The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1922-03-17
Sage North Pole
Wabblin0 Around
Year After Year

~
united Press staff Correspondent
San Francisco. March ia.-several
weeks ago. whom scismographs
throughout the world recorded nm
earthquake Of terrible proportions
somewhere beneath the bed OF the
Pacific ocean. n European scientist
startled the public ty announcing
the earthquake had been caused by
the earth shifting is axis.
II anyone feels any deep concern
over the earth's ailment. however,
he nj perhaps be rcassurcd by the
statement OF DR.. W. W. Campbell.
director Of Lick Observatory. Mount
Hamilton. California.
DR.. Campbell declares that the
earth undoubtedly did shift It's axis.
but that there Is no cause for ron.
cern. In asmuch IA the axis IL habi.
taally shifting In this manner
The earth. declared DIR. Campbell.
In very seldom ION center"
1T has been known for nearly 40
years that the position OF the axis
Of the earth shirts a iittle." de.
clared DR.. Campbell. "The shift II
slow and continual. II we could
station ourselves az the north pole
and actually see the point where the
end Of the Imaginary axis OF rota.
lion ome TO the surface. we should
find In the course OF decades and
centuries that this point IL constant.
ly moving around. irregularly. within
a circular area Of about so or C5 feet
In diameter. Its average location
would be the center OF the circle:
once In every decade or two the end
OF the rotation axis would be close 10
the center. But a few years later Il
would be MS much as 80 feet from
the center OF the circle.
This Is partly caused by the nc.
emulation Of snow and ice: excess
atmosphere on the north hemisphere
In the winter. and the vanishing OF
these three items IN the northern
spring and summer and likewise to
the influence of air aud ocean cur.
rents.
Lord Kelvin computed IS years
ago that IL the earth were completely
leveled. the dissymetry OF mass COM
pared with the present uneveness
would cause the earth's axis OF rota-
ton at the north and south poles TO
shift through a distance OF 100 feet.
II a beautifully balanced flywheel
of an engine were thrown out Of
balance by depositing an extra
weight on a section OF its rim. II
would try to thift It's axis OF rotation.
and II the bearings Of the wheel
were yielding or movable. the axis
of rotation would actually change.
The earth is just like the flywheel.
I'VE do not know positively that
there is any connection between such
shiftings of the earth's axis and
earthquakes, but the connection is
strongly suspected.
when the unsymetrically loaded
flywheel tries to change its axis and
cannot, because the bearings hold 1t
In a fixed position, stresses are set
up in the wheel.
Similarly the unsymetrical load
ng of the earth creates stresses
1t. The forces which cause
he w~abblings Of the earth's axis are
IN a stupendous scale. The enor-
rotating earth masses resist a
of axis and this is believed
encourage the shifting Of the
masses along the lines of
weakness = the geologic
aults.
students of seismology have ac-
ually found that the greatest re-
corded earthquakes in the past 40
ears have occurred when the posi-
ion of the earth's axis was shifting
nore rapidly, or had reached its
reatest degree in shifting. Among
he complicating factors probably be-
)ng the influence Of volcanic forces,
nd varying attractions of the sun
nd o upon the earth's materials, a