Show F O J i y 7 1 y tA t- t 1 A HOLE nOLE IN THE TEE GROUND THE EARTHS EARTH'S TEMPER TEMPERATURE ATTHE AT ATTHE TH THE E CENTER nn l Into IntI tue tho to rind Oll Out What Wh It I ll It Of Ot Or I s of or vl I 1 seo sea that there thero ia ii a n well at Wheel in Ins ing W. W Va that has been drilled nearly to tho depth ot a n mile re ro I marked the tho professor with th this tho evident purpose of ot gaining the attention of his I 1 hearers including a Cincinnati Weekly I Times reporter This hole which was drilled for lor gas and oil has lately been boon turned over to the tho United States Geological s survey which is b to make tests as to tho the temperature of ot the tho earth cr below tho the surface From tho the general desire desiro that people have to ascertain as as- certain the tho condition of the interior of the earth it itIs Is quite that advantage advantage ad ad- vantage will be bo taken of this good beginning beginning beginning be be- ginning to carry tho the hole down as os far farus farus us tIA the drilling tool can tan operate 4 Now v. o wo have hava penetrated the for millions and millions of miles and havo obtained obtainer a tolerably certain knowledge o of worlds that are situated at immense distances from us But Bet of the tho world beneath there thore ar are many con theories The rhe deepest boring over mado mada was vas that at Sperenberg near Berlin Beilin which penetrates only to a distance of feet about 1003 feet deeper than tho famous artesian well at St St. I Louis Some physicists hold that the i earth is a solid body soma sonin that it has hasa a crust miles thick out LUt the majority majority ma ma- majority bring up good reasons for lor believing believing be be- lieving that the tho crust Is only from twenty-five twenty to fifty miles in us thickness To era account for these various theories thoo theo rios ries wo we have to consider the f few Hv facts which wo we havo have thus far discovered These are aro the varying degrees of I temperature re as us we go from the surface sur sue taco face to tu the tho relatively slight extent that wo ve o have havo entered Into the bowels of or I the earth and the well known physical laws of or conductivity and fusion As we te enter cater tho the portion of tho the earth that is unaffected by the tho periodical periodical period period- ical changes we find that tho the increase in temperature varies from one do do- gree grce in thirty feet to one degree in 4 ninety on the tho av average it is one degree de do- gree ree in three fifty feet At this rats rato of in increase reasa the heat would be bo so great at a distance of thirty miles that every rock would be bo melted if subjected to the same pi pressure as ns that exerted on tho the earths earth's surface But right hero hare there thoi-e are two points involved a 0 consideration consideration con con- of which in connection with other evidence has baa led many scientists to doubt the tho accuracy of the conclusion conclusion conclusion sion that the tho earth is a of pf molten matter with a crust thirty miles in thickness equivalent on a II lobo globe two tto feet In diameter to a covering ono ono- tenth rth of an inch thick The The two objections are that the Increase is ts not probably uniform and that tho pressure i 19 is so much greater that tho the fusing point for lor the various substances 1 is raised to a s cori cor- cor i expending 1 degree Take rake a bar of m metal tal and one of charcoal Heat Hea them both until they are UIe rod hot at the ends Take the tho o o tb tho bars bara jat at distanced distance from ends and j you ou u will find that in tho the case caso of the tho denser metal you may go IO several feet before beloro you re reI-Ch reI ich un nn indicated temperature of i sixty degrees decrees whereas In tho the case of I Ithe the charcoal bar bal this temperature will willbe willbe be shown shO at a u distance of a few inches The density of the tho earth Increases from surface to center As the tho center Is approached the conductivity of the substances becomes gi greater eater hence for fora a change chango of one ono de degree tho the distances must be constantly greater While Inez there o is an increase it is at a rate rato that thatis is continually diminishing Tho The other point is that on account of the tho increased pressure the fusing point of a metal for instance instance- near tho tim center of tIm tho earth Is much greater than on the surface There are some sub substances like liko ice that contract upon melting most however expand In order to fuse a piece of metal the heat has to be sufficient to do tho the work of separating the molecules molecule to a certain extent If now it has to overcome also a greater greater pressure on account count of the changed conditions It is Th very vory plain that moro more will be required to perform I the given work I hIt It appears then thon that we wo can not safely infer there thero is a uniform increase of t temperature O towards the center at atthe atthe the tho rate given ghen by our measurements mado made near the surface or that the tho heat beat which would melt rocks upon the surface surface surface sur sur- face will do it fifty or a hundred miles below tho the surface The que question tion may be bo allowed to rest here The existence of volcanoes is cited as proof of the molten condition condition con con- of the earth within and our general theory of tho the worlds world's s history In the past includes the supposition of It b time when the tho earth was a heated luminous mass Incapable of supporting supporting support support- ing life We On 1 the other hand band the tho earth resists tho the tide-producing tide action of the sun alone and exactly as If U it wera ver or a Loud from center to circumference If tho earths earth's surface sur Vero a thin crust floatIng floatIng floatIng float- float Ing upon a liquid Interior the attractive attractive at at- force that produces the tides would act upon tho liquid Earth and water moving together gether tho tidal effects would be bo less lees pro pro- pronounced than at present |