890 



of sand on the Færoes is found, as indicaled by the place-names, on 

 Sando at the head of Sandsbugl. Here (Fig. 169) a wide flat stretch 

 of sand has formed around the outlet of the river, and on the land- 

 ward side the drifted sand forms a veritable dune. A dune-forma- 

 tion in its earlier stages occurs also at Midvaag on Vaago. De- 

 posits of coarse sand or gravel are also formed along the margins 

 of numerous small lakes and streams which have washed away 



Fig. 170. Mountain plateau on Nolso. The wind has torn up mo.st of the plant-carpet and carried it off 



along with the fine-soil, leaving a bare gravelly plain with isolatcd plant-covered patches. 



(From photo. by E. Warniing). 



the finer particles of soil. The vegetation on these piaces is gene- 

 rally sparse, but its meagre development ought not to be put down 

 to any quality of the materials themselves, it is rather due to the 

 unstable condition and the recent formation of the substratum. 

 Similar conditions exist on the rocky floors of the upland plateaux, 

 except that here wind more than water has carried away the finer soil 

 (Fig. 170). 



The fine-soil appears to be an excellent medium for the growth 

 of piants. Wherever it is allowed to lie at rest, it becomes covered 

 by a closecarpetof piants, and these through their death and decay 

 bring about great changes in difTerent ways according to the con- 

 dition of moistness. 



