Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-04-29
Home Newstby Way Of the Sun.

"Go abroad To learn the news'' Is q
very old saying. Jnst now the study of
the SUMS constitution furnishes a remark
able veri6cation of tiAecorrectness of the
proverb; that far-awaF orb affording
better and closer view okthe early stages
Of the earth's developments than could pos
sibly be gained at home, and furnishing at
the same time an altogether unexpected
means of estimating the relative character
OF the earth's chemical structure as CON-
pared with the other members Of the solar
system.
II 10 well known that the elements
which compose the earth and its atmos-
phere are very uneQually distributed. or
the part which we are acquainted with,
oxygen constitutes by weight fully one
half. Silicon makes up quarter. ALUMNI
mum, calcium, magnesium, potassium,
sodium, iron and carbon in decreasing
proportions constitute nine-tenths Of the
remaining quarter. There Is left only one
tenth of quarter 10 be made up Of the
other ffty-five non-mesallic and me-
tallic elements. Nor are these various
elements uniformly mixed in the
parts of the earth open TO our investi.
cation. The outer portions, being
mainly sedimentary strata, derived from
an original nucleus Of primary rock, are
of no assistance in determining the primal
distribution Of the elements. For this We
must interrogate the basic rocks. These
are naturally divided into two great divis-
ions, holding on the whole definite re
lation to each other. The upper mass con-
sists of granite aud other phtonic rocks
rich In silica, moderately rich in alumina,
and poor in lime, iron and magnesia. Be
low are basaltic and volcanic rocks poorer
In silica, equal in alumina to the upper
series, and much richer in iron, lime and
msgnesia, and containing also great va
sTiety Of other elements as occasional con-
stituents; the proportion Of the denser
metals increasing downward. These rela-
lively precious constituents Of our earth,
as we all know, reach the surface only
through veins which traverse the outer
layers
How did It happen that few of the
elements are provided so plentifully for US,
while there is such scanty provision of
the restg And why are the useful metals
chiefly hidden in the depths'
Present conditions are because some
other conditions were; what were those
conditiopss In pursuit of the answer to
this question scientific men stop ut moth
ing short of interviewing" the universe.
Naturally the ruler of our planetary sys-
tenn Is the most instructive witness in re-
gard to the genesis of his family, the
earth included
II appears TO be pretty conclusively
shown by spectroscopic analysis of the
suns light that the following twenty ter
restrial elements with indications of per.
haps two otherwise unknown elements
which need not be taken into this account
exist in the suns atmosphere:
Aluminium, barium, cadmium, calcium,
cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, hydro
gen, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese,
nickel, potassium, sodium, strontium, IL
tanium, uranium, zinc.
These various substances are not indis-
criminately mixed In the vapors which
surround the sun. Thanks 10 the inter-
posing face of the moon in total eclipses,
ii Is possible to study the suns atmosphere
In sections, so TO speak; by which study
II appears that, by virtue of the high
temperature which prevails there and the
varying specific gravity Of the different
elements, the latter are enabled to arrange
themselves in layers, in spite of the storms
and gaseous outbursts which would tend
10 disturb their positions. 1t Ia observed,
too, that in the main the number of ele-
ments increases downward. The outer
"coronal" atmosphere contains cooled
hydrogen. The "chromosphere" shows
incandcscent hydrogen, magnesium and
calcium. The " reversing layer" which
lies next the philosophers, exhibits sodium,
chromium, manganese, iron, nickel and
the rest, with the probable exception of
aluminium, the place of which has not
been determined by observation, but which
most likely lies between magnesium and
calcium.
theoretically the metalloids should lie,
as a group, outside the metallic atmos-
phere; and Mr.. Lockyer has submitted
some evidence TO show that they probably
do, explaining why, under the conditions
which prevail, their record among the
Fraunhofer lines should be feeble one,
and insisting that, In the lack Of such
lines, we have no argument against the
presence Of some quantity of the metal
loids In the sun, although that quantity
may be small. As collateral evidence IL Is
proper To add in this connection that, In
the spectra of granite, greensboro and
lava, no trace of metalloids is seen, not
outstanding the Chiefly non metallic
character Of those rocks.
Assuming, In accordance with the nebu-
lar hypOtne8lS, tHat the edTtH was ouCc III
the condition which the sun now presents,
we can readily understand why Its chemi-
cal constitution should be what II Is. From
the known behavior Of the elements, it Ia
inferable that, as the external metalloidal
vapors cooled, they would eondense and
fall upon the underlying layer, forming
those binary compounds capable of exist
ing at high temperature, such as the va
pors of water and hydrochloric acid, sill.
ca, carbonc acid and others.
As the cooling went on, the precipita-
ton of these binary compounds would
give rise TO numerous reactions, forming
silicates, chlorides, sulphates, etc. With
still further cooling, the condemnation OF
water and the formation Of minerals would
ensue, and the consolidation of the outer
shell would begin. The condensation OF
the metals would come much later and
nearer the center.
The same line Of facts and reasonings
give clew to the probable constitution OF
the planets. Assuming the solar nebula
To have once existed as a nebulous star at
q temperature Of complete dissertation,
and to have contracted with loss of heat,
throwing off the planets successfully, we
may infer that the outarmost would be
chiefly IL not entirely metalloidal; the in
ner ones would be increasingly metallic as
.hn;r oryx;+a expvnacha cd tho Central norton