400 
MINERALOGICAL GEOLOGY 
as advanced by Gale, and his argument for essentially a vein 
origin of colemanite crystal is, when critically analyzed, a purely 
academic disquisition, and finds small actual support from obser¬ 
vation even as adduced by himself. His basic argument is not 
so much a judicial marshaling of pertinent facts, elucidating his 
contentions, as it is a good, although unintentional mis-statement 
of actual circumstances concerning the stratigraphy of the borate¬ 
bearing beds. The upright attitude of the deposits in some places, 
and the practice of the miners of calling the beds veins seem to 
have had a potent influence in the birth of the vein hypothesis. 
Then, too, there appears to be lurking in the argument a certain 
element of modern commercialism which has no place in scientific 
writings. The vein prospect appears to be dependent mainly upon 
the highly tilted position of the formations, and the strata as dis¬ 
played at Lang, Ventura and Daggett, a feature which does not 
obtain elsewhere, and which has in reality no genetic significance. 
Formation of colemanite crystal as a secondary but perhaps a 
necessary residue of bittern lakes is not precluded because of 
alleged absence of other salt beds as is sometimes asserted. These 
are not always absent as is claimed. In the White Basin sequence 
there are, besides the colemanite beds, bodies of rock-salt 100 feet 
thick, and layers of gypsum a dozen or a score of feet in vertical 
measurement. Boracite crystallizes out long before either of these 
minerals are thrown down. So, if this supposed feature be used v 
to militate against the bittern lakes conception it at once falls 
to the ground of its own weight. 
The notion that the lava beds associated with the borate de¬ 
posits are the source of the boracic acid has little to support it. 
These basaltic layers are interbedded surface flows and not intru- 
sives. Their vesicular upper portions furnish conclusive proofs 
of their real nature. They could hardly be the original home of 
appreciable amounts of boracic acid. From wherever the latter 
comes it is certainly not from surface flows. As volcanic emana¬ 
tions boracic acid ordinarily accompanies some of the dying 
stages of deep-seated eruptive activities, from solfataras that 
appear long after lava-flowing ceases. 
Ascribing the sedimentary beds which yield colemanite to playa 
origin presents even greater physical difficulties. At best playas 
are desert phenomena that are quite ephemeral in character. They 
