THE WEST SHORE.
January, 1879,
SCENES IN THE Hli. II KIEKKA.
The following interesting article ou glaciers,
by J. 0. lmmon, ii Ulten (nun the columns of
II,'' Mimmj nml Srimlifit I'rru:
out ikiui un tiikik raw.
Nowhere oIm in ( 'aliform are glaciers more
tally represented than hers around the haaei of
this II group g half a doMtl peaks. It ia
not o aurpneihg that the much loftier Whitney
group t" the aouth, nor the great douiee of liana
ati)l iihle northward, scarcely retain an active
glacier, when we uotiaidcr the character of their
rock, reddish jiorphyiy, greciiatoiio ami slates,
all g.l alx.ihauU of aolar rays. The colli,
gray granite ami silvery ipiarl of l.yell, added
to Uie interior location of the group, condense
the inoiature out of the over flowing wimln for
a longer nod of the year, to fall iu copioua
ahowen of allow on their plateau, theu to erys-
talliae 1.. MM, n hanletiing to lielili of ioo
called Mm at (llnrr, from whence glacier
emerge, griailuig thoir way t.. the plain,
rnorr tii fait, tiux m orkiin
Tho. Afrri ilr (Hart are ribbed from upMr to
lower Mile with hard mow, the lowsat eml
Die largest between each mlge, in the wanneat
hour of aummer ilay, there (Iowa the daily
ineltol mow, hllmg the rracka that occur alwayi
111a maai of ice un every change of teuiiera
lur. I town each oanyoii of every eak, where
favored by ahadr, Mow. a (rnaen river, a glacier,
On lU I a. regularly distributed, are rocks of
all ..... MM jiartly covered with the ridgea of
" ntm glaciera move alowlv down Ik.
owvona, which the) e.actly till, to the level of the
melting N.int at the preaent time in tlua region
at an .wvalion M atmul 1,QQ f,t Arrived
.oe meiung line the J ,,-r abruptly ler
oeer ire ipice, aemi circular
outline. 111 irom ,u edge, one after another,
ui uie r. a 1 . lormitig a curve
..I I. I ...I I . L. . . Mm.
a- a moraine. heae morainea
r. ... one 10 two mile, long 11, their aweei;
la eurv. and .VI feet high.
following down U10 renmx, it ia found to he
.n...,. on in. 11..IU.111 ami aidea, with no ahan
ko.lt. In ila .......... ..... ..-1 ... A . . .
T . ' l"'1"1" m
... . awr MM At mUrvala, drip,
..., ,.,, taaae are louml in or near the
01 ne ravine.
Al , . J I I ... )
, .,. rw.ine maaer ooi,t,
)u.t over the Iwn. . (,,,, ,
rarlner ,, when the i.l.iu i. .1.
ra. in. )n.n. with other. U , , j
alley. stre.uj.ly rwgeler It contour. ,. .harp
k't . 'till , f r k .Mi at.la. ...I. r a . h
ok..te. . rwm. """""it
' , 7. "vw MMH one, i
w do nvera.
MB urn 10 gl t a Meat,
IWIor. . ufmi.l u. mterpr.1 the. ,.h
.4 u.r;.;ii7 eltlfi"1!1 "m
1 " i tmm n.ne Uie MM
Hi aivrn to ..... i.-.l- - V
.r .ii. muter, i,
awaatV Th. ii,n ..( .k. ia r 1
. , iw lloWfk
Z.r..TTJ. 7 " "'I- " Ihe prearn
"I'-ad.all, draw. MMMnitl
u.;,w zn: rfr :
i . , - ", wnn innr
W rf avaUnaJ. ..... rnorW
Aa Um Ma. with iu .n, ,,.,.. i.i .. l .
T. , " 7 " ." ""' ao.1 .lenudim- .,.,
Ul h.r.U al harvler Uie nl. Th.
M'.way Ural, and, it may
. .. I
he., thai Injtwocii no Vowel uijj jjcu. wioiu uuw
Mdattd much higher, but easier denuded rocks.
