﻿158 
  G. 
  TI. 
  Stone 
  — 
  Asphaltum 
  of 
  Utah 
  and 
  Colorado. 
  

  

  with 
  it. 
  The 
  concretions 
  must 
  have 
  had 
  their 
  intergranular 
  

   spaces 
  filled 
  with 
  cement 
  before 
  the 
  asphalt 
  penetrated 
  the 
  

   pores 
  of 
  the 
  sand 
  around 
  them. 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  miles 
  farther 
  west 
  I 
  found 
  an 
  asphaltic 
  sand 
  rock 
  

   much 
  cross-bedded. 
  Alternate 
  layers 
  about 
  half 
  an 
  inch 
  thick 
  

   contained 
  more 
  and 
  less 
  asphalt 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  rock 
  was 
  crossed 
  

   by 
  darker 
  and 
  lighter 
  bands. 
  The 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  grains 
  of 
  sand 
  

   was 
  so 
  nearly 
  uniform 
  in 
  the 
  different 
  layers 
  that 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  

   seem 
  probable 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  layers 
  were 
  originally 
  more 
  porous 
  

   than 
  others. 
  A 
  better 
  interpretation 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  layers 
  were 
  

   charged 
  from 
  the 
  surface 
  during 
  deposition 
  of 
  the 
  rock, 
  and 
  

   the 
  same 
  causes 
  that 
  produced 
  the 
  intermittent 
  deposition 
  

   charged 
  the 
  layers 
  unequally. 
  

  

  While 
  here 
  asphaltization 
  was 
  probably 
  cotemporaneous 
  

   with 
  deposition, 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  concretionary 
  rock 
  above- 
  

   mentioned, 
  asphaltization 
  did 
  not 
  take 
  place 
  till 
  after 
  the 
  

   cementing 
  of 
  the 
  concretions. 
  Geologically 
  this 
  may 
  not 
  have 
  

   been 
  long. 
  At 
  Thistle, 
  Utah, 
  a 
  sand 
  rock 
  containing 
  molluscan 
  

   shells 
  is 
  charged 
  with 
  asphalt 
  which 
  has 
  also 
  filled 
  the 
  interiors 
  

   of 
  the 
  shells. 
  Here 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  asphaltizing 
  is 
  not 
  certain. 
  

  

  In 
  general 
  the 
  small 
  amount 
  of 
  fine 
  sediment 
  and 
  calcareous, 
  

   ferruginous 
  or 
  siliceous 
  cements 
  occurring 
  with 
  the 
  asphalt 
  in 
  

   the 
  pores 
  of 
  the 
  sand 
  rock, 
  favors 
  the 
  hypothesis 
  that 
  the 
  rock 
  

   was 
  charged 
  with 
  asphalt 
  contemporaneously 
  with 
  or 
  soon 
  after 
  

   deposition, 
  and 
  before 
  it 
  had 
  time 
  to 
  become 
  cemented 
  into 
  a 
  

   compact, 
  solid 
  rock. 
  All 
  the 
  richer 
  sand 
  asphalt 
  readily 
  softens 
  

   under 
  heat, 
  proving 
  it 
  has 
  practically 
  no 
  cement 
  but 
  asphalt. 
  

   Apparently 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  asphalt 
  that 
  has 
  kept 
  the 
  

   other 
  cements 
  out. 
  Moreover 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  see 
  how 
  asphaltization 
  

   of 
  sediments 
  can 
  in 
  general 
  be 
  so 
  nearly 
  parallel 
  with 
  stratifi- 
  

   cation 
  unless 
  the 
  strata 
  were 
  asphaltized 
  successively 
  before 
  

   new 
  strata 
  were 
  overlaid. 
  

  

  6. 
  Professor 
  Peckham, 
  as 
  quoted 
  by 
  Orton, 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  It 
  seems 
  

   to 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  different 
  varieties 
  of 
  petroleum 
  are 
  the 
  products 
  

   of 
  fractional 
  distillation, 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  strongest 
  proofs 
  of 
  this 
  

   is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  large 
  content 
  of 
  paraffine 
  in 
  the 
  Bradford 
  oil 
  

   under 
  the 
  enormous 
  pressure 
  to 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  subjected." 
  

  

  Near 
  the 
  same 
  horizon 
  as 
  the 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  sand 
  asphalt 
  are 
  

   found 
  some 
  thin 
  seams 
  of 
  paraffine, 
  near 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  

   Wasatch 
  Mountains. 
  This 
  ozocerite 
  or 
  mineral 
  wax 
  is 
  extract- 
  

   able 
  with 
  solvents 
  and 
  hot 
  water, 
  and 
  therein 
  is 
  quite 
  different 
  

   from 
  the 
  paraffine 
  that 
  results 
  from 
  the 
  destructive 
  distillation 
  

   of 
  the 
  bituminous 
  shales 
  of 
  this 
  region. 
  For 
  the 
  fractional 
  

   distillation 
  necessary 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  paraffines 
  as 
  residuum, 
  Pro- 
  

   fessor 
  Peckham 
  postulates 
  considerable 
  heat. 
  In 
  the 
  Wasatch 
  

   area 
  I 
  have 
  failed 
  to 
  find 
  evidence 
  of 
  local 
  metamorphism 
  or 
  

   unusual 
  heat. 
  The 
  ozocerite 
  beds 
  were 
  deposited 
  after 
  the 
  

   upheaval 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains, 
  and 
  before 
  the 
  rising 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  

  