Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1906-09-26
THE EARTH AS
HARD AS NICKEL.
Interesting Calculations Are
Made BY Prof. Lee of
the Navy.
RIGIDITY OF THE EARTHs SUR
FACE EQUAL To THAT OF
GRANITE.

states navy gives the results OF an
Investigation he has been taking OF
the rigidity of the earth and other
heavenly bodies. by mathematical
processes depending wholly on the
theory OF gravitation.
This line OF Investigation was be-
gun In 1863 by Lord Kelvin. who
sought TO determine the regidity OF
the earth from observations OF the
tides of the oceans. IL was thought
that II the earth proved TO be highly
rigid. the result would contradict the
theory long held by geoligists that
the earth is a globe OF molten matter.
enclosed in thin crust like the shell
OF an egg.
i Lord Kelvin reached the conclusion
that the earth as a whole is certainly
more rigid than glass. but perhaps
not quite as rigid as steel.
About 1880 Prof. George Darwin
took up the investigation. BY careful
study of the fortnightly tides he
found the earth to be more rigid than
steel. This was held TO show that
the earth could not be a sphere of
liquid covered by thin crust; and
biologists had to change their theo-
ries so as TO conform to globe as
rigid as steel
Prof. Sees investigation is purely
mathematical, and based on the pres
sure existing throughout the earth.
According To Laplace's law OF densi-
ty the density OF the center OF the
earth Is equal to that of lead, and
the pressure equal to that exerted by
vertical column OF quicksilver as
long as from st. Louis to San Fran
cisco.
BY considering the pressure
throughout the whole earth Prof. See
finds that even II fluid the globe
would have a rigidity greater than
that OF wrought iron He finds that
the average rigldity OF the whole
mass is nearly equal to that OF nickel
steel, such as is used I'm the armor
of battleships.
DR.. See proves that the rigidity OF
the earth's crust is about equal TO
that of granite. which is one-sixth
that OF steel: and that toward the
center the rigidity rapidly increases
At the earth's center the imprisoned
matter is at an enormously high
temperature, yet under the tremen-
dous pressure there at work, kept
three times more rigid than the nickel
steel used In the armor OF battle
ship.
His new method can be applied
also TO the other planets. II turns
out that the rigidity OF Venus is great
or than that of platinum. and, most
likely. about identical with that OF
wrought iron. The rigidity OF Mars
is about equal to that of gold. while
the rigidity OF Mercury, the moon
and other satellites is about equal to
that of glass
The average rigidity of the great
planets, Jupiter. Saturn. Uranus and
| Neptune. lies between eightee times
and three times that of nickel steel.
The great rigidity OF these bodies Is
due to the pressure acting through
out such large masses.
In the case OF the sun, the result
is still more extreme The average
rigldity OF all the suns layers is more
than 1000 times that OF nickel steel
Having shown by laborious calcu-
lations that these bodies are so rigid
Prof. See has gone one step further.
and inquired what effect this rigldity
will have on the currents often sup
posed to circulate within these masses
Pressure directly increases the fluid
friction OF moving currents ami
tends to bring them to rest.
Many biologists have held that
liquid currents exist in the earth.
and astronomers have been accus-
toned to assume that fluid currents IN
the sun descend almost to it's center.
Prof See denies the possibility OF
currents IN the earth. and declares
that currents in the sun and great
planets must be all quite shallow