Lincoln County, Wyoming
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ' GEORGE OTIS SMITH, DIRECTOR BULLETIN 543 GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY OF A PORTION OF LINCOLN COUNTY, WYOMING BY ALFRED REGINALD SCHULTZ WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1914 CONTENTS. Page. Introduction.............................................................. 7 Location and area..................................................... 7 Field work........................................................... 7 Base map............................................................ 8 ' Acknowledgments.... v............................................... 10 Geographic and geologic explorations...*..................................... 11 Hayden Survey (1868-1878)............................................ 11 Present period (1881-1906).................:........................... 12 Geography................................................,.............. 13 Geographic positions.................................................. 13 Topogi-aphy........................................................... 14 Relief.............................................................. 14 Drainage............................................................ 18 Altitudes............................................................. 19 Railroad and stage routes.............................................. 19 Geographic names..............-..................'..................... 21 Climate.............................................................. 23 A.rable land.......................................................... 24 Vegetation........................................................... 25 Geology................................................................... 27 Stratigraphy.......................................................... 27 Sequence of the rocks.......'..............,........................ 27 Pre-Carboniferous rocks............................................. 31 Carboniferous system.............................................. 37 Undifferentiated Mississippian and Pennsylvanian limestones.... 37 Weber quartzite (Pennsylvanian).............................. 42 Park City formation (Pennsylvanian and Permian ?)............. 43 Triassic system (Lower Triassic series)............................... 45 Con-elation.................................................... 45 Woodside formation........................................... 46 Thaynes limestone............................................ 46 Ankareh shale................................................. 49 Jurassic or Triassic system......................................... 49 Nugget sandstone.............................................. 49 Jurassic system................................................... 49 Twin Creek limestone......................................... 49 Beckwith formation............................................ 52 Cretaceous system (Upper Cretaceous series)........................ 54 Bear River formation.......................................... 54 Aspen formation............................................... 59 Frontier formation. ........................................... 60 Hilliard formation............................................ 63 Adaville formation............................................. 65 Cretaceous or Tertiary system.. ..................................... 68 Evanston formation,-.......................................... 68 3 "* 4 CONTENTS. Geology Continued. Stratigraphy Continued. Page. Tertiary system (Eocene series)..................................... 71 Wasatch group................................................ 71 Almy formation.. ......^................................... 71 Knight formation......................................... 72 Green River formation.................. °....................... 74 Quaternary system................................................. 76 Structure.............................................................. 77 Principal features ................................................. 77 Gros Ventre anticlinorium........................................... 78 Labarge anticline.................................................. 79 Cliff Creek eyncline ............................................... 80 Hoback anticline.................................................. 80 McDougal syncline................................................. 83 Darby fault........................................................ 84 Thompson fault................................................... 85 Wyoming .anticline................................................. 85 Lazeart-Greys River syncline...................................... 87 Absaroka fault..................................................... 87 Salt River anticline................................................ 87 Fossil syncline..................................................... 89 Economic geology.......................................................... 90 Coal............................:.....,.............................. 90 General conditions................................................ 90 Carboniferous beds................................................. 91 Bear River formation.............................................. 91 Frontier formation. ................. r............................. 92 Occurrence of the coal......................................... 92 Lazeart-Greys River syncline....:............................. 93 McDougal syncline.................\..............^ ............ 94 Hoback anticline.............................................. 96 Adaville formation................................................. 96 Kemmerer coal field .......................................... 96 Labarge Ridge coal field .......... i............................ 97 Evanston formation................................................ 99 Sections of the coal............................................... 99 Quality and classification of the coals................................ 106 Mining development............................................... 114 on........................ -.....:..................................... 115 Historical sketch.....................................<......... v ...... 115 Occurrence and source............................................. 117 Labarge Ridge................................................ 117 Absaroka and Salt River ranges................................ 117 ' Uinta County .................................................. 118 Quality of the oil.................................................. 120 Gold................................................................. 121 Gold in the rocks........!... 1..................................... 121 Placer deposits................................................... 122 Occurrence and character...................................... 122 Bailey Creek mining camp.................................... 124 Pine Bar mining camp .... ..^................................. 127 Platinum in auriferous gravels of Snake River................... 128 -', Source of vgold.......,,.,.,., T .,,,,. 11 .,,,, ,.,,,..,,.,... 129 CONTENTS. 5 Economic geology Continued. ' Page. Iron................................................................. 129 Copper................................................................. 130 Phosphate............................................................. 131 Geologic position of the phosphate rock ............................ 131 Prospecting....................................................... 132 Local occurrences.....................:............................ 133° Underground water. ............................................... s... 134 Building stone........................................................ 135 Clay................................................................. 135 Salt.................................................................. 135 Index.................................................................... 137 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. PLATE I. Topographic and geologic map of a portion of Lincoln County, Wyo..................................................... In pocket. II. A, Thick growth of pine, fir, and balsam in T. 28 N., R. 116 W.; B, NorthandwestslopesofhillsonFallRiver,inT.38N.,R. 115W. 26 III. Sections on lines A-A', B-B', C-G'', etc., Plate I.............. In pocket. IV. A, Light-colored conglomerate of the Almy formation in Jackson Hole north of Fall River and east of Snake River; B, Sharp fold in the Jurassic beds on Fall River near head of canyon, T. 38 N., R. 114 W.......................................................... 72 V. A, Conglomerate resting on Jurassic rocks west of Lookout Peak, in T. 35 N., R. 115 W.; B, Red conglomerate beds, between Labarge Ridge and Meridian Ridge, T. 27 N., R. 114 W................... 73 VI. South slope of Gros Ventre Mountains............................. 78 VII. A, Fault contact near south end of Mount McDougal,con headwaters of Sheep Creek; B, Fault contact east of Lander Mountain........ 84 VIII. Double anticlinal fold in shales of Twin Creek limestone............ 86 I.. A, Virginia Peak, on Greys River; B, Mount Darby............... 87 X. Frontier coal mine, Frontier, Wyo................................. 114 XI. A, Pebble of hematite; B, Iron-bearing conglomerates.............. 130 FIGURE 1. Sketch map showing the occurrence of pre-Carboniferous rocks in their relation to the surrounding beds in the vicinity of Labarge Mountain...................................................... 33 2. Sections across Labarge