USA > Wisconsin > An illustrated history of Wisconsin from prehistoric to present periods : the story of the state interspersed with realistic and romantic events > Part 2
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Prof. Chamberlain, ex-chief geologist of Wisconsin, describes a rare specimen in his possession, which records three distinct periods in its history: (1) The rippling action of the waves; (2) the hardening and cracking process; and, (3) the filling of the minute crevices with metallic copper. *
CONGLOMERATE DEPOSITS .- The greatest copper mine in the world is the Calumet and Hecla mine, of northern Michigan. This mine is a sedimentary deposit of extraordinary richness, the copper being so abundant as to fantastically enwrap the whole mass, which lies between massive sheets of trap-rock.
AMYGDALOIDAL DEPOSIT. - In this deposit, the great mass of copper which has excited the wonder of the world is found in irregular cracks and crannies of the rock, in the form of sheets, leaves, and irregular masses of native copper.
In the deposit is, also, found vapor vesicles filled with native copper and occasionally a portion of lava rock completely shotted with the same metal.
VEIN DEPOSIT .- The igneous rocks having been deeply fractured by internal forces, the crevices were subsequently filled by minerals which formed in layers upon their walls. Among the minerals so deposited, native copper is found in quantities sufficiently large to be mined.
EXCEPTIONAL DEPOSITS. - Copper and silver lie in the detrital beds above the igneous sheets in this deposit. The silver-bearing horizon of the Ontonagont region, which extends into Wisconsin, is a special illus- tration of such deposits. This metallic deposit lies in the dark shale immediately above the great conglomerate, and is only separated by a few hundred feet of igneous sheets. The copper is in the sulphate form.
INTERVAL.]-The interval between the Keweenawan period and the Cambrian age is distinctly represented by the formation on the Atlantic border of New England and the provinces, and known as the Arcadian formation. It is suggested by Prof. Chamberlain that the Cambrian formations of Great Britain and Bohemia cover the entire period.
*Wis. Geol., Vol. I., 108.
+Iron River Region. #Wis. Geol., Vol. I., 16.
CHAPTER V.
CAMBRIAN AGE.
POTSDAM PERIOD .- The Potsdam period of Wisconsin embraces the following epochs: St. Peter's epoch (in part), Lower Magnesian epoch, Potsdam epoch.
POTSDAM EPOCH.
DEFINITION. FORMATION .- Cambrian takes its name from the Cam brian Series in North Wales. The name Potsdam is derived from Potsdam, N. Y. The formation is mostly light-colored sandstone in central and southern Wisconsin, and red sandstone in the Lake Superior region, but includes some beds of limestone and shale. The greatest known thickness of this formation is estimated at one thousand feet.
GEOGRAPHY .- At the commencement of the Potsdam formation, the whole or the greater part of Wisconsin was above the sea and attached to the Archean continent, and lay northward, forming one of its southern promontories. The sea lay to the south, and, during the period, !} slowly advanced upon the land through the basin of the lower peninsula of Michigan, and the great basin between Iowa and Minnesota, thus partially surrounding the Archean heights of Wisconsin. This stage was reached about the middle of the period .*
It is the opinion of same of our scientists, that at the close of the period, the peninsula was severed by the sea, thus reproducing the Island of Wisconsin.
FORMATION OF ISLANDS .- The irregular wear of the advancing sea created irregularities in the coast line, then formed islands, and, at last, reefs. The quartzite and quartz porphyries of central Wisconsin resisted the action of the waves to the close of the period, and stood as islands in the Potsdam sea. Among these islands are the quartzite domes of Baraboo and Portland regions, and Pine Bluff, in Green Lake county. The ancient sea beat against these islands with such violence that great cliffs were undermined and ground to bowlders by the action of the waves, thus forming the coarse conglomerates that now encircle these islands.
ORIGIN OF LIFE .- The Potsdam period introduces to us the first life history of the interior basin, and almost the first life history of the globe.
