GEOLOGY. 123 



earth's laminae cannot have a similar bearing over the 

 whole earth. They can only have a long tract extending 

 in the same direction in individual mountain-chains. 

 This does not, however, exclude a parallel strike and dip 

 occurring in some wholly different quarter of the world ; 

 it must indeed occur, and in such instances we meet 

 with the opposing sides or edges of the earth's nucleus. 



554. The earth has without doubt originated ac- 

 cording to the law r s of the polyhedron, which represents 

 in the nearest manner the globe. The polyhedron of 

 the globe is the rhomboidal dodecahedron. 



555. The land cannot therefore have an equal eleva- 

 tion everywhere above the water, because the crystal 

 consists of edges, angles, and surfaces or sides. The 

 mountain tops are probably the angles, the mountain 

 ridges or chains the edges, the plains the lateral surfaces 

 of the crystal. 



556. Several mountain-chains run parallel, but inter- 

 rupted, with the equator. This parallelism extends to 

 the most temperate zones. Then follow oblique moun- 

 tain-chains, as the Carpathian, Alps, Pyrenees. Lastly, 

 mountain-chains pass from the poles to the equator, as 

 the Sewo, Ural and Altai mountains. Subordinate 

 mountain-chains unite the latter transversely and the 

 former in the direction of the meridian. The earth is 

 probably a regular net of crystal edges and angles, and 

 thus of crystal surfaces also. 



PRIMARY VALLEYS. 



557. Although the earth maybe regarded as originally 

 a crystal, that consists of level surfaces, edges and angles, 

 wide fissures may still have originated between its 

 laminae, such as we see in large crystals of felspar. These 

 fissures or gaps are the primary valleys. 



558. There must be therefore valleys or parallel val- 

 leys, which probably extend for hundreds of miles, and 

 are many miles deep Longitudinal valleys. 



559. The laminae of the earth had 'without doubt 

 transverse fissures, which have been called hidden pas- 



