282 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 



of the Upper Rhine differed from those obtained previously. The curves 

 showing the distribution of the temperature at depths exceeding 1,000 m. 

 were almost straight lines, the geothermal degree being almost constant 

 and equal to about 25 m. 



Note on Temperature Gradients in the Permian Basin. 

 By Walter B. Lang. 



Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, vol. 20, no. 7, 1930, 



pp. 121-123. 



Lang discusses the temperature tests made in one of the wells in New 

 Mexico (Transcontinental-McWhorten No. 1. Sec. 6, T. 3, S., R. 22 E., 

 De Baca County) and notes the influence of halite and anhydrite sediments, 

 which are characteristic for this region, on the temperature gradients. 



The varying behaviour of the isogeotherms of any region can be explained 

 by differences of rock conductivity. Owing to the fact that critical data 

 of the sort necessary to determine the influence of rock conductivities in 

 general upon temperature gradients do not exist, the author proposes that, 

 in order to solve the geothermal problem, as many data as possible on the 

 thermal conductivity of rocks as they exist under natural conditions be 

 collected. 



The Internal Temperature of the Earth's Crust 

 By Frank M. Gentry. 

 Science, vol. 70, no. 1814, 1929, pp. 332-334. 



Taking into consideration that the linear gradient of i° F. in 55 ft. is not 

 satisfactory because it leads to large errors even at shallow depths, and that 

 Kelvin's equation, although of considerable theoretical background, does 

 not take account of internal heating which may arise from causes other than 

 the original molten conditions (such, for example, as those of radioactivity, 

 chemical activity, etc.), Gentry discusses in this article the possibility of 

 obtaining equations to represent the average temperature gradient of the 

 earth's crust. 



According to the author the calculations of temperature in the earth's 

 crust made with equations derived by him check exceedingly well, on the 

 whole, with the temperature measurements that have been made by van 

 Orstrand, Hallock and others on the world's deepest wells. He adds that, 

 of course, care must be exercised in applying the formulas to oil and 

 artesian wells, unless the depth of the source of flow be accurately known, 

 for, if the seepage is from a greater depth than the bottom of the well, the 

 temperature of the discharge will be far higher than the computed quantity. 

 On the other hand, if the well taps a fissure short of the bottom, the tempera- 

 ture of discharge will be less than the computed value. Departures from 

 the computed values may be attributed also to variations in the thermal 

 conductivity of the rock. 



Geothermal Determinations in the Wells Tesp IV in Kalusz (in Polish) 



By S. Zych and A. Tabor. 



Institutde Geophysique et de Me'te'orologie de VUniversite de Lwow (Poland). 

 Communications, vol. 3, no. 32, 1928, pp. 886-892. 



The authors give a table showing the temperatures at different depths 

 according to observations made in wells Tesp IV in Kalusz. The figures, 



