Volcanos and Earthquakes, 77 



were found. I shall allude to these phenomena in another 

 section. 



If we take into consideration all that has been already said 

 on ejections and elevations ( soultvemens ) we shall be induced 

 to adopt the following inferences. Masses of our earth, still in 

 a fluid state, may be raised through and above its solid crust. 

 Th^ rising of the lava in the craters of volcanos is a satisfactory 

 proof of this circumstance. Solid rocky masses, strongly 

 heated, may be pushed upwards during violent convulsions 

 and elevations of the original rocky covering, or be thrown up 

 in the form of loose masses, more or less heated. The not un- 

 frequent rising of small islands from the bottom of the sea, and 

 the elevations ( souUvemens ) actually observed to take place in 

 the continents, are evidences of these operations. All these 

 phenomena are effects of forces, which develope their whole in- 

 tensity in a very short time, often in a few moments. But 

 large islands, and even whole countries may, in a very short 

 time, be raised several feet, as was shewn in the cases of Chili 

 and Santa Maria, On the other hand, Scandinavia presents 

 us with an instance of an elevation which, compared with the 

 preceding, takes place with extraordinary slowness. 



Besides all these elevations which have been actually ob- 

 served, other appearances occur, which lead us to infer that 

 elevations have taken place previous to the existence of any 

 record. These are the elevations of old volcanic masses, as ba- 

 salt, trachyte, &c. their penetration into fissures, and the eleva- 

 tion of whole systems of mountains. In regard to the first, the 

 conclusion may, as has been already shewn, be considered as 

 well founded as it is generally possible to be, when drawn from 

 phenomena which have taken place before any records were in 

 existence. The similarity between these phenomena, and those 

 which have taken, and still take place, before our eyes, render 

 it extremely probable that they were produced by forces which 

 were in operation for a very short period only. Changes in 

 tlie contiguous rocks, and the imbedmcnt of fragments of 

 them in the volcanic rocks, render it also equally probable that 

 these masses were raised in a fluid, or at least softened state, 

 and either rose above the surface of the earth in the form 

 of conical mountains, or remained adhering in rents of the 



