightly sandy, 

somewhat cross:"bedded; vuggy 

and cherty in places; especially 

toward the top, where the nodules 

lie in layers parallel to the bedding; 

some thin shale partings lto 2 inches 

thick; oolitic to dense, fossiliferous 

at a few horizons; silicified in 

places; contains blebs of asphalt; 

Usually in one'vertical ledge, but 

locally in a series of vertical steps_ 6872 

291 

21 

46 

47~ 

21 

2 

72 

1 

272 

25% 

41 
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF SAN RA.FAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 85 

Moenkopi formation-Continued. 

Sin bad limestone member-Continued. Feet 

37. Sandstone, green-gray, limy, petroliferous, shaly, with a few partings of 

green shale; a number of. selenite 

seams, and some gypsum nodules 

at the base; becomes sandier upward; at 12· feet above the base 

becomes a red-brown earthy, limy 

sandstone, well bedded, ripplemarked, micaceous, very fine 

grained. Weathers into ledge below 

and rounded slope above. Partings 

of red-brown shale, mottled with 

green, begin at 27 feet above base 

and increase to top of unit, though 

the sandstone facies predominates ___ 62 

Total Sin bad limestone member _ _ _ 153 

38. Sandstone, shaly, tan; limy, increasingly so 

toward top; ripple-marked and ripplebedded throughout; thin bedded, more shaly 

and less shaly beds alternate in slopes and 

subordinate ledges; one 2:inch bea of very 

black petroliferous sandstone 33 fett abov.e 

the base; in upper part, gypsiferous yeJlowbrown shale alternates with the sandstone; 

a ·3-foot bed ot very clean blue-green shale 

occurs 3 feet above the base______________ 39 

39. Conglomeratic sandstone and conglomerate in 

beds 1 inch to several feet thick; pebbles, 

largely of milk-blue chert derived from the 

Kaibab, greatest diameter noted, 1 inch____ 4 

40. Sandstone, shaly, containing chert particles; 

interbedded with sandy green-gray Hmy micaceous shale ______________________ ._ ___ 9 

41. Sandstone, gray, gritty, quartzose, cross-beddeci; 

variable along exposure; contains pebbles 

like those of No. 23 except that. greatest· size 

is three-eighths inch; also waterworn asphalt graiIls __________________________________ 1 to ~ 

42. Shale, green-gray, gypsiferous, sandy _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ~ 

43. Sandstone, like No. 4L ______________________ 1 to 31 

44. Sandstone, tan, gritty; very thin bedded, with 

some thin sandy shale; weathers in a slope__ 631 

45. Conglomerate, like No. 39__________________ 31 

46. Sandstone, green-gray, shaly, very limy; contains chert particles and is not conglomeratic; 

interbedded with micaceous sandy shale_ _ _ _ 27:) 

Total Moenkopi formation _______ .;. ___ 734 

Unconformity, irregular erosion surface with apparent 

relief of about 10 feet in an area of 2 or 3 acres. 

Kaibab limestone: Top bed is a very limy sandstone, 

gray with some black; weathers into rounded forms. 

3. Section ne.ar The Tanks, in southern PC!rt of Sinbad, San 

Rafael Swell, Utah 

Feet 

Moenkopi formation: Ch~rt conglomerate, containing 

much silt and passing upward into gypsiferous shale. 

Erosional unconformity with relief of 40 feet in a few 

acres of exposure. 

Kaibab limestone: Chiefly cream-colored to gray sandy 

limestone with many shaly nodules, crinoid fragments, 

and milk-blue chert nodules as much as 1~ inches in 

din,meter; beds 1 to 4 feet thick. Part near top is less 

sandy and darker gray and shows cleavage facets of 

calcite as much as one-eighth inch in diameter. Basal 

10 feet a fine-grained, limy sandstone, somewhat shaly 

passing laterally and vertically into the limeston~ facies. No sharp lithologic change within the forma- ~on _________________________________________ ~__ 69 

95489°-28--7 

Contact, apparently transitional and indefinite within 2 

feet. 

Qoconino sandstone: Sandstone, commonly gray to 

white but blotched with yellow-brown and rarely 

maroon; fine grained, sugary; the quartz grains clean, 

rounded to subrounded, with many "frosted II surFeet 

faces; highly cross-bedded and jointed without any 

apparent system; exposed__ __ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 50+ 

j. Section on Muddy River, San Rafael Swell, Utah, between 

mouth of Salt Gulch and mouth of Willow Springs Wash 

Curtis formation (basal part): Feet 

1. Conglomerate of pebbles of gray chert, 

jasper, flint, gray limestone, and green 

chert, rather well rounded, ranging froiD 

one-sixteenth inch to 1~ inches in diameter; matrix of green-gray glauconitic 

sandstone___________________________ 2 

Unconformity, slightly wavy; the material below 

cracked and bleached for a few inches 

and sharply different from that above. 

Entrada sandstone: 

2. Mudstone, chocolate-brown, slightly sandy, 

with some ripple:..bedded sandstone ____ _ 

3. Sandstone, red-brown, massive, ripple- bedded ____________________________ _ 

4. Sandstone, shaly, ripple-marked, soft; forms a slope ____________________________ _ 

5. Sandstone, shaly, massive, concretionary __ 

6. Sandstone, soft, red-brown, with subordinate chocolate-colored mudstones; indistinctly bedded; weathers into a slope like shale _________________________ _ 

7. Sandstone, red-brown, earthy, massive; 

weathers into "stone babies·II

; not well exposed ____________________________ _ 

8. Sandstone, fine to coarse. grained, ripplemarked and cross-bedded; purple, greengray, chocolate-brown; seamed with gypsum; forms a strong persistent ledge· ___ _ 

9. Mudstone, chocolate-brown, sandy, soft, 

indistinctly bedded; forms a slope broken 

by subdued ledges of slightly more sandy beds ______________________________ _ 

10. Sandstone, red-brown, fine grained, somewhat shaly, ripple-bedded; gritty in 

parts, almost approaching a fine conglomerate; cross-bedded, somewhat 

lenticular; forms an irregular ledge ___ _ 

11. Sandstone, brick-red and gray, thin bedded, 

ripple-bedded, alternating with chocolate-brown mudstone and shale in beds 

about 3 inches thick; upper 12 feet massive, poorly bedded and slightly con- torted _________________________ ~ ___ _ 

12. Sandstone, massive, very gypsiferous; forms a ledge __________________ .:. ____ _ 

13. Silt, dark chocolate-brown, soft, oondy __ _ 

14. Sandstone, shaly, massive, limy, seamed 

somewhat with selenite; toward top 

almost a sandy gypsum; forms a ledge __ 

15. Sandstone, brick-red and gray, thin bedded, 

ripple-bedded, alternating with chocolate-brown mudstone and shale in beds 

averaging 3 inches in thickness except 

for a 2-foot sandstone ledge 16 feet 

from the base ____________ ..: _________ _ 

14 

3 

4 

16 

142 

33 

68 

2~ 

4 

6 

48 
86 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Entrada sandstone-Continued. 

16. Gypsum (alabaster), sandy; forms a ledge,', 

though friable; selenite common in seams _________ ~_~ _________________ _ 

17., Sandstone, soft, friable; red-brown, earthy, 

fine grained, cross-bedded; weathers in 

rounded forms_.::.. ________ ; ___________ _ 

18. Sandstone, brick-red and gray, thin bedded, 

ripple-bedded, alternating with chocolate-. 

brown mudstone and shale in thin beds_ 

19. Gypsum, like No. 16 ___________________ _ 

20. Series o( alternating beds of poorly bedded 

red silty sandstone, forming le~ges, and 

dark cp.oGol~te-brown,' blocky, shaly 

sandston~ 'which forins "niches; a few 

~':'inch 'limestones., Each: 'Individual 

, layer is p~orlYhedde.d' but pE:lrsistent, 

giving the cliff the "l;tp'peaJ:ance of the 

edges of the leaves of a booK _________ _ 

~1. qypsuin like No. 16 _____ '_' __ "_' __ ' ________ _ 

.. "22.' Alternating beds like No. 20_. __ ~ ________ _ 

23. Sandstone, red-brown, massive; forms a ~o~e __ ~ _____________ ~ ____ ~----_---~ 

24. Sandstone, red-brown, massive';' forms a 

le~ge------------~---------------~-~ 

!' t25. Sandstone, d~rk red-brown, shaly; bedding ,I hpparent and very 'even when 

viewed"in,'the large but invisible in the 

l:land specimen;, ~ very gypsiferous zone 

at '42 feet abo~e'lhe base_~ __ ~ __ ~,.. ___ _ 

26. Concealed by valley 'filL _______________ _ 

27. Sandstone, light brick-red, ledge-forming, 

can b~ traced for miles __ ,-------------

28. Sa~dstone, do~i~antly brown, but with 

soine gray shaly layers; gypsiferous, 

soft,,,, fr.iable; weathers into ,a b~nded 

slope like a ~hale; at places along .strike 

Feet 

1~ 

24 

2~ 

12 

2 

19 

32 

I'o 

61 

155 

29 

stands in cliffs ________ :- _______ .;, ____ :__ 136 

----- , ,:rot~lE~trada sand~t~ne----------' 843~ ==== 

Contact conformable; a sharp)ithologic change only 

, at this horizon. ' ' , 

Carmel formation: 

29. Gypsum, orange-red, porous, silty. ____ - ~ -_ 

30. Silt, red-bro~n, with some purple shale and 

mucp. secondary gypsum_ - - - - - - - ':' _ - - -_ 

31. Sandstone, shaly, red-brown;, form.s a ledge_ 

32. Shale, green-gray, ~aky - ~c-~- --- - - -,- - - -,.-

33. Gypsum, pink, with som~ ,green silt, and chert ___________ ~ ____ ~ __ ~ __________ _ 

34. Silt, red-brown, passIng into green-gray 

shale _____ -' ____________ ----- - - - - - - - ~ 

35. Gypsum, porous, impure, and green silt 

with much secondary chert ____ - - - - - - --

36. Shale and sandstone, greenish gray, ripplebedded, lenticular _______ - - ___ - - - - - - - -

37. Gypsum and silt, like No. 35 ___________ _ 

38. Shale and sandstone, like No.' 36 _____ - _ --

39. Silt, red-brown, gypsiferous_ -' - - - - - - - - - - --

40. Gypsum, impure, with much green silt; 

bedding highly contorted _____ - - - - - - --

41. Silt, red-brown' at base, passing up into 

greenish-gray flaky, somewhat sandy 

shale, with some ripple-bedded lenticular 

sandstone at about' 25 feet above the base _______________________________ _ 

42. Gypsum, impure, banded with green silt; some pink selenite crystals ___________ _ 

5 

1 

10 

7 

31 

6 

I Carmel formation-Continued. 

43. Shale, green, alternating with a minor 

amount of chocolate-brown silt; some seleni te seams ______________________ _ 

44. Alternating green sandstone and shale, thin 

bedded, ripple-bedded throughout; shale 

predominant. Ripples trend N. 60° E., 

of current type and indicating current 

from wesL ____ ..: ____________________ _ 

45. Silt, chOCOlate-brown, unconsolidated ____ _ 

46. Gypsum, contaminated with much red and 

green silt __________________________ _ 

47. Shale, greenish gray, well laminated, with some lenses of sandstone _____________ _ 

48. Sandstone, limy, thin bedded (average onefourth inch), oscillation-ripple marked 

throughout (trend N. 40° E.) _________ _ 

49. Shale, greenish gray; with subordinate very 

thin sandstone lenses; ripple-bedded throughout _________________________ _ 

50. Sandstone, friable, poorly bedded, oscillalation-ripple marked, somewhat shaly; 

,contains both light and dar~ mica and 

includes a few thin lenses of greenish shale ____________ ' _________________ :- _ 

51. Shale, green, maroon, a~d chocolate-brown, 

alternating ________________________ .:_ 

52. Gypsum, impure, with much green' silt and , secon~ary jasPer ____________________ _ 

53. Silt, red ________ .:: _____________________ _ 

54. Shale, green ____ ~ _____________________ _ 

55. Gypsum, impure, with green and red silt 

and jasper crusts ________ '- ___________ _ 

56. Silt, reddish brown, gypsiferous_.:: ______ .;,:; 

57. Gypsum, pink, impure ______________ :... __ _ 

58. Shale, green __________________ . ________ ~ 

59. Gypsum, greenish, impure, with green:'sil£ 

and some pink selenit'e ________ ~, ___ ·· ___ _ 

60. Shale, green _____________________ ~ _ ~ __ _ 

61. Gypsum, like No. 59 _______________ ~!~--~' 

62. Shale, green ____________________ ~,,,,! _,----

63. Gypsum with much 'interbedded'green shale ______________________________ _ 

64. Shale, green __________________________ _ 

65. Alternating 'gypsum, green-gray rippled 

sandstone, and subordinate flaky greengray shale; more gypsifer()u~ in upper part _____________________ ~----- ____ _ 

,66. Shale, green, becoming sandier up~ard and 

, passing into' poorly bedded shaly sand-' ' 

stone at the top __ ~ _________________ _ 

67. Gypsum, snow-white, mottled with small 

aggregates of greenish and red silt; many 

selenite seams 1 inch thick cutting across 

and parallel to the bedding planes ____ _ 

68. Shale, greenish, with some blue; highly 

gypsiferousand seamed with selenite __ _ 

69. Gypsum, impure, largely reddish brown 

with some green, persistent ___________ _ 

70. Shale, green, with some soft greenish-yellow 

fine-grained sandstone; about 70 per cent shale ______________________________ _ 

71. Gypsum, impure, with irregular beds of 

green limestone and shale at the base; 

a layer of soft yellow shaly unconsolidated sand 10 to 12 feet above the base; 

white gypsum containing pockets of 

yellow sand above that to top of member_ 

72. Shale, lenticular" greel).ish ,gray, flaky ____ _ 

Feet 

5 

19 

2 

1 

1 

11 

20 

1~ 

9 

7 

2~ 

2 

1 

6 

2~ 

4~ 

1 

9 

1 

2 

7 

51 

18 

6 

32 

28 

2 
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF SAN RA.FAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT .AREAS IN UTAH 87 

Carmel formation-Continued. 

73. Sandstone, yellow, soft, fine grained, very 

. fHable except at the top; weathers a peculiar yellow-brown ______ . _________ _ 

74. Gypsum" spongy, crystalline, white, with 

much yellow clay and silt distributed 

through it ___ .':'_' _________ ~ __________ _ 

75. Shale and shaly,lim'estone, greenish gray, 

veined with gypsum along and across the 

bedding; passes completely into limestone within 100 feet along exposure and 

then into gypsum 150 feet farther on __ _ 

76., Shale, greenish gray, limy, with some sec- ondary gypsum ____________ -' _______ ~_ 

77. Gypsum, largely pink selenite, streaked 

wi th green sil t _________ , _____________ _ 

78. Silt, unconsolidated, red-brown, highly 

gYPl3iferpl,ls __ -.:. _ ------ __ -- __ ------- --

79. Shale, green-gray, limy, seamed with greenish gypsum, especially near the top ___ _ 

80. Gypsum (alabaster) containing isolated 

crystals oJ selenite as much as threeeighths inch long; thickness variable __ _ 

81. Mudstone, reddish brown, much fractured 

and jointed; cracks filled with fibrous 

selenite, at some places 2% inches thick, 

associated with' jasper crusts; some 

greenish shale and sandstone in upper part _______________ ~ _______________ _ 

82. Gypsum (impure alabaster) with ,shale 

streaks and selenite,.as in No. 80 _____ _ 83. Shale, green _________ -';.. _______________ _ 

84. Gypsum, like No. 82_':. _________________ _ 

85. Shale, limy, platy, very thin bedded _____ _ 

86. Sandstone, greenish gray, fine grained, ripple-bedded, with some green silt along 

the bedding surfaces; filJely laininated 

in upper part; forms ledge ___________ _ 

87. Shale, gray, limy, platy, weathering almost 

white, and thin lenses of ,ripple-bedded 

,greenis'h-gray Band,stone; increasing up-

. ward. Unit seamed with selenite, some 

of which has altered to cbert. _________ _ 

88. Lime.stone, variable; in places oolitic, in 

places dense or' sandy., :even a shaly sandstone; passes from one phase to the 

other ,both across and along the bedding; 

forms a strong ledge, the top 8 feet· being 

a persistent dense limestone; breaks into 

slivers usually, though locally platy; 

fossiliferous; Trigonia and Camptonectes especially plentifuL _______________________ _ 

89. Gypsum ,and green-gray sandy, shale and 

sandstone, greatly contorted on a small 

scale, especially around gypsum nodules 

in the shale and sandstone; about 25 

per cent gypsum ____________________ _ 

90. Sandstone, greenish gray, weathering 

brown, shaly, very fine grajned, poorly 

bedded; weathers into rounded forms. 

Some subordinate layers of clean sandstone ,sho'w cross-bedding on a small scale ______________________________ _ 

91. Sandstone, gray, clean, mostly limy but 

siliceous in places, thin bedded, crossbedded on a small scale; forms strong ledge _________________________________________ _ 

Feet 

1 

11 

5 

7 

12 

5 

3% 

6 

13 

,22 

78 

2 

12 

Carmel forma tion-Continued., 

92. Shale, greenish. gray, .micaceous,' unctuous, 

and some subordinate thin lenses of 

greenish-gray limy ripple-bedded sand- stone ______________________________ _ 

93. Conglomerate or breccia, largely of flint 

pebbles but with some clear and some 

rp.ilky quartz 1 inch in largest dimension, 

poorly sorted; unit caver~lOUS but firmly cemented ______ ~ ___________________ _ 

. _ ,,91 . .Gypsum, impure, yellowish gray, with 

much limestone and shale; somewhat 

spongy in texture ___________________ _ 

95. Sandstone, reddish brown, fine· graine~; 

soft, almost unconsolidated in lower 

part; g~ay 'and slightly better cemented above _____________________________ _ 

96. Sandstone, yellowish gray, very irregularly 

bedded and including pockets of maroon 

shale; soft at base, harder and better 

bedded toward top, a hard, limy greenish-gray ledge 2% feet thick __________ _ 

97. Sandstone, shaly, poorly bedded; weathers 

into rounded forms below and slabs 

above; persistent limy 'zone at top ____ _ 

~ 98. Sandstone, blue-gray weathering dark 

brown; hard, limy, somewhat shaly but 

resistant; beds about 2 inches thick ____ _ 

99. Shale, dark blue-gray, carbonaceous, with 

some thin, very limy ripple-bedded lenticular sandstones and sandy limestones; 

some reddish-brown iron concretions 

near the base; shale constitutes 85 per cent of unit_:.._:.. _____________________ _ 

100. Limestone (a coquina in places) a'nd shale, 

alternating in beds about 2 inches thick; 

some rill marks in the limestone, which' 

is very vuggy _______________________ _ 

101. Shale, greenish gray, carbonaceous,' well 

laminated, almost black on fresh exposure, weathering with ,dark reddish-brown streaks _____________________________ _ 

102. Limestone, dense, very hard, with .some 

shale containing red calcite blebs; forms 

a strong ledge; fossiliferous; Trigonia 

and Camptonectes especially common ___ _ 

103. ~Shale, green-gray, carbonaceous, limy, in 

some places slightly sandy; blocky in 

lower part, platy above; forms a slope __ 

104. Sandstone, dark reddish brown, limy, varying to sandy limestone and in some places 

a clean, dense purple limestone, extremely , 

fossiliferous; forms a strong persistent ledge ______________________________ _ 

105. Limestone, gray, dense in some places, 

oolitic in others; very hard; forms a 

ledge; fossiliferous, locally almost a co- quina ______________________________ _ 

106. Shale, limy, gray, varying to soft, welllaminated shaly limestone; fossiliferous; 

forms a slope _______________________ _ 

107. Shale, sandy, greenish gray, varying to 

thin-bedded soft sandstone; both limy 

and veined with selenite; fossiliferous; forms'a slope _______________________ _ 

108. Sandstone, evenly bedded, fine grained, 

tan, limy, very resistant; forms a ledge; 

composed of reworked Navajo sandstone_ 

Feet 

9 

18 

12% 

14 

3 

7 

1 

1 

2 

2% 

1 

4 

2~ 

11 

Total Carmel formation _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 648-652%, 

Unconformity, cutting cross-bedding of Navajo sharply. 
88 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

lie Section of Dakota (?) sandstone and Morrison formation in 

terrace 2 miles south .of Willow Springs Wash, west flank of 

San Rafael Swel~, Utah 

Mancos shale. 

Apparent conformity. 

Dakota (?) sandstone: 

1. Sandstone, yellow-gray, cross-bedded, ripplemarked, gritty; in two beds separated by 3 

feet of dark-gray carbonaceous sha1e ____ _ /. 

Unconformity; contact a scoured surface. 

Morrison formation: 

2. Mudstone, purple variegated with white, 

bluish gray, maroon, and reddish brown; 

contains many small lenses of nodular 

silicified limestone, caliche-like zones, and 

thin sandstone lenses, some conglomeratic, none over 2 feet thick and a few scores of feet wide _______________ -----

3. Conglomerate and sandstone, brownish gray, 

very hard, lenticular _________________ _ 

4. Mudstone, like No.2, rather limy; at 46 and 

55 feet above the base nodular jasper 

lenses 1 foot thick ___________________ _ 

5. Chert and jasper, nodular; interbedded with 

bentonitic (?) clay and poorly bedded 

light-gray coarse sandstone, which is only 

partly cemented ____________________ _ 

6. Mudstone, dominantly purple, gray, and 

maroon; contains some thin nodular silicified limestone, a few thin lenticular 

sandstonfi)S, and at 12 feet above the base 

a persistent 2 to 4 foot-limestone _____ _ 

7. Sandstone of lenticular" channel" type; very limy and cherty _____________________ _ 

Feet 

13 . 

189 

8 

12431 

86 

1-5 

Total Morrison formation _________ 414-418 

Summerville formation: Thin-bedded orange-red 

shaly sandstone and sandy shale with some interbedded thin gray limy sandstones. 

~. Section in gulch southwest of Drunk Man'.s Point, San Rafael 

Swell, Utah 

Summerville formation (part): Feet 

1. Alternating thin-bedded lilac to brick-red 

clays and soft gray sandstone______________ 18 

Curtis formation: 

2. Sandstone, gray, soft; forms a slope except the 

bottom 6 inches, which is platy and forms a 

ledge; some thin dark-green c'ross-bedded 

sandstones and a little purple shale are 

interbedded; upper 3 inches contains shale 

pellets__________________________________ 11 

. 3. Sandstone, green-gray, soft except for a basal 

ledge-forming bed ________ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6 

·4. Sandstone, green-gray, soft, with a few harder 

beds but no ledges; forms slope____________ 1131 

.5. Sandstone, green-gray, concretionary, limy; forms ledge______ __ _ _ __ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ 1 

·6. Sandstone, light greenish gray, soft, nonper- sistent __________________ -_ _ _ __ _____ __ ___ 8 

'1. Sandstone, green-gray, weathering brown, 

ripple-bedded, very hard and limy, concre- tionary; forms a ledge ________________ · ___ '_' 1 

Curtis formation-Continued. Feet 

8. Sandstone, green-gray, weathering brown, medium to coarse grained, massive; bedding indistinct, with some ripple-marked surfaces; 

weathers into biscuit-shaped limy masses; 

contains some carbonaceous seams, and a 

rather resistant 4-foot bed about 30 feet above 

the base; cross-bedding more evident above 

this bed than below iL___________________ 88 

9. Sandstone, shaly, greenish gray, soft, much 

cross-bedded; true bedding irregular, rarely 

evident; carbonaceous, especially along certain seams; secondary seams of selenite comnion; some rusty strata interbedded________ 931 

10. Sandstone, green-gray, very hard, firmly cemented, medium grained; contains pellets of 

green shale as much as 1 inch long and threeeighths inch thick and much carbonized 

vegetable matter; forms ledge_ - ______ - - _ - - 331 

11. Sandstone, greenish gray, fine grained, blocky; 

no evident beclding_______________________ 2~ 

12. Shale, green-gray, poorly laminated; limy, with 

some concretions and many selenite seams; 

some thin ripple-bedded sandstone lenses as 

much as three-fourths inch thick_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5 

13. Sandstone, massive, silty, cross-bedded throughout, lime-cemented, some secondary gypsum 

seams; carbonaceous in places_____________ 4 

14. Shale, greenish gray, and lenticular ripplebedded sandstone alternating in thin beds; 

unit sandier toward the top_______________ 6 

15. Sandstone, very limy, ripple-bedded; upper 

half forms a ledge; lower half soft and slightly 

shaly; not persistenL____________________ 1~ 

16. Shale, green-gray, in i)laces concretionary, containing many beds about half an inch thick of 

lenticular cross-bedded fine gray sandstone. 

This unit grades into sandstone within a 

quarter of a mile along the exposure_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 15 

Total Curtis formation _______________ 173~ 

Unconformity; surface of Entrada sandstone covered 

with veneer of pebbles of black chert and gray limestone, which are somewhat embedded in the' sandstone 

in places; the surface was exposed to weathering and 

then reconsolidated. Contact surface strikes N. 7° E. 

and dips 3~o W. 

Entrada sandstone: Sandstone, red-brown, earthy, massive, thick bedded, strike N. 20° E., dip 2~o W., 

exposed to level of Salt Gulch, at least 400 feet. 

7. Section in Saddle Horse Canyon, San Rafael Swell, Utah 

Navajo sandstone: Sandstone, buff to yellow-gray, 

massive; cross-bedded on a very large scale; forms 

vertical cliff. 

Transitional contact. 

Todilto (?) formation: 

1. Shale, green, very sandy _________________ _ 

2. Sandstone, white to !:,reenish gray, Ir.uch 

cross-bedded; contains a few shale peliets, 

shale lenses, and small limonite concretions __________________ ~--------------

3. Shale: green, passing by gradation . into 

No. 2 _______________________________ _ 

4. Sandstone, greenish gray, hard,. in "one bed; 

ripple-marked throughout, cross-bedded 

on a very minute scale; contains flakes 

of shale _________________________ ~ ____ _ 

Ft. in . 

1 

4 3 

3 6 

8 
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 89 

Todilto (?) formation-Continued. Ft. in. 

5. Shale, maroon, clayey____________________ 6 

6. Sandstone, like No. 4_____________________ 6 

7. Shale, green at base, passing up into maroon; 

flaky_________________________________ 8 

8. Sandstone, buff, tangentially cross-bedded; 

weathers into benches and slopes-the 

benches made by thin laminre containing 

small shale particles and spherical limy' 

nodules one-sixteenth to one-fourth inch 

in diameteL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 12 6 

9. Sandstone, white and tan, containing green 

shale pellets; coarse grained, ripple-marked 

and ripple-bedded throughout _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 2 

10. Sandstone, pink, very micaceous,'thin bedded; 

top surface channeled with a relief of 

more than a foot______________________ 8 

11. Sandstone, white, very micaceous, ripp]emarked throughout, cross-bedded, with 

chiefly angular but some tangential crossbedding at' angles as great as 280 ; contains many comminuted fragments of 

green shale_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

12. Shale parting, green _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

13. Sandstone, pink, in beds averaging 6 to 8 

inches thick with thinner bedding at 

bottom and top __ - ___ - - _______ ..: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5 

14. Sandstone, in alternating laminae of pale red 

and white, carrying small fragments of 

green shale; fine grained, cross-bedded; 

has a very limy layer with hummocky 

surface about 6 inches below the top; 

top 6 inches a micaceous shale conglomerate with shale pebbles as much as 2 

inches in diameter, though the average 

is about three-eighths inch ________ :_____ 6 

15. Shale, maroon, slightly sandy______________ 1 

16. Sandstone, light red, with a few partings' of 

maroon shale; carries pellets and flakes 

of allochthonous green shale; top 2 inches 

bleached white________________________ 2 

17. Shale, maroon, like No. 15________________ 6 

18. Sandstone, of the channel type, torrentially 

cross-bedded, and containing flakes of green 

shale as large as 2 inches by three-eighths of 

an inch; extremely variable along the strike; 

very resistant; forms a ledge____________ 2 6 

19. Sandstone; lower 40 feet massive, gray, coarse 

grained, tangentially cross-bedded, contaiIling large flakes of muscovite and a few 

shale pellets, which lie at all angles to the 

bedding, though prevailingly parallel to 

it, The massive sandstone passes into 

red micaceous very thin-bedded sand-' 

stones and above them through much 

cross-bedded material carrying flakes of 

green shale into well and evenly bedded, 

dominantly light brick-red sandstone with 

alternating white bands a quarter of an 

inch to 10 inches thick, This red and 

white sandstone is rather friable and contains fragments of a green mineral, quartz, 

magnetite, sporadic mica, and some chlorite 

with very little silt; in uppermost 15 feet 

lamination is poorer and ferruginous and 

limy concretions occur _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 8-7 6 

Todilto (?) formation-Continued. Ft. in. 

20. Sandstone, brick-red, bleached green along 

joints and in uppermost foot; very micaceous, very fine grained, extremely thin bedded but well bedded; ripple-marked on a 

small scale. The unit is cut out by scour 

within a quarter of a mile in one direction 

from the' point of measurement and within 

2,000 feet in the other, the sandstone above 

descending in both directions; bedding surfaces in the uppermost foot continuous from 

the normal red to the green weathered layers, though the green layers are somewhat 

brecciated from weathering __ '_ _ _ ________ 9 

21. Sandstone, white, friable; has a surficial pink 

tinge due to wash from upper part of 

Todilto (?) formation; contains throughout pellets of green shale ranging from 

those of microscopic size to pieces 3 inches 

by half an inch; these weather out on the 

surfaces and leiwe pits; bedding thick, 

somewhat thinner' at bottom; unit shows 

angular cross-bedding at angles .as high as 

17 0 and some tangential cross-bedding. 

In basal part of unit the sand is interlaminated with shale and there are channels 

as much as 5 feet deep cut in unit 22. At 

15 feet above base a short lens of green 

shale and at same horizon a shale conglomerate with chunks 6 inches long. 

Unit forms a persistent ledge crowning the 

Wingate sandstone cliff for miles_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 31 

22. Shale, green, flaky, persistent; ranges in thickness from 2 feet to 2 inches____________ 1 

Total Todilto (?) formation _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 181 5 

Contact shows some channeling, but no observable 

angular unconformity. 

Wingate sandstone: 

23. Sandstone, buff, cross-bedded; massive, except for a few thin water-laid beds; forms 

sheer cliff _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 139 

24. Sandstone, gray, in one cliff-forming bed with 

tangential cross-bedding_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 34 

25. Sandstone, soft, thin bedded, almost laminated; alternating yellow-gray and light 

red in thin lenses; contains bands of cone- in-cone calcite __ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ T 

26. Sandstone, buff; massive, with tangential cross-bedding _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 436 

27. Sandstone, white, thin and thick bedded, 

softer than most of the formation; forms a distinct bench - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 12 

28. Sandstone, buff, with tangential cross-bedding 

cut off at all angles; almpst certainly windlaid___________________________________ 73 

29. Sandstone, buff, thick bedded, calcareous, 

with some subordinate thin-bedded waterlaid material. A few thin lenses of dense 

cherty limestone occur on the opposite side 

of the canyon at this horizon but do not 

appear on the near side_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _____ __ ___ 11 

30. Sandstone, gray-buff, composed of rounded 

grains; cross-bedded very irregularly on a 

large scale; a typical dune deposit________ 30 6 

Total Wingate sandstone_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 350 
90 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Unconformity, channeled surface. 

Chinle formation: 

31. Clay shale, light blue-green, passing up into 

green sandstone in 2-inch beds and shale, 

capped by a 2-inch bed of bright-green sandstone ____________________________ _ 

32. Shale, flaky, dark red; contains no sand; a. thin band of green shale at the base _____ _ 

33. Sandstone, red, containing shale pellets "as 

much as 1 inch in diameter, ripple-marked 

throughout, cross-bedded. This bed increases to about 15 feet in thickness within 

300 feet along the outcrop _____________ _ 

34. Limestone conglomerate; contains fragments 

of green and red shale and sandstone ____ _ 

35. Shale, maroon, micaceous, with the mica 

along the bedding pl~nes---------------

36. Sandstone, red, in beds one-sixteenth to onefourth inch thick, ripple-bedded and crossbedded throughout; very micaceous _____ _ 

37. Shale and sandstone, the shale brick-red; the 

sandstone green and very subordinate, no 

bed thicker than about 1 inch, except for a 

I-foot sandstone ledge at 11 feet from the 

base. This member lenses out completely within 300 feet along the outcrop __ 

38. Sandstone, gritty, containing shale pellets; 

the lower 2 feet massive and red, then a red 

shale parting, and the upper foot thin 

bedded and red, with 1 inch of green-gray sandstone at the top __________________ _ 

39. Shale, brick-red _________________________ _ 

40: Sandstone, gritty, at some places all one bed, 

at others in 6-foot to 8-foot beds; contains 

conglomerate lenses composed of limestone pebbles half an inch long, micaceous 

green sandstone fragments 1 inch long, and 

shale pellets and flakes as much as 3 inches 

long; a green mineral prominent; forms a persistent ledge _______________________ _ 

41. Sandstone, dark greenish gray, weathering 

purple; blocky, limy, extremely fine grained, 

massive; weathers into mammi1lary forms; 

upper contact wavy, the irregularities as much as 3 inches in height _____________ _ 

42. Alternating green sandstone and brick-red 

shale, becoming more limy upward _____ _ 

43. Sandstone, greenish gray, in beds less than 

one-sixteenth inch thick, very fine grained, 

ripple-marked and cross-bedded throughout; individual beds lens in and out very 

rapidly, 6-inch beds disappear within 8 

feet; some angular and some tangential 

cross-bedding present; bedding is much 

contorted and bends down as much as 3 

inches beneath. limy lumps; manganese dendrites common ____________________ _ 

44. Shale; lower third dark green, weathering to 

purple, almost black; upper two-thirds 

brick-red, weathering brown-red; very limy throughout ______________________ _ 

45. Sandstone, mottled brick-red and green, the 

green color apparently confined to walls of 

fractures; very fine grained, very limy'; 

massive, forms ledge; passes upward by gradation into No. 44 _________________ _ 

46. Shales and sandstone, brick-red; the shale 

blocky, somewhat sandy, very calcareous, 

and in beds three times as thick as the sandstone beds _______________________ _ 

Ft: in. 

7 2 

3 6 

4 

1 3 

5 3 

5 

20 

3 

3 

18 

3 

9 

2 

25 6 

7 

2 

Chinle formation-Continued. 

47. Sandstone, very fine grained, very hard, limy_ 

48. Sandstone and shale, alternating; about 80 

per cent sandstone, dark brown and chocolate-red, thin bedded, ripple-marked, limy; 

20 per cent maroon shale ______________ .:._ 

49. Sandstone, green-gray, rippled, and cross- bedded ______________________________ _ 

50. Shale, maroon __________________________ _ 

51. Sandstone, red, micaceous, fine grained, crossbedded; at the top weathers gray, and contains green flakes resembling chlorite and 

muscovite, the muscovite flakes as much 

as one-sixteenth inch long; one lens with 

beds less than half an inch thick, all the 

rest thick bedded. At 50 feet away along 

the strike; this sandstone and the underlying conglomerate, No. 52, are one bed 

of sandstone with a thin conglomerate lens 

in the middle, the whole 6 feet thick ____ _ 

52. Conglomerate; contains quartz grains; very 

limy, subangular ano well-rounded pellets 

of red shale nearly three-fourths inch in 

maximum diameter; much crystalline calcite; and a few chert pebbles; beds 2 to 6 

inches thick; unit locally massive _______ _ 

63. Shale, maroon in distant view, reddish chocolate-colored in the hand specimen; biotitic, 

muscovitic, slightly sandy; broken at 3, 5, 

and 18 feet above the base by sandstone 

beds 8 inches to a foot thick _________ ~_' __ 

54. Sandstone, green-gray, stained somewhat 

with limonite; hard, ripple-marked, slabby, 

in beds one-eighth to one-fourth inch thick; 

contains rose quartz, muscovite, and magneti te ___________ - ____ - - - _ - _ - - - - - - - - - _ 

55. Shale, green-gray, flaky; slightly sandy, with 

a, few thin gray sandstones-one bed 3 

inches thick, with shale flakes in it as 

much as 2 inches long, cross-bedded and 

rippled. This sandstone on fresh fracture is 

mottled gray and brown (the brown from 

limonite) and contains quartz, muscovite, 

and a green mineral as common constituents _________________________________ _ 

Total Chinle formation ____________ _ 

Contact apparently conformable. 

Shinarump conglomerate: 

56. Sandstone, gray, medium grained, thick 

bedded, siliceous, resistant ___________ ..;, __ 

57. Conglomerate, dark brown, extremely hard 

and well cemented with silica and lime; 

pebbles as much as 4 by 2 inches but averaging half an inch in diameter, predominantly of well-rounded white chert with 

milky quartz, gray crystalline limestone, 

opaline silica, brown chert, rose quartz, 

jasper, flint, gray sandstone, and green 

shale in angular fragments. Rock breaks 

across the pebbles at many places and 

forms a strong ledge. Many plant and 

bark fragments as much as several inches 

in length, some carbonized, are present, 

and carnotite stains are associated with 

the siliceous and carbonized wood _______ _ 

58. Shale, green-gray, flaky, without sand, and 

with broken carbonized plant remains ___ _ 

Ft. in. 

S 

6 

4 

2 

3 

2 

29 3 

2 2 

5 

169 1 

8 

9 6 

5 6 
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 

Shinarump conglomerate-Continued. Ft. in. 

59. Sandstone lens, gray, massive; thins out later- aUy _________________________________ _ 6 

60. Conglomerate, like No. 57 ________________ _ 1 6 

61. Sandstone, gray, weathering light brown; 

massive, grading into No. 62 ___________ _ 5 

62. Conglomerate, like No. 57, grading up into 

No. 61 _______________________________ _ 2 

63. Sandstone, like No. 57, but with fewer and 

smaller pebbles_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ 5 

64. Shale, gray, nearly a clay; forms a slope_ _ _ _ 9 

65. Sandstone, gray, like No. 6L______________ 2 

66. Sandstone and conglomerate alternating; varies much laterally and vertically; beds 

average perhaps 3 feet in thickness; top 6 

inches is thin bedded and shows ripple 

marks and cross-bedding. Unit forms a strong ledge_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 9 6 

67. Sandstone, medium to fine grained, made up 

largely of quartz and some black grains 

not determinable with the hand lens; somewhat softer than the beds above and below _ 3 8 

68. Sandstone, gritty, with eporadic pebbles of 

same sort as in No. 57, cross-bedded at 

angles with the true bedding as high as 

20°, well cemented, somewhat mottled 

with brown on gray, highly variable along the strike _____________ :._______________ 1 6 

69. Conglomerate, only partly consolidated, many 

pieces of silicified wood 4 inches or less in 

diameter and pebbles like those in No. 57. 

A white efflorescence as much as half an 

inch thick occurs at the top and bottom of 

this member and also in reticulating veinlets through it_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 2 

Total Shinarump conglomerate:.. _ _ _ _ _ 70 4 

Unconformity; surface wavy, with a relief of. about 6 

inches in a length of 10 feet. 

Moenkopi formation: 

70. Shale, gray and purple; a persistent zone seen 

throughout the area just below the Shinarump conglomerate, not typical of Moen'" 

kopi lithology, but here assigned to that 

formation_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 10 

71. Sandstone, red, typical Moenkopi, not measured. 

8. 'Section on west flank of San Rafael Swell near Horn Silver 

G~tlch, in sees. 35 and 36, T. 20 S., R. 8 E., Utah 

Mancos shale. 

Dakota (1) sandstone: Ft. In. 

