In the Silurian age there was an ocean containing heavy calcarious matter; in the Devonian silicious and silicio-calcarious matter; in the Carboniferous carbonaceous matter, and each ocean had its characteristic life-forms. But if all the waters fell at one time, how is it possible for each age to have had an ocean containing characteristic minerals? These characteristic minerals fell with each ring, which marked the ages of geology, destroying previous life-forms and introducing new ones. Eozoic rocks were laid down 40,000 feet thick. Upon these were piled Silurian 65,000 feet thick; on these Devonian rocks 15,000 feet, and then comes 17,000 feet of Carboniferous rocks, each age having characteristic fossils and mineral deposits. As these deposits were laid down by the sea, why do they so widely differ in their composition if they all fell at the same time from above! The Potsdam sandstone underlies the Silurian rocks. It spread from the Canadas to Texas, from the Alleghanies to the Rocky mountains, and probably forms a casement around the globe. It is 8,000 feet thick, and shows a mechanical and rapid accumulation, pointing unmistakably to the downfall of a silicious ring.
The Annular theory admits of the universal eroding power of rivers and waves; the transporting power of currents and strata building from detrital matter. But waves can do nothing unless supplied with matter. Where did they get the crystalline, granulated and infusorial matter to spread over the floor of the Silurian ocean? Great beds of metals have been laid down as regularity stratified deposits which could not have been borne from Archaean terranes.
CARBON STRATA DEPOSITED AS AN AQUEOUS SEDIMENT.
Carbon composing a peat bed is simply unconsumed carbon. The carbon or smoke that arises from every chimney and furnace when measurably shut up from immediate union with oxygen, remains an unburnt fuel precisely the same in kind as the unburnt carbon fuel of the peat bogs. Were we to collect the unburnt carbon from our chimneys in piles, where moisture and air could have free access, it would take fire spontaneously and burn, just as peat dug from the bog sometimes takes fire and burns.
The millions of fires from foundries, volcanoes, etc., are forming fuel wherever soot is formed, and were it not for the ever active oxygen of the air, it would all descend upon the earth as fuel and become incorporated in forming sedimentary beds. This is our claim for the coal, which as unconsumed carbon arose beyond the reach of destroying oxygen, from the heated, glowing furnace of our globe, and in time returned to the earth.
When the plant dies and begins to decay one of its constituent elements, carbon, oxydizes by slow combustion and returns to the air as an invisible gas. It is but accidental when a particle fails to become oxydized and remains as unconsumed carbon. An exceedingly small part of vegetation remains unburnt.
Coal veins, which are from one foot to three hundred feet thick, would make a stratum around the earth ten feet thick. Fifty pounds of coal will yield 10,000 gallons of carbonic acid. Then calling eight gallons equal to one cubic foot the astonishing fact comes out that the coal beds actually draw from the atmosphere an ocean of carbonic acid which would have covered the globe to the depth of 12,500 feet, which would have destroyed all animal life. Even three or four per cent. of carbonic acid in our present atmosphere would be fatal to animal life. Hence it is clear that coal cannot be attributed to vegetable origin.
CONCLUSIONS REACHED.
The following conclusions are clearly deducible:
1. The Annular system was a region of microscopic life and infusorial forms. Coal being deposited by sea-water carried down with it marine forms, and others settled upon its surface.