The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1886-12-10
OUR WORLD AsTT LOOKS IN SPACE.
a Graphic Description Of the Fl net on
which We Live, II Would Appear
90 III Observer Well Placed for Look
tnE atIt.

a Graphic Description Of the PI-net on
90 ~ Observer Well Placed for Look
ing atIt.
II we imagine an observer cOntemplat-
ing the earth from . convenient dis
tAnoe In space. and scrutinizing its fez-
lures as il rolls before him, We may
suppose him TO be struck with the fact
that 11-16ths Of its surface are covered
with water. and that the land is 80 un-
equally distributed that from one point
OF view he would see a hemisphere
almost exclusively oceanic. while nearly
the whole OF the dry land Is gathered n
the opposite hemi phere.
He might observe that the great Ocs-
Anic nreR OF the Pacific and Antartic
oceans Is dotted with islands-like a
shallow pool With stones rising above its
surfRce-as II lis general depth were
small In comparison with its area
He might also notice that mass OF
belt OF land surrounds each pole, and
that the northern ring sends OF 20 the
southwark three vast tongues OF land
and OF mountain chains, terminating re-
spectively in South America, South
airica and Australia, towards which fee
bier and insular processes are given
Of by thu Antartic continental mass.
This, as come geoSrlp pliers have OBJ
served, gives a rudely three-ribbed as
pect 10 the earth, though two Of the
the EurUp-Aslan mass OF double cJnti-
nent while the third is Isolated IN the
single continent OF America.
BE might also observe tlat the north
ern girdle is cut across, so that the
Atlantic opens by VIDE -pice into the
Arctic sea, While The Pacific Is contract
ed towards ths north, tut continent
with the Antsrtic ocean. The Atlantic
IL also relatively deeper anu less encuui-
bered with Islands than tire Pacific,
which has the higher ridges near its
shores, constituting what come visit rs
to tn, Pacific coast OF America have not
inaptly called the back Il the wurl o, 90
whilc the wider slopes face The narrower
ocean. into which, for this reason, the
creator part Of the drainage Of the land
is pour-d-
The Pacific and the Atlantic, though
both dvprcssiOus or fiattenings OF the
earth, ArS different IL age character and
conditions; and the Atlantic, though the
smaller is The older, ard from the geo
logical point OF view, in some RESPECTS
the more important OF the two.
II our imaginary observer had the
means OF knowing anything OF the rock
formations Of the continents, he would
notice that those bounding tho North
Atlantic are In general OF great age,
some belonging to the LaurontiAn sys-
tenn. On the other hand he would
see that many OF the mountain ranges
along the Pacific are comparatively new
and that modern igueous action occurs
IN connection with them.
Thus he might be led to believe that
the Atlantic, though comparatively mar
row, is an olGer feature OF the earth s
surface. while the Pacific belongs 70
more modern times.
But he would note in connection with
this that the Oldest rocks OF the great
continental masses are mostly toward
their northern ends, and that the bOr-
ders OF the northern ring OF land and
certain ridges extending southwards
from Il constitute the most ancient and
permanent .evatious Of tao earth's crust
though now greatly SUR assed by noun
tains OF more recent age nearer the
Equator.
An observer looking at the earth from
without would notice that tho margins
OF the Atlantic and the main lines OF
direction OF It's mountain chains are
northeast and southwest, and north
west and southeast. as IL some early
causes had determined the occurrence of
elevations along great circles OF the
earth's surface tangent 70 the polar
clrcles.-lSir W. Dawson.