The Kansas herald of freedom., 1858-08-21
Wisccilaqeops.
Iron Mountain.

The Iron Mountain of Missouri is prob
ably one of the greatest natural curiosities
on the surface of our globe. Think of a
mammillary- formed mound or mountain,
OF iron, three miles in circumference,
rising in the form of cone or pyramid,
three hundred feet high above the sur
rounding vsIleys--a great mass of the
richest specular iron known, wedged in
between a country formed of magnetism
limestone On ihe one side, and porphyrytie
granite on the other. Where did this
great mountain Of iron come from ? Was
it formed in the iron age of our globe ?
And when did the iron age have its COM
mencement and end? Let us take the
lights that the science of the rocks has
revealed, and go back with the geologists
in tue early ages of the Iron Mountain
region. Geologists say that the rock on
the west side of the mountain belongs to
the lower silurian limestone era. The
boring of BeleheFs Artesian Well, tells us
that this same bed of rock which forms
the surface of the country on the west
side of the mountain, is in the we'll 1000
feet below the bed of the Mississippi
river, dip of 2500 feet from the mountain
to ST. Louis. Geologists say that this dip
was necessary to form the great basins
which contain coal in the central part of
Illinois. On the east side of the mount
ain, granite country is found. Is this
granite older or newer than the limestone?
and is the mountain of the same age as
the granite ? These are questions that
present themselves in the study of this
great Iron Center. The Iron Mountain. is
the period or terminus of what is known
as the Ozark Mountain, range of granite
ridges and table lands that reach through
Missouri, Arkansas and the Indian eoun-
try, to the Rocky Mountains. One fact
may be kept in view in the study of the
age of the Iron Mountain. 1t is found
that all the developments in the vegetable
or mineral kingdoms on our globe, have
been corresponding to the wants of ami
NAL organisms that existed at the same
era Ia the time of the mastadon and
huge sanrian dynasties, the vegetation was
OF corresponding gigantic growth, the
atmosphere was also suited to that class
of animal life.
Let US go back to the age of our globe.
when commenced the era of silurian sys-
tenn of rocks. The district where now
stands the Iron Mountain was, at that pe-
Rod, a tabular mass of stratifed rocks in
the bed OF an ancient ocean, 10 valley,
ridge or mountain had yet come into ex-
istence. The beautiful system of physi-
cal geography, the abrasion of valleys in
the solid rock, the fountain from which
now break out thousand springs in this
iron district were yet in embryo. But this
tabular mass of rock in the bed of this
ocean is not always to remain in repose.
The elevating and abrading forces, the
great working laws of nature are to act.
This region of country is placed under
their infiuence-and silently and quietly
the stratified rocks are raised, granite
ridges come to-day above the surface OF
this ocean. Meteoric forces, connected
with the sun and every planet in our solar
system, are in action-we might say that
electricity and its active partner, magnet
ism, are prime agents-age after age rolls
round. The Devonian system of rocks is
formed. The wonderful era of the for
nation of the coal bearing rocks and the
growth of the vegetation entombed in our
coal fields, has its commencement and end;
following this comes the tertiary era, with
Its mastadons and huge saurian monsters
alter them the aborigines, and then the
present race of man. Let us look again.
The horizontal table of rock of the siiu-
rean era in the he'd of that ancient ocean.
is POW the Iron Mountain region. modelled
by the great working laws of nature to
one of the most interesting mineral GEN.
ters on the surface of our globe. The
task of the geologist, for coming ages.
will be To trace out by observation the
changes through which this country has
passed. and map ont and mark down in
each era spoken of, the changes of the
Iron Mountain from the si,urian down to
the present tiine.-S. Louis Republican,.