Buchanan County bulletin and guardian., 1867-02-12
First Annual Report of the State Geo,o,.
g.sf.

IowA CRY, Iowa, Jan. >, 1867.
To His Ereel'eaay Wa,. u stone, Gocernor
Of Joaca:
SIR-In accordance with section ofchap
ter 73 Of the laws OF tie Eleventh General
Assembly, | herewith submit my first annu-
al repor; OF the progress Of the Geological
Survey of the State.
Upon your approval of the law referred to,
March 3Oth, 1866, / repaired to the Capital
for the purpose Of being legally qualified,
and then entered Immediately upon the du.
ties Of my office.
appointed Mr.. Chandler Childs, of Du-
buque, as my field assistant and Prot. Gus
tavus Eeinriehs, Of the State University, as
chemist of the survey.
The FIRST work done, was a review Of the
older rocks of The eastern half of the State,
from the Oldest fossilierous formations, to
the subcarboniferous limestones inclusive.
This was accomplished by visiting various
localities il, company with my field assistant,
making measurements and collecting speci.
mems for study and for the State cabinet.
The principal object of this review was
that we might obtain az complete knowl-
edge as possible of the tull series Of the form
atoms of the State, in their regular order
and thus enable US to study with greater pre-
cison the coal-Dearing strata, 10 which it is
proposed TO devote The greater part OF each
seasons labor.
After accomplishing this, it was found nec-
essary TO make some comparative eyamina-
tons OF the coal deposits of the neishboring
States, aud also along the border Of our own
coal fields.
Then. preparing an outfit consisting Of a
pair of horses with covered wagon. tent.
and other necessary articles, we proceeded to
the southwestern part OF the State by way Of
the southern tier Of counties, and subse-
quenty carried on careful examinations over
the three southern tiers, from the Missouri
river to those counties which border ON the
valley Of the Des Moines river, comprising
Decatur, RingyolA, Taylo- Pape. Frer.,a a.st
Mills, Pottawatamie Cas-, Montgomery, a.a-
ans, Adair, Union, Madison, aud parts OF
Clarke, Wayne and Appanoose counties.
1t was considered Of great importance that
We should know the extent Of our coal fields
in that direction, as web as just to the peo-
pie Of the western part of the State, because
the examinations Of the previous survey did
not reach them.
Wishing to accomplish all that was posi-,
bAS III tAt 0SNt+0I va CIT srldle.
early in September last. | sent my assistant
to the counties of Franklin, Wright. Ccrro
Gordo Hancock Worth and Winnebago, for
the purpose OF examining that region for de-
p9sts Of peat. While | continued the exam
inatioAs IN relation 10 tie coal fields.
This fuel will no doub, BE- found in large
quantities in cther parts OF the State, but tor
reasons suggested By the character of the
surface III relation to the streams in that re-
gion, climate, &e., it was though, TO be one
Of the most favorable for present investiea
tions of this kind besides which. it is entire
y beyond the limits OF the coal field. and
within it 10 other mineral fuel may be ex-
pected.
Ny instructions 10 my assistant were, that
he should report TO me at the end of every
week, that might give the results to the peo-
pie through the public press, bat | regret to
say that have received 10 report from him
for more than three months, in consequence
Of which have removed him, and appoint
ed Mr. Orestes ii. St. John, Of Waterloo.
Black Hawk county in his stead. ! contin>
ued my field work until the 10th of Novem.
Der last, al which time the weather became
too inclement to prosecute further TOR tie
present season.
The N re prominent results Of tie feld
work may be briefly stated as follows: That
the formation known among eeologists as
the coal measures, consists in our State Of a
succession OF strata OF sandstone. limestone
sandy, carbonaocous shales, marls ard coal
and is divided into tie upper and lower ser
les. The lower series ony is found along.
eastward and northwari Of the Des Moines
river valley, and consists principally Of shales
and sandstone together with the coal. Very
little limestone is found associated with them.
aad that is always more orless impure. This
series contains nearly all the productive coal
beds, and consequently furnishes nearly al.
the coal now obtained in the State.
The upper series consists principally Of
limestone, with some fine grained sandstone
and marty shales. It is not known to exist
at all northward and eastward Of the Des
MONIES river, but southwark and westward of
that river it reaches maximum develop
ment OF one hundred and seventy FIVE feet in
thickness.
There are at least two carhonaceous hori-
IONS in this series. one OF which embraces
the cnly bed Of coal yet found in the western
part of the State. The other is of limited
extent, usually showing thin seam Of high
=
shale, and entirely worthless. The bed Of
coal referred to finds its greatest develop
ment along the valleys of the Nodaways, in
the counties of Adams, Taylor and Page,
and is there, at most, only twenty inches in
thickness. lis horizon has been recognized
in most of the counties referred TO, bGt the
coal bed is found 10 diminish in thickness to
the eastward, westward and southwark, so
that in these directions little is seen except
a thin band Of earbonaceous matter Of no
economic value, as its representative.
The strata of this series is nearly horizon-
tai in an easterlv and westerly direction, so
that one, in passing fron Madison or Clark
TO Fremont or Pottawattamie counties would
be, in geological language, constantly upon
the line of strike, the dip Of all the strata be-
ing to the southwark, and nearly ceincident
with the fall of the streams.
In all that region Of the southwestern part
of the State comprising the thirteen Or four
teen full counties named, the only accessible
rocks are thaSe of the upper coal measure
series, which, in the deeper valleys Of Madi-
son county at least, found res,ing upon the
upper part OF the lower series, eastward som