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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  units 
  are 
  doing 
  under 
  their 
  conditions 
  incidentally 
  as 
  it 
  happens 
  

   to 
  come 
  into 
  working 
  relations 
  to 
  them. 
  The 
  cycles 
  that 
  thus 
  arise 
  

   are 
  so 
  multitudinous 
  and 
  intricate 
  that 
  their 
  correlation 
  is 
  a 
  most 
  

   formidable 
  task 
  which 
  is 
  scarcely 
  yet 
  fully 
  appreciated; 
  little 
  more 
  

   than 
  a 
  beginning 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  toward 
  its 
  accomplishment. 
  

  

  Under 
  this 
  view 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  stress 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  simple 
  

   solid-to-solution 
  change 
  from 
  the 
  rock 
  to 
  the 
  ocean 
  does 
  not 
  cover 
  

   the 
  whole 
  evolution 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  any 
  substance. 
  In 
  most 
  cases 
  

   there 
  are 
  many 
  cycles, 
  some 
  in 
  parallel 
  lines, 
  some 
  in 
  succession. 
  

   The 
  content 
  of 
  the 
  indurated 
  rocks, 
  on 
  the 
  one 
  hand, 
  and 
  the 
  con- 
  

   tent 
  of 
  the 
  sediments 
  and 
  the 
  ocean 
  solutions 
  on 
  the 
  other, 
  are 
  great 
  

   features 
  that 
  have 
  guiding 
  value, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  too 
  general 
  to 
  cover 
  

   with 
  adequate 
  accuracy 
  the 
  sub-cycles 
  that 
  make 
  up 
  the 
  real 
  history. 
  

   The 
  correlation 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  is 
  too 
  largely 
  conditioned 
  by 
  the 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  and 
  speed 
  of 
  the 
  constituent 
  cycles 
  to 
  be 
  successfully 
  dealt 
  with. 
  

   It 
  is 
  especially 
  affected 
  by 
  the 
  reversals 
  from 
  the 
  liquid 
  to 
  the 
  solid 
  

   state 
  which 
  take 
  place 
  during 
  the 
  passages 
  from 
  rock 
  to 
  soil, 
  from 
  

   soil 
  to 
  fresh-water 
  solutions, 
  or 
  to 
  colloids 
  and 
  turbid 
  suspensions, 
  

   and 
  from 
  these 
  to 
  the 
  concentrated 
  sea 
  solutions 
  in 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  

   the 
  sea. 
  The 
  deductions 
  drawn 
  from 
  such 
  a 
  complication 
  of 
  cycles 
  

   differ 
  in 
  very 
  important 
  respects 
  from 
  the 
  deductions 
  drawn 
  from 
  

   a 
  simple 
  matching 
  of 
  the 
  content 
  of 
  the 
  igneous 
  rocks 
  with 
  the 
  con- 
  

   tent 
  of 
  the 
  ocean 
  solutions 
  and 
  the 
  sediments. 
  

  

  Now, 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  sodium, 
  it 
  is, 
  of 
  course, 
  recognized 
  that 
  it 
  

   returns 
  to 
  the 
  solid 
  state 
  in 
  less 
  degree 
  than 
  potassium, 
  magnesium, 
  

   and 
  calcium. 
  It 
  is 
  held, 
  nevertheless, 
  on 
  good 
  evidence, 
  that 
  the 
  

   sodium 
  does 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  solid 
  state 
  in 
  minor 
  equilibrium 
  degree 
  and 
  

   is 
  recounted. 
  The 
  reactions 
  involved 
  are 
  controlled 
  by 
  the 
  law 
  of 
  

   mass 
  action 
  and 
  the 
  mutual 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  constituents 
  on 
  one 
  another. 
  

   The 
  reactions 
  are 
  particularly 
  affected 
  by 
  the 
  degrees 
  of 
  concentra- 
  

   1 
  ion, 
  which 
  are 
  very 
  low 
  in 
  the 
  fresh-water 
  solutions 
  and 
  quite 
  high 
  

   in 
  the 
  sea 
  solutions. 
  The 
  trend 
  of 
  the 
  reactions 
  is 
  toward 
  equilibrium 
  

   between 
  the 
  constituents, 
  not 
  toward 
  any 
  exclusive 
  or 
  monopolistic 
  

   combination. 
  Specifically, 
  it 
  is 
  held 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  concentra- 
  

   t 
  ion 
  favors 
  the 
  sodium, 
  it 
  will 
  displace 
  either 
  potassium, 
  magnesium, 
  

   or 
  calcium, 
  and 
  that 
  such 
  displacements 
  take 
  place 
  as 
  a 
  standard 
  fea- 
  

   ture 
  in 
  the 
  processes 
  of 
  disintegration 
  and 
  solution, 
  though 
  only 
  in 
  an 
  

   appropriate 
  minor 
  degree. 
  

  

  Let 
  us 
  now 
  turn 
  to 
  such 
  determinations 
  as 
  are 
  available 
  for 
  testing 
  

   the 
  validity 
  of 
  these 
  contrasted 
  interpretations. 
  

  

  Discrepancies 
  in 
  the 
  matching 
  of 
  igneous 
  rocks 
  with 
  sediments 
  

   and 
  solutions. 
  — 
  The 
  differences 
  between 
  the 
  content 
  of 
  the 
  igneous 
  

   rocks 
  and 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  sediments 
  and 
  the 
  salts 
  of 
  the 
  ocean 
  have 
  been 
  

  

  