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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LIV. No. 1408. 



not desirable. Many ridiculous hypotheses 

 have been advanced in geologic theory which 

 would never have escaped their authors' 

 minds had some knowledge of the more exact 

 sciences been there to hold their fancies in 

 check. Many of the problems at present 

 most obviously open for investigation are 

 those on the borderland between geology, and 

 physics or chemistry. This matter is stressed 

 because many brilliant students are repelled 

 from geology because of the nujnber of ques- 

 tions to which " probably " or " perhaps " 

 are the only safe answers. The converse of 

 this is also true, that many men with a love 

 of science have been attracted to this field 

 for the very reason that the personal equa- 

 tion can enter in; and by their gifts of ac- 

 curate observation, deduction and induction, 

 such men have been able to make most im- 

 portant contributions. 



OPPORTUNITIES IN GEOLOGY 



"Without attempting to make geology a sort 

 of scientific catch-all, it is, nevertheless, evi- 

 dent that there is room for men of very di- 

 verse scholastic leanings. The same is true 

 for occupational preferences; there are 

 governmental exploring parties whose range 

 of work extends from Alaska to Mexico; 

 there are expeditions to distant or imexplored 

 regions for commercial companies; there are 

 state surveys in 41 of the 48 states; there is 

 the teaching profession; and there is museum 

 work. Lastly, there are opportunities in vari- 

 ous endowed institutions, in some museums, 

 and a few universities, for uninterrupted re- 

 search. Geology not only appeals to men of 

 diverse scientific tastes, but offers each a 

 livelihood in the field of his choice. 



POSSIBLE LINES OF INVESTIGATION 



Some types of geologic investigation are 

 described below: 



First, there is investigation on the border- 

 land between physics, chemistry, and to a 

 certain extent astronomy, and geology. A 

 good idea of the type of problem attacked in 

 this field may be obtained from the list of 

 publications of the Geophysical Laboratory 



of the Carnegie Listitution. Here are such 

 headings as: 



Contributions to Cosmogony and the Funda- 

 mental Problems of Geology. The Tidal 

 and Other Problems. 

 An Investigation into the Elastic Constants 



of Eocks . . . 

 Significance of Glass-making Processes to 



the Petrologist. 

 Methods of Petrographic Microscopic Re- 

 search. 

 If a more detailed picture of the overlap of 

 geology and chemistry is desired, the student 

 need only glance through " The Data of 

 Geochemistry," Bulletin 616, United States 

 Geological Survey, where the almost endless 

 inter-ramification of the two sciences is well 

 illustrated. 



Second, there is that great mass of research 

 on the borderland between biology and geo- 

 graphy. Types of recent topics are: 

 The Fossil Turtles of North America. 

 Iron-bearing Bacteria and their Geologic Re- 

 lations. 

 Human Remains and Associated Fossils 



from the Pleistocene of Florida. 

 Distribution of Fossil Plants in Time and 



Space. 

 Such investigations have been carried out 

 under the auspices of government museums, 

 privately endowed museums, privately en- 

 dowed research institutions, the United States 

 Geological Survey, State Geological Surveys, 

 and universities, and by teachers utilizing 

 their spare time for independent research. 



Third, there is the decided trend of many 

 geologists toward research on the borderland 

 between geology and economics, a useful 

 field if competently filled. Of a recent book 

 " Coal, Iron and War," written by a geolo- 

 gist, a reviewer has said that it " cuts under 

 political and social facts " to the material in- 

 fluences which create them. 



Fourth, there is research in commercial 

 geology. There are two classes of commer- 

 cial workers — the consulting geologist and the 

 geologist in the employ of a single company. 

 The first to a certain extent controls his time 

 and has opportunity to devote considerable 



