meteorology-第15节

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qualities　of　Boreas　and　Eurus。　By　being　cold　it　condenses　and



gathers　the　vaporous　air；　and　because　it　is　easterly　it　carries　with



it　and　drives　before　it　a　great　quantity　of　such　matter。　Aparctias；



Thrascias；　and　Argestes　bring　fair　weather　for　the　reason　we　have



explained　before。　These　winds　and　Meses　are　most　commonly



accompanied　by　lightning。　They　are　cold　because　they　blow　from　the



north；　and　lightning　is　due　to　cold；　being　ejected　when　the　clouds



contract。　Some　of　these　same　bring　hail　with　them　for　the　same　reason；



namely；　that　they　cause　a　sudden　condensation。



　　　　Hurricanes　are　commonest　in　autumn；　and　next　in　spring：　Aparctias；



Thrascias；　and　Argestes　give　rise　to　them　most。　This　is　because



hurricanes　are　generally　formed　when　some　winds　are　blowing　and　others



fall　on　them；　and　these　are　the　winds　which　are　most　apt　to　fall　on



others　that　are　blowing；　the　reason　for　which；　too；　we　have



explained　before。



　　The　Etesiae　veer　round：　they　begin　from　the　north；　and　become　for



dwellers　in　the　west　Thrasciae；　Argestae；　and　Zephyrus　（for　Zephyrus



belongs　to　the　north）。　For　dwellers　in　the　east　they　veer　round　as　far



as　Apeliotes。



　　So　much　for　the　winds；　their　origin　and　nature　and　the　properties



common　to　them　all　or　peculiar　to　each。







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　7







　　We　must　go　on　to　discuss　earthquakes　next；　for　their　cause　is　akin



to　our　last　subject。



　　The　theories　that　have　been　put　forward　up　to　the　present　date　are



three；　and　their　authors　three　men；　Anaxagoras　of　Clazomenae；　and



before　him　Anaximenes　of　Miletus；　and　later　Democritus　of　Abdera。



　　Anaxagoras　says　that　the　ether；　which　naturally　moves　upwards；　is



caught　in　hollows　below　the　earth　and　so　shakes　it；　for　though　the



earth　is　really　all　of　it　equally　porous；　its　surface　is　clogged　up　by



rain。　This　implies　that　part　of　the　whole　sphere　is　'above'　and　part



'below'：　'above'　being　the　part　on　which　we　live；　'below'　the　other。



　　This　theory　is　perhaps　too　primitive　to　require　refutation。　It　is



absurd　to　think　of　up　and　down　otherwise　than　as　meaning　that　heavy



bodies　move　to　the　earth　from　every　quarter；　and　light　ones；　such　as



fire；　away　from　it；　especially　as　we　see　that；　as　far　as　our　knowledge



of　the　earth　goes；　the　horizon　always　changes　with　a　change　in　our



position；　which　proves　that　the　earth　is　convex　and　spherical。　It　is



absurd；　too；　to　maintain　that　the　earth　rests　on　the　air　because　of



its　size；　and　then　to　say　that　impact　upwards　from　below　shakes　it



right　through。　Besides　he　gives　no　account　of　the　circumstances



attendant　on　earthquakes：　for　not　every　country　or　every　season　is



subject　to　them。



　　Democritus　says　that　the　earth　is　full　of　water　and　that　when　a



quantity　of　rain…water　is　added　to　this　an　earthquake　is　the　result。



The　hollows　in　the　earth　being　unable　to　admit　the　excess　of　water



it　forces　its　way　in　and　so　causes　an　earthquake。　Or　again；　the



earth　as　it　dries　draws　the　water　from　the　fuller　to　the　emptier



parts；　and　the　inrush　of　the　water　as　it　changes　its　place　causes



the　earthquake。



　　Anaximenes　says　that　the　earth　breaks　up　when　it　grows　wet　or　dry；



and　earthquakes　are　due　to　the　fall　of　these　masses　as　they　break



away。　Hence　earthquakes　take　place　in　times　of　drought　and　again　of



heavy　rain；　since；　as　we　have　explained；　the　earth　grows　dry　in　time



of　drought　and　breaks　up；　whereas　the　rain　makes　it　sodden　and



destroys　its　cohesion。



　　But　if　this　were　the　case　the　earth　ought　to　be　found　to　be



sinking　in　many　places。　Again；　why　do　earthquakes　frequently　occur



in　places　which　are　not　excessively　subject　to　drought　or　rain；　as



they　ought　to　be　on　the　theory？　Besides；　on　this　view；　earthquakes



ought　always　to　be　getting　fewer；　and　should　come　to　an　end　entirely



some　day：　the　notion　of　contraction　by　packing　together　implies



this。　So　this　is　impossible　the　theory　must　be　impossible　too。







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　8







　　　　We　have　already　shown　that　wet　and　dry　must　both　give　rise　to　an



evaporation：　earthquakes　are　a　necessary　consequence　of　this　fact。　The



earth　is　essentially　dry；　but　rain　fills　it　with　moisture。　Then　the



sun　and　its　own　fire　warm　it　and　give　rise　to　a　quantity　of　wind



both　outside　and　inside　it。　This　wind　sometimes　flows　outwards　in　a



