Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-09-14
FOSSILIZED TREES.
IMMENSE FORESTS THAT HAVE TURN
ED TO STONE.

An Insight Into the Mighty Operations of
the Great Yellowstone National Park
Fossil Forest Ridge.
The Yellowstone National park is
called the wonderland of America, and
since the destruction of the New Yea
land geyser area it is perhaps entitled
to be called the wonderland of the
world, for within its limits the most
varied of natures workings may be OBJ
served. Its hundreds of hot springs and
geysers, its precipitous canyons and rush
ing cataracts, its snow capped mountain
peaks and mirrored lakes make it of
surprising interest. The lover of nat
ural scenery may linger long over it's
beauties and its wonders.
From the geological point of view it
is also of great interest, for here may
be found rocks that range in age from
the most ancient of which we have any
knowledge to those in process of forma-
ton at the present moment. The SUI
perheated waters of the hot springs and
geysers hold a large amount of rock
making material i'll solution, which is
deposited about the openings of the
springs on the cooling of the waters, and
i'll this way building up mass of great
magnitude. These springs and geysers
are constantly breaking out in new
places, often on the borders or in the
forests of living trees The trees are
killed at once by the hot water, and on
becoming withered and dry begin soon
to take up the rockmaking solution by
which they are bathed, and thus to pass
into the fossil state.
Conditions similar to these or at least
favorable to the preservation of fossil
forests, appear to have existed from
remote time, for there is evidence to
show that the fossil forests We're pre-
served before the most active of the hot
spring phenomena were inaugurated.
These fossil forests are located in the
northeastern corner of the Yellowstone
National park, at a place known locally
as Amethyst mountain, or Fossil Forest
ridge. This is really a mountain some
ten miles long and rising nealry or quite
1000 feet above the general level of the
valley. If it were possible to cut a sec
ton down through this mountain, as a
slice is cut from a loaf of bread, there
would be found u succession of at least
8 fossil forests, one above another
that is to say, at some remote day, geo.
logically speaking, there grew great
forest, which was covered up by the
elected material from great volcano,
rivaling i'll size Mount Etna, that is
known to have existed some miles to
the north The trees were entombed in
an upright position, and under the ac-
ton of silica charged waters We're fossil
lied. The action of the volcano ceased,
and quiet was restored for sufficient
length of time for second forest to be
developed above the first Then came q
second outburst from the volcano, and
this forest was buried and fossilized like
the first, and so, in turn, have the dozen
or more forests flourished and been en-
quilted.
Then came the final quiet, the rum
bling of the volcano ceased, and its fires
were extinguished. But immediately
the action of the elements began, and
the wearing forces of rain and frost, act
ing through long ages, have carved out
this mountain, in the heart of which
may be read the story of its origin. This
denudation appears to have been unac-
companied by any of the violent move
ments so often characteristic of mountain
building, and consequently when the
softer material is worn away from
around the trunks they stand upright in
the exact positions in which they grew
originally.
The first forest to be visited is in
the vicinity of Yancey's, stage station
on the mail route from the Mammoth
Hot Springs to Cooke City, Mon 1t is
about mile west of the junction of the
Lamar river and the Yellowstone, and
on the middle slope of low hill AS
one approaches the locality, several
trunks are observed standing ON the hill
side, which at distance seem quite like
the stumps of living trees, and even a
nearer approach barely suffices to reveal
their true nature, as they are covered
with Hchens and blackened and discol-
ored by frost and rain. They are, how
ever, yeritable fossil trunks, standing
upright on the steep hillside, in the
same positions in which they grew The
largest trunk is 13 = feet i'll circumfer-
ence and about 10 feet in height 1t is
considerably weathered and must have
been much larger when living, for the
bark is in no place preserved. The 9th
ers-and there are dozens of them-aro
slightly smaller, and have been wealth
cred down until, i'll most cases, only
few inches can be seen above the sur
face So perfectly are they preserved
that each stump shows the annual rings
as distinctly visible as in a freshly cut
living tree, and even each tiny cell, with
its fine and delicate markings, is abso-
lutely perfect.
The next forest is some 10 or IL miles
distant, along the Lamar river, on the
south side of which faces the Fossil For
est ridge. In some places perpendicular
cliffs many feet in height may be seen.
These cliffs have worn away, leaving ex-
posed huge trees, which may be observed
from distance of a mile or more from
the valley, standing out in bold relief,
as it has been aptly said, Sc like the pill
lars of some ancient temple" A closer
view shows these trees to be from to
6 feet in diameter, and often 20 or 30
feet high, with their great roots run
ming off into the solid rock. A great
niche in the face of the wall marks the
place from which one of these trunks
has fallen. Some of the remaining ones
appear just ready to fall, while others
I. II 4