MAJOR EARTH FEATURES 
179 
which Haug theoretically postulated on the basis of geosynclines 
bordering the lands of the Pacific, is entirely hypothetical. 
There are, moreover, no guiding points for the reconstruction 
of such great continents where the oceans are now, as postulated 
by Haug and others. The great oceanic basins were certainly 
in existence in Triassic times, probably were even indicated in 
the Cambric period. Paleogeography must, therefore, in order to 
' attain safe results, start from the present and use only the de¬ 
termined results of research in the reconstruction of maps of the 
older periods. Then, aside from the changes in the labile medi¬ 
terranean zones, the conviction of a very far-reaching permanence 
of the major forms of the earth’s surface will become ever more 
firmly established, as was held by Willis, and there will be no com¬ 
pelling evidence for an extended creep of salic continental blocks. 
Furthermore, the progressive breaking up of the lands postulated 
by Suess loses its exaggerated importance, and it even appears 
that there was an increase of land through the disappearance of 
Tethys and the welding of the circum-Pacific geosynclines, com¬ 
pensating for the losses through continental fracturing. 
In the discussion which followed the reading of the paper, 
Professor Bruckner emphasized the fact that the tremendous loss 
of water on the earth made necessary by the assumption of such 
great continents as Haug postulated must negative this kind of 
reconstruction. As evidence against absolute permanence, how¬ 
ever, stand the bottom soundings which have been taken by Phil¬ 
ippi out of the tropical Atlantic, since here under the red deep- 
sea ooze occur sediments laid down near the'land, followed beneath 
by Globigerina ooze. In this connection. Professor Diener sus¬ 
pected volcanic sands in the so called near-shore sediments; the 
red deep-sea ooze is, however, according to Philippi, apparently 
a product of the very cold water of the ice age, which, in con¬ 
sequence of high CO 2 content, might have loosened up the Globi¬ 
gerina ooze, and it might have been formed in about 3000 meters 
depth. Professor Suess, referring to the Haug geosyndlinal 
hypothesis, was of the opinion that the “Decken” structure of 
the Alps predicted a very great width of the sea. Professor 
Diener emphasized the fact that we must differentiate sharply 
between epicontinental ingression seas, such as was Tethys, and 
the oceanic basins; further, that geosynclinal areas are by no 
