﻿Vol. 
  53.] 
  ANOTHER 
  POSSIBLE 
  CAUSE 
  OF 
  THE 
  GLACIAL 
  EPOCH. 
  107 
  

  

  6. 
  Another 
  Possible 
  Cause 
  of 
  the 
  Glacial 
  Epoch. 
  By 
  Prof. 
  

   Edward 
  Hull, 
  M.A., 
  LL.D., 
  E.P.S., 
  E.G.S. 
  (Read 
  

   December 
  2nd, 
  1896.) 
  

  

  [Abstract.] 
  

  

  In 
  tbe 
  introductory 
  portion 
  of 
  tbe 
  paper 
  tbe 
  Author 
  gives 
  an 
  

   account 
  of 
  the 
  submarine 
  topography 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  east 
  of 
  North 
  

   America, 
  and 
  summarizes 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  W. 
  Spencer's 
  work 
  upon 
  a 
  

   submerged 
  Antillean 
  continent 
  ; 
  he 
  then 
  deals 
  with 
  the 
  effects 
  

   which 
  would 
  be 
  produced 
  upon 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  by 
  the 
  uprising 
  of 
  

   this 
  continent 
  in 
  the 
  Glacial 
  Period, 
  and 
  maintains 
  that, 
  as 
  the 
  

   current 
  could 
  not 
  pass 
  into 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico 
  (being 
  debarred 
  

   by 
  a 
  coast 
  of 
  high 
  continental 
  land), 
  it 
  would 
  flow 
  directly 
  north- 
  

   wards 
  into 
  the 
  North 
  Atlantic, 
  and 
  thereby 
  be 
  deprived 
  of 
  about 
  

   10° 
  (Fahr.) 
  of 
  heat 
  : 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  practically 
  

   illustrated 
  by 
  supposing 
  the 
  isothermal 
  line 
  of 
  32° 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  

   place 
  of 
  that 
  of 
  42° 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  hemisphere. 
  He 
  argues 
  that 
  

   the 
  increased 
  snowfall 
  which 
  would 
  thus 
  be 
  caused 
  over 
  certain 
  

   areas 
  would 
  tend 
  to 
  intensify 
  the 
  cold 
  through 
  all 
  the 
  adjoining 
  

   tracts. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  effects 
  produced 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  must 
  be 
  added 
  those 
  due 
  to 
  

   the 
  elevation 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  of 
  Eastern 
  North 
  America 
  and 
  to 
  an 
  

   elevation 
  of 
  North-western 
  Europe, 
  which 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  have 
  

   occurred 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  Pliocene 
  times. 
  These 
  elevations 
  would 
  

   intensify 
  the 
  glaciation 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  difference 
  of 
  direction 
  taken 
  

   by 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream. 
  

  

  Discussion. 
  

  

  The 
  Pev. 
  Edwt^ 
  Hill, 
  while 
  welcoming 
  the 
  paper, 
  refrained 
  

   from 
  discussing 
  Prof. 
  Spencer's 
  views 
  or 
  the 
  influence 
  on 
  climate 
  of 
  

   the 
  Gulf 
  Stream. 
  There 
  remained 
  the 
  real 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  paper 
  — 
  a 
  

   suggestion 
  that 
  Prof. 
  Spencer's 
  views 
  involved 
  a 
  deviation 
  of 
  the 
  

   Stream 
  — 
  a 
  new 
  suggestion. 
  He 
  wished 
  to 
  know 
  the 
  grounds 
  for 
  

   the 
  estimated 
  reduction 
  of 
  temperature, 
  and 
  would 
  be 
  glad 
  to 
  have 
  

   a 
  comparison 
  between 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  in 
  such 
  conditions 
  and 
  the 
  

   present 
  North 
  Pacific 
  current 
  ; 
  also 
  a 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  effects 
  on 
  

   the 
  winds 
  which 
  cause 
  currents. 
  It 
  must 
  be 
  remembered, 
  moreover, 
  

   that 
  a 
  deviation 
  in 
  the 
  Stream 
  might 
  throw 
  more 
  of 
  it 
  onto 
  our 
  

   coasts. 
  A 
  good 
  review 
  of 
  the 
  question 
  would 
  be 
  valuable. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Blanford 
  agreed 
  with 
  the 
  previous 
  speaker 
  in 
  feeling 
  doubtful 
  

   whether 
  a 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  configuration 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  coast 
  would 
  

   prevent 
  a 
  warm 
  current 
  from 
  still 
  impinging 
  upon 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  

   North-western 
  Europe. 
  He 
  also 
  called 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  circumstance 
  

   that 
  evidence 
  of 
  Pleistocene 
  glaciation 
  was 
  not 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  

   neighbourhood 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic, 
  but 
  had 
  been 
  clearly 
  shown 
  to 
  exist 
  

   in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  — 
  for 
  instance, 
  the 
  Himalayas 
  and 
  New 
  

   Zealand. 
  The 
  speaker 
  expressed 
  his 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  main 
  cause 
  

   of 
  the 
  Glacial 
  Epoch 
  was 
  still 
  unknown. 
  

  

  The 
  Author, 
  in 
  reply 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Hill, 
  stated 
  that 
  he 
  could 
  not 
  dis- 
  

  

  