AN

INTRODUCTION TO GEOLOGY:

INTENDED TO CONVEY A


PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE SCIENCE,

AND COMPRISNG

THE MOST IMPORTANT RECENT DISCOVERIES;

WITH EXPLANATIONS OF THE

FACTS AND PHENOMENA

WHICH SERVE TO CONFIRM OR INVALIDATE VEARIOUS GEOLOGICAL THEORIES.



BY ROBERT BAKEWELL.


logo
Valley of Sixt in Savoi.


SECOND AMERICAN FROM THE FOURTH LONDON EDITION,

EDITED BY

PROF. B. SILLIMAN.

NEW HAVEN:

HEZEKIAH HOWE & CO.

1833

479 + 24 pages, illustrated with 8 plates and 18 woodcuts.

This electronic edition prepared by Dr. David C. Bossard
from original documents in the holdings of Dartmouth College.

April, 2006.

Copyright © 2006 by Dr. David C. Bossard.  All rights reserved.

Note: The first edition of Bakewell's Geology was pulished in 1813. It was quite widely read and went through 5 editions, the 5th edition being published in 1838.

CONTENTS.


PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION  iii  iv

PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN Reprint of the Third Edition   v  vi  vii

PREFACE TO THE FIRST AND SECOND EDITIONS   viii  ix  x

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES   xvii  xviii


PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS  on living Illustrations of Fossil Conchology,   xix  xx  xxi  xxii  xxiii  xxiv


CHAPTER I.

 001  002  003  004  005  006  007  008  009  010  011  012  013  014  015  016  017

Objects of the Science denominated Geology ....The Shape and Density of the Earth .... Opinions respecting the internal Parts of the Globe .... Central Heat. ....Temperature of the Earth ....Sea and dry Land .... Proportion of the Earth's Surface habitable by Man .... On the Appearances which led to the first Division of Rocks into Primary and Secondary .... Classification of Rocks .... Districts in which the different Classes appear in England .... The present Islands and Continents formerly covered by the Ocean .... Existing Proofs of this in Great Britain and various Parts of the World .... Fossil Remains of marine Animals, Vegetables and Land Quadrupeds; the Strata in which they are imbedded formed in Succession at different Epochs ....On human Bones occasionally imbedded in Rock .... Inferences respecting the former Condition of the Globe .... Remarkable Passage in the Institutes of Menu.

<006> The different strata which occur under each other, are not arranged in the order of their density or specific gravity. Coal strata, for instance are often covered with strata of iron-stone, the specific gravity of which is more than twice that of coal.

<015> [In the Institutes of Meno] there is a particular definition given to the word day as applied to creation, and it is expressly stated to be a period of several thousand years. If this interpretation be admitted, it will remove the difficulty that some have felt in reconciling the epochs of creation with the six days mentioned by Moses. The six days in which Creative Energy renovated the globe and called into existence different classes of animals, will imply six successive epochs of indefinite duration.

CHAPTER II.

ON PETRIFACTIONS, OR FOSSIL, ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE REMAINS.

 017  018  019  020  021  022  023  024  025  026  027  028  029  030

Opinions of early Naturalists respecting Petrifactions .... On the Process called Petrifaction... Experiment of Dr. Jenner on the Petrifaction of recent Bones .... Living Reptiles occasionally found in solid Stone .... Remarkable Difference in the Condition of Fossil Remains in adjacent Strata; Instance of this at Westbury Cliff, Gloucestershire ....The four grand Divisions of the Animal Kingdom .... Distribution of the Remains of certain Classes and Orders of Animals in each Division, through the different Rock Formations .... Fossil Elephant proved to have been an Inhabitant of cold Climates .... Remains of Monkeys hitherto undiscovered in a Fossil State ....On Vegetable Petrifactions in the Transition, Secondary and Tertiary Strata, supposed to prove the former high Temperature of the Globe in Northern Latitudes .... Observations on Fossil Organic Remains, as serving to identify Strata in distant Countries.

