DEFORMATIONS 201 



and other physical properties, and so tliese important sources of reor- 

 ganization involving more or less diastrophism should have been retained 

 almost intact. More or less of air and water should have been entrapped 

 in the growing clastic mass, and these should have helped to fit the mix- 

 ture for eruptive action later, when the conditions of vulcanism arose. 



The long Series of successive Deformations 



The potential resources of diastrojDhism entrapped in the growing earth 

 should have begun to take on the early phases of actual diastrophism as 

 soon as appreciable pressure was brought to bear on the loose material 

 by the weight of added layers, and this initial diastrophism should have 

 been followed at intervals by a long series of like partial self-compressive 

 actions brought successively into function as the mass grew. These 

 would gi\e rise to various forms of cumulative distortion, local and gen- 

 eral. It is immaterial to the general purposes of this discussion just how 

 the deformations took place, beyond the basal fact that it was the dis- 

 tortion of solid matter. Probably the whole series of distortional methods 

 were involved. Probably even partial liquefaction, as it arose here and 

 there, gradually and selectively, gave rise to new distributions of stresses 

 and led on to diastrophism of the enveloping and interstitial solid matter. 

 It is a vital part of the doctrine here urged that the growing globe was 

 kneaded by the rhythmical action of imposed forces, and squeezed the 

 interstitial fluent matter out into the colder zone or quite to the surface. 

 This action would, in its own fashion, contribute to new differentiations 

 and new distortions of the associated solid parts, and so be a cooperating 

 factor in diastrophism. 



The early and persistent Development of Surface 

 Differentiation 



One of the early effects of deformation thus instituted should have been 

 the development of surface reliefs of the same general types as those that 

 accident the surface today. These surface reliefs must have had their 

 inevitable effects on the currents of the atmosphere and of the hydro- 

 sphere, as these grew up with the growing earth. These currents in their 

 turn should have reacted on the surface features much as they do now. 

 The whole complex of surfieial agencies should thus have begun their 

 intricate and mutually reaetional work. The later incoming matter must, 

 tlien, have been more and more differentiated by these growing surfieial 

 agencies. They thus continued to cooperate with the volcanic and dias- 

 trophic actions that spring from the deeper liorizons, so long as growth 

 continued to be effective. With little doubt, a maximum of differentia- 



