352 J. LeConte—Formation of the 
to us that, on the supposition of such an interior liquid, the 
force produced by the moon in passing over might turn the 
scale in favor of the upward force, and thus determine the = 
ture of the strata, and therefore the occurrence of an earth 
quake? : 
The foregoing objections have induced many of the best 
geologists to believe that the earth is either solid or else that 
the solid crust is so thick that all igneous phenomena have thei 
origin within the limits of that crust: and that therefore the 
Suppose a solid earth of oblate spheroid form and even SWF 
face, covered with a universal ocean and cooling*b paneer 
quent contraction along each radius would be equal, anc 
s cause is concerned, the earth, though becom" 
ocean. But such homogeneousness could not be expected. se, 
does it exist. In a heterogeneous earth thus cooling, 474 
