The Birth-Time of the World

Birth-Time of the World, The

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Birth-Time of the World and
Other
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." DÜSSISTOCK;
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 HÖHBALM. 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