appendix: review and critique 485 



of coastline, while scores of thousands of coastline miles elsewhere exhibit 

 higher or lower terraces, then the assertion involves the assumption that 

 while the coasts having the standard terrace have stood still, all the 

 oceans and all the other coasts of the world have moved: and that seem? 

 unreasonable, 



De Lamothe appears to have followed Suess 13 in a preference for 

 eustatic over epirogenic changes. Important as was the analysis of the 

 earth's framework by the great Austrian geologist, Davis believes thai 

 certain of his conclusions regarding eustatic changes are valueless. For 

 instance, he based his belief in a recent and general sinking of ocean 

 level upon the reported occurrence of various elevated coral reefs, none 

 of which, he thought, had a greater altitude than 100 meters over present 

 sealevel; and he appears to have supported this belief by accepting the 

 occurrence of marks of marine action at a similar altitude on many 

 continental coasts in various latitudes, without inquiring whether all the 

 marks are of the same time value or not. But most of the coasts of 

 the world have not been shown to possess such uniform marks of marine 

 action ; and as to elevated coral reefs, they not only stand at very unlike 

 altitudes, varying from five or ten to over 1,000 feet, but they exhibit 

 great differences in the amount of erosion they have suffered since 

 their emergence. 



Davis concludes : 



"I am much interested in reaching a correct understanding of their behavior, 

 whatever it was, and I therefore emphasize the belief that what is now 

 needed in this problem is a critical discussion of the evidence on which a 

 correct understanding can be reached. In this particular case, I question the 

 validity of de Lamothe's conclusions because his discussion of that evidence 

 is altogether unconvincing ; he does not establish his postulates : indeed, he 

 hardly states what his postulates are, De Lamothe appears to trust entirely 

 the fact that the altitudes of marine and river terraces over a certain distance 

 along the southern coast of tbe Mediterranean show a fair measure of ac- 

 cordance with the vertical spacing of certain river terraces in Europe ; he 

 does not inquire whether similar coastal and river terraces occur elsewhere. 

 To de Lamothe. the area of uncertainty in his problem is not like a broad 

 upland with plenty of space for continued inquiry during a period of suspended 

 judgment, but like a very narrow ridge or fence., on which he cannot remain 

 in comfort and from which he therefore must descend into one of the two 

 alternative fields. The development of new conclusions from an asserted con- 

 clusion thus reached is unwise." 



13 Das Antlitz der Erde. 1888. ii. 399, 401, etc. 



