FAREWELL LECTURE 269 



ceding, or toward the horsts, in which the earher member was dis- 

 solved by sinking, and thus Europe has resulted through a succession 

 of younger and younger folds. 



Meanwhile, more and more light came regarding the strange 

 development which certain Mesozoic deposits, particularly the Trias- 

 sic of the Alps, show when compared to the north-lying lands, as 

 Wiirtemberg or Franconia. The observations in Asiatic highlands, 

 especially in the Himalayas, taught that this type of Triassic develop- 

 ment has a very wide distribution toward the east ; and it even became 

 possible to prove that directly across present Asia, from the existing 

 European Mediterranean to the Sunda Islands, there once extended 

 a continuous sea. This sea has, as you know, received the name 

 Tethys. The old continent along its southern side was named 

 Gondwana Land, and that on its northern side, Angara Land. The 

 present Mediterranean is a remnant of Tethys. 



This Mediterranean, however, consists of a series of areas of 

 diverse construction, and we have had opportunity to convince our- 

 selves that, since Middle Tertiary time, first a portion was separated, 

 as, for instance, the Danube plain, then a portion was added, as the 

 ^gean Sea. 



The progress of geological research during the last ten years, 

 however, has been so extremely great that a far more extensive knowl- 

 edge of the seas has become possible. They are of different kinds. 

 We examine a world-map, and thereby, in accordance with oft- 

 repeated warning, seek to guard against the deception which the dis- 

 tortion of Mercator's projection so easily produces. We see that, 

 with the exception of the two Chinese rivers, Yang-tse-kiang and 

 Hoang-ho, hardly another great stream finds its way to the Pacific 

 Ocean. All waters of the continents flow toward the Atlantic or 

 Indian Ocean. Many years ago the Russian General von Tillo 

 drew on a little map the watershed of the earth, and showed how 

 surprisingly small an amount of fresh water the Pacific receives. 



These two oceanic areas differ also in a feature of far greater 

 importance. At the beginning of these lectures I noted the remarka- 

 ble fact that from the mouth of the Ganges eastward to Cape Horn 

 the continents are bounded ocean-ward by long arcuate mountain 

 ranges, all of which appear to be moving toward the Pacific Ocean. 



