The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-11-09
GEOLOGY OF WASHINGTON.
Two Important Lectures at the
State Jniyersity.

During the past week the students of the
University of Washington received two
important lectures from well known ail-
thority on the topics treated. which are
of the greatest Importance TO the future
of the state of Washington. The lecturer
was Bailey Willis, geelogist with the
United States geological survey, and his
topics were Geology of Washington" and
Mining Engineering as a Profession"
Geology of Washington.
In the first lecture he referred TO the
little work that has as yet been done i'm
the geological problems of Washington.
He then gave a sketch OF the work done
by the United States geological survey
The phenomena presented here are OF
more recent formation than those of the
Eastern states.
Geology was defined as a science treat
ing of all the natural phenomena that af-
feet the earth. The earth consists of three
mobile envelopes-the outside envelope of
atmosphere. the envelope of water. the
rock or tthos envelope. The old idea of a
crust Is now considered TO be erroneous
The whole iithos envelope IS more or less
plastic and movable For 9enth of ten
miles we have found something of the con-
stitrents OF the lifhos envelope Below
that depth all is surnise In our present
state Of knowledge we have no idea of the
condition OF matter at great depths. as we
know nothing OF what may take place
under the immense pressures which a, the
center OF the earth Is estimated al 400 900
pounds 10 the square inch
Up 20 ten years ago geology was con-
fined TO the study OF rocks In recent
years biologists. led by J. w Powell and
others. have shown the Importance Of TAX
ing into consideration the topogranhic
features. For instance, on Mount Rainier.
~ the head OF Green river giar.ier "a
found an arnphltheater with a denth of
@ss' feet and diameter OF three-quarters
or mile. This glacier seems To he A
very small agent to cut away that rock.
but making a calculation of the rower
aud time IL Is found TO have been aSe-
quats. The ice IN freezing and fhaysing
Increases the glaciers power. TIE most
important action takes place in the snaea
between the glacier and the ~ock IN the
day The rock and the surface of ,be ira
are warmed. Then in the great .old at
niga' the surface OF the rock is fislnte-
grated, and the fragments Thus eontin,.af
glacier
The Oldest rocks 10 this state ara n-ah-
aoly esroaniferogS. bat a further cyan
nation 81 the fossils are necessary 70 sat-
tie ,Ae matter definitely. These ro.ks are
fonnd IN bed OF limestone n the mouth
or Baker river. The limestone is over
iaad with sohists. strongly irprsxnstei
VIII ron It's meteorological Character
very much resembles the rocks about fhs
great Iron ore deposits OF N5chigan ard
probably Indicate rich beds Of ira, vhIrn
may net BE- found for years. as in uschI-
saa scaists OF this character Mere knoxn
Tor decades before tie iron beds were
found
On The peaks ef the Cascades Il 4 fa,ns
that the level on which they frat ssos,
was aa immense plain. probably the es-
taary - great river. The coal beds
1sFs formed On iAat plata There were
large lskes. w4th ocea<i onaf tz,unfs tiers
% salt water with -ra4aaf sinking az
re surface Tas rocks - 5eaositsS az
sTsszks sstse feet "a tficascss. Al ssis
ne there were 70 Cascades ana 70
D4yn2tcS Tns1 ~e see 3 ssrca- move