Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-23

| logged and then nnd their way TO these
| abysmal depths.
And not an inconsiderable part of what
was brought up by the dredge was found to
be star dust, the remains of meteoric stones
| which were consumed in their headlong
flight through the earth's atmosphere. The
only remains of animals found were the
most Imperishable parts of vertebrate skele-
tons, such as the teeth of sharks and the ear
bones of whales. "Thus, at a depth of 2, $50
tathoms, or about two miles, !" says Prof
| Gibson, ''the trawl brought up, among
other things, $50 sharks teeth. At another
haul of the apparatus, there came no !, 500
sharks teeth, while third contained over
100 ear bones and other remains of whales,
besides the usual accompaniment of sharks
teeth.
sLowNEss OF THE PROCESS.
ITO be told," says DR.. Geikis in a recent
lecture upon this point, "that mud gathers
upon the floor of these abysses at an ex-
tremely low rate, conveys but q vague idea
Of the tardineSs of the process, but to learn
that it gathers so slowly that the very star
| dust forms an appreciable part of it, brings
home to US as hardly anything else could do
the idea of undisturbed and excessively slow
accumulation"
The Challenger expedition further es-
tablished the fact that no part of the matter
which finds its way to the deep ocean ever
composed part of the existing land if the
nearest land exceeded 25O miles away, for
the sediment borne by the waves from the
continents seaward always drops to the bot
tom within that distance. So invariable
was this found to be the case that every up
lift of the trawl informed them whether they
were within that distance from the nearest
land.
This observation NAV be regarded as the
most important discovery made by the ex-
pedition, as it changes the whole face OF
geological science. 1t establishes tine fact
that sedimentation is confined to the lit
toral parts of the ocean basin, and can in no
case exceed 300 miles from the coast Adopt
ing therefore the principle of uniformity it
follows that the deposition of strata has al
ways taken place within 800 miles of the
point, whence the sediment was derived and
is consequently confined to the shallower
parts OF the oceans.
SOME DEF INITIONS.
For better understanding of the full i'm
port of this discovery, it would be we'll TO
be more explicit in the use of the terms here
employed to designate the different parts of
the ocean. Bv the ocean-bed is meant all
that part of the earth covered by water
In any particular ocean the bed may be
conceived as divided longitudinally into
two parts, differing from each other only in
depth. The shallower parts is that which
lies along the margins of the continents and
extends outward, toward mid-ocean, to the
distance of 200 or 300 miles and may be re-
gsrded as gentle sloping away of the con-
tinent beneath the waters. At that distance
from the coast, the bottom drops down pre-
cipitously from two to five miles and here
constitutes a vast plain beneath the watery
waste. This great depth is known as the
abysmal or deep sea floor. 1t is upon the
shallower platform, between the abysmal
ocean and the continent, that all the waste
from the continents is, at the present time,
deposited, the deep ocean being the limit
of sedimentation.
Such facts, the product of recent discov-
cry, have convinced the leading geologists
of the day that the theory of Mr.. LFell, that
the "abysmal ocean floors have been land"
MUST NOW BE ABANDONED.
Let us go back to the declaration Of Mr..
Lyell, ''that the confguration of the earth's
surface has been remodeled again and again
since it became the habitation of organic
beings, and the bed of the ocean has been
lifted up to the height of the loftiest mount
aims" This declaration contsins q two-told
assertion. The first is that the contigura-
tion OF the earth has been remodeied again
and again since it became the habitation of
organic beings" is in my opinion mislead-
ing, and true only in limited degree. It
is not true, so far as the embossment of the
globe is concerned. The mountains were
undoubtedly elevated before the dawn of
organic lie. No life could have existed
upon the globe during the convulsion in
which the mountains had their origin, ior
two reasons: In the first place the tempera-
ture was yet too high, and in the second
,1o fhoro lnn oh
surface.
The evidences of marine life being found
upon the tops of some lofty mountains don't
establish the TACT that such mountains were
once the bottom of the sea, nor do they estab-
lish the fact that life existed upon the globe
before their elevation; yet it is upon such
alone that the statement is founded. But,
Notwithstanding the vagueness of the evil
dence to sustain this stupendous statement,
geologists have adopted it without dissent.
Let us see what Prot. Gibson, who may in
this instance be regarded as the mouth-piece
of the geologic world, has to say on this
point:
sit is but yesterday. geologically speak
ing, since Great Britain, and probably a
large part of the continent, gradually sank
beneath the waves. Scotland and Wales
then became cluster Of islands, only
mountains exceeding 1000 feet in height
being above water, and it was on the'fanks |
of these mountains that those marine mol |
iusks probably lived. whose shells are now |
found on the Welsh hills 1,4O0 feet above |
the sea. )"
The views here expressed by Prof. Gibson |
are in perfect accord with those of every |
geologist who has left an opinion upon |
record. They represent the whole northern |
part of Europe, including the islands of |
Great Britain, as sinking into the earth sew
eral thousand feet and remaining there an
indefinite period OF time. and afterward
rising gracefully to adjust itself to its |
former position; and the only evidence
which geology furnishes to support this i'm |
probable assertion is the fact that marine |
shells and other animal exuvie have been |
found upon the tops of the mountains of |
Great Britain, Norway and Switzerland.
MEMORABLE OSCILLATIONS.
But the question arises, and will be dis |
cussed in a future paper, whether or not |
these shells can be accounted for, upon |
some other hypothesis more consistent with |
our observations upon terrestrial changes? |
Such change as is here predicated, has not |
occurred since man came upon the earth. |
There have been oscillations OF the land and |
water surfaces, time and again, during that |
period, but nothing in extent or kind, COM
pared with what is claimed in this case. All |
the elevations and subsidences which have |
taken place during the human period, with |
the exception, perhaps, of the doubtful one,
claimed as occurring in Chill in 1922, by
which portion of land 1900 miles long
and 20 miles wide was raised four feet were
simply upthrusts or downthrows, affecting a |
lew square miles of surface. Of this class |
may be mentioned that of Monte Nuvoo, on
the coast of Italy, occurring A. D. 1888, |
or that of Isrullo in the plains
of Malnaise Meninn In 1F6o