The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-08-30
ADDRESS OF CLARENCE KING ON
CATASTROPHISM.

Mr.. Clarence King. lately delivered
an interesting address before the
Sheffield Scientific School Of Yale col
lege. New Haven, Conn.,, under the
title Of ''Catastrophism. orthe Evolu-
ton Of Environment, which promis
es to evoke considerable discussion.
We subjoin an abstract Of the princi-
pal features of the address, which is
quite lengthy. The full text will be
found in our SUPPLEMENTS, Nos. 80,
81.
Mr.. King refuted the doctrine of
slow evolution as taught by Huxley
and Darwin, and declared that the
surface of the earth and climate had
been subject to sudden and catastro
phic mutation, which included in it's
environment all types of life.
He reasoned that marine fossils are
found entombed III rocky beds far re-
mote from present seas; and that these
beds were once sea bottoms that have
been upheayed by commissions of ma
ture. The earliest history of mankind
is pregnant with catastrophe, and we
have historic story and biblical record
of it's sudden and destructive energy.
He called to mind the vast and mass
i've eruptions Of the Pliocene basalt as
seen upon our own continent.
The great obvious changes in the
rocky crust were referred to a few
processes; the sub-aerial decay Of con-
tinents. delivery by streams Of land
detritus into the sea, the spreading
out of these cOmminuted materials
upon pelagic floor. and lastly upheav-
al. by which oceanic beds were lifted
| up into subsequent land masses. All
these processes he declared to have
been more rapid in the past than now.
| Suddenness, worldwide destructive
ness. were the characteristics OF
geological changes. Periods OF calm,
like the present. are suddenly termi-
mated by brief catastrophe epochs.
Successive faunas and floras were Gre
ated only to be extinguished bygeneral
cataclysms.
He believed in recurrent, abrupt
accelerations of crust change. SO VIC
lent as to destroy all life on the globe.
He declared the idea to be the survi-
val Of prehistoric terror, and was
backed up by breaks III the great
archaeological record.
| OF the geologic features Of our
continent. he said that beneath our
America lies buried another distinct
continent. which he called Archaan
| America. which was made UP Of what
was originally ocean beds lifted into
the air and locally crumpled into vast
mountain chains, which were in turn
eroded by torrents into mountain
peaks. The original coast lines Of this
continent we may never be fully able
to survey. but its great features. the
lofty chains Of the mountains which
made its bones, were very nearly CO.
extensive with our existing systems
the Appalachians and Cordilleras
The canon-cutting rivers Of the pres
ent western,mountains have dug out
| the peaks and TANKS of those underly
ing, primeval uplifts and developed an
astonishing topography: peaks rising
in asingle sweep &c. 900 feet from their
bases. precipices lifting bold, solid
fronts 10000 feet into the air. and
profound mountain valleys. The work
of erosion, which has been carried on
| by torrents of the guaternary age,
brings to light buried primeyal chains
loftier than any Of the present heights
of the globe.
At the close Of the Pal8ZOic age.
two enormous masses of what prOba.
| bly,, were then continents began to
sink, and as they disappeared the
present Atlantic and Pacific oceans
appeared, while the sea-foor of then