CHAPTER III.

ON THE MINERAL SUBSTANCES THAT COMPOSE THE CRUST OF THE GLOBE; AND ON THE STRUCTURE OF ROCKS.


 031  032  033  034  035  036  037  038  039  040

The constituent Elements of the simple Minerals that compose Rocks ....The physical Characters of simple Minerals composing Rocks .... Explanation of the Terms employed in describing the internal Structure of Rocks, and the external Structure of Mountain Masses .... Sedimentary Depositions.

CHAPTER IV.

ON STRATIFICATION, AND THE RELATIVE POSITION OF ROCKS.


 041  042  043  044  045  046  047  048  049  050  051  052  053  054  055  056  057  058  059  060  061  062  063

Strata and Geological Formations explained ....Various Appearances presented by plane Strata .... Appearances presented by curved Strata, and Errors respecting them .... Distinction between Strata Seams and Natural Fissures or Cleavages .... On the conformable and unconformable Positions of stratified and Unstratified Rocks .... The Continuity of stratified Rocks broken by Valleys .... Longitudinal Valleys .... Transverse Valleys .... Lateral Valleys ...Denudations.... On the Elevation of Mountains and Mountain Chains .... On the Direction of Mountain Chains in the new and old Continents .... On vertical Beds in Mountains .... On the apparent devastation in Alpine Districts .... On the Passages in the Alps called Cols; and Observations respecting their Formation .... Different Ages of Mountain Ranges.


CHAPTER V.

ON ROCKS DENOMINATED PRIMARY, AND THE CHANGES TO WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED.

 064  065  066  067  068  069  070

The Origin of Rocks called Primary believed by many Geologists to be igneous .... A Classification founded on this View .... A Classification independent of Theory .... Constituent Minerals of Granite .... Varieties of Granite .... Structure and Appearance of Granitic Mountains .... Mont Blanc, and the Aiguilles in its Vicinity .... Localities of Granite .... Granite Veins .... Passage of Granite into Porphyry and Sienite .... Minerals found in Granite .... On Granite as the Foundation Rock on which other Rocks are laid .... Tbe relative Antiquity of different Granitic Mountain Ranges .... Granite pierced. through by Porphyry and Currents of Lava ....Granite sometimes protruded among the upper Strata.

CHAPTER VI.

ON GNEISS AND MICA-SLATE, AND THE ROCKS WHICH ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THEM.

 071  072  073  074  075  076  077  078  079  080  081

On the Passage of Granite into Gneiss .... Gneiss and Granit veiné .... Mica-Slate.... Formation of Gneiss and Mica-Slate .... Talcous Slate, and Chlorite Slate . ....Crystalline Limestone denominated Primary, occurs both in Primary and Secondary Mountains .... Formation of Limestone and Coral Islands by Animal Secretion .... Dolomite, or Alpine Magnesian Limestone .... Serpentine and Ollite, or Potstone .... Euphotide or Saussurite the hardest and heaviest of rocks .... Trap Rocks changed to Serpentine .... Eurite or White Stone .... Piiniary Porphyry a Mode of Granite .... Recurrence of the same Rocks in Rock Formations of different Epochs.

CHAPTER VII

ON INTERMEDIATE OR TRANSITION ROCKS.

 082  083  084  085  086  087  088  089  090  091  092  093  094  095  096  097  098  099  100

Ch
aracters and Classification of Transition rocks .... Slate or Clay-Slate .... Peculiarities of Structure ....Varieties of Slate .... Flinty Slate .... Greywacke and Greywacke-Slate; its Passage into Red Sandstone and Gritstone .... Errors of Geologists respecting the old Red Sandstone .... Lower Transition Limestone: remarkable Position of its Beds .... Upper Transition or Mountain Limestone .... Magnesian Limestone, in Mountain Limestone .... Peculiarities in the Stratification of Clouds Hill .... Errors respecting the Mountain Limestone of Derbyshire .... Remarkable Structure of Crich Cliff .... Quartz Rock .... Jasper Greenstone .... Coal Strata in England separate the Upper Transition Rocks from the Secondary .... Observations on the Transition Rocks of distant Countries .... Errors of Geologists respecting them.

