St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-24
VOLCANOES OF TIE PACIFIC
Underground Forces Which Are
Not Down on the Maps.

Underground Forces Which Are
Not Down on the Maps.
New York Evening Sun.
The news from San Francisco of Sc
we're shock of earthquake along the
Californian coast Thursday morning
proves that the subterranean forces, the
evidences of whose tremendous power
in former geological ages is everywhere
to be found throughout the Pacific
slope, are not yet entirely extinct. They
are merely dormant. si,
Examination Of geological map of
the Rocky mountain and Sierra Nevada
region shows the entire country to be
dotted and splashed with streaks of red,
denOting the rocky remains of former
volcanic vents No active volcanoes
are known to exist within the bound
aries of the United States at present,
buta number of Investigators believe
that they have discovered signs that
there have been genuine volcanic erup-
ton at several points in that region
since man first took up his abode on the
Pacific slope.
In fact, in one place in Plumas
county, Cal, some sixteen years ago,
discoveries of pumice stone and lava
cone, so situated in connection with the
trees then existing in the neighborhood
as to give evidence that an eruption
had taken place within less than fifty
years. Traditions of the trapperS also
seemed to bear out this interesting sup
position.
In Oregon and Washington there are
numerous giant volcanic mountains,
among them Mount Shasta, Mount
Hood and Mount st. Helens. These
have never been in eruption with
in recent times. But both north
and south of the United States there
are very active centers of volcanic dis
turbance with which the California and
Oregon volcanoes, though they are sup
posed to be extinct, are connected al
most uninterruptedly. Alaska has num-
Der of volcanoes. the greatest of which
is Mount st. Elias. The Aleutlan isl
ands are also entirely volcanic, and
in their area during the past century.
The islands join the volcanoes OF
America with those of the old world
in Kamtchatka. Japan, the PHILIPPINES,
the Indian archipelago and Australasia.
South of the United States, too, lie
the great volcanic belts of Mexico,
Central America and the South Ameri-
can Pacific slope.
There have been number of in
stances where a volcanic region has re-
manned dormant and the subterranean
forces had become extinct, apparently,
for immense periods of time, and then,
with scarcely warning beyond rum
bling earthquake or two, the crater has
suddenly broken forth into activity,
overwhelming the country for great
distances around with ruin and death.
Thus twas with Mount Vesuvius, which
was apparently dead for ages previous
to the great eruption which destroyed
Pompeii and Herculaneam. Within the
past week or two reports have been re-
ceived that the great sacred mountain
of Japan, Fusivama, which has ex-
hibited no signs of activity for over a
century. has again started in on am
eruption, causing great corSternatlon
throughout all Japan.
With these examples in mind it can
not be said definitely that the volcanoes
of the United States Pacific slope are
extinct. The subterTanean forces are.
still alive, though they may sleep long.
That they exist is proved by Thursdays
earthquake shock and the other seismic
disturbances so often reported from the
Pacific coast. When they will break
forth terribly again, or whether they
will ever do so, is question which no.
body can answer