The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-10-13

der the southern wall, which is more
| displaced and which has r larger
! amount OF dislodged material than any
other part of the rim. This Wow is
held by d. NJ Barringer, who has de-
years Of study to the Meteor crater,
and who was the host and guide Of the
American Geographical society's party
on it's visit 10 this interesting spot.
But many Of the geographers could
not agree with this theory, and had
opinions of their own conceriug the
origin Of the pit. Professor Eugene dc
Cholnoky, Of Kolozsvar, Hungary, who
has individual ideas on most subjects,
started off on an independent investi-
CATION as soon as he arrived on the
ground, and found beds Of travertine
on the western side of the rim, and
other material which is associated with
deposits made by hot springs.
Takes Different View.
Judging by this, and also by the po"
stions of the beds OF rock. both those
which had been uplifted and those
which composed the top of the plain
outside, he came TO the conclusion that
the pit had been made by steam ex-
plosion. or a geyser on a gigantic scale.
After the explosion the siliceous de-
posits from the geyser had covered the
ulslDIsfu IuChS W EiCtil 'AOtuI 'ur
protected them from being worn away,
while the surrounding plain had been
croded down some distance below the
ancient level. After returning to the
train, he was greatly pleased to dis
cover that w D. Johnson, of the Unit
ed States geological survey had also
found travertine on the eastern side
of the ridge between one-quarter and
one. half mile from the edge of the rim
Il 1,oI nm Iha q al
ouiniou as to the cause Of the formation
of the pit, believing that water in the
interstices of the underlying rock had
been heated to the boiling point by
volcanic action still farther down, un'
til the accumulated steam burst out IN
the grand explosion which made the
crater. The lava or other volcanic ma
terial itself was So far down in the
deuths of the earth. however, that no
traces of it had been found
Parallel in Wurtemberg.
In support OF this hypothesis, Pro.
tessor Edward Brueckner, of the Uni
versity of Vienna, told of an enormous
pit or calderd at RicS, in Wurtemberg,
III the Swabian .)ura, which is about |
twelve and half miles III diameter,
and between 1000 and 1900 feet deep. |
There is no volcanic material there, I
either. but the dislodged blocks oil gran
ite. gneiss, and SO on, which form the
surrounding rocks, Indicate pretty
clearly that the force causing their
must have come from he
low and was probably due to a geyser-
like steam explosion,
Professor ChalH, On the ether hand
believed that If there had been hig
enough temperatures TO boil the water
IN the sandstone rocks. the rocks them
selves would have been affected, and
would show some SiGDS of thor heat
treatment. and he ?lso thought tat
# the internal fires o. the Garth h"
been the Gltimate cause Of the eXplo
sion SON" trees oS volcanic action
would he visible at. Cr near. the sur
face. On the whole therefore. he was
inclined TO the meteoric theory
Professor i Y, Nicrmnver. Of Utrecht
raised th" point that if the hole had
been made nv cluster of mctcoHltcS
il would moi bc circnlar brt would br
elongated. as The mcteoritcs wont!
strike the earth in a long nath, owing
10 their own and the earth s motion.
lie also called attention to q paper bvI
Professor NJ f., Muldcr. of Holland. II
which had been published about a year
ugo. and which treats of the explosion
Of mcteors in general. and Of the ori