CHAPTER VIII.

ON THE LOWER OR GREAT COAL FORMATION.

 101  102  103  104  105  106  107  108  109  110  111  112  113  114  115  116  117  118  119  120  121  122  123  124  125  126

The Geological Position and Structure of Coal Districts, called Coal-Fields. Dislocation and Disturbances of Coal Strata by Faults and Dykes .... Mineral Coal, Anthracite, Plumbago, Wood-Coal or Lignite .... Iron-Stone accompanying Coal Strata .... On Carbon as an original Constituent Part of the Globe .... On the Origin of Coal Strata, and their Deposition in Freshwater Lakes or Marshes .... Numerous Repetitions of the same Series of Beds in the same Coal-Field... Precautions necessary in the Establishment of Iron Furnaces .... On the Mode of searching for Coal .... Hints to landed Proprietors on the Probability of finding Coal in Districts where it has not yet been discovered .... On the Formation of Coal-Beds in Freshwater Lakes ....On the Couversion of Vegetable Matter into Coal .... Imperfect Coal Formations .... Salt Springs in Coal Strata ... .Coal Mines in France and North Arnerica .... Observation on the Consumption of Coal in England, and the Period when the Coal-Beds will be exhausted.


CHAPTER IX.

ON UNCONFORMABLE TRAP ROCKS AND BASALTIC DYKES.

 127  128  129  130  131  132  133  134  135  136  137  138  139  140  141  142  143  144  145  146  147  148  149

Different Positions of Trap Rocks, as overlying, imbedded, or intersecting other Rocks .... Varieties of Trap Rocks ....Porphyry, Porphyritic Trap, Sienite, Greentone, Clinkstone, Basalt, Amygdaloid, and Wacke .... Passage by Gradation into each other, and into Volcanic and Granitic Rocks .... Remarkable Instance of this Passage at Christiania in Norway .... Mountains of Porphyritic Trap and Clinkstonc with deep Craters .... High Stile, Cumberland; Cader Idris, Monmouthshire .... Basaltic Dykes: Extent of the Cleveland Basalt Dyke .... Isolated Caps of Basalt .... On interstratified Basalt .... Remarks of Professor Sedgwick on the Protrusion of Basalt between regular Strata .... On columnar Ranges of Basalt ....Orgnnic Remains enveloped in Basalt .... Remarkable Basaltic Districts in Europe and America ....Experimcnts on Basalt .... Theory of Werner .... On the relative Age of Trap Rocks.

CHAPTER X.

A RETROSPECTIVE VIEW OF CERTAIN GEOLOGICAL FACTS AND INFERENCES. -- RELATIVE AGES OF MOUNTAIN RANGES. -- PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS ON THE SECONDARY STRATA.

 150  151  152  153  154  155  156


CHAPTER XI.

TABULAR ARRANGEMENT OF SECONDARY STRATA. -- RED SANDSTONE. -- MAGNESIAN LIMESTONE. -- ROCK SALT AND GYPSUM.

 157  158  159  160  161  162  163  164  165  166  167  168  169  170  171  172  173  174  175  176  177

Relative Geological Position of the Secondary Class of Rocks .... Their Mineral and Zoological Characters .... Tabular Arrangement .... New Red Sandstone and Red Marl ....Upper, Middle, and Lower Beds, chiefly formed of the Fragments of more ancient Rocks, broken by some great Convulsion .... Lowest Red Sandstone, oi Rothe-todte Liegende of the German Geologists .... Separated from the Middle Beds, by Beds of Magnesian Limestone .... Middle and Upper Beds of Red Sandstone and Marl; their Accordance with those of France and Germany ....Muschel Kalk wanting in England, but probably exists in Ireland, as the Lily Encrinite has recently been discovered there .... Magnesian Limestone of the Northern Counties.,. .English Red Marl and Sandstone formed of more ancient Rocks, particularly of Porphyry and Trap .... Gypsuin accompanying Rock Salt originally Anhydrous .... Rock Salt Deposits, in different Formations.

