St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-08-02
VOLCANOES OF AMERICA.
A Great System of Vents. n Chain Of
Fire Which Surrounds the Pa
ciRc-Vfews of Scientists.

Prof. Israel c. Russell in his book on
the VOLCANOES of America" says that
they form part of great system OF
volcanic vents which may be said to
surround the Pacific ocean. This
'chain of fire" extends along the west
border of South America, where its
course is marked in the Andes by some
of the loftiest igneous mountains in
the world; it is narrow and well defined
on the west border of Central America
and far into Mexico, where still steam
ing craters define it's position.
The volcanic belt broadens in the
northern part OF Mexico and the
United States, but is unmarked by ac-
tive craters. Again contracting and
approaching close to the ocean shore,
and in several instances marked by is
land volcanoes, the igneous belt follows
the coast of British Columbia and
Alaska, and extends westward through
out the length of the Aleutian islands.
Still active craters in Alaska show the
positions of earth fractures, which
unite the volcanic belt of the New
World with the still more energetic
volcanoes of Kamchatka, Korea, Japan,
Formosa, the Philippine islands. New
Guiena, New Hebrides, New Caledonia
and New Zealand.
The greatest volcanic belt in the
world embraces the largest ocean, but
Prof. Russell is not willing to say that
this ASSOCIATE indicates an essential
or genetic connection.
Interesting in connection with the
Martinique disaster and the state
ments of eminent scientists, and par
ticularly biologists, is the fact that
they ascribe the growth of the Ameri-
can continent to circle of volcanoes
in the original archaean nucleus, and
the sea, which occupied what is now the
Mississippi valley and the northward
extension of the same interior basin to
the arctic regions.
Recent as have been the migration Of |
civilized people into North America |
they have witnessed volcanic out
breaks thatrare scarcely second to any
that have occurred elsewhere on the
earth during the same period. In some
instances volcanoes have been born
and grown to lofty mountains since
white men have occupied the land of
their nativity. This is particularly
true of Central America. Neighboring
mountains, built by similar forces III
more distant times, exhibit the unmis-
taxable marks of age.
There are 10 volcanoes in the United
states and II in Alaska. There are
lone in the eastern states-that is,
lone that have been active in millions
It years. Several of the western vol
anoes have shown signs of life in the
'ast, and may not now be dead.
Cinder Cone, near Lassens Peak, Cal,
las been twice in eruption within 200
ears. At the summit of the cone
here is well-developed crater
With double rim. The whole aspect
+ Cinder Cone suggests recent dis
urbance, yet there is evidence that
he earliest eruption occurred before
be beginning of the present century. !
is age is shown by the rela ton of the ,
Id and new forest trees to the volcanic |
and of the first eruption, there. Trees
row upon the top of the sand, but {
here is another larger forest which s
rev from the soil covered by the t
and. The first eruption must have &
ccurred some 200 years ago, and the 7
econd more than so years ago. S
Mount Hood, in northwestern Ore a
on, was assembled in 1888 by NJ. W. !