SYSTEM IN THE COUESES OF THE EAKTH's FEATURE LINES. 41 



There are curves in the mountain ranges of eastern North America, like 

 those of eastern Asia. The Green Mountains run nearly north-and-south ; 

 but the continuation of this line of heights across New Jersey into Penn- 

 sylvania curves around gradually to the westward. The Alleghanies, in 

 their course from Pennsylvania to Tennessee and Alabama, have the same 

 curve. There appears also to be an outer curving range bordering the ocean, 

 extending from Newfoundland along Nova Scotia, then becoming submerged, 

 though indicated in the sea-bottom, and continued by southeastern New 

 England and Long Island. 



Between this latter range and that of the Green Mountains lie one or 

 more great basins of ancient geological time, while to the westward of the 

 Green Mountains and Alleghanies was the grand interior basin of the con- 

 tinent. The two were to a great extent distinct in their geological history, 

 being apparently independent in their coal deposits and in some other 

 formations. 



In South America, the north coast has the same course as the Hawaiian 

 chain, or pertains to the northwest system ; and the coast south of the east 

 cape belongs to the northeast system ; and hence the outline of the continent 

 makes a right angle at the cape. The northeast course is very nearly that 

 of eastern North America and New Zealand. The northwest is repeated in 

 the west coast by southern Peru and Bolivia, and the northeast in the coast 

 of northern Peru to Darien : so that this northern part of South America, 

 if the Bolivian line were continued across, would have nearly the form of a 

 parallelogram. South of Bolivia the Andes correspond to the northeast 

 system, although more nearly north-and-south than usual. 



(5) Islands of the Atlantic. — The Azores have a west-northwest trend, 

 like the Hawaiian chain, and are partly in three lines, with evidences also of 

 the transverse system. The Canaries, as Von Buch has shown, present two 

 courses at right angles with one another, — a northwest and a northeast. 



Again, the line of the southeast coast of South America extends across 

 the ocean, passing along the coast of Europe and the Baltic ; and the moun- 

 tains of Norway and the feature lines of Great Britain are approximately 

 parallel to it. 



(6) Asia and Europe. — In Asia, the Sumatra line, taken up by Malacca, 

 turns northward, until it joins the knot of mountains formed by the meeting 

 of the range facing the Pacific and that facing the Indian Ocean. At this 

 point, and partly in continuation of a Chinese range, commence the majestic 

 Himalayas, — at first east-and-west, at right angles with the termination 

 of the Malacca line, then gradually rising to west-northwest. The course 

 is continued northwestward in the Hindu-Kush, extending toward the 

 Caspian, — in the Caucasus, beyond the Caspian, and in the Carpathians, 

 beyond the Black Sea. The northwest course appears also in the Persian 

 Gulf, and the plateaus adjoining, in the Red Sea, the Adriatic and the 

 Apennines. 