TRILOBITES .- The most numerous as well as interesting life forms of this period were the Trilobites. A greater number of these fossils have been found in Wisconsin than in any other locality.
*Wis. Geol., Vol. I., 120.
MIOCENE PERIOD.
15
CAMBRIAN AGE.
FOSSIL TRACKS .- Fossil tracks have been found impressed in the Potsdam sandstone, near New Lisbon. The width of some of the tracks is four and one-half inches, and of sufficient depth to indicate that the weight of the animal must have been considerable. *
DISTRIBUTION OF POTSDAM BEDS .- This formation skirts the south shore of Lake Superior to the straits, then disappears, but is found again below Lake Ontario, where it joins the Adirondacks with the Archean area of Canada. It occurs also in the Green Mountains of Ver- mont, and along the Appalachian range, from southern New York to Albany.
The Potsdam formation also appears in the Black Hills, where its fossils are similar to those discovered in Wisconsin.
LOWER MAGNESIAN EPOCH.
NAME. DESCRIPTIVE .- Prof. Owen named this formation "Magnesia," on account of its dolomitic composition. The word "Lower" dis- tinguished it from the Galena and Niagara formations. The formation is from 65 to 250 feet thick, underlaid by Potsdam sandstone and over- laid by St. Peter's sandstone.
METALLIC CONTENTS .- During this epoch there were deposited in certain localities, metallic compounds, including copper, lead, and iron in small quantities.
LIFE .- Evidence of life in this epoch is limited to some sea-weeds, occasional Mollusks, fragments of Trilobites and a few fissure forms of fossils. In the northeastern part of the state the cast of an Ophileta and two obscure Raphistomæ fossils have been discovered. In the over- arching layers and in the lead regions Euomphalus Strongi are found.
AMERICAN DISTRIBUTION .- The surface area of this formation is found skirting the Potsdam strata. Its eastern formation extends through the upper peninsula of Michigan, as far as St. Marie Straits, in the Adirondacks, the St. Lawrence region and along the Appalachians. It disappears westward in Minnesota and occurs in southeastern Missouri.
FOREIGN DISTRIBUTION .- This series is well developed in North Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia and Bohemia.
ST. PETER'S EPOCH (in part) .- This portion of the St. Peter's epoch will be treated in general, in the Lower Silurian, Cambro-Silurian or Ordovican age.
*Through the kindness of the Rev. A. A. Young, of New Lisbon, a number of these specimens are now in the museum of Beloit College, and in the University of Wisconsin.
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CHAPTER VI. LOWER SILURIAN, CAMBRO-SILURIAN OR ORDOVICAN AGE.
EPOCH OF ST. PETER'S SANDSTONE.
DERIVATION. DESCRIPTION .- The name of this formation is derived from the St. Peter's river (now called Minnesota river), at the mouth of which the formation is pronounced. The rock is sandstone of a friable nature, underlaid by the Lower Magnesian limestone, and overlaid by Trenton limestone. The average thickness is between 80 and 100 feet, while the greatest known depth is 212 feet.
STRATIFICATION .- The stratification is oblique, discordant and bil- lowy, which is due to the shifting action of the waves during its deposit. At some points the stratification shows the ebb and flow of the sea, and in one locality ripple marks are found. The colors of the strata are principally white, yellow and gray, although brown, pink and green are not uncommon. The coloring is undoubtedly due to filtering solutions of iron and manganese compounds.
LIFE OF THE PERIOD .- Few fossil remains have been found, owing to the porous condition of the rock, which was unfavorable to the preservation. In southern Wisconsin, tubes of Arenicolites are found in the upper horizon, and in one instance in beds at the base of the formation. Prof. N. H. Winchell found a Linguloid shell in the upper layers of the Minnesota formation.
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION .- The St. Peter's sandstone occupies a narrow area in Wisconsin. It stretches in an irregular course from the Lower Menominee river to the mouth of the Wisconsin. The formation dips gently to the east side of the state.
