Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-06-11
The Growth of a.COntinent.
Popular Science Monthly.


The history of the growth of the Eu-
ropean Continent, as recounted by Prof
Geikie, gives an instructive illustration
of the relations of geology to geography
The earliest European land, he says,
appears to have existed in the north
and northwest, comprising Scandinavia
Finland, and the northwest of the Brit
ish area, and to have extended thence
through boreal and arctic ATTITUDES into
North America. Of the hight and mass
of this primeval land some idea may
be formed by considering the enormous
bulk of the material derived from its
disintegration. In the Silurean forma-
tons of the British Islands alone there
is a mass of rock, worn from the land,
which wOnld form a mountain chain
extending from Marseilles to the North
Cape Il 800 miles,, with main breadth
of over thirty-three miles, and an aver
age hight of 10000 feet. The .Silurian
Sea, which spread across most of Cen
trail Europe into Asia, suffered great
disturbance in some regions toward the
close of the Silurian period. 1t was
ridged up into land, inclosing vast in
land basins, the areas of some of which
are still traceable across the British Is
lands to Scandinavia and the west Of
Russia. An interesting series of geo.
graphical changes can be traced, du-
ring which the lakes of the Old Red
Sandstone were effaced, the sea that
gradually overspread most of Eu-
rope was finally silted up, and
the lagoons and marshes came
to be densely crowded with
the vegetation to which we owe our
coalseams. Later terrestrial move
ments led to the formation of series
Of bitter lakes across the heart of
Europe like those now existing in the
southeast Of Russia. Successive de-
pressions and elevations brought the
open sea again and again across the
continent, and gave rise to the accu-
mutation of the rocks of which most of
the present surface consists. In these
movements the growth of the Alps and
other dominant lines of elevation can
be more or less distinctly traced. 1t
was at the close of the Eocene period,
however, that the great disturbances
took place to which the European
mountains chiefly owe their present
dimensions. In the Al ps we see how
these moveme nts led to the crumpling
up and inversion of vast piles of solid
rock. not older in geological position
than the soft clay which underlies Lon
don. Considerable additional upheaval
in Miocene times affected the Alpine
ridges, while, in still later ages, the
Italian Peninsula was broadered by the
Iuprise Gifts sub-Apennine ranges. The
proofs of successive periods of volcanic
activity during this long series of geo.
GRAPHICAL revolutions are many and
varied. So, too, is the evidence for the
appearance and disappearance of sue
cessive foras and faunas, each, no
doubt, seemed at the time Of its exist
ence to possess the same aspect of an
tiquity and prospect of endurance
which we naturally associate with those
Of our own time. The law of progress
has been dominant among plants and
animals, and not less upon the surface
of the planet which they inhabit. 1t is
the province of the biologist to trace
the one series of changes, of the geolo-
gist to investigate the other. The
geographer gathers from both the data
which enable him to connect the present
aspects of nature with those from which
| thew have arisen