New Ulm review., 1913-07-23
fHE|: Earth I: CRUST
It's Density, Its Thickness and the
Pressure It Exerts.
A BAR TO WORLD EXPLOSION.
The Reasons Why This Old Planet Of
Ours, With Al its Psntup Fiery.
Volcanic or Gaseous Forces at Work,
Could Never 9s Blown 70 Fragmsnts.

OOeoy WIKI Nu W. V0USOp VVOVl
Volcanic or Gaseous Forces at WorI
Could Never 9s Blown 70 Fragment,
Some writer's have accounted for tn
asteroids on the theory that they ar
the fragments Of u world that frOn
some unknown cause has been expl0d
ed In its orbit. Similarly, many hav
thought that perhaps at some distan
time. when the seas shall have bee,
drunk up into the cracked and thick
ened crust Of the age shrunken eartf
and the volcanoes those vents of thu
fiery interior-shalI have become chok
ed and extinct. the pentup gases gener
ated from the descending moisture by
the still great Internal heat may &C
tually explode the old earth like q
veritable bombshell. s.,.. -
| But that can never happen.
In 1888 Krakatoa. q sleepy old vol
| cano on small island In the strait
Of Sunda. between Java and Sumatra.
began to show marked signs Of uneasi-
ness. Round the volcano the quaking
earth opened enormous assures In the
bottom Of the sea. down which rushed
Nlagaras Of water. Then the assures
closed and confined the engulfed food
In the hot subterraneaD depths. The
water was quickly converted into
steam. the steam into dissociated
gases. without room for expansion.
1t exerted pressure equal to that
Of the strongest dynamite.
The great chimney of Krakatoa.
sealed since the memory Of man.
barred the normal path Of escape.
Higher and higher mounted the pres
sure under the huge mass Of the VOL
cano: then. Of a sudden. came a blast
that actually shook the earth. Never
before in historic time had there been
such shock. The whole top Of the old
mountain was blown into the sky. The
recoil was distinctly felt clear through
the terrestrial ball.
This great cataclysm has been cited
as an indication Of the power Of the
pentup forces that may some day dis
rupt the earth itself. Let us examine
the underlying principles that must
guide us in passing judgment on the
Of this theory.
An explosive, compound is combust-
lble combined mechanically or chem
cally either with oxygen or with an
substance that will burn with
'ut the help of atmospheric oxygen.
Among the most powerful high ex-
'losives are nitrogelatin and picric |
lcid. each Of which has a density more
han one and half times that Of
vater. The products of their combus-
ion are nearly all gaseous, whereas the |
PRODUCTS of the combustion Of ordinary |
black gunpowder are less than halt |
gaseous. The larger part is the solid
natter that makes the smoke.
The energy that high explosive can
xert depends on the volume of the
ases liberated and the temperature to
Vhich the heat Of the explosion can
aise them.
The exact temperature Of the gases
berated by a high explosive at the in
tant Of detonation is not absolutely
nown. but may be approximately
earned through chemical experiment
'Or is the amount Of pressure known
Vith absolute certainty. It is probable.
owever. that nitroglycerin. nitrogela-
n and picric acid. when detonated in
confined space. exert a pressure some
here between 100000 and 10000
Ounds to the square inch.
II we assume that the earth crust
as a density five times that of water
nd that its average thickness is fifty
iles. then it follows that it exerts a
ressure Of more than 100000 pounds
the square inch: If the crust is
undred miles thick. then the pressure
more than million pounds to the
Iuare inch-a pressure certainly great
than the expansive force exerted by
e most powerful high explosive.
lainly. no quantity of high explosive
under the crust Of the earth
ould be able to lift it. and consequent
we know that no world Of the size
the earth can ever explode from its !
Vn pentup internal forces.
II. then. no high explosive force is
fRcient to blow up a world the size ]
the earth. how can worlds explode?
1ere is only one way in which the
avenly bodies can become possessed
sufficient energy actually to blow
}, and that is by collision. {
The stars are flying about in space }
th velocities that range all the way
om five miles a second to 500 miles J
cond. q
Il two celestial orbs. travelling each ]
velocity of POO miles a second. met
head-on collision they would be
sed and gasified by the impact, and
e heat generated would be sufficient
break up the matter of both into its Z
innate elements and to expand it into
bulous haze. This is the way in
lich science says that new suns. new
bulae and new stars are born.-Hud-
q Maxim in Youths Companion. b