Читать книгу The Romance of Modern Geology. Describing in simple but exact language the making of the earth with some account of prehistoric animal life онлайн

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We have compared the earth to a golf ball, and as it spins through space, impelled by a force millions of times greater than the strongest driver ever imparted to the best-made "Haskell," its flight and general appearance are not unlike those of the rubber-cored ball. The earth, for one thing, is not smooth; it has roughnesses and corrugations all over its surface, similar to those of a golf ball, though much less regular, and it spins as it flies. But let us now consider the differences. Suppose the golf ball had a spot of water clinging to it as water clings to a greasy shot. Where would the water lie? The first answer that occurs to one is that the water would be shaken off the ball in the course of its flight; and that is, indeed, very likely. But suppose the water were very sticky, or were very much attracted by the golf ball (which is another way of stating the same supposition), where would it lie then? To that we can only say that there does not seem any very evident reason why it should lie on one part of the flying golf ball more than on any other—if the golf ball were perfectly round.