AMERICAN NATURALIST 



THE HISTORY AND PRINCIPLES OF GEOLOGY, AND 

 ITS AIM. 



By J. C. Haetzell, Jr., M. S. 



From the earliest times the structure of the earth has been 

 an object of interest to man, not merely on account of the use- 

 ful materials he obtained from its rocky formation, but also 

 for the curiosity awakened by strange objects it presented to 

 his notice. The south and west of Asia, and much of the 

 country bordering the Mediterranean, were particularly favor- 

 able for directing attention to geological phenomena. Earth- 

 quakes were of frequent occurrence, changing the relative 

 positions of sea and land. Volcanoes were seen in eruption, 

 adding layers of molten rock to those of sand and mud filled 

 with the shells of the ocean. The strata in the hills abounded 

 in evidences of similar collections of vegetable and marine life 

 far removed from access of the sea. 



The structure of the earth, however, received but little at- 

 tention previous to the 7th century, B. C. The extent of the 

 surface known was limited, and the changes upon it were not 

 so rapid as to excite special attention. The ancient Hebrews, 

 in the time of Solomon (1015 B. C), prosecuted their voyages 

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