201) THE OCEAN. [Book IX. 



and grinding of the broken edges, by the overwhelm- 

 ing lateral pressure caused by gravitation, leaves 

 scarcely a trace of the former stratified order, but 

 leaves mass piled on mass in vast confusion, forming 

 this huge mountain range along the course of the 

 crack. And, more than this : the outer crust of the 

 earth had hitherto been in a great measure self-sup- 

 porting, its weight resting upon itself laterally in all 

 parts, so that the interior parts of the earth were in 

 the same measure relieved from the weight of its 

 inward pressure. That is, inward pressure had been 

 changing to lateral pressure, in proportion as the 

 hardening surface of the earth offered increased 

 resistance to the power of gravitation. But when 

 the hardening surface of the earth, becoming more 

 brittle, had bent upwards as far as it could without 

 breaking, it at length breaks along the top of the 

 ridge, and, in proportion with the loss of lateral 

 support thus caused, the weight of the adjacent parts 

 of the surface press inwards ; and, the inner parts of 

 the earth bemg in a state of liquid heat, the increased 

 weight pressing upon the fluid part forces the fluid 

 matter upwards through the fissures in the crack ; 

 and thus, in some places, mountain ranges of un- 

 stratified rock are formed as the fluid hardens on the 

 surface ; but here the accumulation of broken masses 

 of stratified matter is so enormous that this part of 

 the range seems to consist of nothing else. The 

 stratified surface to the east of the crack has here 



