On the Origin of Ores and the Shaping of the Earth

Namely, there is the beginning of the oreoriginal: "Ertz"; refers to mineral-bearing rock and its origin. Through such processes, the Earth has completely departed from its first form and has surrendered itself. From these things, even though the Earth is great, long, wide, and broad, it has been heaped up. Thus, through the constant effect of the sun's heat, there arose within it a smoldering, vaporous, and steamy turmoil, which went through and penetrated the entire Earth even into the abyss. For the inward-penetrating heat of the sun worked upon and caused within the coldness and moisture of the Earth a strong vapor or smoke, misty and airy. All of these were enclosed within the Earth, and over the length of time, they became many, and at last so strong that the Earth could not contain or hold them within her for long, according to their natural desire to bring themselves forward. And finally, at those places in the Earth where many of them gathered together, they threw one part of the earth-rich soiloriginal: "Erderich"; the substance of the earth or soil into a heap here, and another there, and thus created many a hilloriginal: "Pühell"; an archaic term for a hill or mound, high peaks, and deep valleys.

And at those places where such mountains and hills were formed, there the earth was most perfectly cooked, boiled, and mixed by the heat, cold, moisture, and dryness; and there also the best ore is found. But where the Earth is level, there such vapors and smoke did not heap themselves up; therefore, in those places, no ore is found. And the protruding earth—especially where it was slimy, clayeyoriginal: "lettig"; referring to fatty, heavy clay, and fat—was penetrated by the moisture from above, from which it then became soft again. It settled firmly over itself like dough, and through the impression of the sun's heat over time, it became more fixed, hardened, and bakedoriginal: "gepachenn"; the author uses a culinary metaphor to describe geological hardening. However, that earth which is brittle and crumbly, like small grit and sand, and is still soft, hanging together like grapes: this same earth is too meager and stiff on account of its fatness, and has had too little moisture. ——————————— Therefore, it was not sufficiently baked together one over the other and...