The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-11-10
S p = c. c S .
COAL IN MINNESOTA.

In view or the TACT tnat Cnere nav
been a number of reports lately OF 5h
coal in Minnesota and that one O
two farmers have discovered veins OF
it in their land from three to fou
feet thick and they are taking i
out for fuel and fine. it of good heating
quality, the following from the Min
neapolis Journal will prove interest
ing:
A paper contributed to the Ameri
canGeologist, October number, byH. V
Winchell, of this city, which contains
interesting references to the Ignite
or brown coal deposits in the creta
ceous area OF the state.
Mr.. WiDchell shows, from the dis
covery of cretaceous deposit in the
Mesaba iron range, that the ancient
cretaceous sea covered much larger
larger area than has supposed and. as
brown coal is a feature of the creta
ceous sediment formation. Mr.. Win
chell is doubtless right in his predic,
ton that under great swamp in st.
Louis county, between the Duluth &
Iron Range road and the Mississippi
river. will be found "the most promis-
| ing field for the discovery of work
able brown coal deposits in Mime
SOta."
From time to time in the western
portion of the state discoveries OF
Ignite are announced, some of the
veins being two or three feet thick.
There is in fact, no doubt that since
the cretaceous area extends over a
large portion of Minnesota, there is a
very large amount of such coal avail
able, as in North Dakota, over which
the old cretaceous sea rolled. At that
period The Appalachian mountain
range remained above water, with
the old Laurentine ranges, while the
Rocky mountains and the Andes were
partly submerged and it is probable
that the great cretaceOus sea covered
the portion of the continent from the
Appalachians to the Pacific ard south
to the Gulf of Mexico and north to
the Attic ocean. Darwin asserts that
800, 100000 years have elapsed since
the peroid of the chalk deposits. Mr..
Jukes thinks it has been 80, 000,0 900
years, but these gentlemen are extra
vagent. 1t is enough to know that
the cretaceOuS seas existed before
man and that their beds have been
uplifted to great elevations by the
crumbling of the crust of the earth in
some places and have subsidized in
others. The curious beasts which
ranged those waters and the land, the
Ichthyosaurs dinosaurs, pterodactyis
and other creatures disappeared and
the tertiary perOid brought to view a
host of new forms. of life. The repIi-
liam age passsd away with the subsi-
dence of the cretaceous deluge. The
highest land, Mr.. Winchell thinks, in
northern Minnesota was submerged |
III thlS uOluSC duu COfClCu Wy lUS SOul-
ments. He points out that these
sediments rest upon the most ancient
arch9an rock. The Laurentlon rock |
doubtless formed the great ribs or
framework of this continent and one
runs northeasterly under New York
state and Canada to Labridor and an
other branches northwesterly under
1t is evident that the
North Star state rests largely on a
petty solid basis of primitive rock.
Within the cretaceous Sentimental
area, brown coal may be found in
quantities and one day it will
have commercial value and be used |
That which has been
found in Minnesota's fairly rich in
carbon. 1t is Of too Iecent formation,
comparatively speaking, to have the
value of true coal.