Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-13
QUITE AN AGED WORLD.
There are 100000 900 Years OF GcoIsgicAA
Time. Besides Other Eras.

Assuming that the average rate OF de-
mutation i'll past geological ages did not ma
terially differ from what il : al present,
ana that the total quantity of StrdtitieI
rock would. il uniformly spread over the
whole globe, form Il layer 1910 feet III thick
ness. we have. says Il writer In the Gentle,
mans Magazine, total period of 1000. mu!.
tiplied by 5000, multiplied by T. or "A 900 900
wears This, however. only represents the
time necessary TO deposit the rocks. which
have been formed by denudation from older
rocks. and these again from rocks Of still
greater antiquity. Assuming that the eX
listing sJratIfied rocks have thus passed
three times through denudatiOn and depUsi-
ton, we have period of 1900, 00J years.
Dr. Haughton, calculating from the ob-
served thickness of the rocks down % the
miocene tertiary, and assuming Il period OF
SOLO years for each foot deposited on the
ocean bed. finds. for the age Of the stratiiicd
rocks, a period Of l,526. ~, 900 years. AS
Stunning rate of dedication however, rs ten
times greater i'll ancient times than at pres
ent. and adding oue-third for the period
since the mlocene tertiary, he arrives III ,
final result of 2CA 000, 900 years. DR.. Croit
doubts the validity of Professor Haughtons
assumptions. especially the total thickness
he assumes-namely, III, 200 feet or over
thirty-three miles.
Mr. A X. Wallace, adopting DR.. Haugh-
tons thickness. but assuming the sediment
TO be deposited along belt of thirty miles
wide round the whole coast line OF the
globe. finds. with an assumed denudatiOn Of
one foot in 1000 years, a period of 2S,00O,0 OO
years This, however, on DR.. Crol's as
sumption of reformation and denudation re-
peated several times, would be merely
fraction of the time required. DR.. CFol
further shows. from the evidence Of re-
markabe faults in various parts OF tho
world, with down throws ranging from
5000 to 10000 feet, the enormous amount OF
solid rock which must have been denuded
off the surface of the earth during tho
progress of geological history He est
mates that three miles Of rock have been
removed since the beginning of the old
sandstone This would Indicate period
of 5000 900 years. Assuming that tho
period before the old red sandstone was
equally long, we have 90,0U0,000 years rs
the minimum duration of geological time
These enormous periods of time do not,
however, seem to satisfy the demands OF
the biologists and the supporters OF the
Darwinau theory. Judging from the fact
that almost the whole tertiary period has
been required to convert the ancestral Oro-
hlppus into the true horse, Professor HuE.
ley believes that in order to have time for
the much greater change of the ancestral
uugulata into the two great odd-toed and
cvcn-toed divisions (of which change there
is no trace, even among the earliest eocene
mammalsl we should require larger por
ton if not the whole. of the mesnyoic OF
secondary sale, ana still longer periods
are demanded for the evolutions of other
animals, so that, on the lowest estimate.
we must place the origin of the mammals
very far back in palBzOlc times MIR.
Wallace speaks of possible periods of 20,
600. 900 and even 800 900, 600 of years.