1. Grit, gray, limy, cross-bedded, with iron concretions up to 1 foot in diameter; and conglomerate of small rounded to subangular 

pebbles of black and white chert, white 

and rose quartz, and clay in a slightly 

gritty matrix; forms a persistent ledge, 

above which the Mancos shale begins_ _ _ _ 26 

Morrison formation: 

2. Mudstone, 'variegated, light gray, blue-gray, 

and greenish gray______________________ 96 

3. Sandstone, slightly gritty, light gray, slightly 

friable, lime-cemented; subrounded grains 

of rose quartz, white quartz, and biotite 

make up the rocks; lenses out within 200 

yards________________________________ 3 6 

4. Mudstone, very poorly laminated, light gray, gypsiferous_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 42 

Morrison formation-Continued. 

5. Conglomerate lens, disappears within half a 

mile in one direction and 300 feet in the 

other; very little sandstone present _____ _ 

6. Shale and clay, dominantly light gray banded 

with purple and mauve and with numerous 4-inch bands of dense blue-gray nodular limestone; forms a slope strewn with 

limestone and silicified limestone balls derived from these beds _________________ _ 

7. Conglomerate, with lenses of sand constituting as much as a third of the unit; 

persistent; contains well:-rounded pebbles of flint with some jasper and brown 

chert, averaging three-eighths inch in 

diameter but as large as 2~ inches. 

Thickness varies by inclusion of lenses of 

shale and clay at some places and increases 

locally to 20 feet ______________________ _ 

8. Shale and clay, variegated indigo-gray; light 

gray, and maroon; with some thin limestones, as in No. 6 ____________________ _ 

9. Limestone, green-gray, dense; much silicified, 

with chert lenses roughly parallel to the 

bedding and following joints, the chert 

evidently a weathering product; the bed 

is a lens disappearing within 100 yards along the strike _______________________ _ 

10. Clay, variegated gray, purple, red, and 

brown, with purple, maroon, white, and 

gr8:Y marl, brick-red shale, and sandstone 

in a few thin lenses 6 inches to 1 foot 

thick and rarely oyer 200 feet long, though 

at the corresponding horizon 100 yards 

away there are several thick sandstones 

which lens out before reaching this section_ 

11. Sandstone, slightly gritty, cross-bedded; very 

lenticular, exposure less than 150 feet long __ 12. Marl, white ____________________________ _ 

13. Clay, purple, limy, varying to slightly clayey limestone ____________________________ _ 

14. Shale and clay, variable, purple, micaceous, 

gypsiferous, passing along the strike into 

sandstone; fractured, with a white material resembling bentonite along the 

cracks and apparently interbedded with 

the clay __ , ___________________________ _ 

15. Clay, white, brick-red, and purple, with a 

few thin limestones; passes upward into 

dead-white marl with a few shaly maroon 

limestones; under the microscope the clay 

proves to be an altered volcanic ash, 

approaching bentonite in structure ______ _ 

16. Sandstone, lenticular, grayish red, fine 

grained, irregular; contains lumps of marl and clay ________________________ _ 

17. Clay, red ________________ ~---------------

18. Clay, gray, with a bench of 'purple limestone 

at 15 feet from the base and a few thin sandstonelenses ______________________ _ 

19. Marl, purple, containing limestone lumps __ _ 

20. Clay, gray-green, with lenticular thin sandstones and an 8-inch limestone _________ _ 

21. Channel sandstone, cross-bedded, conglomeratic, with a siliceous cement; base 

irregular, with a relief of 2U feet in a 

short distance; dinosaur bones at the top. 

Capping a winding ridge, the sandstone 

lens, nowhere over 100 yards wide, can be 

traced with northeast trend for miles and 

is clearly a fossil stream channeL _______ _ 

91 

Ft. in. 

4 

93 

6 

66 

3 6 

134 6 

1 6 

7 6 

9 

2 

31 6 

1 6 

9 

22 

1 

21 

9 6 
92 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Morrison formation-Continued. 

22. Clay, light ° green-gray; at 7 feet above the 

base a persistent 6-inch ledge of blue-gray 

limestone, weathering brown ___________ _ 

23. Limestone, shaly, gray, weathering brown..: __ 24. Clay; gray.:.:.. ______ .:: __ !_O ____ o:... ____ .: ___ o __ .:. __ 

25. Sandstone, conglomeratic, like No. 21; extremely variable along its northeast trend 

°and lenticular across it; thins out and disappears in about an eighth of a mile along 

its course in one direction from the point 

of measurement, though it continues in the 

other for a long distance ______________ _ 

26. Clay, gray with some purple; contains some 

lumpy marl weathering brownish purple __ 

27. Channel sandstone, like No. 21 but lensing out 

in both directions along its trend _______ _ 

28. Clay, gray, like No. 26; contains a 3-inch 

san,dstone at 16 feet above the base _____ _ 

29. Channel sandstone, very lenticular; like No. 

21 but not persistent; as much as 6 feet 

thick and lensing completely ° out within 

Ft. in. 

48 

1 6 

51 

13 6 

34 

13 9 

° 23 6 

500 feet_______________________________ 2 

30. Clay, light green-gray, pinkish gray, purplegray, and tan; very subordinate shaly 

limestone and brown marL______________ 6 

31. Channel sandstone with grit lenses; lenticular, although this horizon is sandy for long 

distances; some of the conglomerate pebbles are three-fourths inch in diameter, 

° though the average is much less; a thin 

short lens of sandy marl 11 foot above the base __ :~______________________________ 14 

~2. Sandstone, white, friable; poorly bedded, 

somewhat shaly, lenticular, vanishing 

within a few'" score feeL _ _ __ _ _ __ __ __ __ __ 1 6 

33. Clay, blue-gray, becoming sandier upward 

aRd passing into No. 32_________________ 3 

34. Sandstone, like No. 32 ___________ -:________ 1 3 

35. Clay, gray, with some shaly limestone and 

thin $andst6ne lenses 4°inches thick and 30 

feetlong______________________________ 16 6 

36. Sandstone, cross-bedded, conglomeratic, 

pebbles as much as a quarter of an inch in 

diameter, largely of flint and gray chert_ _ 4 

37. Clay, like No. 30 ______ .,.__________________ 21 

38. Limestone lens, nodular, sandy, with small 

chert pebbles scattered through it; thickens to 1% feet and then lenses out in a 

short distance_________________________ 6 

39. Clay, gypsiferous, gray____________________ 4 

40. Gypsum (alabaster), with thin seams of green 

clay, contorted perhaps by hydration of 

the gypsum; contains jasper chert crusts 

of irregular shape as much as 2 inches in 

length, some with hollow centers filled 

with crystalline quartz; lower 10 feet 

forms a ledge, the upper part a slope_ _ _ _ _ 24 

Total Morrison formation___________ 847 

Unconformity, angular and erosional; the gypsum cuts 

down across the bedding of the red shale and sandstone of the Summerville formation as much as 3 

feet in 30 feet of outcrop. 

Summerville formation: Sandstone and micaceous 

shale, alternating in thin beds seamed with secondary gypsum. 

9. Section in gulch north of Horn Silver Gulch, in sees. 28~29, 

T. °20 S., R. 9 E., San Rafael Swell, Utah 

Curtis formation (part): Conglomerate of pebbles of 

gray sandstone as much as 1.% inches long 

and well-rounded chert pebbles in a greengray sandstone matrix, cross-bedded and 

interfingering with thin shales. 

Unconformity, angular and erosional. 

Entrada sandstone: 

1. Sandstone, green and red, top part scoured 

and checked, containing pebbles of chert 

Ft. in. 

and shale; a consolidated soiL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3 

2. Shale, green, flaky________________________ 2 

3. Sandstone, shaly, massive, limy; weathers in 

rounded forms__ ______ _____ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 9 

4. Shale, maroon, ",ith a few thin lenses of greengray sandstone_ _ _ __________________ ___ 7 6 

5. Sandstone, red-brown, very shaly and soft, 

thin bedded; top few inches bleached greengray_________________________________ 6 

6. Sandstone, clean, very fine grained, cross- bedded and ripple-marked _____________ .: 2 

7. Shale, maroon, with a few lenses of very fine 

grained green-gray sandstone one-eighth to 

one-sixteenth inch thick ______ .:. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 3 

8. Sandstone, mostly red-brown but green at top 

and bottom; a 2-foot subdued ledge at the 

base, shaly and thin bedded above _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 11 

9. Shale, maroon ____________ o_______________ 1 

10. Sandstone, shaly, red except the top, which is 

bleached______________________________ 7 

11. Sandstone, red-brown except for gray bleached 

zone at the bottom; upper 3 feet is shaly 

and thin bedded, forming a slope; remainder massive_______________________ 15 3 

12. Clay, purple, limy________________________ 6 

13. Sandstone, red-brown except at the top, 

where it is greenish gray; massive and 

weathers in rounded forms like a granite_ _ 4 6 

14. Sandstone, red-brown, very silty, massive; 

forms a bench_________________________ 20 

15. Shale parting~___________________________ 1 

16. Sandstone, red-brown, massive, soft and silty but forms a bench __________________ o___ 9 6 

17. Sandstone, thin bedded; forms a slope______ 3 

18. Sandstone, massive, like No. 14____________ 55 

19. Sandstone, very soft and shaly, brown-red___ 3 

20. Sandstone, dark red, with cavities containing calci te and chert_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 6 

21. Sandstone and shale, thin bedded, extremely 

wavy, limy; contains crusts of red chert in 

geodes and along fractures_ _____________ 2 

22. Sandstone, like No. 14____________________ 6 

23. Sandstone, dark red, thick bedded except 1 

foot of shaly material at the top_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 28 6 

24. Shaly sandstone with much red chert in 

crusts and geodes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 

25. Sandstone, like No. 14, except that the upper 

foot is a strong ledge___________________ 4 6 

26. Sandstone, red-brown, poorly bedded, ripplemarked; cross-bedded; top su~face hummocky; uppermost 2 feet forms a ledge; remainder shalier _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5 

27. Sandstone, light gray, ripple-marked, fine 

grained_______________________________ 2 6 

28. Sandstone, shaly, red-brown; contains a ledge 

of green-gray cross-bedded, current-rippled 

cleaner sandstone; coarse grained, with 

some large well-rounded quartz grains and 

fine chert, almost a fine grit_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 12 
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 

Entrada sandstone-Continued. 

29. Sandstone, red-brown, mostly shaly but with 

a 2-foot ledge at the top _______________ _ 

30. Sandstone, brownish gray, shaly, poorly 

bedded, gypsiferous; lenticular, thinning 

within a few feet along the strike _______ _ 

31. Shale, very thin bedded, micaceous, slightly 

sandy; contains some greenish gray and 

some red sandstone, poorly bedded, soft, litny ________________________________ _ 

32. Sandstone, gray-brown, gypsiferous, limy; 

very irregular lower boundary, with relief 

of 1 foot in 10 feet, perhaps due to variable 

cementation but not to channeling; forms aledge ______________________________ _ 

33. Sandstone, shaly, dark red-brown, thin 

bedded, lenticular _________________ - - ---

34. Sandstone, brown-gray, gypsiferous, shaly, 

cross-bedded; in thin irregular beds 1 inch 

thick but weathers as one massive layeL __ 

35. Shale parting _____________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

36. Sandstone, gypsiferous, shaly, cross-bedded; 

like No. 34 _______________________ -- _ --

37. Shales, .micaceous, chocolate-brown, in beds 

from 6 to 18 inches thick; alternating with 

green-gray sandstone in beds less than 2 

inches thick, ripple-marked, cross-bedded, 

lenticular; gypsum seams, largely parallel 

to the bedding, as Inuch as three-eighths 

Ft. in. 

13 

2 

10 

2 

9 6 

6 6 

8 

1 6 

inch thick, are abundant in the upper part__ 13 

38. Sandstone, gray, thin bedded, cross-:bedded, 

with gypsum seams, lenses out along the bedding _______ ~~_____________________ 2 6 

39. Sandstone, red, thin bedded, shaly, with 

numerous seams of secondary gypsum; 

cross-bedded and ripple-marked through- out __________________________________ 62 6 

40. Shale, dark brown, micaceous, slightly sandy _ 2 

41. Sandstone, white, coarse grained, capped by 

silicified platy layer; forms a very persistent 

ledge_________________________________ 6 

42. Sandstone, red, thin bedded, apparently thick 

bedded toward the top_________________ 26 6 

43. Sandstone, white, ripple-marked, crossbedded, medium grained; contains large 

plates of biotite and also selenite crystals 

in cavities; forms a small ledge _______ "___ 3 

44. Sandstone, soft, red, thin bedded, with much 

secondary gypsum _____________________ 116 

45. Concealed interval interpreted as the basal 

part of the formation, as the next outcrops 

are gypsum beds typical of the Carmel 

formation_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 32 

Total Entrada sandstone ____________ 518 6 

Carmel formation. 

10. Section on south side of Sawtooth Butte, San Rafael Swell, 

Utah 

Chinle formation (part): Ft. in. 

1. Shale, maroon, micaceous; contains a number 

of thin lenses of green-gray ripple-marked 

fine-grained, extremely micaceous sandstone_________________________________ 5 

Contact displays no angular discordance or notable 

erosion. 

Shinarump conglomerate: 

2. Sandstone, conglomeratic at the top, and 

shale; beds very lenticular and much 

channeled; unit shows tangential and 

angular cross-bedding; forms a strong ledge. 

Beds of conglomerate and sandstone from 

6 inches to 3 feet thick, very hard, with 

lime cement; pebbles of the conglomerate 

include quartz, chert, green shale, and fine 

sandstone. Shale lenses green, very lenticular, well laminated; contain rounded 

quartz pebbles around which the laminae are curved ___________________________ _ 

3. Shale, micaceous, maroon except the top 6 

inches, which is green _________________ _ 

4. Sandstone, thin bedded, cross-bedded, 

medium grained; increases to 4 feet in 

thickness in 100 feet along the strike; 

forms strong ledge ________ ~ ___ . ________ _ 

5. Sandstone, gray, medium gra~ned, with" 

silicified wood; thin parting of red shale 

in the middle _________________________ _ 

6. Conglomeratic sandstone, medium gray, with 

much dark mineral (biotite?) in the sand; 

cross-bedded, with laminae of alternating 

coarse and fine sand with sporadic pebbles of 

black chert, and red, white, and colorless 

quartz as much as 1~ inches in diameter. 

Upper surface irregular, relief of 6 inches 

in a length of 6 or 8 feet. A persistent 

layer at the top contains chunks of shale 

as large as 6 by 6 inches by 1 foot _______ _ 

7. Conglomerate; pebbles of quartz and limestone 1~ inches or less in diameter in a matrix of coarse granular sandstone ______ _ 

8. Clay, limy, lumpy, approaching a marl; dark 

blue except top 1~ feet which is gr.eenish 

gray--------------------------------7-

9. Grit, light gray, weathering reddish brown, 

cross-bedded; individual beds not persistent, averaging 6 inches thick and 30 feet 

long; very hard, cemented with. both calcite 

and silica; forms a ledge _____________ ~ __ 

10. Shale parting, green ____ .:. ____ ..; ___________ _ 11. Grit, like No. 9 _________________________ _ 

12. Grit, reddish brown except where leached and 

and bl"otched with white and green; unconsolidated, the sand grains about onesixteenth inch in diameter and largely 

white, colorless, and rose quartz; contains 

much clay, which seems to' be in transported lumps and breaks with very brilliant 

fracture surfaces; upper surface irregular __ 

13. Sandstone, with angular quartz grains, very 

light pinkish gray, cross-bedded; decidedly 

lenticular, pinching out in 50 feet;" forms a ledge ________________________________ _ 

14. Grit, not well consolidated, micaceous, with 

some shale particles; purple-gray, some- what mottled ________________________ _ 

15. Sandstone, very light gray, fine grained, very 

limy; forms a ledge ___________________ _ 

16. Clay, sandy, nodular, in lumps about the size 

of an egg; purple, inottled with blue and 

brown, probably colored by manganese and 

iron; wavy, irregular upper surface ______ _ 

-93 

Ft. in. 

7 

8 

2 

5 "6 

2 3 

2 6 

13 6 

1 

6 

2 6 

a 

1 

1 3 

4 

21 6 
94 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Shinarump conglomerate-Continued. Ft. in. 

17. Sandstone, reddish brown spotted with gray, 

limy and ferruginous; in concretionary, 

masses 1 foot by 2 inches; largely quartz, 

stained with some yellow mineraL_______ 6 

IS. Clay, sandy; purple at a distance, mottled 

gray on close view, with some yellow mineral stains___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5 

19. Conglomerate, very carbonaceous, not very 

well cemented; chiefly of coarse angular 

quartz with some gray detrital calcite, 

some carbonized wood fragments as large 

as 2 by 7 inches, some detrital asphaltite 

with stringers of ted mineral fragments 

and some thin shale lenses with plant remains ___ '_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 13 

20. Shale, black, carbonaceous, gypsiferous, with 

carbonized wood fragments and leaves and some yellow mineral stain __________ .:.____ 3 

21. Shale, fine-grained sandstone, and mediumgrained sandstone, in interfingering lenses 

as much as 4 inches thick; much carbonized 

wood and sedimentary asphaltite; sand 

grains and asphaltite particles largely 

angular______________________________ 2 

Total thicknel;ls of Shinarump con- glomerate_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 104 6 

Contact with no angular discordance nor marked 

erosion. 

Moenkopi formation: Shales and sandstones, gray, 

ripple-marked, limy, with small. fragments of carbonized wood. 

11. Section at mouth oj Buckhorn Wash, San RaJael Swell, Utah 

Wingate sandstone: Sandstone, tinged with green at 

the base .for 2 feet, above which it is buff; stained 

red on the surface with wash; massive, cross-bedded, 

with only-S or 10 bedding planes in over 350 feet of 

strata. 

Unconformity. The'lower few feet of the overlying 

formation is shaly and lenticular, iIi some places 

occupying scoured channels in the lower beds. 

There is no evidence in the San Rafael Swell of any 

diastrophism having occurred in the interval between 

the deposition of the Chinle and that of the Wingate 

formation. 

Chinle formation: 

1. Shale,'limy, green and purple; showing scour, 

filling with sand, and later scour and filling 

with shale _____________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --

2. Sandstone, greenish gray, ripple-marked, very 

micaceous, very limy; with a few shaly 

lenticular partings; shale flakes numerous_ 

3. Shale, mottled greenish gray and chocolatebrown, well laminated; mud cracks evi- dent _________________________________ _ 

4. Sandstone, greenish gray, ripple-marked ____ _ 

5. Shale, like No.3, much squeezed __________ _ 

6. Sandstone, brick-red, becoming green-gray 

upward; limy and shaly; weathering into 

rounded forms _____________ - _ - - - - - _ - - --

7. Sandstone, green-gray, mud-cracked, ripplemarked; some shale pellets along bedding 

planes and some thin shale partings; the 

shale pellets reach 3 by 1 by one-fourth 

inch in size __________________ - - - - - - - --

S. Shale, maroon, with a few lenses as much as 

2 inches thick of ripple-marked and rillmarked thin-bedded greenish-gray sandstone ________________________________ _ 

Ft. in. 

4 

S 6 

2 

3 

2 

2 

1 6 

3 

Chinle formation-Continued. 

9. Sandstone, tan, fine grained, with some shale 

partings and numerous shale flakes onehalf by one-half by one-eighth inch in 

maximum size; micaceous, limy, thin 

bedded, cross-bedded; forms a strong 

ledge, except the top 3 feet, which is very 

thin bedded and nonresistant __________ _ 

10. Shale, red-brown, micaceous, and thin bedded 

ripple-bedded sandstone, alternating ___ _ 

11. Sandstone, greenish gray, very limy, with 

calcite along the fractured surfaces; ripplebedded, rill-marked; containing many 

small shale pellets; upper surface mud- cracked ______________________________ _ 

12. Shale and sandstone, alternating, red-brown 

except along some joints, where they are 

leached to greenish-gray; sandstone micaceous, ripple-marked, cross-bedded; shale 

blocky, poorly laminated ______________ _ 

13. Sandstone, green-gray, hard, limy, ripplemarked and rill-marked; calcite along 

joint surfaces; contains animal borings 

one-eighth to one-sixteenth inch in diam- eter _________________________________ _ 

14. Shale and sandstone, like No. 12 __________ _ 

,15. Sanqstone, reddish gray at base, greenish 

gray at top; very fine grained, ripplebedded, very limy; contains shale pellets 

as much as a quarter of an inch in diameter; forms a smalliedge _______________ _ 

16. Sandstone, shaly, greenish gray; lenses out in Bfeet ________________________________ _ 

17. Sandstone, reddish gray; massive in some 

places, one-fourth inch bedding in others; 

ripple-marked, mud-cracked, micaceous; 

Ft. iD. 

12 

1 6 

1 

2 6 

1 

3 6 

2 

1 6 

forms ledge___________________________ 3 

lB. Mudstone, very sandy, chocolate-brown, 

micaceous _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4 6 

19. Shale conglomerate, containing angular fragments of shale as large as 2 by 4 by 6 inches, 

very micaceous along certain bedding 

surfaces; passes upward into an apparently 

massive but really thin-bedded ripplemarked, rill-marked greenish-gray sandstone with several shale conglomerate 

lenses whose shale fragments are less than 

2 inches in diameter; in some places 

weathers into rounded forms, in others 

into thin plates due to the rippling; forms 

a ledge_______________________________ 12 

20. Shale, maroon, m'icaceous, lenticular; fades 

out laterally; upper surface scoured______ 1 6 

21. Sandstone, red-brown, micaceous, shaly, crossbedded, ripple-marked, mud-cracked, lenticular, with some interbedded shale; contains animal trails and borings as much as 

three-sixteenths inch in diameter _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 

22. Shale, maroon, micaceous, well laminated_ _ _ 11 

23. Sandstone, greenish, mottled with light red 

in places; contains fragments of green shale 

one-half 'by one-eighth inch scattered 

throughout; mud-cracked, rill-marked; thin 

bedded in lower part (one-eighth to onefourth inch bedding), massive above, where 

it weathers into rounded forms; much calcite along joint surfaces; forms a ledge____ 16 _6 
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 95 

Chinle formation-Continued. 

24. Shales, green-gray, purple, and maroon, all 

well laminated; some are micaceous and 

have sheen, perhaps due to desiccation; 

mud-cracked; about one-fifth of bed is 

dark reddish-gray, fine-grained ripplebedded sandstone, in lenses one thirtysecond to one-fourth inch thick ________ _ 

25. Sandstone, greenish gray, very limy, micaceous, ripple-marked, massive; lower contact 

. is irregular, owing to reworking of No. 26; 

forms a ledge _________________________ _ 

26. Limestone conglomerate, mottled purple and 

ash-gray, with some drab; limestone pebbles light gray and purple, the largest 2 

inches in length; matrix a limy sandstone; 

whole bed forms cliff, weathers into nodular 

forms, and is much fractured and jointed __ 

27. Marl, red-browll, soft, slightly sandy, becoming sandier upward and containing some 

sand lenses; weathers into a slope _______ _ 

28. Limestone, nodular, shaly, passing upward 

into red-brown, slightly sandy marl, fractured and colored green along the cracks; 

checked and cracked into parallelopipeds; forms a ledge _________________________ _ 

29. Shale, brick-red, with subordinate brown 

sandstone lenses as much as 2 inches thick, 

passing upward into blocky, very limy 

massive fine-grained red shaly sandstone, 

mottled with green alollg the numerous 

joints; above lower 10 feet marl predominates, containing, in the upper few feet, 

Ilodules of dense purple crystalline limestone from the size of a pea to that of a walnut; unit forms a slope _____________ _ 

30. Sandstone, drab, weathering light greenish 

gray; cross-bedded both angularly and 

tangentially; unit in one bed at this point, 

but 10 feet away along the strike it is all 

thin bedded; farther on it is interbedded 

with shale; forms a ledge ______________ _ 

31. Sandstone, reddish brown, thin bedded, ripple-bedded, with some greenish-gray lenses 

half an inch to 3 inches thick; interbedded 

with maroon micaceous shale; unit is 70 

per cent sandstone; forms slope _________ _ 

32. Sandstone, red-brown, blotched with green 

due to leaching; thinl) laminated, ripplemarked, cross-bedded, very fine grained; 

weathers into small curved plates about 

a quarter of an inch thick; forms a ledge __ 

33. Shale, brick-red, weathering chocolate-brown_ 

34. Sandstone, drab, weathering light greenish 

gray, medium grained; carries muscovite, 

biotite, and magnetite but consists chiefly 

of rounded quartz; very limy, ripplemarked; in one massive block'y bed forming a ledge ______________________ - - - - - -

35. Shttle, maroon, micaceous, with many glistening surfaces, perhaps indicating desicca- tioIl _________________________________ _ , 

Ft. in. 

4 

1 

6 

5 

4 

21 

2 

5 

3 6 

7 6 

1 9 

14 

Total Chinle formation _____________ 167 11 

Contact a very uneveli surface with a relief of 15 to 

20 feet within 100 yards. 

Shinarump conglomerate: Coarse to fine grained limy 

cross-bedded ledge-forming sandstone with sporadic 

quartz pebbles which become less numerous upward. 

12. Section of Wingate sandstone in Cane Wash, San Rafael Swell, 

Utah 

Todilto (?) formation: Ft. in. 

1. Sandstone, buff, in beds 5 to 10 feet thick, separated by thinner-bedded zone of alternating buff sandstone and green shale. 

The heavier sandstones are cross-bedded 

tangentially at steep angles, and in some 

places the bedding is much contorted as if 

by slumping due to water scour. Local 

shale conglomerates of chunks as much as 

8 inches long arranged at all angles to the 

bedding, as well as thin green shale lenses 

as much as 12 feet long, formed in place, 

prove that this series was at least in part 

deposited in water___ __ ______________ ___ 30+ 

Contact gradational. 

Wingate sandstone: 

2. Sandstone, tangentially cross-bedded; very 

dark brown, nearly black, with impregnated petroleum_______________________ 21 

3. Shale, green, well laminated, persistent for some distance _________________ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

4. Sandstone and shale conglomerate; the angular shale chunks, a'rranged at all angles to 

the bedding, reach sizes of 1 foot by 5 

inches by one-half inch, but most of the 

fragments are about a quarter of an inch long __________________ ~_______________ 5 6 

5. Green shale and sandstone, containing much 

muscovite and chlorite, gypsiferous, thin 

bedded, very well laminated, lenticular, 

grades upward into No. 4 ___ .,.__________ 2 

6. Sandstone, buff, with a few black layers showing spots of asphalt (?) stain ________ - _ - _ 71 

7. Sandstone, with tangential cross-bedding on 

a large scale, dominantly buff, but with 

much black, the cross-bedding surfaces 

separating the two colors_______________ 15 

8. Sandstone, mostly black but in part buff, 

with tangential cross-bedding dipping S. 

80° E., S. 30° W., and N. 55° E., in various 

parts of the bed; some small black iron 

concretions at the top __ ~_______________ 39 

9. Sandstone, buff and black, in part tangentially cross-bedded and in part horizontally 

bedded; rippled surfaces and contorted 

bedding common. The cross-bedding is 

indicated by the scattered slightly larger 

grains of quartz on surfaces of finer 

materiaL ______________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 6 

10. Sandstone, white, with lenses of black material, sharply cut off on horizontal surfaces 

by tangential cross-bedding in different 

directions_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 

11. SandstoT}e, black with subordinate buff; tangential cross-bedding_ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ ____ _ _ _ _ _ 4 

12. Sandstone, buff, with a few black bands, not 

noticeably cross-bedded_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 12 6 

13. Sandstone, black and buff, tangentially crossbedded; forms a strong ledge____________ 6 6 

14. Sandstone, buff, with very subordinate black 

bands in lower part; tangentially crossoedded, the planes dipping N. 60° W., 

S. 10° W., and N. 65° E________________ 20 

15. Sandstone, black, interbedded with buff; 

tangentially cross-bedded; varies somewhat in thickness but is persistent later- ally _______________________________ ~__ 13 
96 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 192'7 

Wingate sandstone-Continued. Ft. in. 

16. Sandstone, buff, massive, with only two true 

bedding planes, one at 20 feet, the other 

at 83 feet above the base; strong tangential 

cross-bedding with the planes dipping in 

so many directions that no system is 

apparent; forms a bench________________ 95 

17. Sandstone, light red, separable from No. 18 

only by the color differences; tangentially 

cross-bedded at high angles; not persistent 

for more than 300 feet__________________ 10 6 

18. Sandstone, buff, tangentially cross-bedded at 

high angles, the cross-bedding planes 

dipping S. 60° E., S. 40° W., and N. 20° E.; 

true bedding surfaces rare, one at 3 feet, 

one at 10 feet, and one at 23 feet above 

the base being the only breaks in an otherwise massive member___________________ 44 

(Beds 16, 17, and 18 are all deeply pitted 

with solution cavities, ranging in size from 

, very small pits to hollows 3 feet in diameter, which apparently start along bedding 

surfaces but are not controlled by them in 

their development.) 

Total Wingate sandstone ___________ 364 8 

Unconformity (?); contact shows only slight channeling. 

Chinle formation (part): 

19. Shale and thin sandstone, green, well bedded_ 6 

, 20. Sandstone, buff, massive, limy,' medium to 

fine grained, composed of quartz and an 

unidentified dark mineral; cross-bedded 

tangentially___________________________ 3 

21. Sandstone, ripple-bedded, green-gray; and 

shale, well bedded, green. 

13. Section of Moenkopi formation at north end of San Rafael 

Swell, Utah 

[Units 1 to 26 measured at mouth of Red Canyon; remainder north from head of 

, Black Box Canyon] 

Shinarump conglomerate: Conglomerate and coarse 

sand; forms a vertical ledge: 

Contact shows no noticeable angular or erosional unconformity. 

Moenkopi formation: 

1. Clayey sand and sandy clay, 80 to 90 per cent 

sand; soft, forms slope ___________________ _ 

2. Sandstone, mottled gray and red, the red perhaps due to wash; very fine grained, composed chiefly of well-rounded quartz sand, 

mostly colorless, with sporadic large frosted 

glassy grains and some mica; flaggy in the 

middle, with a shale parting, but massive at 

top and bottom _________________________ _ 

3. Shale, dark red-brown, micaceous; very well 

laminated, ripple-marked and mud-cracked __ 

4. Mudstone, chocolate-brown, with a few thin 

bands of green-gray sandy shale and red and 

green micaceous gypsiferous sandstone; secondary seams of gypsum as much as 1 inch in 

thickness _______________________ ~ _______ _ 

5. Sandstone, red-brown, flaggy, micaceous _____ _ 

6. Mudstone and sandstone, like No. 4 _________ _ 

7. Sandstone, red-brown, limy, massive, ledge- forming ________________________________ _ 

8. Mudstone and sandstone, like No. 4 _________ _ 

9. Sandstone, like No. 5 ______________________ _ 

10. Mudstone and sandstone, like No. 4 _________ _ 

Feet 

20 

24 

2 

11 

5 

6 

4 

16 

4 

79 

Moenkopi formation-Continued. 

11. Sandstone, like No.7 ______________________ _ 

12. Mudstone and sandstone, like No. 4 _________ _ 

13. Sandstone, like No.7 ______________________ _ 

14. Mudstone and sandstone, like No. 4 _________ _ 

15. Sandstone, like No.7 ______________________ _ 

16. Sandstone and mudston~, like No, 4 _________ _ 

17. Sandstone, like No.7 ______________ 0 ________ _ 

18. Mudstone and sandstone, like No. 4 _________ _ 

19. Sandstone, dark gray, weathering light gray, 

micaceo,us; contains black, brown, and green 

grains,' some of them perhaps hydrocarbons; 

concretionary, in beds half an 'inch to 4 inches 

thick with a few thin shale partings ________ _ 

20. Shale, chocolate-brown to brick-red, micaceous, 

containing a few thin lentils of hard limy 

gypsiferous sandstone; the finer material 

darker than the coarser; 6-inch ledge of gray 

sandstone 64 feet above the base _________ ' __ 

21. Sandstone, red-brown, ripple-bedded, limy, 

micaceous, quartzose, with heavy iron stain; 

forms a strong ledge _____________________ _ 

22. Sandstone, buff at the bottom, brick-red above, 

with a wavy boundary betwe~n the colors; 

thin bedded except for one 2-foot blocky 

massive bed; lime-cemented, symmetrically ripple.,marke~L __________________________ _ 

23. Shale" green-gray, micaceous, gypsife;rous, well 

laminated; includes thin lentils of sandstone 

which constitute, about 10 per cent of the 

member ________________________________ _ 

24. Sandstone, gray, fine grained, shaly, gypsiferous, 

limy, ripple-marked; beds separated by 

green-gray well-laminated shale, which makes 

up about a fourth of the material at the base 

but is less abundant toward the top _______ _ 

25. Sandstone, qrown-gray on fresh fracture, weatherinOg dark brown, massive, fine grained, limecemented, cross-bedded on a small scale; 

weathers to a semi platy debris but forms a strong ledge ________________________ - ___ _ 

26. Sandstone like No. 22, with about the same distribution of the colors ___________________ _ 

Sinbad limestone member: 

27. Limestone with a minor amount of 

sandstone, the two phases not 

sharply separated and passing gradually one into the other; the sandstone micaceous but not well 

bedded; the limestone dense, light 

gray to buff, stylolitic, containing 

dendrites of manganese and numerous rounded grains of quartz onesixteenth of an inch in diameter; 

pelecypods and cephalopods abundant in some layers; unit contains 

oolite-like grains of asphalt _______ 19 

28. Sandstone, gray, weathering brown, 

fine grained, micaceous, with calcite cement; massive, cross-bedded; 

weathers into thin plates and has a 

shaly parting in the middle__ _ _ _ _ _ 15 

29. Limestone, massive, dirty purplish 

gray, weathering light gray; dense, 

in part crystalline; breaks in irregular angular fragments; stron~ly petroliferous; very fossiliferous, brachiopods and mollusks numerous ____ 11~ 

Total Sin bad limestone member _ - __ --

Feet 

10 

25 

4 

15 

3 

9 

5 

61 

42~ 

126 

9 

37 

21 

27 

9 

36 
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 97 

Moenkopi formation-Continued. Feet 

30. Shale, buff-yellow, limy and sandy; contains 

some edgewise conglomerate and is seamed 

and veined with gypsum; contorted on a 

small scale; forms a slope_________________ 7 

31. Shale, gray, slightly sandy, gypsiferous, making· 

up three-fourths of the unit; alternates in thin 

beds with dark-gray sandstone, weathering 

medium gray, ripple-bedded by symmetrical 

ripples 1~ inches long, and weathering into 

platy fragments. Except for dominantly 

sandy zones between 60 and 90 feet and between 120 and 130 feet above the base, no 

sandy beds exceed a few inches in thickness. 

The unit as a whole is soft, a slope former __ 146 

32. Sandstone, buff-brown, limy, thin bedded, 

ripple-bedded, seamed with gypsum; fine 

grained, with about 30 per cent brown grains; 

forms a ledge____________________________ 2~ 

33. Sandstone, yellowish-stained gypsum, and shale; 

the sandstone friable, of the type of No. 6_ _ 24~ 

34. Sandstone, light gray, thin bedd~d, fine grained, 

friable, limy; composed dominantly of white 

quartz with scattered grains of limonite; 

weathers into platy fragments_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1~ 

35. Gypsum, yellow, interbedded with blue-gray 

well-laminated micaceous limy, sandy shale, 

which makes up about one-third of the unit_ 2 

"Total Moenkopi formation ____________ 839~ 

Unconformity, not well exposed. 

Kaibab limestone. 

14:. Section in Black Box Canyon, San Rafael River, San Rafael 

Kaibab limestone. 

Swell, Utah 

Contact apparently conformable. 

Coconino sandstone: 

1. Sandstone, white to buff, sugary, in beds from 1 

to 15 feet thick, cross-bedded, very uneven 

grained;· gritty and definitely water-laid at 

the base, finer grained upward; very much 

jointed and weathering like an igneous rock, 

owing to the jointing and the inconspicuous 

bedding. The canyon receives its name 

from the prominent coating of desert varnish on the cliffs formed by this unit __________ _ 

2. Sandstone, buff, very limy, sugary and friable; 

gritty, with rounded grains of quartz and 

feldspar as much as one-eighth inch in diameter, set in a finer-grained matrix _________ _ 

3. Sandstone, buff, very limy at base, less so at the 

top; grades into No.2 without a sharp break; 

fine grained, with much mica and some thin 

limestone lenses at the base ______________ _ 

4. Limestone, buff, with some buff sandstone, 

largely massive, with some parts thin 

bedded; varies from sandstone to limestone 

along the strike, with some shaly material in 

both types; a 6-inch zone of limestone 'conglomerate 6 feet above the exposed base; 

quartz and calcite-filled geodes numerous, and 

some limonite pseudomorphs after pyrite; exposed to water's edge __________________ _ 

Feet 

662 

3 

22 

26 

Total Coconino sandstone exposed _ _ _ _ _ 713 

15. Section half a mile so'uth of the head of Black Box Canyon of 

San Rafael River, San Rafael Swell, Utah 

Moenkopi formation: Conglomerate, fine to coarse, 

with many angular and subangular chert and quartz 

pebbles; in I-foot lenses, locally recurring in two 

beds 1 to 1~ feet thick separated by 5 feet of buff 

gypsiferous shale. 

Feet 

Erosional unconformity, with a relief of about 15 feet Feet. 

in an area of 5 acres. The conglomerate occurs only 

in the hollows, the higher points being covered with 

green-gray gypsiferous shale. In some of the depressions a gritty white clay occurs, probably being 

derived from the decomposition of the Kaibab/limestone in pre-Moenkopi time. 

Kaibab limestone: 

1. Limestone, light gray to cream-colored, weathering dark to light gray, containing some 

limy sandstone beds 1 to 9 feet thick 

which grade into true limestone; surface 

pitted; contains abundant nodules which 

range from half an inch to 5 inches in diameter, though mostly about an inch, and 

. which are chert on the outside, lined with 

'crystalline milky quartz, and filled at the 

center with large calcite crystals. Toward 

the middle of the unit iron concretions are 

numerous, their sharp angular outlines in 

strong contrast with the mammillary surfaces of the quartzose nodule~. Thickness 

varies owing to erosion surface at the top_ 61-76 

2. Sandstone, gray, weathering nearly white; 

massive, in two or three beds; very limy, 

micaceous; very unevenly granular, grains 

one-sixteenth inch in maximum diameter _ 5 

3. Limestone, sandstone, and shale, thin bedded 

and interfingering; the limestone practically all altered to white, chalky-appearing 

chert, with scattered gray nodules as much 

as 3 inches in diameter; the limestone beds 

average half an inch in thickness; the shale 

and sandstone lenses are thinner, averaging perhaps a quarter of an inch, though a 

few are as much as 4 inches thick; some 

angular chert in these thicker layers is perhaps clastic, but the whole bed is so 

checked and broken that it may have been 

formed in place__ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ ____ _ _ _ 3-4~ 

Total Kaibab limestone _____________ 69-85~ 

Contact gently rolling; conformity probable but uncertain. 

Coconino sandstone: Sandstone, heavy bedded, crossbedded, white, sugary. 

16. Section on south side of Cedar Mountain, in sec. 10, T. 19 S., 

R. 11 E., San Rafael Swell, Utah 

Entrada sandstone (part): Sandstone, maroon, fine 

grained, gypsiferous, cliff former. 

Carmel formation: 

1. Gypsum, green, bedded, with much selenite Ft. in. 

veining; forms a ledge_________________ 4 

2. Sand, green-gray _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 6 

3. Sand, maroon, with gypsum veins and layers_ 3 

4. Gypsum, green stained _____________ - _ __ __ _ 1 

5. Shale and sandstone, sandier upward; green_ 5 3. 

6. Sand, maroon, much veined with secondary selenite_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

7. Gypsum, white _____________ -:._:.-""__________ 10 

8. Sand, red and green, gyps{ferous, unconsolidated_________________________________ 1 

9. Gypsum, white __________________________ _ 

10. Shale, green ____________________________ _ 

11. Sand, red, gypsiferous __ .:. _________________ _ 

12. Gypsum, clean white, bedded _____________ _ 

13. Sand, gypsiferous, red ____________________ _ 

3 

4 3 

2 6 

1 6 

3 9 
98 saORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Carmel formation-Continued. 

