Theory of the Earth: With Proofs and Illustrations, Volume 111 |
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Common terms and phrases
alpine country alpine region alpine schistus alpine strata Alps appear bancs basaltes beds bottom Calabria calcaire Chevalier de Dolomieu coast Col Ferret composed contre côté couches Criffel d'une direction district dykes Earth été étoient evidence examine felsite felt-spath feuillets formation formed fusion Galloway Geological Survey Glen Tilt globe gneiss Goatfell Goatfield granit en masse granite mass granite mountains greywackes ground haut Highlands hill Hutton inclined intrusive island of Arran junction l'on land limestone Loch Loch Doon mass of granite massif materials mica micaceous mineral montagnes natural history naturalists observed Old Red Sandstone operations original partie petuntze pied pierre Pladda plain porphyry present Theory primitive mountains pyramides quartz quelques regard ridge river roches feuilletées Saussure Scotland seen shore Silurian south alpine Southern Uplands species substance summit superincumbent suppose surface things tion traversed vallée valley veins vertical Webb Seymour whinstone Zambrone
Popular passages
Page 57 - Without seeing granite actually in a fluid state, we have every demonstration possible of this fact : that is to say, of granite having been forced to flow, in a state of fusion, among strata broken by a subterraneous force ...
Page 238 - Our curiosity in examining this dyke, tempted us to slip down this place, in descending the mountain into the high Cory Glen, an idea which could not have entered the head of any sober person who was not a mineralist (sic)
Page 245 - On the Strata and Volcanic Appearances in the North of Ireland and Western Islands of Scotland ;" and, in 1796, " A Mineralogical Account of the Native Gold lately discovered in Ireland.
Page 118 - élevé est un grand cirque entouré de hauts feuillets de granite, " de forme pyramidale ; de là, le glacier descend par une gorge, "dans laquelle il est resserré; mais dès qu'il l'a dépassée, il " s'élargit de nouveau et s'ouvre en éventail : il a donc en tout " la forme d'une gerbe serrée dans le milieu et dilatée à ses deux...
Page 241 - ... could see well enough to resume the traverse. vitrification of this natural glass. Some of those glass-masses have also this particularity, which still confirms their vitreous nature; it is an appearance of a fibrous substance floating in the transparent mass ; and is no other than a crystallisation of some of the materials. An appearance similar to this is always found in our common glass-house pots, when the green bottle glass is not perfectly vitrified by sufficient fusion, or when it has...
Page 2 - The sight of objects which verified at once so many important conclusions in his system, filled him with delight; and as his feelings, on such occasions, were always strongly expressed, the guides who accompanied him were convinced that it must be nothing less than the discovery of a vein of silver or gold, that could call forth such strong marks of joy and exultation.
Page 13 - Journey to the North Alpine part of Scotland," in 1785, the question before him was how far the granite " is to be considered as a primary mass in relation to the alpine schistus ; in that case, fragments of the granite might be found included in the schistus, but none of the schistus in the granite.
Page 211 - ... of the island, where I knew the coal and slate were worked near the shore. Upon this road I observed that the North Sanox river, which I had crossed in entering the schistus district to the north, runs nearly in the junction of the schistus and the granite mountains...
Page 213 - Nothing can be more evident than that here the schistus had been broken and invaded by the granite ; as in this place the regular stratification of the vertical schistus is broken obliquely by the other rock, and parts of the schistus involved or almost insulated in the mass of granite, which from this junction enters and traverses the body of the schistus in little veins terminating in capillaries.
Page 225 - Ill (p. 235) of The Theory of the Earth: " Loch Ranza, at the north end of the island, is properly within the alpine schistus; but, in tracing the shore, upon the east side of the loch or bay, we come to the extremity of this schistus district. Here the first thing that occurs is the immediate junction of the inclined strata of schistus and the other strata which here appear to be a composition of sandstone and limestone; these strata are equally inclined with the schistus, but in the opposite direction....