The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-11-09
Age of the Earth:

-Rovidence Journal
Age of the Earth.
At the reoant meeting Of the British
association discourse was delivered by
the president, Sir Archibald Gerkia, on
one of the most interesting problems in
modern science-tbe age of the world.
Over century has elapsed since James
Hutto wrote his "Theory of the Earth"
which was the first attempt to formulate
chronology Of creation in accordance
with the discoveries of science; since
then knowledge has made vast strides,
and his followers have access to a mass
of information which he did not possess.
Playfair and Kelvin improved upon his
| work, and now Gsrkie and the school to
which he beloRgs have gone beyond
them.
Geologist have aacertained that the
rate at which erosion takes plAce can be
measured; by applying their scale to The
ssdimentary rocks they have formed a
hypothesis as to the time which has
elapsed since erosion began. To put the
proposition in simpler language, the aur-
face of the globe is constantly wearing
away under the influence of wafer and
wind. The portions which are worn of
are carried down to the sea or into hol.
lows, where they are deposited aud form
ssdimentary rocks. If We can ascertain
how long it takes to form sedimentsry
rock We can figure out when the progress
OF wearing away and redeposising began.
Sir Archibald states that on a reaaon-
able computation the strati6ed rocks at
tain an average thickness of 100000 feet.
The material Of whici they consist was
all washed down from high planes, de-
posted and left to stratity. By the in
spection Of river banks 1t il found that
in places the surface OF the land which
hes been carried down as sediment in
rivers has been reduced at the rate OF
foot in 7S0 years, while In other places,
where the land vas more stubborn or
less flexible, 1t has taken $500 years to
lower the surface one foot. The deposit
| must be squalzto the denudahop. Thus
We find that while some of the sedimsn-
tary rocks have grown a foot in 7SO
years, others have taken $500 years to
rise that height. Thus ths period of
time that was required to build up 10O,-
900 feetsof sedimentary rock has varied
according to locality from 100000
years to 68O,OOO,O0O years. Tt follows
that the active work Of creation lasted for
cycle intermediate between these two
figures. The cycle varied with endless
| succession of periods of disturbance by
| volcanic force and glacial action, and the
frequent submeraion Of dry land, alter
mating with the emerging of contonts out
| of the seas. These may have retarded
| the growth Of asdimentary rocks, but
they cannot have accelerated 1t.
A ssudy of fouils teaches the steady
uniformity with which the work of crea-
ton procsedad. Since man began to
observe thsre has been no change in the
formr of animal and vegetable life. A
few species have disappeared-not one
new species has been evolved. Not only
do We find the fauna and flora Of ancient
Egypt as despicted on monuments which
are probably 5000 or 10000 years old
Eidentical with those which arc found In
that country to-day, but shells which in.
habited our seas before the ice age and
grew in an ocean whose bod overlay the
Rocky mountains are precisely the same
species that are found in the Bay Of
Monterey and the waters of the Chesa-
peake. Il ia evident that there has been
no essential change in the conditions OF
life since these animals aud these vegeta-
bles were first created, yet how vast the
shortest period vhich we can assign to
the gap that divides us from that remote
epoch
Little by little the geologist is lifting
the veil which covers the prehistoric
record of our planet. The era which
preceded tho aye Of civilized man, with
its vast rivers carrying down diluvial
floods 10 the ocean, and the bursting
forth of mountain ranges from contrac'
tions of the earth's crust has been painted
to the life. But no one has exercised bis
pencil on that preceding age, when the
forests made way for olumps Of stunted
biz. aud willow, incessan! snowfalls
covered the plains, glaciers crept down
from the north, and gradually vast
sheet of Ice half mile thick drove man.
Kind, with the mammoth and the rein.
deer, to those fortunate regioss which,
like California, sscapsd The agony Of the
last ice age.
Nor have wo any distinct perception
Of thst subsequent ago whom the ice
melted OF rsoeded 10 the pole, or dense
tropical jingle grew up in the morasses
1t had left, swamps stsaRaing with tropi.
cal heat swarmed with uncoush basra.
chiaa and reptile life, trees Of monstrous
growth shed their shad over shiny pools
and black sozs, and in the distance long
mountain ranges whose fontauel had not
yet closed, poured never ceasing food
of lava down their sides. This Is page
OF history which Is yst TO be written, but
The materials are sccumulating, and the
historian will not bs long wantirg.-San
Hrnne;sco Call.