, 1889-08-01
OVER FIVE MILES DEEP.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE A5YssEs
OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

Submarine Valleys Along the California
Coa~st-"shaIIow Water" Six Thousand
Feet in Depth-A Horn Shaped Plateau
That Serves as n Connecting Link.
The popularity of the Pacific ocean is
that it can be divided into two distinct
parts, the dividing line being the merid-
ian of $50 dogs. west. The eastern half,
that which laves our shores, is remark
able for the absence of islands INT the
uniform nature of its depth, for, with the
exception of the narrow strip of shallow
water surrounding the Aleutian Islands,
and running along the American coast,
the sounding line shows an average depth
of from 1900 to 8 1000 fathoms, undiversi-
fed by any remarkable elevations or de-
pressions. The only noteworthy excep-
ton to this great and equal depth is a
great submarine plateau, which extends
out from the Patagonian coast, and which
rises to between 1000 and 1000 fathoms
from the surface. This plateau is horn
shaped, and is evidently a connecting
link between the South American con
tinent and the Australian archipelago.
PARTIALLY SEA
The western half of the Pacific ocean
is a complete contrast to the eastern.
Archipelagos and scattered islands are
exceedingly numerous, and the depth of
the ocean is uniform, shadows occurring
scattered over it at irregular intervals.
Along the Asiatic coast and between the
island groups there are a number of par
tally inclosed seas, and these are sepa-
rated from he great ocean by submarine
plateaus of sufficient extent and height
to warrant the supposition that a mod
crate upheaval would extend the Asiatic
continent as far south as Australia,
Transforming the seas into inland salt
lakes. Considerations of the peculiar
animal and vegetable life of New Yea
land and Australia lend probability to
the speculation that these islands were
joined to the main continent of Asia at
some remote period, and it is even posi-
BILE to trace the submerged coast line of
the great continent which then existed.
The same upheaval acting upon the pla-
teau extending out from the Patagonian
shore would almost make the Pacific a
and locked ocean, the entrance to it be-
ing between the point of the new land
stretching out to 121 dogs. east latitude
and another headland formed by what is
now Ducie Island, lying in the same lat
itude, but about 10 dogs. further north.
As has been said, there runs along the
American shore a narrow strip of shall
low water, but the term shallow is only
to be taken in its comparative sense. 1t
is from so to 200 miles wide, the depth
running from nothing to 900 fathoms.
Outside this again is another strip of not
quite SO uniform a width, wherein the
depth reached 2 1000 fathoms, quite deep
enough to drown a tall man. The uni
form character of the seas depth is
quite marked along the Californian
shore, but even here there are ups and
downs, shadows and depths. The coast
line has a strip of water as its immedi-
ate border, in which the depth keeps at
about twelve fathoms along a ledge or
plateau for q few miles out, and then
drops sheer down for 500, 600 and 1000
fathoms. This shore ledge is quite well
defined and generally unbroken, but in
it there sometimes occurs a crevasse or
valley, whose exploration is n matter of
much curious interest. Directly off
Point Hueneme, at the entrance to the
Santa Barbara channel, there is found n
remarkable example of one of these sub
marine valleys. Commencing with a
depth of ten fathoms 400 yards from the
beach, it increases to fifty fathoms in
five-eighths of n mile and then drops
suddenly to 113 fathoms, or 67S feet, in
less than two miles. Its general direc.
ton is south, and it is bounded all round
by depths of from twelve to fifteen
fathoms.
Another remarkable example of the
submarine valley has beer discovered,
and to Gnnon nxtant trora1 ont in ATOn-
terey bay by Commodore James Alden.
The head of this valley is five-eighths OF
a mile south of the Salinas river, and the
twenty fathom line is only a quarter OF
a mile off the beach, the depth increas
ing to fifty fathoms in the next quarter
of q mile. At this distance from shore
the twenty fathom lines are three-eighths
of a mile apart. The general direction
of the valley for the mex two miles is
southeast, where there is a depth of III
fathoms, the fifty fathom lines running
about five-eighths of a mile apart; thence
the valley runs about west, reaching the
depth of ITO fathoms in a mile and 240
fathoms in three n one-quarter miles,
with forty-two fathoms less than a mile
to the north. The soundings are not
numerous enough to trace its outlines in
deep water, but the indications are for
ten miles of its length that it run south.
west, with no bottom at 315 fathoms. 1t
would appear from this description that
this valley is really an enormous canyon
that opens through the shore line ledge
clear out and down into the deep water
of the 1 200 fathom belt.
Here again the terms deep and crevasse
are to be taken in their comparative
sense. These submarine valleys of the
coast line ledge have their dimensions,
it is true, but they sink into utter in
significance beside the abysses which
mark the bed of the great ocean, abysses
which seem to drop clear to Tophet or
Davy Jones locker. To the east of the
Kurile Islands and Japan there lies a
crescent shaped space of deep water that
really merits the term. 1t extends from
fifty degrees north latitude to nearly
twenty degrees north latitude, oil for
1900 miles, although it is of no great
Ir1,ltA TLa 30 lanfh ~ fhfo -