Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-08
CHANGING;
NAPLES MILES
NEARER HEAT BELT
Dope New York to Be as Near
North Pole as Boston in
Million Years.

Washington, D.. C.-Is the latitude
Of Great Falls changing?
Is your home closer to the equator
or the pole than it once was?
These may appear to be foolish ques-
tons to the average man. He has no
doubt grown to look upon the earth's
belt and it's axis as immovable lines
even though they are imaginary. But an
astronomer in London was quoted the
other day as asserting that the distance
between Naples, Italy, and the equator
has been shortened by a mile and a
half during the past 81 years, and that
Greenwich has apparently moved half
a mile toward the tropics in less than
two decades. The possibility of such
changes in latitude is discussed in the
following bulletin from the Washington,
ID. c., headquarters of the National
Geographic society:
There is no question that ATTITUDES
change, but there is a very large ques-
ton whether the changes are of any
considerable magnitude and whether
they continue for any great length of
time in the same direction. The vari-
atoms that have been established are
due to a slight wabbling of the earth
like that of a top which is not spinning
evenly around it's axis. This irregularity
does not change the direction Of the
axis itself but does change the point
on the earth's surface (the pole point
from which the axis energies. By such
changes most points on the earth would
have their positions altered with refer
ence to the poles and to the equator,
which is always 80 degrees from the
pole point and therefore follows it in
any movement which it makes.
If the earth's simplest possible rota-
ton had had a single wabble added to it,
the pole point would trace a closed
path; that is, it would return to the
same position again and again after the
completion Of definite, equal periods.
But there are at least two distinct and
unequal wabbles known: one completed
III a year, and one in about IA months.
Their combination AUS the pole point
TO wander in a rather uneven way,
tracing lines that are very roughly
elipucal and which cross and recross
each other. But these two known wab-
bles cause only a very slight variation
from a steady rotation: the 'wanderings'
of the pole point because Of them are
believed to be always within a circle
so feet across. The latitude Of any city
would be changed, Therefore, because of
these W recognized wabbles of the
earth, at most only 30 feet north or
south of its mean position.
There are other possibilities, how
ever. in regard to change of latitude.
One is that there are others as yet
u~nrecognized wabbles extending over
longer periods which cause the pole
point to wander in circles or e~clispes
that may be larger than the 60 foot
circle. Another is that there may be
forces in operation which shift the
pole point steadily southwark practic-
ally along a certain line of longitude
Finally, latitude changes might be due
to local movements. either q sliding OF
relatively small sections of the earth's
crust. or to a recently postulated float
ing Of the continents.
Whether there is a progressive
change of ATTITUDES has long interested
astronomers. In 1900 the Interna-
tional Latitude service was formed and
a string of six stations was established
forming a band around the world, all
within a few feet of the parallel OF
north latitude, 80 degrees eight min
utes. These stations were situated in
Japan. Russian Turkestan, Sardinia
Gaithersburg, Md. Cincinnati, Ohio
and Ukiah. Calf. Observations were
made at all the stations for IA years
The stations in Turkestan and a,
Gaithersburg were closed at the enc
of 1914. and the international latitude
work was discontinued at the Cincin.
natl station at the end Of 1915. The
the observations.
..Tho Inflammation occo-h1al Nv $ho
International Latitude service has beer
interpreted in various ways. The
changes in latitude observed were very
small and it is recognized that the pos
sibilities of error due to imperfect in.
struments. inaccuracies in star declina-
tions. and the human equation, were
many. One careful analysis by the
United States Coast and Geodetic Sur
vey. however. seems to indicate thai
the pole point is shifting progressively
southwark toward the continent OF
| North America. This would mean tina,
in effect the cities of the United States
| are moving slowly to the north.
You need have little worry, though
| over the likelihood that the North pole
will turn up some day in your bach
| yard. Even though n becomes gen.
| erous with assumptions and assumes
| that there is a southwark movement 0,
the pole point and that it will continu,
| steadily. it's slowness makes the as
| sumed shift almost negligible. TIL,
| analysis referred to seems to indicat,
a southwark drift of the pole amount
ing to a trifle over six inches a year
This would amount to less than on,
mile in ten thousand years. In on,
million years the change would equa
only 93 miles. At the ate assumed
in a million years New York City woul,
not be shifted as far north as the lati
tude of Boston today, Fresno wou!,
have reached a point only % mile
north Of the present position of Sal
Francisco. and Memphis would be shift
= - h1,< thr n~Ac>r< pn~,f,np 80 Oh,