The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1901-11-13
WEAR OF THE EARTH
HOW THE FACE OF OUR GLOBE IS
CONTINUALLY CHANGING.

Where Man Has Comparatively Lit
tie Influence.
The atmosphere plays its part In geo
logical operations. It's corroding pow
~, backed by rain aud wind helps to
decay and disintegrate those rocks
which are exposed to its influence. Rain
completes the work thus begun. Wind
blows dust, sand and volcanic ashes
over large tracts of earth-ln fact,
over the whole of IT,
1t is only of late years TINT geolo-
glsts have discovered that fine vol
canic dust Is carried over the whole of
the earth's surface and plays It very
important part In the deep sea depos-
its. On deserts and nearly rainless re
gions blown sand Will wear away the
hardest rocks by beating against
them. Some sandstone formations APP
pear To have been piled up by winds.
Winds cause ocean currents, waves
and storms. The great denudIng
power of the sea Is largely due TO the
atmosphere. Some parts Of the Eng
llsh coasts are being rapidly washed
away. Plants and animals have their
distribution considerably affected by
winds and ocean currents. Again.
whether living In water or on land,
animals live on the oxygen supplied
from the atmosphere, and land plants
absorb earbonlc acid from the same
source.
Rain acts In two ways: "a ehemic-
ally by dissolvlng certain substances,
such a. lime. out of the rocks, and %
mechanically by wearing down their
surfaces as II flows over them. Any
old building n ruined castle or eathe-
dral, for Instance shows "wcath-
cred" surface resulting from the ac-
ton of rain and wind. In sandstone
structures the details of carving are
often lost, and on old tombstonea the
lettering can hardly he deciphered.
Springs are due 10 ralnwntcr collecting
In rocks and rising to the surface.
Rivers are fed by rains and springs
a river IS a very powerful geological
agent. In the hardest rocks rivers
gradually carve ont II valley or gorge.
This Is accomplished partly by ehemic-
ally dissolving certaiu mineral sub
stances. but chiefly by mechanical
wearing awny the bed of n stream as
they run and tumble over II.
The finest examples of river action
are the famous canyons Of Colorado,
which In some places are g0fges 5000
or even 6,o00 feet deep, with vertical
sides. But, as already pointed out,
rivers have II constructive action quite
rs important as their destructive ne
ton, BY bringing down their burden
of sediment into lakes, estuariea and
seos they build up great piles of rock
and SOW the dust of continents TO
be-"
Glaciers are rivers of Tee fed by the
"ete"ngl SHOWS" of high mountain
ranges such az the Alps They wear
out their own valleys as rivers do;
they transport mud, sand and stones TO
great distances, In some cases sending
them scaled up In lcebcrgs to float far
out 20 sea and on melting deposit their
burdens on the sea floor. on the coast
of Newfoundland northern icebergs
are dcposlting n great mass Of "gla.
clhI drlit
inc sea ~ II great denudlng agent;
but Its work Is more constructive than
destructive. III IL The workshop where
nearly all the stratlficd rocks have
been accumulated ana ranged In layers
or strata. The rivers and ocean cur
rents continually bring III fresh sup
piles Of debris even for hundreds OF
miles
Man, compared with the lower ami
mas produces bnt llttle enect as n gc-
olos'Pai agent SIN me human race
mas considerably ihodiiled the dlstrlDu-
tloh OF pants by cutting down Forests
ana by cultlVntlhg certain plants TO
supply rood 80 win animals Ger
tam useiul species nave been cultivat-
eu ana enormously Increased ut the
expense OF others Which prove useless
or harmful
but pants ana animals nave mad
ana SUI nave far more Influence geo.
loglcaily. Con- seams are nlade up OF
vegetable remains of former periods.
orests nave an important influence
on climate ana on animal as wei as
pant Ire. In the comparatively I'M
known world OF the ocean marine
plnhts doubtless nave important rune
llohs.
Marine animals accomplish vast
amount OF geological constructive
WORK treat deposits thousands OF
Coral reefs afford the most familiar