New-York daily tribune., 1856-08-29
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE AD-
VANCEMENT or SCIENCE.
SESSION OF 1850.

From Our Own Reporters
ALBANY, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 1856.
GENERALITIEs OF THE GEOLOGY OF NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA AND OREGON.
Prof NFwBERRY gave general veS OF the geol-
ogy of Oregon aid that part OF Ahorna lying north
OF san FT1ncico. Of the age and structure ot tue
b. Iaoges OF mountains which, he SAID, gave ehar-
ac'tr the TOPOGRAPHY Of the Far West, and OF the
val,y WIN ca lie between th.m These valleys ne
tao were rather plains or plateau than valleys. Ihe
Sacismetto Valley was plain lying between tee
Coast Rage and Sierra Nevada-tor the most pan
destitute OF trtts-hrough which the rivef ran WITH
tituous course, like O brook IN O meadoF. In the
lower part of the Sacramento Valley theie we're no
rocks ocer than tertiary but at the head OF the Al
ey be bad found the csrbonIferous hmes'oae-ceary
n sIked by its characteristic bassi,s, on which were
lying the cretaceous aid tertiary strata, precisely ~
On tie Upper Missouri.
Crossing the volcanic fpur OF the Sierra Nevsda
COM ectbg Noun. Shasta with that great coa'd oil
moubtsips he had descended into the klamath Btsin
wbch he raid formed spIenoage TO tae great $50
of the Salt Lake-was pl1n some whs. cut oy suooi
dnate Isngee Of mountains, wing at considerable
eey ton 81 d containing aIge Dumeer OF lakes, OF
which the klamath were the mot important. Ihs
ba ain was Drained through the canons OF P RIVER the
largest tributary OF The Saca nento, when, IKE the
Klamath River, had forced It's Tsy through the noun
tan ranges which lay between the bss an the sea.
Pi; YER flowing through an III upassabe canon nearly
a hundred miles in lei gh that the amath Ba'ln
nee to a much sr,ater extent covered ~ water
than now that before was So perfectly drained az
now It's waters deposited variety of strat1 sone OF
which were as white a. d fine as chalk, though having
a very different compost ion.
He sal further that the basin plateau Of the Des
Chutes was no' separated by any barrier from that of
the Kemsth Lah es, and exhibited al its peculiar
features stl more strongly marked. The Des Chu'e5
basin was plateau Jns between the C.-csoes and
Blue Mountsins apd with the KLAMATH Hssin belonged,
from its topography, geology, fauna fora and eli
u,ste 10 the gTt at central basin. Like the klamath
basin it was coned with water-Tas lake
drained by the Co un ba, az now but not 80 perfectly
(f,1 ha1 h.An dua'v h.nn
il & s bed. The Des Chutes Lake, as il then was,
bad deposited sediment. to the depth OF 1000
f. ct or more, for the streams which now traverse 1t
have cut cehons in this pa'esu to that depth
Tb, &c tdiments covered by floor OF trap which
bso bee urtd evenly over the whole surace-whl,h
bad not betn subsequently disturbed, aid when
broken open, exhibited co umnar sructure-the COL
,mrs beiIg quite perpendicular and sometimes one
hundred fet in hight Below the trap series
OF strata exhibiting all possible varieties OF volcanic
ufa, some very hne and ehalky Others .rser, and
the different ayers, which we're om two TO ten eet IN
thickness and perfectly parallel were colored WIN all
the hues of the ranbOw-ied, green, yellow, blue,
orar ge, pink, white, &C. and as highly colored az a
geo Ggical chart for lecture Ii lad often hap
peD.d to him ,velIDg over this plateau, to GO ne
sue der ly and WITHOUT warning to the ohnk OF
one Of these cahons two thousand feet deep
al the Bottom Cf which a stream was flo wing
The Cascade MounfaIs, he said were not simple
chain. but broad belt OF mountain peaks, Son-.im-
ffy miles more in Width, many OF the summlts be-
ing covered with perpetual snow, the pa ses being
Q, g,n.ralh about 1000 feet IN hight. He had found
nsiye proofs Of the existence, at former period, of
gac capping the Cascade range, and extending TAR
b, los the present limit of oerpe ual Tne Cas-
cade rsIg ge emnenty vol anc, abouI ding IN era.
trs Iva fields ana coDgeal.d lava streams, all as
feb and ragged though ust poured out from some
volcano; il deed, Mount Hood and Mount st. Helens
may sIi be sd-red active volcanoes, giving of
gasses and steam continually and within few years
bsve emitted showers of asher.
