Summer Geological Surveys.

At the Geological Conference in the University Museum last evening, different members of the Faculty spoke upon their geological investigations during the summer. Without attempting to enter fully into their investigations, they told the ground they had covered and the objects of their study.

Professor Shaler, the chairman of the conference and the first speaker, told of his experiences in Alaska, in the region of the Fjords. After spending some weeks of careful geological study in that country, Professor Shaler returned to the forest region of the northwestern portion of the United States and made investigations concerning the history of the forest movement after the glacial period. This work was really one of compilation, as Professor Shaler has been studying this region for about forty years.

Professor Davis and J. W. Goldthwait '02 described the expedition of a party from the University which left Cambridge shortly after Commencement for the plateau north of the Colorado canon in Arizona and Southern Utah. This party was composed of Professor Davis, E. V. Huntington 3G., J. W. Goldthwait '02, and Messrs. G. B. Dorr '74 of Boston and A. Cobb of Newton. For two nights the party camped on the esplanade or platform in Colorado canon about 1500 feet below the plateau and 3500 feet above the river. The members spent most of their time in studying the great dislocation known as the Horricane Fault, and a number of very important facts were determined in regard to it. The most notable of these concerned the two movements by which the 3000 or more feet of dislocations were produced along this great fault line. It was thoroughly demonstrated that after a vertical movement of the rock for about 2000 feet, the irregularity of surface thus produced was almost obliterated through long wearing away by water. Then extensive lava flows were spread over the rock. At a later and relatively recent time movement on the fault line took place again so that the eastern part of these lava flows now stands 1000 feet above the western part, with a formidable cliff separating the two.

In the latter part of the summer the party divided. The first division with Mr. Dorr and Mr. Cobb went farther eastward to the deepest part of the canon, while Professor Davis went to the mountain ranges of the Great Basin in Nevada and Oregon. Mr. Huntington crossed the deserts southward to California, and Mr. Goldthwait joined Professor Shaler in the mountains of Arizona.

Mr. Smythe told of an interesting trip in Alaska. He started from Juneau and travelled to Dawson, and thence up the Youkon river to Cape Nome. The country which he traversed was carefully examined and showed certain evidences of the glacial period.

Professor Woodworth studied during the summer the shore lines found in New York state north of the Adirondacks. He also visited in New York state a gorge similar to that at Niagara which contained some valuable specimens of Potsdam sandstone.

Dr. Jaggar's account of his investigations in Martinique have been reported previously in the CRIMSON.