296 RECORD OF SCIENCE FOR 1886. 



Eeview, August, 1886) and by Everett Haydeu (Science), from which, 

 as well as from the coseismals, the origin or epicentrum appears to have 

 been in the neighborhood of Charleston, probably somewhat north of 

 that cit}'. The greatest destruction was caused in the city of Charles- 

 ton, although the direction of the shock appears to have been more 

 . nearly vertical at Summerville, about 25 miles northwest. At both of 

 these places, but more particularly at Ten Mile Hill, between them, 

 many " sand craters " were formed. These were openings in the ground, 

 from which came out water and sand. They varied in size from little 

 sand hillocks of an inch or two in diameter to large craters the sand 

 from which covered a sijrface of some acres. The water at first spouted 

 forth, but to no great height, and in most cases soon ceased to flow, al- 

 though in at least one case it contiuued for more than three days. Fis- 

 sures of considerable extent also occurred in other places. The main 

 shock was followed by others that same night, none, however, of suffi- 

 cient violence to have done harm except to buildings already weakened 

 by the first. So in the following weeks shocks repeatedly occurred, at 

 first daily and later at gradually increasing intervals; and they are 

 still occasionally felt at the present writiug, March 30, 1887. 



Naturally this most unusual phenomenon at once attracted great at- 

 tention, and Major Powell, director of the U. S. Geological Survey, im- 

 mediately^ determined to take advantage of it for scientific study, for 

 which it presented unusual opportunities. Competent persons were 

 sent to make personal examination of the ground, and, by circular and 

 otherwise, manuscript aud printed reports were collected for future 

 discussion. The results of this work are not yet published, but are ex- 

 pected to yield conclusions of the utmost interest and value. Of prelim- 

 inary publications the following may be mentioned: A rejiort by T. C. 

 Mendenhall, accompanied by an isoseismal map, in the United States 

 Monthly Weather Eeview ; several communications to Science by 

 Everett Hayden, of the Geological Survey, one accompanied by a map 

 of isoseismals and coseismals prepared originally for the Washington 

 Philosophical Society ; an illustrated descriptive article in Science by 

 W. J. McGee, of the Geological Survey ; many newspaper accounts 

 in the issues of the daily and weekly press during the month of Sep^ 

 tember. 



Dom Pedro, Emperor of Brazil, evinced his interest in scientific mat- 

 ters by himself sending to the French Academy an account of a moder- 

 ate earthquake observed by him at his summer home in Petropolis, near 

 Eio Janeiro, on May 9, 1886. It caused no important damage, but af- 

 fected an area larger than that of the recent Andalusian earthquake, 

 and is noteworty as occurring in a region where earthquakes are rare. 

 (Compt. Eend., cii, 1351.) 



The recording of the numerous minor shocks that are continually 

 occurring still goes on both in Europe and in America, as is shown by 

 the lists for 1885, which are now to be noted. 



