NO. 14. 



SAMPLES TAKEN FROM THE SURFACE OF THE ICE. 



51 



be borne in mind that the ice in this region was travelling in the same 

 direction as the Fram and at about the same rate, which would make it pos- 

 sible that all the samples were taken from a relatively limited area of ice, 

 and it may well have been, from one and the same locality. In this district 

 one must always remember there is a strong probability that earthy matter 

 once in the ice, may be carried a great distance from land. 



The importance of such samples as evidence bearing on the agencies at 

 work in forming the sea bottom may in other cases be very great indeed; 

 but in connection with the bottom-samples of this expedition they are of only 

 very insignificant, or no importance. For practically the whole year the ice is one 

 continuous, massive sheet all the while growing in thickness through the 

 freezing going on at its lower surface; there seems small likelihood that the 

 ocean bottom can receive appreciable increment from this source. In some 

 places however, notably in the Atlantic ocean where the ice is continually 

 melting, this factor may become of importance, and an investigation of 

 samples bearing on this fact might be of great interest. 



The 5 samples are rather fine, as will be seen from the analyses here 

 given. In all cases the colour is practically pure grey, as would be expected, 

 since a brown colour is, as already mentioned, only developed after the 

 lapse of some considerable time on the sea bottom. They are rather friable; 

 most of the particles seem to wash out with the fine constituents, but it is 

 difficult to draw definite conclusions from this kind of circumstance because 

 as already stated, it may have happened that all have come from the same 

 place. 



The following table gives the results of a mechanical analysis of the 

 samples. 



