hence，duringthegradualwearofthehills，theyprojectabovethesurfaceoftheground。Secondly，almosteverylabourer，especiallyinthenorthernpartsofChile，understandssomethingabouttheappearanceofores。InthegreatminingprovincesofCoquimboandCopiapo，firewoodisveryscarce，andmensearchforitovereveryhillanddale；andbythismeansnearlyalltherichestmineshavetherebeendiscovered。Chanuncillo，fromwhichsilvertothevalueofmanyhundredthousandpoundshasbeenraisedinthecourseofafewyears，wasdiscoveredbyamanwhothrewastoneathisloadeddonkey，andthinkingthatitwasveryheavy，hepickeditup，andfounditfullofpuresilver：theveinoccurredatnogreatdistance，standinguplikeawedgeofmetal。Theminers，also，takingacrowbarwiththem，oftenwanderonSundaysoverthemountains。InthissouthpartofChile，themenwhodrivecattleintotheCordillera，andwhofrequenteveryravinewherethereisalittlepasture，aretheusualdiscoverers。
20th——Asweascendedthevalley，thevegetation，withtheexceptionofafewprettyalpineflowers，becameexceedinglyscanty，andofquadrupeds，birds，orinsects，scarcelyonecouldbeseen。Theloftymountains，theirsummitsmarkedwithafewpatchesofsnow，stoodwellseparatedfromeachother，thevalleysbeingfilledupwithanimmensethicknessofstratifiedalluvium。ThefeaturesinthesceneryoftheAndeswhichstruckmemost，ascontrastedwiththeothermountainchainswithwhichIamacquainted，were，——theflatfringessometimesexpandingintonarrowplainsoneachsideofthevalleys，——thebrightcolours，chieflyredandpurple，oftheutterlybareandprecipitoushillsofporphyry，thegrandandcontinuouswall-likedykes，——theplainly-dividedstratawhich，wherenearlyvertical，formedthepicturesqueandwildcentralpinnacles，butwherelessinclined，composedthegreatmassivemountainsontheoutskirtsoftherange，——
andlastly，thesmoothconicalpilesoffineandbrightlycoloureddetritus，whichslopedupatahighanglefromthebaseofthemountains，sometimestoaheightofmorethan2000feet。
Ifrequentlyobserved，bothinTierradelFuegoandwithintheAndes，thatwheretherockwascoveredduringthegreaterpartoftheyearwithsnow，itwasshiveredinaveryextraordinarymannerintosmallangularfragments。Scoresby[1]hasobservedthesamefactinSpitzbergen。Thecaseappearstomeratherobscure：forthatpartofthemountainwhichisprotectedbyamantleofsnow，mustbelesssubjecttorepeatedandgreatchangesoftemperaturethananyotherpart。Ihavesometimesthought，thattheearthandfragmentsofstoneonthesurface，wereperhapslesseffectuallyremovedbyslowlypercolatingsnow-water[2]thanbyrain，andthereforethattheappearanceofaquickerdisintegrationofthesolidrockunderthesnow，wasdeceptive。
Whateverthecausemaybe，thequantityofcrumblingstoneontheCordilleraisverygreat。Occasionallyinthespring，greatmassesofthisdetritusslidedownthemountains，andcoverthesnow-driftsinthevalleys，thusformingnaturalice-houses。Werodeoverone，theheightofwhichwasfarbelowthelimitofperpetualsnow。