New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-25
GEOLOGY OF THE FAB WEST.

PROF. GEIKIE'S AMERICAN EXPERIENCES.
THE SCOTCH GEoLoGIsr TELLS Ills GLASSES ABOUT
HIS RECENT TRAVELS IN THIS COUNTRY.
Professor A. GeiSie, the eminent Scotch
geologst. and author OF various popular geological
works. who made last summer. visit to the United
States has his return been giving TO his classes In
Edroursh University some account of hia American
experiences. He reminded his students that last
pointed the wonderful lessons 70 be learned
from the geology OF the western regions Of North
America, particularly in reference to the changes
which have tale place The surface of the earth due
ordinary atmospheric 1t Was with special
reference thcse that he took journey 10 the
West. feeling that had geology begun in those
Western territories. instead OF the old broken.
gnled and conturted rocks OF Europe and the east OF
America, its progress al all events In some depart
ments. would have been tar rapid than 10 has
been. He had three objects In the expedition ~ TO
study the effects ~ atmospheric agencies and OF erosion
generally upon the surface OF the land and there was
region where those could he learned with more
powerful mpressyeness than great pateaus aud
tableands C To study the rea ton which the structure
of underneath bore 10 the form - the sariace
In this country and In Europe generally one was conn
ually brought face 10 face with evidence az disOctchs
protuson Of Igneous rocks, faults and 80 or which
greatly complicated geological Structure, and made
il sometimes by easy tell how lar he pres
ent irregularities OF tue surlnce were du 10 unequal
waists OF surface aud bow far h dfer- cTcts - NJ
foreground The western regions ~ Am l'a vnich
retained 20 this day for thOasgnd- OF sqlarc niles ie
horizontally which they had orig lily. rrescn'eL wo
derl facilities fof the discussion OF as subject 90 To
watch with his own eyes 81 the l's' ha'"s ~ S'
eanc action. He n,d been familiar vi Il ihs SIS a
played Ia Italy and in the Lisir s,.4 hu, n u ~
to see some OF those marvellous evje c-s o. ic grdH
wearing and decay OF a vast voio ne aroi welsh "'fe
SO well seen in the famous region 81 the Ncllu gstoI
CHARACTERISTICS o. 1HT ROCKY MOUNTAIN.
The Professor went Oh 10 gave brief account oi =
journey mentioning that In crossing the praies toward
the Rocky Mountains be noted In she few ciois ghs
occurred, soft. gray clays mn mlr, @yid 'uty cttcc
Gus aga sometimes tertiary rocks. Gt;irg dowr 1t
Of tire stations aad looking Ut TIC ani5 anG nrf
rows the piaircjog hc found that The nrece c ihe
prairie was vencercd with tr coating o prkish. tine
grained sand, sometimes approaching 10 gravel. liz
col0r being due to the presence of Il errat MANY
small pieces OF fresh felspsr It was Gear that
this mineral. as well as the quartz ana fragments
~ topaz which no saw. Gd not belong ~ the strata
in which they lay In going vest the grains Of sand
began get cOarse and the form OF distinct pco
bes, ill., when lac reached the mountains, these became
huge blocks and bOudeTs, evidently derived from tho
bills in their neighborhood. After submitting that the
phrase Rocky Mountains " very unfortunate
one. as applied TO the great number OF independent
ridges comparable that covered .his part OF
America the Professor said that he halted for little
while on the tanks of the first great mountain ranges
those that formed the colossal bulvar OF Colorado As
The praes they form very picturesque line OF
peaks They had been pushed rs great wedg through
the rocks forming praries, and had carried hoss
rocks up with them. Crystalline masses formed The
central core and oil the aud this feature
combined with very interesting facs connected
with the surface erosion or the district lie ouhd then
where III the pink elspar and gravel had come from
II had been borne down from this region. whore great
masses OF PINK granite gray gneiss and other crystal
- T. .sful
that the themselves had been covered with
glaciers which had gone ont into the plain ard shed
their huge moraines where now every
thing was parched and barren. Having crossed the
watershed OF the Rocky Mountain he struck westward
uto the Untah, OF the few ranges In that region
that had an and west direction. The central por
ton Of this range consisted not OF crystalline rocks
wedged through the rocks but of carb onierous
rocks that had appraised great fat dome, aud
had been above water for a very long time. This
bOnferous centre particularly interesting from the
fact OF Its presenting tho strata perfectly
horizontal They could be seen. terrace after
terrace, for miles. and it could be noted
whether or not they had been cut through,
by faults to what extent they hal been twisted. and TO
what extent erOded by atmospheric influences. Getting
the tops OF these great mountains he could see that
the strata were almost entirely horizontal for mites and
that valleys had been renched ont OF them, no; by
means of faults all bnt actually by Of the
remains Of erosion that they bad not been formed by
any snbterrancan movements but actually Gouged out
by the that covered those mountains. Striking
uto one OF the valleys, he found beautiful horseshoe
moraiies. These had the valley and formed
"a succession OF lakos while the beavers had made n
great many In places not reached by tine
ralLee ia NJ those valleys there were hundreds
of acres OF bogaud entirely due 10 he damng OF the
waters the beavers The plans III the neighborhoOd
OF the Uintah Mountains were called " Bad Lands" be-
cause they crumbng down under he action OF the
weather, ana nothing would grow npon them A skee-
ton found In hill OF that district was brought TO
Professor Marsh and turned be the bones or an
extinct and undesciibed reptile
VOLCANIC REMAINS IN THE YELLOWSTONE COUNTRY.
From the Uinfah Mountains Professor Geike found
his way north the Vel owstone country. and
ined fading traces OF volcanic action. The volcanoes
seemed in thar region have connued themselves very
much to the valleys. The heights either hand con-
sisted OF crystalline rocbs the bottom OF the valley had
been literally deluged with sheets vi lava. These
examined with considerable In the course OF the
examination huge mounds OF gravel aud stones were
met WITH which. at the first glance, evidently
moraines The rs, was marked by huge block OF rock
erratic of coarse granite different from the rocks
round such bucks he found To increase In
ce5sn. or Sopse lie sna IN. sides exauiseiy s,ated
II clear, therefore, that not only Vac this second
canon old IL older than the glacial period II
supplied channel for the glsser that ground IFS
out from those mountains. Endeayorlng TO estimate
the minimum thickness Of the ice he traced STRIFE
up 900 feet, and they evidently went higher than
that But going further up the valley he founr that
glacier melted went far above the 1,000ft. limit
he got them the shoulder Of Que OF the great hills
oyerlockiDg the valley GOO LOO feet above the
bottom the valley the Ice therefore, must have been
COG or 700 rhick. II thus appeared that not
ougy did those mountains possess glaciers but OF
these Of such thickness ceserve the OF
icesheets covering the whole surrounding region A.
10 the volcanic phenomena of the district be evil
dence OF long series Of eruptoDs one after another
separated by Drolonee intervals. during which
river AT work cutting out the older iayas, the
newer lavas filing the boil ows eroded by the
most marvellous piece Of mineral color anywhere to he
seen In the world. II cut Olt OF tufts OF avas show
ing sulphur yellow, green. vcrmion. crimson aud
orange tints marvellous that Il was Impossible to
transfer them to paper.
THR GEYsrRs.
Ieavanp the Yellowstone Valley. he struck south vest