﻿AGE 
  OF 
  THE 
  EARTH 
  CHAMBERLIN 
  AND 
  OTHERS. 
  259 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  much 
  NaCl, 
  as 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  sea 
  water, 
  ocean 
  shore 
  de- 
  

   posits 
  would 
  undoubtedly 
  absorb 
  considerable 
  NaCl 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  the 
  

   colloids 
  were 
  in 
  equilibrium 
  with 
  the 
  sea 
  water. 
  If 
  the 
  material 
  were 
  then 
  

   formed 
  into 
  a 
  shale 
  and 
  elevated 
  to 
  land 
  areas, 
  the 
  induration 
  would 
  presum- 
  

   ably 
  destroy 
  the 
  colloidal 
  properties, 
  leaving 
  the 
  NaCl 
  free 
  from 
  its 
  colloidal 
  

   entanglements, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  change 
  of 
  the 
  solvent 
  from 
  sea 
  water 
  to 
  rain 
  

   water 
  equilibrium 
  conditions 
  would 
  be 
  expected 
  to 
  remove 
  readily 
  a 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  amount 
  of 
  the 
  NaCl, 
  while 
  the 
  K 
  2 
  would 
  be 
  largely 
  retained 
  on 
  the 
  

   weathering 
  of 
  the 
  shale 
  and 
  the 
  reformation 
  of 
  colloids 
  resulting 
  therefrom. 
  

  

  From 
  these 
  authoritative 
  statements 
  of 
  present 
  knowledge 
  and 
  

   opinion 
  ; 
  from 
  the 
  early 
  experiments 
  of 
  Way, 
  Eichhorn, 
  Kullenberg, 
  

   Voelcker, 
  Lemberg, 
  and 
  others, 
  in 
  mingling 
  soils 
  with 
  salt 
  solutions 
  

   and 
  in 
  passing 
  salt 
  solutions 
  through 
  soils, 
  and 
  from 
  many 
  inter- 
  

   mediate 
  experiments 
  cited 
  by 
  Sullivan, 
  26 
  there 
  is 
  left 
  little 
  ground 
  for 
  

   doubt 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  acid 
  radicals 
  previously 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  basic 
  

   radicals 
  under 
  conditions 
  of 
  very 
  low 
  concentration, 
  again 
  meet 
  basic 
  

   radicals 
  under 
  conditions 
  of 
  high 
  concentration 
  in 
  the 
  ocean 
  off 
  the 
  

   mouths 
  of 
  the 
  streams, 
  reunion 
  takes 
  place 
  in 
  equilibrium 
  propor- 
  

   tions. 
  The 
  experiments 
  of 
  Lemberg 
  are 
  particularly 
  instructive 
  on 
  

   this 
  point. 
  He 
  treated 
  potassium-aluminum 
  silicates 
  with 
  sodium- 
  

   chloride 
  solutions 
  of 
  different 
  degrees 
  of 
  concentration, 
  and 
  after 
  

   thoroughly 
  washing 
  the 
  solid 
  material 
  so 
  treated 
  found 
  that 
  potas- 
  

   sium 
  had 
  been 
  replaced 
  by 
  sodium 
  in 
  increased 
  quantities 
  as 
  the 
  

   concentration 
  of 
  the 
  sodium 
  solution 
  was 
  increased. 
  Complete 
  re- 
  

   placement 
  of 
  the 
  potassium 
  by 
  the 
  sodium 
  did 
  not 
  take 
  place, 
  but 
  

   only 
  replacement 
  to 
  the 
  degree 
  required 
  by 
  the 
  law 
  of 
  equilibrium. 
  

   Now 
  if, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  laboratory 
  results, 
  we 
  recall 
  that 
  in 
  former 
  

   times 
  salt 
  water 
  was 
  freshened 
  for 
  use 
  by 
  passing 
  it 
  through 
  soil, 
  

   the 
  periodic 
  flooding 
  of 
  the 
  border 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  ocean 
  by 
  soil 
  wash 
  

   from 
  the 
  lands 
  may 
  be 
  looked 
  upon 
  as 
  a 
  natural 
  process 
  of 
  salt- 
  

   water 
  freshening. 
  As 
  there 
  was 
  wash 
  from 
  all 
  the 
  lands, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  

   shales 
  formed 
  from 
  the 
  wash 
  products 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  make 
  up 
  much 
  

   the 
  largest 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  sediments, 
  the 
  process 
  was 
  really 
  one 
  of 
  

   great 
  magnitude. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  recombinations 
  are 
  divided 
  among 
  the 
  constituents 
  in 
  ac- 
  

   cordance 
  with 
  the 
  law 
  of 
  equilibrium, 
  the 
  sodium 
  gets 
  a 
  smaller 
  

   share 
  than 
  the 
  potassium, 
  but 
  it 
  gets 
  a 
  share. 
  From 
  the 
  imperfect 
  

   evidence 
  one 
  may 
  guess 
  that 
  the 
  sodium 
  recombines 
  to 
  a 
  third 
  or 
  a 
  

   fourth 
  of 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  potassium, 
  but 
  whether 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  than 
  

   this 
  proportion, 
  it 
  seems 
  clear 
  that 
  enough 
  sodium 
  reunites 
  with 
  the 
  

   acid 
  radicals 
  in 
  their 
  solid 
  state 
  to 
  vitiate 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  sodium 
  solutions 
  

   as 
  a 
  criterion 
  of 
  age. 
  This 
  is 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  present 
  issue 
  requires 
  me 
  

   to 
  go. 
  Doubtless 
  other 
  cycles 
  follow 
  in 
  the 
  sea 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  sedi- 
  

  

  39 
  Eugene 
  C. 
  Sullivan, 
  " 
  The 
  interaction 
  between 
  minerals 
  and 
  water 
  solutions, 
  with 
  

   special 
  reference 
  to 
  geologic 
  phenomena," 
  Bull. 
  No. 
  312, 
  U. 
  S. 
  Geol. 
  Surv. 
  (1907), 
  pp. 
  

   7-62. 
  

  

  