so 



[No. 1. 



to find the limit between the rising and sinking parts of the 

 crust. 



A similar line of weakness, which possibly divides parts 

 of the crust moving at different times, is the volcanic line 

 from Scotland across the Faroe Islands and Iceland to Green- 

 land. 



But all the great foldings are only local and of slight im- 

 portance in relation to the whole. I think that even these fol- 

 dings may possibly be explained by the aid of our hypothesis. We 

 shall presently see how the hypothesis is able to explain great 

 and extensive upheavals and subsidences. And great foldings 

 must be produced at the division-line between parts of the crust, 

 which move differently. 



In the present state of our knowledge it cannot be demanded, 

 that the hypothesis should be able to explain the distri- 

 bution of land and sea upon our globe. The terrestrial geogra- 

 phical features are the result of a long evolution through 

 many millions of years and under varying astronomical condi- 

 tions. It is even possible that the situation of the poles may 

 be variable. We know very little about the youth of our earth, 

 and the continents and oceans are of very ancient origin. We 

 have only to take them as given magnitudes, and try, with the 

 aid of our hypothesis, to account for the changes, which are 

 known to have taken place in later geological periods. 



If we consider the Tertiary and Quaternary buildings of 

 Europe, we see that we can distinguish between great and slight 

 displacements of the beach-lines. The slight displacements are 

 proved, by the numerous alternations of fresh-water littoral and 

 sublittoral sediments which are found in the Tertiary basins, and 

 which enable us to distinguish between the geological stages. And 

 as an instance of the great displacements which mark the limit 

 between geologic cycles, we may name the extensive and con- 

 siderable risings which in the Quaternary epoch took place in 

 higher latitudes. Similar greater upheavals are exemplified, in 

 the Miocene and Pliocene, by the emergence of several, previ- 

 ously marine, basins, as those of Paris, Vienna, Switzerland etc. 



