Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-01-15
Origin OF onr snIr Dopo.it..

for the following notes in'regard to Vari-
GUS theories in explans,ion of the vast
deposits Of salt throughout the State.
The notes are crude; but it is the inten-
tention Of Mr.. Clayton to elaborate a re-
port upon this interesting subject at On
early day. He is well qualified for the
task by his sound judgment, extraordinary
power Of observation, and great and varied
experience. Various theories have been
put forth by scientific men in explanation
Of the presence Of large saline deposits in
the desert basins Of this State. The most
popular one is, that at some remote period
the great interior basins Of the American
desert were covered by a sea of salt water,
and that by the elevation Of the continent
the water wal drained off except in isolat-
ed basins. After the lapse Of time the
water evaporated, leaving the deposit Of
salt. The proofs in support of this theory
are very meager. There are no traces Of
ocean deposits or products of any kind,
except salt; no shells, no remains Of marine
animals, or shore lines Of smooth and
rounded pebbles, that will admit Of such
a classification. This theory seems to be
wholly untenablc. Another and appar-
emily moro rational theory is, that there is
a little salt in all the waters Of the coun-
try, which is carried into the basins by
the small streams that flow into them and
sink, thus constantly accumulating the
supply ; and evaporation carries off the
pure water, leaving the salt, soda, and
other impurities in the basin or sink.
Upon general principles this hypothesis
appears to be correct. It seems to be
proved by the fact that the water in all
the lakes is more or less impregnated with
salt, soda, potass, etc. Some of these lakes
and sinks contain very little salt, while
others are filled to saturation ; hence there
must be some local causes that produce
this difference. The principal one is to be
found in the geological structure of the
country rock. The largest and best salt
deposits are met with on the line Of the
limestone, sandstone, and shule forma-
tons. These rocks abound in marine fos-
sils and products, and invariably show the
presence Of salt. All the basins and val
leys on the line of these rocks, through
which no large stream Of water flow, are
likely to contain deposits Of salt, and to
be moro or less saturated with brine. Salt
springs also exist at various points along
the line Of saline rocks, from which the
brine flows slowly to the surface, leaving
deposits Of salt or else the springs unite
with some streams that flow into the
larger sinks or desert basins Of this sim
gular country. 1t appears to be o fact
that the greatest a%ccumulations Of salt arc
found in those valleys having no large
streams flowing into or through them,
and which are situated on the line of
those rocks containing the largest amount
of saline matter. The statement Of these
theories will convey a general idea Of the
origin Of the salt in the beds and marshes
Of this State, as well as in the lakes and
sinks throughout the great interior desert.
But their origin undoubtedly has a broader
scope. The same agencies that have made
the great American Desert have enriched
and accumulated its salt beds. The con-
figuration Of the continent causes the re-
turn trade winds from the Pacific Ocean
to sweep in o broad belt over the elevated
plateaus extending from the Sierra Neva-
das to the Rocky Mountains, and from
the Gulf Of California to the British pos.
sessions. During the summer months
this great wind current is exceedingly dry
and everything along its course is robbed
of all moisture; large volumes OF water,
that would form expansive lakes and no.
BILE and fertilizing rivers, are swallowed
to appease its Unsuitable thirst; and q
vast extent Of country that would other
wise be filled with grassy plains and pro-
ductive valleys has been converted into
a desert waste of rocks and sand, inter-
mingled with salt and alkali. The pre-
vailing course of this broad current Of re-
turn trade wind is from the southwest to
the northeast, with a spiral motion to-
wards the arctic regions. They regu-
larly return to supply the place Of the
cold damp winds blowing southwark from
the North Pacific. These cold winds lose
their moisture near the borders of the
tropics in the form Of tropical showers"
On their return to their northern home
these winds reach US intensely dry, and
becoming in their passage greatly heated
and expanded, their capacity for licking
up moisture Is immensely increased. The
story is briefly told: the country is a vast
unbroken desert, presenting in many local
tiles large deposits Of salt.-Reess River
RepeiHe.