This formation occurs in northeastern Minnesota, but is unknown beyond. In Illinois it is found at Oregon, on the Rock river, and at La Salle, on the Illinois. It has not been recognized beyond the Missis- sippi region, but the Chazy limestone deposit of New York is regarded as its equivalent .*
TRENTON EPOCH.
NAME. EPOCH .- The name of the formation is derived from Trenton Falls, N. Y., where the display is pronounced. The deposit is lime- stone with magnesian tendencies. Its greatest thickness is Ir5 feet. The Trenton strata derived their material from three sources, viz. : (I) the stony parts of marine life; (2) the fine earthy sediments; and, (3) chemi- cal contributions from the sea.
*Geol. Wis., Vol. I., 150
I7
LOWER SILURIAN AGE.
DIVISION OF STRATA. LOWER BUFF LIMESTONE .- By slow progress there was first formed upon the St. Peter's sandstone a stratum of coarse thick-bedded magnesia limestone, impure on account of its earthy substances and largely to the disintegration of life remains .* The color of the stratum is gray, and its thickness is estimated at 25 feet.
LOWER BLUE LIMESTONE .- The upper layers in the stratum are slightly worn and smoothed by the waves. The conditions for the burial and preservation of organic remains were so perfect that they are now disentombed in a wonderful state of preservation. The preserving quality of the strata in the lead region is emphatic.
This stratum is about the same thickness as the preceding one.
UPPER BUFF LIMESTONE. - Then followed another stratum occasioned by the same conditions that characterized the Lower Blue Limestone formation. The depth of this stratum is estimated at 15 feet.
METALLIC DEPOSITS .- During the growth of these sediments, important metallic deposits were being formed. In the southwestern portion of Wisconsin, rich and extensive copper and zinc mines are found. Copper ores also occupy this horizon in the same locality.
LIFE .- Evidence of both animal and vegetable life during this period in a variety of forms is numerous and extant. The same animals that graced the Potsdam period were prominent in the Trenton seas.
DISTRIBUTION .- The Trenton formation stretches from above the mouth of the Menominee river, southward through the Green Bay and Rock river valley, to the limits of the state. It is frequently exposed in the river valleys of the southwestern portion of Wisconsin. Eastward from Green Bay, the distribution curves through the upper peninsula of Michigan, where it crosses the straits and appears north of Lake Huron, and at the foot of Lake Ontario. It crosses into New York, swinging around the Adirondacks, thence down the St. Lawrence river. Westward from Wisconsin, an irregular belt is found in northeastern Iowa, which stretches north to the vicinity of St. Paul. It also appears in the Hudson Bay region.
GALENA EPOCH.
DEFINITION. FORMATION .- The name of this formation was derived from galena contained in lead ore, and from the immense quantities found or exposed at Galena, Illinois.
The Galena limestone formation consists of coarse-grained, thick- bedded dolomite, underlaid by Trenton limestone, and overlaid by Hud- son shales. The thickness of this formation is about 250 feet, and con- tains flint in certain horizons.
*Wis. Geol., Vol. I., 162-163.
18
HISTORY OF WISCONSIN.
LIFE .- Few fossils are found in this formation, as from the nature of the deposit, few only were able to withstand the rough and exposed conditions occasioned by the swell of the ocean bed. The most noted and abundant fossil of the epoch is the "Sunflower" or "Lead Coral," the nature and organization of which is unknown.
DISTRIBUTION .- The Galena limestone, in its typical sense, is limited to a radius of little more than a hundred miles from the southwest corner of Wisconsin. The distribution from that point grades into a shaly deposit. The distribution is traceable into the peninsula of Michigan, and onward into Canada.
HUDSON RIVER EPOCH.
NAME. FORMATION .- The name is derived from the picturesque Hudson river, and consists of shales of diverse hues, principally blue and gray.
