The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-03-03
EARTR'S Age
New Idea Evolved By Tht
Biologists
Due To The Discovery Of
Radium
New York Press)


at all with people, the discovery of
radium means that biologists must
change their calculations materially as
to the age of the earth If they wish
to be taken seriously. He says it is al
well-known fact that if the proportion
Of radium in the interior of the earth
Is in any way equal to the radium at
the earth's surface the earth will not
grow colder, as has always been
taught, but 1t ought to be growing bet
ter. Calculations, however, show that
the distribution ofradum as it is found
would be more than enough to keep
the temperature of the earth station
ary. Thorium and uranium also sup
ply great amount of heat and must
be taken into account.
In order that the earth should be
neither growing hotter nor cooling at a
rate allowed by the radioactive eIe
ments as they disintegrate it is neces-
sary, he says, to assume that the
earth's store of radium be concentrat-
ed near the surface. The radioactive
elements are found most abundantly
in acid rocks, and their more basic
associates are less rich. These acid
rocks are characteristic of only the
outer-most zones of the crust, and
there are many reasons for believing
that with depth the nonacid rocks are
predominant
Earthquakes and similar terrestrial
events have provided factsc from
which the condition of the earth's in
terror may be deduced with conf
dence. First, there is the crust zone,
which has an approximate thickness
of 30 miles. Then comes the stone
zone, something under 100 miles thick,
and, finally, the central iron core of
the earth, with density eight times
greater than water Meteorites con.
| tain radium, and Profs. Strut and
| Holmes say that these meteors con-
tain the proof that no radlum is found
in the stone zone Or inner core
| II is supposed that the earth began,
| OF course, as a misty, nebulous mass
and that 1t has become the great mass
| 1t is by the capture of meteors and
greater masses floating in space dur
| ing the ages. 1t is very unlikely that
the earth was ever as whole, in a
molten condition 1t is surmised by
seVeral English sayants that the inter
nal heat probably arose in great
measure from the condensation OF the
mass as it grew.
The temperature would slowly rise
until the fusion point of certain of
.be earths constituents was reached.
Then the pockets and tongues thus
formed would tend to move away from
the center, and the less heavy, stony
substances would be squeezed out
ward relatively to network of the
heavier, rigid metals,
Surrounding the metallic core a
thick zone of sandy rocks would be
formed and the radioactive materials
would be concentrated in the stony
layers When the oceans and the at
mospheres We're produced the sedi.
ment rocks appeared for the first time
and then came the earths crust with
the rocks that contain most of the
radium and other radioactive ele'
ments, Before the advent of radium
| hA
fculties presented by the peculiar
makeup of the earth's crust. Radium
did not create thls difficulty, but il
certainly emphasized ii in the atten
tlon OF scientists,
II can hardly be said that radium
has given blank heck on the bank
Of time. for its discovery not only des
troyed all the old measurements Of
the earth's heat, but II necessitated Q
T new method for getting at 1t, Every
kind of radioactive mineral, as vel
as radium, may be regarded as self
, contained hour.glass, the radioactive
, emanations, such as hellum, and resid
ues, such as lead, slowly accumulate
at the expense OF their ultimate par
ent, uranium
The geologist, who five eyars age
was embarrassed by the brevity of the
time allowed to him for the evolution
Of the earth's crust, Is now still more
embarrassed by the oyerabundance o.
time that now confronts him. The
recognition of radium means Difficult
ties for the geologist and the absolute
: overthrow of every acknowledged the
ory as to the earth's age and develop
ment, The age of the earth, accord
ing to what happens to be radium, var
les from 5,OOO,OOO.OO0 to 100000, ,OOC
> years. but what matters few thous
and millions of years among geolog
lists?