The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1861-03-16
For the Free Trader.
Geological Paper--No. G.

! beginning with the Canbrian system
| the lowest Of the tossilI.erous strata, we
! find few or no organic remains In the
! Silurian, next above, shell fish Of extinct
genera, and stone lilies, OF encrinites, be.
| gin to occur The lrilobite, Il species OF
the crab, Is first found here, but last ap-
pears in the coal measures above The
CIILoniierous formation, containing the
valuable coal bed<, lies above the Silulian
About 1000 species OF plants have been
found in this division. OF these, the most
remarkable are the coal plants, often found
iii an upright position, winch indicates
that they had not been removed from the
places OF their origin, and that the Goals
are formed principally OF vegetable mat
ter. Ferns were very abundant, and at
tanned To large size, frequently being 80
Zee, u. height. Ikoir- nEmbers ard sec-
portions prove that very warm climate
prevailed during the period. This is the
more apparent, Is there are only a few
stunted living species on the northern
continents al the present day, whereas 2Oo,
many Of them approaching in size those
that now grow ii the tropics, have been
discovered fossil. The animal remains of
this period are in the mountain limestone,
which lies underneath the coal measures
They are very numerous, amounting TO =
200 species in all. OF these, there are 23o
genera Of Zoophytes. These had the form
and organization, both OF the lily and ami
NAL They were iuvertebral, with a cup
shaped head, from which proceeded arms.
Their bodies were flexible. and were fas-
tened to the bottom of the sea The en-
criuite is an example. Tho shell fish,
such as the ammonite orthocera, spiriter.
oyster, nautilus, &c, which | have de-
scribed before, also belong to this period.
All these, however are found in the forma-
tions above. l think we may safely set
down the number Of species, existing fos-
sil, in this country, at one hundred. |
have classified forty already. Nearly 400
species Of fish, mostly of extinct genera,
have been discovered. A few, however,
which is called the Devonian, or Old Red
Sandstone group, and is the lowest of the
/ Secondary strata Here occur those pecu-
! liar fishes, described by Miller, and also a
/ gigantic sauro!d, allied to the lizard. This
| group is slightly developed in this State,
| on Rock river. The Permian and Triassic
| systems como next in the series, but their
remains are nearly the same as those of
! the Carboniferous. The Oolite, or Juras-
| sic strata, was next deposited The tenl-
| perature OF the northern hemisphere must
/ have been very warm, in order to nourish
/ such a growth of animal and vegetable
| life as then existed. Those beds of shell
marble and coral were then formed, which
cover such extensive tracts in Europe. 1t
was then that those huge mammalia and
reptiles, such the mastodon and iguan-
don, fourished. A living species, called
the iyuand, which in some respects resem-
bles the iguandon, is still found in tropical
countries of the globe. large part of
the Jura mountains, and other ranges, are
made upalmost entirely Of animal remains
of this period. This group occurs on the
Vermihon, above the coal measures, to the
exclusion of the Permian and Trias, which
are not developed at all in this section.-
Here ends the Secondary strata. A new
period begins The Tertiary strata is not
so widely DEVELOPED as the previous ones,
but is in many places prodgiously thick.
1t contains the remains OF animals and
fishes, trees and plants allied to those tina.
inhabit the earth now. The huge reptile
had passed away, and gave place those OF
milder forms. Species of the elephant,
OK, rhinoceros, deer, rat raccoon, opossum;
and also, of various kinds of birds, Of
great size, but congeners of those OF the
present time then existed. In Australia
large beds of the bones of the kangaroo
are found. The bones and skeletons Of
men, also, are imbedded in this formation;
a fact which would refer their origin to
the alluvial or historical period, and we
! may therefore conclude that part OF the
Tertiary strata were the result OF the de-
luge. The iresh-water mollusea then
swarmed in the rivers, and left their shells
by myriads in the rocks Of the period
During the deposition Of the Tertiary
strata most Of the lands were above the
sea. Thus the climate became colder.
part of the northern hemisphere was pro-
badly inundated then by sea, filled with
ioatin icebergs, which brought along with
them the drift and boulders. The ocean
retreated and left the present dry land
! Hardy races Of trees and plants sprung up.
We find that the ferns and tropical trees,
which last appear in the Oolitic period,
passed away with the close of that epoch,
| from the colder countries of the globe, and
were succeeded by such as the oak, ash,
cedar, and others, adapted to the climate,
and to the use of the new order OF beings.
which God created after His own image, to
people the earth
Many persons have entertained preju-
dices against Geology, supposing it to be
incompatible with the Mosaic account OF