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Show 138 UO Ji:Y JlfOl NTATN SCENEHY. TIH , ic• tTn. N vncla i · old •t· titan tho Coast Mountain., ancllWOj<.'CI<.'<l abo\'<.' the ocl'a.n, I·!Jouglt not to ils pr<>sc•nt allitudo, pr•vious lo t iL • 'l'<•rtinry ancl •von Urdac·t•ous ap; 'H. 'l'ltis wo lparn from lh • faet, fliaJ. Rtrata lwlonging to tht•s• formations eovcr its ba <',but l'l'arlt only a ft·w ltun cln·cl fe<'t up ils ilanks. Tlic• ma 'H of' th' i <.'rm N va<.la is c·otttpOH<'d of p: rn.nilie rocks, asso<· ialed wilh whi ch ar • nwtamorp.ltic ::; late:-;, pt'OI't'd l>y IIi<• Ualiforn ia ' ttrvc•y to lw of Triass ic and ,Jura ·ic ng•. 'l'IH'i:l' sl:ti<·H an• tl'an·rsPcl in many JoenlitiPs hy Yvins f qtml'lz, wltieh ar • llit• n·po:-;ilories or tlw golcl that lia ::; Iliad ' Ualirornia ·o fam ous among tit· mining tli ·tri<'l of tiH' world. Ea,.;t of tit • ~i<· tTn. N<•vnda W<' iincl a l1igh an cl bl'oau plalean , fj()() 111ilc;; in width , and rl'ont '1,000 to S, OOO f •t•t in aiLiLud •, wltieli Rlrdc lt l'fl ('Hl'llwanl to t]l(' ba flc of lil<' H.oe l.;:y Mountains, all() rvaeli t'S SO ttlhll':tl'll r:u· in to Ail'Xi<·o. or tltis in1Prior p)('I':Ll<·<l al'('fl, tltc• ' it'l'l'H N vada rorttl ;) the Wl'Sl<'t'n ntmgin, on wliil'li il ri sc•s Jik<• a \rail. lt is <·vicl<•nt lltat Llti ;; nt ottnla in ht>lt oneo fornH•cl til<' Pacific Coast; anil it would S<'<' lll tltal liH•n 1Jti ' lofty II':Li) wa;; rai ;;t•d ll]lOll the <'tlg<' of' tlH• l'OIILilll'lll to dt•f'l' ll<l it rmnt t il\' ;~dimt of' (Jtp o<·<•;tn wa\' U:L In tmci no- t'Jw sintt ottK oullill <' of' tltc• :-l it•tTa Nl'rada, il " ·ill lH' S<'<' tt lltat ih:> crcsl i::; crown< ·<l h.r a sPri t• ·or lorty voll'anic con<':-~, nnd tha t one of' lit<' · · i · ]>l;t '<•d at <·rt!'lt <·onspi<·ttOnfl n,ngit• in ill:l Jim• of' lwnring, HO lli;~ t it ltas lltl' tt})lW:LI'allG<' or a gigantic rot'lili('atiOI1 1 Of' Wlti r, Jt l':t('h S:tlit•llt :tlltl l'C-l'lt((']'ill 0 ' aJtn')() j;; ll.ef'l'tld l'd. lJy a mas::;iv<' <Lnll l of'ly Low<·t·. 'l'ltp ('l'lltml portion or llle ltiglt l:tl)l l' landf::!, to wlticlt 1 hn.vn rl'f'l' l'l'('(l , was callc•cll)y Fn·ntonl the "(l t·<·n.t Ba,.;in," front t lte fact lltat it ·is a h ychogmp hi<~ basin, i ts wat<·r::; lt a\' illg 110 onll l't lo tho OC<':ttL 'I'IIP 110rth 'I'll pal'l of' l itis an•a i;; drnitH•<l Ll.r tit • Columbia, llt C' soHtht•nt by tho Col omtlo. Of' tlt PSl' titP l'oluntbia tttakl' its way into tl1 • ocmtt by lltl' gorge it hn.. ·u t in tlt<' Caseadl' ~ l o <tnlain , Lit rough whi eh i.t 11ows Jt carly at tlH• R<'lt ]pv(']; whiiP tIt • Uolontdo Jlow ·to Lh • (J nlf' of' California tltroug lt a H<• riw of' caTton R, of' wltic·h lite 1110 ·t intportaJt t i ~; nc·arly 1,000 Jllii<·S in lt•n n-th, and. f'rom B,OOO to 0,000 rcct in dc}lfh. In vol um 1 VI. of' tlto Paeifi · Railroad R epol'ls, l ltn.vp tle ~;c rib •d a ])t)l'ti on of' tl1e co untry clmitwcl hy tl1e Uoluntbia, and liav · o·iven tho fa ·Ls Lltat ll'd m • to as ·crt that tlte ~ro rn-e, throLwh whi ch it 1 ass •s tlte Uaflealo M.o1tntains, Ita bel'n excavatN1 by it wal •t· · ; and Lltat previous to the cutting clown of tltis bani•r th ::;o wat'rH a·cutnulatcd to form gr•at