142 The Amerkan Geologist. September, i904 
two series of crescents fall together, for the sea extends inward to 
the faults of the interior series. The members of the second series 
forming the marginal limit, of the continent, begin at Cape St. Alexan- 
der in 54° 15" N, and terminate at Cape St. Jacques in 10° 40" N. The 
island crescents which project above the sea, belong in a series still furth- 
er to seaward in the complex of the east Asiatic depressions contin- 
ued beneath the sea and can here be given only an occasional mention. 
(b) If one takes into consideration the coast line represented upon 
maps as an enveloping contour line of the -steep wall bounding the in- 
dividual blocks, there is indicated by it in the sharpest manner the gen- 
eral form as well as each individual division in it. Furthermore the sculp- 
ture of the coast may be recognized in the coast line. Four great coast 
crescents appear distinct!}-. They have been designated above as the 
Tungusian, the Korean, the Chinese, and the Annamitic. The third 
and fourth are completelj'- closed ; the first has a small gap to be ex- 
plained by local submergence ; the third is only retained in one frag- 
ment. We have ventured to complete it hypothetically through inter- 
polation, according to the scheme indicated by the interior and the 
coastal crescents. 
(c) The lineal form of each individual crescent of this coast series 
approaches more the form of a circle than is the case with the interior 
crustal blocks. In the case of each of the latter there could be recog- 
nized two extended arms of crescentic form joined to one another, 
which can be considered as the meridional and equatorial arms. From, 
the Aldan range to Yunnan an approximate parallelism controls these 
two elements in so far as the meridional stretches follow the mean di- 
rection N. to N.E., and the equatorial are controlled bv the Sinian 
direction W-S.W. to E.N.E. In the case of the coastal crescents the 
analogy because of the similar designation may be retained, but with 
the modification that rectilinear stretches of coast of more than 200 kil- 
ometers are rare, while the convex curvature in the direction of the sea 
obtains in all parts : also with the further modification that each indi- 
vidual coast crescent has a much greater individuality respecting its in- 
clination to the meridian, that is to say, the air line of its beginning and 
end portions. In form and in position in reference to the continent, the 
crescents are not equal. They may be separated into two groups, and 
from two points of view ; for similarly constituted are the Tungusian 
and the Chinese crescents on the one hand, the Korean and the Anna- 
mitic on the other. The two former represent, if one glances at the 
general form of eastern Asia, together with the great double Stanowoi 
crescent, the fundamental marginal line of the continent ; while the two 
others together with Kamchatka surround projecting peninsulas from 
the main body. This relation is still doubtful and will here be left out 
of consideration, as Kamchatka also, and the S.E. front range of north 
Stanowoi will not be drawn into consideration, because of insufficient 
knowledge of their structure. 
(d) The Yellow sea is the shallow inundation of a block enclosed 
within the two north coast crescents, which is somewhat more de- 
