Strength and Structure of the Earth

Abstract

THOSE who have some acquaintance with Prof. Daly's researches and writings will expect both pleasure and profit from his latest book; nor will they be disappointed. Geophysics demands the co–operation of workers in a number of different sciences, and with the modern tendency of research to run along narrow paths there are few who have the wide knowledge required for a grand synthesis. Thus, there has from time to time been a cleavage of opinion on various vital matters between, say, geologists and mathematical physicists, although each had much to learn from the other. Happily, there has arisen in recent years a spirit of close co–operation, and some of the fruits of it are seen in the volume under review. Prof. Daly combines the wide knowledge of the geologist with a clear grasp of the modern advances in geodesy and seismology—no mean achievement. His exposition is attractive, and is illuminated by a wealth of suggestions, many of them frankly speculative, many indicating possible quantitative tests, and all of them worth recording. Strength and Structure of the Earth By Prof. Reginald Aldworth Daly. (Prentice-Hall Geology Series.) Pp. x + 434. (New York: Prentice–Hall, Inc., 1940.) 3.50 dollars.