Studies in the Sierra. No. IV.-Glacial Denudation.

STUDIES IN THE SIERRA By John Muir NO. IV. GLACIAL DENUDATION GLACIAL denudation is one of the noblest and simplest manifestations of sun-power. Ocean water is lifted in vapor, crystallized into snow, and sown broadcast upon the mountains. Thaw and frost, combined with the pressure of its own weight...

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Main Author: Muir, John
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Scholarly Commons 1918
Subjects:
Online Access:https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmb/400
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/context/jmb/article/1399/viewcontent/349.pdf
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spelling ftunivpacificdc:oai:scholarlycommons.pacific.edu:jmb-1399 2023-10-01T03:54:23+02:00 Studies in the Sierra. No. IV.-Glacial Denudation. Muir, John 1918-01-01T08:00:00Z application/pdf https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmb/400 https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/context/jmb/article/1399/viewcontent/349.pdf eng eng Scholarly Commons https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmb/400 https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/context/jmb/article/1399/viewcontent/349.pdf John Muir: A Reading Bibliography by Kimes, 1986 (Muir articles 1866-1986) Environmentalist naturalist travel conservation national parks John Muir history pamphlets journal articles speeches writing annotation text 1918 ftunivpacificdc 2023-09-02T22:38:56Z STUDIES IN THE SIERRA By John Muir NO. IV. GLACIAL DENUDATION GLACIAL denudation is one of the noblest and simplest manifestations of sun-power. Ocean water is lifted in vapor, crystallized into snow, and sown broadcast upon the mountains. Thaw and frost, combined with the pressure of its own weight, change it to ice, which, although in appearance about as hard and inflexible as glass, immediately begins to flow back toward the sea whence it came, and at a rate of motion about equal to that of the hour-hand of a watch. Fig. i. This arrangement is illustrated in Fig. I, wherein a wheel, constructed of water, vapor, snow, and ice, and as irregular in shape as in motion, is being sun-whirled against a mountainside with a mechanical wearing action like that of an ordinary grindstone. In north Greenland, Nova Zembla, the arctic regions of Southeastern Alaska and Norway, the snow supply and general climatic conditions are such that their glaciers discharge di- sieRR A CLUB BULLETIN, VOL. X. PLATE OLD JUNIPER, OVER TEN FEET AT BASE On Tamarack Trail, Ralston Peak in distance Photo by Harold C. Bradley SIERRA CLUB BULLETIN VOL. X. GIANT JUNIPER IN CATHEDRAL CANON YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK Photo by William E. Colby Studies in the Sierra 305 rectly into the sea, and so perhaps did all first-class glaciers when in their prime; but now the world is so warm, and the snow-crop so scanty, most glaciers melt long before reaching the ocean. Schlagenweit tells us those of Switzerland melt on the average at an elevation of about 7400 feet above sea-level; the Himalaya glacier, in which the Ganges takes its rise, does not descend below 12,914 feet while those of our Sierra melt at an average elevation of about 11,000 feet. In its progress down a mountain-side a glacier follows the directions of greatest declivity, a law subject to very important modifications in its general application. Subordinate ranges many hundred feet in height are frequently overswept smoothly and gracefully without any visible manifestations of power. Thus, ... Text Arctic glacier glacier glacier glaciers Greenland North Greenland Alaska University of the Pacific: Scholarly Commons Arctic Greenland Norway Tamarack ENVELOPE(-121.170,-121.170,57.650,57.650)
institution Open Polar
collection University of the Pacific: Scholarly Commons
op_collection_id ftunivpacificdc
language English
topic Environmentalist
naturalist
travel
conservation
national parks
John Muir
history
pamphlets
journal articles
speeches
writing
annotation
spellingShingle Environmentalist
naturalist
travel
conservation
national parks
John Muir
history
pamphlets
journal articles
speeches
writing
annotation
Muir, John
Studies in the Sierra. No. IV.-Glacial Denudation.
topic_facet Environmentalist
naturalist
travel
conservation
national parks
John Muir
history
pamphlets
journal articles
speeches
writing
annotation
description STUDIES IN THE SIERRA By John Muir NO. IV. GLACIAL DENUDATION GLACIAL denudation is one of the noblest and simplest manifestations of sun-power. Ocean water is lifted in vapor, crystallized into snow, and sown broadcast upon the mountains. Thaw and frost, combined with the pressure of its own weight, change it to ice, which, although in appearance about as hard and inflexible as glass, immediately begins to flow back toward the sea whence it came, and at a rate of motion about equal to that of the hour-hand of a watch. Fig. i. This arrangement is illustrated in Fig. I, wherein a wheel, constructed of water, vapor, snow, and ice, and as irregular in shape as in motion, is being sun-whirled against a mountainside with a mechanical wearing action like that of an ordinary grindstone. In north Greenland, Nova Zembla, the arctic regions of Southeastern Alaska and Norway, the snow supply and general climatic conditions are such that their glaciers discharge di- sieRR A CLUB BULLETIN, VOL. X. PLATE OLD JUNIPER, OVER TEN FEET AT BASE On Tamarack Trail, Ralston Peak in distance Photo by Harold C. Bradley SIERRA CLUB BULLETIN VOL. X. GIANT JUNIPER IN CATHEDRAL CANON YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK Photo by William E. Colby Studies in the Sierra 305 rectly into the sea, and so perhaps did all first-class glaciers when in their prime; but now the world is so warm, and the snow-crop so scanty, most glaciers melt long before reaching the ocean. Schlagenweit tells us those of Switzerland melt on the average at an elevation of about 7400 feet above sea-level; the Himalaya glacier, in which the Ganges takes its rise, does not descend below 12,914 feet while those of our Sierra melt at an average elevation of about 11,000 feet. In its progress down a mountain-side a glacier follows the directions of greatest declivity, a law subject to very important modifications in its general application. Subordinate ranges many hundred feet in height are frequently overswept smoothly and gracefully without any visible manifestations of power. Thus, ...
format Text
author Muir, John
author_facet Muir, John
author_sort Muir, John
title Studies in the Sierra. No. IV.-Glacial Denudation.
title_short Studies in the Sierra. No. IV.-Glacial Denudation.
title_full Studies in the Sierra. No. IV.-Glacial Denudation.
title_fullStr Studies in the Sierra. No. IV.-Glacial Denudation.
title_full_unstemmed Studies in the Sierra. No. IV.-Glacial Denudation.
title_sort studies in the sierra. no. iv.-glacial denudation.
publisher Scholarly Commons
publishDate 1918
url https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmb/400
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/context/jmb/article/1399/viewcontent/349.pdf
long_lat ENVELOPE(-121.170,-121.170,57.650,57.650)
geographic Arctic
Greenland
Norway
Tamarack
geographic_facet Arctic
Greenland
Norway
Tamarack
genre Arctic
glacier
glacier
glacier
glaciers
Greenland
North Greenland
Alaska
genre_facet Arctic
glacier
glacier
glacier
glaciers
Greenland
North Greenland
Alaska
op_source John Muir: A Reading Bibliography by Kimes, 1986 (Muir articles 1866-1986)
op_relation https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmb/400
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/context/jmb/article/1399/viewcontent/349.pdf
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