THE WONDERS OF GEOLOGY

BY

GIDEON ALGERNON MANTELL, LL.D., F.R.S.

AUTHOR OF

THE GEOLOGY OF THE SOUTH EAST OF ENGLAND,
ETC, ETC.


logo
Silver Coins of Edward the First, in ironstone. -- Page 67.

"To the natural philosopher there is no natural object unimortant or trifling: from the least of nature's works he may learn the greatest lessons."
Sir J. F. W. Herschel.

"We know not a millionth part of the wonders of this beautiful world."
Leigh Hunt.


IN TWO VOLUMES

THIRD EDITON


LONDON:

RELFE AND FLETCHER

1839

VOLUME I


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

February, 2006.

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


CONTENTS.

Titlepage

Dedication

PREFACE   vii  viii  ix  x

LECTURE 1 - INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: A comprehensive view of the actual physical condition of the surface of our planet, and of the nature and results of the principal agents by which the land is disintegrated and renewed.  001  002  003  004  005  006  007  008  009  010  011  012  013  014  015  016  017  018  019  020  021  022  023  024  025  026  027  028  029  030  031  032  033  034  035  036  037  038  039  040  041  042  043  044  045  046  047  048  049  050  051  052  053  054  055  056  057  058  059  060  061  062  063  064  065  066  067  068  069  070  071  072  073  074  075  076  077  078  079  080  081  082  083  084  085  086  087  088  089  090  091  092  093  094  095  096  097  098  099  100  101  102  103  104  105  106  107  108  109  110  111  112

[011] although it might have been expected that, all other circumstances being equal, the same animals and plants would have been found in places of like climate and temperature, this identity of distribution does not exist.  When America was first discovered, the indigenous quadrupeds were all dissimilar to those of the old world.

... The distribution of vegetable life ... presents many anomalies. It appears that vegetable creation took place in different centres, each having been the focus of a peculiar genus or species; for many plants have a local existence, and vegetate naturally in one district alone.

[013] There is an internal source of heat, the cause of which has not yet been determined, but is probably connected with the original constitution of our planet. [radioactive decay, discovered in the early 1900s -- dcb].

LECTURE II.  The enduring monuments of nature - from the coins of brass and silver, to the imperishable medals on which the past events of the globe are inscribed. Extinct animals.  113  114  115  116  117  118  119  120  121  122  123  124  125  126  127  128  129  130  131  132  133  134  135  136  137  138  139  140  141  142  143  144  145  146  147  148  149  150  151  152  153  154  155  156  157  158  159  160  161  162  163  164  165  166  167  168  169  170  171  172  173  174  175  176  177  178  179  180  181  182  183

LECTURE III.  Classification of geological strata and fossils. 184  185  186  187  188  189  190  191  192  193  194  195  196  197  198  199  200  201  202  203  204  205  206  207  208  209  210  211  212  213  214  215  216  217  218  219  220  221  222  223  224  225  226  227  228  229  230  231  232  233  234  235  236  237  238  239  240  241  242  243  244  245  246  247  248  249  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  284  285  286

LECTURE IV   287  288  289  290  291  292  293  294  295  296  297  298  299  300  301  302  303  304  305  306  307  308  309  310  311  312  313  314  315  316  317  318  319  320  321  322  323  324  325  326  327  328  329  330  331  332  333  334  335  336  337  338  339  340  341  342  343  344  345  346  347  348  349  350  351  352  353  354  355  356  357  358  359  360  361  362  363  364  365  366  367  368  369  370  371  372  373  374  375  376  377  378  379  380  381  382  383  384  385  386  387  388  389  390  391  392  393  394  395  396  397  398  399  400  401  402  403  404  405  406  407  408  409  410  411  412

FOOTNOTES

 413  414  415  416  417  418  419  420  421  422  423  424  425  426  427  428
 
A, (p 21) - The Surface of the Moon  413

B. (p 60) - The Lake of the Solfatara 414

C. (p 62) - Caverns 416

D. (p 62) - Weyer's Cave 417

E. (p 80) - Reent Formation of Sandstone 419

F. (p 95) - Lithodomi, or Boring Mollusca which have the power of perforating rocks. 421

G. (p 96) - Observations on the Temple of Seraphis at Puzxzoli near Naples 422

H. (p 325) - Mr. Reade's observations 424

I. (p 328) - Agassiz's Classification of Fishes. 424

K. (p 339) - A Tabular Arrangement of the Fossil Fishes in the Mantellian Museum at Brighton 425

PLATES


Click for plate at 100 ppi
 DESCRIPTION

Frontisepiece:
The Country of the Iguanodon
400 ppi plate
   Description of Frontispiece

Remains of a Fossil Crocodile
400 ppi plate
 Plate 1 description

Remains of an Iguanodon
400 ppi plate
 Plate 2 description,
pp 394-397

Remains of Reptiles from the
strata of Tilgate Forest
400 ppi plate
 Plate 3 description,
pp. 388-403

Remains of Hyloeosaurus
400 ppi plate
 Plate 4 description,
 pp 401, 402