DISCOVERY 



17» 



This, then, is the life-cycle of the great earth 

 synclines — first oceanic troughs, then mountain zones, 

 then troughs again. The last fate, as we have said, 

 of the geosyncline is to become rigid and dead,^ the 

 cement of continental blocks. The world is probably 

 now in a geosynclinal stage, and at least two, and 

 probablv three, cycles such as have been described 

 make up geological history. 



The plastic zones show throughout the ages a remark- 

 able permanence of position. Mountains arise where 

 mountains have stood, and oceans repeat oceans. 

 The new mountain zone swallows up the old, builds 

 upon the foundations, and with the materials of the 

 old, and where this is not completely the case the old 

 worn-down stumps are awakened, pressed up again 

 by the new movements into life. Thus while the 

 continents possess the permanence of stability, the 

 plastic zones possess a permanence of change. 



An Epoch-making Theory? 



If Kober's theories are substantiated, many current 

 notions wDl have to be revised. The great (hypo- 

 thetical) land-bridges between South America, Africa, 

 and Australia, between Africa and Europe, will be 

 heard of no more.- Many theories as to detailed 

 features of the earth's structure (e.g. those concerning 

 the great Central Asiatic mountain-systems, the great 

 African Rift Valley, the Atlantic Ocean) will need 

 modification. Into these we cannot enter here. Nor 

 shall we indicate the larger inferences drawn by Kober 

 as to the general structure of the earth, except to say 

 that he arrives at an octahedron, that is, a solid figure 

 contained by eight faces, of which the flat faces are 

 not the oceans ^ but the great land masses. Interesting 

 as these speculations are, they must probably await 

 the establishment of their premises. 



It is possible that Kober's book marks an epoch ; 

 that in its field it represents a Newtonian achievement. 

 Kober himself is fully aware of the incompleteness and 

 insecurity of much of his evidence, but this makes 

 his confidence the more impressive. Critics will 

 perhaps think his building-plans outrun his materials, 

 that construction has been pushed to insecure heights. 

 Kober himself regards his book as an essay, and hopes 

 it will stimulate investigation. This, it is safe to say, 

 it wUl do. If, like Kober's own orogene system, his 



' Except that, as pointed out below, such " congealed " 

 orogene zones are peculiarly liable to fracture, to be reawakened 

 by pressure in later ages. 



- Kober is not unmindful of paljeontological evidence, but 

 he is summary in this respect. We surmise that he will have 

 ultimately to reckon seriously with the biological aspects of 

 his theories. 



' In the well-known "tetrahedral " theory as expounded by 

 Green, Gregory, and others, the flat faces of the hypothetical 

 tetrahedron are the oceans. 



theory sinks back into the great geosyncline of oblivion, 

 none the less it will have been a splendid achievement 

 of intellect. We strongly suspect that it will not sink 

 back, that it will become the cement of continents of 

 knowledge. 



On Ford Cars to Siwa 

 Oasis 



By Major W. T. Blake 



Three thousand years ago the oasis of Siwa was one 

 "of the most famous places in the world. ]| Now it has 

 lost its fame, and is indeed unknown even by name to 

 the majority of people, but in interest and beauty it 

 still retains its position. Rock tombs containing 

 mummies, beautiful date and olive groves, the ruined 

 temple of Jupiter Ammon, hoards of buried treasure 

 and lost emerald-mines, all contribute to the interest 

 of Siwa, whilst the people themselves are of the Senussi 

 breed, the most fanatical of all Mohammedans, for 

 it was here that Sidi Mohammed Ben AH, the founder 

 of the sect, settled in 1838, making it his headquarters. 

 Owing to its position, over 200 miles from the sea 

 and about 400 miles west of the Nile, and to the fact 

 that it is thus surrounded by the inhospitable desert 

 of the Sahara, it has long remained inaccessible to the 

 traveller. From Alexandria or Cairo it is a fifteen-day 

 journey by camel. Now, the coming of the aeroplane 

 and the Ford car have altered matters, and it was by 

 Ford that I recently made a journey across the desert 

 to this remote oasis. 



The Recently Formed Desert Touring Club 



In Egypt an organisation has been created called the 

 ■' Desert Touring Club," which has as its object the ex 

 ploration of little-known parts of the desert by means 

 of Ford cars. The journey to Siwa was the first big 

 trip that was undertaken. The party consisted of nine 

 people, all, with the exception of myself, residents in 

 Egypt, and set off from Alexandria in three Fords of 

 standard type, except that the bodies had been removed 

 and replaced by shallow platforms. Each car carried 

 three people, petrol for 1,000 miles, water, food, arms, 

 and camp equipment. On the second stage of the 

 journey a further addition was made to the party in 

 the shape of Suleiman, a Bedouin guide provided by 

 the Government authorities, to help the expedition 

 across the open desert. 



We left Alexandria at dawn, making for Mersa 

 Matruh, some 200 miles west along the African coast. 

 This spot was one of Cleopatra's favourite resorts, and 



