Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-06-25
rREAsuRgs IRON ROCKS.


Mountains Are Made.
Two very remarkable curiosities
are placed side by side on little
shelf at the Geological Survey says
the Washington Post One Is lump
of chalcedony as bigas child's fist
white and translucent 1t Is but o
thin she'll and when held to the light
is seen 10 be nearly filled with water
which flows about as the object is
turned this way and that What
makes II interesting is that the water
has undoubtedly been inclosed and
Theoretically sealed in this natural
receptacle for thousands and thousands
OF years. Probably 1t was there long
before Moses was born and yet not a
drop Of IL has eyaporated
Originally there was cavity in the
rock, formed by a volcanic bubble.
Water percolated into ii bringing ia
solution slick which was deposited on
the walls OF the little hollow in a
coating OF chalcedony. At length il
would have filled up solid with beauti-
full crystals. forming one OF those
goodies. as they are called which
are nature treasure Baskets found
concealed in rocky formations where
least expected and revealing wonders
of brilliant color Agetes are made
in the same fashion. However IN
this instance the small channel by
which the water flowed in and out
became closed up In some way and so
the process stopped After the lapse
OF no one can tell how many CEN
turtles the stony mass containing the
chalcedony chamber. with its liquid
contents was broken open and il fell
out being loose.
The other curious object above re-
/ ferred 10 Is what appears 10 be a pet
riiied oyster cut through so that one
sees IL apparently ON the half she'll
| just as il would look when opened
fresh for customer 1t was found
Ia the chalk beds formed largely OF
the shells Of various biyalyes, prob
ably many oysters and clans among
them. The so-called heart Of the
animal which is its big muscle and
all the other parts are wonderfully
distinct There is even small pearl
ia IL seemingly Yet IL is not an
oyster at all but merely one Of those
wonderful limitations which nature
makes OF her own works in freakish
moods
The governments rock sharps find
many surprising curiosity among
the rocks which II is their business TO
investigate. just now at the Office OF
the Geological survey they are en-.
gagged in building imitation mount
aims for the purpose OF studying the
way In which the eternal hills were
formed by the crumpling due 70 the
contraction OF the earth's crust The
coal basins and other valuable miner
nj deposits In many parts Of the
United States have undergone just
such crumpling. so that il viii be
profitable 10 ascertain the law govern
ing IL
Tho imitation mountains are built
OF wax, hardened or soltened by mix
ing IL with other substances. so that II
shall resemble 10 consistency the brit
tie rocks dear the surface OF the earth
or the plastic rocks which are in thai
condition because OF the great pressure
that exists even az depths Of only two
or three miles as the case may be.
The mixture is cast in layers OF &
given thickness by melting and ilow-
ing il into wooden trough. Wher
3 each layer has hardened II is taker
out aud a number of the layers thu
made are superimposed one upon tn,
/ other like layers OF jelly cake repre-
senting geological strata. The mex
process Is to place the layers in /
machine piling shot on top OF then
{ TO represent the force of gravity. aftel
which pressure is applied from TN
ends very slowly by piston advances
7 with a screw. This causes them I,
crumple up and under the artiicia
contraction they are found 20 take pre-
= cisely the forms of mountain range
like the Alleghenies.