THE FIRST RAINS HADDINO 293 



count of tlie strong leaching of the volcanic ash and the strong evap- 

 oration). Thus the conditions for the origin of life, i. e., for an or- 

 ganic cell's formation and growth, were favorable. It also appears 

 most natural to me to imagine life begun at this time. If an organic 

 cell could be formed in the one pool, it could also be formed in the 

 other, and we then come to the conclusion that the origin of organic 

 life on the earth may be derived from several pr')to[)lasms. To ex- 

 plain the appearance of life on the earth by accession of germs from 

 other heavenly bodies is only to push the problem away. It then re- 

 mains to explain its appearance in the place from where it first 

 comes. We have no occasion to suppose the conditions on other plan- 

 ets to have been more favorable for the formation of a cell than 

 those on our earth. 



SUMMARY 



A survey of the problems connected with the first condensation of 

 water on the earth gives us an idea of the significance of this process. 

 The problems are astronomical, geophysical and geochemical, geolog- 

 ical, and biological. The size and temperature of the sun as well as 

 the thickness of the earth's crust and the radiation of heat through it 

 were decisive of the temperature in the atmosphere of the earth. The 

 quantity of water and probably also that of dust in the atmosphere 

 were decisive of the temperature of condensation. 



The nature of the atmosphere, the movements in it, the possibili- 

 ties of local (polar) condensation, the formation of dew and rain are 

 other paleo-meteorological problems of great interest. 



The conditions of the earth's surface before the condensation, the 

 direct influences of the condensation on the superficial layers, the 

 size and progress of the erosion, the nature and development of the 

 sediments, the nature of the first marine basins, the variations of the 

 salinity in different basins and in the oceans on the point of forma- 

 tion are circumstances that may possibly become objects of investi- 

 gations and computations. 



The division of land and sea also becomes an actual question by 

 the appearance of water. 



The chemical weathering and leaching out of soluble salts begins 

 first after the condensation of water. The chemical sorting of the 

 material takes place simultaneously as well as the cementation by 

 l!ie precipitation of substances dissolved in water. All the rocks 

 formed by sedimentary differentiation belong to the period after the 

 condensation. 



Finally I draw attention to the biological significance of the con- 

 densation. This and this only made it possible for the organic cells 

 to develop and continue to live on the earth. 

 28005—31 20 



