Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-05-17
Utah Safe From
Volcanic Action
n, 7almaqs Regards Fears Of Impending Disasters Of THAT
Character as Being Foolish Takes Little Stock in the
WanIina Of Dr. Gilbert That Sail Lake Was in Dange'
~ DsS,uchon-Recem Eruption Simply Safety ValUeS

emitting gases ana Vapors at tenn
perature many degrees above the nor
NAL for the region.
The great lava flows before referred
to are not likely to be repeated. At
least there Is no trustworthy evidence
that enormous assures are about TO be
reopened, or that other assures Of the
kind are TO be formed. OF course, there
Is a probability that individual craters
may resume their activity, and of these
latter, some within the boundaries OF
Utah have ceased action so recently as
scarcely TO be classed among extinct
volcanoes at present But such re-
sumption Of volcanic activity In this
region is pure possibility; certainly
there Is no evidence at hand TO warrant
the Inference that such renewal Of vol
canic disturbances Is indicated, far less
assured.
I'm taking this position, opposed as
II is to that Of the alarmlsts who have
predicted otherwise, II is but fair to
give attention to opposite views. DR..
Grove Karl Gilbert, whose mastery in
vestgation Of Lake Bonneville history
has won for him deathless renown, has
written as follows concerning the vol
canic craters of Willard county and 9th
er parts Of our state within the Bonne-
vile boundaries: Although human
history fails to give Satisfactory record
OF the occurrence OF any of these erup-
tons, their antiquity, as measured In
years, cannot be great, and an appli-
cation Of the general law OF probable
tiles leads US to look forward to re-
sumption of volcanic activity. The
subterranean reaction of which basaltlc
| extravasation Is the consequence has
continued In the broad region, not only
through the PleistoCene, but through
much longer period Of preceding time.
The intermittence Of eruption does not
argue discontinuity Of the subterranean
| process, for, whatever that process may
be, II involves the production Of an un-
stable equilibrium that Is converted to
stable equilibrium only by eruption,
| and such conversion is always rhyth-
mic. The abrupt cessation Of a process
so widely spread and so long sustained
| is highly improbable, and its gradual
cessation would naturally include not
| only growing infrequency of eruption
| but the successive extension of eruption
| districts The number OF post-glacial
| eruptions and the number OF districts
among which these were distributed
alike assure us that the end Is not yet"
AS before stated, admit the possi-
| bility, but deny the immediate or in
dicated probability Of such recurrence.
The association Of volcanic outbursts
and earthquake occurrences has been
already mentioned Gilbert has studied
the fault-slips within the Bonneville
area and has predicted other slips,
whereby earthquake waves will be gen
Grated, In the immediate vicinity Of
Salt Lake City AS occasion has al
lowed he has published warnings TO our
fair city, that its practical destruction
is threatened by the evidences OF forth
coming earthquakes II Is perhaps but
| Just to give his own words. 1T Is legiti-
mate TO infer that the belt OF fertile
valleys that follows the western base
Of the great mountain range OF Utah
| is an earthquake district, and
this despite the fact that since
| It's first settlement In 1850 no
important tremors have been recorded.
1t Is matter Of geologic history that
| the Wasatch range is gradually rising,
and that this rise Is not uniform In
time and place, but is accomplished
by small and sudden displacements
| more or less localized, with intervals
| of rest. OF the lengths of these inter-
! walls we have no means OF judging, and
no one can predict the date Of the next
| movement, but 1t is beyond question
| that such movement will take place,
and that when Il occurs the adjacent
| valley will experience an earthquake.
Neither is II possible to predict with
great confidence what portion OF the
district will be most affected, but II
the orogenlc force is approximately con-
| slant, and the rhythym In Its visible
work is due TO the necessity for accu-
muated energy TO overcome friction,
| then the localities with fresh fault.
scarps may reasonably be assumed 70
! be except from faulting for longer
| period than those In which only ancient
| fault-scraps are seen. Reasoning rfus
/ was led 10 sound note OF
warning In Salt Lake City which
stands close by all exceptional section
OF the range, when the fault scarps
are so ancient as TO be largely obliter-
| ated."
DR.. GIlberts note OF warning APP
peared In letter published Sept. 20.
1883, and has been reiterated since;~to
insure Its preservation II was repub-
lished In the American Journal OF
| Science, January, 1884.
while admitting in full the Evidence
OF crust-block fracture along the base
OF the Wasatch and westward in the
Great Basin region, l deny the indica-
| lions Of danger OF great earthquake
| shocks In consequence. On the con-
trary l assume that the existence Of
fracture planes is rather an indication
of safety than Of danger, for such frac-
| lures are really planes OF easement al
\ lowing the relief OF subterranean lifting
forces by constant and slight move
ment. rather than restraining them I'M
I'll the cumulative energy is great
enough to cause q disastrous break
| To me these fracture planes are analo-
gous TO the surtures In the animal or
human skull permitting movement and
even fracture In the restricted area OF
a separate bone, and tending TO pre-
! vent the disruption Of the whole.
Truly regard al fears OF impending
disaster by earthquake or volcanic