CHAPTER IX 

 THE CHILDHOOD OF THE EARTH 



CC 1 us now sum up the various stages in the early 

 growth of the earth, as most geologists believe 

 them to have occurred. 



The first stage was that when the earth, shining like 

 a star, existed as a fluid globe surrounded by heavy 

 vapours of great thickness, which contained the future 

 waters of the globe. 



Then began the second era of the earth's existence, 

 when it was a hot solid globe solid at any rate at 

 the surface, and with a temperature of about 2500 F. 

 The globe's atmosphere still contained all the waters 

 of the earth. It contained all the carbonic acid gas 

 which now exists in the limestones and in coal and 

 other minerals containing carbon. It contained also 

 all the oxygen since shut up in the rocks and in 

 vegetation and in animal substances. Such an at- 

 mosphere was probably at least two hundred times 

 as great as the atmosphere which now surrounds the 

 earth. 



Then followed an epoch when great volcanic action 

 set in. We have partially described it already. Just 



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