OCR Text |
Show I I. I 11 o c c r a r n 11 ~ R 1 o T 11 11 p .1 L nl. .:~ 7 ? L1l L o n g 1 0 h. ~ 0 7 : 2 1:ossil l' r·o rn Co-1 1 b ed P~aLon I Sec Map 18!,5 Ex. Doc. No. 41. 547 Notes conrermng tlte minerals and fo ssils, collated blj Lieufrnant J. JV . .flbeTt, while enrraged in the geograp!tical l'.J:t~minatiou of New Jlfe.rico, by .1. JV. Bailey, professor ~l cltrJnistry, miner:alogy, and geology, at tlte Un-ited k">~tates .Aiilitary .llcademy. Cr taccous fos il · from Poblazou, west of the Rocky mountain. , latitude 35 ) 13', longitude 107 :> 02', strata dipping west. The fossils from l)ohlazon consist of gigantif' hippuritcs," ca. ts from the cell: of several spcci s of ammonit ::;, valv<'~ of inocerim u s , i d e n t i c a I w i t h a s p e · i c. fi g u r c d i n [i' r c m o n t 's r , p o r t, p 1 a t e I V. , fi rr. 2, t casts of s m a II u n iva he s a n d b iva I v ) . too imp e r fcc t fo 1 determination; and teeth of :-·hark . . These fossils prove that the ~trata from ,~,·hich thry "\'ere taken, belong to the crctaeiou · formation. The cxistenc' of "ast bed. of this formati on on the cast ide of thE' Rocky mountains, and extending from the Fppcr Missouri toT' ·as, is w II known. The oc.:currcncc of the . am' formation on the we~tern sid of the prim a r y axis of t h (' H o c k y moun t a ins is quit c i nl l' resting. 'J'hc dip of the rock at Poblazon is to the west, or fro11 the R o c k y m o un t a i n · ; a n d t h is p r o v e s t hat t h (' moun t a i n s h a v · b <'en cl •vated since the d<•posit of the cretaceous heels. It i , th •refore, probable that the creta 'cous beds on both idP · of the Hocky mountains were made b} the same oc ·ail. B'ituminous coal, and coal fvs ·if,·. From tht• Hal on, ca~t of the Roc·k) mountain s, !a itudc 37> 15', longitude 104.0 33', from tht• strata clipping ca~t. T h c fo . s i l s a c corn pan) in g t h <' w I I r h a r act e r i z P d bituminous coal from the Raton, consists chi 'fly of large ovoid lt'ave:, with Ycry distinct branching veins, whirh ron~H·quently must hnv • b(·long •d to decotylcdonous plants of coniparativ(•ly modt•rn origin. I l is an i u t c n• s t i n g fa c t t h a t n o f e r 11. , o r o l h • r o f t he com m o n co a I f o s s i ls we r • f o u n d . I t i s t h u s (' ~ t a b 1 i s h t d b c y o n d a d o u b t , t h a t t h ' d c p o s i t o f e on l a t t h t' H a t o n i . n o t t h c c q u i v a I e n t o f t h e g r e a t « o a 1 f o r mat i o n o f t h c P n i t< d ~ t a l c • , b u t i · o f a n\u e h m o r c r e c e n t dat , pcrhap. carr •. ponding to thl·" Brora' coal. Th • t' ·istencc of coal on the ca~ll'l'n flnnk of the Rocky mountains ha. been noticc<l before, and som haYc ·uppo. •d that it indicated th • western outcrop of the gr •at carboniferou· formation . of of the Wl'. tl'rn ~tate ; this view, ltow •vcr, is not confirmed by the de p o it at t h c Raton, which is d c c i d c d I) a far m or · r e c c n t form ation . • Tho~(' u.ro th l' remarktlilc :-pl' i'lln1 II ., <:Otnjl •h •tl or p.tr tilt• I pl.ltc:; i'OHire d wiLh hcxag-o• nnl rcticul tttwno;. r F'rf.monl \ '-JWt·i m ~ n w~re fou nd l)ll Lhc e h l .,it!·· of th I Roc·ky lll'>lllll li n... . I ttituth• 3il0 I longi tuc.l c 1 OJ ., • = KE |