Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1870-11-24
EARTHQUAKE CONCLUSIONS
By cosNo URASrA.


Ii our previous article we noticed a
Few examples of earthquake commissions,
and an examination of the nature and
character Of the rocks of what biologists
term the Tertiary System.
We now propose to continue our de
scent until We reach the outskirts of that
fiery ocean from which fhe fire belching
vof,anee and the desoiating earthquake
derive their fearful power.
Our descent is now through the Meso-
zoic or middle period of geological time
embracing what ooliod tho TriassIc,
Oolitic, and Cretaceous systems of rocks.
And among the many forms of organic
existence, which lived In this great age OF
the earth's history, and whose remains
are now locked tn their stony collins,
the mos strange and wonderful are rep
tiles--huge reptiles, unlike anything now
existing, lie thick around US. There les
the stony Pterodactyle, Cor wing fingered
reptile), which once was the terror of the
age in which it lived--and there the Ich-
thyosaurus Cor fish-lizard), fully thirty
feet long. its general form is that Of a
fish, and Jet it has the head and breast OF
q lizard, the paddles Of whale, the
snout of the porpoise, and the teeth of q
crocodile.
But we cannot stop to examine the MIL
lions of strange reptilIian forms that pre-
sent themselves TO our view. We are
anxious TO complete our journey We
are diving through the earth's rocky ribs
to its fiery heart. Down, down through
Mica schist, gneiss, granite and quartz
(beds of immense thickness)-ard rocks
white as the driven snow, we continue
our descent But hold. the CLEAN of fire
is visible. In the distance are rocks that
glow like the walls OF an iron furnace,
and beneath these lie the fiery ocean
Look through yonder's opening, this
ocean lies cain nd tranquil. But it is
not always so. There are times when
this sea of liquid fire Is thrown into the
most appalling commissions, in which
huge liquid pillows roll and dash against
he earth's interior crust and such con-
WILSON'S in tie earth's Inferior, produces
earthquakes on its surface
And, now, let US quit this dangerous
place, and return to more congenia
abode, though it be scarcely more secure
and for few moments offer some
thoughts. respecting tie theory OF earth
quade phenomena.
An examination of numerous earth
quakes has established several facts A
mong which we note the following:
/. They occur mere frequently during
cold weather. than warm.
2, There is preponderance of shock
at the equinoxes and the solsiices.
8. Earthquake action is the greatest
when the height OF the column of mer
curry in the barometer is the least, o
when the atmospheric pressure is tn
| least, and its range Of oscillation is great
est. Indicating as It would seem, that |
variation in atmospheric pressure ma,
have some connection With the phenom
enon
And here must be perTamltted to re
mark that satisfactory explanation Q
earthquakes can be given, without taking
as starting point, the plausible inference
of the earth's interior ignsous fuidity
! With the supposition that the iuterio
of the earth is In liquid or melted con
dition, surrounded with Compensated
thin crust. the solution Is compsrativel
easy; for, thu, interior mass in this condl
ton. like the waters upon its surface, mus
Weld to the attractive influence of the su
and moon, causing enormous waves {
roll in the direction Of this influence, an
the force o. these waves breaking agains
, the solid portions, would produce shock
and fractures on the earth's surface.
Now when the attracting bodies, &C
coniointly as at, or near the equinoxel
: the force exerted by the fiery tidal wav
will be the greatest and the earth will n
: ceive the sreatest shocks Other cause