The Polar Glaciers

The centre of gravity of the earth is the centre of the sphere formed by the surface of the oceans; or rather, owing to the flattening of the earth at the poles, it is a point equally distant, in opposite directions, from the level of the sea.

The waters, being free to move, must of necessity conform themselves to this equidistance from the gravitating centre of the whole mass. Inasmuch, then, as any plane which cuts the earth into two parts through its centre of gravity must equally divide the weight of the whole earth, it follows also that the same plane would exactly bisect the great spheroid of the oceans.

In each hemisphere the sea-level in all corresponding parts would be at the same distance from this centre; and whatever land and mountains there might be above the ocean in one half would have to be counter-balanced by land, or an excess of weight of some sort, in the other half. And this counterpoising weight must itself rise above the level of the sea, unless we say that one side of the world is composed of heavier materials than the other, of which there is not the least evidence or probability.

If the plane thus dividing the earth be that of its equator, there will be found in the northern hemisphere about 44,000,000 square miles of land, and in the southern, so far as is known, about 16,000,000 square miles. Now, the great problem in physical geography is: What is there in the southern hemisphere to counterbalance this great excess of land in the northern?