Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 July 1876 — New Investigations on the Earth's Heat. [ARTICLE]

New Investigations on the Earth's Heat.

The theory ordinarily accepted asacMr awl PWefet conpothesi arid UflrtriL that ffie\riobl, h Jt one time gaseous, subsequently ixu-ame molten, and is in that state now, with the exception, of & comparatively thin crust, estimated to lie abouf sixty miles in thickness. Opr knowledge of the- interior conditiomof 4e earth, mainly spfecuhrtive; and the strongest support to tire above thefiry-iri met wfth-fti A Ae inw>lc; so that, supposing it tto eoatinue a d *^ce,ofttut 100 miles, or T-85*bhrt of tire eartii’s' radius, a tempera--lo’o(M>q0 ’ o(M>q Fab - exKte mS"*’ alLsoUdSbrtances with which we are acquainted, and vaporize many solid dement# Qn the other hand, it may be whether the effect of the immense pressure on the earth’s interior, due to the action of the imprisoned vapors and to the superincumbent weight, must not suffice to remove the lifiJksof the solidcriwl fax .below the above estimate; so that liquefaction may begin only at a distance of several hundred mjte from ihosijrfece, and there may be still sufficient viscosity In a large part of the remaining interior portion to pre-

vent free movemept qf the liquid nucleus. We have said that our knowledge is but Speculative, aiffi confirmation m found inrifce excavations have been made, the increase of temSre nbted hfe ttiet’Wftlf. 1 From this, er w it follow that if, Um Interior of >be is in a state of fusion the relative order to, produce like augmentations at heat must be cqmpwatiyely less as,the center rif die earth is Approached. The heat coming from flto interior, transmits itself by conduction white traversing spheres moife arid more Vitet; and supposing the conductibility of,the mass to be uniform, the temperature of tlie exterior layers of the globe sltouhl diminish iri ptopbrtion as their volume augments. ; Recent investigations by Prof. Mohr, of Bdhne, at the deepest well in the world, have adduced results altogether at variance tinted in other toentities. WUI tend to throw grave doubts bn the-igneous theory of the rearth. The will in question is located at Sperembergjße«»BWiiß;tPrussla, and has been sunk to.a depth d .rikOOO feet. The thermometric record is as follows:

ThurmorMten Increase per 900 " tyz.-Slft o LOST I,l<W “ s- w as l,n» “ tr.J&figgp . . o.sggo ■l«“. SS • s oflflO.-ftwOoqual difißxaiwe oi'O.Qsodedegrees .Reaumur, equal to Wfi WfrMmih. *AfiWiiphH -ratio to between 4ibieMW^ ?rms a Distil per' !-Increase 100 feet loom 200 “ 300 “ L3O “ I.™ ”1,900 0.846 “ SOO “ fltoo “ "9.596 “ 400 “ 500 “ 1.20 “ 2100 “ 2,300 0.745 “ a»“" 600 “ l.nSf‘V rtO»“ B.MO 0.695 “ 600 “ 700 “ MU, “ 2,500 “ 2,700 0.645 “ 700 “ 900 « ?WMD V<9O.Sfks9s “ .arHSiJS: 1,300 “ lam 4*80.0461 J* “ «MD.i A 445 “ Gorttiauiagthis, the afttbot finally determines, .that, >*t a depth of 5,170 feet, therd shM be no further increase of temperature.and that the. heat indicated at that distance will be true to the centre of the earth. Obviously also this, temperature will not wy greatly exceed that marked fey the th cop mueter at 3,890 feet, or 35.756 degrees Beaymer.equaling 114.701 degrees that, according to these obseryqgons, the highest internal heat of the globe , folia below that of boiling water.— Scientific Apierican. Wr reJH-T-*-- ■— -