DRIFT TOWARDS IRELAND

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 71, 10 April 1937, Page 11

DRIFT TOWARDS IRELAND

Seotland Moves 600 Feet

gCOTLAND WAS EEFORTED recently by an official of tbe Glasgow Ohservatory, to be drifting toward Ireland — and Ameriea — at tbe xate of more tban eigbt feet a year. Mr. Thomas R. Tannabill, a member of the staff, said calculations sbowed tbat tbe mainland bad sbifted westward 60 feet in tbe last 70 years. England, be explained, bas no£ joined in tbe movement and, consequently, Great Britain is apparently "bending in two." Dr. Kirtley Malher, professor of geology at Harvard, described as "extremely important to geology" observations at Glasgow of a "drift" of ScoTland towaid Ireland. Somewbat similar phenomena, be said, were nnder observation in Greenland, Iceland and Scandinavia. 1 "We bave been susplclous," be sfT*""" "tbat tbere were cbanges in longitude l£ several places on tbe surf ace of tbe iarth which would indicato a slow

movement of tbe earth's outer she The difficulty is to get sufficiently precise mefesurements. Our modern metbods are very much superior since tbe coming of radio to measurements of 50 years ago. • : , - ■ j "Unfortunately, tbere is some indication of a curious «tretcbing of tlio cartb's outer sbell, followed by a contraction, as tbougb points of observation moved in one direction, tben back again in the opposite direction, sometimes witbin a day. "That complicates tbo problem ancl I would like to know just bow the Glasgow observations were determined, wbether by observation of tbe stars on 3'ust one oecasion or frequently, over a long period. "Tbe Glasgow observations may mean something of great significance. Tbey do not surprise me, for it is rigbt in line with things wo are discovenng,"