158 T. C. Chamherlin — Relations of Geology to Physiography. 



Obvious as this seems upon mere statement, it is nevertheless, 

 true that the sculpturing of the land has been rather the last 

 than the first field systematically and adequately cultivated by 

 geologists, and contributions from it to geography and physi- 

 ograph}^ have been among the tardiest and thus far among the 

 most incomplete. 



The earlier efforts of geologists were largely bestowed on the 

 old strata that form tlie outer part of the crust and that were 

 produced by ancient deposition, and to the great wrinklings and 

 reliefs of the surface produced by the earth's internal forces. It 

 is only within recent years, perhaps we may be justified in sa}^- 

 ing only within the last decade or two, that the detailed pro- 

 cesses by which the surface contours, the drainage features, and 

 the agronomic adaptabilities were wrought out and are being 

 wrought out, have received systematic and anal3^tic study at the 

 hands of any considerable body of specialists. It is now, per- 

 haps for the first time in the history of the earth-study, possible 

 to teach effectively the processes by which surfaces take on the 

 forms they possess, and to read the history and the significance 

 of the physiognomy of the land. The face of the land has its 

 ages and stages as truly as does the face of man. It has its 

 babyhood, its youth, its maturity, its advancing age, its senility, 

 and its end. Ever}^ portion of the earth is in some one of these 

 ages or stages and is passing on to the next succeeding. There 

 may arise intercurrent events which cut off the history of a land- 

 scape as accidents cut off the histor}^ of a man, but a ncAV his- 

 tory begins and a new succession of stages is inaugurated. 

 Every part of the surface of the earth is, therefore, full of signifi- 

 cance. Every valle}^ every stream, is young or old, and is 

 working out a definite histor3^ Every hill and every mountain 

 is developing toward maturity or decadence. Every part of the 

 earth carries on its face a record of what is being done, of Avhat 

 has been done, and of what is to be clone, unless intercurrent 

 events cut off its natural progress. There is, therefore, a phj^si- 

 ognomy of the earth as well as a physiognomy of man, full of 

 interest, full of significance, full of bearings upon industry and 

 upon civilization. 



This new field, though chiefly opened up by the geologists, is 

 ground common to geography, physiography and geology. As 

 a field of original investigation it will doubtless remain largely 

 the possession of the geologists until there shall arise a special- 