14. Gypsum, massive ________________________ _ 

15. Shale, green _________________ - _ - __ - - -----

16. Sand, red, gypsiferous--------------------- 17. Gypsum ________________________________ _ 

18. Shale, gray-green, sandier toward the top __ - 19. Gyps~m ________________________________ _ 

20. Sandstone, gray, gypsiferous, thin bedded __ _ 21. (}ypsum ________________________________ _ 

22. Shale, green ____________________________ _ 

23. Sand, red, gypsiferous ____ - - ___ - - - - __ - - - - __ 

24. Shale and thin sandstone; gray, flaky, ripplemarked; thin gypsum parting at the top __ 

25. Sand, maroon, shaly - ________ . __ ----- - - - - --

26. Gypsum, clean white alabaster, massive ____ _ 

27. Sand, maroon, shaly, soft _________________ _ 

28. Gray shale and sandstone, alternating; interbedded gypsum bands 4 feet above the 

base; much secondary selenite along cracks_ 

29. Gypsum, green-white ____________________ _ 

30. Sand, green-gray, highly gypsiferous; a few 

black grains disseminated through it- ___ _ 

31. Sand, red, highly gypsiferous _____________ _ 

32. Sand, like No. 30 _______________________ _ 

33. Gypsum, white, soft, pure; forms a flat bench_ 

34. Gypsum, interbedded with gray dense crystalline limestone in lenses from a quarter of an 

inch to 30 feet long and from paper-thln to 

2 inches in thickness; the gypsum very 

clean and hard; no limestone in the upper 

10 feet, which -forms a persistent ledge ___ _ 

35. Clay, gray-green and chocolate-red, highly gypsiferous-- ____________________ ,. ____ _ 

36. Gypsum, clean white, practically free from silt _________________________________ _ 

37. Sandstone, gray, gypsiferous, very soft and 

friable ____________________________ . __ _ 

38. Clay, red, very gypsiferous, slightly sandy __ _ 

39. Shales and sandstones, gray; highly micaceous, some biotite flakes one-eighth inch 

long; clean gray quartz sand and gray 

clay, with secondary gypsum seams as 

much as 1 inch in thickness ____________ _ 

40. Gypsum (alabaster), stained green; weathers 

cavernous' and hummocky; bedding apparent on distant view but not prominent 

in detail; fibrous seams of selenite as much 

as lU inches thick cut diagonally .across 

the bedding but more cominonly lie parallel 

to it; forms a ledge _______________ ;- ___ _ 

41. Sandstone, green-gray, fine grained,"ripplemarked, cross-bedded, composed of 

rounded grains of quartz; upper 8 feet 

massive and cut by many gypsum seams as 

much as half an inch thick, w.p.ich have a 

tendency to follow the bedding planes but 

cut across them at places; the fibers of 

gypsum are neither parallel to the bedding 

nor perpendi<?ular to the walls of the veinlets; some of the veinlets show comb structure, and most of them die out downward 

but upward enlarge into nodules of alabaster gypsum ·as·in~ch as 1 inch thick and 

3~ inches long; these nodules are flattened 

rough~y .p~:allel~ to ~he bedding; . forms a ledge ____________ -: ___ . ________ .'" _______ _ 

42. Limestone, oolitic,.containing shell fragments_ 

43. Shale, drab._:- _________________ -: __ , ___ . ____ _ 

Ft. in. 

5 

11 6 

2 6 

6 

32 6 

2 

4 

4 

4 

1 6 

21. 6 

1 

5 :3 

1 

6 

3 

, 1 

1 6 

1 

5 

16 9 

1 6 

10 

2 6 

7 

6 

6 3· 

20 9 

2 

3 

Carmel formation-Continued. Ft. in. 

44. Limestone, shaly, gray, hard, thin bedded, 

platy; breaks into chips one-eighth to onehalf inch thick and 3 to 5 inches across; 

forms a ledge_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3 6 

45. Limestone, massive, gray, very dense, blocky; 

irregular leached cavities numerous in the 

middle part; forms a persistent ledge; a 

few fossils in the upper parL____________ 1 10 

46. Shale, hard, limy; drab, weathering creamy 

gray; in beds one-fourth to one-half inch 

thick, slabby,' ripple-marked; sandy to 

varying degree, in the upper part approaching a sandstone_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 32 

47. Sandstone, gray, platy, fossiliferous; breaks 

into shelly fragments 2 to 6 inches across, 

one-eighth to 1 inch thick; forms a strong 

ledge_________________________________ 6 

48. Sandstone, thin bedded, ripple-marked, crossbedded; in small lenses one-eighth to 1 

inch thick and three-fourths to 4 inches 

long; the top 1 foot unconsolidated sand; 

forms a slope_________________________ 7 

49. Sandstone, very limy, buff; oolitic at the top, 

with' coarser grains as much as one-eighth 

inch in diameter; variable between the limy 

and the sandy facies by gradation along 

the bed, not by discontinuous lensing_ _ _ _ 2 6 

50. Limestone, shaly, changing upward to a 

sandy, limy shale, greenish gray, weathering 

buff; forms a slope_____________________ 15 6 

51. Limestone, light gray, dense, breaking with 

conchoidal fracture; somewhat sandy in 

the middle, shaly and platy at the top; 

fossiliferous throughout; forms a strong 

ledge_________________________________ 5 6 

52. Conglomeratic limes,tone, containing numerous chert pebbles as much as three-eighths 

inch·in diameter and small, nearly spherical 

gray oolites; Camptonectes, TrigonjaJ ~nd' Ostrea numerous _________________ ;._j_'__ 2 

53. Limestone, blocky; massive at both ·t.op· and 

bottom, with a;. ·thin-bedd~!1.shaly zone 

in the middle; Camptbnectes, Trigonia, 

and Ostrea abundant, lie at many places 

at right angles' to the bedding; one shell 

observed with valves' yerti~al and t,lmbo 

down _______________ · ________________ '-,_ 3 6 

54. Sandstone,' greenish gray,. extreinelY limy; 

in paper-thin. to.,.';1-inch. beds,. ripplemarked, tangentially cross-bedde(i; has 

a 2-1nch par.ting of green shale at the top; form~ a ledge ____ .~ '-: __________ .:.. ____ ..,'_ _ _ _ 2 2 

55. Shale,. greenish gr.ay,., slightly' ;.sandy, . not 

.:very well. laminated~ contains some 

soft gray "thin-bedded fine-grained ripplemarked cross-bedded limy sandsto~e 

toward the ,topt; llpperniost"l,foo"tsand-

. stone.;· forms a slope,,: ________________ :. _ 11 9 

56. Sandstone, fine grained, graY', weathering 

drab;. ,cO,lltf).ips, lenses ()f dense g~ay.ripplemarked limestone, weathering white; beds 

fr()m ·,paper-thin to 3 inches in thickness; 

oscillation ripples on top, wave length' 6 

ingp.es, amplitude halLan inch ______ ,_ _ _ _ _ !' 5 1· 

57. Shale; froT gi:e~J?i~l,l,· gray! to aJ.most.~);>~ack,. :,f' 

slightly. .. sandy,. not. very well lamin.ated; 

c'ont~ins . some thjn lenses of sandstone; 

forms a slope ____________________ ,!:" __ ...,,.. _ • ,~ .... , 9 
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 99 

Carmel formation-Continued. 

58. Sandstone, buff, weathering brown, the 

upper 'part much stained with desert 

varnish; very hard and limy; at some 

places massive, at others in one-half to 

6 inch beds; cross-bedded and ripplemarked throughout; fine grained, consisting chiefly of white quartz grains; 

,"ome of the beds with high concentration 

of dark minerals, among them biotite; 

forms a very persistent ledge ___________ _ 

59. Sandstone, buff, weathering light brown, 

fine grained, very limy, probably chloritic; 

and shale, dominantly greenish gray with 

some thin maroon bands, especially toward the bottom, well laminated, flaky, 

and pure; interbedded in lenses 1 foot 

long and 3' inches thick; unit variable, 

ripple-marked throughout ______________ _ 

60. Sandstone, red, possibly owing to wash from 

the overlying beds, as fresh fracture shows 

green-gray with only a few red blotches; 

extremely limy, vuggy; fractured surfaces 

show broad facets of calcite; beds a 

quarter of an inch to 5 inches thick; two 

chocolate-red shale partings 2 inches thick 

in the upper part; very fossiliferous, in 

part approaching a coquina; forms a ledge ________________________________ _ 

61. Parting of red and green shale ____________ _ 

62. Sandstone, maroon, grading into limestone; 

fine grained, largely recrystallized; contains 

. prolate-spheroidal red oolites from 0.25 

to 0.75 millimeter in diameter and very 

irregular in distribution, also vugs of calcite; 

shows facets of calcite on fracture; alternates with beds of shale one-quarter to 3 

inches thick, decidedly ripple-marked, and 

lensing in and out along the strike; fossils 

abundant, including Ost'rea, Camptonectes, and Trigonia ____________ . __ '- __ '- ________ . 

·63. Shale and sandstone, alternating in beds onesixteenth to 1 inch iI~ thickness; the sand-

. stOlle' Yellow-gray'., weathering brown; the, 

slui.le ~r~<,:m with a brown ting~,.making ~.p 

70 per cent of unit; the upper surface of the 

',unit ripple-marked ____________________ _ 

164. Sandstone, yellow, weathering brown; in beds 

1 to 3 inches thick; composed of finegrained clean white an~ pink quartz sand; 

stained by limonitQ and zP,anganese; hard, , 

very limy, showing fa?ets of ca~cite on 

fracture surfaces; fornls a IGdge _____ :-_-:.,._ 

.165. Shale, blocky, 'greenish, with liinonite' stains 

along the bedding planc::s alld around incip-: ' 

ient concretionary centers; very .J¥riYi 

contains muscovite but no sand __________ . 

66. Sandston~,· y~llQW' weather·ing". br01VlJ.; very 

'fi~le grained,". sh~ly, rather friable, with a 

few. thin shalepartings .. through -the ,bed';: _ 

Ft. in. 

2 8 

3 

2 

2 4 

1 

10 

8 

1 6 " ;.,.. ,... 'J. 7';., ---- i'~tal Carmel ,formation.:.:. __ .: __ .. ·.: __ ,_~··324 10 

llnconformity; ro1ling~urfacq, 'rathet'bro'~d~y i!r~gular. 

Navajo sandstOlle: S~i1?st6t:le,' 'jju'ff~' ~na:ssi~'~/:br?S~-

'bedded; 'exposed to al·thickness 'of' 30 -feet. . , ~ L . ,"'1''' •• ' ·l •• 

17. Type section of the Entrada sandstone at Entrada Point, 

northern San Rafael Swell, Utah 

Curtis formation: Conglomerate of chert pebbles in a 

green gray sandstone matrix. 

Erosional unconformity, shown in a rolling surface of 

low relief. 

Entrada sandstone: 

1. Sandstone, reddish chocolate-colored, 'becoming 

gray toward the top; thinly laminated, ceFeet 

mented by lime__________________________ 5 

2. Sandstone, chocolate-red, medium grained, " 

massive; weathers into rounded forms_ _____ 8 

3. Sandstone, chocolate-brown; lllostly laminated, 

massive in places_ - - -____________________ 3;!.1i 

4. Sandstone, chocolate-brown, medium to finegrained, massive; weathers 'int? rounded 

forms___________________________________ 13 

5. Sandstone, light red, coarse, gritty____________ 2 

6. Shales, red, weathering gray, sandy, thin bedded _______________ ~__________________ 1~ 

7. Sandstone, chocolate-red, fi11.,e •. grained, mas- si ve, cross-bedded ________________ '- '- ___ , _ -: _ 2 

8. Shale, green-gray, well laminated, alternating 

in thin layers with red, gray-green, and gray 

sandstones; unit sandier toward the top___ _ _ 2;!.1i 

,9. Sandstone, chocolate-red, fine grained, massive; 

forms a bench; in the upper 4 feet many 

angular and subrounded fragments of fine-,_, 

grained green-gray sandstone, ranging from " .' , 

half an inch to 15 inches in length, disposed:,~ :' 

at all angles to the bedding.-----------'----"'.29 

': 10. Sandstone and shale; sandstone micaceous, 

mottled red and green; shale sandy . and'-

chocolate-red _____________________ .- _ _ _ _ _ _ 5;!.1i 

11. Sandstone, chocolate-red, massive, .fine grained, 

cross-bedded in thin laminae ___ ~ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4 

12. Sandstone, fine grained~ and shale, variegat'ed__ 2 

13. Sandstone, chocolate-red, massive, fine .. gr~ined; . 

weathers into rounded forms ____ :_.: __ -_____ ..:_ 14 

14. Sands,tone" chocolate-red, thi:n bedded, medi~m _ 

to fiJ?-~ graiI~,ed ,-:_-:._~_.,. ___ ."._,.:,-,~-..,---'----.-- 15 

15. Sandstone, chocol,ate-:red, .very fine gr~inec;l, 

variable aloI?-g _ t~le, strike;, massiv:e, .. cliffforming in some place~,:- ten:acep in <?t,hers; 

~emented withlim~"'-- ... -::.--.-_,..:--.-.!~.~--~-..;- . 22 

16. Sanp,stone, c.hocolat~-r~d". bleach,ed, gre~n in 

'plac~s; thi~ bedded,· fine graine!i; upper sur- ~ 

; face chann~led- . ..;-:..;-. ..,--:.-------~,~,----_.---- 11 

17.' Sanclstone, gray, .cross-bedded t.angentially; 

medium grained, .. with cO,arser graw..s ~eax: the 

base; almost surely"water-Jaid;,forms a·ledge_ 30 

18. Sandstone, light gray, fj.ne.grain,ed-.:.:.--~_:.:.:.--- 2 

19. Sandstone,req., fine .grail).ec!-, 'Ihlilissive;.· forms a ~liff ____ '':' _ ... __ .,.,_.:; _ '":" .:::' ___ .!:.,- __ :. _ ::.: _'_ .. _ _ _ _ _ 18 

20 .. Sandstone, chocolate-br_own,' '. tpin . .1:.l~d;ded, 

medium .to fin,egrai~led.,., _____ .:,_,:.--'~;. .... -.:.--- 7 

21. .Sap.d~tone; chocol~te::-r(;)di'i:Q. bQds,h:om 2 t.o,8 

'. '; .2inches thicl\;. __ ''';' ... ___ ~_ .:.. _______ ,,:._~~, ___ ~,:.;; _ _ _ 5 

22. Shale, c]:lOcplate-red, . well laminated_ ~ .. _'-_':___ 1 

,.-23. _Sandst.one, .gra,y.; red·in., pl~c~fJi In.edium grained, 

massi,Ye; c.oncreti0nary~toward tl1e top __ :---.:.--- ,3 

.: 24. ,Shale, lhicMeous,. al)d. salJ.d~t.pn,e, _tWn. bedded, 

chocolate-:brown" ."tq feg" :w:,ith gree:o.,ish 

strefl,ke tlu:ougbJL:- -,;. .. -:;.. -.:.. "':. __ -:..,.. - _ .;;.-;:. ___ 3 

.. .' j 
100 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Entrada sandstone-Continued: Feet 

25. Sandstone, light gray to pink, medium grained, 

massive; with discontinuous shaly partings; cemented with lime ______________________ :... 5 

26. Sandstone, dark brown, thinly laminated; 

weathers like shale __________ "'-____________ 2 

27. Sandstone, chocolate-brown, cross-bedded, massive, fine grainedi upper and lower surfaces 

irregular-------------------------------- 5 

28. Sandstone, chocolate-brown with a few ,gray 

bands, coarse grained at the base, medium 

grained above, friable _____________ '-:_~ ____ 30 

29. Sandstone, gray and yellow, in thick beds showing contorted cross-b~dding, composed largely, 

of white quartz, dark and light mIca, hosely 

cemented with lime, somewhat friaole and 

wjth.a"shale.,parting at7~' .feet .ab~ve 'the base _______________________________ ~____ 11 

30. Sandstone, 'reddish brown, medium grained, .. 

'massive, cross-bedded .toward the tOPi:'the:. 

upper surface rolling, with a relief of 1 footi' 

weathers into rounded forms ___________ ~ ___ · 22 

31. Sandstone, gray, mottled, thin bedded, shaly _ _ _ 7 

32. Sandstone, reddish brown, meciiu~ grained~ ___ , 1 

33. : Sandstone, greenish gray, shaly, fine' grained i 

'contains ma,nyred grains, probably of agate- 20 

. Total,Entradasandstone ______________ 312 

Carmel formation. 

18. Section,oJ Summerville 'and 'Curtis formations at 'Summerville 

Pointz near he~d of Bummervi,lle Wash, northern San Rafael 

~,'lPell, Utah 

Morrisop forwation (part): Feet 

1. qlay, chocol~te-colored, containing many lumps 

of gypsum as much as 4 inches in diameter; 

,pass'es, by a zone 6 inches thick, into a gray 

. shaly sand containing some carbonaceous 

matter ____________ ~ _______________ ~_____ 4 

Unconformity, not prominent. 

Summerville formation (type section): 

2. Sandstone, chocolate-colored, thin bedded _____ ' 2 

3. Clay, with several thin sandstones____________ 4~ 

4. 'Sandstone,' thin bedded, cross-bedded, ripple- marked, micaceous__ _ ____________________ 2 

5. Clay, sandy, chocolate-colored_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

6. Sandstone, gray, fine grained, minutely crossbedded and showing current-rippling:.. _ _ _ _ _ _ 3 

7. Clay, sandy, chocolate-colored; interbedded with 

gypsum; with well-laminated brown sandstones in beds less than 2 inches thick and 

gray sandsto'nes in beds less than 1 inch thick; 

clay greatly predominates, becoming more 

sandy toward the top; the sandstone ledges 

give a banded "pipe-organ" appearance when 

the cliff is viewed from a distance __________ 103 

8. Gypsum, chocolate-colored mottled with green; 

weathering in gnarled, lumpy shapes~______ U 

9. Clay, chocolate-colored; interbedded with talclike gray silt, with thin limy chocolatecolored sandstone in beds nowhere over 2 

inches thick and lls,ualJy ihinner_._'"7 ___ ,_____ 32, 

10. Sandstone, chocolate-colored, very fine grained, 

very limy, breaking with conchoidal fracture_ 1 

lL Clay, reddish, interbedded with thin limy greengray sandstone, mostly very thin-bedded but 

with some layers 8 inches thick____________ 14 

Total Summerville formation __________ 163%; 

Transitional boundary. Feet 

Curtis formation: 

12. Limestone, sandy, gray, weathering brown; 

contains many geodes lined with chalcedony, 

rock crystal, and calcite_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ % 

13. Sandstone, gray, weathering brown, fine grained, 

very limy; with thin-bedded zones 5 to 10 feet 

apart between which the bedding is massive; 

contains many small black grains (biotite?) 

and green grains------------------------- 73~ 

14. Sandstone, green-gray, medium grained; green 

grains numerous; bedding irregular, ripplemarked; cross-bedded, breaking into smooth 

slabs along the planes; more massive toward 

top and weathering into large disks; contains 

thin lentils of chlorite-bearing shale_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 124~ 

15. Sandstone, green-gray, very limy; coarse, nearly 

a'grit, with well-rounded grainsi green grains 

numerous and clay balls as large as 2 by 1~ 

inches by three-fourths inch, usually containing carbonaceous materiaL_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 

16. Sandstone, greenish gray, weathering brown" 

fine to medium grained; beds from oneeighth inch to 18 inches thick, irregularly 

cemented; cross.:.bedded; clay fragments 

sparingly scattered throughout,· in places 

associated with carbonaceous materiaL _ '- _ _ _ 20 

17. Sandstone, medium grained, containing angular 

clay flakes usually parallel to the bedding; 

carbonaceous material in irregular lenses____ 1 

18. Sandstone, with some shale, thin bedded, irregularly bedded, fine graine,d- _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 12~ 

19. Sandstone'and shale, in alternating lenses_____ 2 

20. Shale, gray-green, welliaminated_____________ 14 

21. Conglomerate of black, brown, and red chert 

pebbles one-fourth inch in maximum diame- ter ______________ ~ _____ ~________________ 73 

22. Shale, green-gray, clayey, welliaminated______ ~ 

23. Conglomerate, cross-bedded at angles as great 

as 30° with the true bedding; same types of 

pebbles as in unit 21, but more scattered_ _ 1 

24. Sandstone, gray _____________ .:____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 

Total Curtis formation _______________ 2527!i 

Unconformity; erosion and angular discordance of '4°. 

Entrada sandstone: Sandstone, red, thin bedded. 

t9. Section on Curtis Point, Saleratus (Lost Springs) Wash, 

sec. 34-, T. 19 S:, R. 13 E., San Rafael Swell, Utah 

Morrison formation (part): 

1. Sandstone lens, channel type. 

2. Limestone, crystalline, gray, containing much 

nodular jasper, shattered and veined like 

septaria; beds about 7 inches thick ______ _ 

Unconformity not apparent at this point. 

Summerville formation: 

3. Sandstone, gray, fine grained; in part m~ssive, weathering brown; in part thin bedded, 

weathering brick-red; interbedded' with 

chocolate-colored sandy clay; a 6-inch bed 

Ft. in. 

4 

of jasper at top; forms a slope___________ 5 6 

4. "Sandstone, gray, weathering .,brow.n" .fine 

grained, limy, thin bedded, ripple-bedded, 

containing some small clay pellets, variable 

along strike; forms a subdued iedge_ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

5. Mudstones, somewhat sandy, chocolatecolored; with many 1 to 2 inch beds of 

cross-bedded calcareous chocolate-brown 

sandstone_____________________________ 75 6 
SEDIMENTARY ROOKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJAOENT AREAS IN UTAH 101 

Summerville formation-Continued. Ft. in. 

6. Sandstone, gray, weathedpg chocolate-colored; rather fine, well-rounded grains, some 

black and some red; massive bed_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 4 

7. Mudstone, chocolate-colored, with many thin 

ledges of very limy sandstone, mostly 

chocolate-colored but with some greengray and constituting about 10 per cent 

of the unit; many balls of gypsum as large as 

baseballs weather out and are strewn over the surface_ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ __ __ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ 23 6 

S. Mudstone, sandy, green-gray; passes upward 

into a variable series of green-gray thinbedded calcareous, very fine-grained sandstone; highly calcareous gray sandstones 

which form low ledges; and at about the 

middle of the unit red .sandy clays_ _ _ _ _ _ 17 6 

Total Summerville formation________ 125 4 

Jurtis formation (type section) : 

9. Sandstone, green-gray, weathering brown; 

very limy, fine grained, thin, platy; crossbedded in 6-inch layers between heavier 

layers of slightly coarser, less limy sandstone, which does not weather brown_ _ _ _ 21 

10. Sandstone, green-gray, medium grained; 

weathers in rounded forms due to exfoliation and differential cementation _______ _ 

11. Sandstone, green-gray, fine grained, friable; 

clay pellets and loglike iron-stained concretions at various horizons; forms steep ledgy slope ___________________________ -______ _ 

12. Sandstone, green-gray, weathering brown; 

much carbon at some horizons, clay pellets at others; weathers into rounded 

forms as in No. 10 and forms ledge ______ _ 

13. Sandstone, green-gray, of fine-grained quartz 

with some black and green grains; thin 

bedded, lenticular; interfingers with lenses 

of green gritty sandstone, which weathers 

buff, contains many red grains as well as 

the green and black, and is cross-bedded 

throughout, with individual beds 4 inches 

to 2 feet thick; unit forms vertical cliff, 

capped by proj ecting ledge _____________ _ 

14. Grit, green-gray, with sporadic pebbles; crossbedding not as general as in the lower beds 

and with planes dipping north; 2-inch 

shale parting in the middle; lenses out 

within 100 yards ______________________ _ 

15. Shale, green-gray, flaky __________________ _ 

16. Conglomerate, green-gray, of pebbles of 

brown, gray, and white chert, and jasper 

as much as half an inch in diameter but 

mostly less than a quarter of an inch; 

very limy; cross-bedded, with planes dipping south at angles as great as 22° , directly 

opposite to the dip in No. 14 ___________ _ 

17. Shale, like No. 1.5----r-------~--.-:------:--.-

18. 'Conglomerate, like -NQ. 16, contammg echInoid spines ________ : __________________ _ 

19. Shale, green-gray, flaky __________________ _ 

20. Conglomerate, like No. 16, but with crossbedding on a smaller scale; within 100 

yards to the north base cuts downward 

and unit is 12 feet thick _______________ _ 

21. Shale parting, dark gray _________________ _ 

95489°-28-8 

40 6 

24 

20 

10 6 

2 2 

5 

3 

15 6 

1 

2 6 

4 6 

6 

Curtis formation (type section)-Continued. Ft. in. 

22. Grit, grains nearly all smaller than wheat grains _______________________________ _ 

23. Shale, slightly sandy, dark gray, fissile _____ _ 

6 

7 6 

24. Sandstone, gray, weathering buff; limy, with 

a few thin shale lenses _________________ _ 4 9 

25. Shale, sandy, dark gray; includes thin lenses 

of well-bedded rippled fine-grained limy 

sandstone which make up about 25 per 

cent of the member; carbonaceous toward 

the top ______________________________ _ 

26. Sandstone, buff, massive, fine grained, limy __ 

27. Sandstone, limy, clayey, fine grained, mousecolored, with red tinge here and there; 

alternates with sandy shale, of the same 

color; the sandstone especially predominant at bottom and top; gypsiferous' in 

upper part ___________________________ _ 

28. Shale, gray and green-gray, with a little red 

along some beds; welllaminated ________ _ 

7 

3 

20 

8 

Total Curtis formation_____________ 193 4 

Erosional unconformity. 

Entrada sandstone (part): 

29. Sandstone, red, thin bedded, very fine grained __ .____________________________ 10~ 

20. Section on east flank of Woodside anticline, San Rafael 

Swell, sees. 17 and 18, T. 19 S., R. 14 E., Utah 

Dakota (?) sandstone: Feet 

1. Grit, ill exposed, at base of Mancos shale__ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

Morrison formation: 

2. Clay, variegated yellow, cream-colored, chocolate-colored, bluish gray, greenish gray, brickred, etc.; contains discontinuous bands of 

gritty medium-gray limestone which weather 

dark brown. The limestones contain sporadic grains, one-sixteenth to one-eighth 

inch in diameter, of jasper and black chert p.nd 

smaller grains of translucent quartz; seams 

of secondary calcite common _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 25 

3. Sandstone, light gray, fine grained, with calcareous cement, cross-bedded, much stained 

with desert varnish; conglomerate at base 

containing' pebbles as much as 3 inches in 

diameter of clay, chert, limestone, and jasper_ 11 

4. Shale, marly, medium gray with greenish cast__ 20 

5. Limestone, dense but badly shattered; medium 

gray with greenish tinge and some lilac-red 

spots; much iron stain along joints; grades 

upward into a dirty-purplish shaly limestone_ 6 

6. Clay, variegated, like No.2; limy band,S have 

considerable secondary calcite_ ____________ 33~ 

7. Sandstone, light gray, fine grained, with limy 

cement, cross-bedded; conglomeratic at base, 

with pebbles of limestone, chert, and jasper; 

much desert varnish on surface _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5 

S. Clay, variegated, like No.2; contains a parting 

of fine-grained thin-bedded greenish limy 

sandstone made up largely of quartz and 

jasper__________________________________ 28~ 

9. Sandstone, light gray, much cross-bedded; contains several bands of fine conglomerate, 

cemented with- silica;'·pebbles--as'much as 1 

inch in diameter but mostly about threeeighths inch, chiefly black and gray chert ,,,ith 

a few of firm clay including grains of secondary quartz (apparently weathered igneous 

rock); unit contains also a clay parting at 

13~ to 17 feet above' base; much' desert 

varnish_________________________________ 18 
102 SHonTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Morrison formation-Continued. Ft. in. 

10. Clay, variegated, like No.2; the gritty limestone 

bands in places give way to a calcareous grit 

or a limestone conglomerate with chert pebbles as much as 1 inch in diameter, in part 

angular, in part smoothed, of many colors; 

unit weathers into steep slopes covered with 

jagged pebbles___________________________ 64 

11. Sandstone, lenticular, like No. 9 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3 

12. Clay, like No. 10 ________________________ ~__ 187'2 

13. Limestone, medium gray, lenticular but more 

extensive than usual as it is traceable for 

over half a mile; contains much secondary 

bluish-white chert, calcite, and rock crystal; 

weathers into nodular masses from 6 inches 

to 1 foot across and in places makes a slight bench _________________________________ _ 

14. Clay, like No. 10 __________________________ _ 

15. Grit and conglomerate, cemented firmly with 

silica; in places fractures across the pebbles, in 

places limy with secondary calcite along frac-

. tures; lower 4 feet a fine conglomerate with 

brown, gray, green, white, red, and black 

chert pebbles averaging three-eighths inch in 

diameter, and limestone and sandstone pebbles as much as 3 inches in diameter; upper 

5 feet a grit which blends with the lower part, 

very irregular in thickness, and bearing much 

desert varn~h __________________________ _ 

16~ Clay, like No.2 .except that limestone lenses are confined to th'e upper parL ___________ -: __ _ 

17.Sandetone, light gray, limy; grains about 0.25 

milli.meter in diameter, of translucent quartz 

with ,some muscovite and a few dark minerals;massive, ,breaking into angular joint 

blocks about 1 foot on a side; in part firmly 

cemented; stained on outcrop by blotches of 

limonite ___________________________ ~~ __ _ 

18. C~nglomerate, cemented with silica, largely of 

chert pebbles, but with some pebbles of sandstone as much as 4 by 2 inches; layers of crossbedded sandstone and grit as much as 4 feet 

thick i~cluded; stI:eam-bedded throughout. 

This is tbe conglomerate capping Cedar 

Mountain and forming. the prominent ·hogback west of the Denver & Rio Grande West4~ 

52 

9 

257'2 

5 

ern Railroad south of. Woodside, Utah ____ •. _ 19 

19. 'Shale, limy, greenish gray _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____ _ _ _ 3 

20 .. Clay, purplish on close view', bluish gray at a 

, distance; rather flaky. toward the'. top, approaching a shale in fissility but, breaking 

into angular fragments _________ . ___ :.. ____ -: _ 4~ 

21. Conglomerate, mottled purple and· gray,' with 

limestone pebbles' as much as l>i' inches in 

diameter __ .. __ . ____ '~ _______________ : __ ~ _ ~. _ _ _ ~ 

22. 'Clay",' drab to green-gray; weathersint~: steep , ... slopes __ .,. _________ ~ _____________ :. ___ '~"~' _ _ 45 

23.;Sandston~, light gray, wi.tb some .. limoii~te stain; 

tangentially cross-bedded;' '·'1ime-c.einen.ted, 

. verY;, ~frhib)e_ -7"~' _ ._~_~_. ____ ~- - - - _, -;_"_. _ - - - - - - _ - 3 

24. Clay, gray, with 'fain~ greepi,sh-yell9w tinge_ - _ _ 87'2 

25 .. sandstone, light gray, weathering drab to b~o,wn, 

.. jriablf.l; l~me-cement~d, thin bedded, crossbedded; v&ries" in constitution ".along . strike, 

at sQme pi~ce~ gritty and, containing subrounded. grains as much as onc-:-eighth inch 

in diameter of gray chert, jasper; and trans-

. ·.luceIit:quartz; at.other places shaly ____ ~___ 27'2 

Morrison formation-Continued, 

26. Clay, drab or gray, with faint greenish-yellow 

tinge, soft, structureless _________________ _ 

27. Sandstone, medium gray, generally friable, limecemented, cross-bedded; grains 1 to 2 millimeters in diameter, many coated with 

limonite; contains small lenses of quartzite 

and at base a fine conglomerate of clay and 

chert pebbles _________________ ' __________ _ 

28. Clay, light greenish gray ___________________ _ 

29. Sandstone, light gray, limy; cross-bedded, with 

planes inclined as much as 32° to the true 

bedding, and no consistent direction apparent; 

grains about 0.75 millimeter in diameter, 

chiefly of well-rounded clear quartz, with 

30. 

31. 

32. 

33. 

34. 

35. 

36. 

37. 

38. 

39. 

40. 

41. 

some jasper and brown chert; clay pellets 

up to 1.5 millimeters in diameter at bottom 

of ripples ______________________________ _ 

Clay, variegated, dominantly light greenish gray 

with tinges of red _______________________ _ 

Limestone, dark green, dense, cherty ________ _ Clay, like No. 30 __________________________ _ 

Sandstone, dark green, calcareous; friable, very 

lenticular - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7" 

Shale, variegated, somewhat fissile ___________ _ 

Sandstone, lenticular, dark green ____________ _ Clay, like No. 30 __________________________ _ 

Limestone, light, greenish gray, dense, siliceous_ 

Clay, ~ike No. 30 __________________________ _ 

Limestone, very dense, green-gray; weathers 

into nodular forms; much stained with limonite, probably impurc ____ ..: __ .:. _____ ..: _____ _ 

Clay, like No. 30 ____ ..: ___ ' ________ .:..:..: ________ _ 

Clay and sandstone, alternating; the clay of the 

type of No. 30; the sandstone limy, greenish 

gray, weathering brown, in cross-bedded 

lenses half an inch to 10 inches thick, averaging 4 inches. The unit is about 80 per cent 

Ft. in. 

16 

57'2 

19 

12 

9 

1 

21 

1 

3 

7'2 

37'2 

17'2 

19 

1 

6 

clay and 20 per cent sandstone, and a short 

distance away one of the sandstone lenses 

reaches a thickness of 4 feet_______________ 14 

Salt Wash sandstone member: 

42. Sandstone, light gray; fine, nearly 

pure quartz sand cemented by 

lime; beds as much as 12 feet thick; 

cross-bedding common, and in the 

cross-bedded' parts, espeCially to-' 

ward' the top, some layers of fine 

grit or even fine conglo:.nerate; 

clay in partings and seams as much 

as 1 foot thick, especially 'near the 

base, constituting 20 pet' cent of· 

entire unit; uhit weathers into a 

limonite-stained "friable rock in 

'rounded forms and makes a strong 

bench half a mile wide _________ ' __ 74 

43 ... Clay,ljgh~ medium gray with'slight 

greenisli, cast; iii paFt. variegated; 

.. polisned ; pebbles (" gastroliths") 

, . On this slope _____ '_ -:' ____ :- _:- __ ~ __ 11 

44. Sandstone, light gray, friabl~, on 

weathering;' largely' .. ,;~~dium 

grained"; contains a few clay pe'llets 

as much as a 'quarter 'of an inch:in 

~ameter---_-------::_.--.--:------- . 2~ 

45. Clay, like No. 43 ____ ;._~ __ .:.., ____ ~-..: '.6 

:.,. .. 
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAlI 103 

Morrison formation-Continued. Feet 

Salt Wash sandstone member-Continued. 

46. Clay, like No. 43, and sandstone, 

like No. 44. The sandstone constitutes about one-third of the 

unit, in ledges 6 inches to 2 feet or 

more thick, weathering light 

brown; very hard, probably 

cemented with silica; 11 feet above 

the base of unit a I-foot bed of 

quartzitic grit containing grains of 

jasper, rock crystal, brown, green, 

and black chert; sandstone at top 

of the unit makes a bench 50 feet wide __________________________ 27 

47. Clay, light medium gray with a 

greenish cast, but in part variegated with a dirty purplish tinge; 

probably limy__________________ 7 

48. Clay, like No. 47, and limestone. 

Limestone constitutes one-third of 

the unit, medium gray, weathering 

dark gray, in some places brown; 

dense, in ledges as much as 1 foot 

thick. No fossils noted here, but 

fragmentary gastropods occur elsewhere at this horizon ____________ 18~ 

49. Gypsiferous clay, mainly green-gray, 

with many seams of fibrous white 

secondary gypsum; near top a few 

thin sandstone layers ____________ 11 

50. Gypsiferous sandstone, grading upward into No. 49; greenish gray, 

friable, ,with much secondary 

fibrous gypsum; apparently a resistant stratum, as' it caps a rather 

extensive bench ________________ 15 

51. Gypsum, massive and fibrous; con-, 

taminated with clay and sand; 

cherry-red, pink, and white; forms 

a strong ledge ______________ '____ 5~ 

Total Salt Wash sandstone member_ 177Y2 

Total Morrisop. formation_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 724%; 

'I{]nconformity not apparent, though elsewhere a low 

angular discordance and some erosion are visible at 

this horizon. 

iSu mmerville formation: 

52. Sandstone, dirty 'bri1ck-red, friable, clayey, 

gypsiferous; uppt;lr 2 feet with fibrous white 

secondary gypsum in niunerous' seam~ nearly 

pl1rallcl to the bedding planes - - - - - - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4Y2 

53. lVi'ud'stone, limy, sandy, brownish red, with 

chocolate-brown tinge at close range, brickred in distant view; massive, nonfissile; breaking into angular frag~nents, an9' weathering 

in part into ellipsoidal niasses; contai~s some 

thin bands which rangq in textur,e from dense 

medium-gray limestone' to coarsely crystalline pinkish or white calc~te and which 

weather into nodules arid irregular fragments 

cQyering the slope; many .. of these nodules 

cherty ___________________________ ,_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 

,54. Sandstone, medium gray with a greenish cast, 

very thin bedded, fine grained, clayey, limecemented; includes some red mudstone parhlngs~_~~~ ___________________ ~ ___ ~___ 1 

.,55. Mpdstone. like, No. 53 ____ :.-_________ _"_1._____ 3 

Summerville formation-Continued. Feet 

56. Sandstone, like No. 54 ______________________ , lY2 

57. Mudstone, like No. 53______________________ 1 

58. Sandstone, like No. 54_ - - -- - - - - ------ _ - - - - __ Y2 

59. Mudstone, like No. 53______________________ 8Y2 

60. Sandstone, like No. 54 ___ :.._________________ 1~ 

61. Mudstone, like No. 53, with arbout 10 per gent 

sandstone_______________________________ 16 

62. Sandstone, like No. 54______________________ 4 

63. Mudstone, like No. 53______________________ 8 

64. Sandstone, like No. 54______________________ 3 

65. Mudstone, like No. 53______________________ 8 

66. Sandstone, like No. 54 ______ '________________ 3 

67. Mudstone, like No. 53, but aJew thin sandstone 

beds of a medium greenish-gray c'olor, like', 

No. 54 _______ .: __________________ '________ 5Y2 

68. Sandstone, like No. 54______________________ '4 

69. Mudstone, like No. 67, except that the sandy 

ledges are confined to the upper part_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 27 

70. Limestone, medium gray with red cast, finely 

crystalline, ripple-marke,d on upper surface_ _ ~ 

71. Mudstone, approaching a shale in fissility in 

some places and containing some thin sandstone beds. None of the mudstones above 

this unit carry more than a few per cent of' 

limestone; in this there is more lime, perhaps 

10 per cent______________________________ 21 

72. Limestone, brownish red, dense; contains 

stringers of quartz sandstone and seams as 

much as one-eighth inch thick of fibrous gypsum; weathers dark brown; forms a ledge__ 1 

73. Mudstone, like No. 53______________________ 1 

74. Limestone, like No. 72______________________ ~ 

75. Mudstone, like No. 53______________________ 3 

Total Summerville formation_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 128 

Curtis formation: 

76. Sandstone, medium gray with slight greenish 

tinge, weathering rich medium brown; very 

fine grained, fairly well cemented with lime; 

'beds as much as 6 inches thick, with partings 

of shale of same color; ripple-marked; composed largely of quartz with some black and 

some red minerals; contains vugs and cavities 

lined with jasper, milky chalcedony, and rock 

crystal. Some of the vugs occur in limestone 

lenses which reach 6 inches in thickness and sever~l feet in length _____________________ 128 

21. Section in Cottonwood Springs Draw, sec. 10, T. 20 S., R. 

, 13 E., San Rafael Swell, Utah 

Curtis formation (part): Fee' 

1. Sandstone, gray, medium grained, limecemented; massive except for a few ,thin 

beds toward the top __ , _________ '________ 3~ 

Unconformity, not strongly expressed here, but 1 mile 

to the west an angular discordance of 4° 

, and erosional irregularities. 

