Geology of To-Day: A Popular Introduction in Simple Language

From the PREFACE. THE Geology of To-day! The title appalls me. Modern geology is the result of more than a century's work by innumerable and indefatigable pioneers working in all parts of the earth. Their discoveries and researches are written in all the languages of the civilized world, and geological literature is so voluminous that no one can read it all. The Geological Society of London the parent of geological societies publishes an annual index of the literature added to its library; the index for 1911 included literature published in 582 magazines, journals, and other serials, and a total of over 2,500 books, papers, and memoirs. A geologist would have to read eight works a day to keep up with current literature. Such a task is impossible; and it would be wasted labour, for a man who attempted it would have no time to use the knowledge thus laboriously acquired. A geologist can only hope, by aid of annual indexes and catalogues of new literature, to find the contributions to his own special lines of research; he will have to acquire a slight acquaintance with the main conclusions of the science as a whole through reviews, summaries of progress, and conversation with his col- leagues. A full digest of modern geology would be impossible in the space of a book of this size, and it would also be comparatively useless to a general reader. Much geological work is of only local and temporary interest. Many geologists are making geological bricks, some of which will be used, while others may lie neglected on the field where they were made, or be abandoned on some scientific wayside. Works on architecture describe the established styles of buildings, but do not deal with brick-making and cement-making; similarly, a sketch of current geology need not refer to the work of all the geological pioneers and roadmakers, but it should state the general results of contemporary work and indicate the lines which are to-day of especial interest and promise for the progress of geologic thought. The reader who does not understand the technical language used by the actual craftsmen must accept several limitations in his course of study. Some branches of geology deal with such unfamiliar ideas and materials that they cannot be considered without the use of many technical terms, and of more preliminary explanation than can be given in such a treatise as this.