Davis — Framework of the Earth. 241 



A movement is indeed now under foot to invite M. 

 de Margerie to spend next winter with us, visiting vari- 

 ous universities and talking with their professors and 

 advanced students in geology on such questions concern- 

 ing the framework of the earth as he regards most inter- 

 esting, either because they are already well demonstrated, 

 or because they are most in need of being better demon- 

 strated. If he comes to this country he will undoubt- 

 edly be asked to attend the winter meeting of the Geologi- 

 cal Society of America where he might give an address on 

 the future exploration of the framework of the earth; 

 and it is to be hoped that that vigorous Society may 

 offer to publish, at such intervals as de Margerie shall 

 deem fitting, the bulletins above mentioned in which the 

 progress of exploration of earth-crust elements shall be 

 summarized, provided he undertakes their preparation. 

 It is possible that the Council of the Geological Society 

 will plan a symposium for some future meeting, open 

 to all members, on the great question of world structure ; 

 as a result of which all later communications might, in 

 so far as they deal with structural problems, be habitu- 

 ally presented as parts of and in relation to the earth- 

 crust elements within which they stand, just as stratified 

 formations are now habitually presented with reference 

 to the standard time-scale of historical geology. As a 

 further step toward the desired end of systematic world- 

 wide exploration, a committee of the Society might be 

 appointed to cooperate with the Geology and Geography 

 Division of the National Research Council and with the 

 International Research Council of National Scientific 

 Academies, in encouraging research along the lines that 

 it is to be hoped de Margerie will indicate. 



It is now about forty years since Suess began "Das 

 Antlitz der Erde," and thirty 3^ears since de Margerie 

 began its translation. The half-century anniversary of 

 either of those dates would be a fitting occasion on which 

 to celebrate the progress in the study of earth frame- 

 work to which they lead the way; and such a celebration 

 would be the natural opportunity at which an interna- 

 tional study of earth framework should be reported. 

 The opening of the year 1920 is none too early to lay 

 plans toward such an end. 



Cambridge, Mass. 



