| Show THE EARTHS INTERIOR A french scientist new theory on a 1 aruch discussed subject the question which is at present more seriously exercising physicists and causing the most marked divisions of opinion among them is that of the constitution of the earths interior says an exchange by some we are told that within the crust is raging a liquid fire of gases by others that the fire is not gaseous hut but merely incandescent solid matter while a third section contends that the center of the earth is not in a molten state at all that what little heat still exists is being rapidly radiated and that ere long the earth will ie be a solid rock throughout the most recent contribution on the subject is that made by 51 lateau to the french academy of sciences enaes in his judgment the phenomena phe fiomena 0 of f the earths crust are explained by regarding g rd its interior as molten but he assumes that a layer of gaseous matter separates it from a portion of the crust forming the continents whereas the sea beds sink k this theory M lateau thinks explains why volcanoes have successively receded inland where the sea has encroached though it scarcely supplies an explanation for the existing marine volcanoes the gradual escape of gases imprisoned under high pressure will we are told excel in time the production of new supplies and when the pressure pres sura diminishes the continents will fall in and a more or less configuration of the earths surface will be the result this is the condition of the moons surface at the present time and M lateau believes its appearance is duo to action similar to that which he supposes to be in progress in the interior of this planet the physical essentials of this theory assume the crust of the globe to be eighteen and one half miles thick the pressure of gases six sis hundred and fifty atmospheres their temperature nine hundred degrees centigrade and their density nearly equal to that of water whatever may be thought of this afe view W as a reasonable explanation it has the merit of combining in a measure the two most prominent theories on an 1 I subject |
