Det éuropæiske Nordhav, der 1876, L877 og 1878 

 var Gjenstand for den norske Expeditions Undersøgelser, 

 kan i Udstrækning ikke maale sig med de store Verdens- 

 have.- men det frembyder ved sin Beliggenhed en i nere 

 Retninger særegen Interesse. 



Dette gjælder ikke mindst om dets geologiske. For* 

 hold. Naar vi tager disse i Betraktning, maa vi kunne 

 gjøre os et Begret) om enkelte af de Betingelser, der er 

 givne for Dannelsen af Bundens Atleiringer i dette Hav. 



Vi tinder det fra forskjellige Sider begnendset af Øer 

 og Kontinenter, hvor glaciale og vulkanske Kræfter har 

 været og endnu er i Virksomhed. Norge er vel et af de 

 Lande, der fortrinsvis har været udsat for Istidens furende 

 og afgnavende Evne. og Spidsbergen og Grønland befinder 

 sig endnu i den glaciale Tilstand. 



Medens vi altsaa i disse Lande kan iagttage Isens 

 Virkninger i den nuværende og i den forbigangne Tid. har 

 vi paa Øerne Island og dan Mayen de vulkanske Kræfter 

 repræsenteréde i et lignende historisk Forhold. .lan Mayen 

 er et nedlagt Verksted, hvor der ikke paa mange hundrede 

 Aar har fundet noget større Udbrud Sted. men Islands 

 Vulkaper fortsætter fremdeles sin Virksomhed. 



Skjemt vi nu vanskelig kan gjore os nogen Ide om. i 

 hvdr hoi Grad de ovennævnte Naturkræfter kan bidrage til 

 Havets Afleiringer, ved vi dug. at de begge spiller en med- 

 virkende Rolle. Det er saaledes almindelig bekjendt, hvor- 

 ledes Isen -- understøttet af Bræelvene -- formaar at bære 

 det Materiale, den har erobret fra det faste Land. ud i 

 Havet. Her naar den som Drivis ud til de fjerneste Egne. 

 Det er ogsaa en Nødvendighed. at der ved Vulkanernes 

 Virksomhed maa samle sig mange mineralske Stoffe paa 

 Havbunden. At disse kan være af væsentlig Betydning fol- 

 dens Afleiringer er — for de store Verdenshaves Vedkom- 

 mende - - godtgjort ved Mr. Murrays Undersøgelser. 



Foruden de ovennævnte Knetter har vi i Nordhavet 

 ogsaa andre, der i fremtrædende Grad virker i den samme 

 Retning. Beeren Eiland er saaledes et mærkelig Exempel 

 paa. hvorledes Bølgerne til Kordel for Havets Sedimenter 

 formaar at udgrave og afslide det faste Land. 



Ved Betragtning af disse mest ioinefaldende Natur- 

 forhold kan vi gjøre os etBegreb.om, hvorledes der uden- 

 fra kan tilfores Havet Materiale, men paa den anden Side 

 ved vi ogsaa, at Dyrelivet ved sine kemiske Virkninger kan 

 gi ve mægtige Bidrag til de sedimentære Nydannelser. Hvor- 

 ledes nu de forskjellige Kræfter virker i Forening, hvem 

 der har en større og hvem der har en mindre Betydning. 

 og hvad der er det endelige Resultat af deres Samvirken — 

 er Spørgsmaal, som vi ikke kan besvare, førend vi har hentet 

 Materialet til vor (JnderSØgelse op fra Selve Havbunden. 



[følge Planen for den norske Nordhavsexpedition var 

 der bestemt, at der paa alle de Stationer. hvor Dybde- 

 maalinger foretoges, tillige skulde optages Prøver fra Bun- 

 den. For at anskueliggjøre de Redskaber, der tjente til 



The Seas ol Northern Europe scientirically investiga- 

 ted on the Norwegian Expedition in 187(3. 1877. and 1878, 

 though in point of extent they cannot compare with the 

 great oceans of the globe. are yet, by reason of their geo- 

 graphical position. in many respects peculiarly aftractive as 

 a held of exploratory research. 



And not least does this apply to their geological cha- 

 racter, which, if rightly apprehended, cannot but afford a 

 clew to some of -the conditions determining the formation 

 oi sedimentary deposit over the bed of the North Atlantic. 



The tract in question is bounded on several sides by 

 islands and continents where glacial and volcanic agency 

 has been and still continues in operatioh. Few regions of 

 our planet can in like degree with Norway have been ex- 

 posed to the furrowing and grinding action of glaciers 

 during the great ice age;- and Spitzbergen and Greenland 

 are even now in a glacial state. 



Tims. whilst the past and present effects of glacial 

 action may be obsefved in those regions, the islands of Jan 

 Mayen and Iceland exhibit a similar historie relation as 

 re^ards volcanic agency. The former is. so to speak, a 

 long since abandoned workshop, in which for hundreds of 

 years there has been no considerable eruption, whereas the 

 volcanoes of Iceland continue as active as ever. 



Now. though we oan hardly determine in w hat degree 

 the said forces tend to increase oceanie deposits, we know 

 tliat both play a co-operative part in their formation. Thus, 

 for instance. it is a well-known fact. that the ice. in con- 

 junction with glacier torrents. bears down all manner. of débris 

 to the ocean. From here it tind its way as drift-ice to the 

 most distant regions. Moreover, it is obvious that to volcanic 

 agency must he ascribed the occurrence of many mineral 

 substauces present in oceanie deposit. of which they are 

 shown by the results of Mr. Murrays investigations — as 

 regards at least the great ocean basins — to-constitute an 

 important feature. 



But. apart from the action of glaciers and volcanoes, 

 we have other potent forces operating with -like effect in 

 the North Atlantic. Thus. Beeren Eiland signally exem- 

 plities the remarkable instrumentality of the waves in 

 accumulatirig sedimentary deposit over the ocean-bed by 

 éxcavating and wearing away the rocks of the shore. 



A glance at these salient physical conditions will 

 suffice to show from what extraneous sources oceanie de- 

 posit can bederived; and on the other hand. we know that 

 animal lite. so abuiidant in the waters ol the sea. must 

 largely contribute to such new formations. But bow the 

 several forces act in conjunction, what is the product of 

 each, and what the joint result of their co-operation, — 

 these are questions the bearing of which we cannot venture 

 to inter till such time as samples of deposit sha.ll have been 

 brought up from the sea^bed itself. 



Pursuant to the Scheme of Work tor the Norwegian 

 Xorth-Atlantic Expedition. a sample of the bottom was. if 

 possible. to be obtaiiied at every sounding-statioli. The fol- 

 lowing extracts from -The Apparatas, and bow used," one 



