﻿G. 
  II. 
  Stone 
  — 
  Asjyhaltum 
  of 
  Utah 
  and 
  Colorado. 
  155 
  

  

  these 
  rocks 
  it 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  either 
  by 
  a 
  general 
  diffusion 
  

   through 
  the 
  inter-granular 
  spaces, 
  or 
  it 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  along 
  

   fractures 
  or 
  fissures. 
  

  

  Xow 
  the 
  coal 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  is 
  no 
  more 
  bituminous 
  than 
  the 
  

   Laramie 
  and 
  Tertiary 
  coals 
  of 
  other 
  coal 
  fields 
  outside 
  of 
  the 
  

   asphalt 
  area. 
  The 
  Laramie 
  sandstones 
  of 
  the 
  asphalt 
  area 
  are 
  

   just 
  like 
  those 
  found 
  outside 
  that 
  area. 
  Xobody 
  has 
  yet 
  re- 
  

   ported 
  even 
  one 
  deposit 
  of 
  bituminous 
  rock 
  of 
  Laramie 
  age. 
  

   It 
  is 
  incredible 
  there 
  should 
  have 
  been 
  any 
  general 
  diffusion 
  of 
  

   liquid 
  bitumens 
  through 
  so 
  great 
  a 
  thickness 
  of 
  various 
  kinds 
  

   of 
  rocks, 
  without 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  bituminous 
  matter 
  remaining 
  in 
  

   those 
  rocks, 
  even 
  after 
  they 
  have 
  drained 
  for 
  ages. 
  Moreover, 
  

   I 
  do 
  not 
  see 
  why 
  such 
  a 
  supposed 
  ascension 
  of 
  petroleoids 
  

   should 
  be 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  Tertiary 
  lakes 
  instead 
  of 
  

   being 
  spread 
  over 
  all 
  the 
  extensive 
  area 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  black 
  

   shales. 
  At 
  Florence, 
  Colo., 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  con- 
  

   tained 
  in 
  a 
  stratum 
  of 
  sandstone 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  the 
  

   black 
  shales, 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  overylying 
  shale 
  and 
  the 
  Laramie 
  rocks 
  

   have 
  been 
  sufficient 
  to 
  keep 
  down 
  the 
  oil 
  without 
  a 
  general 
  dif- 
  

   fusion 
  into 
  the 
  Laramie 
  sandstones, 
  how 
  could 
  happen 
  such 
  an 
  

   enormous 
  upward 
  diffusion 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  Tertiary 
  lakes 
  ? 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  urged 
  that 
  the 
  oils 
  of 
  the 
  

   marine 
  black 
  shales 
  passed 
  up 
  along 
  great 
  fissures. 
  The 
  Ter- 
  

   tiary 
  lakes 
  in 
  question 
  lay 
  along 
  the 
  southern 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Uinta 
  

   Mountains 
  and 
  eastern 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Wasatch. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  conclu- 
  

   sion 
  of 
  Powell, 
  King 
  and 
  others 
  that 
  the 
  L^inta 
  uplift 
  began 
  

   at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  Laramie 
  period 
  and 
  continued 
  through 
  

   Tertiary 
  time. 
  Great 
  fissure 
  veins 
  of 
  Uintaite 
  now 
  cross 
  the 
  

   region 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Uinta 
  Mountains 
  and 
  the 
  Yampa 
  plateau. 
  

   The 
  fissures 
  cut 
  down 
  through 
  the 
  Brown's 
  Park, 
  Bridger 
  and 
  

   Green 
  Piver 
  beds, 
  and 
  nobody 
  knows 
  how 
  much 
  deeper. 
  The 
  

   fact 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  situated 
  within 
  30 
  miles 
  of 
  where 
  a 
  great 
  

   mountain 
  range 
  was 
  pushed 
  up 
  to 
  say 
  nothing 
  of 
  the 
  Wasatch 
  

   uplift 
  to 
  the 
  west, 
  makes 
  it 
  highly 
  probable 
  they 
  go 
  down 
  

   to 
  profound 
  depths 
  and 
  intersect 
  the 
  marine 
  Cretaceous 
  

   shales. 
  Did 
  the 
  asphalt 
  or 
  any 
  portion 
  of 
  it 
  come 
  up 
  through 
  

   these 
  fissures 
  ? 
  The 
  details 
  of 
  an 
  hypothesis 
  to 
  this 
  effect 
  

   would 
  be 
  about 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  The 
  petroleum 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  shales 
  

   passed 
  up 
  through 
  the 
  fissures 
  and 
  floated 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  

   water 
  of 
  the 
  lake. 
  Here 
  it 
  gradually 
  oxidized 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  thick- 
  

   ened, 
  acquired 
  a 
  black 
  color 
  and 
  became 
  tarry 
  asphalt. 
  The 
  wind 
  

   blew 
  it 
  upon 
  the 
  sandy 
  shores 
  where 
  it 
  penetrated 
  the 
  sand. 
  

   Off 
  shore 
  the 
  mud 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  became 
  entangled 
  

   in 
  the 
  asphalt 
  and 
  sunk, 
  carrying 
  its 
  sticky 
  burden 
  with 
  it* 
  

   And 
  even 
  if 
  we 
  assume 
  the 
  indigenous 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  bitumens 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  description 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Joseph 
  Leidy 
  of 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  mud 
  of 
  the 
  Schuyl- 
  

   kill 
  Hirer, 
  on 
  gas 
  tar. 
  Orton, 
  op. 
  cir. 
  

  

  