62 Frohahle Astronomical Causes of 



Spirit of God moved upon tlie face of the waters V And 

 can it be that, when " the fountains of the great deep were 

 broken up " at the succeeding flood of Noah, the yet unstable 

 crust of the earth sunk still further, thus, by suddenly 

 changing the centre of gravity, inducing another rush of 

 waters deluging the world ? 



It will be objected that, if the lessening of velocity 

 necessary to produce the phenomena spoken of was ever 

 manifested in the past, the same ought to be observable at 

 the present time. Astronomical observations are now carried 

 on with so much of precision that an almost infinitesimal 

 increase or decrease in the rate of the earth's diurnal motion 

 would soon be detected. An analogous objection was once urged 

 against the Copernican system. It was said that if the 

 earth really revolved around the Sun in an orbit many 

 millions of miles in diameter, the difference of place on the 

 part of the observer must, at two different periods of the 

 year, give rise to a great apparent displacement of the fixed 

 stars. The absence of parallax is, however, easily accounted 

 for, taking into consideration the vast distances of the 

 observed bodies. If, in astronomy, Sirius is so far removed 

 that 180 millions of miles, the diameter of the earth's orbit, 

 dwindles down to a point when viewed from that distant 

 star, may not geology deal with times so inconceivably 

 extended that any diminution in the earth's motion is not to 

 be discovered, although sought after during observations 

 extending over many centuries. 



It will be objected also that the amount of contraction 

 required to produce effects such as are witnessed in Victoria, 

 for example, would be so vast that no diminution in the 

 earth's rate of revolution would be likely to give rise to it. 

 It will not, however, follow that this crumpling of beds 

 extends completely round the earth in any one zone. 

 Crumpling of the crust could only take place where the 

 substratum was somewhat of a yielding nature. Take an 

 arch composed of alternate blocks of granite and soft brick, 

 and subject this arch to enormous pressure ; it will be the 

 bricks that will give way, whilst the blocks of granite will 

 be totally unaffected by the forces brought to bear. If, 

 over the outside of the whole .arch there be pasted layers of 

 paper, crumpling of these will occur on the compressible 

 brick portions only, and will remain undisturbed above the 

 harder granite. It may happen, therefore, that it is only in 

 the continental and island masses where such disturbances 



