Excerpt from Sketches of the Physical Geography and Geology of Nebraska

HE continual demand for some of my papers on the geology of Ne braska, now out of print, suggested the preparation of this volume. It includes in a revised form the most important of my publications on our geology. The greater part of this work, however, is entirely new, and in cludes many facts and observations now for the first time made known. I had intended to give a much fuller treatment of the Loess deposits and pe riod, but the materials have accumulated to such an extent that it was thought best to reserve them for a separate volume. In preparing this work I have always kept in mind the many letters of inquiry continually being re ceived about the State such questions as are most frequently asked of a naturalist about Nebraska. Only a small part of the State has received a de tailed geological examination, and therefore many material points could barely receive mention. In the sketches of our geological history, I have attempted to give an idea of the chain of events that resulted in the present order of things in Nebraska. My conclusions on many points are very dif ferent from others, but I have come to them by a careful study of our geol ogy for fifteen years, with all the means which I could command. Wherever I have used the works of others it is acknowledged in the text. It is possi ble that there are omissions of this kind, as I may not always have remem bered whether myself or another first observed a fact or discovered a princi ple. All such omissions, if any, are unintentional It was intended to ih olude a new geological map of the State in this work, but I have not been able to satisfy myself about the accuracy of some of the boundaries of geo logical formations, and therefore postpone its publication till spring. 0 I am under obligations to Prof. C. D. Wilber for important suggestions; and to many persons over the State, whom I cannot mention in detail, who have provided me with specimens from their localities. I am also under great obligations to the Burlington Missouri River Railroad in Nebraska, to the Union Pacific Railroad, to the Atchison Nebraska Railroad, and to other roads for transportation and other favors. Without the aid thus re ceived, it would have been impossible to make many of the investigations included in this work. Wherever I have gone in the State I have received all possible help from the people in making geological and other natural his tory examinations. Hoping that this work will help others to understand the physical conditions of our State, and stimulate an interest in our natural history, I submit it to the people of Nebraska. Samuel aughey. University OF nerraska, January lst, 1880.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.