The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-05-31
The Causes Of Heat IN Mines.

Lime is undoubtedly one cause Of heat in
or mines but IL Is lot the only or great heat
producer, Lime IS local in It's action; the
heat Produced by it is confined to certain sec
lions O! the minus. while underiN ing the
whole length of me COmStoCk lode is that
Which causes the general h al, namely the de-
puslto Of Iron pylIieS. The hottest places IN
the mines are "llrle The heat is generated by
bo1ll lime and pyrites; it IS the l,AG from the
lime added t. the general heat frUm natures
workshop below.
The hot springs Of Colorado may derive q
pOrtlon Of their heat tlOm TIE decomposition,
Of lime, bat this is nuL d secunIaIy Cause.
The great and first cause Of heat lii springs
and mines is the decomposition Of iron pyrites
masses of iron and sulphur. Al Steamboat
Springs and other pt<ees in this state, and at
hlos5 OF the hot springs iii California, the
heat is produced by the burning out or dacom-
position OF iron pyrites. AT Steamboat Springs
the course of the deposits of iron pyrites is
northeast and southwest, the same as that of
the great mineral bearing veins of the state.
The line of the active springs follows the
course OF this deposit, moving toward the
northeast. At the southwest end are TO be
seen places whose the deposit of iron pyrites
ana similar minerals carrying large quantities
OF sulphur las burned out. and 1.-The sp'ings
'~'N "ASN ""els ~ pIoJCSo u UulIlilS III
is slowly moving toward the northeast. III
1860 the writer saw a new spring just starting
up through a thick growth of grass in a bit
of meadow far in advance Of the older aud
larger ones, but on the same general line, well
out to the Ortheast.
The base metal deposit at Steamboat
Springs also has the same dip as the Com
stock, and is working east as well as toward
the north. by going from half to three
quarters OF a mile west Of the PRESENT active
springs at Steamboat, one MAJ see where the
springs were ages ago, along near the crop
pings or upper edge of the deposit or pyritic
matter. As the decomposition proceeded
downward and eastward along the dip of the
deposit, the steam and hot water found or
forced new vertical hanneis of escape.
Some OF these openings are probably natural
cfeVlces, but the majority are undoubtedly
rents produced by the force of steam and
pent-up gases. Even Oh the surface of Steam
boat Springs are to be seen long rents from
an inch or two to over a foot in width that
have a northeast aud southwest course. In
California some of the hot springs are OBJ
served to be dying out at one end of their
line and advancing INTO new ground at the
other.
AT Steamboat Springs we probably See a
org mineral vein dixie the Const ock) in pro
cess OF formation. Ages ago there was prot
ably a line of hot springs along the course OF
the Coinstock.\ The mines of Europe and
Mexico, which are comparatively cold at
great depths, are undoubtedly ages and ages
Older than the Comstock. The Comstock is
probably the youngest mine in any part of
the world that is now known or being worked.
Here, down in our lower levels, we are fol-
lowing close upon the heels Of nature
getting we'll dow into her workshop.
AS to the heat-generating power of sulphur
and iron, these who desire to do SO may sat
lsfY themselves, Take a few pounds of iron
filings, borings, and drillings from a machine
shop, wet them and mix In a pound or two OF
sulphur, then lamp the mixture firmly into a
hoie IN the ~ground-like a post bole-cever,
Ing with two or three inches of dirt, and in a
short time there will be seen a miniature
volcano, the batch of iron and sulphur taking
fre spontaneously.-Virgin (Nep.) Enter.
prise.