CHAPTER XII.

ON THE LIAS AND OOLITIC SERIES.

 178  179  180  181  182  183  184  185  186  187  188  189  190

Geological Position of Lias Clay and Limestone .... Their Mineral Characters .... Alum-Slate in Lias .... Remarkable Organic Remains and Characteristic Fossils .... Extent of the Lias Formation in England .... Interesting Junctions of Lias and Red Marl .... Lias of France and the Alps .... Oolite or Roestone, the Jura Limestone of Foreign Geologists .... Mineral Characters, and remarkable Organic Remains .... Lower OoIite.... Oxford or Clunch Clay .... Middle Oolites .... Kimmeridge Clay .... Upper or Portland Oolites .... Stonesfield Slate with Organic Remains of Insects, Birds, Flying Reptiles, and small Land Quadrupeds .... Extent of the Oolite Formation in England, and its abrupt Termination .... Sections of the Oolitic Series of Beds in Yorkshire and the West of England, compared with a Section of the Secondary Strata in Germany.

CHAPTER XIII.

ON THE SUSSEX BEDS, OR WEALDEN, CONTAINING REMAINS OF LAND PLANTS, AND AMPHIBIOUS AND FRESH-WATER ANIMALS.

 191  192  193  194  195  196  197  198  199

Extent of the Sussex Beds .... Their Geological Poition and Mineral Characters .... Remarkable Organic Remains of enormous Lizards and Plants, analogous to those of Tropical Climates found in the Sussex Beds... Supposed Appearance of the Country when these Animals flourished .... Petworth Limestone .... Hastings Sand and Weald Clay .... The Wealden Beds formerly furnished the greatest Part of the Iron manufactured in England .... Mr. Mantell's Enumeration of the Species of Terrestrial and Freshwater Fossil Remains in the Wealden Beds .... Observations on the Wealden Beds, and the Change from Marine to Fresh-water Formations.

CHAPTER XIV.

ON CHALK, AND THE SUBJACENT BEDS OF GREEN SAND.

 200  201  202  203  204  205

Extent of the Chalk Formation .... Green Sand divided into lower and upper Green Sand by a Bed of Clay called Gilt .... Chalk Marl .... Chalk; its Mineral Characters .... Change of Character In the Alps .... Flints in the upper Chalk .... On the Formation of Flints .... Remarkable Organic Remains in Chalk .... Recent Discovery of Beds belonging to the Chalk Formation, in the United States of America .... On the Scaglia of the Alps supposed to represent Chalk.

CHAPTER XV.

ON THE FORMATION OF SECONDARY LIMESTONE AND SANDSTONE, AND ON THE PROGRESSIVE DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIC LIFE.


 206  207  208  209  210  211  212  213  214

On the Deposition of Chalk .... Whethcr formed by Animal Secretion, or by Eruptions of Water holding calcareous Earth in Suspension or Solution .... Mud Volcanoes .... Animal Bodies suddenly encased in Chalk indicate the Time required to form a Stratum of a given Thickness ....Oolite and Encrinal Limestone partly formed by Animal Secretion .... Formation of Sandstone .... Repeated Appearance of dry Land during the Epoch when the Secondary Strata were deposited .... Progressive Developernent of Organic Life in the Secondary and Tertiary Epochs .... Disappearance of enormous Reptiles and chambered Shells from the Seas of Northern Latitudes .... Probability of the lchthyosaurus existing as a living Species in the present Seas.

CHAPTER XVI.

ON THE LOWER OR MORE ANCIENT TERTIARY STRATA.

