24th Nov, 2022 11:00
Fine Scientific & Medical Instruments and Books
Darwin, Charles, Philosophical Magazine, Icebergs
The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science, vol. X - Fourth Series, July - December 1855, London, Taylor and Francis, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street, Library stamp to title-page , half calf, spine worn , boards with cream marbling, bookblock firmly attached. Internally fine and clean, Darwin's paper, XII. On the power of icebergs to make rectilinear, uniformly directed groves across a submarine Undulatory Surface. By C. Darwin, Esq., Vice-Pres. R.R., F.G.S. [p.96],
With this 1855 paper, Darwin sought to hypothesise as to why or how “long, rectilinear scratches, running in one given direction across an undulatory surface, could have been thus formed” (p.96). In other words, how is it possible for icebergs to have left scratches in the topography of a valley, which run at right angles to the direction of the valley itself.
Darwin’s question about the ability of an iceberg to perform such a feat is due to the mechanical differences between icebergs and glaciers. Glaciers tend to be rather plastic, being able to change form as they move over the terrain. Icebergs, in contrast, tend to be smaller and are considered to merely be pieces of a glacier that have broken off. Due to their smaller size, icebergs lose plasticity and the ability to impact the terrain in the above-mentioned manner.
In closing, Darwin posits that it is the interaction between the iceberg and the flow of water that creates the scratches on the surface of the valley. Icebergs can theoretically float through a large body of water at a depth of 1,500 feet, and be carried by the current. The sheer mass of the iceberg, coupled with the speed of the water flow, leads to the shaping of the terrain.
Charles Darwin, (b.1809 - d.1882) is most famous for his work On The Origin of Species, where he described the theory of evolution by natural selection. Although Darwin’s father wanted his aimless son to make his career with the church, Darwin had other ideas. Pursuing a career as a naturalist his body of work ranges from earthworms and finches to icebergs and geology.
Footnote: we have been unable to find a copy of this article sold at auction within the last 10 years.
Sold for £900
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The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science, vol. X - Fourth Series, July - December 1855, London, Taylor and Francis, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street, Library stamp to title-page , half calf, spine worn , boards with cream marbling, bookblock firmly attached. Internally fine and clean, Darwin's paper, XII. On the power of icebergs to make rectilinear, uniformly directed groves across a submarine Undulatory Surface. By C. Darwin, Esq., Vice-Pres. R.R., F.G.S. [p.96],
With this 1855 paper, Darwin sought to hypothesise as to why or how “long, rectilinear scratches, running in one given direction across an undulatory surface, could have been thus formed” (p.96). In other words, how is it possible for icebergs to have left scratches in the topography of a valley, which run at right angles to the direction of the valley itself.
Darwin’s question about the ability of an iceberg to perform such a feat is due to the mechanical differences between icebergs and glaciers. Glaciers tend to be rather plastic, being able to change form as they move over the terrain. Icebergs, in contrast, tend to be smaller and are considered to merely be pieces of a glacier that have broken off. Due to their smaller size, icebergs lose plasticity and the ability to impact the terrain in the above-mentioned manner.
In closing, Darwin posits that it is the interaction between the iceberg and the flow of water that creates the scratches on the surface of the valley. Icebergs can theoretically float through a large body of water at a depth of 1,500 feet, and be carried by the current. The sheer mass of the iceberg, coupled with the speed of the water flow, leads to the shaping of the terrain.
Charles Darwin, (b.1809 - d.1882) is most famous for his work On The Origin of Species, where he described the theory of evolution by natural selection. Although Darwin’s father wanted his aimless son to make his career with the church, Darwin had other ideas. Pursuing a career as a naturalist his body of work ranges from earthworms and finches to icebergs and geology.
Footnote: we have been unable to find a copy of this article sold at auction within the last 10 years.
Auction: Fine Scientific & Medical Instruments and Books, 24th Nov, 2022
