836 



THE WONDERS OF GEOLOGY. 



Lect. VIII. 



outline, present the most sublime and picturesque aspect 

 which is any where concentrated within so small a space 

 in volcanic landscape.* 



Eruption of Jorullo. South America has been the 

 theatre in modern times, of one of the most extraordinary 

 revolutions in the annals of the physical history of our 

 planet, — that which gave rise to the burning mountain of 

 Jorullo. f 



In Mexico there is an extensive plain called the Malpays, 

 which was covered by fields of cotton, sugar-cane, and 

 indigo, irrigated by streams, and bounded by basaltic 

 mountains, the nearest active volcano being at the distance 



Lign. 187. — Volcano of Jorullo, Mexico. 

 {By Baron Humboldt.) 



of eighty miles. This district is situated at an elevation 

 of about 2,600 feet above the level of the sea, and was 



* Cosmos, p. 229. 



f Baron Humboldt's Nouvelle Espagne; see also his Yues des 

 Cordilleres, for beautiful illustrations of Jorullo and its hornitos. 