 215  216  217  218  219  220  221  222  223  224  225  226  227  228  229  230  231  232  233  234  235  236

Formation of Tertiary Strata in Lakes or Inland Seas .... Lakes of North America ....Falls of Niagara .... Alternations of Marine and Freshwater Strata .... Arrangement of the Tertiary Strata in the Paris Basin... Plastic Clay and London Clay .... Geology of the lower Vale of the Thames .... Remains of Crocodiles and the Nautilus in London Clay .... Molasse of Alpnach in Switzerland, with Coal and Teeth of the Mastodon .... Caicaire Grossier, or Coarse Limestone of the Paris Basin, supposed to be of the same Age as the London Clay .... Calcaire Siliceux .... Gypsurn and Gypseous Marl of the Paris Basin, containing Bones of numerous extinct Species of Land Quadrupeds .... Remarks on their Discovery and Organization by Baron Cuvier .... Marine Sandstone .... Millstone .... Upper Freshwater Formation .... Tertiary Strata in the Isle of Wight .... Crag of Norfolk .... its true Geological Position not determined .... Cliff of Brighton.

CHAPTER XVII.

ON THE RECENT TERTIARY STRATA, OR WHAT ARE CALLED BY SOME GEOLOGISTS QUATERNARY.

 237  238  239  240  241  242  243  244  245  246  247  248  249

The Methods for determining the relative Age of Formations explained, and their Value examined... Evidence from Position .... Evidence from Organic Reunains .... System of M. Deshayes founded on Fossil Shells .... Uncertainty attending the Evidence from Organic Remains .... Arbitrary Classifications of Nauralists .... Supposed Limits to the Transmutation of Species of Molluscous Animals examined .... System of M. Elie Beaumont .... Geological Age of Palaeotheria.... of Mastodons.... of Elephants.... Recent Tertiary Strata of the Basin of the Loire ....Of the Sub-apennine Ranges .... Of the Freshwater Formations in the Apennine Valleys .... Remarkable Intermixture of the Skeletons of Whales, Elephants, &c. at Castello Auquata explained by what has taken place in England .... Freshwater Limestone of Eningen, one of the most recent Tertiary Formations .... Human Skeletons erroneously supposed to have been found there ..... Observations on the relative Age of the Strata of Œningen.

CHAPTER XVIII.

ON EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES.

 250  251  252  253  254  255  256  257  258  259  260  261  262  263  264  265  266  267  268  269  270  271  272  273  274  275  276  277  278  279  280  281  282  283

Phenomena that precede the Shock of an Earthquake .. ..Extent to which the Waters in Lakes and Springs are agitated during Earthquakes .... Extent to which Earthquakes are felt on Land .... More severe in Mountains than in level countries .... Connection between Earthquakes and Volcanoes .... Electrical Earthquakes .... First Appearance of a Volcano .... Common Phenomena attending Volcanic Eruptions .... Remarkable Eruption of Sumbawa in 1815 .... Long periods of Repose in some Volcanoes ....Volcano of Popocatepti in Mexico .... Submarine Volcanoes; their Appearance preceded by violent Agitation of the Sea .... Submarine Volcanoes in the Azores .... in the Grecian Archipelago .... Recent Submarine Volcano near Sicily .... Craters of Eruption .... Craters of Elevation .... Theory of Von Buch confirmed by analogous Geological Facts .... Eruptions of Mud and Water from Volcanoes .... Groups of Volcanic Islands .... FalI and Extinction of a Volcano .... Vast Extent of some ancient Volcanoes .... Extinct Volcanoes of Central France .... Puy du Pariou, the best preserved of ancient Volcanoes .... Extinct Volcanoes in Germany and Asia .... Pseudo.Volcanoes ....Volcanic Rocks and Products .... Observations on Volcanic Fire.

CHAPTER XIX.

ON THE REPOSITORIES OF METALLIC ORES.

 284  285  286  287  288  289  290  291  292  293  294  295  296  297  298  299

Metallic Matter disseminated through Rocks .... Masses of Metallic Ore ....Metallic Beds .... Metallic Veins .... Rake Veins .... Flat Veins .... Accumulated Veins, Cross Courses .... The remarkable Structure of the Botallack Mine worked under the Sea .... On the Formation of Metallic Ores .... Remarkable Phenomena in Mines ....Stream Works .... Gold disseminated in the Sands of Rivers In Africa, and North and South America .... Rocks in which certain Metallic Ores are found.

