East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1922-03-14
North Pole Is
WabbIing Around
All The Time
By ROBERT A. DONALDSON

Dl AkObA@lNA ~ AAAF-hsa aAfsNAHsN
United Press staff Correspondent
SAN FRANCISCO. March IA
Several weeks ago. when seismO-
graphs throughout the world record
ed an earthquake Of terrible proper
tions somewhere beneath the bed OF
the Pacific ocean. European scien-
tist startled the public by announc-
ing the earthquake had been caused
by the earth shifting its axis.
II anyone feels any deep concern
over the earth's ailment, however, he
can perhaps be reassured by the
statement OF Dr W. W. Campbell,
director of Lick Observatory, Mount
Hamilton. California.
DIR. Campbell declares that the
earth undoubtedly did shift its axis,
but that there is no cause for con-
cern, in asmuch as the axis is habi
tually shifting in this manner.
The earth, declared DIR. Campbell.
is very seldom ION center"
1T has been known for nearly 40
years that the position of the axis of
the earth shifts little" declared DR..
Campbell. "The shift is slow and
continual. II we could station our
selves at the north pole and actually
see the point where the end of the
Imaginary axis of rotation comes
to the surface, we should find in the
course of decades and centuries that
this point is constantly moving
Iaround. irregularly. within a circu-
lar area of about 90 or 65 feet in di-
lameter. 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 to the
center. But few years later II
would be as much as 80 feet from
1.-THE center of the circle.
II beautifully balanced flywheel
of an engine were thrown out OF
balance by depositing an e' ira weight
on a section of its rim, it would try
to shift its axis of rotation. and ii
the bearings of the wheel were yield
ling or movable, the axis Of rotation
would actually change. The earth is
just like the fly-wheel
i've do not know positively that
there is any connection between sue!
shiftings of the earth's axis and
earthquakes, but the connection l.
strongly suspected.
when the unsymetrically loaded
lflywheel tries to change its axis and
cannot, because the bearings hold il
In, ftSa1 tAnuttinn CT no 81 n
up in the wheel
similarly the unsymetrical load
ling of the earth creates stresses with
lin 1t. The forces which cause tn,
lwobblings of the earth's axis are on
Ia stupendous scale. The enormous
rotating earth masses resist II change
of axis and this is believed to en-
courage the shifting of the eartl
masses along the lines of creates
Iweakness-the geologic faults.
students of seismology have ac
ltually found that the greatest record
ed earthquakes in the past 40 year
have occurred when the position o
1.-THE earths axis was shifting nor,
lrapidly or had reached its creates
Idegree In shifting. Among the com
lplicating factors probably belong tn,
influence of volcanic forcse an,
varying attractions of the sun ant
moon upon the earth's materials, tn
alternate elevation. and depression o
the oceans surface, such as tida
cects, etc. Satisfactory decision
must await the accumulation of ob
served facts before earthquakes cai
he traced with confidence to thei
lactual causes.
Great earthquakes whose Origin
lie on land nearly always declar,
their location by visible disturbance
in the surface strata. The reason i