New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-11-05
ACADEMY or SCIENCES.
SEMI-ANNUAL MEETING AT PHILADELPHIA

sENTsD-ThE ORIGIN OF MOUNTAIN CHAINS"
CLAIM FOR sLPARATE GEOLOGY FOR THE YAK
wtsT
(FRon THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE IhibuNhi
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 3.-The National Acad-
envy OF Sciences holding its regular Fall meeting III Tue
University Building In this city Yesterday was inc
time yed for beginning the sessions The fact that tha
wos election day in several Of the great States or 'he
Onion appears TO have overlooked rs IL cannot 10
that the date purposely chosen 10 sho" con'e'np
for such unscien,ic processes az choosing c rulers ~
ballot, though the latter conclusion might oe
drawn from the fact that the same mistake
was made last year. The members were not
troubed with the presence OF outsiders yesterday Even
tho newspaper re,Orers had not discovered their arrival
in town. Prof John l.. Le Conte read paper py HIS
brother Prof Joseph lie Conte, On the Evidences OF
Horizontal Crushing in the Formation OF the Coast ahso
Of California" and the listening members In the schoas
tic quiet the University walls, were obvious OF the
fact that hopes OF the Democrats were being crushed
under the weight Of Republican ballots all over
PENNSYLVANIA. Irof Elias LOOMS followed with
Contributions TO Meteorology" which, Is needless 10
say, did refer to the sudden collapse OF the winu OF
imitation. There were present the following members
Pros Stephen Alexander Of Princeton NJ j.. John H. T.
coffin u Washington D. c.; Edward d. Cope OF Phindei-
phia: Frederick A. Genh OF Phadelplda Arnold Guyot
Of Princeton; Joseph Henry OF Washington; George W.
Hi OF Nyack N Y; T. Story Hunt Of Boston, j. r. Les
ley OF Philadelphia Elias Ioomis OF New-Ha'en; Johh
l.. lie COnto OF Philadelphia; Simon Newcomb OF wash
ington Raphael Puinpey Of Newburgh NJ L.; Fairinan
Rogers, Robert L. Rogers and William Sellers of Pam
dephis j. Lawrence smith OF Louisville, ky anu D. D.
Woodward OF Washington
This morning Prof Henry gave interesting account
Of recent cxpeiGens with Fog Signals and Illus
ratcd his remarks with large wall Diagrams Prof'
Koengs paper the Composition OF 5ehoo0mite "iis
next read. Prof Powell, TIE well-knowD Western ex-
porer described the Sedmentay Groups Of the Pateans
liz of
the region drained by the Colorado RIVER Pf0f fallliah
Rogers secoud nolice OF u calcnating machine
called Grants Inference Engine, which he nfst prousn'
10 the attention OF the academy last year ,,,
Prof. Alexander spoSe the Phenomenon OF Radiation
in Tropics by NJ. Gaard OF Guaddioul,
found 70 last IN constant ratio OF density 70 me
zodacai got. lhls, frof AeHinier Thought, was qu9
s consistent tne hypothesis mat ms Zonaca lShi
is terrestrial pneuOnenun as win tilt OF us prinea
material surrounding the sun In iact II was more con,
sisent, he said, tie heat III question COMES rum 1ho
moon. 80, 49,,
entertained at lunch ~ tine professors or the UNI
HOW MOUNTAIN RANGES ARE FORMED.
This paper, the Evidences Of Horizontal Crushing Ia
the Formation OF the Coast Rangc of California, by Prof.
JOSEPH lie Coute was AN account OF recent observations
Of its au0r These sustained is theory that mountain
ranges are formed wholly b. yielding OF the crust OF
the earth, along certain Ines 10 horizontal pfesSe'
not however, yielding By bending into convex arch'
filed and sustained by liquid beneath hut by mash
ing together tne whole crust with the formation OF
squeezed mass. In January last the author walked
slowly through the cut made by the Central Pacific Rail-
road plains adjoining the Bay OF san Frdncisco
through the Coast Mountains to the San joaquin palms.