CHAPTER XX.

ON SUBTERRANEAN RIVERS AND CURRENTS, AND ON CAVERNS.

 300  301  302  303  304  305  306  307  308  309  310  311

Occurrence of Subterranean Currents and Rivers in various Parts of the World .... The principal Agents in the Formation of Caverns .... Remarkable Cavern and Cascade in the Speedwell Mine, Derbyshire .... Subterranean Currents and Caverns generally in calcareous Mountains .... The Reason explained .... Subterranean Currents connected with the Surface Water, deposit Animal and Vegetable Remains between ancient Strata, proved by Facts .... Caverns with Bones of extinct Species of Animals in Germany and France, intermixed with Human Bones, and Implements of Industry .... Bones introduced into Caverns by Subterranean Currents and other Causes, and at different Epochs .... Cavern at Kirkdale, in Yorkshire .... Bones found in the Clefts and Fissures of Rocks forming Osseous Breccia in various Parts of Europe, and in New Holland .... Epochs of their Deposition supposed to be different in distant Parts of the Globe.

CHAPTER XXI.

ON THE DESTRUCTION OF MOUNTAINS, AND THE FORMATION OF SOILS; AND ON ALLUVIAL AND DILUVIAL DEPOSITIONS.

 312  313  314  315  316  317  318  319  320  321  322  323  324  325  326  327  328  329  330  331  332  333  334

Erroneous Opinions respecting the Growth of Stones, supported by the Authority of John Locke .... On the Causes in present Operation that wear down Rocks .... Rapid Destruction of Mountains dependent on their Structure .... Fall of Mont Grenier in Savoy .... Breaking down of the Barriers of Mountain Lakes .... Scattered Masses of Rock .... Increase of Land by Alluvial Depositions in Lakes, and the Deltas of large Rivers .... On the Formation of productive Soils ....Recent Strata formed in Lakes .... Peat and Peat Moors .... Inundations of Sand .... Remains of Elephants and other large Animals, found in the Diluvial Beds in England, and the frozen Regions of Europe and Asia.

CHAPTER XXII.

ON THE ELEVATION OF MOUNTAINS AND CONTINENTS.

 335  336  337  338  339  340  341  342  343  344  345

The Elevation of the Beds of Granite and Slate in England proved bythe Author, in 1823, to have taken place at a much earlier Epoch than the Elevation of the Granite of Mont Blanc .... The Facts on which this Conclusion was founded, described and explained .... Application of similar Conclusions to other mountain Ranges by M. Elie de Beaumont .... Tbe Elevation of Rocks of Granite and Slate proved to have taken place by a distinct Operation from that which upheaved Continents from the Ocean, and at a different Epoch .... Elevation of the Mountains and Table Land in Central Asia .... Depression of the Surface round the Caspian Sea .... Instances of the Elevation and Submergence of the Earth's Surface in various Parts of the Globe.


CHAPTER XXIII.

ON THE FORMATION OF VALLEYS, AND THE GEOLOGICAL THEORIES, RELATING TO VALLEYS AND DENUDATIONS.

 346  347  348  349  350  351  352  353  354  355  356

On the Causes that have broken the Surface of the Globe .... Erosive Action of running Water illustrated by the Process called Hushing .... Bursting of Lakes .... Some Valleys originally formed by Elevation or Subsidence, and subsequently enlarged by the Action of Water .... Different Theories respecting the Formation of Valleys .... Theory of Wernerof Hutton .... Of Elevation .... Of the retiring Waters of the Ocean .... Theory of Excavation and Denudation by Deluges .... Modification of this Theory by Sir James Hall; its Application to explain Denudatlons and Transportation of Blocks of Granite from the Alps .... Particuhr Phenomena presented by the scattered Blocks in the Vicinity of Geneva. Denudation of Stratified Rocks, effected by the same Causes which have broken the Primary Rocks, and scattered their fragments into distant Districts.

