﻿G. 
  H. 
  Stone 
  — 
  Asphaltum 
  of 
  Utah 
  and 
  Colorado. 
  159 
  

  

  Wasatch. 
  The 
  heat 
  of 
  these 
  revolutions 
  came 
  respectively 
  too 
  

   early 
  and 
  too 
  late, 
  and 
  I 
  failed 
  to 
  find 
  volcanoes 
  very 
  near. 
  

   The* 
  fact 
  that 
  hard 
  paraffines 
  result 
  from 
  the 
  fractional 
  distilla- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  petroleum 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  destructive 
  distillation 
  of 
  coals 
  

   and 
  asphalts 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  probable 
  the 
  Wasatch 
  

   paraffines 
  resulted 
  from 
  such 
  distillations. 
  The 
  absence 
  of 
  any 
  

   other 
  evidence 
  of 
  heat 
  from 
  the 
  locality 
  makes 
  the 
  presence 
  

   of 
  the 
  paraffines 
  more 
  noticeable. 
  The 
  question 
  arises, 
  why 
  

   should 
  here 
  be 
  found 
  the 
  waxy 
  paraffines, 
  while 
  all 
  around 
  so 
  

   great 
  quantities 
  of 
  asphalt 
  were 
  produced 
  in 
  rocks 
  of 
  nearly 
  if 
  

   not 
  the 
  same 
  age 
  ? 
  Evidently 
  a 
  great 
  amount 
  of 
  work 
  remains 
  

   to 
  be 
  done 
  before 
  we 
  can 
  scientifically 
  distinguish 
  between 
  the 
  

   processes 
  which 
  severally 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  coal, 
  the 
  

   oily 
  and 
  buttery 
  paraffines, 
  and 
  the 
  asphalts. 
  While 
  studying 
  

   the 
  subject 
  a 
  theory 
  of 
  a 
  somewhat 
  speculative 
  nature 
  has 
  

   occurred 
  to 
  me. 
  Paraffines 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  turpentine 
  

   of 
  pines.* 
  Paraffines 
  are 
  among 
  the 
  most 
  stable 
  of 
  the 
  organic 
  

   compounds. 
  The 
  hypothesis 
  is 
  suggested 
  whether 
  this 
  waxy 
  

   paraffine 
  of 
  the 
  Wasatch 
  region 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  that 
  con- 
  

   tained 
  in 
  the 
  turpentine 
  of 
  conifers, 
  and 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  residuum 
  

   of 
  primary 
  decomposition, 
  all 
  that 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  tur- 
  

   pentine, 
  the 
  more 
  unstable 
  substances 
  having 
  disappeared. 
  It 
  

   is 
  a 
  fact 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  Pocky 
  Mountain 
  region 
  the 
  coal 
  contains 
  

   a 
  large 
  quantity 
  of 
  partially 
  mineralized 
  resin. 
  f 
  

  

  Xow 
  if 
  resin 
  (dried 
  and 
  oxidized 
  turpentine) 
  has 
  so 
  long 
  

   resisted 
  decomposition 
  and 
  mineralization, 
  it 
  becomes 
  by 
  no 
  

   means 
  improbable 
  that 
  if 
  a 
  turpentine 
  contained 
  paraffine, 
  that 
  

   very 
  refractory 
  substance 
  might 
  remain 
  after 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  

   ingredients 
  had 
  become 
  decomposed 
  and 
  changed 
  either 
  to 
  coal 
  

   or 
  to 
  petroleoids, 
  or 
  indeed 
  oxidized 
  to 
  carbonic 
  acid. 
  This 
  

   question 
  is 
  evidently 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  larger 
  question 
  : 
  how 
  far 
  were 
  

   the 
  hydro-carbons 
  of 
  the 
  carbonaceous 
  minerals 
  formed 
  within 
  

   the 
  living 
  organisms 
  from 
  which 
  these 
  minerals 
  were 
  derived 
  \\ 
  

  

  * 
  Watt's 
  Dictionary 
  of 
  Chemistry, 
  III 
  Supplement, 
  art. 
  paraffine. 
  Also 
  Roscoe 
  

   and 
  Schorlemmer. 
  Chem., 
  vol. 
  iii. 
  pt. 
  1, 
  p. 
  140. 
  

  

  f 
  According 
  to 
  Messrs. 
  Remington 
  and 
  G-ilson 
  of 
  Salt 
  Lake 
  City 
  there 
  is 
  in 
  

   Utah 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  fossil 
  resin 
  several 
  feet 
  in 
  thickness. 
  It 
  is 
  still 
  soluble 
  in 
  most 
  

   solvents 
  of 
  resin, 
  but 
  will 
  no 
  longer 
  unite 
  with 
  linseed 
  oil 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  tough 
  varnish. 
  

   I 
  have 
  seen 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  mineral 
  but 
  have 
  not 
  made 
  a 
  field 
  examination 
  of 
  

   the 
  deposit 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  its 
  geological 
  age. 
  

  

  % 
  Mr. 
  G-. 
  P. 
  Wall, 
  quoted 
  by 
  Orton, 
  p. 
  500, 
  gives 
  a 
  graphic 
  picture 
  of 
  vegetable 
  

   matter 
  partially 
  changed 
  to 
  asphalt. 
  The 
  description 
  appears 
  to 
  refer 
  to 
  cellulose 
  

   and 
  woody 
  fiber. 
  What 
  would 
  become 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  soluble 
  products 
  of 
  the 
  plant, 
  

   such 
  as 
  the 
  oils, 
  resins, 
  paraffines 
  and 
  other 
  non-oxygenated 
  hydro-carbons? 
  

   They 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  withstand 
  decomposition 
  longer 
  than 
  the 
  cellular 
  tissues, 
  

   and 
  would 
  certainly 
  be 
  dissolved 
  in 
  any 
  petroleoid 
  produced 
  from 
  those 
  tissues. 
  

   Would 
  they 
  simply 
  enter 
  into 
  solution 
  or 
  into 
  a 
  chemical 
  synthesis? 
  These 
  and 
  

   other 
  similar 
  questions 
  need 
  to 
  be 
  solved 
  before 
  we 
  can 
  trace 
  the 
  relationships 
  of 
  

   the 
  coals, 
  petroleums, 
  asphalts, 
  fossil 
  resins 
  and 
  acids, 
  hard 
  paraffines, 
  etc. 
  

  

  Colorado 
  Springs. 
  March 
  3, 
  1891. 
  

  

  Am. 
  Joub. 
  Sci.— 
  Third 
  Series, 
  Yol. 
  XLII, 
  No. 
  248.— 
  August, 
  1891. 
  

   11 
  

  

  