Evening star., 1925-06-30
EXPANSION OF HEATED EARTH
CAUSED QUAKE, SCIENTIST SAYS
Cities Of Pacific Coast Sitting Crust OF Rising Loaf,
Which Cracks When S,UeIlng Becomes Too
Great, Dr. Bo,Uie Explains.

lower. but as 1t sinks 1t becomes sub
jected to greater heat. 1t is estimated
that this heat increases so degrees c.
mile down. The result Is that
the atoms Of the sedimentary mass.
undergoing greater and greater heat,
undergo also a chemical rearrange-
ment which decreases the weight per
unit and swells the whole somewhat
like a loaf of bread is swelled in an
oven. The sedimentary mass is chang
ed into a mountain.
Sitting On Rising Loaf.
Parts of the Pacific coast, DR..
Bowie says. practically are sitting on
the crust of the rising loaf. The con-
tinual stresses caused in the material
by, the expansion result in Quakes like
that at Santa Barbara.
Between the Montana quakes and
the Santa Barbara quake, says DR..
Bowie, there can be no relation be-
cause they are due to entirely differ
ent phenomena. All earthquakes. he
claims, are local with about q 200-mile
area.
DR.. Bowie paints a powerful picture
of the great forces which are shaking
the earth. sending up volcanoes. max
ing mountains and islands. They are
all inherent in the raindrop. There
over the surface of the world a year.
This, If 1t remained where 1t fell.
would make an ocean q mile deep
over the whole earth in 1000 years.
Now the age Of the earth Is estimated
at approximately billion and a half
years. This means that $50, 700. 900
miles Of rain have fallen upon the
surface Of the earth since the be-
ginning. This illustrates, says DIR.
Bowie. the tremendous force Of erosion
In geological periods.
Entire Continent Changed.
On an average one foot of material
Is eroded from the entire surface Of
the United States every 5000 years.
This means that the whole continent
would be washed below sea level and
a new continent set up in a changed
position out Of the material in about
$4,000, 900 years.
The force is illustrated by local
geological history. Once, stretching
down the Atlantic coast where the
coastal plain now is, was 4 high
range of mountains, the Devonian
site Of Washington. To the west.
where the Appalachians now rise.
was the shore of great sea extend.
ing from the Gulf OF Mexico into
Canada. The forces of erosion have
torn down the old mountains. built
up the Appalachian range. built up
the great plains beyond by erosion
from the new mountains, and now
are repeating the process. They are
shifting the mountains either to
east or west. The same process is
going on along the Pacific coast. but
1t has reached a more critical stage.
ho of he
mentary matter into hills Is taking
place.
No Danger in East.
Inhabitants Of great cities along
the Atlantic coast need not worry,
DR.. Bowie says, for fear the extra
weight Of their buildings will cause a
give in the surface of the plastic ball
underneath and cause an earthquake
All the buildings in New York and
their contents, he claims. do not
weigh so much as the dirt and rock
removed in digging the cellars, so
that there probably has been an
actual tightening of weight.
Earthquake prediction still is in its
infancy, according to DR. Bowie. They
can be predicted only with great lee
ways of area and time.
The earthquake survey planned by
the Coast and Geodetci Survey. for
which a congressional appropriation Is
expected next year, is intended to
chart every earthquake that occurs in
the United States. including the thou
sands of which no record now is kept
BY tabuiating the data obtained from
such a study he says. 1t may be pos
sible to forecast earthquakes for GER
tain sections Of the country with fair
accuracy. although science still is far
from seeing the way to predict them
on the day and for a locality as small
as a city