At length the great icy sea receueu unni it
became fenced into basins by the appearing
mountain chains. In the weakest places chan
nels were formed, and aa differences of level
occurred, as reaiecU the basins, the resistance
uf the sierra barriers catiaed tremendous pressure
noil the nidus of these channels, aud the ice
blocks squeezing through, often wrenched the
toughest rocks from their ledges and hurled
them upon the distant plain. Other rooks Buf
fered the loss of crowns and angles and remain
i.ilav as domes or bosses uixin the Hunks of
the mountains, notably in tho region of Yo-
semito, where they may be counted by the score,
their scratched ami polinlicd surfaces recording
at once the hight, strength, and direction of
the ieo currents.
At last the glaciieaqucous epoch wafl ended
The waters were gathered into their future
home, the ocean. 1 he dry land appeared
strewn with debris for hundreds and thousands
uf miles on each side of the mountain chains,
while a warm atmosphere crept from the plains
by degrees up the mountains, clothing them
with vegetation.
Next succeeded the wonderful phenomena of
at.tmw.
At lust glaciers were developed on a scale so
rami as to lie scarcely conceived of now.
'heir work is denuding mountain rainreB aud
snariieiiiiig Homes into pinnacles, as did thci
narulit. the iev ae. hut. thi.v t.,.1 it. . ...... mt.
i . j --I --- - j ... . ... .
ferent manner, slow as the cycles of ages, silent
uie molil ot the tomb. I heir DOWer m cuual
to the destruction of the hiuhest mountains of
the globe, and to the furrowing of the deepest
loaemites oi inu plateaus.
B AIX llltllISS WITH TIIK MKKH UK OLAQB
Tl l I ... . . .
inc.u in...e. oi ice, at nrst, stramled upon
lateaua, afterwanl formed from mow fnlli no in
an. ring localitius, are fixed to the earth, in
niiier, tnougnout tbeir extent, liy freezing,
'crtain xitiU uf greatest cold arc developed.
coinciding pndialilv with tho lowaat ..lae.
M theiH. points the rock .m . h. I ii. ...I..
y the ice and form a fulcrum for ,k mum',.
...... eoiuoi., which win no examined soon
akwl font! rwxk
rirai, lei II no relllem iere.1 that ,.r...,l.
wneu nirming, aisiut one ninth of its volume
nocomi, when criishe.1 at a temperature be
I. lo wmgeaia, over ami over auain
Tl.ie.1 il,. t tk. i i . P
- . ... luiui oi i . i . I . i , ,.,.
, . ... 1 -" .o -in
"i ui. moat powenul known, utterly irresist
II. le.
Now from the Haul of ST.at..a ,.t,i u.
bwk.aUU .L.. r..l u T . . u
vou luwruiu iirmiv clasiiod, the ice ex
. y congealing, thaw ing, crushing and re
gelation, an.l pral in every direction
-renc. ung a.., taking the contiguous rocks
with it, and rasping them upon those left iu
' HMU1A,
Iim result i ,t i ii . ... i . .. . , - i
i ... l , aj ni ami up.
wanl of the maaa oi ice and oonacpiently the
Mcavatrng of the crator lik. an, ,lthe.tcrs
Z. r TTrJZT lhr,u " ompty. on
Ue Mm of the mountains. Thi. counts al,.
"fijl "' glacier's track, once ice
,,., ,, water toniiiug.
oUciaRs at -woajk.
Th. UlllMT n.1 .M. mi ' .
, -ri -a- una s.w.Mul excavator
Wk.tolw.T.'k"!''?. "I"'"
Ihe greate.t amonntof preur. will K
" ' e uim-inm ol rut re.i.1.,. i
the final do...,! ,T l,"U,lc'. h'C
uuw o, uh iruaen river.
l tf UKU.
The .V.kf.a tasaaaMll ,j i.i.- .
imMjMM ,h., . ,:rL,-":'"rn",fi ""
- w A ' - " t.nii hi .
linn . l-i Z" - "ur " excav
.i,," ." ' "nn. ao aoou u tl..
