Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-02-22

bnefe are no hills from which thess
glaciers could have descended here. nc
mountain ranges upon the summit OF
which snow could have accumulated and
moved down to this low latitude How
was it that glacier moved on an even
surface No one was prepared for such
question, which was very natural. but
the phenomena We see upon the rocks
lead me 10 this conclusion that though
we have nowhere in the Aims glaciers
which move on level ground, yet marks
Of glaciers on the level surface Of the
state Of New York, along the lakes, and
everywhere in tAe wsst-marlIs which
are 50 Identical with glacial marks as to
oe sufficient 10 satisfy the sound mind OF
careful observer that though we have
now no glaciers moving on a plain.
we had them then, and that the
glacier, by some peculiar condition
anterior to our time, must have
been capable of moving on plain
surfaces. a Danish naturalist has since
given us the evidencsthat in Greenland
there are such glaciers moving upon even
ground. The question arises, by what
force do these glaciers move? It is well
Known that the temperature varies ae-
eordlng to the latitude; that it is colder
further north and warmer further south.
u Is equally weu known that the amount
Of moisture which accumulates in the at
mosphore is uRequal according to the
latitude. At is equally well known that
"a higher attitudes this moisture viii fall
more frequently in the form Of snow than
further south. These are all the eondi.
tons we want. This snow being trans
formed into ice, and under the influence
have described, viii begin TO move.
aud u Will not move nOrthward. be-
cause That would be contrary to the
influence which produced the move
ment; but 10 viii move southwark
naturally and 80 there is no objection
on That score 70 the conclusion that ex-
tensive glaciers have once existed tlDou
these level surfaces, moving southwark
glaciers must be considered - mate-
geological phenomena akin to The motion
OF oceanic currents, which movo In tha
direction in which the equalization Of
temperature takes place, as this is from
the north southwark. Bat the question
may be asked TO what extent have these
masses been accUmulating. Observations
which / made a few years ago i'm the
state Of Maine satisfied me that the
glaciers in that section Of the country
must nave been something like G00O feet
IN their THICKNESS, and ! am satisfied now
tnat we have had snow fields upon this
continent covering the land TO the depth
OF II oOO OF b d03 feet. This snow trans
formed into ice, the pressure Of the
ice upon itself and the UNEQUAL pepetra-
tiOn of water through the mass, is IN
itself a sufficient cause to have deter I
mined the onward movement fronl north .
to south. Whether this explanation be /
true or not, it is certain that over all this /
continent we have unmistakabl,s marks |
OF glacial action. We have these pol /
lshed surfaces from the Arctic region I
down TO latitude 322 We have this /.
growing 10 a north -sOuthefly direction, /
aEdrWe have, more than that an inn .
mcuse mass OF loose bOulders over the I.
whole surface of the continent, all Of
which can be traced 70 rocks resting in I
places north Of the position they occupy, /
Now all this shows the motion has been
from the north southwark, and in refer
ence 20 the changing temperature on
our earth, that evidence is enough To 4
Justify the conclusion that i'm |
mense glaciers have extended over this /
continent TO the latitude [ have men /
TONED. So far was 7 assured by this /
evidence, chat when 1 went to Brazil .
two years ago, on the first week of my
arrival at Rio de Janeir0, l examined .
the side Of one of the beautiful mountains .
which rise above the Bay of Rio, aud .
there found unmistakabie traces Of the
former action of glaciers and their
there. We must therefore ad-
nit that the earth was at one time cold
enough to allow the accumulation of ice
within the tropics. If I were to state the
of the evidence, ! should ~
repeat the FACTS which 1 have stated with
To the presence Of glaciers with
a the valley Of Switzerland and upon
he plains Of this country. [ might saw
however, that travelling nOrthwara nom
6lo TO the uelghb0rhuOd Of Fernambuco,
nowhere ceased 10 trace the same
act, and altsr visiting the valley OF
he Amazon, | have become satisfied
hat once the whole valley Of the ANA
ION was occupied by a stupend0us glacier
coming down from the Andes and reach
ng to the Atlantic. / am convinced
hat all the loose materials which form
low the bottom of the valley of the
Amazon, are materials which have been /
ground by that ice, and scattered evenly
lver the whole land in the same manner
IS the valley Of the Rhine ia now 0ccu-
lied by mad and clay, which were once
ground ia the Alps, and have been |
brought down by the waters from the
glaciers Of that region. But in the valley
# the Amazon / am satisfied that the
glaciers themselves covered the land
)ue class of the glaciers is wanting; no.
