kortfattet Oversigt over de forskjellige Sedimenters- For- 

 deling i Havet — støttet til Iagttagelserne ombord og mine 

 senere Undersøgelser. 



Jeg maa lier forudskikke den Bemærkning, at jeg i 

 Mangel af andre Udtryk har valgt Benævnelsen "Ler" for 

 alle de Slamdannelser. der efter Tørring opnaaede en vis 

 Fasthed og Sammenhængskraft. Beskrivelsen af Bundprø- 

 vernes ydre Kjendetegn refererer sig væsentlig til deres 

 Udseende i den tørrede Tilstand, saaledes som jeg ved 

 mine Undersogelser har håvt dem. Det være forelobig 

 sagt, at det mest karakteristiske Mærke for de forskjellige 

 Sedimenter er Farven, der væsentlig er betinget af den 

 Oxydationsgrad, hvori de benuder sig. 



I de grundere Dele af Havbundeu langs Norges og 

 Spidsbergens Kyster tinder .vi Bunden bedækket af et mere 

 eller mindre plastisk Ler, der næsten altid er af en graa 

 Farve. Blandingsdelenes Finhed og Biblandingen af grovere 

 Materiale — i Form af Sand. Dyreskaller og lignende — 

 er meget forskjellige i de talrige Prøver, der er mdsamlede 

 fra disse Egne af Havbunden. Dette Kystler gaar sjelden 

 dybere ned end til 400—500 Favne (700— 900 Meter). 



Ved dette Dyb støder man ialinindelighed paa et brunt 

 Ler, der bebuder < hergangen til det egentlige Oceansedi- 

 ment. I Begyndelsen af sin Optræden er dette brune Ler 

 ofte temmelig sandholdigt og grovkornigt og mdeholder kun 

 faa Foraminiferer (Overgangsler) : længere ud i Havet bliver 

 det mere tint og ensartet, indtil det gaar over i det saa- 

 kaldte "Biloculinler", som tindes paa næsten alle Dybder, 

 der er større end 1000 Favne. 



Dette er et eiendommeligt, fint Sediment af en lys- 

 brun til morkbrun Farve og udmærker sig ved sin større 

 eller mindre Rigdom paa smaa Foraminiferer. Fremtre- 

 dende for det' blottede Øie er isærdeleshed Slægten Bilo- 

 culina med sine smaa hvide Skaller, af Størrelse og Form 

 som et Knappenaalshoved, spredte rundt omkring i Slammet. 

 Dette er derfor afZoologerne opkaldt efter disse smaa Dyr, 

 der giver det et karakteristisk og let kjendeligt Udseende. 



Vi skal senere tale om de øvrige i Leret forekom- 

 mende Foraminiferer. som paa Grund af sit Udseende eller 

 sin ringe Størrelse er mindre ioinefaklende end Biloculinerne, 

 om de' end i Antal er langt overveiende. 



I den østlige Del af Nordhavet mellem Spidsbergen, 

 Beeren Eiland, Norge og Novaja Semlja har vi fundet 

 Lunden bedækket med et grøn-graat paa Dyrelevninger 

 fattigt Ler. Dets grønlige Farve og øvrige karakteristiske 

 Egenskaber er isærdeleshed udprægede i Bundprovcrne fra 

 de østligste Stationcr. Zoologerne har kaldt dette Sediment 



Atlantic Expedition. I will briefly state the results of the 

 preliminary inspection and my own subsequent examination 

 in so far as they bear on the distribution of the deposits 

 over the bed of the ocean-tract explored. 



To begin with. I must observe that for want of some 

 other. more precise expression, I have chosen the term 

 "clay" by which to designate all sedimentary deposits that, 

 when free from moisture, still retain a certain 'degree of 

 firmness and cohesive power. My description of the exter- 

 nal characteristics of the samples reiers chiefly to their 

 appearance when dry. in which state they were submitted 

 to analysis. I may observe here. that colour. mainly depen- 

 dent on the degree of oxidation, constitutes the most salient 

 distinctive feature of oceanic deposits. 



In tire sliallower parts of the sea along the coasts of 

 Norway and Spitzbergen we tind the surface of the bottom 

 covered with a more or less plastic clay. almost invariably 

 grev in colour. The tineness of the substance composing 

 it and the admixture of coarser particles, sucli as sand, 

 pebbles, calcareous shells. varies very considerably in the 

 numerous samples brought up from the sea-bed in those 

 localities. This coastal clay is rarely met with farther down 

 than 400— 500 fathoms (700—900 metres). 



At that depth the surface-layer of the bottom is 

 generally found to consist of a brown clay. which announ- 

 ces transition to the true oceanic' deposit, Where it first 

 occurs. this brown clay. containing hut few Foraminifera 

 (transition clay). .is often more or less sabulous and coarsely 

 granulated; hut farther down it gets tiner and more 

 homogeneous in substance. till it is ultimatelv merged into 

 that sedimentary deposit to which our naturalists have given 

 the name of "Biloculina clay," met with at almost all depths 

 exceeding 1000 fathoms. 



Biloculina clay is a tine deposit varying in colour from 

 light to dark brown, and distinguished by a greater fir less 

 abundance of minute Foraminifera. Of those perceptible 

 to the naked eve.- by far the greater part belong to the 

 genus Biloculina, with rts minute white shells. resembling 

 a pin's head in size and shape, dispersed throughout the 

 sedimentary substance, to which these small animals give 

 a characteristic and easily recognisable appearance; — 

 whence the appropriate name suggested by the naturalists 

 to the Expedition. 



We shall afterwards speak of the other Foraminifera 

 that occur in this clay, but which. owing either to their 

 appearance or minute size. are less conspicuous than the 

 Biloculinæ, though greatly exceeding those animals in 

 numher. 



In the easterp tract of the Arctic ocean between 

 Spitzbergen, Beeren Eiland. and Novaja Zemlja. we found 

 the bottom covered with a greenish-grey clay. containing 

 but few animal remains. Its green colour and other di- 

 stinctive features are particularly prominent in the samples 

 collected at the most easterly of the observing-stations. 



