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

Produced by Hugh Rance, 2005

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

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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 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.

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PREFACE

Tins volume contains twelve essays written at various times
during recent years. Many of them are studies contributed to
Scientific Reviews or delivered as popular lectures. Some are
expositions of views the scientific basis of which may be
regarded as established. Others—the greater number—may be
described as attempting the solution of problems which cannot be
approached by direct observation.

The essay on The Birth-time of the World is based on a lecture
delivered before the Royal Dublin Society. The subject has
attracted much attention within recent years. The age of the
Earth is, indeed, of primary importance in our conception of the
longevity of planetary systems. The essay deals with the
evidence, derived from the investigation of purely terrestrial
phenomena, as to the period which has elapsed since the ocean
condensed upon the Earth's surface. Dr. Decker's recent addition
to the subject appeared too late for inclusion in it. He finds
that the movements (termed isostatic) which geologists recognise
as taking place deep in the Earth's crust, indicate an age of the
same order of magnitude

xi

as that which is inferred from the statistics of denudative
history.[1]

The subject of _Denudation_ naturally arises from the first essay.
In thinking over the method of finding the age of the ocean by
the accumulation of sodium therein, I perceived so long ago as
1899, when my first paper was published, that this method
afforded a means of ascertaining the grand total of denudative
work effected on the Earth's surface since the beginning of
geological time; the resulting knowledge in no way involving any
assumption as to the duration of the period comprising the
denudative actions. This idea has been elaborated in various
publications since then, both by myself and by others.
"Denudation," while including a survey of the subject generally,
is mainly a popular account of this method and its results. It
closes with a reference to the fascinating problems presented by
the inner nature of sedimentation: a branch of science to which I
endeavoured to contribute some years ago.

_Mountain Genesis_ first brings in the subject of the geological
intervention of radioactivity. There can, I believe, be no doubt
as to the influence of transforming elements upon the
developments of the surface features of the Earth; and, if I am
right, this source of thermal energy is mainly responsible for
that local accumulation of wrinkling which we term mountain
chains. The

[1] Bull. Geol. Soc. America, vol. xxvi, March 1915.

xii

paper on _Alpine Structure_ is a reprint from "Radioactivity and
Geology," which for the sake of completeness is here included. It
is directed to the elucidation of a detail of mountain genesis: a
detail which enters into recent theories of Alpine development.
The weakness of the theory of the "horst" is manifest, however,
in many of its other applications; if not, indeed, in all.

The foregoing essays on the physical influences affecting the
surface features of the Earth are accompanied by one entitled _The
Abundance of Life._ This originated amidst the overwhelming
presentation of life which confronts us in the Swiss Alps. The
subject is sufficiently inspiring. Can no fundamental reason be
given for the urgency and aggressiveness of life? Vitality is an
ever-extending phenomenon. It is plain that the great principles
which have been enunciated in explanation of the origin of
species do not really touch the problem. In the essay—which is an
early one (1890)—the explanation of the whole great matter is
sought—and as I believe found—in the attitude of the organism
towards energy external to it; an attitude which results in its