Clarence King — Geologist 



diabase. This is followed by a criti- 

 cal examination of other methods of 

 determining the Earth's age — by tidal 

 retardation, by sun-age and by varia- 

 tions of eccentricity. After a careful 

 scrutiny of all the data on the effect 

 of pressure on the temperature of 

 consolidation, King concluded that, 

 without further experimental data, 

 "we have no warrant for extending 

 the Earth's age beyond 24 millions of 

 years," an estimate which, as the re- 

 sult of a somewhat more extended 

 discussion, was afterwards confirmed 

 by Lord Kelvin himself. {Smith- 

 sonian Report, 1897, p. 345.) 



His further investigations along 

 the same general lines on the funda- 

 mental principles of upheaval and 

 subsidence were in an advanced stage 

 of completion when they were cut off 

 by his untimely death. 



It is practically impossible to ade- 

 quately characterize King's literary 

 290 