single　body；　sometimes　inwards；　and　sometimes　it　is　divided。　All　these



are　necessary　laws。　Next　we　must　find　out　what　body　has　the　greatest



motive　force。　This　will　certainly　be　the　body　that　naturally　moves



farthest　and　is　most　violent。　Now　that　which　has　the　most　rapid　motion



is　necessarily　the　most　violent；　for　its　swiftness　gives　its　impact



the　greatest　force。　Again；　the　rarest　body；　that　which　can　most



readily　pass　through　every　other　body；　is　that　which　naturally　moves



farthest。　Wind　satisfies　these　conditions　in　the　highest　degree



（fire　only　becomes　flame　and　moves　rapidly　when　wind　accompanies



it）：　so　that　not　water　nor　earth　is　the　cause　of　earthquakes　but



wind…that　is；　the　inrush　of　the　external　evaporation　into　the　earth。



　　Hence；　since　the　evaporation　generally　follows　in　a　continuous



body　in　the　direction　in　which　it　first　started；　and　either　all　of



it　flows　inwards　or　all　outwards；　most　earthquakes　and　the　greatest



are　accompanied　by　calm。　It　is　true　that　some　take　place　when　a　wind



is　blowing；　but　this　presents　no　difficulty。　We　sometimes　find　several



winds　blowing　simultaneously。　If　one　of　these　enters　the　earth　we



get　an　earthquake　attended　by　wind。　Only　these　earthquakes　are　less



severe　because　their　source　and　cause　is　divided。



　　Again；　most　earthquakes　and　the　severest　occur　at　night　or；　if　by



day；　about　noon；　that　being　generally　the　calmest　part　of　the　day。　For



when　the　sun　exerts　its　full　power　（as　it　does　about　noon）　it　shuts



the　evaporation　into　the　earth。　Night；　too；　is　calmer　than　day。　The



absence　of　the　sun　makes　the　evaporation　return　into　the　earth　like



a　sort　of　ebb　tide；　corresponding　to　the　outward　flow；　especially



towards　dawn；　for　the　winds；　as　a　rule；　begin　to　blow　then；　and　if



their　source　changes　about　like　the　Euripus　and　flows　inwards　the



quantity　of　wind　in　the　earth　is　greater　and　a　more　violent　earthquake



results。



　　The　severest　earthquakes　take　place　where　the　sea　is　full　of



currents　or　the　earth　spongy　and　cavernous：　so　they　occur　near　the



Hellespont　and　in　Achaea　and　Sicily；　and　those　parts　of　Euboea　which



correspond　to　our　description…where　the　sea　is　supposed　to　flow　in



channels　below　the　earth。　The　hot　springs；　too；　near　Aedepsus　are



due　to　a　cause　of　this　kind。　It　is　the　confined　character　of　these



places　that　makes　them　so　liable　to　earthquakes。　A　great　and　therefore



violent　wind　is　developed；　which　would　naturally　blow　away　from　the



earth：　but　the　onrush　of　the　sea　in　a　great　mass　thrusts　it　back



into　the　earth。　The　countries　that　are　spongy　below　the　surface　are



exposed　to　earthquakes　because　they　have　room　for　so　much　wind。



　　For　the　same　reason　earthquakes　usually　take　place　in　spring　and



autumn　and　in　times　of　wet　and　of　drought…because　these　are　the



windiest　seasons。　Summer　with　its　heat　and　winter　with　its　frost　cause



calm：　winter　is　too　cold；　summer　too　dry　for　winds　to　form。　In　time　of



drought　the　air　is　full　of　wind；　drought　is　just　the　predominance　of



the　dry　over　the　moist　evaporation。　Again；　excessive　rain　causes



more　of　the　evaporation　to　form　in　the　earth。　Then　this　secretion　is



shut　up　in　a　narrow　compass　and　forced　into　a　smaller　space　by　the



water　that　fills　the　cavities。　Thus　a　great　wind　is　compressed　into



a　smaller　space　and　so　gets　the　upper　hand；　and　then　breaks　out　and



beats　against　the　earth　and　shakes　it　violently。



　　We　must　suppose　the　action　of　the　wind　in　the　earth　to　be



analogous　to　the　tremors　and　throbbings　caused　in　us　by　the　force　of



the　wind　contained　in　our　bodies。　Thus　some　earthquakes　are　a　sort



of　tremor；　others　a　sort　of　throbbing。　Again；　we　must　think　of　an



earthquake　as　something　like　the　tremor　that　often　runs　through　the



body　after　passing　water　as　the　wind　returns　inwards　from　without　in



one　volume。



　　The　force　wind　can　have　may　be　gathered　not　only　from　what　happens



in　the　air　（where　one　might　suppose　that　it　owed　its　power　to



produce　such　effects　to　its　volume）；　but　also　from　what　is　observed　in



animal　bodies。　Tetanus　and　spasms　are　motions　of　wind；　and　their　force



is　such　that　the　united　efforts　of　many　men　do　not　succeed　in



overcoming　the　movements　of　the　patients。　We　must　suppose；　then　（to



compare　great　things　with　small）；　that　what　happens　in　the　earth　is



just　like　that。　Our　theory　has　been　verified　by　actual　observation



in　many　places。　It　has　been　known　to　happen　that　an　earthquake　has



continued　unti