Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1858-09-15
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Outline Of Texas Geology.
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isary insiitsts.

NAV insuttN,
The Watershed Of Texas is Of such form
that all her streams converge towards CON.
mon centre, in the Mexican Gull. The dip Of
her Geological formations is inferred. from this
harmony OF surface slope. TO conform. in gen.
eral, to the Watershed. So, the margin Of
the Gulf has a curve, TO whieh.ihe marginal
ourerops OF these formations are approximate.
" parallel. the main streams lying nearly as
radii 10 these curves.
The entire seaboard OF Texas is composed
Of what Geologists call "SHSGLE." This i'm.
plies, "repnsals from the sea-" or, "contribu.
lions to the land" made by the waves at the
sea shore, and by the recession Of the waters.
Ii would appear that our coast is all in the pro.
cess Of emergence, by gradual elevation,
while the entire slluvion Of the Mississippi
Deio is sinking. The Gulf eoas, beyond the
Della, however, is like the Texas coast, emerg.
ing-at least, is gaining "Shingle" at the
Beach.
DLUviUa.-NeSt to the Shngle, the Diluv.
al, or drift.beds. occupy the gentler slores,
nearer to the Gulf. Ia these there are no rocks
and near the coast but few pebbles. Interior,
at thirty to sixty miles from the coast, the
gravel beds and heavy angular sands and next
the pebbles make their appearance. Still
further interior, where other formations pre-
vail, these beds overlie all others, in large
portion Of the country, forming all the cele.
brated Red Lands, and all the Drift or Buuld.
er and Pebble Beds not found in The rulleyc OF
streams.
But these Diluvial Beds are very irregularly
distributed, and are generally thin, and, IN
many places, are entirely wanting.
TERTIARY BEbs.-Next beneath the Diluvial
beds (of clay, sand, gravel and pebblss) lie the
beds, known TO Biologists, ms Tertiary. Their
margin is marked, in Texas, generally by the
first hills, or decidedly rolling lnnds; and they
contain the first rocks we find in travelling in.
terror from the Gulf coast.
Examinations have not been sufficiently en-.
tended to mark the subdivisions Of this forma.
ton into its four well marked periods or ages
- namely, Eocene. Miocene, Pleocene and
Recent; but probably the first and last Of these
will be found, II not the two intermediate.
The curve Of ou,crop of the Tertiary beds
next the Gulf, as examined by tho writer,
would pass through the following ponsi Com.
mencing on the Alabama river, short distance
from Fort Stoddard on right line to Monti.
cello, on Pearl River; Grand Gulf dnd Vicks.
burg, on the Mississippi; Prairie De Cote, be.
low Columbia on the Ouachita: Mouth Of the
Rlgelet de Bon die. Red River; loves Ferry,
on latitude 81 on the Sabine; a few miles
above SmiIifleld, on the Trinity; San Felipe,
on the Brazos, and Columbus, ON the Colorado
River. Beyond this point, southwest, the
writer has not personally examined, but would
trace the basc of the hills next the Gulf, grad
ually nearing the coast down to Corpus Christi,
where the Artesian horines penetrated Terti'
arv beds very near to the surface. The width
of the Tertiary belt will appear from The par.
tial indication we shall give Of the cretaceou,
margin.
The Tertiary belt has varying width in
Mississippi and louisiana of one hundred dfd
twenty one hundred and sixty miles. This
width would be much increased if we carry its
Gulf side limit down to where 1t is last visible
In the beds of streams-to Rodney and Match
ez, lM,ssissirNfni Harrsonburg, and near Alex
andria, Louis ana, &c. -
The first evidence Of its presence will be
found in the creek and river beds and banks,
where the pebbles and ochres of the Drift beds
will be found lying on soft, mperfectly form.
ed sandstone. The surface of that rock marks
the boundary between the Drift and Tertiary.
The belt seems to grow narrower as it is
pursued Westward, and between San Antonio
and the Gulf seems to be less than 6fty miles
IN width.
The Tertiary beds are generally distinguish
ed by the great abundance and variety Of their
marine and gigantic sauroid fossils, their Gyp.
sums, Ochres, Mineral Springs, and their marls.
No metals but iron need to be expected in these
BEDS This invaluable mineral nature seems
to have strewn, with boundless prodigality,
over almost every Geological field. The Lig. l
mites, or imperfectly formed alumnous coalt
almost worthIess,) is also found, in unlimited
abundance, in the older periods Of the Terta. {,
All these abound in various portions of the
Texas Tertiary Belt.
In addition to these, good ard easily )
wrought building material, in the form Of sand !
stone, often cacareous-the lime sometimes
to be found over nearly every .
portion Of the Tertiary field. There is promise
too, of very rich rewards for scientific enquiry I
in Paleontology. For instance, the q
footprints in the calcareous sandstone about
numbers, and OF genera entirely new, have
been discovered, and in part described by the :
writer. They appear Equine, Cervine and ! !
Sepine, each of several species.
CRErAcEoUs BEDs.-Some Geologisis elias. |
sify these as Tertiary, and others as Seconda-
ry. They are certainly older than the former
Of which we have been treating, but contain !,
many minerals and fossils in common with the =
older Tertiary beds; and the distinction be- !
tween the two formations is chiefly Palecato. v
logical.
They appear in Texas very near at its
Northeastern corner, and tending SOUTH
westwardly, they pass beneath the Tertiary
beds about Tyler, Palestine, Leona, Cald;Tell. !
Basirop, Gonzales, and down through Live q
Gal. county. Thence 10 the Rio Grande, no