Groundwork for Study of Megadiastrophism. 263 



that may happen to be crossing it. Expert geophysicists 

 give the earth-qualities under discussion in terms of 

 "constants of rigidity" and "constants of elasticity." 



The summary characterization of ChamberVnvs views. 

 — Immediately following his exposition of rigidity from 

 "the relative viewpoint," and without quoting a sentence 

 from the paper announced as being under review, or 

 adducing evidence of any other kind, the reviewer pro- 

 ceeds to characterize mv interpretations as follows (p. 

 396): 



"Now Chamberlin's interpretation of the evidences of this 

 rigidity — that is rigidity shown under tidal stress and seismic 

 vibrations, implies that this state of rigidity and elasticity holds 

 good for stress differences of all magnitudes and of all time 

 durations. Under this interpretation the terms rigidity and 

 elasticity become practically absolute instead of dependent. But 

 such an interpretation is essential if he is to postulate the non- 

 existence of a yield state anywhere within the earth for almost 

 any condition of stress" (p. 396). 



This is a very remarkable statement. It does not repre- 

 sent, or even resemble, any thing stated in my paper on 

 the groundwork for the study of diastrophism, or in any 

 of my diastrophic papers. I have not the slightest 

 thought of postulating "the non-existence of a yield zone 

 anywhere within the earth for almost any condition of 

 stress." On the contrary I postulate yield everywhere. 

 My views of yield and movement in elastico-rigid matter, 

 in the mooted case of glacial motion, have been outstand- 

 ing for more than twenty years. 6 My views on such 

 action in megadiastrophism are definitely indicated and 

 concretely illustrated in my serial paper next following 

 that on the ' ' Groundwork. ' ' 7 By reference to that paper, 

 it will be seen (1) that the need of a revision of funda- 

 mental ideas of the constitution and behavior of matter in 

 accordance with the new disclosures is put to the front; 

 (2) that these imply a dynamic organization as open rela- 

 tively as a planetary system and hence responsive to all 

 stresses ; (3) that these revelations afford a concrete con- 



6 "Glacial Studies in Greenland," Presidential Add., Geol. Soc. Am., vol. 

 16, pp. 209-14, 1895. 



7 The Self-Compression of the Earth as a Problem of Energy, Article XV 

 of the series Diastrophism and the Formative Processes, Jour. Geol., vol. 29, 

 pp. 679-700, Xov.-Dec, 1921. 



