﻿IS 
  THE 
  EARTH 
  GROWING 
  OLD? 
  ' 
  

  

  By 
  Josef 
  Felix 
  Pompeckj 
  

  

  When 
  geology 
  treats 
  of 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  earth, 
  it 
  bears 
  in 
  mind 
  

   only 
  a 
  portion, 
  indeed 
  only 
  a 
  very 
  modest 
  fraction 
  of 
  the 
  period 
  

   of 
  the 
  earth's 
  existence. 
  This 
  relates 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  taken 
  for 
  the 
  

   formation 
  of 
  only 
  the 
  outer 
  shell 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  earth's 
  globe, 
  where 
  

   there 
  lies 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  geological 
  exploration. 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  evaluation 
  of 
  that 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  which 
  elapsed 
  from 
  

   the 
  very 
  beginning 
  of 
  this 
  earth 
  to 
  its 
  present 
  state 
  we 
  have 
  no 
  

   certain 
  basis, 
  no 
  sufficiently 
  sure 
  means 
  for 
  estimations. 
  The 
  con- 
  

   fines 
  of 
  the 
  universe 
  provide 
  no 
  further 
  help 
  than 
  such 
  as 
  can 
  be 
  

   gained 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  hypothetical 
  evolution 
  of 
  the 
  stars 
  based 
  

   upon 
  the 
  phenomena 
  of 
  the 
  meteors, 
  the 
  planets, 
  the 
  suns, 
  and 
  the 
  

   varied 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  nebula). 
  Though 
  such 
  ideas 
  rest 
  upon 
  physical 
  

   laws, 
  nevertheless 
  they 
  are 
  purely 
  hypothetical. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  

   for 
  observation 
  by 
  mankind, 
  so 
  far 
  elapsed, 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  sufficient 
  

   for 
  us 
  to 
  have 
  convincing 
  observations 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  

   a 
  star. 
  Even 
  the 
  " 
  novae 
  " 
  give 
  us 
  no 
  clue 
  ; 
  in 
  their 
  short 
  life 
  of 
  

   brilliancy 
  we 
  gain 
  knowledge 
  only 
  of 
  an 
  all 
  too 
  short 
  catastrophic 
  

   episode 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  a 
  giant 
  star, 
  knowing 
  nothing 
  of 
  the 
  star's 
  life 
  

   previous 
  to 
  the 
  catastrophy. 
  

  

  Whatever 
  hypothesis 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  we 
  

   keep 
  in 
  the 
  foreground 
  for 
  the 
  following 
  details, 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  

   the 
  earth, 
  in 
  point 
  of 
  time, 
  begins 
  with 
  the 
  moment 
  recorded 
  for 
  

   us 
  by 
  the 
  oldest 
  observed 
  rocks. 
  

  

  What 
  we 
  know 
  of 
  the 
  rocks 
  of 
  this 
  outer 
  layer 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  — 
  

   with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  relatively 
  few 
  and 
  quantitatively 
  trivial 
  samples 
  

   from 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  oceans 
  — 
  relates 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  continents 
  and 
  

   islands. 
  In 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  earth's 
  whole 
  bulk, 
  these 
  rocks 
  are 
  

   an 
  extraordinarily 
  small 
  portion. 
  

  

  We 
  can 
  penetrate 
  into 
  the 
  earth's 
  crust 
  only 
  a 
  little 
  over 
  214 
  

   kilometers, 
  about 
  one 
  two-thousand-and-eight-hundredths 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  1 
  A 
  discourse 
  (introductory 
  paragraphs 
  omitted) 
  delivered 
  in 
  tlie 
  new 
  haU 
  of 
  the 
  Royal 
  

   Frederick-William 
  University, 
  Berlin, 
  by 
  the 
  rector 
  on 
  Aug. 
  3, 
  1926, 
  at 
  the 
  celebration 
  held 
  

   in 
  memory 
  of 
  its 
  founder. 
  Translated 
  and 
  published 
  by 
  permission. 
  

  

  255 
  

  

  