22 



SEGMENTS. 



EXPLANATIONS. 



Fig. 3. This figure represents a segment of the carili 

 from the Atlantic to the Pacific, between the 42° and 43° N. 

 latitude, in its present state, so Far as regards rock strata. 

 The tertiary formation, or antidiluvial detritus, may be sup- 

 posed to overlay the rock strata in most of the depressed situa- 

 tions. The 3d and 4th series may be supposed to have been 

 mostly deposited after the great explosion, represented on Fig. 

 2 ; and the tirtiary, or 5th series, to have been deposited last 

 of all the regular series. All strata above the lower side of 

 the argillite, may be supposed to be made up by the abrasions 

 and disintegrations of the then soft concentric strata, repre- 

 sented in Fig. 1. For, as we may suppose them broken up 

 soon after their deposition, they were in a semi-indurated state, 

 and readily washed from their original situation, by the nu- 

 merous currants which the uneven surface would then cause. 



^hhrcviations. 



Car. Carboniferous formations — Qu. Quarlzose formations 

 — Cal. Calcareous formations. The numerals indicate the 

 first, second, third, fourth and fifth series of formations. The 

 fifth, however, is not represented here. See definition of it, 

 fifth series. 



RI^MARKS. In Fig. 3, the present state of the earth is 

 represented, after several vast explosions ; as, according to 

 Cuvier's theory, " life has often been disturbed on this earth 

 by terrible events." The combustible materials are now sup- 

 posed to be too nearly exhausted to produce such general ex- 

 plosions ; but are still sufficient for ordinary earthquakes. 



