Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1896-08-29
ENoLANp'S VOLCANOES,
Traces Of the Old BeichcfO Seen II
Many P1nc0ss

Traces Of the Old BeichcrO Seen In
Many P1ncess
Cir Archibald Geike, +. r. g.. In Q lee.
turc before the Glasgow Geological So.
ciety on "The Latest Volcanoes In the
British isles" says that the subject
was one which had occupied him close
~ for the last twenty years, and more
especially for the last seven years.
These islands of ours were specially
fortunate in the wonderfully complete
record which they had within their
borders Of the history Of volcanic &C.
tloh. He supposed there was no area
of equal dimensions on the surface Of
the earth where the story Of volcanic
action had been recorded 30 completely
and with such wonderfully voluminous
details.
From the earliest geological times
they had an almost continuous record
Of volcanic eruption along the western
border of the European continent.
There were once active volcanoes along
the great valley between the Outer Heb
rides on the west and the mainland of
Scotland on the east, and they extend.
ed from the south Of Antrim through
the line Of the Inner Hcbrides far north
into the Farce Isles. and beyond them
Into Iceland. The present lcclandic vol.
canoes were the llneal descendants Of
those which were In action In this cOun.
try In older tertiary times.
EOS, 80 t..
try was to be found by the side Of the
volcanoes In Iceland. and one Of the
most prominent features Of the modern
volcanoes In that country was that they
did not form mountains like Etna or
vesuviIs. Their dominant feature was
the production Of grcat rcctilinear fls.
sures. but there were also cones.
Everyone who had sailed along the
shores Of the Clyde was familiar with
the dikes that rose up sometimes with
singular prominence along the shores
Of Arran, Butte, and the Cumbrucs-
great wnll.l.kc masses Of black rock
through the sandstone. These bikes
marked some Of the assures produced
during the time Of the carly tertiary vol.
canic eruptlOns. The eruptions appear.
cd to have begun with the formation Of
these assures. They had them In An
trim. Null, Reunn. Sanna. Sunday anu
Skye. The Inner Hebrides were mere
~ fragments Of what may have been
originally volcanic plateau extending
from Antrim In the soutn to the north
OF Skye. The successive OutfOws Of
basalt could be traced In layers In old
river channels, and these layers had
been repeated at least four times In
the history Of the plateau. as shown In
the Islands Of Gamma ana Sunday.
From the beginning Of the story to
the end the production Of assures seem.
cd to have been the fundamental fact.
There was great difficulty In fixing the
age. but within the last few months, In
the course Of their work In the Geologi.
cal Survey. they had come across the
evidence which would enable them to
spell their way among the bikes Of the
whole Western Highlands. The volca.
noes, however, belonged TO n very re.
cent periodic time actually young.
or than the soft clay on which London
II built. That clay was there before
the volcanoes began to blaze forth. In
closing. Sir Archibald referred to the
subject Of denudation or waste. which
he described az one Of the most fasci.
mating departments Of geology, and one
which gave valuable aid In enabling
them to determine the age Of different
strata; and there was, he said. no place
where the geolOgist could study that
subject with more profit to himself and
benefit to science than along the north
shores OF the Farce Isles. where there
were the finest sen cliffs In Europe.
some Of them 1000 feet In height
Edinburgh Scotsman.