The semi-weekly messenger., 1906-04-27

Causes Explained BY SCientists-Fault.
ing Of Rocks Along the Pacific Coast.
No Connection With vesuvius Erup-
ffon

Scientists of the United State~ x.
plain the San F-ancisco earthquake as
probably due to the "faulting" of The
rocks along the Pacific coast, and
scout the idea of its having any con-
neetion with the eruption OF vesuv-
ius.
The faulting" theory Is borne out
by the successive shocks. showing
progressive movement down In he
crust of the earth. and sometimes the
weight above becomes so great that
the rocks settle, squeezing closer. That
makes an earthquake.
The formation of the Pacific coast is
peculiar. The coast line has been ris-
ing for thousands of years. Old beach
es where the sea evidently AT one time
washed are now found high upon cliffs,
Holes palpably bored by the date-fish,
which burrows in the beaches, are now
seen IN the cliffs many feet above The
sea level, showing that the coast mas
risen out OF the water.
Along the coast of California, at a
comparatively short distance from the
shore, the shoal water changes from a
depth of few fat1oms and becomes
so deep that no accurate soundings
have ever been made. This indicates a
great sea-cliff. and ii runs the entire
length of the continent and even
around to the coast OF China and
Japan.
This line is characterized by
deep adjoining abyss" says DR.. G. F.
Becker chief of the division of physi-
Of ha
That line is the great volcanic line
and the great earthquake line OF the
world. 1t passes through the volcanic
regions of Japan through the Aleutian
Islands, along the coast of Alaska and
TO Mount Shasta, which, though not an
active volcano, is representative of the
type, then extending TO South Ame-i-
ca with characteristic volcano deyel-
opments.
''All along the South American coast
there have been deep uplifts on this
plane. 1t is peculiar fssure "f the
earth
Now there have been changes in The
elevation along the line of this fissure,
due to changes in the elevation and
changed conditions inside the earth.
and it is owing to these changes or
faults that the ground is shaken in
California while the eorth's rocks re-
adjusting themselves.
The process is going on all the
time, but generally it is so graduaI
that it is not accompanied with any
great tremOr in the localities affected.
Furthermore, if these disturbances
attending the uplift occur at numer-
GUS periods then it is likely that they
will be only mild in character. Ii
the should be postponed for a long
period, then. when the accumulated
uplift does come, the shake will be
relatively severe.
Il am not prepared to say that this
particular earthquake was accompan-
led with measurable uplift; that will
have to be determined by scientific in
stigatiOn; but, following out the
general rule on the Pacific coast, it is
to be expected.
"In my opinion, there can be no con-
nectiOn whatever between the San
Francisco earthquake and the Vesuvius
eruptions. The first and conclusive
reason is that Vesuvius is not on the
same fissure of the earth as Californ-
ia. Then, too, the shake caused by
Vesuvius could affect only a local
area.
"Itw ould not be surprising if we
heard of severe shakes along the lss-
ure extending from California to South
America, which | have described, and
possibly we will hear reports of a dis
turbance to Chile similar to that in
San Francisco, but it would be due to
the same change in elevation. l would
like to add that | do not think there
is any danger of a recurrence of a Sc
we're earthquake of this kind in
California for a very long period of
time e"-Washington Dispatch.