Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-07-25

Wat SCIENCE TELLS.
Revelations of She Rocks OF the North
American Continent.

Revelations of She Rocks OF The North
American Continent
The plans of the Government Geological
Survey for the coming fiscal year embrace
the sending of a typographical party 20
New Jersey, whose work will probably eX-
tend over two year, The mapped areas OF
the coal and iron bearing regions If the
East viii be considerably enlarged. The
ablest scientists in The Government service,
who have been employed il the regions
west Of the hlndredth meridian, are 10 be
transferred to the East.
Some of the scientists are now painting
the details into a picture Of the young con
tlnent in the quaternary period, just preyl-
Gus TO the advent Of human Life. The
great mountain systems were already up
lifted, and were vastly more rugged and
higher than now. The Southern sea, now
the Gulf Of Mexico, had possession Of an
immense strip Of tle lower country and
of the great valley Of the Atlantic coast.
The Pacific coast was . region Of steep
glaciers. The Great Basin was an in
land ocean, or rather two great inland
seas were fosnd within it, OF one Of which
the Great Salt Lake IS = petty remnant.
This region and that 20 the south, now SO
sterile and dry, was then one OF great hu-
mildly, and, where not covered with water,
was very fertile. An ice sheet extended
over the northern portion Of the eastern
and middle country, covering the great
lakes and the bordering regions 10 the
south for hundreds of miles.
Continually moving southwark, this sheet
deposited its cargoes Of detrjtus century
after century, forming the subsOils OF what
are now the Eastern, Middle and North
western States; and heaped up a terminal
rnOraine, still distinctly tracsab.e GS 4 range
Of hills through New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, and thence northwest
ward along the present line Of the Missouri
through Dakota and mp into the British
possessions. Great tongues of ice shot off
from this sheet far 10 the southwark, while
an island region. comprising much Of the
present State Of Wisconsin, remained bare.
There were, in fact. two great ice periods,
with an intervening season l1nger than the
time which has elapsed since the disap-
pesranCe Of the last sheet, and during the
interval forests Of large cOnifers covered the
face Of the earth. Long Island, which was
created by glacial deposits marks the
southeastern limit OF the sheet.
The climatic conditions Of the country
south of the great ice belt we're much the
same as at present, and the flora was SINH
lar, though c0nifer0us grOWths were pro-
portionally much more abundant Through
the forests along the borders Of the ice
sheet roamed strange animals, among
which were the huge, hairy and more than
elephantine mammoth the horse, q
smaller animal than his relative of today
having welcomed hoofs but still bearing
in parliamentary form one or two of the toes
Of his primeval ancestors the great buffalo
two or three times larger than his descend
ant of to-day the pig more nearly resem6i
ing the peccary of South America than the
familiar hog oi our own country, and other
creatures curiously related 70 tie modern
camel and rhiuCCeros.
Then came man, but his carly footprints
are TOO few and indistinct to reveal within
a few thousand years just when be came,
while whence and how he came few ven
tu-e even to guest Phl!adelphl Press.