50 O. B. B0GGILD. BOTTOM DEPOSITS. [noRw. POL. EXP. 



to have been formed exceedingly slowly, the animal and plant life in the 

 sea in question must have reached a minimum as regards the siliceous and 

 calcareous shell organisms. It has also already been shown that this accords 

 well with the physical conditions in these regions, especially with their 

 being covered so extensively with ice. 



SAMPLES TAKEN FROM THE SURFACE OF THE ICE. 



It is convenient to give an account here of 5 samples taken from the 

 surface of the Ice between April and June 1894, in a region NW of the New 

 Siberian Islands about 80—83 N by 120—135 E. In most respects they show 

 close resemblance with one another as also with the finer bottom samples. 



An investigation of these surface samples promised, it might be expected, 

 less of interest than the bottom samples themselves; the constitution of the 

 latter is in every case intimately related to the physical conditions prevailing 

 round about the district concerned. And indeed since the composition and 

 constitution of the bottom is very largely a direct result of the co-operation 

 of influences of this kind, it is from a suitable investigation of samples, pos- 

 sible to draw many valuable conclusions as to these influences. On the other 

 hand, a sample taken from the Ice might conceivably have originated entirely 

 from one locality or have come, indeed, direct from land; in any case its 

 origin and destination is very largely a matter of mere accident. The samples 

 here under consideration probably came from the coast, broken loose by wave 

 action from the shore ; or material may have fallen from the land out on to the 

 ice or have been brought down by rivers, already occluded in the frozen sur- 

 face. The constitution of a sample depends upon the nature of the rocks in 

 the neighbourhood from which it came; it may evidently be very variable. 

 The fact that all the samples here described show a very markedly similar 

 composition can only be explained on the basis that all have the same origin. 

 It is true they were taken at places far apart, but it must at the same time 



