The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-09-16
A SEA TURNED INTO 4 DESERT.

We are familiar, through the Bible, with in-
stances of dry land covered with water but many
Of cur readers may not have heard higher.D tnat
the desert of the Great Sahara in North Africa
was once a sea. The re sons for this the ,ry me
thus given in the opening CJuly) number Of the
new Geological Magazine in a translation f1m e
paper by l.. DesOr, o Neuiahatel, Swift rsud -
II the Sahara is tbe bottom Of a vanished ,el
it is inter estIug to mquie II this disappearance
has been caused by a sudden upheaval or by
gradual and successive tlgva ions, aud at what
epoch tbs eXfranrdinITy phenJm non hns
changed the aspect OF rhe African con ineut, ani
consequently produced serious mod q ations of
he climate of Europe. There was a general i'm
preston that the Desert Of the sahara was of
recent formation but the opinions of geologists
were divided as 70 the periud u which IL should
be assigned, some considering IL of Tertiary aud
others OF Quaternary age. Our observations re-
solve ihese doubts, and definitely tx the age ufth
Sahara by the help Of lite shell, the CIydi1til
edaie, This sh,ll was known 10 exist in The
neighhOi hood of the Caravanserai OF Om- rniOrr
near Cbott Merir, and it had been found mt a
delih OF about tWenty-three feet in the artesian
wells OF that place. FIOm this it might have
been supposed that il belonged to the Chott Tor
lake, Mclrlr. But, ON the other hand, we met
along with il q species Of BUccipli from stage TO
stage, at great distance from the Chutt (eycu
near Guen ar in Sout), always in the same geolO.
gica position, IN bed OF sauu distinctly stratiied
| underneath tie superficial gypsum, IL thus be-
| ftUlG tNlOenl llhL lDt Huclib ulu not DeOng to
the Chott but TO a lower stratum, indicating sea
tar more extensive and older than the salt inees
| These shells, therefore, not only attest the exist
euce Of sea IN those re- ions, bug also hat the
sea beloDetd TO cur own epoch Further, the
| CGTdjuUl cduie is, i'm the McG Irauoan, a species
| ithobitipg bTGCksh Water a. the mouths OF
| Myers; ana we m0N conclude that the Sahara,
| before be ng cried up, was al inland sea "A kind
| Of hTuULish Ba'uc-aud thia amongst other
hinRs, cNpaius the small nUmbcr Of the species ;
for it is known that the fuuGs of inland seas are
| loOr iu number and dcnased.
| To sum up: hen an communication with the
ocean had ceased, md thc pul! became a lake,
the sntnCss ut the waters would. Uy evaporation,
ncIe.se 50 much as almost 20 destroy all auimal
| llic' NE Chott-Molrir would become like the
Dead Sea; and, in fact, it is affirm, thar tiy
| onpleteIY destitute Of life.
| lbis idea Of slow but recent elevation Of the
| Sahua bad already been moo ed a- q theory by
NJ. EschCr, and 10 was q source of lively sarisfac-
ton 10 him TO ilGo his hyPOJbe,i, ,nhrmrd on
| Ne slof. The prtscuc" of the sea was referred
| 10 Nj EstICr 10 eEpuu CeIta phuuum. nl IN
| Switzerland connected with the Glacial period,
| which tuoCd when the sea disappeared Is il
possible iU iUIm an idCu OF he cIi4aJll conditions
| imposed ON LuIope by this VAT "ytent OF water
| We may do 90 Whtu Hp consider Jup iuHg-
| CCC cNcrcsgd bv the burrng winds yybi IA come
from tho Sahara and which Nrc So Justly called
"suow-eatoIs and "gl0C,cr dcstroycrs." While
| the Sahara was covered with water, the Swiss
| mountains mover felt the burning breath of the
"iUhn' auG the "sirocco;" the winters never
| opposed by lukewarm breeze, could accumu-
! late their SHOWS and their ice ana extend the
! borders Of their empire. But when the desert
I was dry, what an effect must have been prO-
/ duced by the first visit of the "feku' 20 the
/ enormous glaciers Of the Alpsi What torrents
/ What deluges OF water - what raYagos espe-
| cially on the southern slope and now how olsy
! 60 comprehend che erosion Of the mountains and
! the leyeing sf che plain OF Lombardy subjected
/ debris.