145 



In leaving this part of our subjeot it may be remarked that whatever error there may be, 

 arising from the methods involved, or from a possible confusion of strata, the general tendency 

 has been to place Stump lake, the Tranquille river and Kamloops in a somewhat too high 

 horizon : and it may eventually be found that these should be placed in the same horizon 

 as Tulameen river, and Kettle river. This error, if any, is slight, and does not materially 

 alter the general conclusion. 



COMBUSTION OF LIGNITE BEDS. 



An important feature of the lignite beds throughout the entire area of the Bad Lands 

 of Dakota, Montana and Saskatchewan, as well as in the Mackenzie River area and various 

 parts of British Columbia, is presented by their combustion. This phenomenon was observed 

 in 1848 by Sir John Richardson on the occasion of his Arctic Searching Expedition^, who 

 refers to the fact that " The smoke, with flame visible at night, has been present in some part 

 ■or other of the formation ever since," referring in this way to the statement of Mackenzie 

 who is said to have observed these fires in 1785, and whose account of them was probably 

 the first record of their occurrence. The phenomenon was first observed at Bear river, and 

 Eichardson was able to note the same combustion of bituminous shales in latitude 70° 19' N. 

 He comments upon the frequent occurrence of indurated clays and biscuit porcelain caused 

 by the action of such fires upon superimposed strata. 



More recently various exploring expeditions have taken cognizance of the destruction 

 of the lignite upon a gigantic scale. Thus the expedition under Dr. F. V. HaydenS contains 

 very full accounts by himself and his associates of the physical features of the country as 

 determined by metamorphosis of clay and sandstone deposits with subsequent erosion of the 

 softer parts. 



Lewis and Clarke^ commented upon the occurrence of large quantities of pumice on the 

 Missouri river, about fifty miles above the Heart river " which had every appearance of having 

 been at some time on fire". They had previously observed the occurrence of " burnt hills" 

 about half way between the mouths of the Tongue and Powder rivers on the Yellowstone, 

 at which point the Powder River region of matamorphism begins. 



A scientific explanation of the origin of these fires does not seem to have been attempted 

 until 1873. Mr. J. A. Allen* who was attached to the Northern Pacific Railroad Expedition 

 under General Stanley as zoologist had an opportunity to inquire more closely into all the 

 related conditions. 



A further study of the same phenomenon as developed in Canada was made in 1873-74 

 by Dr. G. M. Dawson and published in 1876 in connexion with the Report of the British 

 North American Boundary Commission^. The report takes cognizance of the conclusions 

 previously reached by Mr. Allen, but a different interpretation is placed upon the active causes. 

 In view of the divergence of opinion expressed by these two observers, and particularly in 

 the light of evidence which has recently become available^, it seems desirable to review the 



1 Arctic Searching Expedition, London, 1851, pp. 189, 191, 271, 195, 



2 Geol. Rept., Explor. Missouri and Yellowstone, 1869. p. 56, etc. 

 .S Lewis and Clarke, Explor. Exped. Vol. II. pp. 173, 393. 



4 Metamorphism Produced by the burning of Lignite beds in Dakota and Montana Territories, Proc. Bos.. Soo. Nat. Hist., 



XVI, 1874, 246. 



5 Report on the Geology and Resources of the Region in the vicinity of the Forty -ninth Parallel, Montreal, 1875. 



6 A Blazing Beach. Science, N. S. XXII, 1905, 794-798 : Pop. Sci. M. LXX. 1907, 557-564. 



9197—19 



