212 LIGHT SCIENCE FOR LEISURE HOURS. 



arose a mighty wave fifty feet high, and came in with 

 a fearful rush, carrying every thing before it in terrible 

 majesty. The whole of the shipping came back, speed- 

 ing toward inevitable doom. In a few minutes all was 

 completed every vessel was either on shore or bottom 

 upward." This, then, was undoubtedly the great sea- 

 wave, as compared with the minor waves of disturbance 

 which characterize all earthquakes near the shores of 

 the ocean. 



One remarkable feature in this terrible earthquake 

 is the enormous range of country affected by it. From 

 Quito southward as far as Iquique or, in other words, 

 for a distance considerably exceeding a full third part 

 of the whole length of the South American Andes 

 the. shock was felt with the most terrible distinctness. 

 "We have yet to learn how much farther to the north 

 and south, and how far inland on the eastern slopes of 

 the Andes, the shock was experienced. But there can 

 be little doubt that the disturbed country was equal to 

 at least a fourth of Europe. 



The portion of the Andes thus disturbed seems to 

 be distinct from the part to which the great Chilian 

 earthquakes belong. The difference in character be- 

 tween the Peruvian and Chilian earthquakes is a sin- 

 gular and interesting phenomenon. The difference 

 corresponds to a feature long since pointed out by Sir 

 Charles Lyell the alternation, 011 a grand scale, of 

 districts of active with those of extinct volcanoes. It 



