The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-04-28
NEW IDEA OF EARTH's AGE
Radlum Has Caused Change in selen.
lists oponions During the Past
Five Years.

Flye Years.
II such an authority as Prof. Arthur
Holmes OF the Imperial college, South
Kenslngton, London, has any weight
at all with people, the discovery OF
radium means that biologists must
change their calculations materially
as to the age OF the earth II they
wish to be taken seriously. He says.
according to the New Press, 1t Is a
well known fact that IL the proper
ton of radlun in the interior Of the
earth is in any way equal TO the
radlum in the rocks OF the earth's sur.
face the earth will not grow colder.
as has always been taught, but It
ought to be growing hotter. Calcutta.
lions, however, show that the dlstri.
button of radium as 1t is found would,
be more than enough. to keep the. ten.
perature of the earth stationary.
Thorium and uranium also supply a
great amount of heat and must be
taken into account.
In order that the earth should BIO
? neither growing hotter nor cooling at
rate allowed blythe radioactive ele.
ments as they disintegrate It is neces-
sary, he says, to assume that the
, earth's store Of radlum be concen-
! trated near the surface. The radio.
active elements are found most abun.
dainty in acid rocks, and their more
basic associates are less rich. These
acid rocks are characteristic Of only
the outermost zones Of the crust. and
there are many reasons for believing
that with depth the nonacid rocks are
predominant. III
Earthquakes and similar terrestrial
events have provided facts from which
the condition of the earth's interior
may be deduced with confidence. First,
there Is the crust zone. which has.
an approximate thickness of 80 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 wa.
ter Meteorites contains radium, and
Professors Strut and Holmes say
that these meteors contain the proof
that no radium is found in the stone
zone or inner core.
1t is supposed that the earth began,
of course, as 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, rs whole, in a
molten condition. It Is surmised by
several English sayants that the In
ternal heat probably arose in a great
measure from the condensation OF the
mass as 1t grew.
The temperature would slowly rise.
until the fusion point OF certain OF
1.-the earth's constituents was reached,
tdThen the pockets and tongues, thus
formed would tend to move away from
hthe center, and the less heavy, stony
Psubstances would be squeezed out.
Inward 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.
smospheres were produced the sedi.
!, ment rocks appeared for the first time,
and then came the earth's crust with
the rocks that contain most CT the
radlum and other radioactive ele.
/ ments. Before the advent OF radlum
biologists did not recognize the DIFF.
fcuJties presented BY the peculiar
max cup OF the earth's crust. Radium
did mot create this difficulty. but It
certainly emphasized it in the atten.