Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-09-15
LOCATION or POLES CHANGE.
Such Is The Theory d Z Swedish Scientist
Mis- Reasons.


of being fixed in a permanent location,
does it vary? Professor A. G. Nath-
orst, the Swedish famous paieontologist.
believes that it does, and that is the
cause of the instability of climatic con-
ditions. The professors theory. which
has been received with the considera-
ton to which his scientific eminence
entities any of his conclusions, were
given to the world in a lecture before
the Swedish Academy of Science.
That lecture, translated, is as follows:
Few phenomena tend to prove the
Instability of present climatic condi-
lions of the earth more than does the
fact that the arctic regions, now COW
cred by snow and ice, have formerly
enjoyed climate which permitted a
tropical vegetation. The fossil fora of
those regions has proved that, although
the climate appears to have grown
colder before the middle of the tertiary
period, Spitzbergen at that time was
covered by forests of maple, linden,
magnolia, sycamore, oak, hazel. beech,
poplar, cypress, sequoia and otner
trees.
From these facts, at first, one natur
ally drew the conclusion that the eli
mate of the earth formerly had been,
not only warmer than now, but also
more uniform at the same ATTITUDES.
But a satisfactory explanation of the
cause of such a state has not Deen
found At one time it was supposed
that the internal heat of the earth IN
fiuenced the temperature at the sur
face. But this supposition has been
proved to be erroneous. Without en-
tering further into this question of the
effect of the heat of the earth, might
mention that, had this heat caused the
warm climate of the tertiary period.
the temperature of the coal period
would have been so high that neither
plants nor animals could have existed
on the earth, while as a matter of fact
animals and plants existed even MIL
lions of years before that time. For
this and other reasons it is now gen.
orally accepted that the internal heat
of the earth, from the time when or
ganic life commenced. has exercised
no appreciate influence upon the eli
mate. This way of explaining the
phenomenon in question has therefore
failed, nor have various other attempts
1T tkDldHdllOu pSCII HUI SuSSSos'AAi '
and the impartial inquirer must ac-
knowledge that the question 50 far has
remained without solution.
Strictly speaking, scientists started
from a wrong supposition when they
took for granted that the climate. dur
ing the tertiary period, was warmer at
higher ATTITUDES than it is now. For it
is by no means certain that. for in
stance, Spitzbergen was at that time
at the same distance from the north
pole as it is now. Or, in other words,
the north pole during the tertiary
period may have been located quite
differently from what it it now. From
time to time such possibility has
been suggested, but 1t has always
seemed to be excluded by the manner
in which tertiary plants appeared to
have been distributed round the pole.
Houghton's opinion that the north
pole was surrounded by fossil plants
so completely that there was no hope
Of it's getting out was always cited with
confidence. But Houghton was wrong,
for the fossil flora surrounding the pole
has been found not to be uniform.
Before I further explain this latter
statement Wouiu Sdy d Lew NoI d5
about the views of the astronomers
concerning the possibility of a change
in the location of the poles. If no
change took place in the distribution
If matter on the earth, a change of the
poles could evidently not occur except
rom external causes. 1t is fact,
however, that in course of time i'm
1uense changes of matter do occur. The
rivers carry down to the sea large
quantities of sand and other matter,
which, at the mouth of the Mississippi,
4or instance, amounts to no less than
20, 900 900 of cubic meters annually.
Volcanoes throw out lava and ashes.
immense mountain chains are raised.
and so forth. Some of these changes are
no doubt counteracted by others, but in
many instances they may reasonably
be supposed to be ''onesided," and as
such tending to alter the location of
the poles. And that they really must
have this effect has been pointed out
by a number of astronomers. Profess
sor Gylden, among others. stated more
IL han ten years ago that one might
easily conceive such a transformation
of continental and ocean valleys that
the earth's momentum became
changed, and with it the axis of rota =
ton. And the learned professor seems
to be convinced that the changes ac-
tually taking place on the earth in the
respect mentioned do have an influence
upon the axis of rotation. But the
question is, to what extent?
Since the middle Of the tertiary
period there have been great up
heavals on the earth's surface. The
mountain chains along the Pacific
coast of America, from Terra del
Fuego to Alaska, their continuation iii
eastern Asia, the Himalayas, the
Caucasus. the Alps and the Pyrenees,
have all formed since that time. Like
wise the masses of basalt covering lee
land, the Farce islands, parts of Ire
land and Scotland, and large tracts of
western America. They have all been
formed after the middle of the tertiary
period. A large part of the Mediter-
ranean and of the Atlantic ocean then
came into existence. And then further,
we have had the work of the rivers.
previously mentioned. Now, we car-
not very well suppose that, all through,
one change has neutraliZed another.
but on the contrary we might almost