large/8677/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_06_edwards_64kb_39
large/8677/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_06_edwards_64kb
English
8677
The making of the rock bottom is a story which extends over millions of years: the making of the soil extends over thousands. THE MAKING OF THE ROCK BOTTOM IS A STORY WHICH EXTENDS OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS THE MAKING OF THE SOIL EXTENDS OVER THOUSANDS
d, and by slow crystallizing of molten substances. There must have been from two to five miles of other rock lying upon the stuff that crystallized into granite. A wrinkling in the skin of the earth exposed the granite, a wrinkling so gradual that doubtless if generations of men had lived on top of the wrinkle they would have sworn it did not move. But move it did, and the superimposed rock must have been worn off at a rate of less than a hundredth part of an inch every year in order to lose two or three miles of it in twenty-five million years. As the granite was wrinkled up by the movement of the earth's crust, certain cracks opened and filled with lava, forming dikes. The geologist to-day can glance at these dikes and tell the period of their formation as casually as a jockey looking at a horse's mouth can tell his age. He could also tell of the "faulting," or slipping down, of adjacent masses of solid rock, which has occurred often enough to carve the characteristic Cohasset coast. THE SOLID GROUND AND BY SLOW CRYSTALLISING OF MOLTEN SUBSTANCES THERE MUST HAVE BEEN FROM TWO TO FIVE MILES OF OTHER ROCK LYING UPON THE STUFF THAT CRYSTALLIZED INTO GRANITE A WRINKLING IN THE SKIN OF THE EARTH EXPOSED THE GRANITE A WRINKLING SO GRADUAL THAT DOUBTLESS IF GENERATIONS OF MEN HAD IT LIVED ON TOP OF THE WRINKLE THEY WOULD HAVE SWORN IT DID NOT MOVE BUT MOVE IT DID AND THE SUPERIMPOSED ROCK MUST HAVE BEEN WORN OFF AT A RATE OF LESS THAN A HUNDREDTH PART OF AN INCH EVERY YEAR IN ORDER TO LOSE TWO OR THREE MILES OF IT IN TWENTY FIVE MILLION YEARS AS THE GRANITE WAS WRINKLED UP BY THE MOVEMENT OF THE EARTH'S CRUST CERTAIN CRACKS OPENED AND FILLED WITH LAVA FORMING DIKES THE GEOLOGIST TO DAY CAN GLANCE AT THESE DIKES AND TELL THE PERIOD OF THEIR FORMATION AS CASUALLY AS A JOCKEY LOOKING AT A HORSE'S MOUTH CAN TELL HIS AGE HE COULD ALSO TELL OF THE FAULTING OR SLIPPING DOWN OF ADJACENT MASSES OF SOLID ROCK WHICH HAS OCCURRED OFTEN ENOUGH TO CARVE THE CHARACTERISTIC COHASIT COAST
large/8677/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_06_edwards_64kb
file
download/librilight/large/8677/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_06_edwards_64kb.flac