The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-10-09
DROWNED BIZ TIE SEA
The SOUND An ESTUARY FORMED
BIZ SINKING OF EARTH's CRUST.
fros- Harry Landes Lectures Before
the Young Naturalisss on the Geolog-
iesi Processes by Which the Present
inland Sea Developed Its FJordic
Character Compared to Other Coasts.

The F5ordic Character OF Puget
sound v7as the title OF lecture delivered
last night by Professor Henry Landss be-
Tore tie members of the Young Natural
ISIS Society in their hail, on the Old uni
versity grounds. Ii was the last OF the
srrzes OF five given by the society, and one
OF the most interesting. Professor Landes
aad drawn a number Of charts and maps
showing the coast lines Of Greece. Nor
way Greenland. Iceland. Maine. North
west Alaska and British Columbia. Caesa-
pSaAe bay and Puget sound. AMI made
comparisons between them He showed
that Puget sound had originally been
sa4.ey through which ran a large river fed
os Numerous streams. BY a sinking Of the
eaFth crust this river and its tributaries
nAo been drowned by the ocean and the
sound was formed. He found many evil
oehces. ne said, TO prove that Lake Wash
inston had az one time formed portion
o. the sound. but that the connection had
Deeh cut on by deposits from White and
Cedar rivers
Al the development OF my subject" he
SAID, IL Is necessary that I begin with
ehe very nrst record OF the earth of which
the seoiogist takes cognizance. The geo.
Ioscaa record does not begin until after
tne saooe had cooled somewhat from its
ihcahcescence. a thin outer crust had been
formed. and the watery yarors had con-
9shsea 10 form the oceans. That the ocean
Wds once universal and covered the entire
giooe does not admit OF question. IL the
eooiing and contraction of the globe had
oeeh uniform Throughout 1t would still
continue 10 be enclosed by the general
ocean But this uniformity could hardly
follow. because OF the great improba bliity
that the earth had everywhere homogen-
city OF composition and equality OF con-
ductiveness. Hence we must conclude that
from certain areas Of the globe there was
more radiation of heat and consequently a
greater contraction than from certain 9TH
er areas In this way the more rapidly
contracting areas formed hollows, and the
less rapidly contracting ones elevations.
into these hoilows the waters gathered
and formed oceans. while the elevated po-
tons became the continents.
When once the water began TO collect in
the depression formed BY unequal radial
contraction. its very pressure would tend
to increase the cooling and contraction of
these parts. and thus TO deepen still fur
Their the depression.
THE prevailing feature of the ocean
bottom Is that OF uniform ievelness. Such
regularity does not exist upon the conti-
nents, where We find the greatest variety
OF topography. Different forces have been
at work here, those which produced the
continents being essentially different from
those which produced the mountains. The
latter are the result of certain horizontal
forces. the former of vertical forces In
other words, the crust of the earth moved
upward to form the continents; 1t moved
sidewise. that is. crushed together in great
folds. to form the mountains. There IS a
third set OF movements. styled oscilla-
tons. An oscillation is simply swinging
upward and downward of the crust at one
place, usually not affecting very great
area, although occasionally being of wide
extent. Investigation shows that all land
,.-f, H<o .,.t<- u,
tons or changes of level. and in some in
stances areas have been elevated and de-
pressed many times.
In the making OF Puget sound we have
Illustrated all the geological principles
before enumerated. The continent OF
North America, having its beginning near
its present eastern boundary has stead
lily extended itself southwark and west
ward 10 the present limits; hence the
Sound region, being a part of the latest
growth OF the continent, is OF recent geo.
logic origin. Following the elevation of
this region above the sea. or coincident
with Il. came a compression OF the sur
face into folds. Erosive forces acting
upon II csc folds wore them down TO
such extent that there was form
ed trough, extending north and
south. This is the Sound basin. The next
event was downward movement or SUBJ
n1ergence. during which the whole basin
was filled with water, either as an arm
OF the sea or as a great lake. Into this
body OF water the streams emptied their
loads OF sediment and in time deposited
great beds of stratified sands. gravels
ana clays. such as we see at Duwamish
head and many other places. After great
accumulation had thus been made there
came an upward movement. an emergence
OF considerable height and the consequent
retreat of the sea. Upon this newly made
land surface large river was developed
Puget river, perhaps-with its many
tributaries such as the SkaS-
II. Snohonlssh. Duwamsh. Puyailup.
Nlsqua!ly and others. The rivers OF this
system cut out three valleys. not only
wide but deep so deeply .s@e they stood
hut N;tle above the level of the sea. At
this point there came another oscillation
OF the crust-a downward movement this
time Gradually the sea advanced up the
Puget valley, entering first this and then
that tributary valley, and did not stop UNI
Ill the surface OF the water stood thou
sand feet or more above the old mouth
OF Puget river change OF level OF at
least thousand feet had taken place, and
the former Puget river. with its numerous
branches became Puget sound, with It's
many inlets. the head of each OF which Is
now the mouth or one OF the old triou-
taries OF Puget river"
Professor landes said he found In the
foss.. beach at Alki Point one OF the best
Illustrations Of his theory and thought In
dic.atIous could be found there and in other
places that the coast OF the sound Is ris-
ing at the present time and the water re-
ceding.
IA. A@tx