fr•sh-water lak s, which 'l'Jil!; AN (J<;N'L' LAKW-l OF WJ<:, TJmN A~rEIU 'A. 130 1 ' rt deposits at an elevation of more titan 2,000 feet above tlto prt" nt lwd of tit Colutnbia. ' imilar fhc t~ W<'rc ohi:lP t'vPl in Li tO country dmitwd by tlw Klamath and Pit River , and all pointed to tlto sam co nc·lu sion. ] n all thifl rPgion 1 oh c•rvNI. ec•t'tain IWCnliariLie of' g •olog ieal fltru ctm • tltn.t ltaV' b 'C il 1'(' 1Ttal'kt•l1 by rn ost Ol' tliOHO WhO hav' tmVt'I'S(•(} the in tl' t'l'n.l b twv<•n th • 'iPna Nevada. and llt l' H.oc·ky fountain s. Jn lit <' 11ortlwm n.n<l ntiddlo porfion ·of llt<' g rNtt lahl<' lan d. tl~t• getH'ml ;; urf'atP is sonH•wltat tltiekly l't by ltort ancl i olated tn ountain ran gPH, wltieh have· bc•c•n d<' llOtninatPd t hc• " L o:-;t .Mountains." 'l'h l' ·e ri s<' likt• i 'l laJHis above tit ](•vel of the plain, an<L nrc g<·nemlly eotnpo;;<'d or vol<:aui · or ml'ta.morpltic ro ·ks. Tlw sparos lwlwoc·n t hl'H • moun tai tt ;; are n<'at·ly l<'V<'I, tl<·scrt urf'ael'S, of wlti ·It t he• uncl<' rl y ing gc•ol ocr i!'al stntdut'<' is of'l t•n 110t <'asily obsc·rvNL Towal'(l 11tc• llorllt and wesl, ltOW<'\'('1'1 wh<• revPr W () ('01110 li]>Oll t iH· trihttlaric• f::! or tlH· Colunl bia, t it <· 1\ latllttlh 01' Pi t H.il' l' I'H, W<' 'tind t.ltc• plaleau monJ Ot' l <'f::!H eut by llH·tw stn•atn ;; and tlt t'ir su bHtru ctun• r •n•aiPtl. H C'r tiH' unclc•l'lying roek at'<' nparly hori7.ontal , and <·onsisl of a vari<•ly of' dt•po it vary in<•· tllliC'ii in ·olor ancl con ·i len<'l'. , 'o nt (' an• coa.rS(' volcani' a ·h witJt rmg nH•nls or ]llllllllli\' • and RCOI'in. 01 hPrH l lt:tV(' in Ill ,)' nOt<'H Cl<'llOillillale l ' ('OIICI'<'t<•," as t,hl',)' pn•eiHl'lj' I 'P~P llllJJt• thP old l~olllall '<'nH•nt n.nd n.n• tO illJ>OH<'ll of' tiH• s:tlll <' llta l<•r ial ~. In nmny lo ·alilil' · t lt t>so strata are a~:> liuP and. while as eltalk, and , lltoug lt <'O it tn. ining lillie ot· no earbona.le or linH', tiH·y lt n.Vl' lwen ref'·n 'd to as'' !'ltalkLwtls" hy 111 0flt ll'aVt'](•t'S wlto havo visilc·tl this rvo·ion . i::lpc•ei tll (' ll i::l or lhiH cltalk-likc• lllfttPI'iaJ o·a,ve m ' my firHt hin t of' lit ' tl'llC iti H(ory or tltt 'Sl' d<'positfl. 'l'lt 'Sl' colkde l Oil thc• lt l':td wat(•t',' or Pit H.in•r the Klanta.lh, tl~t• D<•s 'ltuLe ', 'olu111bia and C' IS<'Wh<•r •, wel'P tmn ·miltc•d to Profi•;; ·ot· Hail<·y, LlH•n our 1110 ·t ·kill('(lllliero ~:>copi ~:> t., fo1· c·xamination. i\ llll o~t lit<' l ast wol'lc h • did b ·fon• Jri. untimely dc•a.tlt wa ·to n•por t to III <' I liP rpsul tH of' hi ~; ob. ervati on on tlH•nL 'l'ltifl r<'po rt wa~; a: ltn.rmonious H.fl it wa · 1lii ('Xj) •ctC'd. In l'Vl'ry Oil(' or Lil<' c'ltalk-lik' d ']JOsi tf::! to wllit'lt 1 have rPf'tj tTed, he fou ncl frfsh-1oatm· d iatomac('(t'. From tlw tratifi cation n.nclltot·izonlality of t he ·e depoRits, ] ]ta(l bcc ·n fully as 'tii'Cd that tlwy wet· thrown clown from g reat bodi es of w:ttPr tltat Jill 'd tlt SJJac,, ·epamtill "' tit moro p] •vn.ted }JOI'tioll ·of' tl11• intc•rior 1Jn ~:; ill , a11Lllt ,,. I ltacl vide11 · • that this wat<-'t' wa~ freRll. ' i11e that tint' a va~:>t amount of evicl nee has ac ·umuln.ted to co11Jirrn tl10 o·en •ml vi "IV |