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108. — Notes on Norway. 



By Henry T. Mennell, F.L.S. 



(Read December 14th, 1892.) 



The general features of Norway may be said to be a deeply 

 indented coast with innumerable islets, not unlike the west 

 coast of Scotland, but on a grander scale. The lofty cliffs rise in 

 most places sheer from the water level to heights of 1 to 2000 ft. ; 

 above these cliffs stretch gradually rising plateaux, attaining an 

 elevation of 4 to 5000 ft., or very rarely of 6000 ft.; vast snow- 

 fields cover the higher parts of these plateaux, the snow-line 

 coming down to about 5000 ft., as compared with 9 to 10,000 ft. 

 in Switzerland. 



From these snow-fields, which are comparatively level, un- 

 broken, and monotonous, descend small glaciers, in some cases 

 to the sea-level ; but as a rule the snow-fields rarely pass out of 

 the condition of nhe into true glacier ice. The Folgefond in 

 Hardanger, and the Jostedalbrfe north of the Sogne fiord, are 

 among the largest of these snow-fields, and exceed in area any- 

 thing of the kind in Switzerland. 



It will be readily understood from these outlines that the 

 grandest scenery is commanded from the sea-level. The fjords 

 or narrow arms of the sea run in some instances as much as 100 

 miles into the land, and thus enable steamers of deep draught 

 to penetrate into the very heart of the country. 



Next to the grandeur of the cliffs, the waterfalls are the finest 

 feature of the country. This is due to the physical character of 

 the land ; the large plateaux nnd the extensive snow-fields give 

 rise to numerous rivers, which attain their full magnitude before 

 they precipitate themselves over the rocky rampart into the 

 fjords. Of these falls, one of the grandest for height and volume 

 combined is the Voringfos in Hardanger. In the Nasrodal are 

 falls attaining a height of 2000 ft., but their volume is small, and 

 they are lost in spray ere they reach the bottom. 



Geologically, the rocks consist of underlying gneiss, with 

 granites and other primary rocks ; the granites are lai'ge-grained, 

 loosely compacted, and readily disintegrated. The peculiarity 

 of the geology is that these primary rocks are not overlaid by 

 sedimentary or more recent rocks. 



Many theories have been advanced as to the forces which have 

 produced the deep fissures which are now fjords. These fissures 

 are of enormous depth ; for example, in addition to the height 

 of the cliffs above sea-level, the Sogne fiord attains a depth of 

 4100 ft., giving a total of 5 to 6000 ft. These fjords, however, 

 are often much less deep at their mouths than further inland. 