a distances " 80 miles. BOth the sub-ranges into
which the range is divided. composed wholly
OF crumped strata. those oi the western shbran9e
being CrunpiOd III the most extraordinary mahntr' LIE
snuTlv,rsf sul-rnye the ons ueIrtsI tho Bay, Is
reedingly complex. There nj least me- anticnes
wtn corresponding syncines all III distance Ol ABOUT
sx miles are an les dip vary from 4U' to 800. tie
iensth OF Inc folded strata ZIG ~ Times me
horizontal distance through The mountain IL Is IhpoSs
Die TO the Ungu OF such structure except Oy
horizontal iuashing, ami tnc amount Oh TINS mionIho
have been enormous Estimating Ill to usui "ai'
there must been IL 10 Is ncs oi oilSlai se-bo'-
tom ,rusncI miles, VITA corresponding ups"eiihy
minute structure observed in the strata OF both the
Contra and Mount DablO surai9 es demonstrates
conI.cly tnc ion. a cr.sIlIS ana NcTtcal tAtci-
sIo OF tue constituent particles oi tue slr.iiei sed.-
menls. Wailo examining ths cf9rplhgs oi soihv tn.,
seams ~ ligre Tue Gown o. y ward on ' lowest
fortilIs of he cont Costa range 'Le AUTHORS attol-
ton was draNh 80 certain s'D, u ] VII,
contact VITA thu sealn Whioh were i'1it WIZ
small rOun icd. fattcncd maaS"s looking ihe haehei
nebh = The, proved - be clay pciirsor uotues IN tue
nrrina sealnent which hal been 1ationed by stiUnS
,r,s,ure In TIE FORMATION Ol the nJniIm range Ihe!
iursued n means vf determining 'ile a'olt % idshs
- which the pioce-a oi , nd 49,.
tne sCduHenart STRATA Tie SLapc 81 t't hol"I's "dS
tnat iatrned cllS1ds, tihub" soiHo Vi 'hoh "eIc
Aft.r obtained froro the coal mines of NJ Da-
bio nO.ules Ci Sandstone, IN when Tue long o.
aInete.s were iounu III th1 u'"o 49,, t i ~ 81
nsdurs we've clay pellets Ol AL SIS Huh li"t o,
an, re surface Of te origin clay sediments, having been
"a zen lp from liner deposits, foed aODs ~ sehtie cur
we ma Al tie present day Their present snaps due
WHOM, 10 subsequent pressute' as IA the case Vi ..e
elliolcal found III clehNtd states ana
ii .scriDed ~ Prof. Tyndsll. To Gcternino the
amount OF MASKING toSesher IA one direction
on,t the swelling up another, I take three equal
,rt.1ii diauIcers % the CfSlal Hhhaaheu lclItts,
one in ! direction horizontal and ~ lghI angles 10 nc
rc ION OF the strata. another as1 horizontal Ddt IN the
dte,on VI the strat, tLld ia the III ectlOi 81 Tue
dip vertical IL Is evident I tno me- m1a so,, ne
he unaffected on tnc average We maJ assume tna' Tue
el,BAatiOn vertically Is silcuy COZ o ~ ",L f
tl,e other. 1 by careful measurement Oh great
NM p nj te.e nodues 1at shortest diameter bears
In tne longest the ratios OF l.3, Ii, EO, 10,
asd even 49, and LII a falr average "OuId
an an" sbnnt l6 or 10 Now this ratio is the result
o both conpro ssiOn in direction and extension In
gnoihor II follows that either me compression or the
OK tLesc radios Therefore there has been CRUSHING
tose,ncr every - 10 parts lut0 ana corrspondnx
feuson in another direction every part INTO 20
. Uni since lie snort dEIi.ters were horizontal and
te long vertical IL Is evident va. a.ionghout e
whole squeezed mass every ~ 10 . ieet was cr1sAed
together horizontally mio loot, ana every loot OF YER
teal thickness was Increased or s"eed up 10 2s or
THE PLATEAU REGIoS or THE WEST.
Major j. W Powell described at length the sedmentary
Of plaeaus which sdraned by the
Colorado River the West On thesearo lone mountains
short ranges and groups Of volcanic The principal
ailments OF have their sources IN hgh mountains
ON the edge Of the great Drainage basin There is
siderable valley along the course of the river North Of the
35th parallel, along any of its principal tributaries.
The streams run chiefly in ecp cafons The SUGGESTIONS
~ eedmenary and their groups OF fossils
like any Others and the faults and folds are also peculiar
Major Powell thinks tine region should be considered by
itself distinctly. The eastern aluents of the river have
their rise in mountains that constitute geological prov
nce remarkable for great development OF meamorphic
crystalline schsts with patches and basins of marine
and iacust np sediment and complicated volcanic ora
ions 10 the this development Of schiss has
uaIgOzoic beds and developments on the fnhs OF the
nounains complicated by cruptye beds. The streams
dsapper IA sand or in such bodies OK saline water
The Great salt Lake. This southern region is distinct
nom the plateau - ston AMI has been called the Basin
Range lroyiLCe.
rnlnnynnni the Paiean Province m0nocnal folds aud