:mntrada sandstone: 

2. Sandstone, cho'colate .. brown, very massive; 

in general fine grained' but gritty. in the 

lower foot or so and containing subangular 

grains of gray, red, and yellow quartz and 

some biotite (1); weathers into rounded 

-ledges and cliffs ______ :_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 49 

3. Sandstone, buff, fine to inedium grained, the 

larger grains well rounded, many of red 

quartz, some of blue_, _______ ..:. __ , __ '..:_, __ .'__ 11% 
104 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Entrada sandstone-Continued. 

4. Sandstone, chocolate-brown, shaly, thin 

bedded, micaceous; composed principally 

of red and yellow quartz grains; some dark, 

possibly carbonaceous streaks toward the 

middle and top of the unit _____________ _ 

5. S&ndstone, chocolate-brown, massive, fine 

grained; forms a ledge ________________ _ 

6. Sandstone, chocolate-brown, friable, medium 

to fine grained, with sporadic large wellrounded quartz grains; 2-inch parting, at 

about the middle, of fine-grained crossbedded gray sandstone with many yellow and red quartz grains __________________ _ 

7. Sandstone, gray, massive, hard, medium 

grained, lime-cemented; composed of wellrounded white quartz grains with a few of red __________________________________ _ 

8. Sandstone, clayey, chocolate-brown; incloses 

lenses half an inch to 4 inches thick of very 

fine grained gray biotite-bearing limecemented thin-bedded and cross-bedded 

sandstone marked by current ripples of 

small size; lenses make up about 30 per 

cent of the rock _______________________ _ 

9. Saridstone, chocolate-brown, massive, medium 

to fine grained, lime-cemented; contains 

some muscovite and a few large yellow 

quartz grains; forms a rounded slope ____ _ 

10. Sandstone, clayey, chocolate-brown, with 

subordinate thin lenses of friable gray sandstone ____________________________ _ 

11. Sandstone, massive, gray, medium fine grained; 

composed chiefly of well-rounded white 

quartz grains, with some biotite; weathers 

yellow-gray in a rounded ledge _________ _ 

12. Sand, gray, alternating with friable thinbedded gray sandstone of fine grain; weath- ers to a slope _________________________ _ 

13. Sandstone gray, massive; well-rounded sand 

grains, chiefly white, yellow, and red quartz, 

E:ubordinate; black, green, and blue grains; 

weathers into rounded shapes (" stone 

babies") several feet long; forms a ledge __ 

14. Sandstone, in three thin beds, medium grained, limy, fairly hard ______________________ _ 

15. Sandstone, gray, weathering yellow-gray~ 

thin bedded, with a more massive zone at 

the top; composed of well-rounded white 

quartz, with sporadic yellow and red quartz, 

biotite, and some scattered specks of limo- nite _________________________________ _ 

16. Sandstone, chocolate-brown, massive, limecemented; fine grained' but with a few 

coarse, well-rounded grains _____________ _ 

17. Sandstone, chocolate-brown, friable; basal 2 

feet very friable, shaly, and red; above this, 

three very hard, well-cemented 1-foot beds 

composed of white and brown subangular quartz grains _________________________ _ 

18. Sandstone, brown, medium grained, composed 

.of.subangular. .quartz with .much .dark )Dica; . 

in two heavy beds with 6-inch shaly part- ingbetween ________ ~ ______ ~ __________ _ 

19. Sand, shaly, slightly gypsiferous; includes at 

intervals of 3 and 5 feet three beds of friable 

chocolate-brown sandstone, about 8 inches 

, thick, forming ledges in the slope made by the unit as a whole _________________ .: __ _ 

Feet 

3 

4 

8 

172 

1772 

12 

2 

29 

6 

19 

14 

Entrada sandstone-Continued. 

20. Shale, sandy, gray, gypsiferous, becoming 

more sandy upward; uppermost foot nearly asandstone _______ ~ __________________ _ 

21. Sandstone, gray, friable, medium coarse 

grained, finer toward top; made up chiefly 

of rounded and subangular quartz grains; 

cross-bedded, planes dipping generally 

southeast; in beds about 4 feet thick; forms a gentle slope ________________________ · __ 

22. Sandstone, gray, weathering yellow-gray, 

chocolate-red in upper part, sugary, very 

friable, lime-cemented, cross-bedded, massive, medium to coarse grained; largely of 

white quartz, with some red and yellow; forms vertical.cliff __ . __________________ _ 

Total Entrada sandstone ___________ _ 

Feet 

8 

19 

24 

265 

-=== Contact gradational. 

Carmel formation: 

23. Shale, chocolate-brown, becoming sandier 

toward top ________________ .:.. __________ _ 

24. Shale, maroon, gypsiferous _______________ _ 25. Gypsum, clean __________________________ _ 

26. Shale, chocolate-red, with gypsum beds as 

much' as 1 foot thick distributed through- out __________________________________ _ 

27. Gypsum, clean __________ ' ________________ _ 

28. Clays, greenish gray, gypsiferous __________ _ 29. Gypsum, clean, white ____________________ _ 

30. Shales, green-gray and red, gypsiferous _____ _ 

31. Concealed, probably gypsiferous clay and shale ________________________________ _ 

32. Sandstone, gray, thin, platy; shows symmetrical ripples, with wave length 272 inches, 

amplitude one-fourth to one-half inch, and 

crest trending generally N. 750 E _______ _ 

33. Shale and sandstone, gray, in very thin alter- nations ______________________________ _ 

34. Gypsum, white weathering yellow _________ _ 

35. Shale, red at base, tan toward top, highly gypsiferous ___ . ________________________ _ 

36. Gypsum (alabaster) _____________________ _ 

37. Sandstone and shale, alternating; chocolatebrown, with some clean maroon clays ___ _ 

38. Sandstone, blocky at base and thin, platy, 

highly micaceous toward top ___________ _ 

39. Shale, sandy, chocolate-red _______________ _ 

40. Shale, slightly sandy _____________________ _ 

41. Sandstone, very shaly, green-gray, thin bed- ded, platy ___________________________ _ 

42. Sandstone, gray, weathering yellow-brown, 

medium grained, composed chiefly of subrounded quartz, cross-bedded at top; forms 

strong ledge __________________________ _ 

43. Sandsto'ne, shaly, light gray, ripple-bedded __ 44. Concealed ______________________________ _ 

45. Sandstone,' gray, fine grained~ very limy, col1-

cretionary; cross ripples form a rhombic 

pattern on surfaces ____________________ _ 

46. Shale, slightly sandy, gray, sofL __________ _ 

47. Limestone, gray, shaly, fossiliferous _______ _ 

~ "·48.' Sandstone; "gray, thin bedded, platy, limy, 

with many grains of a black mineral 

(biotite?); makes low slope ____________ _ 

49. Sandstone, shaly at base, green-gray, fine 

grained, in beds 1 to 3 feet thick at base, 

thin bedded and flaggy toward the top; 

symmetrical ripple bedding throughout; forms strong ledge,; .: __________________ _ 

11 

3. 

5· 

2 

16 

35 

2 

8 

3~ 

8~ 

1 

11 

27Z 

3~ 

10 

2 

19 .. 
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 105 

Carmel formation-Continued. Feet 

50. Sandstone, greenish drab, very fine grained, 

dense; shaly and thin bedded toward base, 

cleaner and more massive in the middle, 

platy toward top (beds one-sixteenth inch 

thick) ; somewhat ~ariable along the strike_ 10~ 

51. Limestone, gray, dense; usually platy but at 

some places, blocky_____________________ 2~ 

52. Shale, very limy, blocky, hard_ _ ___________ 2~ 

53. Limestone, gray, dense, massive, very hard; 

contains calcite-incrusted geodes; many 

fossils, especially oysters________________ lU 

cA. Shale, green, soft, unctuous________________ % 

55. Limestone, chocolate-brown; partly oolitic, 

partly dense, crystalline; beds one-fourth 

inch to 6 inches in thickness; contains 

oysters and other fossils________________ 5 

56. Sandstone, green, with a I-foot chocolatebrown bed toward middle, separated by 

sharp but wavy boundaries; flaggy and 

cross-bedded toward top, massive and 

blocky in lower 2 to 3 feet______________ 6 

57. Shale, green to tan, blocky, gypsiferous, very 

limy, sandy toward top; upper surface 

wavy, with relief of 2 inches; basal 4 inches 

dark brown from limonite_______________ 2-2~ 

58. Sandstone, shaly at base, gypsiferous, green, 

weathering brown, biotite or chlorite plentiful, fine grained, very limy; very irregular 

upper surface suggesting wave form______ 2~ 

59. Shale, green, fissile, containing sandstone 

lenses 8 to 10 inches thick; lower bedding 

planes follow irregularities of lower surfaces, but upper planes smooth out and are 

regular; much secondary gypsum, in seams 

cutting across the bedding______________ 1-2~ 

Total Carmel formation ____________ 219-221 

Unconformity (?), wavy surface, with relief of 1~ feet 

and wave length 3 to 8 feet. Apparently there is 

here no reworked Navajo sandstone in the basal 

part of Cal'mel formation, as is usual elsewhere. 

Navajo sandstone: 

60. Sandstone, tan, massiv'e, tangentially crossbedded on large scale___________________ 400+ 

22. Sech:on at Black Dragon Canyon and Straight Wash, San 

Rafael Swell, Utah 

[Bods 1 to 0 mo!\Surod oast of Straight Wash Canyon; remainder along Black 

Dragon Wash) 

Morrison formation: Thick white alabaster gypsum 

beds at base, followed by conglomeratic "channel" 

slwdstones and varicolored mudstones, marls, and 

shales. 

Unconformity, a channeled irregular surface in the 

hollows of which the overlying gypsum was deposited. 

Summerville formation: 

1. Shale, sandy, thin bedded, dark reddish brown; 

contains many' thin lenses of greenish-gray 

sandstone, especially in the upper part, and 

many beds of pinkish-white alabaster 

gypsum as rnuch as 6 inches thick; crusts of 

red chert, probably secondary, weather out on 

Feet 

the slope; unit much seamed with secondary selenite veins_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 63 

2. Gypsum, a massive greenish-white alabaster; a persistent bed_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ ____ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ 2~ 

Summerville formation-Continued. 

3. Shale, sandy, dark red-brown, with a few gray 

sandstones 2 inches thick in the lower part; 

ripple-marked; above a horizon 65 feet from 

,the base, nodules and beds as much as 6 

inches thick of pink gypsum occur at 6-foot 

intervals to the top of the unit; in the upper 

50 feet much, more sandy than shaly-in 

fact, a blocky thin-bedded shaly sandstone, 

much seamed with secondary selenite; 

crusts of red chert strewn over the slope, as in No. 1 _______________________________ _ 

Feet 

146 

Total Summerville formation __________ 211 

Curtis formation: 

4. Shale and sandstone, alternating, green-gray, 

thin bedded; dominantly sandstone below 

and shale above and passing by gradation 

into the overlying Summerville formation__ _ 47 

5. Sandstone, green-gray, weathering brown, 

lime-cemented, friable, 'massive, very thick 

bedded, . cross-bedded, ripple-marked; includes some angular shale fragments and 

weathers into concretionary bosses and 

"biscuits" __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 65 

6. Shale, green-gray, glauconitic, in layers chiefly 

less than 2 inches thick though as much as 6 

inches, ripple-marked and separated by 

thin-bedded sandstone; the sandstone constitutes perhaps 5 per cent of the bulk of the unit ___________________ ~________________ 58 

'fotal Curtis formation _______________ 170 

Erosional uncvnformity with relief of several feet. 

Entrada sandstone: 

7. Sandstone, massive, earthy, red-brown; over 

50 feet in one bed, the rest thick bedded but 

with shaly partings a few inches thick_ _ _ _ _ _ 84 

8. Sandstone, yellow-gray, tangentially cross- bedded_________________________________ 11 

9. Sandstone, earthy, red-brown, with many thin 

maroon sandy shale zones; weathers into 

"bobbins" ______________________________ 25 

10. Sandstone, yellow, highly cross-bedded, even 

grained but somewhat earthy, especially in 

upper part- _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 7 

11. Sandstone, at base shaly and thinly, poorly 

bedded but passing upward into earthy, 

exfoliating ("bobbin weathering") type; 

buff in lower 3 feet, red-brown above_ _ _ _ _ _ 19 

12. Sandstone, red-brown, earthy at base, buff and 

clean above; weathers in rounded forms, 

tangentially cross-bedded, especially in upper 

part; a green shale parting 17 feet above base_ 26 

13. Sandstone, shaly, yellow-brown, interlensing 

with clean maroon shale; average lens 2 inches 

or less in thickness; wavy surfaces and ripple 

marks throughout__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 27'2 

14. Sandstone, yellow-gray and tan, tangentially 

cross-bedded, limy, friable; a few thin partings of maroon shale and green sandy shale; 

except for the shale the unit is of the type 

characteristic of the Navajo sandstone_____ 317'2 

15. Shale, maroon, clean, well laminated_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 17'2 

16. Sandstone, yellow-gray, tangentially crossbedded, limy, friable; uppermost 6 inches 

shaly___________________________________ 6 
106 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Entrada sandstone-Continued. Feet 

17. Sandst0ne, red-brown, earthy, limy, containing at several horizons well-bedded redbrown shale· a few inches thick. The unit 

is a series of more shaly and less shaly beds, 

poorly bedded, contorted and rippled 

throughout______________________________ 3572 

18. Sandstone, shaly, micaceous, drab, weathering 

buff; very poorly bedded__________________ 872 

19. Sandstone, like No. 14______________________ 75 

20. Sandstone, red-brown, earthy, limy, massive, 

irregularly bedded; contains some very irregular lenses of green shale fragments; 

bedding in the large slightly contorted; 

weathers into "bobbins" ____________ "" __ ___ 73 

Total Entrada sandstone _____________ 40572 

Carmel formation: 

21. Gypsum and green-gray shaly sandstone, highly 

contorted and inseparably mixed owing to 

slum ping _____ ~ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 32 

22. Gypsum, white alabaster___ ____ __ __ _ _ __ ___ _ _ 2 

23. Sandstone, like No. 20 except that it is less 

massive; checks into angular fragments the 

size of a pea_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5 

24. Gypsum, white alabaster _ __ __ __ __ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ 172 

25. Sandstone, like No. 23______________________ ·8· 

26. Gypsum, white alabaster____________________ 2 

27. Sandstone, earthy, like No. 23_ ______________ 18 

28. Sandstone, gray, earthy, obscurely bedded at 

base; some sandy shale in the middle of the 

member; greenish gray, platy, ripple-marked 

and ripple-bedded toward the· top; sharp 

lithologic change at top, transition at base; 

weathers into rounded forms______________ 19 

29. Sandstone, gray with greenish tinge, limy at 

base, passing up into fine-grained sandy 

limestone; cross-bedded and ripple-marked 

throughout; platy at top_________________ 6 

30. Limy shale, somewhat sandy, not well bedded, 

varies laterally and across the bedding into 

true limestone and passes upward by gradation into No. 29; poorly exposed__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 26 

31. Sandstone, yellow, with lenses of gray shaly 

limestone; ripple-marked and cross-bedded; 

becomes more limy upward and is a true 

. limestone in upper 3 feet; forms a ledge____ 21 

32. Sa.ndstone, buff, very limy, fine grained, poorly 

bedded; very shaly in middle; weathers in 

rounded forms toward the top; ripple-marked 

throughout; forms a slope________________ 18 

33. Limestone, gray with purple bands in lower part, 

all purple toward the top; beds 2 inches to 

1 tbot thick, slabby; usually dense but sandy 

in some places; very fossiliferous, Camptonectes and Trigonia especially common; 

forms a strong ledge______________________ 272 

34. Sandstone, red-brown, evenly bedded, fine 

grained, very limy; beds half an inch to 3 

jnches thick; passes into No. 33 by gradation, 

and along strike into a sandy limestone_____ 3 

35. Sandstone, red-brown, fine grained, earthy; 

weathers into a notch, and passes by grada~ 

tion into No. 34_________________________ 5 

Total Carmel formation _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 169 

Possible unconformity. Feet 

Navajo sandstone: 

36. Sandstone, massive, light gray, even grained, 

with both tangential and angular cross-bed- ding ____________________________________ 520 

Todilto (?) formation: 

37. A series of poorly bedded, thin to medium bedded 

pink sandstones, weathering white to light 

gray and containing a few beds and many thin 

partings of finely laminated chocolate-colored 

sandy shale and brown sandstone. Both 

upper and lower boundaries are transitional 

and indefinite ___________________________ 239 

Wingate sandstone: 

38. Sandstone, very thick bedded, light gray to redbrown, weathering brown; beds average 6 

to 15 feet thick, but all resemble one another, 

and parting planes do not appear to be sig- nificant _________________________________ 323 

Unconformity. . 

.Chinle formation: Top member is chocolate-colored 

earthy sandstone, in upper part varying to mudstone, soft, poorly exposed; forms a slope. 

23. Section in Green River Desert near mouth of San Rafael Rive:r, 

Utah 

Morrison formation: Varicolored shales and mudstones, 

and conglomeratic "channel" sandstone lenses. 

Unconformity; angular discordance not evident but a 

very sharp, widespread lithologic change. 

Summerville formation: 

1. Limestone, sandy, gray, containing irregular 

masses of reddish chert and geodes lined with 

crystalline quartz; forms a very widespread 

Feet 

bench__________________________________ 2 

2. Alternating shaly sandstone and mudstone, 

chocolate-brown and red-brown; includes 

some thin beds of greenish-gray sandstone; 

thin bedded and ripple-marked throughout- _ 70 

3. Mudstone and shaly sandstone, chocolatecolored, interbedded with orange-red silt and 

forming a fairly conspicuous band traceable 

for some distance________________________ 12 

4. Shale, alternating grayish green and chocolatecolored, with a few thin purple beds, grading 

into sandy shale; shaly sandstone, and 

greenish-gray thin-bedded sandstone in upper 

part____________________________________ 12 

5. Mudstone, somewhat laminated but not a shale, 

chocolate-brown and orange-colored, with a 

few thin beds of greenish-gray sandstone_ _ _ _ 7 

6. Shale, very thin bedded, chocolate-colored, 

greenish-gray, and some purple; chocolatecolored mudstone; and some thinly laminated grayish-green sandstone ___ '_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 25 

Total Summerville formation_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 128 

Curtis formation: 

7. Shale, sandy shale, and thinly laminated ripplebedded sandstone, greenish-gray; includ~s. a 

few thin beds of chocolate-colored and purple 

shale of the type of the Summerville formation; upper foot forms a continuous sandstone ledge_ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 18 

8. Sandstone, very thin bedded, greenish gray, 

shaly, with greenish-gray sandy shale and 

subordinate chocolate-colored shale, shalY 

mUdstone, and concretionary ripple-bedded 

~reenish-gray sandstone; a zone 2 to 3 inches 

thick of purple carbonaceous shale about 

8 feet above the base_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 20 
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT· AREAS IN UTAH 107 

Curtis formation-Continued. Feet 

9. Sandstone, reddish brown, shaly, thin bedded, 

even bedded, soft; weathers in low slope_ _ _ 11 

10. Sandstone, red-brown, limy, even bedded, very 

hard; forms persistent strong ledge capping 

Entrada cliff and cutting across irregularities in the Entrada_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 

Total Curtis formation ___________ • ___ 51 

Unconformity; strike N. 45° E., dip 2° NW., abovej 

strike N. 45° W., dip l O NE. below. 

Entrada sandstone': 

11. Sandstone, earthy, red-brown; weathers into 

II bobbins 1/; beds 2 to 5 feet thick with very 

thin maroon shale partings continuous in the 

large, though individual beds vary noticeably 

in thickness; cross-bedded obscurely on a 

small scale. From a distance contortion of 

bedding is noticeable, the contortion being 

cut off smoothly beneath the ledge at the 

base of the Curtis formation _______________ 142 

(Part of section above this horizon measured in 

cliffs 4 miles north of the San Rafael River 

crossing of Elaterite Basin road, and remainder 2 miles south of the crossing. Some 

uncertainty exists as to the identity of the 

base of bed 11 with the top of bed 12, the 

uppermost horizon south of the river, but 

the error is probably less than 20 feet and 

almost certainly not over 40 feet.) 

12. Sandstone, clean; the lower 3 feet thin bedded 

but passing up into massive, highly crossbedded pinkish sandstone, which weathers 

into rusty-brown domes and arches ________ 126 

13. Sandstone, clean, yellow to tan, weathering 

brown; thin bedded in lower few feet but very 

thick bedded above; tangentially crossbedded; forming domes in upper part_ _ _ _ _ _ 88 

14. Sandstone, clean, massive, only slightly crossbedded, almost surely water-Iaid_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 111 

15. Sandstone, earthy, somewhat limy; weathers 

into "bobbins 1/; highly irregular contorted 

bedding so that both upper and lower 

boundaries vary in position nearly 20 feet; 

average thickness abouL _ _ _ __ _ _ _ ______ _ _ _ 31 

Total Entrada sandstone__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 498 

Carmel formation: 

16. Shale, gray, mostly pure but with slight amounts 

of sand in some layers and a few thin beds 

of earthy sandstone intercalated___________ 12 

17. Sandstone, gray to buff, weathering very light 

gray, limy, rather clean, composed of wellrounded sand grains but with some small 

chert fragments and many mud pellets; very 

irregularly bedded, with some mud cracks 

and ripple marks; forms a ledge___________ 3 

18. Sandstone, red-brown, earthy, soft, irregularly 

bedded, with some platy layers and subordinate red-brown shale; some thin brownstained but really clean gray sandstones as 

much as 6 inches thick occur but are not 

prominent or numerous; forms a slope______ 29 

19. Sandstone, gray, li,my, stained brown by wash; 

forms a ledge ___________________________ ~ 1~ 

20. Sandstone, red-brown, earthy, somewhat platy 

in some places___________________________ 4~ 

Carmel formation-Continued. Feet 

21. Sandstone, gray, very limy, very irregularly 

cross-bedded; nodular chert and gypsum 

common; forms a strong ledge_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 

22. Sandstone, red-brown, limy, in part platy, in 

part earthy and irregularly beddedj forms a slope ______________________________ ._ _ _ _ 13 

23. Sandstone, gray, stained red-brown, very limy; 

contains many mud pellets; top and bottom 

are wavy surfaces, but the bed is not notably 

lenticular; forms a ledge__________________ 1~ 

24. Sandstone, red-brown, earthy, except toward 

top, where it is cleaner and platy; forms a slope___________________________________ 11 

25. Sandstone, gray, limy, cross-bedded and irregularly bedde:d; weathers into nodular shapes 

and forms continuous ledge over a wide area_ 1~ 

26. Sandstone, red-brown; earthy, in some places 

almost a sandy mudstone; unevenly bedded, 

lime-cemented; weathers in a slope, with a 

few subordinate clean red sandstone ledges which weather brown___ _ __ ____ _ _ _ _____ _ _ _ 18 

Total Carmel formation_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 95 

Unconformity, an even surface separating very distinct 

.lithologic -types. 

Navajo sandstone, traced from Miller Canyon, about 15 

miles to the south (east of Keg Springs); exposed ____ 200± 

2'. Section west of Thompsons-Moab road, 2% miles south of 

Courthouse mail station, Utah, just west of big fault which 

brings the Morrison formation into contact with the Moenkopi 

formation 

Summerville formation (not measured). 

Unconformity. 

Entrada sandstone: Feet 

1. Sandstone, white, clean, not prominently crossbedded, probably water-laid; covers very 

wide dip slopes both here and east of the 

fault to and beyond Salt Valley; thickness 

can not be measured here; estimated_______ 50± 

2. Sandstone, massive, gray, weathering red-brown; 

clean, except for a few small lenses of "bobbin /I sandstone, and forming arches and 

domes; not prominently cross-bedded; stands 

here in vertical cliff in which some of the 

. bedding-planes can be followed for a few 

hundred yards, but none are persIstent nor 

do the beds above and below them differ in 

composition. Alidade measurement ________ 207 

3. Shale, maroon, very evenly bedded, extremely 

persistent; can be followed for miles. Above 

this zone the bedding is even and regular; 

below it, contorted and very irregular _ _ _ _ _ _ 2~ 

4. Sandstone, red-brown, earthy; weathers into 

bobbins and rounded forms; bedding very 

highly contorted, the top cut off sharply by 

No.3; a few thin discontinuous bands of 

red-brown shale constitute perhaps 1 per 

cent of the unit; forms very steep rounded 

slopes and vertical cliffs. Alidade measurement _____________________ ~------------- 105~ 

Total Entrada sandstone _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 365 ± 

Carmel formation: 

5. Sandstone, white, limy, very much cross-bedded 

and hummocky on surfaces; lenses out along the exposure _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 10 
108 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Carmel formation-Continued. Feet 

6. Sandstone, red-brown, shaly, thin bedded, crossbedded, ripple-marked, soft; forms a slope; 

lenticular with very hummocky upper surface 

having relief of about 2 feet_______________ 11 

7. Sandstone, white, limy, very much cross-bedded 

and irregularly bedded, ripple-marked, lenti cular _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 9 

8. Sandstone, red-brown, very shaly, thin bedded, 

cross-bedded, ripple-marked, soft; forms 

slope; lenticular, nonpersistent- _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . 17 

Total Carmel formation______________ 47 

Unconformity. 

Navajo sandstone: 

9. Sandstone, gray to buff, clean, quartzose; 

very thick and even bedded; weathers in 

large rounded masses but not into" bobbins" or "stone babies" _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 41 

10. Sandstone, gray, thick bedded, highly crossbedded; contains a few thin partings of shaly 

ripple-marked even-bedded sandstone, nowhere thick enough to conceal the dominantly 

tangential cross-bedding of the unit as a whole_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ 117 

Total Navajo sandstone_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 158 

Todilto (?) formation: 

11. Sandstone, gray; a 2-foot hard cross-bedded 

ledge at base followed by thin-bedded ripplemarked sandstone, cross-bedded on a small 

scale and including a few red shale partings; 

unit transitional to the Navajo sandstone__ 13 

12. Sandstone and shale, irregularly interb.edded, 

dominantly soft shaly micaceous maroon 

sandstone with a minor amount of clean 

maroon shale and clean gray sandstone_ _ _ _ _ 30 

13. Sandstone, red to gray, in beds 1 to 3 inches 

thick, limy, ripple-marked, cross-bedded 

throughout; includes some very discontinuous lenses of red limestone and of shale 

conglomerate; red shaly partings are yery 

numerous, and the whole mass is very lenticular, so that thicknesses of individual beds 

vary much along the outcrops; local unconformities numerous but probably insignificant____________________________________ 76 

14. Sandstone, gray, in beds about 3 feet thick, 

cross-bedded, containing some green shale 

partings; forms a strong ledge_____________ 19 

15. Sandstone, red to gray, fine grained, ripplebedded, in beds about 2 inches thick; forms 

a persistent bench, and passes gradually into 

No. 14 ___ - ___________________ '____ ___ _ ___ 22 

Total Todilto (?) formation___________ 160 

Wingate sandstone: 

16. Sandstone, gray, in beds 1 to 2 inches thick at 

top and bottom but 7 to 8 feet thick in 

middle, where it is highly cross-bedded; 

ripple-marked, very irregularly bedded; no 

sharp boundaries above or below; much 

thinner bedded than usual for the ·Wingate 

sandstone_______________________________ 91 

17. Sandstone, pink to buff, composed of clean 

quartz; unevenly bedded at base, with some 

red-brown shale in bulbous, discontinuous 

lenses and passing upward into clean sandstone, very highly cross-bedded and probably 

wind~aid _________ ~_~------------------- 07 

Wingate sandstone-Continued. Feet. 

18. Sandstone, red-brown, earthy, ripple-marked, 

fine grained, very limy, containing many 

discontinuous beds of dark red-brown shale 

about 2 inches thick; weathers in much 

modified "stone babies" ; upper surface 

ripple-marked_____ ___ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6 

19. Sandstone, buff to pink, in beds about 3 inches 

thick in lower part, and in beds as much as 6 

feet thick in upper part; ripple-marked; 

many green shale pellets and green sandy 

lenticular mudstone partings between the 

beds____________________________________ 16 

Total Wingate sandstone_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 210 

Unconformity; rippled and mud-cracked surface, channels in which are filled by the basal Wingate sandstone. 

Chinle formation: Red-:brown mUdstones, limestone 

conglomerate, green-gray shale and thin-bedded 

micaceous red-brown sandstone, the sandstone forming 

the top bed, which is 3 feet thick. 

~5. Section in Salt Valley, about 6 miles south of road from 

Thompsons to Green River, Utah 

Dakota (?) sandstone: Feet 

1. Sandstone, white and light gray, containing at 

the base a conglomerate with black chert 

pebbles. The sandstone is carbonaceous and 

ferruginous, is much stained with limonite, 

and forms a strong ledge __ ~_:-------------- 9 

2. Shale and sandstone; the lower 15 feet in layers 

less than 1 foot thick. of interbedded sandstone and shale, in which H alymenites and 

plant impressions. aTe common, but no carbonaceous matter was seen; above the basal 

15 feet the member consists dominantly of 

gray shale with only- thin sandstone lenses_ _ 51 

3. Conglomerate, cross-bedded, containing yellow, 

black, white, and gray chert pebbles as much 

as three-fourths inch in diameter _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 10 

Total Dakota (?) sandstone___________ 70 

Unconformity. 

Morrison formation: 

4. Clay, light gray with a green tinge, typical of the 

Morrison and containing marly layers, limestone nodules, and some grit lenses_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 68 

5. Gritty sandstone, of which the lower 50 feet 

passes into clay within a few hundred feet 

laterally. Half a mile away this unit consists of only 8 feet of coarse light-gray san'dstone, conglomeratic at the top and persistent 

for some distance; pebbles in the conglomerate are black chert and limestone_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 58 

6. Clay, variegated, maroon, gray, and purple, with 

more gray toward the base and more maroon 

toward the top, the maroon color stronger 

than is usual in the Morrison; unit contains 

many grit and sandstone lenses, more numerous and thicker in the upper 50 feet; much 

chert and mottled chalcedony strewn over the 

surface and in place_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 337 

7. Conglomeratic grit and conglomerate, light gray, 

containing many black, orange, white, and 

gray chert pebbles; a fairly persistent bed_ _ 22 

8. Alternating red shale and thin gray sandstone, 

not well exposed_________________________ 22 

9. Channel sandstone, rather gritty and with some shale lenses in places _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 17 
SEDIMENTA.RY ROCK$ OF SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND ADJACENT AREAS IN UTAH 109 

Morrison formation-Continued. Feet 

10. Interval mostly concealed, with some maroon and green shales exposed _________________ 41 

11. Persistent gritty channel sandstone, containing 

pebbles as much as a quarter of an inch in 

diameter _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 13 

12. Sandstone, gray, thin bedded, ripple-marked, 

cross-bedded, and interbedded red shale_ _ _ _ 17 

13. Channel sandstone, gray _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 18 

14. Variegated shale, with a sandy marl containing 

green shale lumps at the top and with interfingering drab shale lenses, limestone, and 

grit_____________________________________ 14 

15. Coarse channel sandstone____________________ 8 

16. Variegated gray and purple sandy mudstone__ 5 

Total Morrison formation _____________ 640 

Unconformity, not prominent. 

Summerville formation: 

17. Poorly exposed red and green sandstone and 

shale, with limy and slliceous lumps on the 

sUI'face; forms a &lope____________________ 34 

18. 

19. 

Grit, hard, fine grained, cross-bedded, white_ _ _ 2 

20. 

21. 

Sandstone, red, somewhat shaly, thin bedded, medium grained _________________________ _ 

Sandstone, white, hard, fine grained _________ _ 

Sandstone, light· yellow-gray, somewhat fdable, 

6 

2 

thin bedded, poorly bedded, medium grained_ 11 

Total Summerville formatiolL _________ ~ 

Unconformity. 

Entrada sandstone: 

22. Sandstone, white, massive in upper 50 f~et, 

thin bedded in lower 20 feet; cross-bedded, 

fine grained, very limy toward the base_ _ _ _ 70 

23. Sandstone, massive, brick-red, decidedly crossbedded, strongly jointed, weathering into 

chimneys and alcoves; a few shale pockets 

present; sandstone somewhat shaly at the 

bnse, upper part clean and well-sorted _____ 290± 

24. Sandstone, red-brown, thick bedded, weathering 

into rounded masses and containing irregular shale pockets_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 41 

Total Entrada sandstone ______________ 401± 

Carmel formation: = 

25. Interval largely concealed, probably mostly 

shale but with massive 6-foot sandstone at the 

top and at least one nodular bed of calcareous 

gypsum about 2 feet thick________________ 60 

Navajo sandstone: 

26. Sandstone, light buff to gray, cross-bedded at 

high angles, very massive _________________ 170 

Todilto (?) formation and Wingate sandstone, not measured separately: 

27. Sandstone, massive, thick bedded, cross-bedded; 

bedding roughly· parallel, probably waterlaid throughout; some beds 12 feet thick, 

others as little as 1 foot; a few carry conglomerate of shale fragments as much as 6 

inches long; at top a massive cross-bedded 

calcareous sandstone, red and gray, 12 feet 

thick; color of whole unit streaked red and 

lig h t gray _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 350 

Shale slope about 30 feet high to base of exposure. 

26. Section one-half to 1 mile below Dewey Bridge, on ColoradQ 

River }ust below the mouth of Dolores River, Utah 

Morrison formation: Variable series 121 feet thick of 

gritty ripple-marked cross-bedded sandstones in beds 

as much as 8 feet thick, interbedded with red and 

green sandy shale. This series capped by a 20-foot 

gray sandstone ledge, followed by several hundred 

feet of variegated mudstones and channel sandstones. 

Unconformity. 

Summerville formation: 

1. Sandstone, irregularly bedded, red-brown, 

shaly, very limy in places; dense purple 

limestone; nodular limestone; and some 

red-brown shale. Nodules of lime and 

crusts of chert are common on the slope. 

In the upper part a few lenses of limy finegrained irregularly bedded white sandstone, ranging in thickness from 2 feet to a 

few inches wjthin short intervals. The 

Ft. in. 

unit forms a slope_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 47 

2. Sandstone, gray, gritty, of clean quartz with 

grains of gray and white chert and flint 

one-sixteenth inch in maximum diameter; 

a few lenses of shale and some shale pellets; 

thickness and bedding vary along the 

strike; very limy, hard, and forming a 

persistent ledge________________________ 8 6 

3. Mudstone, red, sandy, micaceous, with thin 

lenses of green-gray sandstone, nowhere 

over h~lf an inch thick; a number of thin 

lenses and one persistent 2-inch bed of 

dense pink sandy limestone are present; 

the upper surfaces show mud cracks and 

curled shale fragments, indicating with 

certainty exposure to the air _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1 6 

4. Sandstone, pink, quartzose, slightly earthy, 

and very limy; contains flakes of green 

shale at the bottom and has wavy contact, 

both at bottom and top; thickness somewhat variable; forms a persistent ledge_ _ _ 2 

5. Shale, sandy, reddish brown, with a very 

sharp, even separation from the gray sandstone of the Entrada formation below; 

contains many thin lenses of gray limy 

ripple-marked cross-bedded fine-grained 

sandstone with pellets of green shale; unit 

about 60 per cent shale, though not perfectlyexposed_________________________ 31 6 

Total Summerville formation________ 90 6 

Unconformity. 

Entrada sandstone: 

6. Sandstone, gray, all in one bed; highly crossbedded, with tangential type of bedding 

throughout; composed of clean quartz with 

lime cemenL__________________________ 57 

7. Shale parting, maroon, very persistent, can be 

traced as far as the stratigraphic horizon 

is visible, several miles_--______________ 1 
110 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Entrada sandstone-Continued. Ft. in. 

8. Sandstone, pink below, gray above;· dominantly even bedded in lower half, highly 

cross-bedded and very thick-bedded like 

the upper half of the Navajo sandstone ____ 268 

9. Sandstone, nodular, earthy, very irregularly 

and obscurely bedded, containing many 

bulbous lenses of red-brown mudstone; 

both boundaries extremely indefinite and 

variable; tongues of the overlying clean 

sandstone penetrate into the upper surface. 

of this unit, but there is apparently no 

significant unconformity. Basal 10 feet 

of this unit maybe the Carmel formation __ 3..,.6 __ 

Total Entrada sandstone ___________ =3=6=1== 

Unconformity (?) .. 

Navajo sandstone: 

10. Sandstone, clean, quartzose, with lime cement,' 

pink in places but mainly gray, highly 

cross-bedded, the bedding cutting off at 

all angles and without apparent system_ _ _ 127 

11. Limestone, dense, silicified; a short lens, 

vanishing within less than 100 feet in one 

direction, concealed in the other_______ 1 6 

12. Sandstone, white, weathering buff, fine 

grained, clean, hard, well cemented, and 

containing many small pellets of green 

shale at the base; cross-bedded regularly 

up to about 28 feet above base and very 

irregularly above that horizon; a 5-inch 

parting of maroon shale 5 feet above the 

base and several very thin partings of 

green shale in the lower 15 feet of the unit; 

this part is cut out down the dip by bed 

13, owing to evident local erosional un- conformity ____________________________ 115 

---- Total Navajo sandstone ____________ 243 6 

Todilto (?) formation: Ft. in. 

13. Sandstone, .red, very shaly; thin bedded, with 

a few lenses of limy sandstone as much as 

1 foot thick; mud-cracked and ripplemarked throughout; in places a sandy, 

poorly laminated shale; upper surface 

channeled; forms a slope ______ ~_________ 31 

14. Sandstone, pink, weathering red-brown; in 

beds 6 inches to 10 feet thick, lensing into 

one another and not. persistent over long 

distances; contains thin, irregular lenses of 

red-brown sandy shale, mudstone, and 

shale conglomerate, but these are all 

subordinate to the sandstone_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 165 ± 

Total Todilto (?) formation _________ 196± 

(Section con~inued on left bank of the Colorado half a mUe downstream.) 

Wingate sandstone: 

15. Sandstone, pink, weathering dark red-brown, 

fine grained, lime-cemented, in beds mostly 

3 to 8 feet thick, ripple-marked; crossbedding not prominent except in a few 

layers; maroon shale partings, 1 inch or 

less in thickness, separate the heavy beds 

of clean sandstone; upper 40 feet in one 

massive, highly cross-bedded unit without partings and capping an abrupt cliff __ 246 

Chinle formation: Red shales, sandstones, and limestone conglomerates, forming below the Orange 

Cliffs a slope to river level. 
THE POCONO FAUNA OF THE BROAD TOP COAL FIELD, PENNSYLVANIA 

By GEORGE H. GIRTY 

° INTRODUCTION 

Marine invertebrate fossils are extremely rare in 

the Pocono formation of Pennsylvania, although 

they are found in rocks of equivalent age that occur 

in the northwestern part of the State. Because such 

occurrences are rare and because the one near Saxton 

was recorded many years agp, somewhat special interest attaches to the fauna from the Broad Top coal 

field which is described in the following pages. The 

stratigraphy of this region has been discussed by a 

number of authors, notably by Ashburner/ Stevenson,2 White,S and, more recently, Reger. 4 ' My own 

knowledge of the subject is of the superficial sort that 

is incidental to a brief visit for the purpose of collecting specimens. In this particular province, therefore, I shall restrict myself to an abstract from the 

work of others; if more detail is desired, "the original 

reports just cited will furnish it. 

