Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-02-09
NORTH DAKOTA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Fourth Biennial Report Of Prof Leonard Soon to ISSUE
One Of Greatest Interest and Value
to the State

weeks in southern Billings county
where many thick beds Of ignite were
located, and also worked In Bowman,
Hettinger, Dunn, Mckenzie and viii
liams counties. Many samples were
collected and sent to the coal-testing
plant of the United States geological
survey at st. Louis for analysis. Later
in the season we followed up the Vel
lowstone river from its mouth as far
as Miles City. locating many Ignite
beds which are exposed along the
river
| While my party was working on
the Ignite deposits a second party in
the employ of the state geological sur
vey and in charge OF Mr.. g. H. Clapp,
a graduate of the Massachusetts In
stitute of technology, was making a
careful and detailed study of the clays,
particularly in the region Of which
Dickinson is the center and where,
perhaps, the highest grade clays of
the state are found. Good brick clays
and materials suitable for other prod
ucts are not, however, confined to this
district, but have a wide distribution
over North Dakota. The white, high
grade clays were found to cover a
large area, extending north across the
little Missouri to the Indian Reserva-
ton, east few miles beyond Hebron,
south nearly to the North Fork Of the
Cannon Ball River, and west to the di-
i vide separating the streams flowing
east into the Missouri from those flow
ing west into the Little Missouri.
The clays lie at an elevation of from
$50 to 1900 feet above sea level and
are confined to the tops of the higher
ridges and divides of the region, hav-
ing been eroded elsewhere. They
have a maximum thickness of about
$50 feet and cover an area of nearly
1000 square miles. These white clays
overlie the ignite-bearing beds, all
the coal of the region occurring at a
lower horizon, and are doubtless con-
siderably younger than the strata con-
tanning the Ignite 3.
Several hundred samples of clay
were collected in the field and during
the year were carefully examined and
tested in the laboratory by Mr.. Clapp.
Analysis were also made Of many Of
! the clays by Professor Babcock and
/ his assistant, Miss Bisbee..''
During the past summer Mr.. Clamp
A visited all of the clay plants of the
state in order to secure full informa-
A ton concerning them, including the
methods employed in manufacturing
their various products. y. Additional
clay samples were obtained for an
! alysis and testing, together with speci-
mems of brick and tile The latter
have been tested to determine their
strength and durability 5 .s.,
"The state geologist spent several
weeks during June and July of this
year in a careful study Of the geology
of the Pembina mountain region. This
area is of great interest both on ac-
count of its valuable clays and ce-
ments and because here are exposed,
along the deep valleys Of the Pembina,
4 Little Pembina, Tongue and other
4 rivers. geological formations which
appear at the surface nowhere else in
the state. The character, relation
ships, thickness and distribution Of
these were determined and much in
formation gathered concerning them. 2
Late in July, Dr. Leonard went to
Dickinson and agan took charge of a
United States geological survey party
which continued the study Of the lig-
mite area of North Dakota, Montana
and Wyoming. The greater portion of
4 August and September and part of DC.
q tober was spent in field work III east.
ern Montana, in the little known and
thinly settled region between the Mis-
{! souri, and Yellowstone rivers. The re.
q suits of the work of the past season
. in Montana throw new light on sew
eral difficult problems in the geology
of North Dakota and illustrate the
value Of the opportunity Afforded the
& state geologist to extend his field in.
vestigations beyond the limits Of his
i own state. The age OF the ignite
4 bearing beds of North Dakota has
4 long been disputed question among
biologists and it is of the greatest inn
portance that the age and relation
4 ships Of the formations be determined
4. But they can best be studied In east
ern Montana where their relation ia
formations Of known age is well
u shown and where they yield abundant
Z. fossils. While engaged in work FOL
!. the United States geological survey
4 the past two seasons much material
3 was gathered on the Ignite area as q
whole and the North Dakota deposits
~ WARE, ff,ny,,