The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1924-01-24
SYNTHETIC ROCKS
PRODUCED IN DAY
Laboratory Reproductions Equal
Earth'S Finest WOrk-USe
Natures Processes.

IeW months by synthetic rocks. Ih'
reproductions are said to equal mothe
earth's finest workmanship and to re
quire less than a millionth part of TIT
estimated time needed by her.
They are the fruits of years of pa
tient research and laborious hours il
the laboratory; of hazardous expert
ments with powerful machines capable
OF exerting pressure of 100000 pounds
to the square inch-all carried to Their
present stage of success at the geo
physical laboratory of the Carnegie In
stitute of Washington.
To manufacture minerals and rocks
science is simply duplicating natures
processes, but is accomplishing the
same results, on a much smaller scale,
of course, in a single working day. Ma
ture took bewildering ages and smelt-
ed her wonders in the vast FORCES OF
the earth; science is fabricating Its
copies In a few highly polished and in
nocent-looking little steel bombs"
Same Minerals Used.
Mother earth manufactured her
minerals and rocks, science has
learned, by means of extreme heat and
extreme pressure. First the minerals
known to be contained In the mineral
under experiment are poured into a
tiny tube made Of pure platinum, one
end of which is sealed by solid gold.
The opposite end is then sealed and
this c~ontainer placed in the bomb"
The bomb is made of the finest steel
~obtainable. It's aperture is small and
its walls extremely thick In compari-
son, all making it capable of with
standing the terrific test 1t Is about to
undergo. A small electric furnace
made of the same, although impure,
constituents of rubies, is placed in the
bomb" and the apparatus sealed.
Then it is ready for the ordeal of scar
ing heat and gigantic pressures.
Both are applied gradually, the heat
sometimes being permitted to register
as high as $500 degrees Fahrenheit
and the pressure as much as 10000
pounds to the square inch. Gradually
the gauges creep up, and up and up.
Suddenly they relax and the pressure
drops. The watchful attendants know
something" has happened inside the
bomb and the heat and pressure are
quickly turned off. When the platinum
container is cut open mineral particles
or rocks, whichever the case may be,
are found inside.
y Rocks That VIII Bend.
Not only are these minerals the rep
Iicas of natures own products, but In
many instances purer-completely free
rom the discoloring Impurities that
are found in the natural originals. For
instance the T. ,leite made at the geo
laboratory of the Carnegie in
;titute is light yellow IN color. Nat
lral jade is green. The green color
ng, however, is supplied by an i'm
,urity, and the synthetic jade readily
ould be made the same shade by in
luding the impurity in its constitu-
nts.
Science has zone nature one better
4 its experiments. 1t has discovered
hat by injecting more water into the
ocks it can make them susceptible to 1
ending-gelatin-like. If still more
is forced into them under heat
pressure they are quite readily re-
uced to liquid-liquid rock, in fact.
tut when the uninitiated visitor to the
iboratory opens his eyes in wonder at Il
UGH spectacles, the scientists simply Il
lugh and quite learnedly say: "Why :
nothing so remarkable about
3
Able to Compress Water. !
Tests with high pressure have also
some old theories. The first
that water cannot be compressed.
cience has discovered that water can
Of only be compressed, but that under
pressure of 100000 pounds to the
luare inch it freezes into a cake of
e so thickly condensed that it sinks
ke rock in water. Mercury, too-the
l~nfreezable'' mineral used in Their
ometerS-can be frozen under a pres
ire of 10000 pounds to the square
oh. Hi
Science has yet to learn, however, to H
lpllCdIe Tie WOHueTS VI NATURE DIT the Ill
me cost before it can compete with
II in the commercial world. Mother
nth can do her work so vastly Cheap
in that respect. For instance, il
u were determined to have a syn
etc tombstone, science could prob
ly make you a granite one-but il
3uld cost something like a billion
liars. Fortunes spent in research
d past experiments must of course
figured in cost production" The
portant fact, however, is that man
q now make granite.
Of far greater value for the present
e the laboratory's contributions to
e study of seismology. Its expert
,nts have resulted in scientists be
: able to determine accurately the
of the various kinds of
ks and hence the speed with which
rthquake waves pass through each
I'd. Thus, by timing the passage of
earthquake wave at different sta
it is now possible for the experts
Gov with assurance of accuracy Inst I'LL