The Pocono of this region as described by White, 

consists of "coarse, sometimes pebbly, greenish-gray, 

characteristically false-bedded, more or less massive 

sandrocks, interstratified with thinner gray shales, 

lil(e those of the Productive coal measures but without workable coal beds." In two measured sections 

the thickness of the Pocono was determined at about 

1,150 feet, and the formation was subdivided into an 

upper division, which contained little or no red shale, 

and a lower division, which contained considerable 

red shale, ending below in a massive gray sandstone 

of great thickness. In its stratigraphic relations the 

Pocono of this region is underlain by rocks referred to 

the Catskill formation and overlain by rocks referred 

to the Mauch Chunk. 

The Pocono invertebrates considered in this report 

were collected at four localities-Shoups Run Gap, 

Riddlesburg Gap, Great Trough Creek Gap, and Sideling Hill tunnel, more fully described on page 123 under 

the locality numbers 3547,3548,3549, and 5438. The 

Shoups Run section has been described by White and 

also by Reger. The Riddlesburg Gap section likewise has been described by Vfhi te and by Reger. The 

section in Great Trough Creek Gap has not been 

described, so far as I am aware, nor am I able to 

supply the deficiency. The section at Sideling Hill 

tunnel has been the subject of sornoe controversy, 

1 Ashburner, C. A., Pennsylvania Second Geol. Survey Rept. F, p. 206, 1878. 

J Stevenson, J. J., idem, Jtept. TI, p. 62, 1882. 

a Whito, I. 0., idem, Uept. Ta,·p. 77, 1885. 

4 Reger, D. D., Pocono stmtigmpby in the Broad Top Basin of Pennsylvania: 

0001. Soc. American Bull., vol. 38, pp. 397-410, 1927. 

chiefly, however, in the way of harmonizing the 

observations of different authors. White and Reger 

both describe it. 

The fossiliferous rock in all four sections is a dark, 

almost black shale, not of the fissile type but hard 

and blocky. The faunas also, like the rock which 

contains them, are essentially identical, and it seems 

probable that all came from a single bed and a common horizon in thOe Pocono °of this region. This is the 

view of Reger, who collected some of the fossils described in this report. This shale, according to him, 

has a thickness of 75 feet or more, and in different sections it occurs from 500 to 670 feet below the top of 

the Pocono. 

Although representing but four localities, my oollections number no less than nine, for they are the work 

first of David White, then of myself, and lastly of 

Mr. Reger. Fossils are abundant as to number but 

poor as to variety. The collections differ but little 

save in the abundance or scarcity of certain forms, 

whether they were made oat the same locality by different collectors or at different localities, and it seems 

probable that the fauna here described constitutes 

almost the entire Pocono fauna of this region, comprising certainly all the ° common species and many 

of the rare ones. The following table shows the occurrence of the known fauna, consisting of 20 species, at 

the four localities represented by my collections: 

Distribution of the Pocono fauna at the four localities represented 

3547 3~8 3549 ~8 

(Sboups <dRJes 1d•• (Trougb <~lde· C k) hng Run) burg) ree Hill) 

------------1------------

Scarphiocrinus kirkianus_________ X X 

Spirorbis sf'-------------------- X X 

Stenopora. sp___________________ X X 

Lingulidiscina newberryi? __ _ _ _ _ _ _ X X 

Rhipidomella huntingdonensis__ _ _ X X 

Schuchertella chemungensis_ _ _ _ _ _ X X 

Chonetes acutiliratus ________ :.___ X X 

Camarotoechia afr. C. contracta_ _ X X Cranaena sp _______ o _________________________ _ 

Spirifer compositus______________ X X 

Nucula aff. N. houghtonL________ ______ X 

Palaeoneilo concentrica__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ X X 

Leda aff. L. spatulata_ - _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ X 

Cypricardinia consimilis ______ - _ _ _ X X 

Glossites? sp___________________ ______ X 

Pleurotomaria aff. P. hickman- X X 

ensis. 

X 

X X 

X 

X X 

X X 

X X 

X 

X 

X X 

X X 

X X 

X 

X 

Loxonema sp___________________ ______ ______ X 

Orthoceras sf------------------- ------ ------ X Cytherellina. sp________________ ______ ______ X X 

Kirkbya? sp____________________ X _________________ _ 

111 
112 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

The specimens from the Pocono of the Broad Top 

coal field are, as I have already had occasion to point 

out, but poorly preserved. They have been described 

as fully as their condition would permit and figured 

so far as figures promised to be of value. Of the 20 

species cited in the table, 2 have received no descriptive treatment in the text. These are the ostracodes. 

These shells are scarcely determinable even generically when they are known only as internal molds, for 

their distinctive characters are not present on the inside 

of the shell. Furthermore, in the ostracodes of the 

present collection, which are both few and ill preserved, even the internal characters are shown less 

faithfully than they would be in shells which were 

of larger size, which were preserved in a matrix of 

finer material or which had hot been subjected to compression. Nothing could be said about them that 

would be sufficiently important or sufficiently precise 

to deserve record, and even the generic references, 

which were made at my request by P. V. Roundy, are 

uncertain. 

Synonymic lists are almost an essential part of any 

work in descriptive paleontology that offers claims to 

completeness. For the present report, in view of its 

small size and conservative treatment made necessary 

by the very nature of its subject matter, it has seemed 

adequate to cite but a, few works-those especially 

that were in reference to each species authentic and 

that set up, as it were, the model to which the Pocono 

shells were thought to conform. 

The Pocono fauna listed above is a varied one in the 

sense that many classes of invertebrate animals are 

represented in it. It is, however, essentially a brachiopod fauna in the sense that that group is represented 

overwhelmingly by individuals. The discinoid, the 

RhipidomeZla, the SchucherteZla, the Chonetes, and the 

Oamarotoechia are all very abundant, though they 

may be abundant in one collection and relatively rare 

in another. The only pelecypod that at all rivals 

these forms, though it rivals them but remotely, is 

the PaZaeoneiZo, with Oypricardinia still farther in the 

rear. It is notable also that a large gastropod, one of 

the Pleurotomarias, is by no means rare. 

This fauna is somewhat remarkable in that each 

genus is represented by but a single species. It is 

true that unless the species of any particular genus 

were conspicuously unlike, they could hardly be distinguished among these specimens most of which are 

poorly preserved as molds and have been flattened and 

deformed by the folding of the rocks wherein they 

lie; but there is little reason to believe that really 

distinct species have on this account failed of recognition. 

This fauna is far more remarkable for another reason 

than for the one just mentioned. It is, one can hardly 

doubt, of Carboniferous age, yet it lacks, all but 

entirely, two genera that more than any others abound 

in our Carboniferous faunas-Productus and Spirifero 

A Carboniferous fauna without a single productoid 

(except, of course, Ohonetes) and without a single 

spiriferoid (except a very rare and very peculiar species. 

of Spirijer) is indeed an anomaly. This is so true 

that the Carboniferous age of this fauna, though it is 

very probable on broader grounds, is but slenderly 

supported by the evidence of the fauna itself. Except 

for a few types that have more distinctly Carboniferous affinities, it might almo~t as well be Devonian. 

If one were bent on selecting a fauna of cryptic aspect,. 

he could hardly do better than to pick out a dis:", 

cinoid, a RhipidomeZla, a SchucherteZla, a Ohonetes, and 

a Oamarotoechia of the generalized, nondescript type 

that these specimens belong to. The most distinct 

Carboniferous evidence,' perhaps, is found in the 

Scaphiocrinus, the PaZaeoneiZo, and the Oypricardinia, 

and that evidence, such as it is, is in a measure 

confirmed by the RhipidomeZla, SchucherteZZa, Ohonetes,. 

and Oamarotoechia (more as generic than as specific 

citations), inasmuch as our early Carboniferous faunas,. 

especially those of eastern type as represented in the 

Waverly rocks of Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania, 

usually abound' in shells belonging to those genera 

and more or less akin to these Pocono species. The 

same is true, however, though not equally true, of the 

later faunas of Devonian age. At the same time those 

late Devonian faunas, no less than the early Carboniferous ones, contain normally a rich and varied 

representation of spiriferoid and productoid shells. 

A scientific paper ordinarily comprises a statement 

of facts, more or less new, and a statement of inferences 

derived from them, more or less logical; and papers of 

.the present sort state facts of generic and specific 

identification and inferences as to geologic age and 

correlation. Whatever vague inferences I have dared 

have already been set down, and such value as the 

present paper may hope to sustain will rest largely on 

the record of facts appearing in the descriptions and 

figures that follow. Little-indeed, so far as I know, 

nothing-has yet been done toward describing our 

Pocono faunas, especially those of the more northern 

and more typical extension of the rocks identified as 

Pocono. As this paper is a beginning, though but a 

small one, in a subject about which little is known, it 

can not but have value as a record of fact, and perhaps 

it could not, without some background, look to going 

far in the way of inference and conclusion. 

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIES 

Scaphiocrinus kirkianus Girty, n. sp. 

Plate 22, Figures 1, 2 

Three specimens of this species are available for 

study, all preserved as external molds. One specimen 

comprises part of the dorsal cup and about 1.5 centimeters of column; another consists of a group of wellpreserved arms, unfortunately dissociated from the dorsal cup; the third, of which both halves of the mold were 
THE POCONO FAUNA OF THE BROAD TOP COAL FIELD, PENNSYLVANIA 113 

collected, affords views of the crown as oriented from 

the anterior radius and posterior interradius, A small 

fragment of the stem is attached, and the ventral tube, 

as well as portions of the arms, are preserved. This 

specimen has been chosen as the type, although details 

of arnl and stem structures have been taken frOln the 

others. 

The crown of the type specimen has a length over 

all of 46 nlillimeters, Ineasured fronl the base of the cup 

·.to the tip of the ventral tube. The dorsal cup meas-

'ures 10 millimeters in height. It is subfusiform in 

shape, with a maximum diameter at the arm bases of 

about two-thirds of its height. There is no sign of 

surface ornamentation on the cup plates. The infraIbasals are pentagonal in outline, with a height of 2.6 

millimeters and a maxnnum breadth of about 1.7. 

millimeters. The basals are relatively large, having 

an average height of about 4.4 Inillinleters and a maxiIllum breadth of about 2.8 millimeters. The radials 

have an b.pproximate average height of 3Inillimeters and 

.are about as wide as high. The articulating facets are 

.concentric in outline and take up nearly three-fourths 

.of the upper faces of the radials. Below the facet 

.the radial develops a thickened shoulder. Plate RA is 

pentagonal in outline, resting on the upper inner faces 

of the two basals below, abutting to the right on the 

right posterior radial and to the left on plate X. 

.Above it supports plate rt. 

The posterior side of the ventral tube is shown 

r.Only in its proxiInal portion, and the distal part is 

shown in the anterior view. The basal portion of the 

tube as shown is composed of fairly large plates 

irregularly alined. They are ornalnented by strong 

radiating ridges. In the distal portion of the tube the 

plates are arranged regularly in vertical rows so that 

the juxtaposed raised and rounded median portions 

of the plates stand out sharply as long, rounded ridges. 

The arms of the type specnnen are relatively small 

for the size of the crinoid. This may be due to their 

having been broken off and regenerated. The arm 

,ossicles are longer than wide and unite with slightly 

:gapnlg sutures. The arm bifurcates once on the 

;second prnnibrach. Thereafter long, slender ramules 

are given off on alternate sides from each second 

brachial. The ramules in turn bifurcate by regular 

.dichotomy, there being at least three divisions .. In 

the Inain arIllS, and in the ranlules as well, the ventral 

groove is covered by two alternating rows of small 

pentagonal covering plates. 

The steIn is pentagonal in section, with well-defined 

nodes and internodes. 

Owing to the somewhat loose usage of generic names 

for American Inadunata it is difficult accurately to 

assign this species to a genus. It shows nothing, 

however, that would cause its exclusion from Scaphiocrinus as now defilJ.ed. vVithin that genus there are 

no species, however, with. which it is closely comparable. 

I take pleasure in naming this crinoid after my 

colleague, Dr. Edwin IGrk, and in acknowledging my 

indebtedness to hiln. He furnished the description 

essentially as it is presented above, but, out of consideration for the bibliographer, requested me not 

to attach his name to it as author. I regret the request, 

although I can not but accede to it. 

Spirorbis sp. 

A number of small coiled shells of the type commonly 

referred to Spirorbis have been observed in some of 

the collections, and, as they are inconspicuous, others 

doubtless have been overlooked. Of those observed 

most were attached to Oypricardinia consimilis, but 

some to Rhipidomella huntingdonensis. The specimens occur as molds and have been completely flattened. The larger' ones have a diameter of almost 

2 millimeters. The surface is smooth so far as can be 

seen. 

Stenopora? sp. 

This form, which is rather rare, has an incrusting 

growth and is found especially on Lingulidiscina 

newberryi and Oypricardinia consimilis. The colonies 

are of small extent and in thickness somewhat less 

than 1 millimeter as a maximum. They are preserved 

as molds, the fossil itself having been dissolved away 

and only the mud-filled chambers remaining. To 

judge by the rounded shape of the minute columns 

representing the zooecia and by their distances apart, 

the walls were rather thick; and to judge by the general 

appearance of the columns the zooecia were without 

diaphragms and the walls were marked by' .constrictions. The shape and spacing of the columns somewhat suggest that we have here a Leioclema, or even a 

Fistulipora, and, indeed, doubtful evidence of meso':' 

pores has been noted. The shape of the columns 

(round instead of petaloid), their spacing, and their 

annulated markings would seem to indicate that the 

species, if not a StenojJora, is more likely to be a 

Leioclema than a Fistulipora. 

Lingulidiscina newberryi (Hall)? 

Plate 22, Figures 3-15 

1867. Discina newberryi Hall, New York GeoI. Survey, Paleontology, vol. 4, p. 25, pI. 1, figs, 10a,b; 11 a-e. Waverly 

group, Cuyahoga Falls and Akron, Ohio. 

1892. Orbiculoidea newberryi (Hall). Hall and Clarke, idem, 

vol. 8, pt. 1, p. 130, pI. 4F, fig. 18. 'Waverly group, 

Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. 

1897. Lingulidiscina newberryi (Hall). Schuchert, U. S. Geo!. 

Survey Bull. 87, p. 261. 

. Numerically at least discinoids play an important 

part in the Pocono fauna of the Broad Top coal field, 

and they occur in especial abundance at station 3547. 

In their present estate their characters are these: 

In size they reach a diameter of 27 millimeters, 

though many are considerably smaller. In outline 

they range from nearly circular to strongly elliptical. 
114 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

The brachial valve ranges from low to rather high 

in convexity and the apex may almost overhang the 

posterior margin or be well forward from it, perhaps as 

much as one-half of a radius. The anterior side is 

commonly somewhat inflated so that the apex appears 

to point backward. 

The pedicle valve varies in outline like the brachial 

valve, from circular to elliptical. It is nearly flat 

except for a strongly introverted cicatrix. 

The surface markings consist of the usual widely 

spaced narrow, threadlike lirae, of which about 10 

occur in a distance of 5 millimeters. ,. These are, however, confined to the more central parts and give place 

on'the outer parts to striae of growth which are rather 

strong and rather regular but quite different from the 

spaced lirae. This change appears to be more marked 

in the brachial valve. 

It is obvious at once that these specimens have 

been distorted by compression and that much of 

the existing variation must be' ascribed to that 

cause. It seems safe to infer that the original outline was essentially circular instead of elliptical, as 

in so many of the specimens. The elevation of some 

of ,the brachial valves must have been high, for 

it is fairly high even in their present condition and 

could scarcely have been lower originally. In many 

of these specimens the lower part of the shell on the 

posterior side spreads out abruptly from a :?teep 

descent above, as if through compression this side 

had buckled and been doubled inward. The effect of 

this process would be to make the height of the valve 

appear lower and the apex more 'nearly marginal 

than it was originally. On the other hand, compression might affect this valve ill a different way 

so as to flatten it out, with the result that the height 

would seem lower and the apex more central in position, while radiating cracks would appear in it. 

This condition also has been observed, and'it seems 

not improbable that much of the variation sho~n 

both in the height of the, valve and in the p6sition 

of the apex can be attributed to the different ways 

in which the shell yielded to ,compression or the different directions in, which the compression was applied. It can hardly be denied, however, that part 

of the variation may have been 'original. Originally, 

according' to my estimate, the height····of this valve 

was rather great,. the apex' was situated one-fourth 

of a diameter more or less in front of the posterior 

margin, the slope from the apex forward was rather 

convex, and the slope from the apex backward was 

flat or gently concave. 

The effect of compression on the pedicle valve, 

except as it changed the outline, would be less pronounced, because this valve was more nearly flat 

originally, and less important, because the specific 

characters reside chiefly in the other valve. 

In its original condition this species must have 

had much. the configuration of E. newberryi,although 

in some specimens the height of the brachial valve 

appears to have been greater. The apex is at present 

much more nearly marginal in many specimens, 

and it may have been originally so in some. L.newberryi attained an equal size, some specimens being 

over 25 millimeters in diameter. 

I at one time identified this .form as OehZerteZZa 

pZeurites Meek, and if no allowance is made for distortion, certain specimens, resemble that species 

rather closely. Even in its present condition, however, the brachial valve is more highly convex, and 

if it were restored as I ,should restore it, the convexity would be much greater and the apex con-

:?iderably farther from the posterior margin., I 

can hardly imagine a shell having the configuration 

shown by Meek's figures so transformed by .. any 

process of distortion as closely to res,emble most 

of t4e shells, in my collection. These - diffe:rences 

do not exist to the same extent if other illustrations 

are consulted than those. given by Meek, for Hall 

and Clarke figure two brachial valves whose aPices, 

though equally close to the posterior margin by 

projection, ,appear to rise higher above it than in 

the figure given by Meek. 

A generic difference even. may exist between th~ 

Pocono form and OehZerteZZa pZeurites, inasmuch as 

L refer my form .to "OrbicuZoidea," whereas Meek'~ 

has been made the type of the subgenus OehZerteZZa. 

The smaller characters of the pedicle valve are not 

well shown by my specimens, but I believe that they 

did not possess a marginal notch for the pas~age 

of the pedicle, as in OehZerteZla. The compression 

which all these spe~imens have undergone seems to 

have caused many of the pedicle valves to part 

along the line of the pedicle scar, which appears 

like a narrow, crack penetrating the shell from -its 

- circumference well, toward the center. . O~h~~_ specimens show the deep cicatrix with edges joined eve~ 

to the circumference; still, ot~e~s ,s,how the pediCle 

scar in the usual form, but wit~ a slight marginal 

deflection. 

It would seem to me quite natural that the disturbance or irregularity caused in "Orbiculoidea" by the 

development of the pedicle tube and the great.cicatrix 

which it produced superficially should be expressed 

in some specimens by a deflection at the margin' of 

the valve. The essential point is not whether such a 

deflection existed, but whether it served as a pedicle 

opening. The great pedicle scar of "Orbiculoidea" 

would seem to be connected with the developnlent of 

this pedicle tube and its very oblique direction. I 

should expect a much less striking manifestation if 

the pedicle issued from a notch on the margin, and 

the presence of a deep cicatrix may in my judgment 
,THE POCONO FAUNA OF THE BROAD TOP COAL FIELDS, PENNSYLVANIA 115 

be taken as indicating the presence also of an oblique 

pedicle tube, if no contradictory evidence appears. 

Although the details are not shown by my specimens, ' 

the structure indicated seems to be that of "Orbiculoidea," but naturally nothing positive can be said 

on .this point. 

Some of my specimens also resemble Discina connata 

of Walcott, but Walcott's species resembles Meek's 

rather closely, and the Pocono form did, I believe, 

present much the same differences in its original condition from the one as from the other. 

Rhipi<;lomella huntingdonensis Girty, rio sp. 

Plate 22, Figures 16-23 

Shell rather large, though mostly under. 37 millimeters in width. Shape broadly subcircular, with th~ 

transverse diameter distinctly' greater than the 

longi tudinal. 

Pedicle valve of rather low convexity, being nearly 

flat over :rr{ost of its surface and owing its capacity in 

large measure to the inflected parts along the 'cardinal 

border; more or less depressed down the middle .. 

:Hinge line about one-half the greatest width. Cardinal 

area rather low, suberect. 

On the interior this valve has a rather large, deeply 

impressed flabelliform muscular area reaching about 

halfway, or a little more, to the anterior margin. The 

muscular area is divided into two lobes (the diductors) 

by a median ridge which is a continuation of the ridges 

defining 'the muscular imprints, and in its backward 

course this median ridge itself divided about halfway 

to the beak so as partly to inclose a small heart-shaped 

scar formed by the two adductors. 

The brachial valve is more convex than the other, 

though it is by no means gibbous. It appears to have 

a distinct median sinus which is narrower than the 

broad, gentle deflection of the pedicle valve. 

The muscular imprints of the brachial valve are 

scarcely appreciable. Where best seen they take 

a multilobate, probably a quadrilobate form. A pail; 

of grooves (ridges on 'int~rnal molds), one on each 

side and some distance apart,define a central area 

having a vaguely cordate shape, and these are sharply 

reflexed toward the side at the posterior end. The 

most obvious internal feature is a low rounded 'ridge 

which extends about half the length.of the valve and 

becomes stronger toward its posterior end, where 

through a general thickening of the shell near the 

cardinal margin it coalesces with the cardinal process 

and the dental sockets. 

The surface is marked by the usual fine radial 

lirae, of which about three, measured from crest to 

crest, occur in 1 millimeter at the anterior margin of 

mature shells. In addition to the punctae, these shells 

had pores (spines?) of two sizes. Those of the larger 

size are confined to the crests of the lirae and resemble 

overarching scales· or the bases of 'spines that have 

been broken off. They extend obliquely backward 

from the outer surface but do not completely penetrate the shell except. possibly in the marginal region. 

They commonly emerge at intervals along the varices 

of growth, but they occur elsewhere as well, and on the 

cardinal angles of the pedicle valve they are especially 

large. and closely arranged., In that region they 

resemble large tubul~s piercing the shell obliquely. 

My. specimens do not show the fact conclusively, but 

these groups of large pores are apparently confined to 

the pedicle valve and do not occur upon the cardinal 

angles of the brachial valve. The small pores' are 

much more numerous than the large ones, much more 

thicldy and more indiscriminately strewn, for they 

occur on the sides as well as on the top of the lirae. 

The surface is also marked by fine, regular incremental 

striae and by rather numerous but not very strong 

or regularly arranged varices of growth. 

I have not been able to locate this form satisfactorily 

in any described species. R. oweni at once suggests 

itself in this connectiqn but is also at once dismissed. 

Not only 'are the muscular imprints of that species 

much smaller, but the shell is generally somewhat 

wider, and the pedicle valve rarely shows those tubules, 

or so many or so large, that I have described as occurring near the cardinal border of the present form. 

R. pennsylvanica Simpson appears to be similar in 

many ways (though it is not very satisfactorily known), 

and it invites comparison because of its geographic distribution. It is, on the other hand, said to belong 

with a fauna apparently different from this one and 

also somewhat older. It does not reach so large a size 

and is apt to be relatively narrower. R. pennsylvanica 

is described as having a slight fold down the middle of 

the pedicle valve, corresponding to a slight sinus in the 

brachial valve, whereas no such elevation is present in 

the Pocono shell, which instead shows a broad, shallow· 

concave deflection from side to side. This character, 

however, and some of .the others are more or "less 

inferential, as the Pocono specimens are all deformed 

by pressure to a greater or less extent. Specimens 

from northwestern Pennsylvania, supposed to belong 

to R. pennsylvanica, show a larger and less deeply 

impressed scar in the pedicle valve and somewhat 

coarser liration. 

, R. burlingtonensis is likewise a similar species, but 

aside from its remote geographic position and its 

associatio~ with a fauna very unlike the Pocono fauna, 

even if possibly of the same geologic age, it appears to 

show some proper differences. Owing to their different 

preservation, ,however, these shells can not be satisfactorily compared in several details. The beak of the. 

pedicle valve 'in R. burlingtonensis is not only' more 

elevated but it projects well beyond the hinge line. 

In the present form, on the contrary, the umbonal 

region is much less gibbous and projects scarcely at i.Il, 

even if allowance is made for the effects of compression. 

N or does one find among specimens of R. burlingtonensis as many individuals that are wider than long or 
116 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

any that are relatively as wide as one finds in the 

specimens from the Pocono fauna. 

The species most likely to prove similar to or even 

the same as this is R. pulchella of Herrick. Herrick's 

description is too general to permit comparisons in a 

number of important characters, and the specimens of 

R. pulchella in my collection are equally unfavorable. 

They are preserved in sandstone, and the original shell 

has been reduced to an ocherous film so that it is pos- . 

sible to make out neither the character of the muscular 

imprints nor the details of shell structure and sculpture. 

These appear to be the most closely related of our 

Mississippian species, and the Pocono form can not be 

exactly identified with any of them. Differences of a 

similar nature and equally pregnant can be found if 

Devonian shells are brought into comparison.. The 

two Hamilton specles, Orthis.vanuxemi and O. penelope, 

are more comparable than are the orthoids of the 

Chemung fauna, and of the two mentioned, O. penelope 

more than O. vanuxemi. If it is necessary to distinguish 

the present form from R. penelope, the most conspicuous difference perhaps is the tubular character of 

the lirae in that form which gives them the interrupted 

appearance mentioned by Hall. 

Schuchertella chemungensis Conrad. 

PJate 22, Figures 24-28 

1867. Streptorhynchus chemungensis. Hall, New York Oeol. 

Survey, Paleontology, vol. 4, p. 67, pI. 10, figs. 1-26. 

Chemung group, New York. 

1892. Orthothetes chemungensis. Hall and Clarke, idem, vol. 8, 

pt. 1, p. 255, pI. 10, fig. 9; pI. llA, fig. 14. Hamilton 

group, western New York, Chemung group, southwestern New· York. 

. Shells· belonging to the genus Schuchertella are very 

abundant in the Pocono formation of Huntingdon 

County, but like the other fossils found there they 

have suffered much from -distortion, so that some 

characters desirable or even necessary for close identification can not be determined with precision. 

Some specimens are as wide as 45 millimeters, or 

even wider, this dimension being much greater than 

their length. The cardinal angles appear to have been 

rounded and the general shape more or less elliptical. 

The pedicle valve is of low convexity and owes its 

elevation chiefly to the height of the cardinal area, 

the upper surface being almost flat. In many specimens this surface is gently concave, especially over 

the posterior half, but, on the other hand, the part,s 

adjacent to the beak may be somewhat inflated. The 

cardinal area probably had a slight b~pkward inclination from the hinge and in some it slopes backward 

rather strongly; in still others, however, it is at present 

nearly perpendicular to the plane of the shell edge. In 

height the cardinal area measures on the average about 

5 millimeters (along its surface) in mature specimens 

but sometimes distinctly more. Compression may 

have modified the original height and slope considerably. The width of the delthyrium is generally about 

5 millimeters, but this dimension has suffered change 

from compression that is difficult to allow for. From 

what has been said it will be apparent that this valve 

varies not a little in its configuration, some specimens 

being distinctly irregular and distorted, others quite 

regular, and some having a moderately high area, 

others a distinctly higher. 

On the inside this valve developed no median septum and no well-marked dental plates, though the 

margins of the delthyrium are thickened into stout 

dental pillars. The muscular imprints must .originally 

have been faint, and at. present scarcely any trace of 

them remains. 

The brachial valve is of rather low convexity, in 

some specimens very low indeed, though the umbonal 

region is apt to be slightly inflated and the parts 

adjacent to the cardinal angles rather broadly depressed. 

On the interior this valve is without any appreciable 

my.scular scars. Two short, thin socket plates are 

directed outward from the umbo at a very acute angle 

to the hinge margin and are connected with the cardinal process, which extends somewhat backward but 

chiefly upward. 

The surface is marked by slender radial lirae separated by interspaces of about the same width. The 

lirae are subequal or, as new ones are introduced, 

obscurely alternating, and about 10 occur in 5 millimeters. This number, however, is subject to variation, 

originally through introduction of new lirae, subsequently through compression, which has spread out 

some specimens and pressed together others. The 

usual concentric· crenulations are also present, but on 

the specimens seen they show more clearly between the 

lirae than upon them. 

In so far as I have been able to determine, these 

shells can not be adequately distinguished from S. 

chemungensis, and, but for their faunal association, 

might as well be cited under that species as under any 

other. They may belong to S. jernglenensis or to S. 

ruber, which have the disadv~ntage as compared with 

S. chemungensis of coming from a remote area and a 

different fauna, though a fauna perhaps not very different in geologic age. Of the forms occurring in the 

Waverly group of Ohio, some probably belong to the 

same species as this, but S. desiderata, from the Cuyahoga shale of Medina County, is apparently distinct 

by reason of its much more gibbous brachial valve. 

Some of these Waverly forms have been identified as 

Hemipronites crenistria Phillips and others (or possibly 

the same ones) were at one time said by Hall to be 

identical with S. chemungensis. As typical crenistria 

belongs to a different genus from these common 

vVaverly shells, being indeed taken as the genotype 

of Schellwie7);ella, it is no longer possible to accept an 

identification which had little to recommend it bu"t 
THE POCONO FAUNA OF THE BROAD TOP COAL FIELD, PENNSYLVANIA 117 

the weight of authority. Thus a reference of the 

Pocono form to S. chemungensis is not only probable 

but represents almost the only practicable course, 

except introducing a new nanle for a type which in its 

present preservation is hardly if at .all distinguishable 

fronl that species. 

Chone~es acutiliratus Girty, MS. 

Plate 23, Figures 1-4 

Shells belonging to the genus Ghonetes are extremely 

abundant in the Pocono fornlation of the Broad Top 

coal field, but their proper disposition is difficult 

because in characters vital to a close identification 

few of the associated forms have suffered more than 

these. The specimens, which occur as molds in shale, 

have been considerably deformed by compression, 

which has affected not only their shape and convexity 

but also the details of their sculpture. The sculpture 

has been still further obscured where the matrix. 

happens to have been of a sandy character and also 

where the surface has been covered by a ferruginous 

deposit, as it has been in many specimens. The 

characters here set down, therefore, are more or less 

inferential. 

Some specimens are rather large, as much as 17 

millimeters in width, but a space of 10 to 14 milliIneters covers lnost of them. The original shape 

appears to have been deeply semicircular, with the 

length rather more than commonly great in proportion 

to the width; in some specimens at present it even 

exceeds the width, but this is clearly due to distortion. 

The sides are long and subparallel, in direction nearly 

perpendicular to the hinge line, with cardinal angles 

very slightly extended perhaps in some specimens and 

possibly rounded in others. 

The pedicle valve appears to have been rather 

highly arched for the genus; the curvature of the 

brachial valve, on the other hand, seems to have been 

rather low. The cardinal spines are slightly oblique 

and rather numerous; eight or nine to a side can 

sOlnetimes be counted on internal molds, but only 

five or six were functional-that is, projections from 

the shell and not merely tubes embedded in it. 

The radial costae appear to have been angular, 

with relatively broad, rounded striae between. They 

nmnber about 10 to 13 in 3 nlillimeters, usually 11 or 

12. No character, perhaps, has been lnore modified 

by fossilization than this, for specimens that have 

been flattened by pressure from above present too few 

lirae in a measured distance, and those that have been 

sq ueezed together by pressm'e from the side present 

too lnany. SOlne specnnens which appear to come 

under the former category present only eight or nine 

costae in 3 nlillinieters. SOllle external molds show 

distinct though fine concentric striae, which appear to 

be in the nature of growth lines rather than crenulations. Varices of growth also are there, but they 

are neither numerous nor conspicuous. 

954890 -28--9 

The angular character of the costae, the broad 

intercostal spaces, and the concentric markings of 

growth lines rather than crenulations are apparently 

significant characters of this form and tend to ally it 

with a Chonetes which I have described in manuscript 

under the name Ohonetes acutiliratus and of which the 

types were found in the Bedford shale of Ohio. Most 

of the other characters are also in agreement except 

the spines, which appear to be more numerous in the 

Pocono shell; they are not, however, w'ell shown in the 

Bedford one. With the characters which it appears 

to possess, this form can not belong to O. illinoisensis, 

or any of its allies, much less to O. logani or any species 

allied to it. Nor does it belong to O. michiganensis, 

with characteristic specimens of which it has been 

compared, though the two are certainly related. 

Material such as is furnished by these beds, however, 

is not susceptible of satisfactory identification. 

Camarotoechia aft'. C. contract a (Hall) 

Plate 23, Figures 5-8 

1867. Rhynchonella (Stenocisma) contracta. Hall, New York 

Geol. Survey, Paleontology, vol. 4, p. 351, pI. 55, figs. 

26-39. Chemung group, New York; Meadville and 

Bradford, Pa. 'Vaverly group, Licking County, Ohio. 

1892. Camarotoechia contracta (Hall). Hall and Clarke, idem, 

vol. 8, pt. 2, p. 192, pI. 57, figs. 28-32, 49. Hamilton· 

group, Cardiff, N. Y. Chemung group, New York. 

Rhynchonellas belonging to the genus Oamarotoechia 

are extremely abundant, but though almost innumerable specimens are contained in my collections, very 

few of them show the characters necessary to their 

identification. The full number of costae can but 

rarely be ascertained, and still more rarely their distribution upon the sides of the shell and on the fold 

and sinus. The total number of plications can 

sometimes be computed if not counted in full, and if 

the brachial valve is taken as a standard, the total 

number appears to range from 12 to 24, with the 

number 18 recurring more often perhaps than any 

other. Even if the total number can be counted, 

however, the specimens are mostly so distorted by 

compression that the limits of the fold and sinus are 

not determinable. Nevertheless, the facts can still 

be ascertained in some cases, and the following combinations occur: Four plications on the fold with 

four on each side; five on the fold with five on each 

side; and six on the fold with six on each side, this 

perhaps beip.g the combination most commonly met 

with. Still other combinations occur, such as four, 

on the fold and seven on each side; five on the fold 

and six (or seven) on each side; or eight on the fold 

and five on each side. It will be remarked that 

combinations making a total of 18 are especially common. Individual counts may be in error owing to the 

character of the fossils, but the gen~ral state~ent 

foregoing is probably not far afield. As to size, a few 

very large specilliens have a length of 17 millimeters, I 
118 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

but most measure from 10 -to 15 millimeters. The 

'shape., --as now exhibited, varies almost indefinitely, 

.butoriginally to all appearances it offered no unusual 

. features and was subtriangular, subovate, and subquadrate in different specimens, with the width greater 

than the -length. In their' general appearance the 

specimens at pFesent show the greatest -contrasts, -for 

if they have been pinched together laterally the- shape 

is much elongated and the plications are-thin, crowded, 

and, high, whereas if they have" b~en flattened out 

the shape is very wide and the plications large, broad, 

and low. 

The variation -in original characters which is' suggested rather than shown by these specimeIi~ is greater 

than I would wish to assign to a single speCIes, though 

not greater than has sometimes been assigned' to 

species of this.genus. A subdivision of the'specimens, 

however, would have to be carried out ·along quite 

arbitrary lines and would leave most of them undetermined and most of the remainder determined with 

doubt. On the whole, this form seems to stand 

rather close to O. contracta, which is not only common 

~ the Chemung but has also been identified by Hall 

in the Waverly- group of Ohio. - The total number of 

plications in O. contracta is given as 16 to 20, with 

commonly 4 on the fold. Some of my specimens 

would In their original.state hardly be d~stinguishable 

from O.contracta, but the more persisten~ condition 

seehls :to be represented by shells with 6 plications on 

the'fbldarid 'f;) on the sides, so that the le~s common 

arrangement' here is the prevailing one in O. c0n.tracta 

and vice versa. The identification suggested IS unsatisfactory, but for the present it must rest at that. 

If the basic "arrangement of the J>lications for' this 

form' is taken' . aE? 60n the fold and 6 on. the sides 

I know of ,noMissis~ippiari species which approaches 

it as closely. as O. ·purdueivar. agrestis. Though 

characters proper to the shells themselves may suggest 

such an identification, considerations of regional 

development and faunal association seem much opposed t'o it. The same objection holds ag&inst O. 

elegantula, the number and arrangement 'of whose 

costae can apparently be duplicated in some at least 

of my.specimens. 

Cranaena sp. 

This type is represented by a single specimen 

flattened in shale. It is small, measuring but 11 

millimeters in length and 7 millimeters in width, and 

of an ovate shape,' widest below . the middle. The 

apparent outlme may not be the true one, however, 

for a pronpun~ed sulcus due to interrupted growth 

seems to indic~te a grea.ter width and a more pentagonal shape. The shell structure is punctate. Internally septal plates are lacking in the brachial valve, 

but there is a suggestion of a hinge plate supporting 

crural arms after the manner of the genus Oranaena. 

Spirifer compositus Girty, n. sp. 

Plate 23, Figures 9-11 

Shell small, strongly transverse. Cardinal angles 

~ounded so that the greatest width occurs somewhat 

anterior to the hinge line. Of the few specimens observed none are much over 20 millimeters in width. 

Pedicle valve subconical. Cardinal area rather 

high, rather well ·defined; gently arched, and SOlnewhat inclined backward from the hinge. line. Foramen 

triangclar and unusually wide, apparently occupying 

nearly a. third:, of. the hinge. line. Sinus broad and 

fairly well defined. Surface marked by rather coarse, 

strong plications, of which about 10 occur on the 

lateral slopes and 2 in the sinus. In the interior 2 

thin strongly diverging dental plates can be seen, but 

~o tra~sverse plate across the open delthyrium. 

The brachial valve corresponds in character to the 

pedicle valve as described, being strongly t~ansverse, 

rounded at the hinge line, and of low conveXIty. The 

fold is broad sharply defined, and moderately elevated. The 'plications are rather large and fairly 

strong. Ten or 11 occur on the lateral slopes, and 3 

on the fold. 

The surface is marked by concentric striae, which 

are rather coarse, rather regular, but not very sharp. 

Covering the whole is a sculpture of fine, regularly 

arranged elongated papillae, creating an appearance 

almost exactly like that characterizing the genus 

Syringothyris. . 

This species is represented by but few speCImens 

and the preservation of these is adverse to an accurate 

description. Some of the characters noted above are 

therefore of doubtful authenticity. The description 

of the pedicle valve was drawn 'up from one specinlen 

and that of the brachial valve from another, each 

from a different collection. Should any question arise 

as to the two valves being conspecific, the pedicle 

valve may be considered the typical one. 

This pedicle valve, though even now rather highly 

convex, has been compressed from above and somewhat obliquely from the right. The effect has been 

to reduce the height of the cardinal area and cause 

it to be more arched and more tilted backward. To 

some extent the definition of the cardinal area and the 

unusual' width of the delthyrium may have been 

affected by this general deformation. . The limits of 

the sinus are also not altogether clear, because the 

shape of the valve and the height of the plications 

have been altered unsYJnmetrically owing to the 0 blique direction of compression. As determined by the 

strength of the plications in the median region, the 

sinus is of moderate width and contains but two 

costae, which is the number that it should contain in 

order to agree with the brachial valve referred to the 

same species. This does not, however, check up 

exactly with evidence furnished by the disposition of 
THE POCONO FAUNA OF THE BROAD TOP COAL FIELD, PENNSYLVANIA 119 

the dental plates, which are, one may suppose, symInetrically placed and consequently available for deterDlining corresponding plications on opposite sides of 

the Inedian line.' On this evidence the sinus might 

contain four plications instead of two, and they would 

be of unequal size. 

Although this pedicle valve is an internal mold, it 

clearly shows the character of the surface markings, 

except in the ulnbonal region. These consist of minute elongated pustules arranged quincuncially so as 

to lend the surface the "twilled-cloth" sculpture ex-' 

emplifted in the syringothyroid shells. The brachial 

valve, though also an internal nlold, does not show 

these Inarkings at all. A small piece of the external 

Inold, however, does preserve them, though with not 

quite the SaIne appearance. The linear arrangement 

of the pustules is Inore apparent, though their independent character is shown by the presence of small 

spinules represented by lninute rounded punctures i~ 

the luatrix. 

