The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-14
The Wind as a Factor in Geology.

Il an article showing how the earth's surface
may Be changed in form By the action Of the
wind alone, NJ Geo-gs P. Merrill. Of TIE Smith
sonian Institution, writes in thu Engineering
Hrgdzfae Tor February:
The agency Of the wind does not end with
the work Of transporting the sand and dust
Particles Of sand drifting along before the wind
become themselves agents Of abrasion, fling
away On every hard object with which they
came in contact IL matter Of eourss this
phenomena is most strikingly se:ivs IN the arid
regions, though the results, when looked foT,
are By no means wanting IN the humid East It
is thought By Professor Egieston that the in
scriplions on many Of the tornbstones In the
oder churcnYsrds Of New YORK city have BE-
come ii!ezibis b. the wearing action Of the dus.
and sand blown against them from the street
There Is 70 De seen in the National Museum, at
Washington City, a large shee. Of plate-glass,
oacs window ia Lighthouse OF Gaze Cod. Dur
ing severe storm Of no: above forty eight hours
duration this became on its exposed surface so
ground from the impact of grains Of sand blown
against IT, a. 20 Be no longer trensparen. and 70
neccssitate its removal
Apply now this agency to q geological Geld
IN dry region. The wind sweeping across
country bare OF verd1re and parched By crouth
catches up particles OF dust AID sand and
drives them violently Into the air In clouds, or
sweeps them along more quietly close 70 the
s4IA3-ep FL>tS Ibey are q. Er.s scarcely notice
able The impact Of q single one OF these rno7-
ing grains CT any object with which 1. may
come in contact is inhnitesinal, bit the impact
OF millions acting through long PERIODS Of time
produces striking results Urged By the winds
the grain, go sweeping On, undermining elifs
securing down mountain passes, wearing away
the loose boulders and smoothing out aiI IL
equal!ties. Naturally the abradlng action On
exposed blocks CT stone is most rapid near the
ground, as here the flying sand grains arc
th!ckest First the sharp angles and corners are
worn away, and masses gradually become pear-
shaped, Standing on their smaller ends Finally
the base becomes too small for support the stone
topples over, and the process begins anew with
out moments internissiou and Continues IN
III the entire mass disappea-s-becoues itself
converted into loose sAnd drifred By the wind
and an agent for destruction W. P. Blake was
the first, believe, to call public attention to
this phenomenon. having observed il while in
the Pass Of San Bernardino, California, in ls53.
g. h Gilbert has also published interesting
facts upon the subiec; a. noted BY himself
while geo!oZist Of the Wheeler expedition west
OF the l00-h meridian In Is7l-T2 In ACTING nm
the hard ROCKS the sand cuts so sIogIy "a AZ
times to produce only grooves or fantastica w.
carved surfaces, often with very high polish
Inc biologists Of the i0th parallel survey in
1918 described Ike interesting phenomena a.
observed on the western faces OF conyIorers,s
bou!ders exposed 10 the sand blast of the de.ert
reg. ons OF Nevada"