3 So T. C. CHAMBERLIN 



transfer and redeposit of molecules. The absence of the oxida- 

 tion of the iron accords with internal conditions, and also with 

 the supposed absence of atmospheres from small planets, 

 asteroids, and satellites. In short, every feature of the meteor- 

 ites, save, of course, the external effects of fragmentation and 

 of heating during their fall through the atmosphere, is assignable 

 to small planetary bodies riven into fragments without great 

 heat and, by reason of this, retaining the varied structure attained 

 in the parent body. 



As previously indicated, the disruption of a body like the 

 earth, the main mass of which has a temperature much above 

 the melting point of its substances at low pressures, and which 

 is greatly compressed within by self-gravity, would doubtless 

 cause it to burst forth into a luminous body with perhaps some 

 dispersive violence. The progressive stages of distortion which 

 take origin in simple tidal protuberances and grow to greater 

 and greater degrees of deformation and crustal fissuring, until 

 the final stage of disruption is reached, could scarcely fail to 

 bring some parts of the ocean into contact with some parts of 

 the heated interior, with inevitable Krakatoan consequences. 

 Fragments of the crust under these conditions might possibly 

 give origin to meteorites, but the probabilities of such fragments 

 being projected beyond the 640,000 miles of the earth's domi- 

 nant influence, or beyond the similar spheres of influence of 

 other massive planets, would not seem to be great ; and, if real- 

 ized, the fragments would doubtless be reduced to dust, as in 

 the case of the Krakatoan explosion, and this state of minute 

 division would exclude such meteorites from recognition except 

 as vanishing shooting stars. The probabilities are that the 

 matter of a disrupted earth or a similar massive planet would 

 be again assembled into a planetary body by its strong self- 

 gravity. The phenomenon would therefore be that of a tempo- 

 rary star. Assuming considerable dispersion, it might be rather 

 brilliant for a time, but would rapidly cool as the result of such 

 dispersion, and soon sink into invisibility. In the case of such 

 a body ■&.'?> Jupiter, accepting current doctrine as to his nature, the 



