naam 
Natural History of Volcanos and Earthquakes. 281 
country, which is principally composed of masses of igneous 
origin. We shall pass over the consideration of the question, 
whether this original elevation took place in a fluid or solid state, 
that is, whether in earlier times these masses rose suddenly and 
continued to rise more and more slowly as they gradually cooled, 
ot whether this gradually decreasing ratio has always existed. 
€ may, however, be allowed the remark, that the slow eleva- 
tion which still continues when the operation of the vapor, as an 
elevating power, has long ceased, may be regarded, according to 
What has been stated above, as the result of an expansion pro- 
duced by the caloric disengaged from the vapor during its con- 
densation. For example, let us assume that the solid crust of 
the earth in Scandinavia was 139,840 feet thick, that the ex- 
Pansion of this crust by heat takes place in the same ratio as in 
earthern ware ; then, an average increase of heat of 2°.9 R. du- 
ting the space of 1000 years, would be sufficient to effect an ex- 
Pasion of 4.26 feet in a stratum of the above-mentioned thick- 
hess, And this is the average ratio of the rising of that country. 
Be the cause of the elevation of Scandinavia what it may, 
this cireumstance is remarkable, that in the southern part of Swe- 
» where the country, according to Nilson’s statement, sinks, 
Secondary formations, viz. chalk, occur in great abundance, while 
m the north of Sweden, as well as in Finland, the gneiss-granite 
formation predominates. We must not, however, attach too 
much importance to the connexion which appears to exist be- 
tWeen the elevation of the northern part of Sweden and the prev- 
alence of the latter formation, as Nilson* says, the chalk also lies 
°n gneiss, and less frequently on greywacke. It is neverthless 
femarkable that the granite island of Bornholm, which is situated 
°PPosite to the sinking coast of Schonen, is still in the act of 
dea” according to the observations of Forchhammer above allu- 
€d to, 
As regards the sinking of countries, there is no difficulty in re- 
Satding it as the result of an elevation of neighbering countries. 
et We can imagine many causes, independent of such elevations, 
Which may produce depressions. It does not, however, lie within 
Ne scope of these remarks to enumerate these causes. 
2 yaa 
* Petrificata Suecana Form. Cretaceae, &c. 1827, p. 81. 
Vol. *xxv1, No. 2.—April-July, 1839. ” 
