The Washington times., 1922-11-14
CHILE QUAKE
WAS CAUSED BY
SEA-bED SLIP
GeoIogist Says Same Thing
May Occur on U. S. Pacific
Coast Any Time.
By PROF. CHARLES r. BERkEi,
Professor of Geology. Columbia IDiSers-
ity. New York city,

ity, New York tity,
copyright. 19e2. by Cosmopolitan
News servicsD
NEW YORK, Nov. l4.-The earth'
quake and accompanying tidal wave
which shook the South American
coast are only manifestations oil
what may he expected at any time
along the Pacific coast from Alaska
south. and on the coast OF South
America clear down to its extreme
end.
II is, i'm a sense. a repetition OF
he earthquake at San Francisco IN
1906. although on larger scale. OF
curse. The minor eartn disturb
ances that have taken place on the
Pacific coast since that time are
only warnings Of what may happen
again. but OF greater magnitude, al
any time. Man cannot foresee when
hese may accur.
II is incorrect to say, as DO the
able dispatches from Santiago.
7'hile, that there must have been
such a tearing at the bottom OF the
,ca that immense quantities OF water
we're sucked through, causing tre'
nendous recession OF the waters
llong the Chilean coast"
No human being was lat the
lottom of the sea" to record just
vhat did take place there. but scien'
lists know what occurred quite as
yell as though one had been there.
What happened was this:
Ocean Bed Slipped.
There was a slip. or fault, as We
erm II, on the bed of the ocean. just
as there was a fault at San Fran
cisco, but with this difference, that
At San Francisco the disturbance
vas on the surface of the earth,
while off the Chilean coast the dis
turbance was at the bottom OF the
sea. In the latter case the bed oi
he ocean slipped down a certain
distance. The sea, OF course, fol
lowed the course OF this depression
Then. in the effort Of the water to
resume it's former level there was a
disturbance on the surface OF the
ocean which caused wash, or swell
of water which took the form OF n
tidal wave and penetrated inland
AIl'll i''thillb oN Wv ""NN' '''H''
TO return to it's former level before
the earthquake.
OF course. there was no distinct
hole or opening at the bottom of the
sea when the fault or slip occurred
for the reason that science has dis
covered that the earth below the bed
IF the ocean is solid all the way
down. 4 slip or lowering of part Il
l., L., Il
What took place on the south
american coast is exactly what hap
rened at Lisbon, Portugal. som,
years ago when a tidal wave fol
lowed an earthquake and many pc,
sons lost their lives.
Atlantic Coast Safe.
The reason that the Eastern ol
Middle West sections of the United
States do not experience earthquake
such as those that take place on the
Pacific coast is that in the former
sections mountains under tn" sea
are no longer in process OF forma
ton. While mountains are cor
stantly in growth beneath the sur
face OF the sea all along the Pacific
coast from Alaska and the South
American coast from one end tC
another, such formations no longer
take place in the Eastern and Middle
West sections of the United States
although millions Of years ago there
were mountains probably 10000 fecI
high, where now there Is leve
ground.
Hence there is no need for uneast
ness on the part of the people living
-. HI .s-f % hA tENs IA n