442 J. D. Dana—Results of the Earth's Contraction. 
here were irregularities or exceptional courses in connection 
with this system of movements and their effects. But these 
show only that in the same area the lateral pressure at work 
was not alike either in amount, or in direction, in different lati- 
tudes; nor was the resistance before it the same. 
The results correspond with the well-understood effects of 
lateral pressure. Suppose a long beam, having an even texture 
except that a portion toward the middle (say a sixth of the 
whole length) is stouter than the rest, to be subjected at its 
firmer than before, the next region of yielding would be just 
outside of the former. In brief, the fracturing would be in each 
case near the stouter portion of the beam. Moreover, the ex- 
tent of the yielding and fracture on each side would have some 
relation to the amount of pressure against that side. Just so 
has it been with the earth’s crust under the action of lateral 
pressure. The facts further illustrate the truth, before an- 
nounced, that the force from the ocean side had in some way 
the advantage, and in fact was the greater. But the full dif 
ference is not indicated by the difference in the results of dis- 
turbance, since the shoving force on the side of greatest pressure 
would not be limited in its action to its own side, unless the 
intermediate stouter region were wholly immovable. 
C. Movements over the Oceanic areas. 
ons. a 
to the direction of the pressure that acted against the continents 
and reacted over nic areas. 
ae The other fact is that of the Coral island subsidence, already 
referred to, which affected the tropical ocean for its whole 
v 
