638 . meunier: theory of volcanoes 



globe and its satellite, as well as of the identity of their be- 

 havior in the course of sidereal evolution, in which they repre- 

 sent two successive stages. 



2. In the second place, the relation of the history of the moon 

 to the history of the earth, so different at first sight as regards 

 the phenomena of volcanism, includes the verification, the tan- 

 gible verification so to speak, of the eruptive theory, although 

 the latter had been established on purely geologic considerations 

 at the very moment when I felt compelled to postpone the 

 selenographic study, which seemed to require a combination of 

 special conditions. 



3. Finally, by means of a correlation which a priori seemed 

 hazardous, my results furnish a new support for that great 

 chapter of science which is yet far from being fully understood, 

 but which nevertheless has so often and so strongly fascinated 

 me from the very beginning of my career, namely, the chapter 

 of comparative geology. 



This may seem a bold program, and in laying it before the 

 reader I feel that it may arouse a certain skepticism. Never- 

 theless I feel confident that my undertaking will benefit the 

 work on which I am engaged, namely, the building-up of a body 

 of arguments which will naturally group themselves into one 

 of the chapters of the geologic harmonies of the physical uni- 

 verse. 



In order readily to understand the bearing of the statements 

 just made, it is necessary to call briefly to mind the nature of 

 the proposed volcanic theory and what, in my opinion, it is 

 capable of explaining. 



According to this theory, volcanic activity is a normal and 

 therefore inevitable result of the regular evolution of our globe. 

 It therefore determines, on the one hand, all the details of the 

 earth's constitution, that is to say, of its anatomy, and, on the 

 other, all the details of its activity, that is to say, of its physi- 

 ology. According to this theory, also, volcanic activity is a 

 natural and frequent result of the formation of mountains, 

 being in fact its' epiphenomenon, so to speak. 



We have to recall the circumstances accompanying the be- 



