Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-05-11
Herbert A. Hard, Geologist,
North Dakota Agricultural College

Several different ways have been suE-
gcstcd for expressing the geological d.
! visions of North Dakota. Aside from the
coal lands. the eastern portion Of which
is identical with agricultural lands. and
the western part is In the Bad Lands,
| VIC have no division into mineral ana
non mineral areas. as most state; have.
True, valuable clays arc found i'll almost
| every county Of the state. Again we
have no areas to classify as mountains.
| The Northern Pacific track rises from
an altitude of about $40 feet at Fargo
to $3.50 feet at Beach. though some in.
tervening areas areSshigher. The top
| of Sentinel Butte, so far as known. the
highest point in the state. is al an Gle
walton Of $3.50 feet above sea, $50 feet
above the station Of that name.
In the absence of 5thcr and better
means of division, the state, almost
| wholly agricultural, should he classified
in terms Of its topography and aEricrl-
tural worth, The college state geological
| survey has published two state maps in
colors. one Of which shows in a general
| way the different types of soils in the
Stdlc, III lhc OthSA oio"o s"$ oSSAo
| gical divisions.
The first geological division consists
! of the immediate valley Of the Red River
the floor Of the ancient glacial Lake
| Agassiz, comprising roughly the eastern
row of counties. This with a correspond
| ing area in Minnesota and Canada, is
| noted for its rich black soil and level
| topography. The plain table surface is
| accounted for by the geologist in that
it represents the sorting and levelltng
| action of a large lake or sea OF its floor.
Lake AgassiZ had a vast area, extend
ing 700 miles north a3d south. AS is
the custom in all large bodies Of water,
! gravel and sand were deposited near the
shore. silt and clay alone being carried
in suspension far out, there to be Slowly
deposited in building up, through tho
centuries, the usual ~monOtonously level
floor. this on being drained. produced
our level prairie. Beneath the AXE floor
deposit is clay, gravel and sand mixed in
about the same way as the soil m
rock waste outside Of the valley, both
being the Pleistoccne drift" deposit
left by the glacier. This drift, left by
the ice before the time Of the lake, varies
from a few feet up to $50 feet in depth
about 220 feet at Fargo,
The sanry beach of this lake fringcd
it on all sides and, az at Muskoda,
Whcatland, and Magnolia separated it
from the rolling plains of glacial drift"
This belt constitutes the second geologi-
cal belt, and in area exceeds all others
combined, comprising all but the Red
River Valley and four or five counties
in the southwest corner of the state.
This latter area is known as the drift
less area, and includes Bowman, Het-
finger. Billings. Adams and parts Of
Morton and Stark counties.
Until recently the Missouri river was
considered the southwest boundary Of
the gIaciate~ area. Lately, owing to
the discovery Of more western marks and
materials of the glacier or the different
interpretation Of the thin deposits al
ready seen, the so.called "driftless'
area is dwindling to a small triangular
area in the southwest corner OF the
state. 4. &c.,. s. 5.,4l,,. b. ,..,.. ,.,,
From the Agassiz floor to the Bad
Lands. the vast expanse OF rolling prairie
with its fertility, marvellous when under
| the influence Of abundant rain and sci
| entific, agriculture, consists Of an alter
| alton OF 'moraines' and intervening tin
plains, the hilly ridges being the NOR
ainic deposits Of rock, clay and sand
made by the glacier when it stood at
those particular places. The more level
stretches between ridges are the till, or
ground moraines. largely material shoved
| along under the glacier ana deposited un-
: derneath.