Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1872-04-18
From San Francisco Bulletin, March 90
The Late Earthquake.

Our first reports of the earthquake
OF the Goth inst. showed that 1t was
felt between points at least as widely
separated as Red Bluffs, IN the upper
Sacramento Valley, and Visalia, IN
the Tulare Valley, and from the
coast range to points in the Sierra
n evada at least 5000 or 1000 feet
above the sea and 100 miles inland
Later reports prove that The shock
was felt the whole lergth Of Caitor-
MIA and as far inland as Winnemucca.
Thus the disturbance is known to
have affected an area Of about $50
miles long by nearly 500 miles broad,
embracing $4,000 square miles, and
Including two ranges Of mountains,
one OF these, the Sierra Nevada, be-
ing the loftiest. in its southern ex-
tremity, in the United States. live
had telegraphic communication with
Lower Calitoania and the other
| Northern States of Mexico, we
should probably learn that the shock
extended into that region.
| We assumed. in our previous ref.
erence to the shock, that its center
or focus was in the nelehborhood OF
Visalia. Later dispatches confirm
this view, for the accounts of great
est disturbance refer to portions OF
Kern and Inyo Counties, nearly due
least from Visalia, extending sou!her-
lily to Fort Tejon, and thence to San
Bernardino, including the desert
country along the border line be-
tween California and Nevada. The
direction of the vibrations from the
apparent center was parallel with
the trend OF the range, which con-
forms generally to that OF the coast.
The Sierra Nevada in the region de
scribed breaks down southeily, into
a number of detached parallel ranges,
and in San Bernardino and San Diego
counties loses altogether its dist!nc-
tive character as great mountain
chain. The region abounds with ev-
licences OF comparatively recent vol
canic action. Alkali lakes, like
Owens Lake, sollataras, hot springs
and mud volcanoes, point unmistaka-
bly, to the fact that the tremendous
forces which once were III active OPP
Grafton all along the Sierra, are here
still asserting themselves, with less
ened, but threatened energy. The
noted depression OF Deaths Valley
not far southeast from Owens Lake
and declared to be below the leveI
OF The sea, while the surrounding
mountains are not less than 5000
feet above 1t, is a locality plainly ev-
idencing volcanic action. Still fur
ther south, in San Bernardino coun-
ty, north OF the trail leading from
Fort Mojave, via the sink of the Mo-
jave Desert and river, to Los An
geles, there are numerous volcanic
craters, rising to heights OF 80 to 2oo
feet above the desola,e plain, still as
perfect as when their fires went out
A lava flow covers the earth for
many miles, stretching like great
frozen river, through the desert in
tho vicinity. The Chmaluevls In
dians-not the very best authority in
the world, it must be admitted-say
that to the southwark of this trail, IN
section OF country as yet unexplor-
ed by white men, on account OF the
lack Of water, wood and grass, there
| is mountain which at intervals stl. 4
gives out fire and smoke.
The volcanic belt here sketched
extends to the borders of the Colo
rado desert, where hot mineral
springs, volcanic ashes in vast beds,
lava, pummice stone, and other evi-
dences of comparatively recent vol
canic disturbances, are found IN
abundance. 1t is even supposed that
the Dry Lake. or great salt plain oi
the Colorado desert, was the bed OF
the sea at no very distant date. and
that its present condition is the re
suit 0. volcanic action, the ancient
water-line, still distinctly marked by
sedimentary discoloration. exten.lnG
along the side of the San Gorson!o
mountain, south of San Gorgonlo
pass, for some fifty miles. At Los
Palmas, a water station on the north
eastern side of the Colorado desert,
on the trail from San Bernardino
via San Gorgonio Pass to La Paz on
the Colorado River, tour years ago
| in May, a severe earthquake-whleh
was not felt in Northern aud Cen
trail California-opened long fissure
in the Garth, from which a stream OF
cold water flowed for some weeks
This fissure is but short distance
from the great hot spring of Los
Pamas, which is still flowing, but is
said 10 have grown very much cool
or since that event. We know, also,
that, at Fort TETON, in the southeast.
ern part of Kern county, several
wears ago, the earth was rent into .
chasm. The late reports from lnyo
county represent the shocks as being
yery numerous, and so severe that,
had any brick or adobe towns been
in that region, they must all have
been destroyed. We do not see but
the shocks were quite as powerful as
those which so disastrously visited
the coast towns OF Peru, a few years
ago.
From all these accounts it is reas-
enable to conclude, both that the
Kern or Inyo region was the center
of the late extensive disturbance, and
that it is the seat of most energy OF
the weakening volcanic forces that
once upliitel tho whole Sierra Nesa
da ani crowned its summit, from
Shasta to Whitney, with a hundred
craters blazing at once. The COM
monty accepted theory Of the volcan-
ic origin OF earthquakes IS also
strengthened by the facts recited.-
Electrical theories, which refer earth
ouSkts to the meeting OF positive
and negative electrical currents, tron
| Nv ND oorth on the earth'S Surtac cc