Saint Mary's beacon., 1877-03-22

from the falling houssss n - lAey
wsre esseseg.tsd id tious u ~hesp
: bsgs wave Of wsisr ~ sleNi
high, came sweeping in fr0n 8s se1,s
and drowusdn most Of ahe1x Thee
wasesl Ee cadsed BY the 11+>hqaahe'
shock .tsuss1ling mort rsp5dlJ thsookAi
the solidFcunt ofthe earth sl1M llfu6Shs
The saaa1e a. ssssw1a<r. - 1ssfls
psopeGnts6m6th great rapidieS3 ~ ENod
ter isfssv1rse conductor of - 1oeeeyl
and IL fiis1isar to wisie6 @ wGsolss
s1hjes1ed setssds the psoero 1n1 tnoD'
|;s sssssess ;ss1 = es'' g 80 80!
allfhe mischsef Il could sa
Mr. Mallet'slresearches in the sphe1'
nomens of earthquakes have led 10 cers.
tain conclusions which are nov gener-
ally accepted BY physical geographers.
These views are based on the theory Of
the secular cooling oi the earth. although
they do not necessitate belief in mol
ten nucleus. When q strain il pro-
duced, BY the outer crust Of the earth
being adapted to the contracting inte-
rior, a crack will result, the shock of
which is conveyed away in every d.
rection as an earthquake wave. Ii has
been ascertained that these shocks are
rarely generated at 4 greater depth than
thirty miles. and freque.tiy al . much
less depth than that The focus of TIE
earthquake At Naples, in 1857. was only
eight miles from the surface. In addi-
ton to knowing the depth at which any
earthquake shock may have originated,
the angle at which the wave emerses
from the focus, and the rate fits move
ment are also calculable. Earthquake
shocks are always Of such a nature as
would result from blow or conclusion.
In various parts of the world we have
areas where slow upward and down.
ward movements Of the earth's crust
are taking place without any violent
shocks accompanying them. In 1855,
along the coast Of New Zealand, tract
Of country was uplifted as much as nine
feet. Singularly enough, this elevation
was bounded on one side by crack, on
the other side Of which there was COM
parative rest. Here, therefore, We have
the first trustworthy account Of one Of
those singular movements so common
in the older rocks called "faults," where
the rock masses on one side Of crack
or assure have been uplifted. The
northern coasts Of the Baltic are being
elevated at the slow and gradual rate Of
about three feet in century. The
coasts Of South america, on the wes-
tern side Of the Andes, are in a very
unsettled condition. In 1922, over a
large area Of country, there was an ele-
vation of from four to nine feet; and
again in 1897, the same area was up
lifted eight feet. These successive el-
evations added a strip of dry land equal
TO halt the entire area of France. How
long the elevation of the Baltic coasts
has been going on, ever since the close
Of the last geological epoch known as
the glacial" is best shown by the fact
that Baltic shells are found one hundred
feet above the present level of the sea.
1t is by such slow elevatory movements
as these that all the dry land has been
| elevated from the floors of the seas and
oceans where, as the fossils in the rocks
plainly testify, it was originally laid
down. Earthquake shocks and move
ments, therefore, have PLAYED an i'm
portant part in the history of the globe,
in thus elevating areas to higher level,
and so compen>ating for the wear-and-
tear to which the dry land is continual
ly subjected by atmo.pherical agencies.