The deposit, with the intervening limestone, reaches a thickness of 200 feet.
CHARACTER OF DEPOSIT .- After the slow growth of the Galena limestone, the conditions of the ocean were so changed that the waters were turbulent and muddy, which undoubtedly drove away or destroyed the marine animals which live in clear waters. The turbulent and changing waters of the sea accumulated new rock material which pro- duced the shale sedimentation. At one point and at another, calcareous accumulations, and, as the result of these fluctuating conditions, a large deposit of unstratified shales and limestone were deposited.
RIPPLE MARKS .- The condition of the deposit is indicated by ripple marks of unusual size, and mud-cracked surfaces representing octagonal brick have been observed. The former represent the shallow sea, while the latter the exposure of the submergence.
CHANGING CONDITIONS .- The changes which brought about this era of sedimentation and coast movements were inaugurated in the pre- ceding epoch. The central area of the state was, during that period, gently raised upward, bending the strata, thus causing eastward and westward depressions, which shallowed the sea on the slopes.
LIFE .- Those forms of life, not adapted to the shallow, silted, and changed conditions of the sea, like Polyp Corals, Lamellibranchs, Gas- teropods, Cephalopods, Crinoids, Trilobites and Cleidophorus Neglectus, almost wholly disappeared from our shores. The new conditions, however, were congenial to the Bryozoans, Chaetetoid Corals and Branchiopods, which flourished in extraordinary abundance.
LAND PLANTS .- Over the land created by the retiring sea more or less vegetation sprang up. The first, perhaps, belonged to the myste- rious plant life in the Coral period.
I9
LOWER SILURIAN AGE.
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION .- The Hudson river shales skirt the Green Bay and Rock river valley. In the southwestern part of the state, the formation underlies the mounds and is found in a few other areas of the state. Eastward the strata sweep around Lakes Michigan and Huron, appearing on Manitoulin Islands, and the west shore of Georgian Bay. They appear in New York, sweeping round the Adirondacks and follow- ing the St. Lawrence valley to its terminus. The formation also appears in Ohio, Tennessee, Iowa and Minnesota.
FOREIGN EQUIVALENTS .- The English Lower Silurian embraces the Arenig, the Llandeilo, and the Caradoc beds. It also appears in Scot- land, Ireland, Scandinavia, and in the Baltic provinces of Russia, in Bohemia, Bavaria, and in Spain. The best development, however, is in Wales, in the land of the ancient Silures, whence the name is derived.
CLOSE OF LOWER SILURIAN AGE .- Wisconsin rock series, of the Lower Silurian age, is closed with the Hudson river shales. The rock- written record of this epoch is so clear and legible, that from its pages we read that, after the long period of submergence, the entire area of the state then became dry land.
EOCENE PERIOD.
.....
....
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CHAPTER VII.
UPPER SILURIAN AGE.
SUBDIVISIONS. - The Upper Silurian age embraces two periods: the Niagara and the Helderburg,* The epochs of the Niagara period are: (1) the advancing sea; (2), the epoch of transition, characterized by Clinton shales and ore beds; (3), the advancing sea, which occasioned the Niagara limestone; and, (4) the shallow and retiring sea, which includes the Salina deposits.
The Helderburg period embraces three epochs: (1) the advancing and deepening sea, including the Salina group; (2), the advancing sea and its limestone deposits; and, (3) the retiring sea.
CLINTON EPOCH.
This formation consists of shales, limestone, and iron ore. The greatest thickness of the iron ore in the state is 25 feet.
CLINTON IRON ORE .- The iron deposit of this epoch is local and principally characterized at Iron Ridge, in Dodge county, where its maximum thickness is 25 feet. From this point it spreads out and immediately disappears. A small deposit occurs under the village of Hartford, while at Cascade Falls, east of De Pere, the formation again occurs, but it is only about five feet in depth. At other points it is only marked by iron staining. The iron ore deposit is commonly known as "shot ore," or "mustard-seed ore," and is of a reddish-brown color. The ore, upon being reduced, produces about 45 per cent. of metal.
