146 CHARLES RICHARD VAN HISE— CHAMBERLIN. [MBM0IB fvoL T xvn; 



in the face of all this, Van Hise held his ground sturdily and after each bout with his trainer 

 went back to his lathe and his microscope undaunted and eager to find further confirmation of 

 his conclusions, until at length he proved his case beyond question or cavil. This early proof 

 of his sturdiness and steadiness of purpose, supported by his clearness of insight and his firmness 

 of induction, were true forecasts of the mental trend that ever after marked the strong scientific 

 leader into which young Van Hise soon grew. 



This earliest official work of Van Hise in connection with Irving was carried on during the 

 closing years of the Wisconsin Geological Survey of 1873-1879. So declared was the high 

 quality of their work that immediately on the close of the State survey, the services of both 

 Irving and Van Hise were sought by the National Survey and the work they had so well inaugu- 

 rated in Wisconsin was continued without interruption not only, but extended to the whole 

 field of the ancient crystalline rocks in the interior of the United States. 



At the time of the lamented death of Irving in 1878, their joint work on these ancient rocks 

 had already developed into varied and comprehensive lines of research. All these now fell 

 to the charge of Dr. Van Hise. The final report on their joint work appeared under Van Hise's 

 editorship in an important report entitled "The Penokee Iron-Bearing Series of Michigan and 

 Wisconsin" (Monograph XIX of the U. S. Geological Survey, 1892). The manuscript for this 

 was transmitted in 1890, but the published volume did not appear until 1892. Besides elaborate 

 discussions of the formations that make up this great series and critical microscopic descriptions 

 of the constituent rocks, an important feature was the establishment of a standard section 

 of the crystalline series of the Lake Superior region, which has been a basis of reference ever 

 since, although naturally additions have been made to it in the progress of later study. 



, In 1896 Van Hise, jointly with W. S. Bayley and H. L. Smyth, transmitted to the National 

 Government a second monographic work entitled "The Marquette Iron-Bearing District of 

 Michigan" (Monograph XXVIII, U. S. Geological Survey, 1897). This was a natural sequel 

 and companion work to the preceding monograph on the Penokee Iron-Bearing series. Among 

 the important features of this report was the discovery that the Marquette series embraced 

 two divisions, separated by unconformities. This volume also contained a fuller development 

 of the important doctrine that the present richness of the iron ores is due in part to the purifi- 

 cation of the original ores and in part to the concentration of the iron compounds from above 

 downward, both processes being the work of the natural circulation of the meteorological 

 waters. In the treatment of the Basement Complex, the oldest recognized series of rocks, the 

 very significant fact was brought out that the schistose members of the series were originally 

 surface deposits, largely of volcanic origin, and that the granitic and granetoidal masses of the 

 region had been intruded into these surface formations and hence were younger. It had pre- 

 viously been generally supposed that the granites and the granitoidal rocks were simply cooled 

 portions of the molten globe which was then commonly postulated as an early state of the 

 earth. It now appeared, however, that these supposed relics of the crust were in reality later 

 and younger than the schistose rocks which at the time formed the outer part of the earth. 

 Furthermore, it appeared that most of these schistose terraines had in their turn been laid 

 down on a previous surface. This significant discovery left this region barren of all direct 

 evidence of the supposed molten globe. It is interesting to note that about the same time, 

 as well as later, similar evidence was forthcoming from other regions of ancient rocks of like 

 type which, as in this case, had been supposed to be parts of the original crust of the molten 

 earth. The joint effect of these suggestive revelations was to rob the doctrine of a molten earth 

 of practically all field evidence. These very radical determinations have been sustained by 

 subsequent inquiries, and they thus constitute a contribution to the interpretation of an early 

 stage of earth history of the first order of importance. 



There closely followed this report on the Marquette series a monograph of like nature on 

 "The Crystal Falls Iron-Bearing Region of Michigan," the joint work of Drs. Clements, Smyth, 

 and Bayley, under the general supervision of Van Hise. To this Van Hise prepared an intro- 

 duction in which he brought into comparison the leading features of analogous formations 

 elsewhere in the Lake Superior region in the United States and in Canada. 



