The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1888-06-20
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 1888.
OUR WORLD AS IT LOOKS IN SPACE.


A Graphic Description OF the Planet on
Which We Live, as 1t Would Appear
to an Observer Well Placed for Look
ing at II.
II we imagine an observer contemplate
Ing the earth from a convenient dis
lance In space. and scrutinizing its fea-
lures as It rolls before him, we may
suppose him TO be struck with the fact
that l1-I6ths OF its surface are covered
with water, and that the land is so I'M
equally distributed that from one point
OF view he would see hemisphere
almost exclusively oceanic while nearly
the whole OF the dry land is gathered in
the opposite hemisphere.
He might observe that the great Oce-
anic area of the Pacific and Antartlc
oceans is dotted with islands--like a
shallow pool with stones rising above It's
surface-as IL its general depth were
small In mparison with its area
He might also notice that mass or
belt Of land surrounds each POLE and
that the northern ring sends off to the
southwark three vast tongues of land
and OF mountain chains, terminating re-
spectively in South America, South
Africa and Australia, towards which fee
bier and insular processes are given
off by the Antartic continental mass.
This, as some geographers have OBJ
served, gives a rudely three-ribbed as
pect 10 the earth, though two OF the
three ribs are crowded together and form
the Europ- Asian mass or double conti-
nent while the third Is isolated In the
single continent of America.
He might also observe that the north
ern girdle Is cut across, SO that the
Atlantic opens by wide space into the
Arctic sea, while the Pacific Is contract
ed towards the north, but continent
with the Antartic ocean. The Atlantic
Ia also relatively deeper and less encum-
bered with islands than the Pacific.
which has the higher ridges near its
shores, constituting what some visitors
to the Pacific coast OF America have not
inaptly called the "back of the world, )"
while the wider slopes face the narrower
ocean, into which, for this reason, the
greater part OF the drainage OF the land
Is poured.
The Pacific and the Atlantic, though
both depressions or flattening5 of the
earth, are different In age, character and
conditions and the Atlantic, though the
smaller, is the older. ard from tho 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 the North
Atlantic are in general of great age,
some belonging to the Laurentian sys-
tenn. On the other hand, he would
see that many of the mountain ranges
along the Pacific are comparatively new,
and that modern igneous action occurs
In connectio with them.
Thus he might be led to believe that
the Atlantic. though comparatively mar
row. is an older feature of the earth's
surface, while the Pacific belongs to
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 Dor.
ders OF the northern ring of land and
certain ridges extending southwards
from 1t constitute the most ancient ant
permanent elevations Of the earth's crus
though now greatly surpassed by noun
tains OF more recent ago nearer tn
Equator.
An observer looking at the earth from
without would notice that the margin
OF the Atlantic and the mnin lines Of
direction of It's mountain chains arc
northeast and southwest, aud north.
west and southeast, as II some carly
causes had determined the occurrence o.
oleyatiosss along great circles OF the
earth's surface tangent to the polar
clrcles.--lSlr w. Dawson.