The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-05-13
REPUBLIC1N TICKET.
Thursday, May IL, 1897.
bow the Continents We're Formed

If molten matter exists beneath
the crust of tho earth, it must con
tract on cooling. and in 80 doing il
must disturb tire level of the portion
OF the crust already solidified. But
an important difference of opinion
arose ms to tho exact rationale of
such changes. Hutton, and prac-
tically every one else who accepted
his theory, had supposed that there
are long periods of relative repose,
during which the level of the crust
is undisturbed, followed by short
periods of active stress, when CONT
nents are threw up with volcanic
suddenness, as by the throes of a
gigantic earthquake. But now came
Charles Lyell with his famous eyten-
sion of the 'uniformitarian"
doctrine, claiming hat past
changes of the earth's surface have
been like present changes in degree
as well rs in kind The making of
continents and mountains. he said,
is going on AS rapidly to-day as at
any time in the past. There have
been no gigantic cataclysmic upheav-
ais at any time, but all changes in
level of the strata as whole have
been gradual, by slow oscillation, or
at most by repeated earthquake
shock such as are still often exper-
fenced.
In support OF this very startling
convention Lyell gathered mass Of
evidence of the recent changes in
level of continental areas. He corro.
borated by inspection the claim which
had been made by Playfair in 1902.
and by Won Buch in 1907, that the
cost.line of Sweden isrising at the
rate of from few inches to several
feet in century. He cited Darwin s
observations going to prove that
Patagonia is similarly rising, and
Pingel's claim that Greenland is
slowly sinking Proof as to sudden
changes of level feet, over large
areas, due to earthquakers, was
brought forward in abundance
Cumulative evidenc.left it no longer
open to question that such oscillatory
changes of Level, either upward OF
downward. are quite the rule, aud il
could not be denied that these OBJ.
served changes, if continued lone
enough IN one direction, would pro.
duce the highest elevations. The
possibility that the making of even
the highest ranges of mountains had
been accomplished without exagger.
ated catastrophe action camo to be
freely admitted.
1t became clear that the supposedly
stable land surfaces are in reality
much more variable than the sur.
face of the shifting sea-; h a t
continental masses, seemingly SO
fixed, are really rising and falling in
pillows thousands of feet in height,
ages instead OF moments being con-
sumed in the sweep between crest
and hollow.
These slow oscillations of land
surfaces being understood, many
geological, enigmas were made clear
such as the alienation OF p,arine
and fresh water formations in q ver-
tical series, which Cuvier and Brong.
Mart had observed near Paris: or
the sandwiching of layers of coal, of
of subaerial formation, between lay.
ers of subaqueous clay or sandstone,
which may be observed everywhere
in the coal measures. In particular,
the extreme thickness of the sedi.
mentary strata as whole, many
time exceeding. the depth OF the
deepest known sea. was for the first
time explicable when it was under
stood that such strata had formed in
slowly sinking beds.
All doubt as to the mode of origin
of stratiiied rocks being thus remov.
ed, the way was opened for more
favorable consideration of that other
Huttonion doctrine of the extreme.
ly slow denudatiou of land surfaces.
The enormous amount of land eros
ion will be patent to any one who
used his eyes intelligently in noun.
tain district. 1t will be evident in
any region where the strata are tiled
AS, for example, the Alleghanies-
that great folds of STRAIT which must