Spirife7' compositus is remarkable in several ways. 

As is well known, the Spirifers of the Carboniferous 

are in a broad way distinguished from those of the 

Devonian by having a plicated fold and sinus. Now, 

the plications in- the fold and sinus of every species 

that I can recall follow a uniform course of developnlent. The fold and sinus begin as simple deflections 

of the shell along the Dledian line; then the fold gradually becOlnes divided by 'a Inedian groove at the 

saIne tinle that a nledian rib develops in the sinus. 

Other ribs are added symmetrically, so that those 

within the sinus always make up an odd number and 

those upon the fold always an even number. In this 

species the pltJ-n is reversed, the fold showing an odd 

number of plications and the sinus an even. The 

sculpture also is paradoxical for the normal Carboniferous Spirifers. Normal Carboniferous Spirifers 

having a plicate fold and sinus almost invariably 

show finely reticulate surface luarkings composed of_ 

delicate radiallirae crossed by delicate la,mellose transverse lirae. One set of markings may strongly predOlninate, but rarely if ever is the other wholly indistinguishable. In this species apparently we find' a 

quite different type of sculpture, one which is very 

COl1unon aInong Devonian Spirifers and which has 

been brought over into the Carboniferous especially 

by the syringothyroid shells. I t is so alien to the 

ordinary Carboniferous Spirifers, however, as to be 

allnost a generic character of Syringothyris. Sculpture cOlnparable to that of Spirifer compositus is not 

entirely unknown even among our Carboniferous 

Spirifers. I figured as Reticularia subrotundata a shell 

froln the Madison limestone, which of course I now 

know to belong to an altogether different group of 

Spirifers that has a surface in general effect extremely 

similar to this, though the two species are very different 

in configuration. That form has the configuration of 

S. rostellatus, or, indeed, of the species to whIch it was 

originally referred. Another form that possesses 

somewhat sinlilar surface characters is one from the 

Leadville limestone of Colorado, which in my report 

upon those faunas I distinguished merely by the formula Spirifer sp. b. Spirijer sp. b outwardly resemblgs 

the early Mississippian Spiriferinas, such as Spiriferina 

solidirostris, but it does not possess a median septum 

in the pedicle valve nor probably 'a punctate shell 

structure. The surface is thickly covered by fine 

spinules; in this it -resembles Spirifer compositus, as 

it does also in general configuration, although it differs conspicuously in having the .fold and sinus incompletely divided, and divided in the custoinary way 

with an even number of plications on the fold' and an 

odd number in the sinus. In configuration, of course, 

Spirifer sp. b is widely different from the form that I 

identified as Reticularia subrotundata, Thus apparently this rare type of surface marking is manifested 

in several distinct groups of Carboniferous Spirifers 

as de~ermined by their configuration. Whether this 

sculpture, though similar in appearance, is really identical in plan is a matter for further verification. 

Though the effect is much the same, the' surface of 

"R. subrotundata" when closely examined appears -to 

be covered with minute indentations which must be a 

feature of the superficial layer alone, inasmuch as the 

shell is impunctate. Little indentations, however, 

m~st be separated by minute projections, and little 

spinules In~st be separated by minute indentations, 

while the spinules, if torn off with the matrix, would 

tend to leave little pits.' With specimens that are 

indifferently preserved the distinction just made, 

which is so easily visioned, is in fact very difficult to 

recognize. 

Nucula aft'. N. houghtoni Stevens 

1858. Nucula houghtoni Stevens, Am. Jour. ScL, 2d ser., vol. 25, 

p. 262. Marshall group, Battle Creek, Mich. 

1855. Nucula hOtlghtoni Stevens. Hall, New York Geol. Survey, Paleontology, vol. 5, pt. 1, Lamellibranchiata, 

pt. 2, p. 323, pI. 45, figs. 29-31. Waverly group, 

Newark and Richfield, Ohio; Battle Creek and Hillsdale, Mich. 

The identification of this species is probably more 

precarious than that of any other cited in this Pocono 

fauna, for not only are the specimens few and ill 

preserved, butone can hardly doubt that when the early 

Mississippian N uculas of the Michigan-Ohio area are 

carefully studied there will be much shifting of syn-, 

onymy and of nomenclature. - The species that must' 

be considered here are N. houghtoni St.evens, N. sectoralis Winchell, ,and N. stella Winchell, all from the 

Marshall sandstone of Michigan, and N. iowensis 

White and Whitfield, from the Kinderhook group of 

Burlington, Iowa, which is regarded by Hall as a. 

synonym of N. houghtoni. 

N. sectoralis may be dismissed as soon as mentioned., 

Under that species Winchell included shells belonging' 
120 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

to both Nucula and Schizodus, and unfortunately the 

type specimen of N. sectoralis is of the latter genus. 

Stevens did not figure N. houghtoni, and his description 

is of such a character as to require close study for the 

iden tifica tion of his species among the N uculas of the 

Marshall fauna, even if it can be satisfactorily identified at all. I suspect that the Nucula content of 

N. sectoralis should actually come under N. houghtoni. 

As so much legitimate doubt surrounds the ·interpretation of N. houghtoni, it is unfortunate that Hall 

went so far as to place N. iowensis in synonymy. 

Hall seems to have interpreted N. houghtoni on the 

basis of specimens from Ohio, especially from Newark. 

His identification is quite possibly correct. Its status 

is, perhaps, such that, while the confirmatory evidence 

is. by no means strong, the negative evidence is still 

weaker. Regarding the identity of N. iowensis with 

N. houghtoni, as understood by Hall, there may well 

arise some question. Weller has figured two of the 

original specimens of N. iowensis, and at first sight 

one would be inclined to say that both did not belong 

to the same species. It must be borne in mind, however, that the fossils figured by Weller are internal 

molds and that the shell of Nucula is thick and massive 

along the hinge border, so that if this thickness happened to be included in the outline of one drawing 

but not in that of the other the disparity that is at 

present so striking could be in large measure discounted. Specimens of N. iowensis from the original 

locality, in my possession, are largely intermediate in 

shape between Weller's two figures. As to the identity 

of N. iowensis with N. houghtoni, then, as interpreted by 

Hall, the marked difference in size (N. iowensis is much 

the smaller) and the pronounced difference in faunal 

association create an a priori improbability. On the 

other hand, Hall's figures differ from one another 

sufficiently and Weller's figures differ from one another 

sufficiently so that by selection the two species might 

he made to appear quite similar or quite different, 

according as one might wish. The differences between 

favorable specimens of the two species are,I would 

judge, less than the differences between the two typical 

specimen~ of N. iowensis. Hall may have been correct 

both in identifying his Ohio shells with N. houghtoni 

and in regarding them at the same time as referable 

to N. iowensis. No contradictory judgment, at all 

events, seems at present justified. . 

Now, Herrick has identified three species of Nucula 

in the Waverly rocks of central Ohio-No stella, N. 

,houghtoni, and N. iowensis. It is difficult to see any 

,material difference between his figures of N. iowensis 

,and N. stella, but his N. houghtoni appears to be something distinct 'from either. One would be inclined to 

say t.hat his N. stella and N. iowensis belong to one 

species and N. houghtoni to another, and that his N. 

Jwughtoni, in spite of its much smaller size, is the same 

.as Hall's N. houghtonifrom the same region. If 

Herrick's N. iowensis is distinct from his N. houghtoni, 

as seems probable, the identification with N. iowensis 

is in contradiction to Hall's conclusion that N. iowensis 

and N. houghtoni are the saIne. N either of Herrick's 

forms, not even the one he identifi~s as N. stella, is 

seemingly referable to that species, for N. stella is a 

much broader form with subcentral beaks. 

Theo Pocono shells here considered, some of which 

may not be Nuculas at all, have characters of size and 

shape that ally them with typical N. iowensis and with 

N. houghtoni as that species is represented by Herrick's 

figures, but they are much smaller than the figures of 

N. houghtoni given by Hall or than the dimensions 

given in Stevens's description. Even were N. houghtoni 

,and N. iowensis to prove distinct, it would be impossible to determine which the present shells more closely 

resemble. 

Palaeoneilo concentrica (Winchell) 

Plate 23, Figures 12-18 

1862. Cardinia concentrica Winchell, Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia Proc. for 1862, p. 413. Marshall group, Jonesville, Mich. 

1865. Sanguinolites concentrica Winchell, idem for 1865, p. 128. 

Marshall group, Hillsdale, Mich. 

These shells are rather abundant in the collections 

studied; nevertheless, they have been so deformed by 

pressure that they can be described or identified only 

in a broad way. Some are two and one-half times as 

long as they are high, while others, apparently belonging to the same species, are only one and one-half times; 

the one form is, of course, very transverse, the other 

much more compact and'strikingly different in appearance. These differences, however, are largely accidental and it seems clear that this forlI\ belongs to a 

rather well-defined group of Palaeoneilos, of which the, 

Hamilton species P. emarginata is a good example. 

It is' characterized by being elongate transversely, by 

having a deep emargination in the lower part of the 

posterior outline, and by showing rather strong, 

lamellose, regularly spaced concentric costae. 

Though apparently belonging to the same group of 

Palaeoneilos, the Pocono species appears to djffer 

regularly from P. emarginata in having a shallower 

sulcus on the postumbonal slope and in having the 

umbonal ridge more rounded, that structure in fact 

never becoming sharp and angular as it does in P. 

emarginata. The Pocono shell is apparently more 

nearly related to one from the Marshall sandstone 

which Winchell described as Oardinia concentrica. 

Winchell later cited the species under Sanguinolites, 

and Herrick may have intended to transfer it to 

Palaeoneilo, where it really belongs, for he figured but 

did not describe a'" Palaeoneilo concentrica var.," 

which bears,' however, no close relationship·to P. concentrica unless, as may actually be the fact, he was 

dealing with a young specimen. Winchell published 

no figures of 'Oardinia concentrica, but an unpublished 
THE POCONO FAUNA OF THE BROAD TOP COAL FIELD, PENNSYLVANIA 121 

figure, not to mention the type specimen and other 1888. Leda saccata. Herrick, idem, p. 108, pI. 9, fig. 12. Wavspecimens available for study, show very clearly where erly group, Licking County, Ohio. 

the species belongs. A decision as to whether or not 1888. Nuculana sp. Herrick, idem, p. 107, pI. 7, fig. 35. Wavthe Pocono form is actually and closely identical with erly group, Licking .County, Ohio. 

P. concentrica would depend in large measure upon These specimens are few as well as imperfect and 

one's estimate of the original shape from the present they might be compared with several other s~ecies distorted specinlens. No one, however, can doubt belonging in other geologic periods as aptly as with 

that the relationship is close. Leda spatulata. Some of the specimens are more slenThis type of Palaeoneilo has not often been cited del' and transverse than Herrick's figure, but they 

fronl our Mississippian rocks, though it is probably have clearly been compressed in such a manner as to 

lllore common there, at least in the Waverly rocks of ~roduce that effect. On the other hand, one specimen 

Ohio and Pennsylvania, than this fact would suggest. IS much less transverse and much more compact withP. parallela, which was describe~ by Hall and Whit- out showing evidence of compression. Howe~er, a 

field, but unfortunately never figured, apparently specimen of Oypricardinia consimilis on the same slab 

belongs in this group, and so may also some of the shells and oriented in the same direction is so much deformed 

figured by Hall as P. sulcatina Conrad. P. sulcatina as to be almost circular, and the great contrast between 

itself is clearly a different species. If one may form the associated Leda and others can be accounted for 

?D opinion frOln Hall's figures alone, without examin- by the same process. 

mg a series of specimens, he has included more than These shells might equally well be compared with 

one species under P. sulcatina, his Figure 43 with its Leda similis Herrick, and indeed it is difficult to see 

prollou~ced sinus being of the present group, the others wherein any difference lies between L. similis and L. 

more 11ke true sulcatina. His P. truncata' also is a spatulata. Herrick suggests that L. similis is the same 

species closely related to P. concentrica. Herrick species that Hall figured under the name L. pandoriInakes P. truncata a synonym of Sanguinolites marshall- formis Stevens. This seems, indeed, very likely, as the 

ensis, but S. marshallensis is quite a different thing, two figures agree in shape almost to a hair. We do 

probably a Sphenot7.ts. Consequently, P. truncata not at present know and perhaps never shall know 

appears to be a valid species, at least so far as S. mar- what species Stevens wished to designate by L. panshaZlensis is concerned, and Herrick's citation of doriformis, as his description lacks precision on many 

P. marshallensis belongs with P. truncata, or at least points. To avoid possible confusion, inasmuch as we 

with the present group of Palaeoneilo. Herrick has already have another name available, it would seem 

in fact figured a nUlnber of forms mostly as distinct wise to discontinue L. pandoriformis until something 

species or varieties of Palaeoneilo that seem to be on more definite is known as to its characters. 

Cypricardinia consimilis Hall 

Plate 23, Figures 21, 22 

the border line of this group. They may prove to be 

young or imperfect or abnormal specimens of some 

known species, or they may not belong to Palaeoneilo 

at all. In fact, young specinlens of the form here 1885. Cypricardinia consimilis Hall, New York GeoI. Survey, 

Paleontology, vol. 5, Lamellibranchiata, pt. 2, p. 486, 

pI. 79, figs. 18-21; pI. 96, fig. 3. Waverly group, Licking and Medina Counties, Ohio; Warren, Pa. 

under consideration (as at locality 5438) are broadly 

rounded behind, lacking a strong sulcus posterior to the 

unlbonal ridge as well as a pronounced emargination in 

the. lower part of the posterior outline corresponding 

to It. The shape of these young specimens resembles 

that of P. concentrica val'. or P. curta or P. elliptica, 

all of Herrick. The size is comparable to that of P. 

CU1'ta or to that of the small figure of P. elliptica, for the 

length is less than 10 millinleters. Another specimen 

frolll the same locality, still young but larger than the 

last (it is 15 millimeters long), has the sulcus and the 

sinus well developed, and the growth lines show that it 

had nluch the same shape at a stage considerably 

younger. The younger specimen especially referred 

to has been compressed, although the fact is not at 

all obvious. 

Leda atf. L. spatulata Herrick 

Plate 23, Figures 19, 20 

1888. Nuculana (Leda) spatulata Herrick, Denison Univ. Sci. 

~ab. Bull. 3, p. 79, pI. 9, fig. 11. Waverly group, Lickmg County, Ohio. 

These shells, though abundant, have been quite as 

much deformed by pressure· as those referred to 

Palaeoneilo concentrica, and quite as definitely they do 

not yield to close identification. The variation which 

they show in the proportion of length and width is at 

present very great, but it can be ascribed largely to 

distortion by pressure. 

This is a large species for the genus and belongs to a 

rather well-marked type, distinguished perhaps more 

by jts robust size than by characters of greater moment. 

Many specimens in the present collection equal though 

but few exceed a width of 20 millimeters. The shape 

must have been very similar to that of Oypricardinia 

consimilis, though the size" is considerably less, Hall's 

figures showing a width of 30 millimeters. 

The most conspicuous and in many specimens the 

only surface marking consists of rather strong concentric striae disposed at fairly regular intervals. These 

are very different from the striae of the associated 
122 SHORTER CONTRI,BUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Palaeoneilo concentrica, as they are not connected with 

the development of lamellose ridges but instead define 

somewhat imbricating plates. My specimens also 

show, though none distinctly, fine radiating striae that 

are interrupted by the concentric 'ones but are continued outward from one band to another in the same 

general direction. These markings appear sometimes 

as raised lines separated by wide interspaces, sometimes as rounded lirae separated by incised lines, but 

one can hardly doubt that they were originally 

essentially the same. 

That this form is more than probably identical 

with O. consimilis could hardly be maintained with 

distorted specimens such as these; equally wO,uld it be 

impossible to show that this was a different species. 

Furthermore O. consimilis appears to be the only species 

known from the same general faunal province and the 

same general geologIc age which • this one closely 

resembles. 

Glossites? sp. 

Plate 23, Figure 23 

This form is rare, only three specimens having been 

collected, and even these lack assurance of belonging 

to the same species. They constitute a rather large 

species (over 30 millimeters in length) of an elongateovate shape, widest back of the middle and with 

beaks strongly anterior yet by no means terminal. 

In one specimen an oblique and fairly distinct sulcus 

defines a lobe anterior to the beak. This configuration is less well marked in the others. The umbonal 

ridge is broadly rounded and does not form a distinct 

feature 

The surface in general effect is nearly sll1ooth. It 

is, however, marked by innumerable fine incremental 

striae, among which here and there occur others 

more pronounced, due to intermittent growth. One 

specimen especially but all three h!. some degree have 

the appearance of being finely pitted or finely papillose, 

especially in the umbonal region. 

The generic position and still more the specific 

relations of this form are conjectural only. It might 

apparently be included, under' GZossites or under 

SpatheZZa without running counter to any of the facts 

at present known. It resembles Hall's figures of 

G. amygdalinus, from the I\:inderhook group at Burlington, Iowa, and also his figures of G. lingualis and 

G. depressa, from the Chemung group. It likewise 

resembles the figures of Spathella ventricosa, from -the 

I\:inderhook group at Burlington, given by the same 

author. The dual expression of the Pocono shells 

thus suggested is attributal)le to their more or less distorted condition, which has lent them a diverse 

appearance. 

Pleurotomaria afr. P. hickmanensis Winchell 

Plate 23, Figures 24-26 

1869. Pleurotomaria hickmanensis Winchell, in Safford, Geology 

of Tennessee, p. 445. [Maury shale], Hickman and 

Maury Counties, Tenn. 

1870. Pleurotomaria hickmanensis Winchell, Am. Philos. Soc. 

Proc., vol. 11, p. 257. Waverly group, Hickman 

County, Tenn. 

This pleurotomarioid is not rare in the Pocono collections if all the specimens referred here are of one 

species, although on this head their very diverse appearance warrants some doubt. All are preserved in 

the same way, merely as partings in the shaly matrix, 

the sheP. itself having totally disappeared, together 

with the cavity which would have been left by, its 

dissolution. Some specimens appear to show only the 

internal characters and are entirely slnooth; one or two 

exhibit external markings, crisply expressed; but Inost 

show external markings in a subdued and modified 

form. The sculpture has furthermore been more or 

less disguised by compression, which has tended to 

obscure some features and exaggerate others. The 

same process has also distorted the shape, and all the 

specimens ~re otherwise nlore or less inlperfect. 

The shell is a rather large one, and the dianleter of 

the final volution must in SOlne specilnens have been 

as much as 25 millimeters, or even more. The shape 

as a whole was probably subglobose or sonlewhat 

ovate, with the height of the spire less than that of 

the body whorl. The whorls were apparently well 

rounded and not deeply embracing, so that the suture 

was much depressed. The curvature of the volutions 

was interrupted by. a pronounced though not high carina, situated above the middle. The slit band is located 

on or rather forms the carina. It has projecting edges 

and is marked by strong, regular lunettes ,vhich are 

apparently (in the best specimens, at least) intersected by a revolving line traversing the middle of the 

band. The surface of the volution above the band 

and 'also below it is reticulated by a series of relatively 

strong, coarse transverse and spiral lirae. The revolving lirae are irregular in size and distribution; 

small ones here and there lend a conspicuously al ternating effect. Some of the lirae are wider and others 

narrower than the interval between. The transverse 

lirae have the appearance of being fascicles of growth 

lines. They are not quite as strong as the revolving 

ones and not quite as far apart, but they are more regularly disposed. Their course is almost direct, but they 

are gently curved both above and below the band, 

with the convex side toward the aperture. The intersections of the two sets of lirae fornl nodes, which in 

certain lights are conspicuous. 
THE POCONO FAUNA OF THE BROAD TOP COAL FIELD, PENNSYLVANIA 123 

The surface characters just described are taken 

£r01n a well-preserved fragment in lot 3549. Another 

specnnen has siInilar sculpture but fainter and apparently fmer. This speciInen has been compressed 

laterally, however, so that the revolving lirae would be 

brought closer together. 

Some of the characters above ascribed to these speciInens are open to more or less question, and the identification of the species is correspondingly qualified. 

C01nparisons may fairly be liInited to species that are 

of sin1ilar character and that occur in the same faunal 

province. P. hickmanensis may not be regarded as 

COIning fr0111 the san1e faunal province, but it appears 

to be closely con1parable in many of its own characters. The differences that can be discovered 

(fr0111 Winchell's description alone) may be accidental 

or not particularly n1aterial. The slit band on his 

species is well defined without forming a distinct carina; on mine the band forms a di.stinct though not 

strong carina on the best speciInen, though on others 

the carina is more or less suppressed. P. hickmanensis 

is said to be n1arked by revolving lines. Transverse 

lines are not mentioned, but the revolving lines are 

described as nodose, suggesting that transverse lines 

n1ay originally have been present. In the Pocono 

for111 the transverse lines are present and they produce nodes at their intersection with the revolving 

ones, although this sculpture varies in appearance 

with the conditions of preservation. P. vadosa 

(£1'0111 the liInestone of K.inderhook age (Rockford 

lilnestone) at Rockford, Ind.) can hardly be regarded 

as of the san1e faunal province, except that Winchell, 

in l\tlichigan and Ohio, and Herrick, in Ohio, have 

identified specimens under that nm11e. Hall's description without a .figure and Herrick's figure without a 

description (especially as Herrick's identification is 

quite questionable) do not afford an adequate basis 

for cOl11parison. My form may perhaps be compared 

with either of those others in size and shape, but not 

in sculpture. P. huronensis, though probably a 

Pleurotomaria, is a quite different species, suggesting 

the Pennsylvanian P. carbonaria but having tlte revolving ridges' fewer, coarser, and I110re widely spaced. 

P. textiligera (which I do not regard as the same as 

P. mississippiensis) is a similar though not the same 

form. The whorls of the Pocono shells are apparently 

more rounded, the suture more depressed, and the 

sculpture on a larger scale. .-

Loxonema sp. 

The single specimen here under consideration is of 

the type commonly referred to Loxonema, though the 

characters that would verify the reference or assign 

the specimen to some quite unrelated genus are not 

shown. In brief, this is a good-sized shell, composed 

of many volutions which have but a narrow contact 

zone and form a very elongated cone. The specimen 

is so much compressed that the whorls are strongly 

oblique and the largest, measured obliquely, is over 

10 millimeters in diameter. No surface characters 

are shown, and the whorls may haye been marked by 

the sigmoidallirae of Loxonema or, on the other hand, 

by revolving lirae, as in the genera Oyclonema and 

Aclisina. 

Orthoceras sp. 

This type, which is represented by a single very poor 

specimen, deserves only passing notice. The upper 

end probably shows part of the chamber of habitation; 

the lower end is apparently divided into shallow 

chambers. The partitions are represented on the 

macerated and flattened specimen by grooves, so as to 

create a certain resemblance to the genus Oycloceras, 

although the features are really reversed, the constrictions being narrow and the annulations broad. 

About five chambe'rs occur to the diameter, which 

was about 7 milliIneters where the measurement was 

made, but the specimen appears to have been compressed in the direction of its axis, this process shortening its length and producing irregular transverse 

wrinldes. The original diInensions, therefore, were 

probably somewhat different. 

REGISTER OF LOCALITIES 

3547. Pocono formation. In cut of the Huntingdon & Broad 

Top Mountain Railroad, on the west side of Shoups Run, 1% 

miles southeast of Saxton, Pa. 

3548. Pocono formation. In cut of Huntingdon & Broad 

Top Mountain Railroad, east side of Raystown branch of 

Juniata River, about 2% miles north of Riddlesburg, Pa. 

3549. Pocono formation. Great Trough Creek Gap in 

Terrace Mountain, 4 miles ea~t. of Marklesburg, Pa. 

5438. Pocono formation. South end of Sideling Hill tunnel 

of East Broad Top Railroad, Huntingdon County, Pa. 

PLATES 22-23 

125 
PLATE 22 

Page 

FIGURES 1, 2. Scaphiocrinus kirkianus Girty, n. sp_______________________________________________________________ 112 

1. Squeeze made from an impression in shale. Station 3547. 

2. Squeeze made from the counterpart of the same impression. FIGURES 3-15. Lingulidiscina newberryi Hall? __ _ __ __ __ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ ___ _ ___ _ _ _ ___ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ ___ __ _ __ 113 

3, 4. Two views of a small brachial valve somewhat compressed and considerably exfoliated. Station 3547. 

5, 6. Two views of a small brachial valve which probably retains much of its original shape. Station 3547. 

7, 8. Two views of an internal mold of a crushed specimen. Station 3547. 

9. Impression of a pedicle valve. The concentric lamellae which are well shown,' stand at somewhat wider intervals 

than in typical specimens. The pedicle scar apparently occurs at the break that passes inward from the lower 

left-hand margin. Station 3548. 

10. A pedicle valve, crushed and exfoliated. Station 3547. 

11. Another pedicle valve compressed in the opposite direction. Station 3547. 

12, 13. Two views of a large brachial valve, distorted and exfoliated. Station 3547. 

14, 15. Two views of an exfoliated brachial valve. It appears to have been compressed vertically so that the original 

outline is unchanged, but the height is reduced. Station 3547. . FIGURES 16-23. Rhipidomella huntingdonensis Girty, n. sp _______________________________________________ ·__________ 115 

16. Impression of a pedicle valve showing the large flabelliform diductor scars surrounding the small cordate adductors 

Station 3549. 

17. Internal mold of a brachial valve, distorted by pressure. Station 3547. 

18. A pedicle valve retaining the shell but somewhat crushed. Station 3549. 

19. Dorsal view of a large specimen retaining both valves. Station 3549. 

20, 21. Dorsal and ventral views of a specimen in which the two valves are retained pressed together. Station 3549. 

22. Part of an external mold showing minute surface characters. The small elevations are the plugs of matrix that filled 

the tubules or "spines," which are not to be confused with the fine1y punctate shell structure. It has not been 

pra~ticable to represent these plugs in the drawing in quite the number and diversity of the original. Station 

3549. 

23. Internal mold of a brachial valve showing some details of structure, X 2.' Station 3548. I 

FIGURES 24-28. Schuchertella chemungensis Conrad_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 116 

24-26. Three views of an internal mold of a pedicle valve. Station 3547. 

27. Internal mold of a small pedicle valve which has an uncommonly high cardinal area strongly inclined backward. 

This configuration is 'probably in large part original. Station 3549. 

28. Impression of a brachial valve. Station 3547. 

126 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 150 PLATE 22 

3 

D D 

5 6 4 

7 8 9 10 

12 13 

11 15 14 

16 17 

18 19 

20 21 ~ 26 

23 X2 

22 24 25 27 28 

FOSSILS FROM THE POCONO FORMATION OF THE BROAD TOP COAL FIELD, PENNSYLVANIA 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

2 

5 

8 

7 

13 X2 

16 X2 

18 

21 

24 

12 

15 

c:::, 

20 

3 

25 

PROFESSIONAL PAPER 150 PLA'!'E 23 

9 

11 

19 x 2 

.23 

FOSSILS FROM THE POCONO FORMATION OF THE BROAD TOP COAL l?lELD. PENNSYLVANIA 
PLATE 23 

Page 

FIGURES 1-4. Chonetes acutiliratus Girty, n. sp___________________________________________________________________ 117 

1. Squeeze of a gibbous pedicle valve. Station 3549. 

2. Internal mold of a pedicle valve. Station 3549. 

3. Squeeze of a pedicle valve. Station 3549. 

4. A testiferous brachial valve whose curvature has been exaggerated by compression. Normally the curvature is much 

lower. Station 3549. 

FIOUUES 5-8. Camarotoechia afL C. contracta HalL________________________________________________________________ 117 

5. Impression of a small brachial valve which has about 18 plications, 4 on the fold and 7 on each side. Station 3549. 

6. Impression of a brachial valve which has about 14 plications, 4 on the fold and 5 on each side. Station 3547 

7. Impression of a large brachial valve of which the whole number of plications is uncertain as well as their distribution. 

Apparently the fold bears 5 and the lateral slopes 6. Station 3549. 

8. Impression of a small pedicle valve which has 4 plications in the sinus and 7 on each side. Station 3549. 

FIGURES 9-11. Spirijer compositus Girty, n. sp_ __ _ __ ____ __ _ _ ____ _ ___ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____ ___ _ __ _ ___ ___ 118 

9. Impression of a pedicle valve. Station 3547. 

10. Part of the surface of the same specimen, X 5. 

11. Impression of a brachial valve. Station 3547. 

FIOuHEs 12-18. Palaeoneilo concentrica WincheIL___ _ ___ __ _ ___ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ ________ __ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 120 

12-14. A specimen retaining both valves, with views of the separate valves enlarged to 2 diameters. Station 3547. 

15-17. Three similar views of another specimen. Station 3547. The shape in every instance has been more or less 

altered by compression. 

18. A specimen whose natural proportions have been greatly altered by compression. Station 3547. 

FIOUll.ES 19, 20. Leda aff. L. spat1tlata Herrick ________________________ - __ __ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ ____ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 121 

19, 20. A left valve, natural size and enlarged. Station 3547. 

FIOuHEs 21, 22. Cypricardinia consimilis HaIL_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _____ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ ___ _ __ __ __ __________ _____ 121 

21, 22. Left and right valves, both somewhat distorted. Station 3547. 

FIGURE 23. Glossites? sp ______ , _________ ~ _________________________________________ ._ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ ___ _ 122 

23. Left valve of a shell of doubtful affinities. Station 3549. 

FIOUUES 24-26. Ple1trotomaria afr. P. hickmanensis WincheIL______________________________________________________ 122 

24, 25. Side view of a flattened impression. Station 3549. 

26. Fragment of another specimen, probably belonging to the same species which has sharply defined sculpture. Station 3549. . 

127 

NOTES ON PLEISTOCENE FAUNAS FROM MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA AND PLIOCENE 

AND PLEISTOCENE FAUNAS FROIVI NORTH CAROLINA 

By WENDELL C. MANSFIELD 

INTRODUCTION 

In June, 1920, I visited two Pleistocene localities in 

St. 1\1arys County, Md.-one at vVailes Bluff, in the 

low cliffs on the left bank of Potomac River about· 1 

Inile above Cornfield Point; the other at Langleys 

Bluff, on the bay shore about 572 'lniles south of 

Cedar Point. (See pIs. 24,25.) The Inain obiect of 

the trip was to collect additional fossil' pyramidellid 

mollusks, which were subsequently turned over to 

Dr. Paul Bartsch, of the United States National 

1\'Iuseum, for study, but .other Inollusks were also 

collected fr0111 each locality. In June, 1925" I 

again visited both localities, in conlpany with L. W. 

Stephenson and vVillis P. Popenoe, and made small 

collections. 

In 1925 I obtained considerable fossil material from 

five localities along and near Neuse River in Craven 

County, N. C., ranging over a distance of 10 ~to J5 

Iniles below New Bern, and one lot from a 10'cality 

about 10 miles northeast of Beaufort.· In 1918 J. A. 

Cuslu11an l1lade several collections of fossil material in 

Craven County, and the faunas at two of his statio~s 

are considered in this paper. 

This paper describes the stratigraphic sections at 

each of the sever al·locali ties, lis ts the species -(excl usive of the pyramidellid mollusks) collected· fronl 

each stratum, treats briefly the significance of the 

faunas, and, finally, seeks to establish 'as accUrat~ly: 

as possible the age relations of these faun.'as in ,the 

deposits in Maryland and North Carolina. 

I wish to express nly appreciation to .the 'auth0Tities of the United States National Musemn for' the 

use of the facilities of that institution, ariet to ~t. W. 

Stephenson, of the United States <!eold.gic~l·$#iy.~y, ' 

for his helpful suggestions. pr ... , ~ary :J.~ ~~tllb.~J?, 

of the United States National Museum, identified the 

Crustacea fronl the Wailes Bluff lo~ality, and·, Dr~' 

E. W. Berry,' of Johns ·Hopkins University, identified 

a fossil cone fr0111 North Carolina. Dr. Albert Mann,' 

diat0111ist, of the Carnegie Institution of Wasliirigton, 

identified the diatoms. ' 

PLEISTOCENE LOCALITIES IN MARYLAND 

HISTORICAL SUMMARY OF THE GEOLOGY OF WAILES BLUFF 

AND LANGLEYS BLUFF, ST. MARYS COUNTY, MD. 

The localities of Wailes Bluff and Langleys Bluff, 

in St. Marys County, 'Md., attracted attention early 

in the history of Coastal Plain geology. Conrad 1 

paid special attention to the Wailes Bluff locality 

(Cornfield Harbor) and in his publication describes 

the locality and lists the fossil species. Later he gave 

a section at Wailes Bluff, described the fauna, and 

listed the 'species from this locality.2 His description 

of the section and the fauna is quoted as follows: 

Section near the mouth of Potomac [Wailes Bluff] 

Elevation, 15 feet 

Sand and gravel. 

Ostrea virginiana, Mytilus hamat·us (estuary deposit), sand, 

1 foot thick. 

" Clay with Pholas costata, Mactra lateralis, Arca transversa, 

Solecurt1.lS caribaeus, etc. (marine deposit), 8 feet above tide. 

About 3 miles above the low sandy point which forms the 

· southern extremity of the western peninsula of Maryland, the 

bank of the Potomac rises to an elevation of about 15 feet at 

its highest point. The fossils are visible in this bank one-fourth 

of a mile in uninterrupted extent. The inferior stratum is a 

: lead-colored' clay;· containing great ntlmbers of J.llactra lateralis 

: (Say), a common recent bivalve of the coast, which in many 

'instances appear in nearly vertical veins, having evidently 

· fallen into fissures in the cla·Y. Pholas costata is also abundant, 

: and each individual remains in the position in which the living 

: shell is usually buried in the mud-that is, vertical, with the 

· anterior or short side pointing downward. They are very 

: fragile and can rarely be procured entire. Over the clay reposes 

':a bed of Ostrea virginiana in sand, in places 11 foot in thickness. 

tIt is nearly horizontal, varying from a height of 4 to 8 or 10 

feet above high-water mark. The fossils of this locality, with 

,two exceptions, are common recent species of the Atlantic 

;coast, and' in some instances the original colored markings 

,remain upon the shells. Were it not for the occurrence of 

Gnathodon c1.tneatus, Mytilus hamatus, and Arca ponderosa, the 

group would not vary from that now inhabiting the coast as. 

. 1 Conrad, T. A., On the geology and organic remains of a part of the Peninsula of 

'Maryland: Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia Jour., vol. 6, pp. 205-230, 1830. 

2 Conrad, T. A., Observatio'ns on a portion of the Atlantic Tertiary region, with 

a description of new species of organic remains: Nat. Inst. Promotion of SCIence, 

Proc., Bull. 2, pp. 189-191, 1842. . 

129 . 
130 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

far north as Massachusetts; but the presence of these three 

bivalves indicate that a climate equivalent to that of Florida 

prevailed when the shells of this locality were living in the sea. 

r have before alluded to the peculiar and highly important 

distribution of the existing Gnathodon, burrowing in myriads in 

the mud flats near Mobile and confined to the estuaries of the 

Gu]f of Mexico. An occasional waterworn valve in the deposit 

on the Potomac, above described, seemed to indicate that the 

species lived in that river in the upper Tertiary period. This 

conjecture was converted into certainty. by an exploration of 

the shore farther north, which rl;lsulted in discovering a bed 

composed exclusively of the Gnathodon, on the land of Mr. Ebb, 

above the mouth of St. Marys River. This bed, except that 

the shells are smaller, is precisely similar to those which line the 

bay shore near Mobile. The valves of the shells are frequently 

connected, and there can be no doubt that here was the spot 

where they lived and were embedded; that this was a region of 

sand flats bared at low tide, the water brackish, as it is now; 

and that the deposit near the mouth of the Potomac was of 

the same period but more directly communicating with the 

ocean. 

Dall 3 states, in referring to the Cornfield Harbor 

clays, that they have generally been referred to the 

Pleistocene, but it is possible that further research 

will show them to be upper Pliocene. 

In the more recent volume by Shattuck, Clark, and 

others 4 on the Pliocene and Pleistocene of Maryland, 

however, the Wailes Bluff and Langleys Bluff localities are assigned to the Talbot formation (Pleistocene), 

and their faunal contents are described and figured. 

In previous publications the species from each of 

the different layers in these sections are not fully 

listed separately, although the upper bed, which is 

packed with oysters, is mentioned in several reports. 

WAILES BLUFF 

STRATIGRAPHIC SECTION 

Wailes Bluff (pI. 24) rises about 15 feet above the 

beach sand, and the section given below is clearly 

exposed at all times on its face. The waves at this 

point are eating into the land and gradually destroying 

it along a distance of about half a mile. 

Section at Wailes Bluff, St. Marys County, Md. 

Feet 

4. Unfossiliferous buff sand and graveL _________________ 6-8 

3. Mainly coarse to fine grained angular quartz sand 

packed with Ostrea virginica ______________________ 1-3 

Probably slight unconformity. 2. Bluish clay _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 0-1 

1. Mainly greenish compact clay mixed with a small 

amount of quartz sand and a few quartz boulders_ _ _ _ 4-5 

The base of bed 1 is not exposed, but comparison 

with the similar section at Langleys Bluff, on the bay 

shore, suggests that this bed may rest upon- 'Miocene 

deposits at a slight depth below sea leveL The 

material in the upper part of bed 1 consists of shell 

fragments mingled with well-rounded quartz pebbles 

a Dall, W. H., A table of North American Tertiary horizons correlated with one 

another and with those of western Europe, with annotations: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Eighteenth Ann. Rept., pt. 2, p. 336, 1898. 

Lf Maryland Geol. Survey, Pliocene and Pleistljcene, 1906. 

and fragments of lignitic material, <land its upper surface is somewhat irregular. N early vertical pockets, 

the original openings of which may have been made 

by some boring crustacea or nlollusks, are filled 

chiefly with Mulinia lateralis. In the lower part of 

this bed the valves of the mollusks are usually attached 

indicating deposition in quiet water, but in the upper 

part they are detached, indicating more agitated conditions of the water. 

Bed 2 varies in thickness from place to place and 

is not everywhere present; it may be considered a 

part of bed 1. This bed contains Rangia cuneata 

and many shells of Venus mercenaria. 

Bed 3 is composed almost entirely of Ostrea virginica. 

The contact be~ween this bed and the clay on which 

it rests is not horizontal but undulates through a 

vertical distance of 2 feet or more in a horizontal 

distance of 20 yards along the beach. In places the 

materials of this bed penetrate those of the underlying bed, indicating that the oyster bed occupied 

a depression in the underlying bed and subsequently 

was covered with reworked sediments of this lower 

bed. 

FAUNAL LIST 

Station 8932, Wailes Bluff, left bank of Potomac River, about 

1 mile above Cornfield Point. From lower part of section, 

beds 1 and 2. Collected by W. C. Mansfield. 

ra=Abundant, c=common, r=rarel 

Mollusca 

Acteocina canaliculata (Say). c. 

Mangilia cerina (Kurtz and Stimpson). c. 

Busycon canaliculatum (Linnaeus). c. 

Busycon caricum (Gmelin). r. 

Alectrion trivittata (Say). a. 

Ilyanassa obsoleta (Say). a. 

Columbella (Astyris) lunata (Say). a. 

Urosalpinx cinereus (Say). c. 

Eupleura caudata (Say). a. 

Epitonium lineatum (Say). a. 

Epitonium aff. E. denticulatum (Sowerby). r. 

Crepidula plana Say. c. 

Crepidula fornicata (Linnaeus). c. 

Polynices duplicatus (Say). a 

Nucula proxima Say. c. 

Leda acuta (Conrad). c. 

Yoldia limatula Say. r. 

Arca transversa Say. a. 

Arca ponderosa Say. c. 

Ostrea virginica Gmelin. c. 

Pandora gouldiana Dall (1 valve). 

Venus mercenaria Linnaeus. c. 

Callocardia morrhuana Linsley. r. 

Tagelus gibbus (Spengler). c. (Occurs at the top of bed 1.)-

Tellina tenera Say? r. 

