The Birth-Time of the World

Birth-Time of the World, The

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Scientific Essays, by J. (John) Joly This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: The Birth-Time of the World and Other Scientific Essays
Author: J. (John) Joly
Release Date: August 28, 2005 [EBook #16614]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BIRTH-TIME OF THE WORLD ***

Produced by Hugh Rance

THE BIRTH-TIME OF THE WORLD AND OTHER SCIENTIFIC ESSAYS
by
J. JOLY, M.A., Sc.D., F.R.S., PROFESSOR OF GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF DUBLIN
E. P. DUTTON AND COMPANY 681 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK
Cover
Title page
CONTENTS PAGE
I. THE BIRTH-TIME OF THE WORLD - - - - - - - - - - - 1
II. DENUDATION - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 30
III. THE ABUNDANCE OF LIFE - - - - - - - - - - - - 60
IV. THE BRIGHT COLOURS OF ALPINE FLOWERS - - - - - 102
V. MOUNTAIN GENESIS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 116
VI. ALPINE STRUCTURE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 146
VII. OTHER MINDS THAN OURS - - - - - - - - - - - - 162
VIII. THE LATENT IMAGE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 202
IX. PLEOCHROIC HALOES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 214
X. THE USE OF RADIUM IN MEDICINE - - - - - - - - - 244
XI. SKATING - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 260
XII. A SPECULATION AS TO A PRE-MATERIAL UNIVERSE - 288
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PLATE I. LAKE OF LUCERNE, LOOKING WEST FROM BRUNNEN - Frontispiece
PLATE II. "UPLIFTED FROM THE SEAS." CLIFFS OF THE TITLIS, SWITZERLAND - to face p. 4
PLATE III. AN ALPINE TORRENT AT WORK--VAL D'HERENS, SWITZERLAND - to face p. 31
PLATE IV. EARTH PILLARS--VAL D'HERENS - to face p. 34
PLATE V. "SCENES OF DESOLATION." THE WEISSHORN SEEN FROM BELLA TOLA, SWITZERLAND - to face p. 40
PLATE VI. ALLUVIAL CONE--NICOLAI THAL, SWITZERLAND. MORAINE ON ALETSCH GLACIER SWITZERLAND - to face p. 50
PLATE VII. IN THE REGION OF THE CROCI; DOLOMITES. THE ROTHWAND SEEN FROM MONTE PIANO - to face p. 60
PLATE VIII. FIRS ASSAILING THE HEIGHTS OF THE MADERANER THAL, SWITZERLAND - to face p. 73
PLATE IX. LIFE NEAR THE SNOW LINE; THE BOG-COTTON IN POSSESSION. NEAR THE TSCHINGEL PASS, SWITZERLAND - to face p. 80
PLATE X. THE JOY OF LIFE. THE AMPEZZO THAL; DOLOMITES - to face p. 93
PLATE XI. "PINES SOLEMNLY QUIET." D��SSISTOCK; MADERANER THAL - to face p. 100
PLATE XII. ALPINE FLOWERS IN THE VALLEYS - to face p. 105
PLATE XIII. ALPINE FLOWERS ON THE HEIGHTS - to face p. 106
PLATE XIV. MOUNTAIN SOLITUDES; VAL DE ZINAL. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT ROTHHORN; BESSO; OBERGABELHORN; MATTERHORN; PIC DE ZINAL (THROUGH CLOUD); DENT BLANCHE - to face p. 116
ix
PLATE XV. SECTOR OF THE EARTH RISE OF ISOGEOTHERMS INTO A DEPOSIT EVOLVING RADIOACTIVE HEAT - to face p. 118
PLATE XVI. "THE MOUNTAINS COME AND GO." THE DENT BLANCHE SEEN FROM THE SASSENEIRE - to face p. 133
PLATE XVII. DIAGRAMMATIC SECTIONS OF THE HIMALAYA - to face p. 140
PLATE XVIII. RESIDUES OF DENUDATION. THE MATTERHORN SEEN FROM THE SUMMIT OF THE ZINAL ROTHHORN - to face p. 148
PLATE XIX. THE FOLDED ROCKS OF THE MATTERHORN, SEEN FROM NEAR H?HBALM. SKETCH MADE IN 1906 - to face p. 156
PLATE XX. SCHIAPARELLI'S MAP OF MARS OF 1882, AND ADDITIONS (IN RED) OF 1892 - to face p. 166
PLATE XXI. GLOBE OF MARS SHOWING PATH OF IN-FALLING SATELLITE - to face p. 188
PLATE XXII. CANALS MAPPED BY LOWELL COMPARED WITH CANALS FORMED BY IN-FALLING SATELLITES - to face p. 192
PLATE XXIII. HALOES IN MICA; CO. CARLOW. HALO IN BIOTITE CONTAINED IN GRANITE - to face p. 224
PLATE XXIV. RADIUM HALO, MUCH ENLARGED. THORIUM HALO AND RADIUM HALO IN MICA - to face p. 228
PLATE XXV. HALO ROUND CAPILLARY IN GLASS TUBE. HALOES ROUND TUBULAR PASSAGES IN MICA - to face p. 230
PLATE XXVI. ALETSCH GLACIER, SWITZERLAND - to face p. 282
PLATE XXVII. THE MIDDLE ALETSCH GLACIER JOINING THE GREAT ALETSCH GLACIER. GLACIERS OF THE LAUTERBRUNNEN THAL - to face p. 285
PLATE XXVIII. PERCHED BLOCK ON THE ALETSCH GLACIER. GRANITE ERRATIC NEAR ROUNDWOOD, CO. WICKLOW; NOW BROKEN UP AND REMOVED - to face p. 286
And Fifteen Illustrations in the Text.
x
PREFACE
Tins volume contains twelve essays written at various times during recent years. Many