The suburban citizen., 1901-12-14
ORIGIN OF THE EARTH
SYNOPSIS oF;slR RosERT S. BALLS
LECTURE ON THE SUBJECT.

more successful than the two preced
ing it, his audience, contrary to the
usual custom-of.course audiences, be.
ing on the increase. His subject was
"The Origin OF the Earth" and he
showed forth two lines Of argument in
support of the neoular theory based
on facts known about our planet
His first reference was to the re-
markable boring for coal near Leipsic
which, while undertaken for CONNER
cial purposes, was conducted in a truly
scientific manner. Whether coal was
found or not the speaker did not re-
member but he did remember the
scientific outcome, the fact that the
gradient of the earths temperature
was established, that it was proved
that below certain point near the
surface, to which the heat Of the day
penetretes, there is a regular increase
in temperature; and at a mile below
the point of constant temperature, the
thermometer would register eighty de-
grees higher than at this point.
Experiments have not been conduct
ed much below the first mile, but con
ditions are suite to determination In
a general way. From the known laws
affecting the diffusion Of heat, it Is
evident that the lower strata cannot
be colder than the everything ones and
must be warmer, and since the tenn
perature increases quite uniformly
down to the mile it is reasonable to
believe that below the mile it will con
tlnue to increase at about the same
rate.
Another fact which may be consid-
cred as established Is that the earth is
gradually dissipNing its heat into
space. This heat is moving out from
the centre OF the earth toward the
surface, and the amount there lost
each year would be sufficient to melt
film of ice covering the earth's surface
one-tenth of an inch thick.
This small quantity does not seem
of much moment, but it must be re-
membered that it is an influence al
ways acting in the same direction, and
~
the same direction are the architects
Of the universe. The geological forces
act with the greatest energy for per-
haps hundreds of thousands OF years,
and then they begin to tear down what
they have built up. These forces may
get back near to where they have be-
gun, but the influences that act always
the same way do accomplish wonders
in the millions Of years OF time through
which they work. II the earth is
losing heat, and has been losing it, it
was formerly hotter than it is now,
and continuing this argument back
into the dim age we see it was red
hot, white hot and even molten.
But here the speaker diyerged for
awhile to consider the action Of the
tides. This is a great question, for
some there are who believe the fric-
ton Of the tides to have been respOn-
fible for the earth's heat. The argu-
ment was presented in an interesting
way, the whole lecture being without
notes, and it was shown that the tides
have an influence in slowing up the
earth's motion Of rotation. To-day is
longer than yesterday and yesterday
longer than the day before. There is
rot a great difference, a fraction of
second being the aggregate for a few
centuries, but this Is a cause that acts
always in the same direction.
The aggregate Of loss in million
years is about seventeen minutes, and
in 100000 years about an hour, so
that 100000 Of years ago the day was
about twenty-three hours long. And
as we go farther and farther down the
vista Of time, we encounter days OF
twenty-two hours, Of twenty hours, Of
fifteen hours, Of ten hours, Of eight and
even of six hours. This may have been
from hfty to 3000O0,O00 of years ago,
but there Is evidence that the rotation
pf the earCh was at once four times
as rapid as it is now. 1t had then
sixteen tines as much energy as now,
hnd fifteen-siXteenths has gone En-.
ergy is never lost, but is transformed
into heat and in its radiation Of heat
the earth has parted with so much Of
its original energy.
! Ingenious Investigators, one building
where the other finished, have found
Il means OF computing the heat equiv
alent Of tidal action, and the gradient
would be one degree for every 2000
feet, so that this cause is entirely in
adequate to account for the eighty
degrees which is the known gradient
Ut will then be understood that the
gradient of eighty degrees is due to
internal heat, and in the past the earth
was hotter, even beyond the possibility
Of surface, a molten mass, and back
OK that gases, in fact a nebula 1t ex-
tended out far beyond it's present lin
its; it touched the other great nebula,
the sun; 1t was part Of it, the same
chemical elements composing both.
The closing portion Of the lecture
was devoted to the consideration of
some Of the questions which may nat
urally arise. Is the centre of the
earth solid or liquid? 1t is a race be-
tween temperature and pressure-the
temperature Is high, but the pressure