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NA TURE 



[May 6, 1922 



illustrated by an earthquake near Oomati (Shinano), 

 in which the first movement was inwards on the 

 south-eastern side of the epicentre and outwards on 

 the north-western side. There appears also to be a 

 third type, though not yet well established, in which 

 the first movement is mainly inwards in all directions 

 from the epicentre. 



The Earth's Interior. — The planetesimal hypo- 

 thesis of the aggregation of the earth is now so justly 

 associated with the name of T. C. Chamberlin that 

 his " Study of fundamental problems of Geology " 

 (Carnegie Institution of Washington, 15th Ann. Rep., 

 p. 412, 1 921) has a very wide interest. Continuing 

 his arguments as to the structure and behaviour of a 

 contracting globe formed of solid mineral aggregates, 

 he remarks on the effects of pressure in generating 

 silicates of high density even within the limits of the 

 earth's outer layers. Without actually predicting 

 the occurrence of still denser compounds, formed of 

 familiar types of crustal molecules, towards the 

 earth's interior, he states that " there seems no need 

 to assume the presence of an amount of metal, or 

 other intrinsically heavy material, greater than is 

 implied by the planetary evidence already cited." 



' Tertiary Fossii s of Burma. — Comparative dia- 

 gnoses of Pleurotomidae, and of Conidae and Cancel- 

 lariidae from the Tertiary formations of Burma form 

 two consecutive papers by E. Vredenburg in the 

 Records of the Geological Survey of India, vol. 53, 

 1921, pp. 83-141, illustrated by four excellent photo- 

 gravure plates by S. C. Mondel. These two papers 

 are in continuation of a previous one on the Tere- 

 bridae, by the same author, that appeared in vol. 51, 

 and consist mainly of descriptions of new species. 

 One of these, Mangilia [sic] [Clathurella) quinque- 

 angularis, it is claimed " does not resemble any 

 previously described shell either fossil or recent." 

 To the palaeontologist this work will be invaluable, 

 but the systematic conchologist will wish that the 

 writings of later authors than Cossmann, whose big 

 publication Vredenburg has evidently followed, had 

 not been entirely ignored. Both Prof. Dall in 

 America, and Iredale in this country, have advanced 

 our kuowledge of these groups since Cossmann dealt 

 with them. 



Oil Shale as a Source of Gasoline. — The 

 Journal of the Franklin Institute for March 1922 

 contains a paper by Prof. R. H. McKee on Gasoline 

 from Oil Shale, in which he outlines the processes 

 of extraction of petroleum from shale, and the possi- 

 bilities of developing a successful industry in the 

 United States. The text of the paper is not new ; 

 as usual, the Scotch Shale Industry is described as 

 a " type," and modifications of method and practice 

 are suggested for the treatment of American raw 

 material. The significance of the paper lies not so 

 much in the principles it seeks to enunciate, but in 

 the warning it contains regarding the gradual decline 

 in production of natural oil in America, and the 

 corresponding need for activity in development 

 of the oil-shale resources of that country. The 

 importation of petroleum from Mexico into the 

 United States, for example, increases annually, in 

 order to help meet the demand both for motor spirit 

 and for petroleum products ; as Mexico is regarded 

 by many (and evidently by the author) as a short- 

 lived field, the position in America is likely to become 

 critical within the next decade. Sooner or later a 

 drastic scheme of conservation of the oil resources 

 of the United States for national requirements must 



eventuate, and before this happens the oil-shale 

 industry and the utilisation of other material as a 

 source of fuel, must be well established in that 

 country. It is well known that there are many 

 technical difficulties arising in connection with the 

 extraction of oil from shale, and that the methods 

 employed in Scotland are not suited to all kinds of 

 shale, especially some of the western American 

 varieties. It is to the solution of these difficulties 

 that American experts are now turning their attention, 

 and research is being assiduously carried on in the 

 Chemical Engineering Department of Columbia Uni- 

 versity, New York City, under the author's direction, 

 with the view of studying the fundamental factors on 

 which the industry must be based. Similar work is 

 also in progress at the Colorado School of Mines, 

 under the direction of Dr. V. C. Alderson, the well- 

 known authority on oil shale. 



Agriculture in India. — The thirty-sixth issue 

 of the Agricultural Statistics of India, for 1919-1920, 

 sets forth most comprehensively the details relative 

 to the position of agricultural affairs. The rainfall 

 on the whole was normal or excessive, no deficit 

 being reported for any area. Following on a marked 

 depression in 1918-1919, the period under review 

 shows a general recovery, though the high-water 

 mark of 1916-1918 was not reached. The area sown 

 was 255 million acres, of which 211 millions were under 

 food crops and 44 milUons under others. A consider- 

 able increase in the area sown occurred in the North- 

 west and West and in Burma, which more than 

 counterbalanced a drop in the Central Provinces and 

 Bengal. There was less variation in the acreage 

 of rice, cotton, and jute than in other crops, no less 

 than 79 million acres being under rice. While the 

 majority of crops are distributed more or less through- 

 out the country, the larger part of sugar-cane and wheat 

 is grown in the Punjab and United Provinces, tea in 

 Assam, and practically the whole of the jute in Bengal. 

 During the past ten years an increase of 18 millions 

 in livestock has been recorded, due entirely to the 

 larger number of bovine animals reared. In the 

 appendix to the report a useful list of crops is given, 

 with both vernacular and botanical names. 



Meteorology in the Netherland Indies. — A 

 general summary of " The Climate of the Netherland 

 Indies " is given by Dr. C. Braak— Verhandelingen, 

 No. 8, vol. i., parts i and 2. A short English summary 

 is given with each part. The most prominent feature 

 of the climate is said to be its monotony or its uni- 

 formity from day to day, for the moving low-pressure 

 systems common to the higher latitudes which 

 make the weather variable are practically unknown. 

 The most important weather changes are the varia- 

 tions of rainfall, and the monsoons cause a yearly 

 variation in the climate which is rather small in the 

 north but considerable in the south. It is stated that 

 the Malay Archipelago is the most typical monsoon 

 region of the world, the trade-wind systems being 

 disturbed by the influence of the continents of Asia 

 and Australia. Pilot balloon observations at Batavia 

 show that the west monsoon from December to 

 April reaches on an average to a height of 5000 m., 

 whilst from May to October easterly winds blow at 

 all levels up to 7 km. The monsoon wind on high 

 mountain tops is stronger at night than during the 

 day. Near the coast the land and sea breezes are 

 said to have a strong influence. Monthly charts are 

 given of the isobars and winds over the Archipelago 

 which show a complete reversal of meteorological 

 conditions during the year with the change of the 

 monsoon. 



NO. 2740, VOL. 109] 



