Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-03-21
THE GEOLOGY OF IOWA
The Practical Side Of the Work of
Geologist Calvin and As.
sistants.
Survey of the Various Counties
and Their Chief Mineral
Resources.
Particular Attention Paid to Coal
and Iron Deposits Of the
State.
,ial to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, March 2l.-'rne monthly
review Of the weather and crop selN-
ice contains a summary Of the work
done by the Iowa geological survey in
1892 as submitted in the report Of
State Geologist Calvin.
The corps of investigators engaged
upon the work Of the survey during the
past wear has been somewhat larger
than heretofore. In addition 10 the
state gcologist, the assistant state seol-
ogist and the secretary, the force has
Included Dr. $. W. Reysi, l)r j p,
Weens and MIR. Ira Williams. Of The
STATE College AT Ames. Professor w. II
Norton. Of Cornell College, Mount Yer
non: Ipr. T. H. Maefsride OF the TINT
versi,y of Iowa Iowa City; Professor
-. A. l-ddan vi .Augustana College,
Rock Island; Professor Benjamin L..
Mllsr, of Penn. College, oskaiaosa; AIR.
Flank Wilder. u the West Dss Moines
high school; Professor r. f.. Savage of
Western College, Toledo. and MI II X.
Mosnat. OF Belle PLANE IN addition
MIR. Stewart Weller of the University
Of Chicago. has kindly undertaken
SONS specia! tests Mr.. Frank Tate
and Miss Charlotte King have each
spent son,e time in preparing ilustra-
tions for the reports.
During the year the survey has di-
rected its attention chiefly to the work
of mapping The various uns,irveyed
counties and TO the preparation of re-
ports on the physiosraphy geology and
resources Of the areas SO mapped In
all eight counties have been mapped
this season and partial mapping hs 5
beer done In two more. Revision work
was carried on IN three counties which
had been essentially completed during
The preceding season.
From the report the following eN-
tracts are taken.
DUBUQUE COUNTY.
The work in Dubuque county was
undertaken Jointly by the director aud
the assistant state geolosist. ! took ur
the stratigrapllical and general geolog-
zeal problems. while the assistant in
vestiGated the economic phases Of the
subject. Accordingly Mir. BAN has de-
voted much time to the study of the
problems presented in the mining areas
of the county. and praticularlS 10
watching the development of the zinc
mines which. under the stimulus of his
suggestions. are now opening up with
| prospects Of greatly increased success
/ Further details will be found in his adj
ministrative report.
/ CEDAR cot MY.
/ In Cedar county the work begun bs
1 Professor Norton last year was carried
| 70 completion. Cedar county contains
some of the largest and most importanf
! qtlarries in the state. and is the seat o.
an important lime industry. The ston-
Industry OF this county in 1885
/ amounted to sllS.5o2. and Professol
4 Nortons work confirms the fact tina
4 there are large opportunities for eN
! pansion. The clay interests of the re
gion are worthy Of further develop,
ment
HARDIN COUNTY.
1 In Hardin county Dr.. Boyer has de-
voted considerable attention 10 the ella.
Interests. There is a Very wide variety
;of clays to be found in the county ane
1.-The quantity present Is all that could bs
desired. While there are now ssyera
plants in operation the clay Industry
has not been developed to anything like
4 the extent which he character OF tn,
material and the commanding postiof
OF the county should render possible
The stone industry may also be expect
Led 10 develop largely. These and tn
s other mineral resources OF The region
-, 81
on the county NOW IN preparation.
OsGEOI..A AND DIGkI NSON.
In Osceolu and Dickinson countie
i Professor MacBride has extended hi
4 studies which he n4iit.e the year befor
I'm Humboldt county. The 0sceola
4 Hutchinson area is one OF VERY exception
al interest Hers conneote,, With tn
/ DRIFT, are geological problems OF highes
i import. Moraiilic knobs and kam.s an,
6lundrained marshes. get in level ex pause
/ of beautiful prairie land, appear at frs
sight 70 be distributed la2lesslA ove
the region, but the difficulties ~ thei
Il peculiar distribution yield 10 tbs apefli
!. questioning of the trained iryss tigatpr
i ard at length something like erdtr i
seNolNed from the seeming cor fusion
i They have all been developed IN accord
lance With definite laws governing tlp
trans portation and disposition of ma
! terial IL connection with the movement,
Eof glaciers. In this region, too. ar
found the principal lakes Of Iowa
Charming sheets of water surrounded
usually by swelling knobs OF the glacia
4 moraine which in places is forested an,
in places grass-covered to the water
ledge
In the southwest the work left unfin
Eishcd by the death of Mr. Lonsdale ha,
/ been resumed. After some field confer
ences With members of the surve,
corps, and after revising and completin.
the work in DubuqYe, ! began the sur
lvey of Page county. The thickness an,
succession of the strata composing tn,
upper coal measures in southw esterl
Ilowa. and the relations of thes strata t,
i the published sections OF Nebraska an,
/ Missouri on the one hand and to thos,
of Iowa on the other. have long beer
recognized as questions which deseryt
1 thorough investigation. As a result q
| the work in Page county it is shown
THAT. compared whit the basal portion
| of the upper coal measures. Missourial
stage-as developed in Madison count,
| for exanple--the deposits here contai,
/, less limestone and relatively more shall
and shaley sandstone. This means tina
shallow water and marginal deposit
are more abundant, and that the condi
4 tions for the acclln,lia tim and rrosa,