544 The Rev. S. Haughton on Physical Geology. [Dec. 20, 



From the preceding investigation it appears, if Asia and Europe were 

 manufactured, per saltum, causing a sudden displacement of the axis of 

 figure through 69 miles, that this event cannot have happened at an 

 epoch less than 641,000 years before the present time, and that this 

 event may have occurred at an epoch much more remote. 



It is highly improbable that - the elevation of the nummulitic lime- 

 stone took place so rapidly ; and I shall therefore discuss several cases of 

 supposed slower elevation. 



1. Let the displacement of the axis of figure caused by the manufac- 

 ture of Asia and Europe have been due to 69 geological convulsions, 

 each of which displaced the axis of figure through one mile, and let the 

 radius of the wabble be reduced from one mile to 5 feet in the interval 

 between each two successive convulsions. 



Erom equation (12) we have 



The interval between two successive convulsions 

 = log s (^)x 68,588, 



=477,520 wabbles, 

 = 398,420 years. 



Total time occupied in the manufacture of Asia and Europe 

 = 398,420x69, 

 = 27,491,000 years ; 



say, 27^ million years. 



Erom this it also appears that no geological change, altering the position 

 of the axis of figure through one mile, can have taken place within the past 

 400,000 years. 



2. Let us suppose that the Earth's wabble has the minimum observable 

 radius of 5 ft., and that geological changes take place at such a rate that 

 the increase of this radius is exactly destroyed by friction during each 

 wabble, so that the radius of 5 ft. continues constant. 



We now have 



5 



where z is the displacement of the axis of figure during 305 days. 

 Equation (12) becomes 



log e ^l-|jx 68588=1, 



or 



