Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, November 1899: Volume LVI, No. 1Various
Science
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, November 1899: Volume LVI, No. 1
Various
Science -- Periodicals; Technology -- Periodicals
The range of the present distribution of the diamonds, while perhaps
not limited exclusively to the "kettle moraine," will, as the events
have indicated, be in the main confined to it. This moraine, with
its numerous subordinate ranges marking halting places in the final
retreat of the ice, has now been located with sufficient accuracy by
the geologists of the United States Geological Survey and others,
approximately as entered upon the accompanying map. Within the
territory of the United States the large number of observations of the
rock scorings makes it clear that the ice of each lobe or glacier moved
from the central portion toward the marginal moraines, which are here
indicated by dotted bands. In the wilderness of Canada the observations
have been rare, but the few data which have been gleaned are there
represented by arrows pointed in the direction of ice movement.
There is every encouragement for persons who reside in or near the
marginal moraines to search in them for the scattered jewels, which
may be easily identified and which have a large commercial as well as
scientific value.
The Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey is now interesting
itself in the problem of the diamonds, and has undertaken the task of
disseminating information bearing on the subject to the people who
reside near the "kettle moraine." With the co-operation of a number of
mineralogists who reside near this "diamond belt," it offers to make
examination of the supposed gem stones which may be collected.
The success of this undertaking will depend upon securing the
co-operation of the people of the morainal belt. Wherever gravel
ridges have there been opened in cuts it would be advisable to look
for diamonds. Children in particular, because of their keen eyes and
abundant leisure, should be encouraged to search for the clear stones.
The serious defect in this plan is that it trusts to inexperienced
persons to discover the buried diamonds which in the "rough" are
probably unlike anything that they have ever seen. The first result of
the search has been the collection of large numbers of quartz pebbles,
which are everywhere present but which are entirely valueless. There
are, however, some simple ways of distinguishing diamonds from quartz.
Diamonds never appear in thoroughly rounded forms like ordinary
pebbles, for they are too hard to be in the least degree worn by
contact with their neighbors in the gravel bed. Diamonds always show,
moreover, distinct forms of crystals, and these generally bear some
resemblance to one of the forms figured. They are never in the least
degree like crystals of quartz, which are, however, the ones most
frequently confounded with them. Most of the Wisconsin diamonds have
either twelve or forty-eight faces. Crystals of most minerals are
bounded by plane surfaces--that is to say, their faces are flat--the
diamond, however, is inclosed by distinctly curving surfaces.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account