Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-02-04
Geological Puzzle.

PROF. K. WEIsER, of Georgetown, Col,
contributes the following to the Journal
Of Science and Arts:: Biologists have
been not little perplexed with the
frozen rocks found in some of our silver
mines in Clear Creek County, Col.
will first give statement of the facts in
the case and then theory for their ex-
PLANTATION. There is silver mine high
up on Mcclellan Mountain called the
Stevens mine. The altitude of this mine
is 1850 feet. At the depth of from 60
to 200 feet the crevice matter, consisting
OF silica, calcite and ore, together with
the surrounding wall-rocks, is found to
be III solid, frozen mass. Mcclellan
Mountain is one of the highest eastern
spurs OF the Snowy Range; it has the
form OF horseshoe, with q bold escarp-
ment Of feldspathic rock near 1000 feet
high, which in some places is nearly per-
pendlcular. The Stevens mine is stu
ated in the southwestern bed of the
great hOrseshoe; it opens from the
northwestern. a tunnel is driven into
the mountain on the lode where
the rock is almost perpendicular.
Nothing unusual occurred until a
distance of some eighty or ninety feet
was made; and then the frozen territory
was reached, and it has continued for
over 200 feet. There are no indications
Of a thaw, summer or winter; the whole
frozen territory is surrounded by hard,
massive rock, and the lode itself is as
hard and solid as the rock. The miners
being unable to eXcavate the frozen ma
terial by pick or drill to get out the ore
for it is rich lode, running argentifer-
Gus galena from 500 to l 200 ounces to
the tom found the only way was to
kindle large wood fire at night against
the back end of the tunnel, and thus
thaw the frozen material, and in the
morning take out the disintegrated ore.
This has been the mode of mining for
more than two years. The tunnel is
over 200 feet deep, and there is no dimi-
mutton of the frost; it seems to be rather
increasing. There is, so far as we can
see, no opening or channel through
which the frost could possibly have
reached such depth from the surface.
There are other mines in the same vicini-
ty in like frozen state
From what we know of the depth to
which frost usually penetrates into the
earth, it does not appear probable that it
could have reached the depth of 200
feet through the solid rock in the Stevens
mine, nor even through the crevice
matter of the lode, which, as we have
stated, is as hard as the rock itself. The
idea, then, of the frost reaching such a
depth from the outside being utterly I'M
tenable, can do no other way than to
fall back upon the glacial era of the
quaternary. Evidences of the glacial
period are found all over the Rocky
Mountains. Just above the Stevens mine
there are the remains of a moraine near
ly a mile long and half a mile wide.
The debris of this moraine consists of
small square and angular stones, clearly
showing that they have not come from
any great distance. And Just over the
range, on the Pacific slope, there are the
remains of the largest moraine have
ever seen, consisting of feldspathic
boulders of immense size. I conclude,
therefore, that it was during that period
of intense cold that the frost penetrated
so far down into these rocks, and that it
has been there ever since, and bids fair
to remain for long time to come