Foot Steps of the Ancient Great Glacier of North America: A Long Lost Document of a Revolution in 19th Century Geological Theory

196 Pages·2015·2.092 MB·English

by  Harold W. Borns, Jr., Kirk Allen Maasch (auth.)

Foot Steps of the Ancient Great Glacier
of North America
Harold W. Borns, Jr. • Kirk Allen Maasch
Foot Steps of the Ancient
Great Glacier of North
America
A Long Lost Document
of a Revolution in 19th Century
Geological Theory
Harold W.Borns,Jr. KirkAllenMaasch
ClimateChangeInstitute ClimateChangeInstitute
TheUniversityofMaine TheUniversityofMaine
Orono,Maine Orono,Maine
USA USA
ISBN978-3-319-13199-3 ISBN978-3-319-13200-6(eBook)
DOI10.1007/978-3-319-13200-6
LibraryofCongressControlNumber: 2014959260
SpringerChamHeidelbergNewYorkDordrechtLondon
© SpringerInternationalPublishingSwitzerland2015
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Wededicatethisvolumetoourdeceased
friendandcolleagueDavidClaytonSmith,
EmeritusProfessorofHistoryatthe
UniversityofMaine.Manyyearsago,after
browsingDeLaski’shandwrittenmanuscript
forthefirsttimeDavidasked“whoisthisDr.
JohnK.DeLaski?”Thatprofoundquestion
launchedalongandongoingsearchforthe
shadowyfactsofDeLaski’slife,and
ultimatelyanunderstandingofhisscientific
researchandsignificanceofthismanuscript.
Foreword
Thepublicationofthisbook,writtenbyJohnKimballDeLaski,hasbeenalongtime
incoming,about140yearstoolong!Thestoryisonewellknowntoday,butinmid-
19thcenturyitwasverymuchaheadofitstime.Amasterofreadingtheincredible
geologicrecordindeliblyimprinteduponthelandscapeofMaine,hewasamongthe
firsttorecognizethescaleoftheimmensecontinentalicesheetthatcoveredNorth
Americaattheheightofthelasticeage.Overhislifetime,Dr.DeLaskimadecareful
observationsofsurfacefeaturesacrossMainecomingtotheinescapableconclusion
thatonlytheactionofglacierscouldhavecreatedthislandscape.Atthetimeofhis
investigations the prevailing belief was that the biblical deluge and icebergs were
theprimaryagenciesresponsibleforsculptingtheland. Inthisvolumewepresent
the synthesis of DeLaski’s scientific work as of 1869 with a transcription of the
handwrittenmanuscriptthathepresentedtothePortlandSocietyofNaturalHistory
ofwhichhewasamember.
Orono,Maine HaroldW.Borns,Jr.
July2014 KirkAllenMaasch
vii
Contents
PartI JohnKimballDeLaski
1 BiographicalSketch ........................................... 3
2 TheManuscript............................................... 13
PartII FootStepsoftheAncientGreatGlacierofNorthAmerica
3 Preface ...................................................... 17
4 ThePhenomenaofBoulderDrift................................ 19
5 Carver’sHarbor .............................................. 27
6 ResearchonRocks ............................................ 33
7 VinalhavenandNorthHaven ................................... 39
8 CamdenHillsandMountDesert................................ 45
9 MountDeserttoHolden ....................................... 55
10 BangortothePiscataquisValley ................................ 61
11 MountKatahdin ............................................. 65
12 TheInescapableConclusion—ALargeGlacier ................... 75
13 EvidenceFromAllOverNorthAmerica ......................... 79
14 BoulderDriftTheories ........................................ 85
15 ObjectiontoIcebergTheoryContinued ......................... 91
ix
x Contents
16 AnAstronomicalTheory ....................................... 99
17 AstronomicalTheoryContinued ................................ 107
18 TheoryofMutableAxisoftheEarth ............................ 113
19 ContinentalUpheavalandSubsidence ........................... 119
20 TheChangeableRelationsofLandandWater.................... 125
21 SupposedCauseoftheColdPeriod ............................. 131
22 GeologicRecordSincetheDevonian ............................ 137
23 TheClimateCools............................................. 145
24 AGlacialTime................................................ 151
25 DurationoftheGlacialAge .................................... 161
26 EndoftheGlacialAge ......................................... 169
27 OntheMotionofGlaciers...................................... 179
28 PurposeoftheGlacier ......................................... 191
29 Late-Glacial Cold-Water Marine Shells of Maine andAdjacent
Regions ...................................................... 199
Part I
John Kimball DeLaski
Chapter 1
Biographical Sketch
JohnKimballDeLaski,M.D.wasbornJune9,1814inSt.John,NewBrunswick.He
emigratedtoBangor,MaineonJune9,1833andwasnaturalizedinPortland,Maine
onJanuary4,1868.HemarriedAnneVaughnWiseinEastport,MaineonJuly27,
1839, and together they had eight children. In the early 1850’s the family moved
toIronPointontheislandofVinalhaven, Maineandlater, toCarver’sHarbor, the
villageontheisland.Dr.DeLaskipracticedmedicinefornearly30years,butwhere
andwhenhereceivedhismedicaltrainingisunknown.Ithasbeensuggestedthathe
mayhaveapprenticedtoamedicaldoctor.Inadditiontopracticingmedicinehealso
carefullyobservedtheMainelandscapeasageologicalnaturalist.Hemeticulously
described, often in minute detail, the evidence on the ground that he attributed to
former extensive glaciations of the Penobscot Bay region. Through the decade of
the1860’shecompliedhisobservationsintoahandwrittenbookmanuscriptentitled
“FootStepsoftheAncientGreatGlacierofNorthAmerica”dated1869,thatwasnot
published until now. However, parts of the manuscript were previously published
as articles in the local Rockland Gazette and as scientific papers in theAmerican
Journal of Science and other places. He was also a published poet. It is apparent
fromtheseearlyobservationsanddescriptionsthatDeLaskihadarealappreciation
fortheimmensityoftheicesheetthathedeterminedhadcoveredthisregionofMaine
andNewBrunswickandmuchofNorthAmericainthepast.Notethatinthepreface
of his book DeLaski wrote “In presenting the following pages to the public, I am
actuatedbytheconvictionthattheviewshithertohadoftheancientgreatglacierof
NorthAmerica,byscientificmenaswellasbygeologicalreadersgenerally,havenot
cometothemagnitudeofthemass,nortothegiganticworkwhichithaspreformed
upon the floor of our continent.” Among these scientific men were LouisAgassiz
and James Dwight Dana, both of whom we know he interacted and corresponded
withovertheyears.
LouisAgassiz,whileaprofessoratNeuchâtelandpresidentoftheNaturalHistory
SocietyofSwitzerlandannouncedinhispresidentialaddressof1837andultimately
tothebroadscientificcommunity,thatEarthhadexperiencedaniceageintherecent
past during which a great glacier had flowed south from the arctic covering most
of northern Europe and the Alps. This was in direct contrast to the devines who
©SpringerInternationalPublishingSwitzerland2015 3
H.W.Borns,Jr.,K.A.Maasch,FootStepsoftheAncientGreatGlacierofNorthAmerica,
DOI10.1007/978-3-319-13200-6_1