﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  181 
  

  

  mistaken 
  for 
  Mount 
  Whitney, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  other 
  unnamed 
  peaks. 
  Those 
  of 
  tlie 
  

   western 
  ridge 
  are 
  Mount 
  King, 
  Mount 
  Gardner, 
  Mount 
  Brewer, 
  Kaweah 
  

   Peak, 
  etc. 
  

  

  Tiie 
  Hockett 
  Trail 
  crosses 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  ridge 
  at 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  

   probably 
  a 
  little 
  over 
  11,000 
  feet, 
  at 
  a 
  point 
  nearly 
  opposite 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  

   Owen's 
  Lake, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  south-east 
  of 
  the 
  peak 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  mistaken 
  

   for 
  Mount 
  Whitney. 
  

  

  We 
  followed 
  this 
  trail 
  to 
  the 
  locality 
  known 
  as 
  Soda 
  Springs, 
  upon 
  the 
  main 
  

   Kern 
  River, 
  which 
  here 
  flows 
  at 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  between 
  6000 
  and 
  7000 
  feet 
  

   above 
  the 
  sea. 
  

  

  Throughout 
  this 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  the 
  mountains, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  seen, 
  consist 
  

   entirely 
  of 
  granitic 
  rock, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  single, 
  isolated 
  and 
  somewhat 
  

   remarkable 
  cluster 
  of 
  volcanic 
  outbursts, 
  at 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  about 
  9000 
  feet 
  

   above 
  the 
  sea. 
  This 
  cluster 
  consists 
  of 
  four 
  crater 
  cones 
  of 
  moderate 
  size, 
  rest- 
  

   ing 
  on 
  the 
  granite, 
  and 
  one 
  basaltic 
  lava-flow 
  of 
  considerable 
  magnitude. 
  The 
  

   first 
  of 
  these 
  outbursts 
  seen 
  in 
  following 
  the 
  trail 
  from 
  Lone 
  Pine, 
  is 
  some 
  five 
  

   or 
  six 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Kern 
  River, 
  and 
  its 
  altitude 
  is 
  probably 
  a 
  little 
  over 
  

   9000 
  feet. 
  It 
  forms 
  the 
  whole 
  western 
  half 
  of 
  a 
  hill 
  some 
  300 
  or 
  400 
  feet 
  high, 
  

   and 
  reaches 
  to 
  its 
  summit; 
  while 
  the 
  whole 
  eastern 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  hill 
  is 
  

   naked, 
  solid 
  granite. 
  This 
  outbreak 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  small 
  and 
  local, 
  being 
  appar- 
  

   ently 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  yards 
  in 
  extent 
  in 
  any 
  direction 
  ; 
  its 
  length 
  north 
  and 
  

   south, 
  however, 
  being 
  considerably 
  greater 
  than 
  its 
  breadth 
  east 
  and 
  west. 
  Its 
  

   situation 
  on 
  the 
  hillside 
  is 
  peculiar. 
  It 
  appears 
  as 
  if 
  a 
  short 
  fissure 
  had 
  opened 
  

   here 
  in 
  a 
  northerly 
  and 
  southerly 
  direction 
  along 
  the 
  western 
  slope 
  of 
  this 
  hill, 
  

   pretty 
  well 
  up 
  toward 
  its 
  summit, 
  and 
  just 
  enough 
  material 
  been 
  ejected 
  through 
  

   it 
  to 
  cover 
  the 
  whole 
  western 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  hill, 
  without, 
  however, 
  sufficient 
  explos- 
  

   ive 
  force 
  to 
  scatter 
  it 
  much 
  in 
  any 
  direction. 
  

  

  About 
  a 
  mile 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  this 
  hill 
  are 
  two 
  twin 
  crater 
  cones, 
  which 
  I 
  did 
  

   not 
  visit, 
  standing 
  close 
  together, 
  and 
  nearly 
  equal 
  in 
  height. 
  

  

  Following 
  along 
  the 
  trail, 
  we 
  find 
  at 
  the 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  westerly 
  

   from 
  the 
  first 
  hill 
  mentioned 
  above 
  another 
  crater 
  cone, 
  some 
  400 
  or 
  500 
  feet 
  

   in 
  height, 
  and 
  perfect 
  in 
  form 
  except 
  that 
  a 
  breach 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  its 
  north- 
  

   east 
  side 
  and 
  deepened 
  nearly 
  to 
  its 
  base. 
  From 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  

   base 
  of 
  this 
  cone 
  a 
  lava 
  stream 
  has 
  issued 
  and 
  flowed 
  for 
  some 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  miles 
  

   in 
  a 
  nearly 
  true 
  west 
  course, 
  following 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  a 
  pre-existing 
  creek 
  to 
  the 
  

   main 
  Kern 
  River, 
  where 
  it 
  now 
  ends 
  in 
  a 
  bluff 
  facing 
  the 
  river, 
  but 
  high 
  above 
  

   its 
  bed. 
  

  

  Appearances 
  indicate 
  that 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  the 
  lava 
  stream 
  issued 
  first, 
  and 
  that 
  

   after 
  it 
  had 
  ceased 
  to 
  flow, 
  the 
  cinder 
  cone 
  was 
  piled 
  up 
  over 
  it 
  at 
  the 
  point 
  

   of 
  ejection, 
  the 
  completion 
  of 
  the 
  ccftie 
  finishing 
  the 
  eruption. 
  

  

  The 
  valley 
  followed 
  by 
  the 
  fiow 
  was 
  rather 
  broad, 
  and 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  lava 
  

   was 
  large, 
  filling 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  valley, 
  spreading 
  out 
  in 
  places 
  to 
  half 
  or 
  

   three 
  quarters 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  breadth, 
  and 
  varying 
  in 
  depth 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  to 
  

   two 
  or 
  three 
  hundred 
  feet 
  at 
  different 
  points. 
  The 
  valley 
  had 
  a 
  rapid 
  fall 
  to- 
  

   ward 
  the 
  Kern 
  River, 
  and 
  the 
  bluff, 
  which 
  now 
  forms 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  flow, 
  is 
  

   1500 
  feet 
  or 
  more 
  below 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  issue. 
  

  

  