El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-10-22

the cause Of a flowing we'll There are
very few places in the United States
where the G :1ences are so evenly d s.
trihuted showing the indications Of
gas A well would be Il paving propo-
osition in itself with the towns OF Mar
athon and Alpine for consumers. be-
sides cheap fuel for irrigating pur-
poses.
Practically no paleontologic or geo
logic data concerning the sections here
mentioned is here available There
have been several biologists visiting
the field in the interest of corporations,
but their findings have not been made
public. 1t is well to mention that my
findings place this district, or the basin
portion of it, which we find enclosed
by the hills on all sides, as of differ
ent age, or as being older than the
surrounding hills, especially those to
the north or west
Deposits In Mountain.
The small mountain that lies to the
northeast of these sections is older
than any other rock found in the dis
trict, as it belongs to the archaeozoic
era, of the archaean age, and is pure
granite, showing no traces of life.
There have been deposited in the basin
proper light covering of the upper
ed away so that at present there exists
in no place over nine feet of this rock.
Underlying this upper cretaceous, the
lower cretaceouS, known in Texas as
the Comanche series, is missing; thus
showing that what is now the basin
was, during the lower cretaceous
period, high and dry, while the sur
rounding hills were low and the CO.
manche series was there deposited.
The hills that now exist, surrounding
the basin, were not forced up in the
position in which we now find them,
but were forced from the north, rising
and overlapping the underlying forma-
lions, and to a certain extent caused
the breaking of the upper strata of the
basin as we find them today. This
breakage has in some places exposed
the underlying formation of the basin
to depth of 1900 feet exposing the oil
shales and sands that exist.
The first zoo feet of the basin show
signs Of belonging to the carboniferous
era. Near the foothills surrounding the
basin, in places, are found evidence of
the jurassic period, such as the cepha-
lopods, ammonites, hildoceras bifrons,
margaritatum.
The basin proper belongs TO the sub
carboniferous period.
Location and Topography.
The region, or sections referred to
in this report as block ID sections G.
and 81 and sections 43, A, As, 46, So, |
81 and 81, block "a are situated in |
Brewster county, Texas, three and /
one-half miles northwest of Marathon, |
Texas, which is credited with popu- |
lation of 500.
At the point mentioned 31k miles from !
the land extends west four
miles and north four miles, thus form
ing an angle in which two sections are
added to the north of the second sec
ton, and to the west nine sections
compose the land to be covered by this
report, the nine sections representing
5755 acres, as five acres are held IN
Ter separate lease near the center Of
section 43, block 4. The southwest cor
her of section No. s extends to within
/ few rods Of Lenox, a station on the
J. H. & S. A. railroad. The north line
IF section 81 enters the hills forming
he imaginary rim of the basin, which
extends much further to the north, un-
lerlying these hills.
1t is in these hills that the anticline
# the older formations is best studied
t is here that we see where the later
carnations have been laid down on the
Lnticlines of the older formations with
tut showing in any way from their
urface the existence of such anti
lines.
The Marathon Basin.
The nine section here taken contain
much level land, chiefly in small val
eys extending north and south be-
ween hills that have an average ele-
alton of 40 feet above the level land.
Near the foothills the elevation is
625 feet, while to the south side of
he land here described, the average
levation is $500 feet.
The basin represented as the Mara
hon BASIN if taken with it's extensions.
5 a very large territory; taking it, as
is generally spoken of in that dis
riot, it extends to the east of Mara
hon two miles; to the west it extends
0 the hills, about II miles; to the
outh it extend, brokenly, for nine
niles; to the north it extends under the
ills six miles from Marathon Like