Evening star., 1933-07-28
THREADS" REVEAL
HISTORY OF EARTH
Prof. Bruno Sander, Austrian
GeoIogist, Explains New
Science of Petr0fabriCS.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Microscopic fragments Of Earth's
threadbare garments tell the story OF
the past for millions Of years. From
the pattern of threads the expert can
reconstruct the history Of their weav-
ing, the shakings and breakdowns Of
the titanic looms upon which they were
made.
Such is the essential basis of new
science, petrofabrics, presented for the
first time before the International
Geological Congress today by Prof.
Bruno Sander of the University of Inns
bruck, Austria. and member of the Fed
Geological Congress Of Vienna.
The crust of the earth is looked upon
essentially as clothing over the body Of
the planet which gets hard usage, and
is torn, patched and re-woven. Prof.
Sander told the geologists Of the devel-
opment by him, after more than 20
years of research, of means Of recon-
structing the designs and patterns OF
the motions of the forces in the proc
esses of mountain building and similar
revolutionary upheavals. He takes lit
tie chips of the mountain rock and
studies the crystalline structure OF each
under the microscope by special meth
tai has its special pattern Of lines. The
direction of each line tells something of
the direction of part of the colossal
force that entered into the building of
the mountain.
Threads All Knotted.
These lines, as Prof. Sander interprets
them, are frozen motion" Hundreds
of such crystals are examined and
then the patterns of each are fitted to-
gether, like the parts Of a crossword
puzzle, into a picture of ancient time.
The science was developed by the Aus
trian geologist in studying the past his
tory of his native Alps, which have been
his speciality. The pattern of these
mountains is extremely complicated. as
if the earth-loom was going bad when
they were woven, the vast, moving con-
tinental masses serving as shuttles.
The threads we're all knotted.
sized, may be applied to both igneous
rocks thrown up from the depths Of
the earth and sedimentary rocks laid
down on ancient sea bottoms by the
constant process of erosion. In many
cases it may make possible time cor
relation between them. The micro
scopic examination reveals the original
motion of the rock. Petrofabrics, Prof.
Sander explained, deals with all Struc-
tural data of rocks. He showed SAM
piles of these frozen motions Of the time
loom which he had been able to de-
cipher. All are extremely complicated.
Earth's two hemispheres are essen
TALLY identical twins. although they
differ greatly in superficial appearance,
according to an account OF researches
presented today by DR.. Paul F. Four
marier, noted French geologist Or the
planet might be described as bilaterally
symetrical like human being, having
duplicate organs on right and left sides.
The two sides, according to DR.. Four
marier's data were born just alike, but
have been altered by different kinds
Of experience through the ages.
Twin Features Cited.
He presented tables showing the
twinlike features Of Eastern Asia and
the western parts Of North and South
America and Western Europe and
Africa and the eastern parts Of the
Americas. Thus the comparatively re-
cent coast ranges of the Pacific Coast
of North America were identified with
the young mountains Of Japan, the
great tableland of the American South
WCot WILL t4AC SlCoG tdpACid1l0 VI SlAlAd,
the great plain OF Canada with the
great plain of Siberia, etc.
Doubt was cast on the generally &C
cepted belief that the sun, like a
mighty hammer, is smashing the
earth's surface rocks, from gravestones
to mountains, by DR. Eliot Blackwelder
Of Leland Stanford University. It has
been accepted by geologists largely
from theoretical considerations and on
hearsay, he declared. Among the re-
searches he cited were some on the
breaking up Of monuments and head
stones in Cuban and Scotch cemeteries.
The theory has been that the sun,
beating down upon such rocks, heats
them so that they expand. But they
are made of different kinds of minerals
which expand at unequal rates. Hence
stresses are set up which cause them
to crack DR.. Livingstone, the African
explorer, claims to have heard rocks
cracking like pistol shots as the cool
of evening fell after the heat Of the
day.
But, the California geologist pointed
out, the cracking is less In desert areas
than elsewhere. Under the theory it
should be greater Yet the Egyptian
monuments in desert country have
endured for 1000 years while compar-
able structures in damp lands long
since have broken up. He advanced the
counter hypothesis that the cracking
Of rocks Is due much more to their alb