THE 



AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE 



[FIFTH SERIES.] 



Art. XXVI. — Jones's Criticism of Chamberlin's Ground- 

 work for the Study of Megadiastrophism; by T. C. 

 Chamberlin. 



In the June number of this Journal there appeared an 

 article by William F. Jones entitled "A Critical Review 

 of Chamberlin's Groundwork for the Study of Megadias- 

 trophism," 1 which calls for analysis and comment. 



Doubt at once arises as to the real subject of the arti- 

 cle, for immediately after the title there follows, without 

 an intervening word, the heading : i ' Summary of Thesis, ' ' 

 under which five subjects not of the nature of critical 

 reviews are outlined, while at the close of the "Introduc- 

 tion" immediately following, the purpose of the paper is 

 given in these words : 



"The purpose of the present paper is to bring together in 

 summary form from the various sources the evidence leading to 

 the conclusions that the earth passed through a molten stage and 

 that there exists at no great depth a zone which yields to diastro- 

 phic differential stresses." 



Immediately following the first paragraph of the intro- 

 duction concerned with formal statements, the discussion 

 opens thus : 



"It is evident that the study of megadiastrophism is to be one 

 of the application of wedge-dynamics to continental areas. To 

 consider continental areas as the upper surfaces of deeply point- 



1 Diastrophism and the Formative Processes. XIV. Groundwork for the 

 Study of Megadiastrophism. Part I. Summary Statement of the Ground- 

 work already laid: Thomas C. Chamberlin. Part II. The Intimations of 

 Shell Deformation : Eollin T. Chamberlin. 



This paper is essentially a digest of thirteen previous papers and of sev- 

 eral collateral articles. Part I consists of 77 propositions or specifications 

 giving- as briefly as practicable the essential features of the fuller papers. 

 Part II embraces certain intimations as to the downward extension of 

 deformative action drawn from studies on accessible features by a method 

 which deduces the under-configuration and deeper phases of the deformed 

 mass. 



Am. Jour. Sci.— Fifth Series, Vol. IV, No. 22. — October, 1922. 

 17 



