, 1866-09-17
Important Geolozfcn1 Discovery In Calf.
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~~~~A~ -A%A1* 1E9%V D G4 y III NAX41
From the San Francisco Alta, July 1o.1
The State Geological Survey Of California
has recently made q discovery that will at-
tract attention ell over the world. and that
viii become notable fact IN the history Of
supposed to know that the age ofthe earth
according to the unanimous opinion of &c.
ologists, Is not less than a million Of years
that there have been successive epochs OF
animal and vegetable Life, the remains Of
Which ase found deep IN the rocks; that the
Ter nom those now living on the earth !;
and that. until very lately, nothing had
been found to show that man lived On our
globe before the beginning Of the present
geological era. a few years since, however,
some human bones were found in England
those lands ln q former epoch, cotempoiane-
onsly With the hyena, tho rhinoceros, the
elephant, and numerous other nnimals
which disappeared from Europe long before
the beginning Of our historical records.
This discovery made d great sensation In
the learned world, and was the basis Of
Mankind" The ancient human bones Of
Europe were found in the formation known
as the las; but now human skull had
been found II Calitornin IN the plciocene, q
fore, the remnant not only Of the earliest
known pioneer of this State, but the oldest
known human being.
An account ofthe discovery was given last
evening, In the California Academy Of Nat
ural Sciences, BY Prot. Whitney. The skull
1a Tas found % r. shat 15o feet deep, two miles
miner named James Matson, who gave 1t to
Mr. scsibner, Il merchant, and he gave it to
Dr.. Jones, who sent It to the State GcoloricnI
Survey. Prot. Whitney went to the place,
examined It, questioned the persons who
haa haa the sknll 1 theIr aud ho
shaft, as represented. There is some water
now In the ehaft, but 1t Is soon to be taken
out, and then the Professor will resume his
examinations. Tho shaft passes through
tive beds Of laya and volcanic tufa and four
deposits Of aurlferous gravel. The upper he'd
through which the skull could hare been in
troduced from above. The published volume
81 the State Survey on the Geology Of CALI
fornia states that man existed here cotcmpo-
rnncously with the mastodon, but this fossil
proves that he WIS here before tho time in
which the mnstodon was known to exist,
Professor Whitney has divided the animal
raleontolocy Of the State into two epochs--
tAe plciocene, or the epoch befure .hc great
volcanic ernrttnns which covered large
Eart Of the State. and the postp1cloccne, Or
me epoch after the erupttons. Most of the
AsA'AAAt9s kA< AOS+4t9 u UkcA LII w
been found here, euch as the mastodon, clc.
phaot, horse and but9alo, have not been en-
tounteIed in the postrleiocenc, aud all the
vegetables SO far met there arc Of species
not now living in the State. VIC can now
say unqualifiedly that man lived in Califor-
MIA before Shasta and Mount Lasscn and the
DoWnievillc Buttes and the numerous vol
taric peaks Of the Sierra raised their heads
to the clouds before the era Of the glaciers.
which came after the volcanoes, and swept
down the mountain sides In immense rivers
Of ice; before the great canons were worn
on the western slopes Of the Sierra Nevada,
and when tic rivers were still running on
What are now the tops Of tho mountains.
Casts Of the skull which Is not entire, will be
sent to the principal cthnologists Of Europe
and the Atlantic States, with requests for
their opinion oft. The facial onslc is very
similar to that Of Digger Indian Of the
present day.
1t IL scarcely necessary to say that the m.
nounccmcnt Of Professor whitney made a
profound sensation In the Academy,