DISTRIBUTION .- Similar deposits are found in the same geological horizon, at different points from Ohio eastward, and from Alabama northward to Nova Scotia.
METHOD OF FORMATION .- Similar ore is now being deposited in some of the Swedish lakes, through drainage from ferruginous districts, and, as no marine fosssils are found in the strata, it is probable that the same system of lake, lagoon and estuary accumulations have here produced the same results.
FOSSILS .- In the Wisconsin beds no fossils belonging to this deposit have been found.
NIAGARA PERIOD.
FORMATION. DERIVATION .- This period is a limestone formation and consists of dolomites of various textures throughout the entire deposit. Its thickness in the southern part of the state is 450 feet; at
* Geologists have divided these two ages into seven epochs. See Wis. Geol., Vol. I., 178.
22
HISTORY OF WISCONSIN.
Sheboygan about 800 feet. The name is derived from Niagara Falls, and the period is prominent for its coral reefs.
SUBMERGENCE .- At the close of the previous iron-bearing epoch, the sea advanced upon the land and buried all the eastern, southern and western portions of the state. This advancing sea brought sedimentary elements, which were favorable to the limestone formation which pro- duced the Niagara period.
CORAL REEFS .- The most ancient coral reefs yet identified undoubt- edly had their seat under the Mayville beds, whose texture shows shallow water formation. Along the eastern portion of the state, for a distance of sixty miles or more, and extending into Illinois, there lay a chain of barren rocks. These reefs were the home of corals of different species, and were adorned by Crinoids, Bryozoans, Trilobites, Mollusks and the gigantic Zephalopods. One of these reefs, which is partially exposed near Saukville, is a mass of coral remains embedded in calcare- ous sand. These reefs have been traced as far north as Washington aud Ozaukee counties.
CORAL BEDS .- In the town of Byron, Fond du Lac county, the magnesian limestone reaches a maximum thickness of 110 feet. The color is light gray and cream tints, and at some points handsomely mottled with pink. Some portion of the Byron deposit will take a fair polish, resembling marble. The Byron deposit constitutes the lower coral beds, and is characterized by its abundance of favositoiod corals and varieties of Pentamerus Oblongus. The upper coal beds in this deposit are prolific with corals which are associated with other species. *
LIFE .- The general character of both animal and plant life during this period and the attending circumstances are finely portrayed and illustrated in Vol. I., Wis. Geol., pp. 188-196.
COLONIZING TENDENCIES .- The distribution of life during this period had a tendency to colonize at different points, as follows:
Crinoids at Wauwatosa.
Trilobites at Waukesha.
Pentamerus Oblongus at Pewaukee.
Pentamirus Ventricosus at Kewaunee.
Corals at Saukville, Green Bay, Byron and Mayville.
DISTRIBUTION .- The Niagara limestone occupies nearly all of the belt between Green Bay, Rock river valley and Lake Michigan. The formation also appears in the southwestern part of the state, and, undoubtedly, at one time covered the whole southern portion of the state. Eastward the formation passes around the basins of Lake Michigan and Huron. From Lake Huron it passes southeast to Niagara Falls, thence eastward beyond the center of New York, where it thins
* Geol. Wis., Vol. I., 189.
23
UPPER SILURIAN AGE.
out towards the Hudson river. It occurs in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Tennessee. The formation also extends from Eastern Wisconsin across Northern Illinois, and northwesterly through Iowa and Minnesota, and again appears in the British possessions.
LOWER HELDERBURG EPOCH.
DERIVATION. FORMATION .- The formation derived its name from the Helderburg mountains of New York. The formation in Wisconsin is limited to Milwaukee and Ozaukee counties. The formation in Milwaukee county is a brittle magnesian limestone deposit. It is thin bedded and readily splits into flags. At Ozaukee county the rock is closely associated with the Niagara limestone and is covered by the drift.
