The red notebook of Charles Darwin / edited, with an introduction and notes by Sandra Herbert.

  • Charles Darwin
Date:
1980
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Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Credit: The red notebook of Charles Darwin / edited, with an introduction and notes by Sandra Herbert. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    60 SANDRA HERBERT of the most solid rocks. — The grand cliffs of a thousand feet in height, of the solid lavas. — proportionally high to age. (we do not wonder to see tertiary plains consumed) Where slope /fplainlyj indicates former boundary, (as in other unworn | 109 islands) we take in at once the stupendous mass which has been corroded. — If man could raise such a bulwark to the ocean, who would ever suppose that its age was limited? Who could suppose such trifling means could efface & obliterate so grand a work? — In valleys one is not sure whether fissures may not have helped it, or diluvial waves, but when we see an entire island so encircled, the one slow cause is apparent. [I confess I never see such islands whose inclination natural [[out limits?]] plleg.] deepest astonishment.J Perhaps scarcely a pebble might remain to [[tellof these losses. — | 110 Cause of chimney, to crater, as at Galapagos. St. Helena. — QFig. 7[] effect of heat on inner wall, hence resists degradation longer than outer parts. — The common occurrence of a breccia of primitive rocks between that formation and the secondary (stated in Playfair to be the case p. presupposes an elevated country of granite, not greater for all Europe, than from the Plata to Caraccas, which is all of granite : | 111 In discussing circulation of fluid nucleus, — the similarity of Volcanic products [over whole worldj argument, as well as separating causes by water. — Or rather begin & explain how water separates. — (intertropics at present fix lime). <(Also Volcanos separate.) Volcanos blend all substances together; & products being similar over whole world, general circulation. But Volcanic action separates some sulphur (perhaps lime) salt. & metallic ores. — which mingling & separating is well adapted to | 112 use of mankind. — {Hutton show>i^o Earthquakes part of necessary process of terrestrial renovation & so is Volcano a useful chemical instrument. — Yet neglecting these final causes. — What more