where are the surfaces Of the rocks pol
shed because everywhere the rocks ex-
,Osed 20 the action of the tropical sun
Ind the warm rains are so discomDOsed
hat they disiniegrate to "a consid-
.rable extent. Vet the character of
he inequality is that Of this rounding
notion, which we have everywhere
where glaciers have been at work. But
he mnrains have been at work. The
nature of the valley has satisfied me of
he former presence of the glacier,
hough I had, as I have said, none Of
hese direct evidences arising from the
character Of the rocky surface, but oF1'ti
he indirect evidence of the tritUr4ttR
mass, but trusting 10 my familiarity with
hose facts, l inter that the glacier of the
Amazon must have extended here
FSinung to the northern boundary Of
Sstth America on the map, In order to
IA z produced this phenomena, aud that
N the rising ground outside uf the bot
ON of the great AmaZOnian valley there
nay be traces of the lateral and terminal
nOraiDs of the immense glacier. / To-
ated that terminal morain in Sierra in
. lecture which delivered at Para before
had visited Sierra. I told them that
races OF that mOTain should be
ound there, gGd when several
weeks after l visited il I found in Sierra
uch tracts Of glaciers as can fairly be
with those which are seen in
he immediate vicinity of the Alps, or
n our regions where the ancient marks
# glaciers are most distinctly observed
4 rtr. fatfas rr-rfrfI lagR mo tort fY1s
we're I 90 present all The evidences, but
mere are "a few fgcts to which I would
.llude. You must be struck with one
act if You look at the mouth OF the
AmaZoH-there is no delta there. The
0Dgest river on earth, carrying q larger
.muuE Of mud than any other river, is
destitute of delta, while the Nile the
Mississippi, the Ganges-ail the great
treams of cur globe Aave large deitas
ormed by the accumulation Of loose
materials which drop at their extremity
where the water ceases TO run with
uiiicieDt velocity to carry the
materials forward. What is thai
wing to3 The nature Of the
.oast, which is composed solely Of the
0Ose materials once trituratgd by the
,laCier and Accumulated along the shore.
The evidence OF these glacial deposits in
III the river bottoms Of South America
re uumistak8ble. 1 have seen them on
be Rio Negro, on the PurUs, on the Ma
lelra, on the Tapej0s, on the Njngus, on
he TOcautiUs, and on other rivers,
.verywhere bearing tine same character
md showing that one and the same
.gent has been at work in forming these
deposits. The same materials aEe also
ouud I'm other valleys in South America.
I these loose materials have been re-
moved from the Amazon, it is only
IN account OF their sOitness. They are
uch loose materials as the glacier will
rot pound down, and they are
in the manner ia
which the loan is accumulated in
he valley OF the Rhine in one day |
We have thus the evidence that the
,cesn encroaches or this coast at such a
ate that a band OF 500 miles has been
-emOved from in front of the valley of
he Amazon. / Was induced to make
his search-for il was not an accidental
liscovery-after the amount Of coast lost
oy the encroachmenls.5r-t Atlantic
upon the mouth OF the Amazon by facts
which have observed IN our own cOun-
ny All the islands along the coast Of
Maine, along the bay Of Massachusetts,
and south of the shore Of Connecticut,
Long Island included, are covered with
loose materials Of a glacial character,
which are OF the same Kind as those rest
ing on the continents and of the same
hight, showing that the sea must have