Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-09-02
THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA.
What Would Happen if the Ocean Were
Lowered Mile or Two.


Lowered Mile Two.
GoldWaite'S Magazine: The depth of
the sea presents dn Interesting prob
lem. 1t the surface Of the sea were
lowered 5000 feet 1000 fathoms). the
width Of the Atlantic and the Pacific
opposite the United States and South
America would not be materially less
ened but Il continent larger than Africa
would appear about the South pole,
While North America would be CON
nected with the British Isles and
Europe through Greenland and Iceland.
and with Asia in the region Of Behl-
ing Strait by broad plains inclosing a
land-locIled Attic Ocean about as large
as the Mediterranean sea. If the sea
We're lowered two and half miles
C3.2OO feeD, Asia, Australia South
America and Africa would be connect
ed with Il greatly enlarged Antarctic
continent. thus separating the basins
Of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian
Oceans
The Atlantic would be divided into
an eastern and western basin by q
narrow strip Of land extending south
ward from Iceland to the latitude of
Cape of Good Hope while the Pacific
would be separated into q large north
ern and smaller southern basin by
narrow land connection between
, Northern Chill and the East Indies.
Even thus reduced the sea would still
cover more than half the earth'S sur
! face. If the sea We're lowered another
mile, however Tor 1880 feet). the
ocean as such would disappear and be
represented by Il great sea in the
northern Pacific, smaller one in the
southern Atlantic, and several small
pools between the Americas AMI Africa
! The sea is comparatively shallow be
tween Newfoundland and Ireland and
the bottom is called the Geographic
plateau. because several telegraphic
cables are laid upon it, Most of the
Mediterranean is over a mile deep, but
I II its surface We're lowered only eight
/ hundred feet it would be separated
/ from the Atlantic at the Strait of Glib
ralter, and divided into two seas by Il
! land connection between Sicily and
/ the African coast of Tunis
The Atlantic. we are told, if drained
would be a vast, gently undllating
4 plain, with Il swell or plateau in the
middle, running parallel with our coast.
Another plateau connects this central
one with the northeast coast of South
! America. The Atlantic is thus divided
into three great basins no longer ''un-
fathoned depths" The tops of these
sea plateaus are two miles below q
sailing ship, and the deepest places of
the basins almost five miles. These
plateauS are Whitened for thousands OF
miles by tiny, creamy species of shell
lying as thlckly on their sides as frost
crystals on snow bank The deepest
parts are red in color, strewn with vol
canoes and meteOric particles and the
deeply encrusted bones of whales.
sharks. and other sea monsters.
Through the black and silent water
OF those abysses. in which the only
hight is afforded by phosphorescent
ANIMALS. vegetable life is nearly absent,
while animal life is scanty and is con-
lined TO comparatively few strange
| species which may have been common
near the surface in former geological
ages. but are now seldom. if ever. seen
In the upper currents.