The sun., 1895-05-05
FORESTS TURNED TO STONE.
FoasiIination ON Gigantic scale In the
fellowstone-An Insight to tho Mighty
Operations of Nature Which Produced Il,


Fossilination ON n Gigantic Scale In the
fellowstone-An Insight to tho Mighty
Operations of Nature Which Produced ID.
From the Epoch.
The Yellowstone National Park Ia called the
Wonderland of America, and since tho destruo-
tion Of the New Zealand geyser area, 1t is. per-
haps, entitled to be called the wond erland of tho
world. for within its limits the most varied Of
natures workings may be observed. Its hun
dreds Of hot springs and geysers. Its prccipitous
cahons and rushing cataracts, its now-capped
mountain peaks and mirrored lakes, mako II Of
SURPRISING interest. The lover of natural
wonders. "
From the geological point of view 1t 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 for
nation nation at the present moment. The super
heated waters OF the hot springs and geysers
hold a large amount Of rock -lnaking material
IN solution. which is deposited about, the OPEN
magnitude These springs and '! reysers Sc s'srs are
the borders or in the forests Of living trees The
trees are killed at once by the hot water and on
up the rock making solution by which they are
bathed and thus to pass into the fossil state.
ITO similar +" these M least favor
to have existed from remote time. for thcre is
evidence 70 show that the fossil forests were
preserved before the most active OF the hot
spring phenomena were inaugurated; These
oss or ,he "ss,ed in The
Fossil Forest Ridge. This is really a mountain
quite, 1000 feet. above the general level
.. OF the valley. II it were possible to cut a
a slice Is cut from loaf of bread. there
would be found succession Of at least fifteen
at some remote day. geologicnlly speaking. there
grew great forest. which was covered up BY
xae,;e xae elected matsrla! ] from great yocano RI
have existed some miles to tho north The trees
Tsrs s,e II an Upright position and
sized. The action of the volcano ceased and
quiet WAS restored for sufficient length Of time
FOR second forest TO be developed above tho
first. Then came II second outburst from the
volcano. and this forest was buried and FOSSIL
or more forests fourished and been engulfed
Ihen came the final quiet. the rumbling Of the
But Immediately the action Of the elements be.
gan and the wearing forces of rain and frost,
acting through loEE ages, have carved out this
the story OF its origin. This denudation appears
to have been unaccompanied by any of the vio-
mountain building and consequently when tho
softer softer material ,, is worn away from around the
r. s4ssS ETY. is ii, the eln,
from the Mammoth Hot Springs to Cooke City,
Mon: 1t is about mile west of the junction OF
the middle slope OF low hi. As one ne ap-
5aH doen feyeTa a trunks are OBJ
aue Ike The stnmps W4fh o ynk at
and even nearer approach barely sufflces to
with ehsns anS h sna G,
however, yer,tabie fossil trunks. stand: md
same positions in which they grew. The
largest trunk is thirteen and a half feet in cir
is considerably weathered. and must have been
much larger when living, for the bark is in NO
dozens of them are slightly smaller. and have
been weathered down until. IN most cases, only
perfectly are they preserved that each stump
shows the annual rings as distinctly visible az
en- e Snd aecaae aed eSsh
sointely perfect.
The next forest is some ten or twelve miles
side OF Which faces the FOSSIL Forest st Ridge Id SUN In
some some. places mperpendicTiar pc cliffs many feet In
away. leaving exposed huge trees which may be
observed from a distance OF a mile or more from
been ap5ly said lik the pillars Of r some ancient
temple" A closer view shows these trees 70 bs
twenty or thirty feet high with their great roots
running or into the solid rock. great niche
which one Of these trunks has fallen. Some Of
M the =, remaining ones appear Just ready To fall.
showing that the mountain is filled with the re,
mains of these trees.
n 1eW llilIt5 uOWn the lNer from THESE Cll1s 10
The last. and. i'll sume respects, the most won.
teriul Of all the forests. II Is exposed on hill
side too steep to suppOrt vegetation. The largest
tree. which must have been Il very king OF its
race, stands guard on the summit OF the hill It
s twenty-six and one half feet in circumference
and fourteen feet in height, with roots AS large
AS the trunks OF ordinary trees, i'm mbedded In
the solid rock. Just below this giant a nd form
nE, az wo may suppose. the door posts OF this
ancient temple. are two trees nearly nine feet in
and about twenty-five feet high
From this point on the hillside are scat
ercd about hundreds OF trunks from one to
.ight feet in diameter. and from few inches TO
-wenty feet in height. one of the very largest
WAS Frustrated before IL was fossilized and 10
,Npnsed Tor over forty feet. Both ends are con-
called. and consequently its length cannot be
'ecly preserved, even to the bark, which In
some case, IL hve inches thick.
IL should not, OF course be supposed hat these
rees are preserved entire. that is with branches
and leaves attached. They consist only uf
ranks ana roots. but in the rocks all about ITO
,recs thefe nre Impressions OF branches, leayCI
ana even cones and fruits, that must have be-
IS well rs the beautifully preserved internal
or the trunks themselves n very sats-
factory dea may be formed as 10 The appear
incn they must have presented while living,
Those with the thick bark were conifers lao
ne seqlolas or big trees" Of California. and
iullo likely were their direct ancestors. Olhrrs
Ncr" Ike our common trees that is. such ~
las; ana llndens. The only living trees found
n the vicinity Of the fossil forests are pines and
pruces and two kinds of cottonwood. fact
which teaches clearly that the conditions II
&c, must have changed greatly
ince these wonderful fossil trees were living.