io8 The American Geologist. February, looi. 
These sug^jrestive theories are open to one objection which 
seems fatal to their appHcation to the existing geographical 
plan. We should expect from them that the main geographic- 
al structure lines in the northern and southern hemispheres 
should be either symmetrically arranged or continuous on both 
sides of the equator. But that the land systems of the two 
hemispheres are asymmetrical is the most glaring fact in ge- 
ography. It may be urged that the primitive folding, wrink- 
ling and torsion formed a symmetrical or continuous land sys- 
tem, and that the asymmetrical arrangement is due to later 
movements. In that case the theories are geographically in- 
adequate, because they give no explanation of how the ex- 
isting geographical as}mmetry was developed. 
But there is another and still more serious objection which 
applies to all three theories. They not only explain too little 
but they explain too much. The primitive lines of these systems 
often coincide with features of modern development and are in- 
consistent with the old established geographical arrangements. 
For instance. Prof. Darwin quotes the trend of the western 
coast of Europe from Spain to Norway as in accordance with 
his scheme. Prinz makes the primitive line here run exactly 
at right angles to Darwin's line; and geological evidence fa- 
vors Prinz. The coast-line from Spain to Norway is almost 
certainly of modern date, while the lines wrinkling, both 
Hercynian and Alpine, run transversely to the direction which 
they ought to have followed if due to tidal strain. Moreover^ 
Prof. Darwin quotes the western coast of North America as in- 
consistent w^ith his theory; but that coast is parallel to a line 
of primitive wrinkling, for there is an archean protaxis to the 
coast ranges and Rocky mountains. 
Prinz's torsion wrinkles are no better. The most striking 
case of apparent agreement between his theory and geogra- 
phy is the trend of the Andes and Rocky mountains. Prof. 
Lapworth also lays stress on "the great Rocky Mountain-Andes 
fold . . . the longest and most continuous crust-fold of the 
present day."* The agreement was important so long as the 
Rocky mountains and the Andes were regarded as a single 
•The term "Rockyninuntains"is htTeapparently used for the Sierra Nevada 
and Coast Ran^e serifS of British Columbia. The true Rocky mountftins are 
at a great distance (ranging up to lOUO miles) from the Pacific coast, the trend 
of which thev do not determine. 
