272 T. C. Chamberlin — Jones's Criticism of 



stations from both circumferential directions, one of 

 which of course is usually more than 180° from the point 

 of origin; that the primary (longitudinal) and secondary 

 (transverse) waves are very inconspicuous features of 

 the seismograms as such — though extremely interesting 

 as evidences of the state of the interior; — that their 

 courses are far shorter than those of the long waves; 

 that even these transmitted waves are not perfectly sepa- 

 rated but are attended sometimes by irregular or adventi- 

 tious waves to such an extent as to embarrass their 

 interpretation (Walker) ; that they are weakened as they 

 penetrate the interior material to greater and greater 

 distances until both types die down beyond distinct 

 identification; that this takes place before their penetra- 

 tions reach the diameter of the earth ; and that therefore 

 there is no substantial ground for postulating any special 

 separating substance, "undercooled liquid" or otherwise. 

 The fatalities of the molten theory. — Among the evi- 

 dences from various sources relative to the doctrine of a 

 molten earth, this singular effort to fill the interior with 

 non-crystalline material similar to "undercooled liquids/ ' 

 the effort to divorce rigidity and elasticity from crystal- 

 linity by the overstrained affirmation that ' ' It is evident 

 that both rigidity and elasticity are totally independent of 

 crystaHinity'' (p. 397), the disparagement of the evi- 

 dences of elastic rigidity and similar strained efforts, are 

 tokens of the desperateness of the endeavor to stem the 

 tide of calamity that has been sweeping so mercilessly 

 over the molten theory in recent years. First came the 

 ancient glaciations in surprisingly low latitudes, those of 

 the late Paleozoic in the lead, and then those of the very 

 early Paleozoic, followed by those of the Proterozoic, 

 which together swept away all climatic evidences of an 

 early hot stage. Almost hand in hand with the adverse 

 testimony of ice invasions, came the loss of the basal 

 credentials of the theory. The early advocates of the 

 molten theory were able to point with much show of 

 cogency to the great granitic embossments so often found 

 lying under the fossiliferous series as direct testimony 

 to the light acidic layer of igneous material postulated as 

 the outer zone of the molten earth, but the field studies of 

 the last few decades have shown that these granitic 

 masses are batholitic intrusions into older sedimentary 



