Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-08-21
THE EARTH.

j., This Globe of ours.
the whole period of the pri-
~ and the formation of the
w., tropical heat prevailed from
'' ,hirtv-fve degrees, to lati-
s;cstv degrees-to the polar
,hat is. The temperature was
orerthe whole earth. During
| half of the secondary period,
;nrasic rocks and chalk, the
!omained the same; the same
I'd same animals are found all
,a Globe. During the second
,hs period, however, the climate
~ cool somewhat, and decidu-
=. made their appearance, though
4 nlants were still to be found in
~ and Denmark. Even to the
Of the tertiary period there
f,olitv of climate in all latitudes,
!. +am%pcrature of Europe fell very
s,1y and it is certain that at the
' .5e tertiary period there was no
,he Globe, not even at the poles
he TOP Of the highest mountains.
i the ouaternary period a great
y took place. The reindeer was
Eound in all parts of Europe, the
-'a,ooesive. and the great Swiss
:. extended to the south of
= The glacial epoch was in full
and the uniformity of tempera-
Drmcrlv prevailing had been de-
4 Then a reflex action begins;
%aciers. and with them the rein
nd the mammoth, retreat as slow
khey advanced. At the furthest
If The glacial extension the cold
he so intense that a sea of ice COW
[s)f Russia, all Prussia, Hanover,
nd, and part of England.
at, then, was the cause of this
r. from uniformity to excessive
Ever so large a portion of the
/ surface? And how is it that
(ytent of the cold region, after
. reached its maximum, gradual
[ratcd9: We attribute the change
3 detection of the earth's axis
the perpendicular, and then its
nal return to its old position. In
lase of a perpendicular axis the
ties will be nearly equable all over
lobe: there will be come differ
in different ATTITUDES, owing to
let that the suns rays are only
raj at the equator, but it will be
buratively small. There would be
gifts long enough in any part of
anet 10 leave time for the forma-
Of & large quantity of ice. Con-
Entity. all we have to do to account
he ages of time when the climate,
(ology tells us, was the same all
the world, is to imagine the earth
a perpendicular axis in place of
ks at an angle with the plane OF
elliptic, as it is now.
E angle to-day is % degrees 81
ties aud 9 seconds. But the Chi
astronomer, Foo Chung, who
ued the angle 1,1OO years before
+, made it 1854, and subsequent
urments made in b. c. $50, $50
b, and in A. d. 461, 629, $50, 1000,
1887, 1900 and 1850, by celebrated
bnomers, Greek, Chinese, Arabian
French, give the angle as follows
BE- respective dates: 23:49, 23:46,
j. 23:39. 1886, 1884, 1882, 1881,
!, 23:27:S7. 23:27:33. A succession
Fgmes like these conveys little
bing to the unmathematical mind;
fhe meaning is clear, nevertheless.
|obliquity of the axis has diminished
ply for the last 5000 years, and
Fliminution amounts in all to 26
ttes y seconds, showing that its
|cncy now is toward the perpendic-
ut the rate of As seconds every
years. This means that
polar circle is being re-
d at the rate of 1888 meters-or,
Ehly. l,466 yards-every century,
/ - yards every year, the temper
ion" being increased proportion
!. 1t will take the axis 176, GAG
F to Move at its present rate
|l@h the distance which now sepa-
+ 1t from the perpendicular.
! long as the axis remained perpen-
liar the climate, as has been said,
uniformly hot, and in Greenland
spltzbergen pomegranates grew.
day the axis began to change. AT
this had a slight effect. For ages
modification was trifling; even at
tertiary period there was still no
and snow, when it fell, soon disap-
'ed. But by degrees the zones were
cd; Round the pole the change
already complete, and the radia-
OF the earth overcame the solar
and the night the day, SO that
of ice were formed. The qua
AIRY period was entered; man ap-
in our continent; the angle OF
lu'ty OF the axis being about Is de.
5 and the polar belt, about one
sand miles in extent, finished at
southern part of Spitzbergen. The
'al epoch had begun. What, then,
the maximum of the in.
1tlon of the axis when ou1
h was divided into two belts of ex-
le cold (when glaciers covered the
ter part of Europe) and torrid
Not less, certainly, than IS de-
probably nearer 40 degrees.
ny however, So degrees, and as
ing that the deviation Of the
:. proceeded at the same rate
u! Us, return is going on now,
$4,000 years elapsed between the
movement and the day when the
0eSan to return. This check seems
ave taken place at the end of the
period, when the earth hao
s!ieu much ahOut same the Genera,