The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1895-12-14
Fossilized Trees.
From The Epoch.

1h1 l ellOWstOue Ndlhiildl pdIh ID ClllCu
the wonderland OF America, and since the
destruction Of the New Zealand geyser
area it is perhaps entitled to be called the
wonderland Of the world, for within It's
limits the most varied of nature workings
NAV be observed Its hundreds OF hot
springs and geysers, its precipitous canyons
and rushing cataractS. its snow capped
mountain peaks and mirrored lakes make
it Of surprising interest. The lover Of
natural scenery may hnger long over its
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 knowl
edge to those i'll process of formation at
the present moment The superheated
waters of the hot springs and geysers hold
a large amount of rock making material in
solution, which is deposited about the
openings of the springs on the cooling OF
the waters, and in 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 for
ests, appear to have existed from remote
time, for there is evidence to show that
the fossil forests were preserved 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 place
known locally as Amethyst mountain, or
Fossil Forest ridge This is really a
mountain some ten miles long and rising
nearly or quite ?, 900 feet above the gen
eral level of the valley. If it were posi-
BILE to cut section down through this
mountain, as Il slice is cut from loaf Of
bread, there would be found succession
of least Is fossil forests, one above
another-that is to say, at some remote
day, geologically speaking, there grew a
great forest, which was covered up by the
elected material from great volcano, riv
aling in 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 action of silica
charged water were fossilized The action
of the volcano ceased, and quiet was re-
stored for sufficient length Of time for a
second forest to be developed above the
| first. Then came 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 engulfed.
Then came the final quiet, the rumbllng
of the volcano ceased, and its fires were
extinguished. But Immediately the ac-
ton Of the elements began, and the wear
ing forces of rain and frost, acting through
long ages, have carved out this mountain,
in the heart of which may be read the
story of its origin This denudation ap-
pears to have been unaccompanied by any
/ Of the violent movements 50 often charac-
teristic Of mountain building, and comse-
/ quently when the softer material is Worn
away from around the trunks they stand
uprig ght in the exact positions III 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
a mile west Of the junction Of the Damal
river and the Yellowstone, and ON the
middle slope of low hill. AS one ap-
proaches the locality, several trunks are
observed standing on the hillside, which
at distance seem quite like the stumps
Of living trees, and even nearer approach
| barely suffices to reveal their true nature,
as they are covered with lichens and black
ened and discolored by frost and rain.
They are however. veritable fossils trunks,
standing upright on the steep hillside, IN
the same positions in which they grew.
The largest trunk is l31B feet in circum
ference and about Is feet in height. II
is considerably weathered and must have
been much larger when living, for the bark
is in no place preserved. The others
and there are dozens Of them-are slightly
smaller. and have been weathered down
until, in most cases, only few inches can
be seen above the surface. SO perfectly
are they preserved that each stump shows
the annual rings as distinctly visible as in
freshly cut living tree, and even each
tiny cell, with its fine and delicate mark
ings, is absolutely perfect.
The next forest is some 10 or 2 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 a distance of a mile or more from the
valley, standing out in bold relief, as ii
has been aptly said, like the pillars OF
some ancient temple. 4 closer view
shows these trees to be from t TO 6 feet In
| diameter. and often 20 or 30 feet high,
with their great roots running 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 project but little beyond the
face-showing that the mountain is filled
with the remains of these trees
An illustration of how space is. .annihilat-
Il - +bo tolapronh waS afforded n few