Pro.ss ssor n. theo'y of the excavation and filling
o, 81 H. NJ Calif anhn AZ
st one 'ine-probaby at period CORE 'pondlns with
that # the dn in the Eastern Sat-sal that portion
OF the tneIt ra sed to such an altitude as TO
pr duce degree of 60 VIII cb covered the mountains
spd tlled the vslt ys with ce BY this ice the
OF rock were down ano the marks of glacial ac-
ton hicb Low abouLd produced. The valleys exca-
waited H. paIt by this proc.ssas The continent de-
pressed the va tys were occupied by water, in which
the astes from rang's of active volcanoes dis
cbargec- and arranged in strata of sediment. A. tn,
drainage of tbtse batIbs progressed by the cutting
down of the outlet, they vere gradually converted to
the dry plans When they nog are.
Among other points Of interest in the geology OF the
West which were touched upon, wac the geological
age OF the coal iepoeit. of Oregon and Washington
Territories, all Of which Prof. n. sso were tertiary
ard soc.ated by unms .aksbIe tertiary fossil
sDts.
Mr.. ARTHUR SoHorr read some geologic \, observ,-
tions ON the volcanic slope along the szinuth bound
ery line through n W Sonora. The line runs for ils
entire ergth over the EASTERN sope ofthe basin Of the
Gut of Ca oruia following the water shed bet ween
the Gi.s and the str. which drain the adjacent
coultry into that Gulf. The length of this line from
The upper pan Of the basir OF Sauta Cruz to the initial
10 1T ID the Colorado, is about 233 miles. The most
elevated pat Of the Sierra del Psjsri in the Santa
Cruz valley about 200 800 miles south of the east.
en- terminus OF the line i. supposed to be 900 or
5000 feet above the waters Of the Colorado j. 20
above the level OF the ses not reacbog to the pine
region which is about 5000 feet above the ocean The
surface OF n W. sonora Is so simple in ia features
that even acareul oberver discovers little TIA
nd vol, ov.ta aof~
taIs Acpg q consider BILE portion Of the line the
dt has covered tn ,untan ranges almost to their
tops e.pt cisy those toward the valley OF the Colo
TACO. Ibe western section of the Ire crosses what
n'sy be csl'd yelled country, only the crests and
submit, of The mountains being visible above the des
oeie rand flats which bury the vall-y of the lower
colorado Ihs river vii ds through forsaken bsrrens
and DIFF irg said along oasts, bordeied by n,rrow
strips OF TN bered bottom land. Al uvia deposits are
scarcely tound exec pit at The exfemities of the ae
mos OF them beng found in the bottom lands of the
toorsdo. Mex. TO these bottom lands come
the rei Ors Of the higher mountaLa beyond which ao
pear The plsps The slopes of the mountains are
!oogh shd rugged .no0gh fO afford crevices des and
Sinai "a Itys With obsructed outlets, 80 as to save
ron PORTION OF 'he auvie deposits Some traces Of
aIuViSi son may be touno in the so-csled Pld,os
soich are Expressions IN the plains deep enough 10 re-
AN Fsei ir' IN The atmop pher aud the zhter parti
1ts Of the 'ur.oundng soi. The attempts of Nature
10 proouee vegetable hi. In these Plays as are ofen
rendered ,Jt by n saline character of the soil Tn
msiD aDd Which forms the levels between the noun
tam ranges IS more or les uni o,m deposit of dilu
yisl san1-.he debris Of j,cea, mountans-wbich j.
nsn'y be ievtd 70 hove be n d.posted by an ocean
once come cling the At 8ntic with the Pacific
Chsrge- n the composition Of this deposit do indeed
Occur hut seem to De merely local in cbarac,.r Tho
ys -tPlon o! cese, between the eastern sooe of the
Cahf1;piso Cordil ras 10 the Rio Bravo del Nore il
comYoseo OF q1sstI cs, fsidspsr and of OF ,.r cvs
i.lpe end ieneous rocks. With PARTICLES of lime We
ook ap't h- IS bsyDg once been diluvisl oc an in
"b,tl our p'e.eLt mountain ranges were gigantic
wa VA oyh's shI fesas, II the vicinity Of which we
Ill fDt BANKS sI1 oeds Of o4bol., derived nom .bs
:oths Of tie mouDtsins, ,iu 4, our prescott oc IAN
> bbs bAhes. Ofh'r reds .rs f upd of the M,
o.t.rRtnsoas .ansr mrs. 5Ievgat often ron yery "a