CHAPTER XXIV.

ON THE ANCIENT TEMPERATURE OF THE EARTH. -- ON CENTRAL HEAT, AND ON ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA ILLUSTRATIVE OF GEOLOGICAL THEORIES. -- CONCLUSION.

 357  358  359  360  361  362  363  364  365  366  367

SUPPLEMENT TO CHAPTER VIII.

ON THE GREAT COAL FORMATION,

 368  369  370


APPENDIX.

An Index Outline of the Geology of England 371  371  372  373  374  375
Heights of remarkable Mountains 376  376  377  378
On the Thermal Waters of the Alps  379   379  380  381  382
On the Temperature of Mines and Wells  383  383
On the Surface of the Moon  384  384
On Orbicular Granite and Porphyry  385  385
On Freshwater Formations  386  386
Farther Observations on the Intermixture of Human Bones with those of Bears, in the Cavern of Miallet   386  386

GLOSSARY  388  388

SUPPLEMENT BY THE EDITOR  389  389  390  391  392  393  394  395  396  397  398  399  400  401  402  403  404  405  406  407  408  409  410  411  412  413  414  415  416  417  418  419  420  421  422  423  424  425  426  427  428  429  430  431  432  433  434  435  436  437  438  439  440  441  442  443  444  445  446  447  448  449  450  451  452  453  454  455  456  457  458  459  460  461  462  463  464  465  466

[435] [Remarks by the editor Silliman] We will not enquire whether almighty power inserted plants and animals in mineral masses, and was thus exerted in working a long series of useless miracles, without design or end, and therefore incredible. The man who can believe [this] can believe anything, with or without evidence.

The order of the physical events, discovered by geology, is the same as that recorded by the sacred historian; that is, as far as the latter has gone, for it was, evidently, no part of his objecvt to enter any farther into details, than to state that the world was the work of God, and thus he was naturally led to mention the principal divisions of natural things, as they were successively created.

[436] Hypothesis: 1. The present earth was formed from the ruins and fragments of an earlier world, re-arranged and set in order during the six days of the creation.  Remark: This theory has great merit, inasmuch as it admits, in the long-gone-by ages, of just such events and successions as geology has proved to have taken place; but it adds a general catasttophe, which has not happened, and it implies a reconstruction of the crust of the planet, entirely out of its own ruins, a supposition which is inconsistent with the state of facts.

[437] Hypothesis: 2. The present crust of the planet has been regularly formed between the first creation "in the beginning," and the commencement of the first day.

[439] Hypothesis: 3. The days of the creation were periods of time of indefinite length. [Discussion of the Hebrew "yom" = day commences on pg. 442.

[443] Six successive epochs in which the earth was renderred fit for his habitation.

The work of the third epoch was the appearance of the dry land, and the creation of the vegetable kingdom.

[448] The work of the fifth epoch was the creation of the inhabitants of the waters; of the birds, winged insects, and reptiles.

The work of the sixth epoch concluded with the creation of man.

[450] Table "Coincidences between the Order of Events as described in Genesis, and that unfolded by Geological Investigation."

[451] The discoveries of geology, when more matured, instead of throwing suspicion on the truths of revelation, ... have furnished the most overpowering evidence in behalf of one branch of these truths. The result of these discoveries has been, in this respect, similar to those of the Chinese and Egyptian histories, and the Indian astronomy, but much more striking.  ... We have endeavored to illustrate and point out the consequences of the statement of Baron Cuvier, "that the order which the cosmogony of Moses assigns to the different epochs of creation, is precisely the same as that which has been deduced from geological considerations."

[458] Hypothesis: 4. The succession of geological events may have happened in the first ages of the world, after the creation of man. Remark: This supposition is wholly irreconcilable with facts.

[458] Hypothesis: 5. A general deluge will account for all the geological events that have been desribed. Remark: This view is entirely inadmissible.

