Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-07-25
Agassiz's Glacial Discoveries.

AgdSSlZ TO Professor benjamin fierce,
Superintendent of the United States
Coast Survey, gives succinct account
of his observations of the geological
phenomena of the southern portion of
the South American Continent. The
chief of the Hassler expedition has
turned his previous experience in the
Alps to good account. 1t could hardly
be expected that in flying visit I"
Agassiz could have made measurements
and descended into the details of glacier
motion and magnitude, as did Forbes
and himself in their studies of the AL
pine glaciers. But though the Profess
sor had not been able to make any OBJ.
servations bearing upon the rate of mo-
ticc or the exact size and extent of the
South American glaciers, he has sue
ceeded in adding many new facts to our
previous knowledge.
Agassiz followed the east line around
from Montevideo, on the Atlantic. to
Glacier Bay, on the Pacific coast. He
has carefully examined the ground
previously gone over by Darwin
and other celebrated travellers. He has
found traces everywhere-in the Ger
ratio" pebbles and boulders found on
islands as well as the mainland, in the
rocheS maoutormees, in the polished hill
sides and the moraines as well as the
glaciers even now existing-that ice
action has been very promineet factor
in the molding and fashioning of the
surface of this portion of the world.
Indeed, Professor Agassiz is prepared to
go further. He claims that, as fire and
water are now universally acknowl-
edged as great agents in the creation of
the world as we know it, SO at no dis
tant period will ice be added to the
number. Very much of the denuda-
ton usually attributed to meteorologi,
cal agents and to submarine iceberg
planning, the Professor confidently
claims for ice spread over the surface of
the land. We are inclined to accent
this view. We think too much has
been said about Plutonic and Neptu-
MAN action, and too little attention has
been paid TO the other great agents
which have aided them in their task.
Agassiz is well aware that this view
will not pass unchallenged, and he
therefore proceeds to make it as secure
as possible. He draws distinction be-
tween glaciers, however ancient and
however large, and a coating of ice
which he Is positive covered the greater
portion of the earth's surface-the
equatorial limits are not yet settled
during what is vagely known as the
glacial epoch" He rejects with some
heat the view held in many quarters
that the phenomena of the drift Pc
Rod, upon which the supporters of the
glacial period more especially RELY, can
be explained by a supposed enlarge
ment of the ordinary glaciers. Agassiz
shows that while the glaciers of the
South American continent, both an.
Gent and modern, have acted and still
act in all directions, the action of the
ice In the glacial epoch tended from
the south northward. This is one of
the most important discoveries made
during the expedition, and in describ.
ing the observations on which this in
ference rests the Professor corrects
some of Darwin's statements. though
he eulogizes that traveller as having
been almost alone in carefully observ-
ing the phenomena.
The Professor calls the attention of
Professor Pierce to the complete fulfII-
ment of his prophecy as to the finding
of q drift" and adds his belief thar
when the southern portions of Africa
and Australia are examined as clear indi.
cations OF an extensive glacial epoch
Will be found there as have BEEN for
merly discovered in Europe. and are
now known to exist in South America
as the result of Agassiz's labors. In
this connection, he says, he finds no
reason to believe that Adhemar's no.
ton OF the complimentary character of
glacial phenomena-that is, that while
one hemisphere was enjoying temper
ate climate, the other was buried under
thick mantle of ice-has any founda-
ton in fact. This ingenious mode of
connecting astronomical and geologi-
cal phenomena may be considered as q
brilliant scientific vagary.
mere ls one point on which Agassiz
grows eloquent. He compares the Swiss
glaciers with those of South America
IN the neighborhood of the Straits of
Magellan, and finds them and their eff
fects very similar. The polished hills,
the roches naoatonnees, the mdfaines, and
the rest of the scenery forcibly re-
minded him of his native country.
The Professor does not give us much
information on his dredging operations.
but he is constantly adding to his col
lections. He made a discovery of a
salt lake more than one hundred feet
above the level of the soa-a clear
proof of the upheavaI of the coast-in
which he found some shells living, and
others fossil of the same species as
those on the shore. He obtained spec
linens of both.