. Elements of geology. Geology. 258 LYELL'S ELEMENTS OF GEOLOGY. Erect Position of Trees in the Coal Strata. speculation, but because it has furnished a popular argument to some writers who desire to prove the earth's crust to be no more than 5000 or 6000 years old. The fact did not escape the notice of Werner, who conceived that the trees must have lived on the spots where they are now found fossil; and this hypothesis was defended by M. Alexandre Brongniart, in the account given by him, in 1821, of the coal-mine of Treuil, at St. Etienne, near Lyons.* (Fig. 270.) In this mine, horizontal Coa
. Elements of geology. Geology. 258 LYELL'S ELEMENTS OF GEOLOGY. Erect Position of Trees in the Coal Strata. speculation, but because it has furnished a popular argument to some writers who desire to prove the earth's crust to be no more than 5000 or 6000 years old. The fact did not escape the notice of Werner, who conceived that the trees must have lived on the spots where they are now found fossil; and this hypothesis was defended by M. Alexandre Brongniart, in the account given by him, in 1821, of the coal-mine of Treuil, at St. Etienne, near Lyons.* (Fig. 270.) In this mine, horizontal Coal strata are Fig-. Section showing the erect position of fossil trees in coal-sandsione at St. Etienne. (Alex. Brongniart.) traversed by vertical trunks of Monocotyledonous vegetables re- sembling bamboos, or large Equiseta. ' These beds are represent- ed in the above figure (270.), and are from 10 to 13 feet in height, consisting of micaceous sandstone, distinctly stratified, and passing into the slaty structure. Since the consolidation of the stone, there has been here and there a sliding movement, which has broken the continuity of the stems, throwing the upper parts of them on one side, so that they are often not continuous with the lower. Now, had these trees, as some geologists contend, once formed part of a submerged forest like that of Portland, before described^ * Annales des Mines, Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Lyell, Charles, Sir, 1797-1875; Gibbes, Lewis Reeve, 1810-1894, former owner. DSI; Merrill, George P. (George Perkins), 1854-1929, former owner. DSI. Philadelphia : James Kay, Jun. and Brother ; Pittsburgh : C. H. Kay & Co.
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