Macoma balthica (Linnaeus). r. (One fragment.) 

Ensis directus Conrad. r. 

Rangia cuneata (Gray). r. (Mainly from bed 2, just' 

below oyster bed.) 

M ulinia lateralis (Say). a. 

Corbula contracta Say. r. 

Barnea (Scobina) costata (Linnaeus). a. 
PLEISTOCENE FAUNAS FROM MARYLAND AND VffiGINIA 131 

Crustacea 

[Identified by Dr. Mary J. Rathbun, of the United States National Museum] 

Callinectes sapid us Rathbun. (Range in Recent fauna: 

Cape Cod to Texas.) 

Cancer irroratus Say. (Range in Recent fauna: Labrador 

to South Carolina.) 

Chloridella empusa (Say). (Range in Recent fauna: Vineyard Sound to Texas.) 

Station 8933. Prom oyster bed, or bed 3, at Wailes Bluff. 

COllected by W. C. Mansfield. 

[a=Abundant, c=common, r=rare] 

MoIlusca 

Ilyanassa obsoleta (Say). r. 

Urosalpinx cinereus (Say). c. 

Epitonium lineatum (Say). (One specimen.) 

CrApidula fornicata (Linnaeus). a. 

Polynices duplicatus (Say). (One specimen.) 

Ostrea virginica Gmelin. a. 

Mytilus clava Meuschen. a. 

Venus mercenaria Linnaeus. c. 

Macoma balthica (Linnaeus). r. 

Mya arenaria Linnaeus. a. 

Rn,ngia cuneata (Gray). (One fragment taken at lower 

.contact and may belong to bed beneath.) 

Corbula contracta Say. (One specimen.) 

Additional species, aside from the pyramidellid, from Wailes 

Bluff, described in the volume of the Maryland Geological 

.survey on the Pliocene and Pleistocene, comprise the following: 

Terebra dislocata (Say). 

Cumingia tellinoides (Conrad). 

Macoma calcarea (Gmelin). 

Petricola pholadiformis Lamarck. 

Aligena elevata (Stimpson). 

Unio complanatus (Solander). 

LANGLEYS BLUFF 

STRATIGRAPHIC SECTION 

Langleys Bluff (pI. 25), which is about 25 feet high 

and one-third to one-half mile long, exhibits the section 

given below, but some parts of it are obscured by a 

growth of vegetation. 

Section at Langleys Bluff, St. Marys County, Md. 

Pleistocene: Feet 

5. Un fossiliferous cross-bedded buff sand and gravel 

with a seepage of water along the base_______ 4-15 

4. Uniformly deposited unfossiliferous dark-gray 

sandy clay with a pebbly band at the base_ _ _ _ 2 

.3. Oyster zone, sediments with a few small pebbles. 

No unconformity was observed between this 

bed and the underlying one_________________ 0-1 

2. Fossiliferous compact bluish sandy clay containing sandy pockets or filled borings. A thin 

oyster zone occurs at the base. In this bed are 

a few pebbles, the largest of which are 3 inches 

in diameter, and smoothly waterworn cobbles, 

which are most abundant at the contact with 

the underlying Miocene_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6-8 

Unconformity . 

. :Miocene: 

. 1. Sandy clay with Miocene (St. Marys) fossils_ - - - 0-3 

FAUNAL LIST 

Station 8934. Langleys Bluff, Chesapeake Bay, about 5~ 

miles south of Cedar Point. From the lowermost Pleistocene 

bed, or bed 2. Collected by W. C. Mansfield. 

[a=Abundant, c=common, r=rarel 

Acteocina canaliculata (Say). a. 

Mangilia cerina (Kurtz and Stimpson). r. 

Busycon caricum (Gmelin). c. 

Busycon canaliculatum (Linnaeus). c. 

Alectrion trivittata (Say). a. 

Ilyanassa obsoleta (Say). r. 

Columbella lunata (Say). r. 

Eupleura caudata Say. a. 

Epitonium lineatum (Say). c. 

Polynices duplicatus (Say). a. 

Crepidula plana Say. c. 

Leda acuta (Conrad). c. 

Nucula proxima Say. r. 

Arca transversa Say. c. 

Ostrea virginica Gmelin. c. 

. Venus mercenaria Linnaeus. c. 

Mulinia lateralis (Say). a. 

Rangia cuneata (Gray). r. 

Barnea (Scobina) costata (Linnaeus). c . 

From the oyster bed, or bed 3. Collected by W. C. Mansfield. 

Ostrea virginica Gmelin. 

Venus mercenaria Linnaeus. 

Additional species from Langleys Bluff, described in the volume of the Maryland Geological Survey on the Pliocene and 

Pleistocene, comprise the following: 

Mya arenaria Linnaeus. 

Tagelus gibbus (Spengler). 

Unio complanatus (Solander). 

ANALYSIS OF THE FAUNAS 

WAILES BLUFF 

The fauna in beds 1 and 2 of the section is in the 

main typically littoral marine, with a slight admixture 

of brackish-water forms, and is somewhat similar to 

the Recent fauna described by Henderson and 

Bartsch,5 obtained chiefly from the shallow waters on 

the inner side of Chincoteague Island, Va. The 

material of both beds indicates a muddy bottom 

inhabited by a fauna that thrives best in conlparatively quiet, shallow water protected from the rough 

breakers of the sea. Neither the material nor the 

fauna suggests an open sea. The fauna as a whole 

suggests a temperature about the same as that of the 

water along the coast in the same latitude at the present day, or perhaps a little warmer. None of the 

species indicate a colder condition with the exception 

of Aligena elevata (Stimpson) and Macoma calcarea 

(Gmelin), which are recorded by the Maryland Geological Survey from Wailes Bluff. I did not find the 

two species at Wailes Bluff, nor are they in the United 

States National Museum collections from this locality. 

6 Henderson, J. B., and Bartsch, Paul, Littoral marine mollusks of Chincoteague 

Island, Va.: U. S. Nat. Mus. Proc., vol. 47, pp. 411-421, 1914. 
132 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

The figured specimen of Aligena elevata in the collection of the Maryland Geological Survey from Wailes 

Bluff was examined by me and is correctly identified. 

Macoma calcarea was identified from the fragments of 

the shell, but I have not seen these fragments. Both 

species are distinctly northern forms and do not occur 

on our coast this far south. 

The species of mollusks listed are all represented 

somewhere in the Recent faunas except an Epitonium, 

which may be a new species and may not be represented in the Recent fauna. N early all are living 

somewhere on the coast from Cape Cod southward to 

Florida and on the Gulf. Ostrea virginica is smaller 

in size and proportionally wider than the representatives of the same species that occur abundantly in the 

bed above. Arca ponderosa, originally described by 

Say from the Recent fauna of Florida, where it is 

represented by many individuals, is abundant. This 

species is living on the present coast from Cape COd 

to Florida, but the warmer waters south of Cape 

H'atteras appear to be a more favorable habitat. 

In the upper part of bed 1 and bed 2 Rangia cuneata 

is associated with Venus mercenaria, which suggests 

a slight freshening of the water. The Recent geographic range of Rangia cuneata, as noted by other 

writers, is along the Gulf, from Alabama westward. 

There it lives in both salt and brackish water, but it 

thrives best in the brackish water. 

Two species-Yoldia limatula, which ranges in the 

Recent fauna fronl Arctic seas to Cape Hatteras, and 

Oallocardia morrhuana, which ranges from Prince 

Edward Island to North Carolina-indicate that the 

fauna lived in a temperature cooler than that which 

prevails to-day south of Cape Hatteras. 

The uppermos~ fossiliferous bed, or bed 3, carries 

many individuals of Ostre(£ virginica, Mytilus clava, and 

Mya arenaria. The two species last mentioned were 

not obtained from beds 1 and 2. Ostrea virginica is 

large and elongate and has a modern aspect. Mytilus 

clava, which is usually associated with Ostrea virgiriica in 

both its fossil and its Recent occurrences, has' a geographic range from Cape Cod to Nicaragua and Porto 

Rico. Mya arenaria is now living fro~ Greenland to 

Beaufort, N. C. It also occurs at the mouth of 

Potomac River, but it is not abund~nt_ in Chesapeak~ Bay. " .' , 

Keilogg 6 de~cribes the' habitat of ,this species, as 

follows:' . . ..., --, , • '. '# 

In describing t.he.·' cgrrd.~ttQl1,s ,w4ich. are' necessary for. the 

existeq~e ~'or; 9if'm~,'9P"- P.~u~f11 bEf~h 'it ~~Y',:be, well to npte th~: fact t4at; ,vitp.in c-ertain very wi~e limits, clams appear tq do 

equally :well ih-'w~ter which-is'~vet)~ salt or nearly fresh.' Not 

only is this true, but they' may -be transplanted from 'one lo'cality' 

to another where the salinity is very different without being 

affected 'adversely. ' 

6 Kellogg, J. L., Conditions governing existence and growth of the soft clams 

(Mya arenaria): U. S. Comm. Fish and Fisheries Rept. for 1903, p. 200, 1905. 

The fauna of the upper fossiliferous bed, or bed 3, 

therefore could have lived in brackish water, and 

considerable evidence points to such an environnlent. 

LANGLEYS BLUFF 

The Pleistocene fauna from bed 2 at Langleys Bluff 

is similar to that in beds 1 and 2 at Wailes Bluff. 

Bed 3 carries many individuals of Ostrea virginica and 

a few of Venus mercenaria. This bed is present only 

for a short distance in the bluff, and where it is absent 

bed 4 rests on bed 2. No specimens of Mya arenaria 

or Mytilus clava were obtained by the writer from this 

upper fossiliferous bed (No.3), but Mya arenaria is 

reported from Langleys Bluff by the Maryland Geological" Survey in its volume on the Pliocene and 

Pleistocene. This bed mayor may not represent the 

oyster bed at Wailes Bluff, but the two beds nlust 

differ in age only slightly, if at all. 

Only two valves of Rangia cuneata were obtained 

)rom Langleys Bluff, and they were taken from bed 2. 

COMPARISON QF LOCALITIES IN MARYLAND WITH 

LOCALITIES IN VIRGINIA 

Shattuck/ in commenting on the deposits at Wailes 

Bluff, says: ' 

The lower portion carrying the marine organisins points to 

salt-water conditions and contains remains of sea animals which 

live to-day along the Atlantic coast. * * * Later, however, 

it would appear that a barrier beach was constructed, shutting 

off a portion of the sea bed which had formerly been occupied 

by marine animals and gradually allowing it to be transformed 

from salt-water conditions to those of brt;tckish water. In this 

brackish-water lagoon the fauna changed to that found along 

our estuaries to-day, and huge ,oysters flourished and left 

behind them a deposit of shell rock. With the bar advancing 

landward, this lagoon was gradually filled up with sand and 

gravel and finally oblite.rated. 

Shattuck finds no indication of an appreciable'lapse 

of time between the deposition of the oyster bed' 'aild ' 

that of the underlying clay bed, and I ani inclined to 

agree with his interpretation. The faunal change 

and the irregular contact between the two beds probably indicate a minor unconformity. 

Clays of Talbot age at several places in Virginia, 

whether carrying a brackish-water fauna, plant remains, or peaty material, appear to be approximately 

contemporaneous with each other and probably are 

contemporaneous with the clay that carries th~ littoral 

or brackish-water fauna at Wailes Bluff., and Langleys 

Bluff in Maryland. This relationship was especially 

-noted in exposures on the right bank of lower Rappa-

.. :hannock River in Virginia, between Taft post office 

and Mosquit<fPoint-.' Here a peat bed or a clay bed 

carrying either oysters or Rangid'cuneata reposes upon 

the Yorktown Miocene and crops out at the same 

level along the bluff. 

7 Shattuck, G. D., The Pliocene and Pleistocene deposits of Maryland: Mary. 

land Geol. Survey, Pliocene and Pleistocene, p. 132, 1006. 
PLIOCENE AND PLEISTOCENE FAUNAS FROM NORTH CAROLINA 133 

If these clays that carry a brackish-water fauna 

01' plant relnains or peaty lnaterial in Virginia are 

approximately contemporaneous with the clays that 

carry a littoral or brackish-water fauna at Wailes, 

Bluff and Langleys Bluff in Maryland, it would appear 

that the overlying beds in the two areas, composed of 

cross-bedded sand and gravel and occasional boulders, 

are approxiInately contemporaneous. 

At Wailes Bluff the line of separation between the 

oyster bed and the gravel and sand above is a sharp: 

one. Shattuck 8 states that there is no indication of 

fl.J.l appreciable lapse of tilne at this point. I have 

noted a sharp line of delnarkation between the clay 

that carries a brackish-water fauna, or vegetable 

remains, and the overlying sand and gravel at several 

exposures in Virginia. Only two are mentioned 

here. 

In the bluff on the right bank of Rappahannock 

River about 2 miles above Tappahannock a cypress 

stump bed crops out along the beach and is overlain 

by a bed of considerably cross-bedded sand and gravel 

;with boulders at the base. 

In the bluff on Godfrey Bay, on the left bank of 

Piankatank River, a bed of carbonaceous material 

carrying lnany shells of Rangia cuneata is exposed 

about 2 feet above the beach. This bed is overlain 

by sand and pebbles. The height of the bluff is 

15 to 20 feet. 

On the other hand, exposures have been observed 

in which the evidence of an unconformity at the 

contact between the beds that carry vegetable or 

other organic remains and the gravel and cross-bedded 

sand is not convincing. At one place on the left 

bank of Rappahannock River, between Taft. post 

office and Mosquito Point, an exposure near water 

level reveals a bed of gravel between peat beds. 

It would then appear that the contact between the 

beds that carry either a littoral or brackish-water 

fauna or vegetable remains and the overlying crossbedded sand and gravel, although it appears to be lillconfol'lnable in sonle exposures and less so in others, 

does not represent an appreciable lapse of time. 

PLIOCENE AND PLEISTOCENE LOCALITIES IN NORTH 

CAROLINA 

mSTORICAL SUMMARY 

In 1835 H. B. Croom 9 gave an account of organic 

rmnains obtained fr01n marl pits dug on the estate of 

Lucas Benners, on the north bank of Neuse River 16 

lniles below New Bern, N. C. The pits were dug to 

a depth of about 25 feet, and their bottoms were about 

10 feet below. the water level of the river. Croom 

gives a list of genera, comprising mainly lllollusks, 

obtained fr01n this nl arl , 'and mentions bones. and 

8 Idem, p. 132. 

G Croom, II B., [Organic remains found in the marl pits in Craven County, 

N. C.:) Am. Jour. SeL, 1st scr., vol. 27, pp. 168-171, 1835. 

954890 -28--10 

teeth of fishes and land animals. He was informed 

that the'renlams of the land anilnals were taken from 

depths of 20 to 25 feet below the surface. The sanle 

year Conrad 10 published a list of 66 species of nl011usks 

received from H. B. Croom, which were taken from 

the marl pits on Mr. Benners's plantation. Of these 

species seven had not been found by Conrad in the 

Recent fauna. The beds were referred to the "Newer 

Pliocene." Conrad compares this fauna with the 

fossiliferous lnaterial found in Maryland near the 

mouth of Pot01nac River [Wailes Bluff]. 

Later Conrad 11 listed 34 species from the same pits. 

He states that his" lnedial and upper Tertiary" are 

in juxtaposition here. He waR infornled that the bones 

of land animals were above the "medial Tertiary," 

being mixed with the upper Tertiary, which he calls 

"Pleistocene or post-Pliocene." In referring to the 

state of preservation of these bones Conrad 12 writes: 

These remains are nearly all waterworn, black, and silicified 

and have evidently been transported from a distance, probably 

carried by ice down the ancient Neuse and dropped among the 

shells of the upper Tertiary period. 

It appears from Conrad's later list of molluscan 

species from the marl pits on Benners's plantation 

tha t the specimens were taken from the upper part 

of the pits. Conrad 13 correlates this stratum on 

Neuse River with beds of "Gnathodon" on Potomac 

River, in Maryland, and refers it to the post-Pliocene. 

In 1885 Holmes 14 described the occurrence of fossil 

cypress stunlps overlain by shell nlarl on the southwest bank of Neuse River 10 to 12 miles below New 

Bern. This section is evidently the saIne as the section described on page 134 of this paper, and the shell 

marl mentioned by Holmes probably corresponds to 

the shell marl from which my collection No. 10896 

was taken. 

Dall 15 proposed the name Croatan beds to include 

those beds which are found on the estuary of Neuse 

River. He lists' the species and analyzes the fauna 

from the Croatan beds, as obtained by Charles W. 

Johnson on Neuse River at ~1r. ~1allison's place,16,13 

lniles below New Bern, and at the mouth of Slocum 

Creek, 15 lniles below New Bern. The Mallison section is evidently the same as section 3,' described on 

page 134 of this paper, and the Slocum Creek section 

is the same as section 4, described on page 135. From 

these beds Dall reports 80 out of 96 recognized species 

as also occurring in the Recent fauna, or 83 per cent 

10 Conrad, T. A., Observations on the Tertiary strata of the Atlantic coast: Am. 

Jour. Sei., 1st ser., vol. 28, pp. 104-111,280-282 (see pp. 109, 110), 1835. 

11 Conrad, T. A., Observations on a portion of the Atlantic Tertiary region, with 

a description of new species of organic remains: Nat. lust. Promotion of Science 

Proc., Bull. 2, pp. 191-192, 1842. 

12 Idem, p. 191. 

13 Idem, p. 177. 

11 Holmes, J. A., Taxodium (cypress) in North Carolina Quaternary: Elisha 

Mitchell Sci. Soc. Jour., vol. 2, pp. 92,93, 1885. 

I~ Dall, W. H., Contributions to the Tertiary fauna of Florida, with especial 

reference to the Miocene Silex beds of Tampa and the Pliocene beds of the Caloosahatchie River: Wagner Free Inst. Sci. Trans., vol. 3, pt. 2, pp. 209, 213-217, 1892. 

10 Idem, p. 205. 
134 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Recent. The fauna is referred to the Pliocene but is 

regarded as younger than the Waccamaw Pliocene. 

Dall's list of the Croatan fauna, as will be shown later, 

includes both characteristic Pliocene and Pleistocene 

species. 

Miller,17 in 1912, described a section at Riverdale 

Wharf, on the right bank of Neuse River 9 miles 

below New Bern, the upper 12 to 15 feet of which he 

referred to the Pleistocene and the lower 4 to 5 feet 

to the Pliocene (Waccamaw). He says: 18 

The lower part of this section is undoubtedly Pliocene or 

Pleistocene, but fossils that are represented by casts are not 

distinctive. However, it is probable that the strata belong to 

the same period as those exposed at Slocum Creek, and probably will be found to be of Pliocene age. 

In referring to the fossiliferous blue clays that crop 

out below and a little above water level a short dis-

,tance above the mouth of Slocum Creek, Miller says: 

It is probable they form a part of the upper Pliocene. Suffi. 

cient work in the determination of the fossils has not as yet 

been done to definitely settle this point, and for that reason 

they are retained in the Pliocene, where they have formerly 

been placed. 

In referring to the fossil organisms listed by Conrad 

in his two publications and obtained from the Lucas 

Benners estate, on the north bank of Neuse River 16 

miles below New Bern, Stephenson 19 writes: 

The large percentage of r.ecent fOl1ms enumeI1ated in both lists 

indicates the Pleistocene age of the bed. 

In referring to the beds which furnished the fossils 

that were obtained from the marl pits on the northern 

shore of Neuse River 16 miles below New Bern, Hay 20 

writes: 

It is not impr,obable that the deposit which furnished these 

fossils belongs to the earliest Pleistocene stage, the Nebraskan. 

Berry 21 gives an account of what is known of the 

Pleistocene flora of North Carolina and the conclusions that may legitimately be derived from it. Pinus 

serotina 22 Michaux is reported from the Pamlico formation [Chowan?], below New Bern, Neuse River, 

Craven County, N. C. Taxodium distichum 23 (Lin-' 

naeus) L. C. Richard is reported from the Pamlico 

formation [Chowan?] below New Bern. This locality 

evidently is the same as that of section 2, in the next 

column. 

17 Miller, B. L., The Coastal Plain of North Carolina; the Tertiary formations: 

North Carolina Geol. and Econ. Survey, vol. 3, pp. 253, 254,1912. 

18 Idem, p. 254. 

19 Stephenson, L. W., The Coastal Plain of North Carolina; the Cretaceous, Lafayette, and Quaternary formations: North Carolina Geol. and Econ. Survey, vol. 3, 

p. 289, 1912. 

20 Hay, o. P., The Pleistocene of North America and its vertebrated animals from 

the States east of the Mississippi River and from the Canadian provinces east of 

longitude 95°: Carnegie Inst. Washington Pub. 322, p. 359, 1923. 

21 Berry, E. W., Pleistocene plants from North Carolina: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Prof. Paper 140, pp. 97-117, pIs. 45-57,1926. 

22 Idem, p. 105. 

23 Idem. 

STRATIGRAPHIC SECTIONS 

The following sections were measured on the right 

bank of Neuse River: 

1. Section at Riverdale Wharf, 9 miles below New Bern, N. C.24 

Pleistocene: Laminated alternating layers of drab clay and sand, poorly exposed ________________________ _ 

Pliocene (Waccamaw) [Croatan sand of this report]: 

Indurated ferruginous sandstone containing many 

small quartz pebbles, few larger than a pea in size. 

The rock contains many fossil casts of Pecten, Ensis, Leda, Cardium, and other forms. The rock 

varies in the amount of induration. Exposed about _____________________________________ _ 

Compact drab clay, poorly exposed _____________ _ 

Feet 

12-15 

4 

~-1 

2. Section near residence of w. B. Flanner, about 10 miles below 

JVew Bern, N. C. 

[By W. C. Mansfield] 

Loamy soil _______________________________________ _ 

Pleistocene (Chowan? formation): 

Laminated, gray to reddish medium-grained sand_ 

Compact, laminated gray clay with thin partings of 

sand. Contains impressions of shells __________ _ Gray clayey sand _____________________________ _ 

Very fossiliferous grayish sand. Many individuals 

of M ulinia lateralis present throughout, and Rangia cuneata is present in the lower 1 foot (collec- tion 10896 25) _______________________________ _ 

?Unconfbrmity: 

Truncated cypress stumps, 6 to 8 feet in diameter, 

embedded in dark carbonaceous clay __________ _ 

3. Section about 11 miles below New Bern, N. C. 

[By W. C. Mansfield] 

Feet 

2 

4 

4 

4 

8 

4 

26 

Feet 

Sandy soil________________________________________ 2 

Pleistocene: 

Laminated reddish sand and clay, with a water seepage at the base______________________________ 6 

Gray clayey sand______________________________ 8 

Very fossiliferous fine-grained gray sand (collection 10895) _______ ~ __________ ~___________________ 4 

Unconformity. 

Pliocene (Croatan sand) : 

Concretionary, ferruginous coarse sand and gravel, 

carrying corals and mollusks (collection 10895a) _ _ 0-2 

About 100 yards downstream from section 3 many 

individuals of Rangia cuneata were scattered along the 

shore, but none were observed in place in the section. 

About 1 mile below section 3, at a place locally called 

"Shell Slough," many Pliocene shells are scattered 

along the beach, of which MuZinia congesta is the most 

abundant (collection 10894). 

2. North Carolina Geol. and Econ. Survey, vol. 3, p. 253, 1912. 

26 Tertiary locality numbers above 10000 are recorded in the U. S. Geological 

Survey station books and on the specimens in the form rl-.r (=10896). 
PLIOCENE AND PLEISTOCENE FAUNAS FROM N ORTH CAROLINA 135 

4. Section about 15 miles below New Bern and half a mile below 

the mouth of Slocum Creek 

[By W. C. Mansfieldl 

Sandy soiL ______________________________________ _ 

Pleistocene: 

Partly slumped laminated clay and sand, in which no fossils were observed ______________________ _ 

G ray plastic clay _____________________________ _ 

Unconformity. 

Pliocene (Croatan sand): 

Shell bed, the upper part of which is highly oxidi~ed 

and contains coarse sand and pebbles (collectIOn 10893) _____________________________________ _ 

FOSSIL LOCALITIES 

Feet 

2 

12-14 

2 

2-4 

The fossil material from North Carolina was collected by Ine at the following sta tions: 

10896. Neuse River, right bank, about 10 miles below New 

Bern, near the residence of W. B. Flannel'. Taken from the bed 

in section 2 that directly overlies the truncated cypress stumps. 

10897. Marl pile from pit on Brice Creek, about 1~ miles 

west of Croatan station. 

10895. Neuse River, right bank, about 11 miles below New 

Bern; upper fossiliferous bed in section 3. 

10895a. Same £lcction as the preceding but taken from the 

lowest bed exposed. 

10894. Neuse River, right bank, about 12 miles below New 

Bern, locally known as II Shell Slough." Fossils scattered along 

the beach. 

10893. Neuse River, right bank, about 15 miles below New 

Bern, about 3 miles above Cherry Point, and half a mile below 

the mouth of Slocu"m Creek, section 4. 

10892. Open land project about 10 miles northwest of Beaufort and 6 miles from North River. Marl thrown out of lower 

part of wide ditches constructed for drainage. The surface of 

the terrace is about 11 feet above sea level, and the marl came 

from about 8 feet below the surface. 

Stations at which fossil material was collected from 

Craven County, N. C., in 1918 by Joseph A. Cushman: 

8167. From pits 10 to 12 feet in depth on the John L. Roper 

property, 3 miles southwest of Riverdale. 

8168. Blue shell marl from pits on the Ballinger farm, close 

to Croatan station 

GEOLOGIC RANGE OF SPECIES FROM THREE LOCALITIES 

The following table shows the number of species 

from beds at three localities in North Carolina which 

represent the different epochs from the Miocene to 

the Recent and also the number which occur either 

at Wailes Bluff or Langleys Bluff, Md., and at Simmons Bluff, Y onges Island, S. C. In determining the 

occurrence of species at Yonges Island, S. C., I have 

consulted the collection deposited in the United States 

National 'Museum and th~ table by Pugh.26 

26 Pugh, O. T., Pleistocene deposits of South Carolina, a thesis submittcd to the 

faculty of Vanderbilt University for a degree of DOfJtor of Philosophy, Nashville, 

Tenn., 1905. 

Geologic range of species of mollusks and corals 

Wailes Simmons 

Number Bluff and Bluff, 

Station of forms Miocene Pliocene Pleistocene Recent Langleys Yonges considered Bluff below Island, oyster bed S. C. 

1089] 10 miles northwest 30 9 and 2 queried_ 18 and 3 queried_ 30 _____________ 30 _____________ 12 22 

of eaufort. 

10896, Neuse River, 10 39 13 and 2 queried_ 29 and 2 queried_ 38 and 1 queried_ 38 _____________ 22 31 

miles below New Bern. 

10893, Neuse River, 15 42 23 and 1 queried_ 39 and 1 queried_ 29 and 1 queried_ 27 and 1 queried_ 13 24 

miles below New Bern. 

AGE AND STRATIGRAPHIC RELATIONS OF THE STRATA 

PLIOCENE DEPOS.ITS 

The fauna listed by Dall 27 from his Croatan beds 

at Slocunl Creek and at Mallisons evidently inCludes 

a mi"x:ture of both characteristic Pliocene and Pleistocene species. " A few species in the list that I regard 

as characteristic Pleistocene forms are flyanassa 

obsoleta (Say), Urosalpinx einereus Say, Area ponderosa 

Say (typical), Area pexata Say, and Anatina [Labiosa] 

eanalieulata (Say). Some of the species in his list 

that are believed to occur not later than Pliocene 

are Drillia tubereulata EInmons, Ostrea meridionalis 

Heilprin = O. seulpturata Conrad: Oarditamera arata 

Conrad, and Mactra [Mulinia] eongesta Conrad. 

As it is undesirable to apply the name Croatan to a 

group of beds part of which are of Pliocene and part 

of Pleistocene age, I propose to restrict the name to 

17 Dall, W . .11., op. cit., pp. 209, 213-217. 

those beds on and near Neuse River which are of 

Pliocene age. 

The Pliocene was observed by me in three of the 

sections examined on the right bank of Neuse River. 

(See fig. 3.) I infer that the basal 3 to 4 feet in 

Miller's section 28 at Riverdale Wharf, on the right 

bank of Neuse River 9 miles below New Bern, also 

belongs, as he placed it, in the Pliocene. The Pliocene 

beds consist chiefly of coarse ferruginous more or less 

fossiliferous sand that rises to an observed maximuln 

heiO'ht of about 4 feet above the beach. The name l:l 

Croatan sand is therefore appropriate. The Pliocene 

stratum is unconformably overlain by the Pleistocene 

deposits. The contact of the Pliocene with the 

Pleistocene deposits was observed in two exposuresone about 11 miles below New Bern (section 3) and 

the other about 15 miles below New Bern (section 4). 

The fossil collection from station 10893, 15 miles 

below New Bern, contains mainly Pliocene species. 

28 :Miller, B. L., op. cit., p. 253. 
136 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

A few Pleistocene species, which are believed to have 

fallen from the overlying Pleistocene beds, are included in the list. (See stratigraphic section 4.) The 

following species collected there which are believed 

to have lived not later than the Pliocene include 

Busycon caricum Gmelin var., flyanassa irrorata 

(Conrad), Urosalpinx sp. aff. U. perrugatus Conrad, 

Orassinella duplinana Dall, Oardita arata Conrad, 

Chama striata Emmons, Venus rileyi Conrad, Gemma 

trigonia Dall, Mulinia congesta Conrad (not typical), 

Septastraea crassa (Holmes). 

A collection of fossils was obtained from a marl 

pile thrown out of a pit dug in Brice Creek, about 1 Y2 

miles west of Croatan station (station 10897). This 

fa~na indicates a mixture of Pliocene and Pleistocene 

species. 

Two collections were obtained from Craven County, 

N. C., at stations 8167 and 8168, by Joseph A. Cushman. At station 8167 the material was obtained 

from pits on the John L. Roper property, 3 miles 

"SECTION 4 

Recent 

tions 2, 3, and 4.) At the exposures 11 and 15 miles 

below New Bern the bed that carries a littoral Pleistocene fauna rests upon the Pliocene deposit. At the 

exposure 10 miles below New Bern this saIne bed is 

underlain by a cypress stump bed, thus indicating 

that the Pleistocene material occupies a shallow depression in the surface of the Pliocene. 

The age of these deposits is probably late Pleistocene. The table on page 135 has been compiled to 

show the geologic time range of the species in outside 

formations. Of 39 species obtained from the bed 

that immediately overlies the cypress stump bed 10 

miles below New Bern, represented by collection 

10896, all except one queried form are represented 

in the Pleistocene, 38 are lmown in the Recent fauna, 

22 in Pleistocene clay either at Wailes Bluff or at 

Langleys Bluff, Md., and 31 are believed to occur at 

Simmons Bluff, Yonges Island, S. C. 

Another collection was obtained about 10 miles 

northwest of Beaufort, N. C., at station 10892. In 

SECTION 2 

SECTION 3 

------------ .-.~ 

Pleistocene Laminated 

clay and sand, 

P last ic clay 

(C;~~~~;,ns~nd) ~f:i\ Fe;:;uginous---;and ~dpebbles -? ~:'?::o:: 10893- - - - - - - - " 15tMiles 12Miles below New Bern Vertical scale 

9Miles below New Bern 

o ~, _~_~ __ ~ __ L-~' ~ ____________ ~I W~rl 

FIGURE 3.-Detailed columnar sections of Pliocene and Pleistocene strata along Neuse River, N. C. 

southwest of Riverdale. A,ccording to notes furnished by Mr. "'cushman, the section here consists of 

4 feet of soil, sandy Pleistocene, underlain by a bluish 

marl 6 to 8 feet in thickness, extending down to a 

reddish marl that carries abundant oyster shells 

[Ostrea sculpturata]. At station 8168 the fossil"material was obtained from a blue shell marl in pits on the 

Ballinger farm, close to Croatan station. The fauna 

at both stations is similar to that at my station 10897 

and also indicates a mixture of Pliocene with a few 

Pleistocene species. 

PLEISTOCENE DEPOSITS 

I have assigned all the deposits above the Pliocene 

examined by me on the right bank of Neuse River, 

except the loamy top soil, to the Pleistocene. These 

deposits below the top soil may represent the Chowan 

formation of the Pleistocene. These deposits include 

the cypress stump bed and the fossiliferous bed that 

immediately overlies it and also the" poorly fossiliferous beds exposed in the upper part of the bluffs. 

These deposits were observed in exposures 10, 11, and 

15 miles below New Bern. (See stratigraphic secconstructing a ditch or canal for drainage the nlarl 

had been thrown out and left on both sides of the 

ditch. The surface of the terrace here is about 11 

feet above sea level. The top of the marl is about 

8 feet below the surface. These fossils came fronl 

the Pamlico formation or terrace. In the table compiled to show the geologic time range of species in 

outside formations, out of 30 species considered, all 

are represented in the Recent fauna, 12 occur in the 

Pleistocene clays, either at Wailes Bluff or at Langleys 

Bluff, Md., and 22 are believed to occur at Sinllllons 

Bluff, Yonges Island, S. C. The age of the fauna is 

late Pleistocene. 

PHYSICAL CONDITIONS ATTENDING THE DEPOSITION OF 

THE MATERIAL 

The irregular contact between the Pliocene and 

Pleistocene beds on Neuse River below New Bern 

indicates that they are unconformably related. The 

episode that preceded the submergence of the land 

and the deposition of the Pleistocene beds appears 

to have been one of uplift and erosion. During this 

period of erosion stream channels were cut in the 

"Pliocene surface, after which the la'nd was lowered 
PLIOCENE AND PLEISTOCENE FAUNAS FROM NORTH CAROLINA 137 

sufficiently to permit the accunlulation of Pleistocene 

deposits upon the irregular Pliocene surface. The 

cypress StUlllP bed probably occupies a stream-cut 

channel. 

The succession of the deposits as shown in stratigraphic section 2, about 10 miles below New Bern, 

affords a basis for inferring the physical conditions 

which prevailed during the deposition of the Pleistocene beds. The sequence of the beds from the base 

of the cliff upward consists of truncated cypress stumps 

elllbedded in a dark carbonaceous clay, gray sand 

carrying in the lower part a mixed littoral and brackishwater fauna and in the upper part a typical .littoral 

fauna, and, finally, poorly fossiliferous sand and clay. 

The cypress stumps indicate fresh water. Concerning the distribution of the Recent bald cypress, 

TaxocZium distichum Richard, Sargent 29 writes: 

River swamps usualJy submerged during several months of 

the year, low wet banks of streams, and the wet depressions of 

pine barrens from southern Delaware southward near the coast 

to the shores of Mosquito Inlet and Cape Romano, Fla. 

Dr. Albert Mann, diatonlist, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, identified the more' prevalent 

species of diatonls taken fronl this cypress-stunlP bed. 

The following list of species, showing their abundance, 

and the renlarks that follow are furnished by Doctor 

~1ann: 

[v. a.eVery common; c.ccommon; r.=Crequent; S.=scarce] 

CymbeUa lanceolata (Ehrenberg) !{uetzing. f. 

Eunotia major (W. Smith) Rabenhorst. f. 

Navicula brasiliensis Grunow. f. 

Navicula cuspidata !{uetzing. s. 

Navicula elJiptica !{uetzing. s. 

Navicula formosa Gregory, var. s. (A marine species.) 

Navicula maculata (Bailey) Cleve. f. (A marine species.) 

Navicula nobilis (Ehrenberg) !{uetzing, var. approaching 

N. dactylus (Ehrenberg) A. Schmidt. c. 

Navicula (Stauroneis) phoenicenteron, var. gracilis, S. 

gracilis W. Smith. s. 

Navicula transversa A. Schmidt. s. 

Nitzschia scalaris W. Smith. v. c. (Outnumbers all the 

others.) 

RhopaJodia gibba (Ehrenberg) O. MUller. c. 

t9 Sargent, Q. S., Manual of the trees of North America, p. 72. 1905. 

The material is a brown peaty mud, with considerable plant 

detritus, and 'the diatoms make up 5 to 10 per cent of the-mass. 

They prove it to be a comparatively recent fresh-water deposit, 

though it contains a few forms that are unmistakably marine 

or brackish. This fact suggests that when the diatoms flourished the locali~y was close enough to the sea for tidal inflow 

to penetrate and thereby affect the diatom flora. Although 

this inference is warranted, it must be understood to be merely 

an iilference. 

Sponge spiCUles are also rather abundantly present. I am no 

authority on these structures, but I am pretty certain that, 

although the great majority are fresh-water forms, a few are 

marine, thus strengthening the inference as to the tidal inflow 

of the sea water. 

It would be unsafe to attempt a comparison between this 

material and other subfossil deposits of similar latitude, such as 

the Pleistocene bed of the" Walker Hotel" swamp, Washington, D. C. Although a number of species are present in both 

they are common fonns that have persisted from late geologic 

strata up to the present day and are in no sense indicative of . 

any particular formation. 

The fauna in the material that overlies the cypress 

stump bed indicates an invasion of the sea. The htvasion of saline waters appears first to have .destroyed 

the cypress forest, after which the advancing waves 

beveled off the upper part of the swamp deposit, 

leaving the large cypress stumps embedded in the carbonaceous clay. The presence of Rangia cuneata at 

and near the base of the fossiliferous sand that overlies 

the swamp deposit indicates brackish-water conditions 

at first, followed by a more typical littoral marine condition. The succeeding deposits above the fossiljferous 

sand, although of marine origin, are almost barren of 

organic renlains. Just what caused the diminution of 

the fossil remains the writer is unable to explain. 

PRESENT GEOGRAPHIC RANGE OF RECENT SPECIES FROM 

THREE OF THE FOSSIL LOCALITIES 

The following table shows the present geographic 

distribution of those species at three of the fossillocalities, which range upward to the Recent. I have ascertained the geographic distribution by consulting 

Dall's tables 30 and the collections of Recent mollusks 

in the United States National Museum. 

30 Dall, W. H., A preliminary catalogue of the shell-bearing marine mollusks BDd 

brachiopods of the southeastern coast of the United States, with illustrations of 

many new species: U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 37, 1889. 

Present geographic distribution of Recent species from three fossil localities 

Number of Cape Hatteras Cape Hatteras, Cape Hatteras Off North West coast 

Station forms con- and northward and Carolina of Florida 

sidered northward and southward coast and Gulf 

southward Mexico 

10892, 10 miles northwest of Beaufort ____________________ 29 0 19 9 ---------- 1 

10896, Neuse River, 10 miles below New Bern ___________ 37 1 28 6 1 1 

10893, Neuse River, 15 miles below New Bern ___________ 28 1 20 7 ---------- ----------
138 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE INDICATED BY THE FAUNAS 

The fauna in collection 10893, which represents 

mainly Pliocene species, shows that out of 28 Recent 

species, 20 are now living both north and south of Cape 

Hatteras, 7 are living at and south of Cape Hatteras, 

and 'J. (YoZdia ZimatuZa) is living at and north of Cape 

;Hatteras. This distribution indicates that the temperature of the water in which they lived was no colder 

than that off the coast at Cape Hatteras to-day, and 

there is a suggestion that the water may have been a 

little warmer. 

The Pleistocene fauna in the bed above the cypress 

stumps, represented by collection 10896, shows that 

out of 37 Recent species, 28 are now living both north 

and south of Cape Hatteras,. 6 are living at and south 

of Cape Hatteras, 1 (YoZdia ZimatuZa) is living at and 

north of Cape Hatteras, and 1 is living on the west 

coast of Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico. " This 

fauna suggests the presence of slightly cooler water than 

that which prevailed in Pliocene time but affords no 

positive evidence that the fauna could not have lived 

on the shores in the vicinity of Cape Hatteras to-day. 

The fauna obtained from the Pamlico formation, 

represented by collection 10892, contains no species 

now living exclusively north of Cape Hatteras. Nine 

are found at and south of Cape Hatteras. This 

fauna could have lived under present conditions of 

temperature in the same latitude. 

