The Montana post., 1866-12-01
Mountains and their Upheayals.-

The theory taught by Laplace, first
| popularity presented To the English read
ing public in the Vestiges of Creation.
| and long considered to be wild and Wis.
ionary, is now generally accepted by as
tronomers, and is taught in some of the
latest standard works. This theory is
that originally there was no solid or
liquid substance but that all matter
| was so intensely hot that it was in gas
eous condition, and like mist of fire.
filled all space. This matter began to
move, and two currents meeting at an
gle caused a rotary motion, and the mass
began to cool and condense, and the con-
densation caused an increase in the speed
OF rotation. Presently pieces began to
| fly off from the outer edge, and these
spun round and formed stars or suns,
which revolved round the main mass. +
rotated on their axes, and threw off in
time. planets, which adopted the same
movements and threw off satellites. As
evidences of this theory we have the
facts that every star is sun full of heat
| and light, that all the stars are in the
same general plane, that they are all re-
volving round central sun, that they
are all revolving in the same direction,
that all the planets of our system revolve
In the same direction round our sun, that
the satellites revolve round the planets
in the same direction, that the planets
| are at regular distances, as if they had
been thrown off under the influences of
regular increase of speed and density,
and generally the planets are large in
size, low in density, and slow in their TO
tation, in proportion to their distance
from the sun. g.. .......-
When our earth was thrown of, it was
mass of earthly matter fluid, or semi
fluid, with intense heat 1t gradually
grew cool and the crust hardened on it.
and the vapors which surrounded it were
condensed, and fell as rain, on its sur
face. The molten mass inside continued
to cool and condense, and in time the
crust no longer fitted, and then it broke,
and mountains were formed along the
lines of the main cracks We observe
that most of the mountain ranges, inclu-
ding the Andes, the Sierra Nevada, the
Rocky Mountains, the Alleghanies, the
Ural, the Apprentices, and the coast
mountains of California, follw the gene
raj course of the meridians; and penin-
sulas, continents, tongues of land and
oceans, have the same general directions.
While it is evident that the mountain
chains have been formed along cracks in
the solid crust, there is much difference
| OF opinion among geologists as to the
manner in which those cracks occurred.
| Agassiz thinks the mountains were
thrown up suddenly, and Lyell believes
| they were elevated slowly. Biologists
are generally agreed that the Alps and
the Himalayas are of later origin than
other lower ranges in their vicinity.
Professor Whitney tells that the Sierra
Nevada is not SO old as the Coast Range.
Agassiz says that the thicker the crust
of the earth, the higher the mountain
made bya break in it, and therefore tie
| Oldest mountains are, as a general rule,
the lowest.
In the largest mountain chains the
main mass of rock is granite, while the
sedimentary rocks at the sides are titled
up, as if the granite had burst through
and lifted up the stratified rocks on the
surface. The common opinion of geol-
ogists has been, at least until lately, that
granite is the same material as that
which forms the molten core of the
earth. Mr.. Vose, the latest author on
the subject, believes that granite is a
sedimentary rock which has been sub
jected to intense heat, and thus con-
verted into crystalline mass, with no
signs of stratification or of organic life.
This question, whether granite is a me
tamorphic rock, or part of the molten
interior thrust up through the sediment
ary rocks, is one of considerable weight
in the consideration of the manner in
which mountains were formed. Mining
Inder.