Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-09-29
FORESTS TURNED TO STONE.
FossiiixatiOn ON a Gigantic Scale In
the Yellowstone Park.

the Yellowstone Park.
The Yellowstone National Park Is called
the Wonderland OF America. and since
the destruction OF the New Zealand
geyser area, II is, perhaps. entitled TO be
called the wonderland of the world, for
within It's limits the most varied OF la-
lures workings may be observed. It's
hundreds Of hot springs and geysers, Its
precipitous canons, and rushing cataracts.
its snow capped mountain peaks and mir
rored lakes make IL OF SURPRISING IN
terest. The lover OF natural scenery may
iinger long over its beauties and Its
wonders.
From the geological point Of view It Is
| also Of great interest, says the Epoch.
| for mere may be found rocks that rance
| In age from the most ancient OF, which
We have any knowledge TO those In pro-
cess OF formation at the pres M mo-
ment. The superheated waters OF te
| hot springs and geysers hold "A lar.e
! amount OF rock making material in solu-
| ton, which IL deposited about the % =
ings of the springs on The c,9ling OF
| the waters. and in this way building uD
| a mass of great magnitude. These springs
and geysers are constantly breaking out
| in new places. often on the borders or
| i'm the forests of living trees. The trees
| ara killed at once by the hot water and,
on becoming withered and dry, begin soon
To take up the rock making solution BY
| which they are bathed, ana thus 10 pass
! into the fossil state.
! Conditions similar TO these, or az least
favorable to the preservation OF fossil
forests. appear 10 have existed from u
! remote time for there IL evidence 10 show
! mat the fossil forests were pres rvei
| before tho most active of the hot-sprins5
/ phenomena were nauguratcd. 1hes' fos-
! 81 forests are located In the northeas era
| corner OF the Yellowstone National r rk.
| at a place known locally ~ Amethyst
| Mountain. or Fossil-Forest ridge ms -
really a mountain some ten miles long
| ard rising nearly. or quite, 1850 feet above
I ~. Of / "
| were possible to cut n section down
| through this mountain, as slice IS cut
from a loaf OF bread. there would pe
! found a succession OF Mt least nIItth
I fossil forests. one above another. Ifat
| - TO say at some remote day, geolosl-
| cally speaking, there grew a great
| which was covered up by tne eIeT,ten
| material from a great volcano. rtVallnB
! i'm size Mt. Aetna. that IL known 20 have
existed some miles TO the north. lhf
trees were entombed IN an upright posi-
ton, and. under the action hi,. OF SILL ~.
action Of the volcano ceased, ana qulr.
was restored for sufficient lsngth ~
time for a second forest 10 be dev loptd
above the first Then came second OUT
burst from the volcano, ard this Tor 81
was buried and fossiized like the h's',
and so I'm turn have the dozen or more
| forests hourished and been engufed.
Then came the final duiet, the rumblinS
| OF the volcano ceased. and It's fires wers
! extnguished. But Immediately the action
I Of the elements began. and. the wearing
forces OF rain and frost. acting through
! long ages have carved out this noun
| tain. I'm the heart Of which may be re al
| the story ~ its origin. Iss dcnuihtlon
appears 20 have been unaccompanled ny
any Of the violent movements 80 oit'n
| Characteristic Of n-building ana:
consequently. when the softer mater AL
f. worn away from around the trunks
hoy stand upright in the exact POSITIONS
I'm which they grew originally.
| hi. q
vicinity OF Yancey's, a stage station on
tn mail route from the Mammoth hot
Springs to Cooke city. Mont. II j. opout
| a mile west ~ the junction OF the Lamar
river and the Yellowstone, and on the
middle slope Of a low Ill. As one APP
proaches the locality several trunks are
observed standing on the hillside, when
at a distance seem quite ike the stuHps
| Of living trees, and even a nearer Ap-
proach barely suflces 20 reveal thsir
true nature. as they are coVt,rn WIN
frost and rain. They are, how yer, ver-
table fossil trunks. standing upright
on the steep hillside, In the same posi-.
lions in which they grew. The largest
trunk is - l-2 feet h circumference and
about 10 feet in height II Is considerably
weathered. and must have been musn
larger when living, for the barE Is W
no place preserved. The othersLahii
there are dozens Of ,hem-are slightly
smaller. and have been weathered down
until In most cases. only Few lnches
I
fectiy are they preserved, that each
stump shows the annual rings az MS
tinctly visible as IN a f"eshlk-cut iNins
tree. and even each tlny cell WIN ts
fine and delicate markings, ~ apsViu''S
The next forest IL some ten or twelve
miles distant along the Lamar river on
the south side = which faces the FOSSIL
Forest ridge In some places perpenGic1-
lar cliffs many feet in height may be
seen These cliffs have worn away,
leaving exposed huge trees. which may DC
observed from distance or mile or
| more from the valley. standing out N
bold relief. az IL has beer Apply sag.
like the pillars OF some ancient temple.
A closer view shows these trees 10 "a
from 10 feet I'm diameter. ana often
% or 30 feet high. with their great roots
running OF into the solid rock sttat
niche In the face Of the NAIL MARKS 10,
has fallen Some Of the remaining ones
appear just ready To fail "nile othrIs
project but little beyond The face. show
ing that TIE mountain is flied with the
! rr-7r ne ~ fi-e trees.
A few miles down the river from these
cliffs r. the last. and. IN sofne Respects
the most wonderful or all me iers'' =.
1t T. exposed on hilsdes TOO steep 10
support vegetation. The largest Tree;
which must have been very KING Q.
its race. stands guard on tht sIhtih'
of the hll IL IL % IL feet m ctrcum-
ference and "a feet in height with roots
as large as the trunks OF ordinary trees,
/ imbedied In the solid rock Just peloW
! this giant, and forming, as We may sup
pose, the door-posts OF THIS ahcish. ZEN
| pie are two trees nearly teet ~ ~
| Conference and about = feet hish. = TOM
| this point on the hillside are scattered
! about hundreds OF trunks. from 10 tret
In diameter and from few inches 10 ~
! feet I'm height one OF the very lsrsest
was Frustrated before II was fossinled,
and Is exposed for over forty feet Botn
! Ids are concealed and. consequently.
lis length cannot be determines. Al
most all these trees are perfectly pre-
. served even to the bark, which in sons
cases Is 5 inches thick.
IN should not Of course. be supposed
that these trees are preserved entire
that IS. with branches and leaves al
tached. They consist only OF trunks
and roots. bu, IN the rocks all abou.
rhs trees there are Impressions q
branches leaves. and even cones ana
fruits. that must have belonged TO them,
NV studying these Impressions, as Wen
as the beautifully preserved intethat
structure Of the trunks then,se's.s. =
az TO the APPEARANCE they must nave pr
shick bark we're conifsrs. Ike The 80
nltoais or big trees.' OF California, ana
s,lIte likely were their direct ancestors.
Others were like our common trees-tna
"a such az oaka chestnuts. hsrchss. sinis.
naples magnolias, and lindens me onss
FOSSIL forests are piBes and spruces and
two kinds Of cottonwcod--a faet wh'cn
reaches clearly that the conditon
temperatufe etc, mast have been cnahoeu
rrsatly aimee these wonderful FOSSIL usss
we,e living.