The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-06
4 BIT of Quartz in which II Is he
Iievcd That "A Gas Bubble Has Been
in Motion Several Million Years.

n
Iieved Tint Gas Bubble Has Been
in Motion Several Million Years.
New York. Aug. 4-Dr. A. A. Julien OF
Columbia College has IN mis- possession two
or three of the most wonderful minerals in
the world. one of them is a piece of quartz
which ne picked up near Columbia, n. u.
This bit of quartz is transparent, and has
a little cavity in It's center filled with liquid,
In which a bubble OF gas keeps jumping
a bout from side TO side The bubble IS very
small and can be seen only under the mi
croscope. It is about one michon; that is,
! $4,000 inch in diameter, and il dashes from
wall TO wall Of the cavity in restless mo-
ton. like monad trying to escape. Now
this motion must have continued during
the ages which have elapsed since the con-
solidation of the granite. In other words,
the little bubble was enclosed in the quartz
several million years ago, when all rocks
were in a molten state and the earth was
in process Of formation.
The bubble has been jumping about ever
since, unable. against the strong material
Of the quartz. 10 discharge its pent-up en-
erav. Probably from this fact, IL has kept
IN motion longer. and moved a greater dis
lance. back and forth, than any other sub
stance on earth. The cavity IN which 1t
moves IS about double it's size, so that the
bubble travels about 1.25.UC0 inch at every
Jump and II moves irregularly several
times each second. If IL has been moving
thus but twice a second for but one mill
ion years. II must have trave.ed 1.4Vg)
miles OF course the bubble has been jump
ing about for more than million years II
the estimates of the biologists are correct.
] ~, F.tFt inn he % a
tionship Of tho volume Of ne bubble and
| me liuuid an estimate can be made of the
| temDpratu1e Of the quartz when II was
first hardening out Of its molten state.
| The nauid in tie little cavity is probably
a saturated solution OF common salt, and
| the gas is carbon di-oXde
DR.. Julien mas another p.cce Of quartz,
! found In North Carolina, which has a cav
itv holding quid ana a bubble which IS
rcn,arkable because the bubble can be
/ made 10 appear and disappear at the VIII
! Of its owner Al he has to DO s 10 breathe
/ hard upon 90, when IT VIII disappear IL
/ Is The heat Of his breath which causes the
] Hquii 10 exuand aud IN Up the space or
/ dinariIy occupied by the air bubble. OF
| course any gentle heat VIII cause The
| change but when we reflect that he bub-
! HE Ike It's fellow mentioned above 0hs
one does not Jump abouD, has been IN eX-
! isteuce for mill ons of years The potency
of the human brea n in causing the change
seems much more inspiring
DR.. Julien has SIN another ga bubble,
mis- ore enclosed in a pece Of white topaz
from Minas Geraes Brazil which under
Inc uicrcs ore slows sore wonderful ef-
feels. The cavity is, tubular and the SIDES
or walls are parallel TO he pr.smatc
faces Of the crystal The liquid IN the
| cavity is a quite strong brine. with still
another cclorless liquid liquid carbon OK
| ide) occupying a central position. Look
| ing through The microscope you may see
| me first cavity then the dtnser brine near
floating in 10. then IN the cventer the j.
auld carbon dioxide with the air bubble
| 10 the middle Of IT, The curves Of demarca.
Ton which show up be,ween the colorless
| and the non-coiorless liquid are very helu-
! uul. IL IS really one liquid floating within
anothc Equd and an air bubble IN the CEN