The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-17
FORESTS TURNED TO STONE.
FOssilizatiOn on n Gigantic scale In
the Yellowstone.


area, 1t is. perhaps. entitled to be called
the wonderland OF the world. for within
its limits the most varied OF natures work.
ings may be observed. Its hundreds OF hot
springs and geysers. its precipitous canons
and rushing cataracts. its snow-capped
mountain peaks and mirrored lakes, make
It Of surprising interest. The lover Of nat
ural scenery may linger long over its beau
ties and its 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 knowI-
edge to those in process or formation at
the present moment. The superheated wa
tiers 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
al once by the hot water and on becoming
withered and dry, begin soon 10 take up
the rock-making 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 a remote
time, for there is evidence to show that
I the fossil forests We're preserved before
the most active OF the hot-spring phe-
| nomena were inauguarted. These fossil
forests are located in the northeastern
~ fhr Vii
at a place known locally as Amethys
Mountain, or Fossil Forest Ridge. This
is really mountain some ten miles long
ana rising nearly or quite 1000 feet above
the general level Of the valley. If II were
possible to cut a suction down through
this mountain, as slice is cut from a loaf
or bread, there would be found a success
sion of at least fifteen fossil forests. one
above the other. That is to say at some
remote day, geologically speaking, there
grew a great forest, which was covered
up by the elected material from a great
volcano, rivaling in size Mt. Aetna, 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 waters. were fossllized. The
action of the volcano ceased, and quiet
was restored for a sufficient length of time
| for second forest to be developed above
! the first. Then came a second outburst
ried and fossilized like the first, and so in
turn have the dozen or more forests flour
| ished and been engulfed
Then came the final quiet, the rumbling
| of the volcano ceased, and its fires were
| eXtingushed. But Immediately the action
OF the clements began. and the wearing
| 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 denudaton ap-
| pears to have been unaccompanied by any
| OF the violent movements so often char
acteristic Of mountain building-and, con-
| sequently, 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, a stage station on
the mail route from the Mammoth Hot
| Springs to Cooke City, Montana. 1t is
about mile west Of the junction of the
| Lamar river and the Yellowstone, and on
the middle slope of a low hill. AS one
| approaches the locality several trunks
are observed standing on the hillside,
which at distance seem quite like the
stumps OF living trees, and even a nearer
| approach barely sufiices to reveal their
| true nature, as they are covered with
lichens. and blackened and discolored by
frost and rain. They are, however, YER
liable fossil trunks, standing upright on
the steep hillside, in the same positions
in which they grew. The largest trunk
is 1874 feet in circumference and about
nfteen feet in hight 1t is considerably
weathered and must have been much Iarg-
er when living, for the bark is in no place
preserved. The others-and there are doz-
ems 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 pre-
hat oh 81 Chf tHn
nual rings as distinctly visible as in
freshly-cut living trees. and even each
tiny cell, with its fine delicate markings
is absolutely perfect.
The next forest is some ten or twelve
miles distant, along the Lamar river, on
the south side of which faces the Fossil
Forest Ridge In some places perpendic-
ular cliffs many feet in hight may be seen.
These cliffs have worn away, leaving ex-
posed huge trees, which may be observ-
ed from a distance of a mile or more from
the valley, standing out in bold relief.
as 1t has been aptly said, like the pill
lars of some ancient temple" closer
view shows these trees to be from four
to six feet in diameter, and often twenty
or thirty 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 to be Just ready to fall, while
others project but little beyond the face
showing that the mountain is filled with
the remains of these trees.
few miles down the river from these
cliffs is the last, and. in some respects, the
most wonderful Of all the forests. 1t is ex-
posed on hillside too steep to support vege-
tation. The largest tree, which must have
been very king of its race. stands guard
on the summit of the hill. 1t is twenty-six
and one-half feet in circumference and
fourteen feet hight. with roots as large
as the trunks of ordinary trees, imbedded
in the solid rock. Just below this giant,
and forming, as we may suppose the door
posts of this ancient temple, are two trees
nearly nine feet in circumference and
about twenty-five feet high. From this
point on the hillside are scattered about
hundreds of trunks. from one to eight feet
in diameter and from a few inches to
twenty feet in hight. One of the largest was
Frustrated before 1t was fossilized, and is
exposed for over forty feet. Both ends are
concealed, and, consequently, its length
cannot be determined. Almost all these
trees are perfectly preserved, even to the
bark which in some cases Is five inches