White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1911-10-29
SLIPS IN
CENTRAL KANSAS
FARMERS OF CENTRAL KANSAS
ARE STARTLED BN CRACKS
II EARTH FIVE FEET N
WIDTH.

Something is going on IN Central
and Southwestern Kansas which is
Of exceeding geological interest. The
earth is cracking open. making great
longitudinal holes IN the fields. When
similar breaks occurred some time
ago IN other localities il was ~pIausib-
y explained that they were caused
BY old mines. But the events occur
ring now are not in a mining country
and some deeper or more remote
cause must be sought. Local geoio-
gists have evolved a theory concern
ing the phenomena which a news
paper writer thus expresses: Either
the Tertiary is slipping down or the
permian is slipping up" In other
words the layers Of strata of earth
are shifting.
The latest case of earth-cracking
Of this kind to be reported is down
in eastern Meade county. Big cracks
some of them as much as five feet
deep. and extending so 10 100 yards
long. have lately formed on farms
near Fowler.
The alfalfa field on the farm of
". A Burford. two miles southwest
OF Fowler. cracked open in several
places. While Mr.. Burford was
moving hay in his alfalfa field. one
Of his mules suddenly dropped into
a crack. which almost swallowed the
mule. which sank down to its body
A few days later other large cracks
opened in the same field, extending
almost 100 yards in a southeastern
ly direction, and of sufficient width
and depth to bury a horse. Mr.. Bur-
ford describes the cracks as being
in each case wider at the bottom
than at the top.
Not only on the Burford farm. but
elsewhere in Meade county. similar
cracks are occurring. all of recent ap-
~pearance. There are several large
ones on the farm of G.. l.. Beach, and
also on the land of II. Breeneman.
The cracking of the earth in
Meade county. following similar
phenomena in southwestern King
man county in northeastern Stafford
county. in southeastern Reno and
elsewhere throughout this section is
causing local scientists to conclude
that all are caused by the same geo.
logical underlying process.
Only a few weeks ago some big
cracks occurred in the eastern edge
Of Reno county near Mount Hope.
which caused much alarm. and which
were big enough to bury men. The
ground burst open with reports that
were heard for considerable dis
lance.
Not long ago a similar occurrence
was reported in southwestern King
man county, the press dispatches for
a few days being full of the account
OF the unusual incident.
The most spectacular earth crack
of all. however. occurred near the
salt marsh in northeastern Stafford
county. This was a literal explosion.
in which a great cavity was burst in
the earth and the shock OF which was
plainly heard in Great Bend and
other nearby towns.
Following this bursting open of the
earth the water of R~attlesnake
Greek near by became extremely oily.
Biologists now figure out that
these sub~terranean outbursts and
breaking open of the earth's crust
are caused by a shifting of the strata
of the earth. And this is borne out
by a curious fact.
Every case where earth-cracking
has lately been reported has been To-
Gated along the edge OF the overlap
ping or %outcropping OF the Tertiary
and Permian formations.
The Tertiary deposit is the mantle
of sand. clay and gravel that over
lies the large part of western Kansas,
a stratum at least $50 feet thick. and
caused by the disintegration of rocks
in the mountainous area to the west.
Joining this deposit on the east
and overlapping 1t is what is known
as the Permian series of rocks in
which are the red beds" exposed In
kingman, Harper and Barber eoun-
ties. and in which are found the salt
deposits underlying this section.