On Lines of Ancient Sea-Levels. 12S 



As these lines of deposit rise towards the interior, so as to 

 mark that they coincide nearly with the chief axis of elevation 

 of the Norwegian chain, and as there is a want of parallelism 

 in the two beaches, the relative altitudes of which vary much 

 in short distances, so is it obviously impossible to account for 

 the phenomena by any former condition of the tides ; and the 

 hypothesis of salt water lakes is, from the same causes, equal- 

 ly inadmissible. 



Submarine currents dependent upon violent elevation of the 

 chain will, the author contends, no better explain the pheno- 

 mena, because the torrential debacles which would have accom- 

 panied such movements would have left confusedly assembled 

 drifts, and not regularly arranged terraces. It therefore seems 

 fair to admit that these are truly ancient sea-beaches. The 

 measurements of M. Bravais shew, in fact, that in proceeding 

 from the coast into the interior, these beds not only rise to 

 higher levels, but that their elevation has been irregular, viz. 

 that whilst the sea-ward inclination of the older or higher of 

 the two terraces, taken from a station at the middle of the 

 liord, is very moderate, the rise of the same beds from that 

 central point to the southern extremity of the fiord is at a 

 greater angle, and therefore, that there has not only been a 

 much more intense movement of elevation over one portion of 

 this area than another, but that this notabe change of dip in- 

 dicates the greatest movements at the two extremities, the 

 centre varying slightly from the horizontal. Now from these 

 facts (independent of all the geological evidence) it is argued, 

 as before observed, that no change of level of the sea will ac- 

 count for such an outline. 



-I will pass over those parts of the report which are connect- 

 ed with pure physics, not only on account of my own incom- 

 petency to do justice to them, but because I would suggest, 

 that however certain geological phenomena may be eventually 

 proved to be connected with the question of the density of the 

 earth, it is obvious that unequal simultaneous elevations and 

 depressions over so small an area as Scandinavia can scarcely 

 be due to such a cause. After ably treating this subject, and 

 showing that great terrestrial movements only can be admitted 

 as explanatory of the facts observed, M. de Beaumont refers 



