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Show oo WYOMING GREW TROPICAL PLANTS That palms, figs, magnolias and oth. er tropical vegetation onco grew luxuriantly lux-uriantly on what aro now the barren hills of Wyoming is proved by fossil plants found in the enormous coal deposits de-posits being uncovered there. Those trees and plants doubtless grew In the swamps of Wyoming when tho climate was as mild as that of Florida is now. Coal 1b fossilized vegetable matter. The tremendous extent of tho coal fields indicates that tho vegetation to produce this great amount of carbonaceous carbon-aceous matter must have been extremely ex-tremely luxuriant. The hills aro now brown and bare; the flourishing jungles jung-les were long ago turned into arid deserts. It Is estimated by the United States geological survey that tho amount of coal In tho Rock Springs, Wyoming, field alone avallablo for mining exceeds ex-ceeds 142,000,000,000 tons. "Available for mining" means within 3,000 feet of the surface and in beds 2fect or more in thickness. |