The San Francisco call., 1909-06-07
lEIJrHOLOOIST
REFUTES THEORY
Shows Earthquakes Are Not
Caused by. High Pressure
Below and Low Pres
sure Above Earth

A week ago Rev. Jerome S. Ricsrd S. J., the
seismologoist Of Santa Clara college, gave The
Call valuable contribution on the causes Of
earthquakes. In pursuance Of the same subject
he adds the following:
1T is felt, with regard to earth
quake causes, that no theory can much
approve itself to the scientific world.
which does not seem to square alto
gether with the observed facts of
science. To mention one instance in
point. we may refer to the weather
map of Wednesday, May 26. according
to which the earthquake region was
under high pressure, as high. in fact,
as 1920, and diminishing gradually to
1910 and 80 all over the plains states
as far as the Rocky mountain region.
Now, if, as some contend. earth
ouakes occur at the coincidence of a
thin portion of the earth's crust pressed
upward by superheated steam and a
spot of low atmospheric pressure. the
CONSEQUENCE should have been a total
absence of earthquakes In the lake re-
gion. But, perhaps. should one think
not TO be diagnosed by the barometric
readings of the weather map. the low
pressure being a long way above the
clouds, we would answer that owing
TO the continuity of gases and vapors.
and the absoute freedom of intercom-
munication within them, the low above
would rapidly produce a low below.
which would be indicated by the
barometer of the place of disturbance.
Referring again to the weather
map of April Il, 1906, we find only
diminutive low over southern Cali
fornia and moderate high from, say.
Los Angeles to British Columbia. Now.
when the memorable April 18th came
along with its world shaker of undying
fame, the low in che south was an
eastbound traveller, and the high with
its cold wave was swelling in the
north. from these parts up to higher
latitudes.
"It would, therefore, appear that
earthquakes are not the result of
condolences between high pressures
below the crust and low pressures
above the crust. Were that so, there
would be a we'll defined and determin-
ate possibility of earthquakes taking
place everywhere on earth: whereas.
in effect. the great world shakers Cat
least historically speaking) have been
the neighbors of oceans and seas, and
the smaller temblors seem to have
courted the vicinity of lakes and
rivers
TT may. however, be granted that
very small local shakes can happen
almost anywhere, owing to purely
local causes; such as the caving in of
rocks. explosions Of dynamite. of pow
der works, and other artificial causes.
We may add in conclusion that astro-
physicists have long noted otherwise
inexplicable condolences between
earthquakes and the solar upheavals
in certain positions. Uniformly re-
peated coincidenses argue a causal
nexus of some kind.
Nor is it absolutely certain that the
areas OF low pressure on the face of
the earth are produced by solar heat.
That may be. or may not be. num-
Der of savants of our own day are
placing electricity at the bottom of 1T
all. very much in the way we en-
planned in our previous Call interview.
1t may also be added that a number
of learned men do greatly object to
the suns rays producing an area Of low
pressure in one place and not in an
other, for they say; The sun is a
universal cause, and such a cause
must produce a universal effect. But
this has no weight; ii is physics a
priori, after the manner of Aristotle and
the schoolmen of the middle ages, who
had no instruments for scientific OBJ
servations. The men of our day. how
ever, can not so easily be pardoned for
thus getting their physics from their
mental stores instead of using the
laboratory of nature. Besides, we have
taken account abundantIy of the de-
termining elements found in the va
rious localities, differentiating the re-
Suits