The Origin of Metals

72. How do metals reach the exterior from the interior? how is cinnabar formed?

Similarly, vapors of quicksilver get particles of other metals mixed in them when they creep through the Earth’s crevices and larger channels.

• This saturate them with gold, silver, lead, and others.

These vapors then continue further due to their exceptional fluidity or flow back downward.

Sometimes, they linger there when the channels through which they could retreat are blocked by sulphurous exhalations.

At such times, the particles of quicksilver, covered with the finest of these exhalations like down, form cinnabar.

Finally, spirits and exhalations bring certain metals such as copper, iron, and antimony from the interior to the exterior of the Earth.

73. Why metals are not found everywhere in the earth.

These metals mostly ascend from the interior Earth where fragments of the exterior are immediately connected.

For example, in this drawing, it is from point 5 towards point V.

This is because they cannot rise through waters.

This is why metals are not found everywhere in the Earth.

74. Why are metals mainly found at the roots of mountains, facing south and east?

These metals usually tend to rise toward the roots of mountains, as indicated by point V.

This is because there, the Earth fractures more than in other places.

They gather mainly in mountains that face south or east because there is more heat, causing them to rise.

That is why miners usually seek them in those places.

75. All mines are in the external earth; never reaching the interior by digging.

With persistent digging, one could ever reach the interior of the Earth.

This is because:

• the exterior is too thick compared to human strength
• the intermediate waters especially can bury all miners

76. Sulphur, Bitumen, Clay, and Oil

The finest particles of exhalations consist only of pure air.

Still, they easily connect with the finer particles of spirits, making them branching and flexible.

Then these branching particles, mixed with acrid and metallic juice particles, constitute sulphur.

When mixed with particles of the Earth and also heavy with many such juices, they form bitumen.

When combined with the particles of the Earth and the sun, they form clay.

Finally, they turn into oil when their movement weakens to the point where they completely rely on each other.

77. How earthquakes occur

When the air-and-spirit particles move faster than they can transform into oil, they flow into the cracks and cavities of the Earth.

They produce thick and dense fumes similar to those emitted from a recently extinguished candle.

If a spark of fire is then kindled in these cavities, the fumes immediately catch fire.

Suddenly decompressed, they shake the walls of their prison vigorously, especially when many spirits are mixed in.

This is how earthquakes occur.

78. Why does fire erupt from some mountains?

During these motions, sometimes that part of the Earth is shattered and opened.

Flames burst forth toward the sky through the ridges of mountains.

This happens there instead of the lower places because:

• there are more cavities beneath the mountains
• the large fragments of the exterior Earth, leaning against each other, provide an easier outlet for flames than in any other places.

Even though the fissure in the Earth is closed, as soon as the flame erupts, it is possible that such a large quantity of sulphur or bitumen has been expelled from the bowels of the mountain that it continues to burn for a long time.

The fumes then collected again in the same cavities. When ignited, they easily burst forth through the same opening.

Thus, some mountains are infamous for frequent such fires, like:

• Mount Etna in Sicily
• Mount Vesuvius in Campania
• Mount Hekla in Iceland, etc.

79. Why multiple shocks tend to occur in an earthquake, sometimes lasting for hours or days.

Earthquakes sometimes last for several hours or days because there is not usually just one continuous cavity where dense and inflammable fumes are collected.

Rather there are several separate ones saturated with much sulphur or bitumen.

When an eruption occurs in one and ignites the Earth, some delay occurs before the flame, passing through sulphur-filled channels, can reach others.