The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-04-01
MINERAL VEINS AND ORES.
An Interesting Resume of the Various The
ories Concerning Their Origin, Etc.
From the Denver Observer,

An Interesting Resume of the Various The
| ories CONCERNING Their Origin, Etc.
From the Denver Observer
In one sense all ores are native. in an
other sense they are not. Thus, th,
ore OF any metal may be called native
because it is a natural product, so found
but In another sense the metal is native
only when found pure and unalloyed, OF
uncombIned mechanically or chemically
with other substances. Some ores beal
no resemblance TO the metal which is
their basis, as, for example, oxide OF
zine; here the color, streak, malleabilit,
and weight, all vary from that of zine
so that 1T bears no resemblance to zinc
either in appearance or physical quail
ties. The same is true of malachite,
carbonate of copper, which bears no re-
semblance to the metal. This diyerp.
ence from the metallic base has great
similarity to the same thing in pure
chemical combinations seen in labora-
tory work; yet, while it is usual, it is by
no means universal. Thus, lead ores
usually resemble lead, as ga1ena is often
taken for lead, and many persons. on
melting piece of rock containing ga
lena, and seeing the lead run out, would
imagine that they were merely melting
out the lead; but in reality native lead
is not known. fs*
Of the various metals whose ores are
found, it is significant fact that some
are practically always found native, and
others never so found. Thus, gold is an
example of the first class and iron of the
second, the only native iron being found
In rocks Of meteoric origin. Again,
some metals have great affinity for
sulphur and oxygen, and it is this class
OF metals that are never found native.
Thus; iron has this affinity, particularly
for oxygen, especially in the presence of
moisture, SO that if all the iron in the
globe had originally been native, it
would not ever have been found so row,
as In consequence of the action of the
air and moisture it would ali be rusted.
Gold and platinum, as they have no
such asflnities, belong to the first class:
but, besides that, there is still another
class of metals which occur native, such
as silver, copper, etc. This arises from
the fact that the combinations which
they first formed were readily decom-
posed and the metals set free. The
question arises, whence came all these
ores? As it is well known, they are
generally found in veins, or rather there
are what were apparently assures in
the earth, which are now filled with
these ores. The old notion was that
the interior of the earth was vast
reservoir of precious metals, and that
IN the process of cooling cracks or fis-
sures were formed in the earth's crust.
and the natalie compounds forced nm
from the center in liquid state, and
gradually cooled and crystallized. In
other words, they were supposed to be
OF the same origin as the numerous
trap dikes that we find everywhere.
But these dikes which were formed in
this way never contain any trace of
elements.
What, then, was the source of all our
ores? In word, it was the
primeval ocean; this was their grand
source. This is no theory, merely, but
IS capable of demonstration. The
waters of the ocean, even to the present
lay, contain traces of the preeious
metals; silver in exceedingly small
Quantities, but gold is present in very
quantities. A French chem |
st, after many analyses, found shat sea |
water contained on an averae.s about |
,ne grain of gold to the ton, and from
he amount OF sea water, it is estimated |
hat there is to-day present in it more
han 100000 times the amount |
hat has ever been mined. How can this |
enormous wealth be obtained and util- |
zed? This is the problem for some |
modern chemist to solve, to obtain some |
ubstance which viii preeipitate the
,old, the same as a plate of iron will |
'reclpitate the copper from a solution
i copper sulphate. To explain how
his ancient ocean contained all these
metals In state of solution, we must
% back to the condition of things at
his time. Before there was an ocean /
he water was all in our atmosphere.
nd even when it began to be precipi-
ated it was in a continual state of per
urbation, and the first water formed
must have been under an immense pres
ure and have been intensely hot. Now
IS well known that water under these
onditious has intense solvent power.
nd would dissolve even some of our
ardest rocks. This experiment has
cen tried, and water has been incIosed
4 strong glass tubes containing different
res and rocks, and then intensely heat
q, when it was found to have dissolved
art of the glass and attacked the most
bdurate ores and metals. Quartz es-
eeially was particularly affected. In
ur National Park, the solvent power of
OF water isseen where the geysers are
lrrounded by stalactites of quartz.
'hich have been formed from the water
owing from them. This extends also
ores of metals. Now-nearly nine
enths OF all such ores are combinations
the metals with sulphur and oxygen.
'ow the sulphates Of all these metals
re soluble, so that being dissolved by
lls ocean they remained in a state of
,lution. This, then, was the condition
the ocean just before it began to bear
fe.
A chemist once had solution of sui
hate OF iron in a jar, which upon ex-
one day, after having been
ing forgotten, was found TO have par
ally crySallized. On breaking open
he mass of crystals, he came to q guam