Geology: The Science of the Earth's CrustMiller, William J. (William John)
Philosophy
Geology: The Science of the Earth's Crust
Miller, William J. (William John)
Geology
between certain of the layers of glacial materials in Australia, South
Africa, and Brazil.
During much of Permian time the climate was arid over large areas as,
for example, much of the western interior of the United States, from
Ireland to central Germany, and in eastern Russia, as proved by great
deposits of salt, gypsum, and red sediments. During late Permian time
the greatest salt beds in the world were deposited in northern Germany,
a well near Berlin having penetrated a practically solid body of salt
associated with certain potash and magnesia salts to a depth of about
4,000 feet without reaching the bottom.
The occurrence of some coal beds, especially in the earlier Permian
rocks shows that, temporarily at least, climatic conditions must have
favored luxurious growths of coal-forming plants in South Africa,
Brazil, Australia, and our own Appalachian district.
From the above facts we see that the Permian represents a remarkable
combination of very extensive glaciation, widespread aridity, and
warmth and moisture favorable to prolific plant growth all in a single
period of geologic time.
The Permian period, and, therefore, the great Paleozoic era, was
brought to a close by one of the most profound physical disturbances
in the known history of North America. This has been called the
Appalachian Revolution because at that time the Appalachian Mountain
range was born out of the sea by folding and upheaval of the strata.
In fact, "the Appalachian Revolution was one of the most critical
periods in the history of the earth, and may have been the greatest
of them all in its results." (C. Schuchert). Mountains were brought
forth in all the continents, including Australia. All of the mountains
which were formed late in the Paleozoic have since been profoundly
affected by erosion, and the only ones (e.g., Appalachians) which now
show considerable altitudes are those which have been rejuvenated by
relatively (geologically) recent earth movements.
We shall now turn our attention to the origin of the Appalachian
Range. All through the vast time (probably fully 20,000,000 years) of
the Paleozoic era a large land mass was remarkably persistent along
the eastern side of North America. This land, which has been called
"Appalachia," had its western boundary approximately along the eastern
border of the sites of the Appalachian Range and the western part of
New England. It extended east of the present coast line at least to the
border of the continental shelf from 100 to 200 miles out. Concerning
the actual altitude and topography of Appalachia we know little or
nothing, but the tremendous quantities of sediment derived from its
erosion show that it was high enough during nearly all of its history
to undergo vigorous erosion.
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