A

NEW SYSTEM OF GEOLOGY,

IN WHICH

THE GREAT REVOLUTIONS

OF THE

EARTH AND ANIMATED NATURE,

ARE RECONCILED AT ONCE

TO MODERN SCIENCE AND SACRED HISTORY.

BY ANDREW URE, M.D.

FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY,

MEMBER OF THE GEOLOGICAL AND ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETIES OF LONDON,
&c. &c. &c.

PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS AND LECTURER ON CHEMISTRY

IN THE

ANDERSONIAN UNIVERSITY.

LONDON:

LONGMAN, REES, ORME, BROWN, & GREEN.

M.DCCC. XXIX.

CONTENTS.

Page

PREFACE,

vii

INTRODUCTION,

Cosmogony of the Greeks-Idolatry of the learned,

Bacon on intercourse of Science and Revelation,

Historical character of Moses,

Illogical procedure of geological theorists,

Geology of Hutton and Werner alike ideal,

Sun not the molten parent of the planets,

Author's motives for writing the present work,

Sound and unsound philosophy exemplified,

New era of practical geology,

ix

xi

xiv

xvii

xxi

Arrangement and importance of organic remains,

1

BOOK I.

THE PRIMORDIAL WORLD, OR CREATION.

CHAP. I.—General Observations on the Forms of Matter,

Nature of heat-its undulatory propagation, .

Original solidity of the globe,

Pre-existing chaos-inadmissible-Origin of that notion,

Light existed before the sun and is independent of his beams,

Vibratory diffusion of light by advancing and receding pulses,

How double light from the sun may cause darkness,

Arago's fine confirmatory experiments, .

CHAP. III.-The Atmosphere,

Constitution of a dry atmosphere and of one mixed with

1

4

7

10

16

17

21

34

41

49

51

55

63

69

71

73

75

Page

Composition and complex relations of water,

Creation of the vegetable world,

Creation and analogies of fishes and fowls,

Primeval state of man,

CHAP. V.-Primitive Rock Formations,

Crust of the globe, formed from six explosive elements,

88

91

Structure of primitive mountains shown by a figure,

92

§ i. Gneiss formation-its flexures figured,

100

ii. Mica-slate formation—its imbedded minerals,

104

iii. Clay-slate formation-its metallic riches,

105

iv. Primitive limestone-classification of primitive strata,

107

§ v. Porphyry;

vi. Sienite; § vii. Greenstone,

108

viii. Granite-its varieties-extensive distribution,

Table of Geological equivalents, by the Rev. Dr. Buckland,

THE ANTEDILUVIAN PERIOD, OR SECONDARY FOR-

MATIONS.

CHAP. I.-General View of Secondary Rocks,

Mystical transition from inorganic inertia to organic life, .

Tabular representation of Mineral Strata,

CHAP. II.-Submedial Strata,

1. Greywacke, an intermediate or transition-rock,

Fossil fish of greywacke-other localities of fossil fish,

Transition limestone-its organic remains,.

CHAP. III.-Medial or Carboniferous Strata,

Smith's superposition of English Strata,

Of coal-formations in general,

Lignites, or bituminised wood, not true pit-coal,

ii. Old red sandstone, bottom lining of coal-basins,

iii. Carboniferous limestone, over the sandstone and under

174

the coal,.

175

CONTENTS.

Its organic remains, illustrated by engravings in wood and

Page

176

178

Sv. Coal-measures; alternate beds of coal, shale, and sandstone, 179

Coloured figure of section of Malmsbury coal-field,

181

CHAP. IV. Supermedial Strata; the proper Secondary For-

mations of Geologists,

Figured section of English superposition, in the order of

MM. Conybeare and Phillips,

185

186

§ i. Magnesian limestone; equivalent of the German zechstein, 187

Its great fossil lizards or monitors, in Thuringia,

188

191

Locality of the English rock salt; section of Northwich mines, 193

iii. Oolitic series-lower, middle, and upper defined,

§ iv. Lias-Section of its beds at Westbury Cliff,.

Organic remains of lias, see Plate II.-its general extent,

Great antediluvian amphibia-fossil crocodiles,

Enormous Megalosaurus of Buckland,

221

Form and habits of the living animal deduced by Cuvier,

Plesiosaurus discovered by Mr. Conybeare,

Form and habits of the living animal described by Mr.

§ v. Inferior members of the third or lower system of oolites,

247

vi. Upper beds of the lower oolite-Cornbrash, Stonesfield

fix. Upper division of oolites-Kimmeridge clay, Portland

oolite, Purbeck beds,

267

x. Beds between the chalk and oolite series,

Iron sand, Weald clay, green sand, chalk marl,

E: