NATURE OF THE EARTH'S INTERIOR.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 439, 14 February 1912, Page 6

NATURE OF THE EARTH'S INTERIOR.

Especially during the past few years the structure and temperature of the interior of the earth have been an object of lively- and insistent discussion ; and not a lesser result ol it is the plan to bore a hole to the kernel of the earth, by means of which may be investigated all thf stratta of the globe, which as they succeed one another towards its centre indicate an increasing temperature in conformity to a lav/. Flammarion particularly has quickened this suggestion very recently, and with it has busied the fancy both of expert and layman. As leading further vivid importance to the discussion, the gist of certain chapters of Dr. W. L. Meyer's book, "Bewclintf Wei ten" (Inhabited Worlds), recently published, may be cited. It affords a most interesting estimate of the temperature of the crust of the earth and the interior volume of our native planet. This research discloses that the varying temperature of the itmosphere exercises an influence on the temperature of the crust of the jarth only to quite inconsiderable iepths. Already at a distance of fifteen or twenty metres below the surface a uniform temperature o£ 9 leg. Celsius approximately has bean ascertained, which prevails around the whole earth. With increasing 3ecth the degree of heat is enlarged. This increase is called geothermal degree of depth. In many holes that aave been bored it varies with much frequency. Generally with one decree of increase of temperature of rock is indicated as often as 33.3 metres of greater depth are added. This result is due the mode of observation that informs us of the characteristics of two kilometres or the thirty-two-hundredth part, of tlis listance toward the centre of the earth. Here at this depth a temperature of 50 deg. was. ascertained. If this manner of calculation be continued for greater degrees of depth the immediate result is that already at 60 kilometres, approximately, the constituents of the crust of the earth are in fiery solution, and at 300 kilometres must be in the form of gas. The latest investigations conducted by Meyer remind us of the research of Tamman and others and of the results of experiments made to measure the speed of the progress of waves of seismic disturbances. The collective result leads to the conclusion Hint the real firm crust of the earth cannot be specifically thicker than 100 kilometres. Amongst the pliznoircm sustaining this conclusion is the socalled magma which is occanonr.llj expelled in a volcanic eruption ; when nearer to the centre of the earth it has the form of gas, but under such tremendous pressure that at the distance aforementioned the substance seems to have the appearance of wax. So it is assumed that the temperature of the centre of the earth lies between 20,000 and -100,,00G degrees.

At this juncture Dr. Meyer see'.rs to satisfy the curiosity of the inquirer with his statement of the equation of heat that occurs between tho earth and the sun ; the store of heat, great beyond human computation, that streams forth over the goo thermal decrees of depth from the interior of the earth into endless space is so far counterbalanced by the heat imparted to the earth by the rays oi the sun that no decrease of the mc:-n temperature of the surface of the earth can be ascertained, it must be noted therefore, that a.s on tho earth depend the most important processes of life, these are assured for an indefinite time at least.