Agency Quote by Hugh Miller
“The primary rocks, ... I regard as the deposits of a period in which the earth's crust had sufficiently cooled down to permit the existence of a sea, with the necessary denuding agencies,-waves and currents,-and, in consequence, of deposition also; but in which the internal heat acted so near the surface, that whatever was deposited came, matter of course, to be metamorphosed into semi-plutonic forms, that retained only the stratification.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Geology of the Earth, 1855
Describes early rock formations as deposits from a cooled crust, later metamorphosed, retaining only stratification.
In simple terms: Ancient rocks show Earth's cooling and later transformation.
Key Takeaway
Study rock layers to understand geological history.
Themes
geology
history
formation
metamorphism
Mood
educational
analytical
Type
scientific
informative
When to use this quote
- field research
- educational curricula
- natural resource exploration
Key Concepts
stratification
thermal processes
Questions to Reflect On
- How do scientists differentiate original layers?
- What does rock history reveal about past climates?
A Different Perspective
Metamorphic changes can obscure original deposition clues.
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