[461] "The result of all our enquiries, then, is this.  We find that the geological formations are in accordance with the Mosaic account of the creation; but more time is required for the necessary events of the creation than is consistent with the common understanding of the days. The history is therefore true, but it must be understood so as to be consistent with itself and with the facts.

It is agreed on all hands, that there may be time enough for the primitive rocks before the first day, and if the days be regarded as periods of time, so as to allow room for the events assigned to them, relating to organic beings, and to the masses in which they are entombed, all difficulty is removed.

On the contrary, if they are restricted to the usual popular sense, it is not physically possible that the events should have happened within the time assigned; but they did happen, and as there was no call for miracles in cases where natural operations alone were sufficient, there can be no doubt that sufficient time was allowed.

It is scarcely necessary to remark, that after the order and arrangement of the creation were fully established, and man appeared on the earth, the measures of time were, without doubt, the same as now, and therefore we are not at liberty, as there is clearly no occasion, to regard them in any other than the usually accepted sense."

[464] "We will now add a few remarks to believers who are not geologists. The subject before us is not one which can be advantageously discussed with the people at large. A wide range of facts, and an intensive course of induction, are necessary to the satisfactory exhibition of geological truths, and especially to establish their connexion and harmony with the Mosaic history.  It is a subject exclusively for the learned, or at least for the studious and the reflecting; but it can no longer be neglected with safety, by those whose province it is to illustrate and defend the sacred writings. The crude, vague, unskilful, and unlearned manner, in which it has been too often treated, by those who are, to a great extent, ignorant of the structure of the globe, or who have never studied it with any efficient attention, can communicate only pain to those friends of the bible, who are perfectly satisfied, after full examination, that the relation of geology to sacred history, is now as little understood by many theologians, and biblical critics, as astronomy was in the time of Galileo.  There is but one remedy: theologians must study geology, or if they will not, ... they must be satisfied to receive its demonstrated truths from those who have learned them in the most effectual way ... they will then be convinced that geology is not an enemy, but an ally of revealed religion...."


INDEX  467  467  468  469  470  471  472  473  474  475  476  477  478  479

WOOD-CUTS

Stratified and unstratified limestone at Clouds Hill  91
Arched stratification of Crich Cliff, Derbyshire  96
Basaltic dyke expanded on the surface  138
Section of the secondary formations  160
Lily encrinite  164
Arms of the Briarean pentacrinite  180
Restored skeleton of the ichthyosaurus  181
Restored skeleton of the plesiosaurus  181
Map of the Wealden beds in Sussex  192
Teeth of the iguanodon  195
Profile of a crocodile's head found in the Isle of Sheppey  223
Front view of the same head  223
Fossil tooth of the mastodon in the coal of Alpoach  225
Extinct volcano of Pariou  271
Abymes de Myans  317
Fossil tooth of the great mastodon and the elephant  330
Fossil tooth of the rhinoceros and the hippopotamus  331




PLATES

NOTE: High Resolution (400 ppi) images of all figures and plates are located here.

Descriptions of the Plates: xvii-xviii


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Click for plate at 100 ppi


FRONTISPIECE
Niagara

A Birds-eye view of the Niagara River and Falls from Lake Erie to the Plain at Queenstown, showing the Excavated Channel (Chapter XVI).

Plate at 200 ppi

I


Plane and curved stratification (Chapter IV)

Plate at 200 ppi

II


Strata and Sections (pp. 335-336)

Plate at 200 ppi

III


Conformable and Unconformable Strata (pp. 122, 131)

Plate at 200 ppi

IV


Veins and Strata (pp. 50, 105; Chapt. VIII)

Plate at 200 ppi

V


The Gigantic Trilobite, and two smaller species.

Plate at 200 ppi

VI


Map of the geology of England and Wales.

Plate at 200 ppi

VII


A Section of England through Durham and Cumberland.

Plate at 200 ppi

VIII


Living Illustrations of Fossil Conchology.

Plate at 200 ppi