A New Theory of Earthquakes.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12498, 26 March 1909, Page 2

A New Theory of Earthquakes.

I'Abbe Ph. Moreux, ■ director of the Bourges Observatory, has contributed to the Paris "Temps" two articles in which he establishes a new theory of earthquakes, verified, as he asserts, by the prediction of the recent catastrophe whichliie made in a recent French newspaper as far back as August last. Briefly he connects the seismological phenomenon with the

■ activity of the sun. The whole history of earthquakes, he declares, shows not only that they recur in a certain periodical order, but that they also occur more frequently, and with greater force, in the winter than in the summer-^-more often in the, night than in the daytime,, and in the morning than in tho evening. Besides, it is known that the activity of the sun reaches its minimum every "eleventh year, and it is observed that it is just about ir\ such a- period that earthquakes become particularly frequent. In 1905 .the sun's activity was at its maximum, but then it" rapidly; sank, giving rise to" the earthquakes; of that year. The- sWs activity -will continue to decrease till 1912, in; which year earthquakes are bound, in consequence, to be very infrequent. The present earthquake "fit" will last till the end of 1909, sinco the.dimimij tion of the sun's activity is particuj larly accentuated during the three , years immediately following the maximum. -The learned Abbe also propounds a novel theory as to tho localisation of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. According, to him, the earth, in cooling down, tends to assume a pyramidal form, and it is; along the ridges that -the great depression known in geography as s the Mediterranean depression, which, tnarks the- dislocation between the ncrLlicrn and southern parts of the .lohs, that the earth's crust is apt Ij crack, and to present the least resistanco to the forces which produce Beismoldgical phenomena.