THE SALINA EPOCH.
At the close of the Guelph limestone deposit the sea withdrew for a period, depositing the Onondaga salt beds, which were cut off from the receding sea.
After the salt-forming epoch the sea advanced and encroached upon the eastern border of Wisconsin, then after a time withdrew, leaving the state entirely land for another period.
CLOSE OF SILURIAN AGE .- Tous closed the Silurian age, which was remarkable for its quiet conservative progress. Slight oscillations of the surface during the age are noticeable, but no profound volcanic disturbance occurred.
CHAPTER VIII.
DEVONIAN AGE, OR AGE OF FISHES.
DURING the thousands of centuries that had rolled slowly on, the land had been covered with water at periods which varied from centuries to extended eras, as the records of the rocks bear written and positive evidence.
NAME. FORMATION .- The name was proposed by Murchison and Ledwick, to replace the older term red sandstone in the Devonshire strata. *
The Devonian formations embrace: (I), a basal sandstone series; (2), a central limestone group; and, (3) an overlying shale and sandstone series.
The age is divided into the following epochs:
Devonian age :- Closing detrital epochs; central limestone epochs; opening detrital epochs.
It was in the middle of the Devonian age that the sea reached our territory, so that the Hamilton epoch, which is one of the three subdivided epochs of the central limestone epoch, is the only formation in the state of these classes.
HAMILTON EPOCH.
NAME. FORMATION .- The name is derived from Hamilton, N. Y., where the formation is pronounced. The formation is impure lime- stone, and characterized in certain localities on account of its cement properties.
SUBDIVISION OF THE PERIOD .- The epoch may be said to contain three distinct periods; (1), that of advancing waters and coarse deposits; (2), deep water and limestone; and, (3) the retiring waters and shaly deposits.
STATE DISTRIBUTION. - The deposit occurs in the eastern margin of the state, in the form of magnesian limestone, mingled with salicious and illuminous material, and known as the Milwaukee cement rock. The deposit is local, and limited to a few miles immediately north of Milwaukee. The cement rock is found on the Milwaukee river above the city. It is soft, thick bedded, and of a bluish-gray color.
LIFE .- At the dawn of this era, the life history of Wisconsin was characterized by higher types of both animal and vegetable life, although the former was in the form of fishes. At this time the Ohio
*International Clyclopedia.
25
DEVONIAN AGE.
waters were swarming with monster fishes, while in the far-distant European seas they flourished at the close of the Upper Silurian Age.
INSECTS .- The first known insects appeared in this epoch, although none have been found in this state.
LAND PLANTS .- Although no land plants have been found in the state, they appear elsewhere in the formation. It is believed that the land was widely covered with both plants and verdure during this epoch. The days of flowering plants had not yet arrived.
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION .- The Hamilton formation skirts the coal basin of the lower peninsula of Michigan, and forms limited areas in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri.
It also extends from Canada to New York, and southward into Pennsylvania and Virginia. In Illinois, it emerges from beneath the coal measures at Rock Island, and stretches northwesterly through Iowa, Minnesota, and the British possessions to the Arctic region. On the eastern Atlantic coast, it is found in Maine, New Brunswick, and at Gaspe.
THE OCEAN'S LAST KNOWN VISIT .- The close of the Hamilton period witnessed the ocean's last known visit to our territories. If it ever afterwards encroached, the rocks did not record the fact.
CHAPTER IX.
THE CARBONIFEROUS AGE.
NAME. FORMATION .- The name, Carboniferous, was given the age because of the carbon contained in the series. This is the most val- uable of the rock series, on account of its great storehouse from which is obtained the supply of coal, iron, and lime. The age embraces: (1), a period marked by detrital beds at the base, lime in the center, and detrital beds again at the summit; (2), a prominent period of oscilla- tion near the sea; and, (3) a period of mountain elevation in the western region.
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