Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-01-05
Stars, Men and Atoms
Great Fossil Mountain
Found in Buffin Land
Built of Shells of Huge Sea Creatures
More Than 3OO,OO0,OOO Years AGO
By Thomas r. Henry

Dv HO"0S N. HeuVv
The location in Southeastern Bafin Land.
largest of the Arctic islands north Of Canada,
Of great fossil mountain cut in two by swift
river has just been reported to the Arctic
Institute Of North America by DR.. A. X. Miller
of the University of Iowa and his associate,
Walter Youngquist.
It is q great shattered mass Of limestone
built OF the shells of large sea creatures Of
more than 300,00oo00 years ago Included
among them are great Snails known as am.
monites and cephalapods, relatives Of the pres.
ent-day chambered nautilus, that were the
terrors of the ancient oceans. Fossils Of these
animals and OF many other kinds are extremely
abundant. Many boulders contain complete
specimens The place constitutes one of the
worlds richest hunting grounds Of the late
Ordovician geological period, when great
mollusks were the monarchs of creation.
A smaller fossil mountain near the head.
waters of the swift Jordan River, which
empties into Hudson Bay, has been known for
nearly century, but only a few biologists
have visited It, This is Siimans fossil noun
tain, an elevation Of whtish- gray limestone
about 300 feet high, strangely obtruding in
region Of dark granite rocks dating from
before the days of life on earth.
Objective Of Expedition.
This was the objective of the fossil hunting
expedition of Drs. Miller and Youngquist under
an Arctic Institute grant. Pitching camp with
Eskimo aid at the headwaters of the Jordan.
they sighted by air the much greater fossil
deposit about fifteen miles to the west. It
is cut in two parts by one OF the Jordans
tributaries. The largest part Is several miles
long, DR.. Miller reports. Many fossils of the
ancient sea creatures were collected, but as
yet the surface of the deposit hardly has been
scratched.
The creatures whose fossils make up the
mountain presumably swarmed in the far
northern when they were considerably
warmer than at present. There may be some
relation between this deposit, DR.. Miller
reports, and some fossil beds in Northern
Greenland, the Red River formation of South
ern Manitoba, the Big Horn formation Of
Wyoming and a similar formation in Ohio
and Indiana. None of these however, are so
rich in evidences of ancient life as the region
at the Jordan headwaters.
The finds would seem to indicate that at
some time the same seas covered these widely
scattered portions Of the Western Hemisphere.
1t is known that arms of the Arctic at various
times have extended far into the North Amer.
lean continent.
Ones own heartbeat is the rhythm of the
world.
Finding OF a hitherto unrecognized phe-
nomenon. the pulsation of any continuous
sound as the pumping heart fills the vessels Of
the eardrum with blood, has just been reported
to the British Association for the Advancement
Of Science by DR.. Robert w. Lawson of the
University of Sheffeld.
1t Is most apparent, DR.. Lawson says, in
listening to the continuous hum which comes
from a radio headset. There Is a rhythmic
variation in intensity. He observed the same
in the sound caused by steam escaping from
damp logs on an open fire and in the noise
of waves beating on a seashore.
Rhythm in Own Head.
Puzzled at first, he reports, he soon became
aware that the sound pulsations, for which
no physical cause could be attributed kept
exact time with his own heartbeats The
rhythm was in his own head, not In the
outside world.
The eardrums he points out, are richly
supplied with blood vessels. Each beat Of the
heart causes a surge of blood through them.
This results in momentary diminution in
the acuity of hearing. The intensity Of the
sound remains constant between BEATS
The same effect can be produced, he found.
by biting the teeth firmly together according
to predetermined rhythm. Apparently this
act varies the tension Of the eardrums.
Continuing his experiments alone in a quiet
room at night, DR.. Lawson says, he has been
able to hear his own heartbeats They make
a kissing sound. The ordinary sensation OF
hearing the heartbeat is, of course, purely an
illusion.