1 82 CARNEGIE INSTITUTION 



considered, it may be said that all of the great problems concerning 

 the atmosphere set forth in the first report of the committee are 

 wholly omitted ; also the great problems dealing with the interior 

 of the earth have been ignored. Finally, all the problems along the 

 border line of astronomy and geology which concern the early his- 

 tory of the earth have been omitted. By these omissions I do not 

 mean to imply that each of the lines is not of profound importance. 

 Indeed, I believe that all should ultimately be taken up in a geo- 

 physical laboratory. It ma^^ be taken for granted that a deeper 

 insight into the order of the universe is a sufficient reason — indeed, 

 is the most important and fundamental reason — for investigations 

 in science. All of these omitted lines fall within this class of 

 studies, but the report of the Advisory Committee for Geoph3^sics 

 has already fully covered these problems. A special purpose of this- 

 supplementary report is to emphasize the point that there are many 

 problems of immediate importance to the science of geology and to 

 a knowledge of ore deposits which deal with the part of the earth 

 that we can see, concerning which experimental work is demanded 

 by the geologists of the world, because lack of such work stands in 

 the way of the advance of science. 



Cooperation in Geophysical Work. 



I shall next consider the second part of the proposal of the Ad- 

 visory Committee of last year — that of cooperation in geophysics. 

 The plan of the Advisory Committee provided for the use of branch 

 laboratories in various parts of the world. It was thought it might 

 be necessary to construct an occasional small branch laboratory, but, 

 so far as possible, it was proposed that all existing laboratories should 

 be utilized to the fullest extent; also the plan of cooperation pro- 

 vided that the central laboratory at Washington should be a clearing- 

 house for the geophysical work of the world. This clearing house 

 would acquire accurate information as to the geophysical work being" 

 done in all laboratories of every country. Any scientist who wished 

 to know the present status of knowledge in reference to any prob- 

 lem and what others are doing, so that he might take up work which 

 should not duplicate that already done or being done by others, 

 could apply to the Carnegie Institution at Washington and obtain 

 the needed information. 



No part of the general plan of the Advisory Committee has 

 received more universal approval by geologists, physicists, and 