. ..TMmbU, fluent thawinp
and frccalugs, Waiu, ... uuwu, are attended
by expansion, crushing of ice and regulation,
the latter of course attended with renewed ex
pansion. The fulcrum or fixed point would
change from side to Bide of the bottom seeking-
i . -.i r . .. a
uie loweab piuue, irom eoaeuu to season, or rattier
from age to age. the result would be the
scooping out of a crater of more or less depth
. i i i a.. i -. , r .1
sioppou uoiy uy ine conouuon ot unchanged,
low temperature reached at the bottom, gener
ally several icct. nnens change to wanner
temperature occurs (which rile will soon show
ib sudden, and by several degrees at once), the
ice is melted, and the ice-womb or fountain,
becomes a deep clear glacier lake, or often, if
in loose soil easily drained, remains empty.
1 hose lakes distributed along a ravine, show
here daciers had their oriirin. or where nor.
t inns of a flowing stream fastened on the bot
tom, for a period, and proceeded to diurini
wells upon the most gigantic scale, and with
the most powerful yet simple of mechanical
agonts, ice-expansion.
The warmth of the atmosphere in a distinct
stratum at the melting limit, causes an abrupt
termination oi the glacier, while its now being
unhindered in the center, is faster there ana
causes the outward curve to its front, and this
rain-bow curve determines the shape of the
moraine of rocks dropped from its brow, added
to those disgorged from its mouth below.
1 he regularity of form of the glacier bed re
sults from the power of ice to remove obstruc
tions, like an immenae furrowing flow, and itt
graceful curves amty from the entering tribu
tary glacier shows by the degree of deflection
the size of the tributary a phenomenon never
exhibited by water currents.
Trains of rocks often seen, longitudinally dis
posed upon a glacier, show the union of two or
moro sli. li tributaries. Their rooks deposited
upon the terminal moraine form nodules or
heaps in the latter. When left M tlu by the
sudden melting of the glacier, they form medial
moraines : while those rocks carried outward
to the side of the glacier form the third kiud,
lateral moraines.
Terminal moraines bcinir found deposit! t
the brow of every precipice in the glacier's
course, prove that the heat of the atmosphere
has increased by intervals of several degrees at
a time, not gradually a moat important deduc
tion irom the study ot glaciers, bearing upon
tho subject of climatology, the sudden with
drawal aud introduction of different species of
animals, and plants, etc If the increase of
temperature was gradual no terminal moraines
of immense size as now seen, would be formed,
but the rocks would be scattered along the
track of the receding glacier.
i ne tew rocks tound ou the back ot a glacier,
iu very slow movement, the bottom of it only
moving in summer, the swiftest recorded
motion being a Swiss glacier that only traveled
4.4UU feet in nine years, together with the
often, immense hight of the terminal morainea,
AO feet or more, all prove the necessity of
vast periods of time required for their forma-
uou.
Finally the long, deep, glacier-carved valleys,
like the famous ..somite tmv the orevalunce
of glaciers of prodigoua aiae and power, plow-
uk me piateaus ot the middle region oi ui.
Sierra, down to a low point near the foothill",
the melting line being met at their mouth at
an el. vat io of only about 3,000 or 4,000 feet.
' MM Ml- BRCOMtNO WARtfin.
From this brief atudy ol glaciers may k de
duced a theory of the positive increase of the
earth's atmosphere aa the ages have rolled by (
an increase which has advanced the melting
point-33 KahuptheSierra, ".OOOoro.OOOfeet,
ince the day of the great glaciers. At that
1" ii..., such alleys as Sierra and its sister,
uow decorating the flanks of the Sierra north
aud south, were either lakes imprisoned with
ice, or complete ice-womb, the source of gl
iers whose moraine have been scattered sine
by thio ls from higher basin as their contents
Were feed : while 1 1... r..i v.lt.u r California,
nd the great basin of Nevada were cold, fr