Daily Kennebec journal., 1895-05-21
THE GLACIAL PERIOD
EVIDENCES OF IT TO BE SEEN ON
THE PACIFIC COAST.

ss's sSsSss ~ ~O''~''
4 Field For the Student Of Glacial Phe-
nomena 1t the Berkeley University
Professor Joseph le Conte Talks Inter-
estingly Upon the Subject.
According to Professor Joseph lie Conte,
the student of glacial phenomena need
not go beyond Berkeley to pursue his stud
les. Just behind the university, declares
the professor there once existed a glacier
which has left behind every evidence Of its
presence, including a terminal moraine
now vanished, which, he says, the regents
are seriously thinking OF restoring.
II never talk about geology" he said,
"but some one asks me, How long, how
many years ago, is 1t since the glaciers
covered the greater part Of North Amer
icai' Biologists never measure time by
years, but by geographical epochs. But,
however, the GLACIER may be said to have
reached Its greatest development about
200, 900 years ago. 1t Is certain that its
decline took place not more than Is, 900 or
10000 years ago.
WAS man alive at that timer" am
also asked He was. Not while the gla-
cier was at its height, however, but while
1t was declining, or, that is to say, about
100, 900 years ago, in my opinion.
$50 it Is that the glacial epoch In Cali
fornia dates back to tho same time as the
great glacier which extended as far south
MS Pennsylvania, tho Ohio and Missouri
rivers and thence northward to the Pacific
ocean. It's most southern point on the
western slope, however, did not extend to
California. 1t stopped almost on the
boundary between this state and Oregon
and extended northward over n portion of
Alaska, not covering 1t all, mind you, but
only tho southern portion, where remnants
Of 1t still remain.
"California was cut off from the main
glacier. She had a private glacier manu-
factory Of her own which covered the Sier-
ra Nevada as far south as 32 degrees south
latitude. Every canyon, every valley, ev-
cry crevice was filled with ice. In the
Tuolumne and Yosemite valleys the gla-
cicr was particularly extensive, covering
upward of 40 or 80 miles. Evidences of its
presence are abundant and more clearly
defined than were those of the great gla-
cier, while remnants still remain on many
of tho Sierra caps notably Mounts Shasta,
LyelI and Ritter.
"Take our Contra Costa hills. They
were ice capped and had parts of glaciers
wearing grooves along the sides. AT Berkc-
ley have found evidences Of glacial ac-
ton. 1t came right down Strawberry can
yon, wearing the ground smooth along its
path, but it had respect for the university
and stopped right above it, leaving n ter
minal moraine, which, forming q dam,
soon created q small lake which disappear
cd when the moraine vanished.
"The regents arc seriously thinking of
restoring it. They could build right across
the creek where tho moraine took lodg-
ment and form a lake just like the one
that existed there before
LET us look at the larger Sierra gla-
ciers--the Yosemite, for instance. The
Yosemite valley was filed to the brim
with ice. There were no falls there then,
and the ice covered everything If you go
riding on horseback over some parts Of
tho valley, you must be careful the animal
does not slip, for in many places you will
find the rock as smooth and polished as n
die, which is evidence of glacial action.
Again, you will find bowlders half as big
as this room, composed of coarse grained
granite, which can DO traced back to the
very ledge from which they came, miles
away. No other power but tho glacier
could have moved them to their present
position.
"Then there was tho great Tuolumne
glacier, in my opinion tho very best of all,
covering tho whole valley for about so
miles to u depth of from 1000 to 9, 200
feet. 1t touched upon Mount Lyell, Mount
Gibbs and Mount Warren, all of which
were tributary to it. A stranded line of
trees around the Gdcs of these mountains
shows tho altitude of the glacier and indi-
Gates where the moraine finally settled.
'Hctch Hetchi valley was once filled to
the brink, and where all is dry now lake
formerly existed At tho northern end of
the. valley tho cliffs have a sheer descent of
hundreds of feet, the walls being so smooth
and polished that they glisten like mirrors
in the sun. They were worn that way
by the glacier. The southern wall is diff
fercnt, however, being covered with a
growth of vegetation. This end is shaded
from the sun, and tho rocks, becoming
moist, rotted, crumbled and gave way to
vegetation producing surface.
1.-The cause of the glacial epoch in Cali
fornia was tho same as on tho Atlantic
coast. Tho altitude of the North Amer
lChu COntlnenb ab tIliU tlIne was uniformly
5000 feet higher than at present, produc-
ing proportionately colder Temperatures,
which caused ice to form, and tho ice re-
acting on the temperature caused fur
ther decline, and SO on until the glacia!
period was reached
"There Is no doubt that the islands in
the Pacific ocean were at that time con-
nected with tho mainland. The best evi-
dence we have Of the pretertiary time is
tho mammoth Tho skeleton of one of
these animals was found on the Santa
Barbara islands. 1t must have come orig
inally from the mainland, and that only
when they were connected
1.-THE well marked terraces all along the
coast Mt attitudes from the present level of
the ocean to 1900 and 1900 feet show
that marked subsistence Of the continent
and demonstrate that it must have sunk
from its high altitude to very much below
its present level. During that period tho
San joaquin, Napa and Sacramento val
leys were all under water. Even San Fran
cisco was entirely submerged. "-San
Francisco Examiner.