It is pointed out in this article that in the central Ozark region there are exceptional opportunities to study the relation of buried hills to the resultant structure in superjacent sediments. The first part of the article is a presentation of the actually observed facts, without discussion. In the second part, the writers present their interpretation.

Among the observed facts are the great relief of the pre-Cambrian surface; the thinness and character of the overlapping sediments; the observed dips, in some places as steep as 30°, in the adjacent limestones; the vertical magnitude of the resulting domes, with a maximum of more than 500 feet; the discovery of otherwise unsuspected porphyry knobs from the abnormal elevation of sedimentary contacts; and the remarkable lack of alignment of the dips, which follow a pattern of pre-Cambrian dendritic drainage.

In explanation of these facts, the writers point out that the dips are not the result of intrusion, as the igneous rocks are older than the sediments; that isostasy is not an adequate explanation of such limited areal units; that recurrent vertical uplifts can not explain such local dips with the observed arrangement; that the total lack of alignment precludes lateral crustal deformation; that the influence of compaction is at best wholly inadequate; that there is no evidence of sufficient solution to have produced the observed results; and that finally, when all the known factors are given due consideration, original deposition seems to be the most adequate explanation. The persistence of the "structures" upward is held not to be much greater than twice the height of the buried hill. /P>