Evening star., 1939-07-27
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study 49,
BIZ Thomas r. Henri.


a few thousand years ago, according to a
report to the Geological Society of
America by DR.. George M. Stanley of the
University Of Michigan.
Lobes of the great continental ice
sheets, he said, filled the basins of the
Great Lakes damned the outlets, and
impounded waters between the ice and
the higher rims of the basins These
preglacial lakes built beaches, bars, and
other shore features. The later reopen
ing of successfully lower outlets by the
melting of the ice dams caused the lake
levels to recede intermittently and
abandon its beaches and bars. New fea-
lures were built at each lower stage.
The enormous weight of the CONT
mental ice sheet depressed the region and
when this ice melted the rocks began an
elastic rebound which is still going on
at very slow rate. The rate of rebound
increases northward where the ice had
been thicker and heavier and the amount
of depression greater. The beaches now
slope southwark so that the earlier ones,
which in the north are now perched
high above the present lake levels were
drowned further south and destroyed by
shore processes Of later stages.
Prof. Stanley reports that the highest
of the perched beaches, the Algonquin,
slopes about three feet per mile and that
the next lower conspicuous beach, the
Nipissing, slopes only six inches per mile
These two slopes are indicators of the
time that has passed since formation of
the beaches. The sleeper slope of the
Algonquin, Prof Stanley points out,
means that the interval between the
formation of the two beaches is far
greater than the time since the lower
beach was formed.
From the Algonquin level, he believes,
the lake dropped several hundred feet
by successive stages, perhaps almost to
sea level. This lowering due to freeing
OF outlets must have taken up a vast
amount Of time but the refilling of the
basin to the level of the Nipissing beach
was probably due to fitting and took a
much longer time.
Thus, says Prof. Stanley, between the
Algonquin and the Nipissing beach for
nation great hiatus must be visualized,
undoubtedly long lapse of time, and a
magnificent fluctuation in level which
probably rivals the sum total of all other
late glacial fluctuations of the lakes COM
bined
Buried in the jungles of French Indo-
China are the ruins of a great city
Angkor Thorn, capital Of old Cambodia
was the center of a great empire. Its
population was close to a million. Its
Buddhist temples are among the wonders
Of the world.
Yet, about six centuries ago. it finally
disappeared under the encroaching jun
gle. The outside world never heard of
this titanic tragedy until French engi-
neers and archeologists discovered the
ruins about so years ago. Now they are
being excavated and restored
The tragedy of Angkor is the subject
of an article by DR.. Alfred c. Reed, pro-
fessor of tropical medicine at the Uni
versity of California, in the Scientific
Monthly
The tradition of the countryside is that
the great city fell because of the invasion
of the barbarians from the north but
this, Prof. Reed holds, is altogether in
adequate. The invaders could only have
succeeded after a great population suffi-
ciently virile to have built up such
civilization had become weakened by dis
;ol1x
same story, he says, as is found for the
decline and fall of other great civiliza-
tions.
There are three major possibilities, DR..
Reed holds. First is tropical malaria. 1t
strikes suddenly, may kill within a day,
and has been known to depopulate dis
tricts with astonishing speed. Second is
the disease known as kala azar, long one
of the scourges of India which spreads
rapidly, is almost invariably fatal without
modern medical treatment and has been
known to attack whole populations in
jungle areas. The third possibility is that
of major epidemic of cholera
Death comes quickly the world around
where medical science is unknown or ig-
nored," he says. The curse of Angkor
has been the curse of many another race
and nation Sufficient knowledge is avail
able today to prevent or control most
of the disease plaques of mankind. Ig-
norance, indifference. poverty and super
stition have always been as they are to-
day, the substructure upon which Asia
has built her economic, social and po-
litical structures
"Our American Nation is 155 years old
Now in its youth it may, if it will, avert
the fate that has terminated epochs and
submerged or destroyed civilizations. Now
it may make sure that the curse of Ang-
kor is not repeated in the curse of
America"
Do Sco - of Old Dn~c{o~