CORRELATION OF THE DEPOSITS IN MARYLAND AND 

NORTH CAROLINA 

The accompanying table shows the occurrence and 

geologic range of species from the localities in Maryland and North Carolina and also a locality on Y onges 

Island, S. C., inserted for comparison. Only those 

species that occur at localities either in Maryland or 

North Carolina are recorded from Y onges Island. 

Speci~s of fossils from localities in Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina and their geologic range 

I 

Isouth North Carolina Maryland Carolina 

Geologic range 

Pliocene Pliocene with admixture Pleistocene of Pleistocene 

~ ~ ~ ..6 .... ~ ~ :S en 0 0 0 .... Q;i d 0) 0 0 

Ql Ql Ql ::l- ~ Ql Ql 

.0 .0 ,od oee 

en'Cl ~ .0 .0 g~ end end 1l) 0 end end 0)'" en8 gsg en ... O)ee It:l 

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g~ gs 0) 

8 0) .£ ~ 

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~ 0> 8 :e~ 0> 0> 0> ee d d 0 .9 0) 00 00 00 00 00 03 0 

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S S S 00 00 S S S S ~ H >t p:; p:; p::: 

------------------------------

MOLLUSKS 

Gastropods 

Acteocina canaliculata (Say) _ ___________________________________ __ ______ ______ X ______ ______ ______ X X ______ X X X X X X X Terebra concava (Say) var ________________________________________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ X ? ______ ------ ______ X ------ ------ X X 

Terebra dislocata (Say)------------------------------------------- ______ ______ ______ X ______ ______ X X X aX ______ X X X X X Drillia tuberculata (Emmons) var.?_______________________________ ______ ______ ______ X X ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______? X ------ _____ _ 

Mrr~~~a~:¥~:~f~~~~~~~-~-:~~~~~~============================ ====== ====== ~~~~~ ~~~~~ --~-- --~-- ~=~~~ --~-- ==~== ==~== ==~~= E ~ E E E Oliva sayan a RaveneL ____________________________________________ ------ ------ X ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ X ------ ------ X X X X I X 

~~~~~~~ Busycon :~i~~:l(b~l~~)i~~~~~~)-----~~=======~=================== caricum (Ornelin)--------------------------------------- ====== 

______ .______ 

====== ______ ~ ====== 

______ --X--______ ====== X X X X X X X --~-- ====== --~-- --~-- --~-- --~-- ------

------ -_____ ~ X ~ --~X--- Alectrion consensa (Ravenel)------------------------------------- ______ ______ ______ X ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ X X X Alcctrion trivittata (Say)----------------------------------------- ______ ______ X ______ ______ ______ X X X X X X ______ '? X X 

~~~§\~~~~~~m~~~~l~l~~~~_mmm~~~~~mm~~~ mm m~~~ :t ::~:: ::~:: -i~~i -:~:- ::~:: -m~l ~~~~- ~-~-~ ~~~~- m~ll-l ::~:: J: !~:~gi~ :~:~: ~:~ ~:~?_:~~~~~)_~======~==~~~===~~~~===~=~==~==== ====== ====== ====== --X-- ====== ==~=== __ ~ __ ====== ====== =~~=== ====== ===~== ====~= --X-- =~==== ====== 

g~gE~gl~~~t~~\~~\~~~~================================="======== ====== ====== ~=~== E ====== ====== ==~== __ ~ __ ======.-~-- ==~== --~-- ====== --~-- --~-- --~--

~~~~~eI;f~r~~y)~!~~:::~::::UU::l~ ~:::~: ~::ll: ~:~:: ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~-L ::~:: !U! :H: ::~:: ::~:~ ;~~;; ~:~~~ -l- ~~~~~ ~~~~~ Crepidulu formcata (Linnaeus)------------------------------------ X ______ X X X X X ______ X X ______ X X X X X 

~~l~1~it!li~~~V<-~~~jii================================= ===== ====== ====== E ====== ~~~~~ ====== __ ~ __ ~~~~~ --~-- --~-- --~-- --~-- --~-- --~-- --~-- --~-- ~i1r~~~::(~f~:~Kf:J~~~!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~==================== ==~== ====== --~-- ~~~~~ ====== ====== ~=~== ====== ==~== ====== ====== --~-- ~~~~~ E E E 1~~o~~~f:p-s-~==================~================================ ====== ====== ====== ====== ====== ====== --X-- __ ~ __ ============ ====== ::==== ====== =====~ ====== ====:: 

oRecorded here by the Maryland Geol. Survey in the volume on the Pliocene and Pleistocene. 
COllRELATION -OF- THE DEPOSITS-- IN j\1ARYLAND AND NOllTH CAROLINA 139 

Species of fossils from localities in Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina and their geologic range-Continued 

I Mn"land North Isnutb Carolina Carolina 

Geologic range 

Pliocene Pliocene with admixture Pleistocene oC Pleistocene 

~ ~ ~ .c .... ~ ~ .c 0 0 0 .... al d gj 0 0 

Ql 

.c Ql Ql ~~ .g ~ Ql Ql ~~ .cd .c .cd .c 

gj~ ",d '" "'d 

1!~ d_ 

gj ... _al 

~~ ~.; 8 ~S ~a; ~~ '= '0 OI=Q ::l '-I=Q 0 Sg OI=Q ._I=Q '-I=Q '= ~ d 

S~ ;~ S~ :::~ t;3 

~~ S~ S~ 8 .... :::i '" al S .... ~ ~ d C'lal ...... al It:>al 0 al Oal ..... al 0 0 ~ al al al .... Z ~Z .... Z Z "'Z ..... Z .......... '" d d ~ .... "' .... 0 gj al 

;;t; .~ r..: <6 oci ~ .gj blJ Q) al al d It:> ~ ! ~~ ~ b.O ~ ~ 

~ '" ~[$ '" ~ '" § d 0 .51 ·s ~ 00 00 

~ 00 0 

~ al ~ ~ 00 00' ~ ~ ~ ~ H ~ p:; p:; ~ 

------------------------------ MOLI.USKS-Continued· 

Pelecypods 

~~I~tl~I~~l~~~!Y~ ~~r----::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::: :::::: __ ~ ____ ~ __ :_~__ 9 ~ __ ~__ ______ ~ X ~ __ ~ ____ ~__ ~ ~ Yoldln lilllatllla Say var___________________________________________ ______ ______ X X X ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ 1 1 1 

Loda aellta (Conmd)______________________________________________ ? ______ X X X X X X ------ X X X X X X X 

~l~ a~ti~l f:~mr~~?,~~i.~;~:~~~~:~::~~~~~;~;:~i~::~ ::~:: ~~~~~~ -r ::~:: ::~:: ::~:: /:: :~:~:: ::~:: ::~:: :~~:~: ::~:: :::::: :::::: ::~:: ::~:: 

~~~~ Area Senpharcn ~~~~l~~a~~:l~::~~t~~lt~~~~?~~~~!;~===================== tmnsversn Say (large and robust Corm)__________ '~===== ______ ====== ______====== ______====== ______====== ______====== ______::~:: ______ ====== ______--~-- X =::::: ______=:==:= ______ ______ ::~:= ::=::: ______:::=:= X X X B B 

Area Seapharen tmnsvorsa Say (ligbt Corm) _____________________ _______________________________ -X X X X X X X X X 

Area SCllpharell subsillllllta Conrad ______________________________ ------ ----__ X X ------ --X---- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ -_____ ______ X X Area Scnpharca sp. aft A. subsinuata Conrad___________________ X ______ ______ ______ ______ _ __________________________________________________________ _ Arca Scnpharen n. sp. nIT. A. plicatura Conrad__________________ X ______ X X X X ___________________________________________________________ _ 

*~~~ s~~I~W~IA~~o~:~;~~l}gnfI~~~~~-~~-------:::::::::::::::::::::::: --X-- :::::: __ ~ __ :::::: :::::: --X-- :::::: :::::: :::::: :::::: :::::: :::::: :::::: :::::: :::::: :::::: Arca n. sp.'f _______________________________________________________ ______ ______ X _____________________________________________________________________________ _ 

Arca (FoSSlllllrca) adamsii (Shuttleworth) _________________________ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ X ------ ------ --X-- --X-- ------ ------ X X X X 

g~t~~~ ~~~l~:~t~~~~~nC~~~~~d:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::: :::::: __ ~ __ --X-- __ ~__ ~ :::::: :::::: ______________ ~ ____ ~__ ~ ~ X X Anomia shnplox D'Orbigny ______________________________________ ______ ______ X ______ X X X X X ______ ______ X X X --X-- --X--

~~~l~¥c~:~~~~~git~~ii~~~~~~Dm~~m~~~~~~~~m~~~ mm ::~;: ~;r:;; ~::::: ::~:: ::~:: ~m~~ ::~:: ::~:: :.:~:: :~::~: ::~:: :::::: ::~:: ::~:: ::~:: Pllndora trilinoata Sny____________________________________________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ X X ____________ :::::: --X-- ---1--- X X X 

b~l~l~?I~~IF.~i~~~~~~III~~lil~~~ilrad)---::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::: ~::::: --X-- --X-- :::::: :::::: :::::: --X-- ---f-- --~ __ :::::~ --X-- --X-- --X-- ~ ~ Crnsslnollo.sp. cc. O. lllactrucca Llnsley ____________________ " ______________________________ X X ___________________________________________________________ _ 

Cmssinolla dllpllnalla DalL_______________________________________ ______ X X ________________________ -- ____ ------ -- __________ ._____ X X ___________ _ CUIHl'f n. sp.'L ____________________________________________________ .. _____ ,______ X _____________________________________________________________________________ _ 

Cllnlitn floridalla Conrad_________________________________________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ X X ______ ______ X X X X 

Cnrditu nrnto. (Conrad)___________________________________________ X ______ X X X --- ___ ---- __ ------ --____ ______ ______ X X ___________ _ Vonorienrdin tridentata Say _________________ ~_____________________ ______ ______ X X X X X X --____ ______ X X X X X 

VouoriCllrcliu porplana Conrad____________________________________ ______ ______ ______ ______ X ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ X X X X 

6~11!~~:;~~~~1~~~fo~~g~1r:~ G~~el~~~~~~!~~~_~~~~~~_-_::::::::::::::::::: ~::::: :::~:: __ ~ ____ ~ __ :::::: :::=:: :::::= :::::~ --X-- :::::: :::~:: :::::~ __ ~ ____ ~__ X X 

~i:~~gr~I~~I~~~llr~gH~~r~~CifJ~~~~~~~~-t~~~~~li~~~::::============= Phneoldos (Parvilllcina) multilinoo.tus '.ruOiney und lIolmes______ ====== 

______ ==~=~= ______ ::~:: ______ =~:::= X X X ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ::==:= --____ ::~:: X ====== ______ ==:=~= ______ ====== ______ ====== X X X X X ::~:: __ ~ __ =:=:== ==~=:: ])ivuricolla sp_.___________________________________________________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ X _________________________________________ _ 

1?lv}1~~~~~t~}~~~i~~~o.~~ ~;~(~:~;~~y!~t.:~~Jl~~;,~~1(6uog~~(l)ar. l~~~~~;~;;~;:~l~==~~~=====:=~=~=~:=~:==~==== Cragilis Verrill and Dush ___________ ====== 

------ ::~:: ------ ::~:~ X 

::=:== --X-- ------ ------==~=== ====== ~~~~~ X X --~-- ====== 

------ :===== ------ ------ ====== --X-- =:==== --X-- ====== =~==== ~ ~~~~~ ~ ~~~~~ ~ 

~~~i~iJJ1~~~~~~!~~;~~~m~~~~~:~~:~~~~m~m~~:::m~::~ :~:~~~ ~~~:~~ ::~:: ::~:: ~ir:ii :~~:: ::~:: _{ ~:~~~ ~;~;~ :~~~~~ --~-- --:- --~-- g ~ 

!!~ljlll~ll~l~~]~nll:II!!:I::;!~:;I::::I~I::;; ::::;:·::1::: ::~:: :o:~:: ~:~:: :i~:~ ::~:i ~!~:~ ii~;i !!~! ~~~:~ ::~i: :;;:: ::~:: :~!~: ~:;~~ ------ ---_ ... - ------

------ ------ X -- _________ _ X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X X 

X X 

X X ___________ _ 

1 X X 

X X X X llulua eongosta ( onrad) (not typico.l)__________________________ X ______ X X X X ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ X X ___________ _ angla cllnouta (Gray)__________________________________________ _ X X X X ______ ______ X X X 

Ranglu clathrodonta Conrad ____________________________________ :_ :~:::: :==::: :::::: --X-- :::::: :::::: ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ X X ___________ _ 

o Hcoordod here by the Marylann Geol. Survey in the volume on the Pliocene and Pleistocene. b Obtainod only Crom bed 3, or oyster bed. 
140 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONBTO GENERAL GEOLOGY, 1927 

Species of fossils from localities in Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina and their geologic range-Continued 

I 

Isouth North Carolina Maryland Carolina 

Geologic range 

Pliocene Pliocene with admixture Pleistocene of Pleistocene 

~ ~ ~ 1: .... ~ ~ 0 0 0 '" :S ~2 = III 

~ 0 Q3 Q3 Q3 ~ CD ...... 0" .s 0" .0 .0 .0 "''0 .0= .0= =.8 ",8 ",= ",= ., "'= Ill" 

~~ ~ e ~.s "''' ~ .... g3~ fl:I III III _Ill '0 g5.E: Q;)1ll 

::j:Q '-j:Q 0 Sg ::j:Q ::~ =' _Ill '3 = S~ ~~ S~ ::~ S~ S~ '-j:Q ~ ., G) S_ ~ 

~~ 13_ ~ '" :3 = ~CD "'Ill 101ll 0 III o III 

~Z 0 0 G) CD ~ · ..... z ~z ... z z -z ....... rIJ 

.... CQ~ '" = = 0 III 0 ~ 

~~ 2 bo CD ~ ~ .~ ~ ~ ·CD 00 r..: '" 1O till 0> 0> ~ ~~ C> 0> 0> .;;; = = 0 .9 00 00 ~ 00 00 00 ., 0 

~ III III ::l ::l ::l 00 00 ::l ::l ::l ::l ::: H ~ p:; p:; p:: 

------------------------------ MOLLUSKS-Continued 

Pelecypods-Continued 

Anatina canaliculata (Say)---------------------------------------- ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ X ______ ______ ______ ______ X ______ ______ X X 

Paramya subovata Conrad ___________________________________________________ ._ ______ ______ ______ ______ X ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ X X X X 

Mya arenaria Linnaeus ______________________________________________________ . __________________________________________ bX oX X X ______ X X 

Corbula contract a Say____________________________________________ ______ ______ X ______ X ______ X X X X ______ X ______ X X X 

Martesia ~~~~~a(k~~t~~~i~:s~!ta-(Linnaeiis)============================== ====== ====== __ ~ ____ ~ ____ ~ ____ ~ __ ====== ====== ====== --X-- --X-- --X-- __ ~__ ~ --X-- --X-- S}l. cf. M. cuneiform is Say_______________________________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ X ______ ______ ______ ______ X _______________________ _ 

CORAL 

Septastraea crassa (Holmes) c____ __________________________________ ______ X X X __________________________________________ --____ X X ___________ _ 

CRUSTACEA 

Callinectes sapidus Rathbun______________________________________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ X X ______ X X Cancer irroratus Say ______________________________________________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ X ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ X 

Chloridella empusa (Say)----------------------------------------- ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ X X 

PLANT 

Pinus serotin a Michaux d________________________________________ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ X _____________________________________________________ _ 

o Recorded here by the Maryland Geol. Survey in the volume on the Pliocene and Pleistocene. c Identified by J. E. Hoffmeister at stations 10893 and l0895a. b Obtained only from bed 3, or oyster bed. d Identified by E. W. Berry, probably from cypress stump bed. 

Pliocene.-The fauna of the Croatan sand is approximately equivalent to both the fauna of the Waccamaw 

formation in North Carolin~ and South Carolina and 

to the faunas of the Nashua marl and the Caloosahatchee marl in Florida. 

Pleistocene.-The littoral and brackish-water faunas 

along the Neuse, in North Carolina; represented by 

collections 10896 and 10895, appear to be equivalent in 

age to the fauna below the oyster bed at Wailes and 

Langleys Bluffs, Md., and to the fauna at Rose Bluff, 

Fla. It is probably a little older than the fauna of 

Simmons Bluff, Y onges Island, S. c. 

The fauna from the Pamlico formation, represented 

by collection 10892, is probably of about the same age 

as the fauna of Simmons Bluff, Yonges Island, S. C. 

The fauna of Simmons Bluff contains a number of 

species-some of which are represented by many 

individuals-which are absent in my collections. A 

few of these species are Tritonidea cancellata Conrad, 

Strombus pugilis Linnaeus, Dosinia ·discus Reeve, 

Tellidora cristata Recluz, and Tellina alternata Say. 

The fauna of Simmons Bluff indicates warmer water 

than that of the Pleistocene fauna in collection 10892, 

as might be expected from its more southern position. 
U . S. GE01.0GICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 150 PLATE 24 

A . CONTACT OF OYSTElt BED AND UNDEHLYING CLAY 

BED, INDICATED BY !lEAD OF HAMMEll 

B. VIEW OF EASTEltN END OF BL UFF 

Sag in oyster bed at place indicated by man st.anding near bluff 

WAILES BLUFF, ST. MARYS COUNTY, MD. 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 150 PLATE 25 

A, FOSSILIFEROUS PLEISTOCENE CLAY OVEHLAIN 

BY CROSS-BEDDED SAND AND GRAVEL 

B. CONTACT OF MIOCENE WITH OVERLYING PLEISTOCENE 

C. UNDULATING UPPERMOST PLEISTOCENE CLAY BED 

Indicated by .. a " 

Indicated by head of hammer 

LANGLEYS BLUFF, ST. MARYS COUNTY, MD. 
INDEX 

A Page 

Acanthoscaphltes Nowak, reasons for proposing the genus ________________ 23-24,26 

Acknowledgments for aid ___ • ______________ . ___ ._._. ___ ._._. ________ ._______ 129 

Anascaphltes Hyatt, reasons for proposing the genus ________________________ 22,26 Ancylocerns D'Orblgny _ _ _ _____ __ __ __ __ _______ __ __ __ _ ____ _____ ______________ 3 

doublllel Orossouvre_ _ __________________________________________________ 3 

Jenneyl Whitfield _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ __ __ _______ __ ______________ ______ _____ _______ 3 

tricostatum Whitfield _ __ __ ___________ __ _____ __ __________________________ 3 

Ancyloccras? uncum Meek and Hayden_____________________________________ 3 

B 

BacuUtes Lamarck_ •••••••• _ ••• _ •••••••• _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3 

ancops var. obtusus Meek_______________________________________________ 4 aqullaensis Ueesido ______ ._____ _____ _____ __ _ ______ _ __ __ _________ ______ ___ 4 

aspor Morton __________ • ___________________________________________ 4, PIs. 1,2 

codyonsls Ueesldo, n. sp ______________________________________________ 4, PI. 2 

sp ___ • __ • ___ • _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ 4 

Bass trail, Ariz., section of Kaibab limestone at. _ _________________________ 46-52 

Bassler, Harvey, with Ueeslde, J. B., Jr., sections measured by, in Utah and Arlzona __ • ______________________________________________________ 52-54 

Benners, IJucas, fossils collected on plantation or. _____ ._____________________ 133 

Binney, Bdwln, Jr., collection made by ________________________ ~ ____________ _ Blnneyltes Ueeslde, n. gen ______ ._. ___ ._____________________________________ 4-5 

parkensls Ueeside, n. sp _________ • _____________________________________ 5, PI. 3 

Black Box Canyon, Utah, sections in and ncar ______________________________ 96-97 

Black Dragon Canyon, Utah, section on ___________________________ ~ ______ 105-106 

Broad '1'op coalfield, Pa., Pocono fauna in ________________________________ 111-127 

Bryan, Kirk, section ncar Lees Ferry, Ariz., measured by ___________________ 59 

Buckhorn I"lat, Utah, views on or near __ .___________________________________ 74 

Buckhorn Wash, Utah, section at mouth ot. ________________________________ 94-95 

view from mouth or. _____ • ____________ ~_________________________________ 74 

C 

Camarotoechla afl. C. contracta (Hall)_._: ____ •• ___________________ 117-118, PI. 23 elegantula _____________ • __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 118 

purduel var. agrestris __________ .________________ _ ___ ____ __ __ __ ___ _ __ _____ 118 

Cane Wash, Utah, sectlonin ________________________________________________ 95-96 

Cardlnla concelltrlca WinchelL _____ . ________________ .. ______________________ 120 

Oanllel formation, ago and correlation or. ___________________________________ 74-76 

conditions of deposition of, in the San Rafaei Swell, Utah________________ 74 nature and distribution or. ________________________________________ . _____ 73-74 

plate showlng ____ ~____ ____ ____ __ _____ _____ ________ _ __ _ _ __ ____ ______ _____ 74 

Oedar Mountain, Utah, section on __________________________________________ 97-99 

Ohlnle fornllltion, channel in, filled with sandstone, plate showing___________ 74 

nature and occurrence of, in the San Uafael Swcll, Utah _________________ 67-68 

Ohonetes acutilirntus Oirty __________________ • __________________________ 117, PI. 23 

illinoisensls.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ 117 

loganL _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ 117 

nliehiganensls_ ______________ __ ____ __ __ _ _ _ __ __ ___ __ _ _ _ __ __ ____ __ __ _______ 117 

Olrcle ClilTs, Utah, section of Kaibab limestone in___________________________ 60 

Coconino sandstone, nnturo and occurrcnce of, in the San Rafael Swell, Utah. 63 

Oody shale of Oregon Basin, Wyo., cephalopods from_______________________ 1-2 Conrad, '1'. A., cited. __ ••• _. __________________________________________ 129-130,133 

'Oordillerltes ____ •••• _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ 5 

-Cottonwood Springs Draw, Utah, sectionln _____________________________ ' __ 103-105 

-Courthouse mall stntion, Utah, section south of. __________________________ 107-108 view ncar _______ ••• _________ ._____ __ __ __ ____ __ ___ ____________ __ __ __ _ __ __ 74 

'Cranaeua sp_. _______ •••• _______ .____ ________ __ _ __ __ ____ ____ ____ __ __ ___ _ _ _ _ __ 118 

Crontnn, use of tenD_ _ ______________________________________________________ 135 

-Croom, n. D., fossil collectlOus recorded by ______ '___________________________ 133 

-Curtis formation, nature nud distribution of, in the San Rnfflel Swell, Utah __ 78-79 plnte showing_ _ _ _______ _____ __ __ __ __ ___ __ _ __ __ _________ ___ ______________ 74 

-Oyprlcardlnln consimills HalL ____________________________________ 121-122, PI. 23 

D 

Dnkotn (?) sandstone, nnture and distribution of, in the San Rafael Swell, U tab _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ &2 

Dartou, N. n., cited________________________________________________________ 41 

Dc Orossouvro, Albcrt, eited________________________________________________ 22 

Desmoseaphites Ueeside, reasons for proposing the genus ____________________ 25,27 basslerl Heeside _____________________________________________________ ~___ 7 

Disclun newberryi 11alL __________ ._________________________________________ 113 

Dlscoscaphites Meek, rensous for proposing the genus ____________________ 21-22,26 

Dolores Uiver, Utah, section below mouth oL _____________________________ 109-110 

D'Orblgny, Alcide, cited _ ___ ____ ________ _ ________ ____ __ __ __ ____ __ ___________ 21 

,Drunk Man's Point, Utah, section nenr_____________________________________ 88 

view ncar. _. _________________ .__________________ ____ ___ ___ ______________ 20 

E Page 

Entrada fOf1llation, nature and distribution of, in the San Rafael Swell, Utah ____________________________________________________________ 76, 7fl 

plates showing ______________________________________________________ 18,19,20 

Entrada Point, Utah, section at. ___________________________________________ 99-100 

Entrephoceras Hyatt. ________________________________________________ • _ _____ 2 

alcesense Reeside_ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ __ __ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ __ __ ___ __ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ ___ _ __ __ 2 

dekayi (Morton) Meek___ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ ____ _____ __ ___ ___ ___ _ ______ _ _ _ 2 

sp ______________ • _________________ -7 ___________________________________ 2, PI. 1 

F Fliekia Pervinquicre ______________________________ • __ .______________________ 5 

Frech, Fritz, cited ________________________________ ._ .___________________ _____ 24 

G 

Gilmore, C. W., fossils determined by_______________________________________ 81 

Girty, George H., fossils determined by _____________________________________ 64,66 

Glen Canyon group, divisions oL ___________________________________________ 68-69 

Glossites amygdalinus__ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ __ _____ _____ _ ___ ___ _ ______ 122 

depressa___ _ __ __ __ _ _ __ __ _______ ___ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ ___ ___ _ ___ __ __ _ __ 122 

lingualis____ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ __ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ __ __ __ _ __ __ _ __ ___ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 122 

Glossites ? sp ___________________________________________________________ 122, PI. 23 

Gregory, H. E., with Noble, L. F., section in Jumpup Canyon, Ariz., meas- ured by _________________________________________________________ 54-59 

H 

Hamites Parkinson ____________________________________________________ ._____ 3 

Helicoceras D'Orbigny __ _ _ _ ____ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ __ __ __ __ _ __ ___ _ _____ _ _ __ _____ 3 

Hermit shale, contacts of, with Kaibab limestone and Supai formation, plates showing_ _ _______________ _________________________________ 46 

Heterotissotia Peron____ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5 

Holcoseaphites Nowak, reasons for proposing the genus ___________________ 23-24,26 

Hoploscaphites Nowak, reasons for proposing the genus _______________ 23-24,26-27 

Horn Silver Gulch, Utah, cliff at mouth of, plate showing ___________________ 74 sections near ____________________________________________________________ 91-93 

Hyatt, Alpheus, cited ___ ____ _ __ __ _ _____ _ _ _ _ __ __ ________ ______ ____________ ___ 22 

J 

Jahnites Hyatt, reasons for proposing the genus _____________________________ 22,26 

Jumpup Canyon, Ariz., section of Kaibab limestone in ______________________ 54-59 

K 

Kaibab Creek, Utah, canyon of, plates showing_____________________________ 46 

Kaibab Gulch, Utah, plates showing________________________________________ 46 

Kaibab limestone, absence of, at Zahns Camp, Utah ... _______________________ 60 

columnar section of, in Kaibab Gulch, Utah, plate showing______________ 46 

contact of, with Hermit shale, plate showing_____________________________ 46 

with Moenkopi formation, plate showing____________________________ 46 exposures of _____________________________________________________________ 41-42 

nature and occurrence of, in the San Rafael Swell, Utah _____ : ___________ 63-64 

section of, at Bass trail, Ariz _____________________________________________ 46-52 

in Jumpup Canyon, Ariz ____________________________________________ 54-59 

in Kaibab Gulch, Utah ___________________________________________ 42-46 

in the Circle Cliffs, Utah____________________________________________ 60 

near Lees Ferry, Ariz________________________________________________ 59 

. Kellogg, J. L., cited_________________________________________________________ 132 

L 

Langleys Bluff, Md., analysis of fauna oL___________________________________ 132 collecting of fossils from___ ______________________________________________ 129 

comparison of, with other loculities ____________________________________ 132-133 

faunal list from____________ _________________________ __________ ___ _ ______ _ 131 

geologic range of fossils from ___________________________________________ 138-140 

plate showing _ _ ______________________________________________ __ __ _ ______ 140 

. stratigraphic section of. _ _ ____________________________ ___ ___ __ __ _________ 131 

Leda aff. L. spatula Herrick ____________________________________________ 121, PI. 23 

pandoriformis _ __ _ ____ __ __ __ ____ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ 121 

saccata __ _ __ ____ __ ____ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 121 

similis__ __ _ _ __ __ __ __ _ ___ __ __ _ _______ __ __ __ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 121 

Lees Ferry, Ariz., section of Kaibab limestone near._________________________ 59 

Lingulidiscina newberryi (Hall) ? __________________________________ 113-115, PI. 22 

Loxonema sp ________ • __ __ ____ __ __ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ __ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ __ ___ 123 

M 

Mancos shale, occurrence of, in the San Rafael Swell, Utah__________________ 82 

Mann, Albert, fossils determined by_________________________________________ 137 Meek, F. B., cited ________________________________________________________ 6,7-8,9 

~1iller, B. L., cited__________________________________________________________ 134 

141 
142 INDEX 

Page 

Moenkopi formation, nature and occurrence of, in the San Rafael Swell, lJtah ____________________________________________________________ 6H6 

Moore, R. C., section in the Circle Cliffs, Utah, measured by _ _ _____________ 60 

Morrison formation, nature and deposition of, in the San Rafael Swell, Utah_ 81-82 

plates showing_ _ __ ___ ____________ __ ______________ _____________ __________ 74 

Mortoniceras Meek_ _ ____________________________ __ _________________________ 9 

bourgeoisi (D'Orbigny)_______________ ____________ __ __ _______ __ __________ 9 

var. americana Lasswitz_____________________________________________ 10 

shoshonense Meek _______________________________________________ 9-10, PIs. 6-8 

var. crassum Reeside, n. var ______________________________________ 10, Plo 8 

Muddy River, Utah, section on ______________________ ~ ______________________ 85-87 

view on_ _ __________________ _____ ________ _______ ____________________ ___ __ '74 

N 

Navajo sandstone, age and correlation oL __________________________ ~ ________ 72-73 

, nature and occurrence of, in the San Rafael Swell, Utah_________________ 72 

plate spowing ______ ~ _____________________ " _________________________ .___ __ 74 

Neuse Rivcr, N. Co, collecting of fossils near _________________ ________________ 129 

early study of fossils froID ______________________________________________ 133-134 

fossil localities on ___________________ ._ ___ __ _____ ___ __ __ _____ ____ ___ __ ____ 135 

geologic range of species from _______________________________ ------- 135,138-140 

Pliocene and Pleistocene deposits on ___________________________________ 135-136 

physical and climatic conditions during deposition ot. _________ 136-137,138 

stratigraphic sections on ________ ~ ______ . _______________________________ 134-135 

three localities on, distribution of Recent species from ____ '_______________ 137 

Nowak, Jan, cited ________________________________________________________ 23-24,25 

Nucula aff. N. hough toni Stevens _________________________________________ 119-120 

iowensis White and Whitfield _________________________________________ 119-120 

sectoralis Winchell ____________________________________________________ 119-120 

stella WinchelL ________________________________________ - _____________ 119-120 

Nuculana (Leda) spatula Herrick___________________________________________ 121 

o 

Oehlertella pleurites Meek_ _______________________________________________ __ 114 

Orbiculoidea newberryi (Hall) ______ __ ______ __________ __ _______ _______ ______ _ 113 

Oregon Basin, Wyo., cephalopods from _______________________ .______________ ]-2 

Orthoceras sp_ _ ___ ____ ___ _ _____ ___ ___ ___ ____________________________ __ ___ ___ 123 

P 

Palaeoneilo concentrica (Winchell) _ _______________________________ 120-121, PI. 23 curta ______________________ .____ _ ___ _ _ ______ _ _ _ ___ ___ __ _ _____ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ 121 

elliptica_ ___ ______ __ ___ __ __ ___ _ _ _ _____ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ __ ___ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ __ 121 

emarginata _____ ,_ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ ___ __ _ _____ _ _ _ ___ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 120 

marshallensis ______________________ ... _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 121 

parallela________ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ 121 

sulcatina_ _________ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 121 

truncata____ _____ ___ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ]21 

Phlycticrioceras Spath_ _ ___ _ _ _ __ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ __ _ ___ _ _ __ __ _ __ 2-3 

oregonense Reeside, n. sp ______________________________________________ 3, PI. 1 

Placenticeras Meek_____ _____ _ _ _ _ __ ___ _ __ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ __ ___ __ __ ___ ____ _ _ __ __ __ 8 

meeki Boehm _ _ __ __ _____ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ ___ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ ___ __ _ _ __ _ ___ _ _ _ _ ____ 9 

placenta (De Kay) ______________ ~_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ ___ 9 

placenta? Stanton __ ______ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ ___ __ 8 

planum Hyatt. ___________ ·_______________________________________________ 8' 

pseudoplacenta Hyatt. ______________________________________________ 8-9, PI. 2 

var. occidentale Hyatt____ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ ___ __ _ 9 

stantoni Hyatt ____________________ -_______ -_ -_~ _________ ---_ -_ -_ _ ___ __ _ _ 8 

syrtale (Morton) ------------------------------------------------------~ - 9 

Pleurotomaria aff. P. hickmanensis WincheIL _____________________ ,122-123, PI. 23 

carbonaria _____________________________________ ._ ____ __________ ____ ______ 123 

huronensis ________________________ -___ -_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ 123 

mississippiensis________ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ __ ___ ___ __ _ _ _ ___ 123 

textiligera _ _ _ ___ __ _ __ _ _ __ ______ ___ ___ _ ___ __ __ _ __ _ __ _________ ___ ___ __ _ _ ___ 123 

Pocono formation, nature and fauna of. ___________________________________ 111-112 

register of localities ____ ______ __ __ _ ______ _____ _______ _________________ ____ 123 

R 

Red Canyon, Utah, section at mouth ot. ___________________________________ _ view from mouth of ____________________________________________________ _ 

Red Ledge, near Buckhorn Flat, Utah, plate showing ______________________ _ 

Reeside, J. B., jr., and Bassler, Harvey, sections measured by, in Utah and 

96 

74 

74 

Arizona _________________________________________________________ 52-54 

Reticularia subrotundata____ __ ____ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ 119 

Rhipidomella burlingtonensis _. ____________________________________________ 115-116 

huntingdonensis Girty, n. sp ______________________ , ___________ . 115-116,Pl. 22 

oweni _____________________________ -_ ---_ -_ - _ -_____________ - _______ : ____ _ 

penelope __________________________ ---------------_ -______ ----_ - __ -_____ _ 

pennsyivanica _________ --- _ -- ______ ----------------- __ ------------- __ ---- pulchella ________ . __________________ ---_ -_ - ______________ ---------- ____ _ 

Rhynchonella (Stenocisma) contracts ______________________________________ _ 

S 

115 

116 

115 

116 

117 

Saddle Horse Csnyon, Utah, section in ______________________________________ 88-91 

Saleratus Wash, Utah, section on _________________________________________ 100-101 

Page Salt Valley, Utah, section in _______________________________________________ 108-109 

San Rafael group, divisions ot. ___________________________ '___________________ 73 

San Rafael River, Utah, section near mouthoL ___________________________ 106-107 

view near head of Black Box oC_________________________________________ ,74 

view 2 miles south of mouth or._________________________________________ 74 

San Rafael Swell, Utah, correlations of formations of, by different geologists __ 76,77 location and studies oL _________________________________________________ 61-62 

pre-Triassic unconformity in ____________________________________________ 64-65 

sections in ______________________________________________________________ 82-110 

sedimentary rocks of. - __________________________________________________ 62-82 

topography of _ - ______________ ,______________ __ _ ____ _______ _ ___ ____________ 62 

Sanguinolites concentrica WincheIL_______ __ _ _ _____ _____ ___ _ _______ _ ______ __ 120 

marshallensis___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 121 

Sargent, C. S., cited________ _ ____ _ _ ____ ____ __ ___ _ __ _ _ __ ____ ____ ____ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ 137 

Sawtooth Butte, Utah, section on ___________________________________________ 93-94 

Scaphiocrinus kirkianus Girty, D. sp ______________________ ~ _________ 112-113, PI. 22 

Scapbites Parkinson __ - _ __ ____ __ _ ___ _ _ __ ________ _ _ _ ___ ____ ___ _______ ___ _____ 5-6 

ScapbUes, assignments of species of, 'to generic groups________________________ 27 

catalogue of specific names or. ___________________________________________ 27-36 

distribution of, according to J. Nowak___________________________________ 25 

species of, arranged by chronologic divisions, status oL _________________ 26-27 

taxonomic history oL ________________________________________________ " __ 21-25 

ventricosus Meek and Hayden ___________________________________ 6-7, PIs. 3,4 

var. depressus Reeside, n. var. _______ " ___________________ ~-------- 7, PI. 5 

var. interjectus Reeside, D. var. _______________________ ~" __________ 7, PI. 5 

var. oregonensis Reeside, D. vaL __________________________________ 7, PI. 6 

var. stantoni Reeside, n. var _____________ : ______________________ 7, PIs. 3,4 

vermiformis Meek and Hayden ______ ~ ______ ~ _______________________ 7-8, PI. 6 

var. binneyi Reeside, n. vaL ______________________________________ 8, PI. 6 

Schucbertella chemungensis Conrad ________________________________ 116-117, PI. 22 

desiderata _____________________________________________ " ______ " _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 116 

fernglenensis_ _ _ _ ____ ____ _ _____ _ __ ______ _________ __ ___ __ ___ ___ ___ _ __ ___ __ 116 

ruber ___ __ ____ ___ __ _ _ ___ _ _____ ____ _ __ _ _ _ ___ _ __ ______ __ _______ _ __ _ _ _____ __ 116 

Sbattuck, G. B., cited _______________________________________________________ ' 132 

Sbinarump conglomerate, nature and occurrence of, in the San Rafael Swcll, Utah ____________________________________________________________ 66-67 

Sinbad, Utah, sections in __________________________________________ ~ _________ 84-85 

Smith, J. P., cited _________________________________ ~ ___ "_____________________ 24 

Spathella ventricosa _________________________________________ • _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ 122 

Spirifer compositus Girty, D. Sp _____________________________ ' _______ 118-119, PI. 23 

Spirorbis sp_ ____ _______ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ __ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ ___ _ _ _ _ _ ______ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ __ __ 113 

Starvation Creek, Utah, section near ________________________________________ 82-84 

Stenopora? sp_ ____ _____ _ ___ ___ _____________ ____ __ _ _______________ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ 113 

Straight Wasb, Utah, section near _________________________________________ 105-106 

Summerville formation, nature and distribution of, in the SaD Rafael Swell, Utah _________________________ ~ __________________________________ 79-80 

plates showing __________________________________________________________ ' 74 

Summerville Point, Utab, section at. ________ ~_______________________________ 100 

T 

Todilto (?) formation, age and correlation ot. ________________________________ 71-72 

Dature and occurrence of, in tbe San Rafael Swell, Utah _________________ 7D-71 

typical outcrop of, plate showing________________________________________ 74 

u 

Utah, southeastern, generalized columnar sections of Jurassic rocks oL______ 74 

w 

Wailes Bluff, Md., analysis of fauna or. ___________________________________ 131-132 

collecting of fossils from_ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ ______ _ __ __ ___ ___ __ _ _ 129 

comparison of, with otber localities ____________________________________ 132-133 

early stUdies ot. _____________ __________________________________________ 129-130 

faunal list from __ --------- __________________________ ' __________________ • 13D-131 

geologic range of fossils from ___________________________________ ~ _______ 138-140 

plate sbowing_ _ _ ___ ___ ___________ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ ___ _ ______ _ _ __ _ _____ ___ __ _ 140 

stratigrapbic section or. _________________________________________________ 130 

Willow Springs Wash, Utah, section south oL _________________ ,_____________ 88 

Wingate sandstone, age and correlation ot. ___________________________ -_______ 70 

conditions of deposition ot. ______________________________________________ 69-70 

nature and occurrence of, in the San Rafael Swell, Utab ________________ ~ 69 

resting on Cbinle formation, plate sbowing______________________________ 74 

Woodside anticline, Utah, butte near crest of, plate sbowing_________________ 74 

exposure on, plate sbowing______________________________________________ 74 

section on _____________________________________________________________ 101-103 

y 

'Yabe, Hisakatsu, cited_____ ____ ____ __ __ _ __ _ _ _ ____________________________ _ _ _ 23 

Yezoites Yabe, reasons for proposing the genus ______________________________ 23,26 

Yonges Island, S. C., geologic range of fossils from _________________________ 138-140 

z 

Zahns Camp, Utah, Kaibab limestone absent at ___________________________ _ 60 

o