Littlehales — Form of Isolated Submarine Peaks. 17 



This equation has been used in the generalized form, 

 x = A + Bs log2/ , to find from the observed bathy metric data in 

 relation to Dacia Bank in latitude 31°-10 / N. and longitude 

 13°-40' W., Seine Bank in latitude 33°-50' K and longitude 

 14°-20' W., The Salvages in latitude 30°-05' K and longitude 

 15°-55' W., Enderbury Island in latitude 3°-10' S. and longi- 

 tude 171°-10' W., and the shoal in the North Pacific ocean in 

 latitude 32°-55' K and longitude 132°-30 / W., the equation 

 to their average form. 



For this purpose the values of y, expressed in nautical miles, 

 and a?, in fathoms, were inserted in the above equation and a 

 conditional equation was formed for each of the submarine 

 formations. From these conditional equations normal equa- 

 tions were found by the Method of Least Squares, which gave 

 the values of the constants A and B. The resulting equa- 

 tion is 



x= +68-7985 + 041-8396 £ l0 *% 



and the corresponding curve is shown in the accompanying 

 diagram together with others which have been plotted from 

 measured data for purposes of comparison. 



This investigation has an important bearing upon the inter- 

 vals at which deep-sea soundings should be taken in searching 

 for probable shoals in the open ocean and in developing the 

 character of the bottom of the sea. It shows that isolated 

 formations occupying comparatively limited areas at the bottom 

 can and do occur in deep water, and we are able to assign at 

 once the maximum interval that should obtain between deep- 

 sea soundings taken in the above-mentioned operations. The 

 minimum radius at the bottom which a dangerous shoal can 

 have must vary directly with the depth, but on the average, in 

 the deep sea, it may be stated as 10 miles. An interval of 10 

 miles coupled with an interval of 2 miles would be sufficient 

 for general development, and would prove with certainty the 

 existence or absence of any formation rising close to the sur- 

 face. Of all the possible ways in which a 10-mile interval 

 could lie with reference to a submerged peak, that which 

 would be most advantageous for a prompt discovery of its 

 existence is the condition in which oue end of the interval is at 

 the bottom of the slope and the other near the apex, and that 

 which would be least advantageous is the condition in which 

 the interval is bisected by the position of the apex. In the 

 latter case, there would be nearly equal soundings at both ends, 

 but the soundings at the ends of the adjacent 2-mile intervals 

 would immediately disclose the slopes. 



Am. Jour. Sci. — Fourth Series, Vol. I, No. 1.— January, 1896. 

 2 



