Strange Planet - A Sourcebook of Unusual Geological Facts comp by William R Corliss vol E1 (1975).pdf

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STRANGE
PLANET
A SOURCEBOOK OF U N U S U A L
GEOLOGICAL FACTS
Compiled by
WILLIAM R. CORLISS
VOLUME E-1
Published and Distributed by
The Sourcebook Project
Glen Arm. Maryland 21057
Copyright
1975 by William R. Corliss
Library of Congress Catalog Number: 74-26-226
ISBN 0-9600712-3-7
First Printing: January 1975
PREFACE
As readers of the sourcebooks STRANGE PHENOMENA and STRANGE ARTIFACTS
are well aware, the object of the Sourcebook Project is the collection and organization
of data that do not seem to fit within the framework of dominant scientific dogmas.
Such anomalous data are often pregnant with meaning for budding scientific revolution-
aries. However, it must be admitted that some of the facts swept up are merely
curious, posing no obvious threat to the status quo. As the first word in all sourcebook
titles has it, there are strange. The present sourcebook on geology probably has more
strange, nonrevolutionary data in it than STRANGE PHENOMENA and STRANGE
ARTIFACTS, but it is wise not to try to predict the future course of knowledge.
Geology is the prisoner of several dogmas that have had widespread influence upon
the development of scientific thought:
1. The Dogma of Uniformity (That the earth's surface was sculptured over an
extremely long period of time by geological forces currently in operation.
Uniformitarianism is opposed by the Dogma of Catastrophism.)
2. The Dogma of Evolution (That life was simple in the beginning and, in
accord with the Dogma of Uniformity, developed slowly into the more
complex species of today.)
3. The Ice Age Dogma (That within the last 100, 000 years vast ice sheets
spread across the high latitudes, leaving behind a rich deposit of debris,
altered land forms, and sundry other signs.)
The very nature of the Sourcebook Project insists that some of the data collected
controvert these bulwarks of earth science. However, this is done in the spirit of
science and not in biased support of those rival dogmas sketched out by Hapgood,
Patten, Velikovsky, and other modern catastrophists. Dogmas are useful in focussing
thought, but the sharper focus generally cuts out some of the total picture. So, the
sourcebooks avoid promoting dogmas and, in fact, question everything and present
both sides of all controversies.
I have devoted a great deal of thought to the organization of the sourcebooks. The
format is flexible. More material may be added within the framework of categories
from any source and any period. Seemingly unrelated data are correlated through the
indexes and annotations. Whole new categories can be added if necessary.
The literature dealing with curious geological features has only been scratched.
Volume E l , the present volume, represents only a small portion of my collection.
Volume E2 will appear in due course as well as STRANGE UNIVERSE, a sourcebook
in the field of astronomy, which will have interesting implications (pro and con) for
the Dogma of Catastrophism.
The data have been filtered only slightly. Doubtless some hoaxes and honest
misinterpretations will be found in the pages that follow. This is unavoidable in a
project of this scope. Indeed, it is unavoidable in all phases of inquiry, especially
those relying heavily upon observational evidence.
El-iii
The collecting net I flung into the literature was a broad one. It had to be because
(1) valid data and good theories are often published outside the mainstream of scientific
thought; and (2) people were just as observant a century or two ago as they are today.
Quotations in this volume will demonstrate that they viewed the world with great
curiosity and if they sometimes misinterpreted things perhaps they also saw the c o s m o s
through less biased eyes.
Some of the material included here will be labelled "pseudoscience". but some of
the data so castigated will be legitimate science a decade hence. Continental drift
was essentially pseudoscience in 1950; today, it is called "plate tectonics" and must
be considered well-established. Who knows which theories will be favored t o m o r r o w ?
I should also add that I have deliberately introduced data—perhaps
25%
of the
whole
from outside the scientific literature. This was not done because of any lack
of material but rather to insure the widest possible spectrum of observations.
Being that this is a sourcebook, I hasten to acknowledge the many writers of
papers, letters-to-the-editor, and sundry publications that make up the foundation of
this book. Where lengthy quotations are taken from publications still protected by
copyright, permission has been obtained from the copyright holder.
William R. Corliss
Glen Arm, MD 21057
January 2, 1975
El-iv
CONTENTS
Page
ORGANIZATION OF THE SOURCEBOOKS
BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE
MYTHS AND LEGENDS
MAGNETIC DATA
ORBITAL AND ASTRONOMICAL EVIDENCE
UNUSUAL ROCKS
STRATIGRAPHIC EVIDENCE
TOPOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE
SUBJECT INDEX
AUTHOR INDEX
SOURCE INDEX
A breakdown of the sections listed above follows,
pages to locate specific subsections and entries.
Section Code and Title
EB
Biological evidence
El-1
El-3
El-49
El-85
El-95
El-111
El-157
El-205
El-277
El-281
El-282
Use the headings at the tops of the
Subsection Code and Title
*EBC
EBE
EBM
EBR
EBS
ELC
ELD
ELG
Fossil c l o c k s
Extinctions and overkill
Mammoth graveyards
Animals in rocks
Sealevel indicators
Climate changes
The Deluge
Phantom lands
EL
Myths and legends
El-v

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