Chap, viii.] VOLCANIC ACTIVITY. l6l 



scale, and this can only occur where there is a constant supply 

 of snow. The island further lies within the line of the Antarctic 

 drift, as do also the Crozets and Prince Edward Group ; and 

 this cold current must reduce the temperature considerably. 



The island is in the region of prevailing westerly winds, the 

 course of which is in the Southern Ocean, untrammelled and 

 undisturbed by barriers of land. Since the line of its greatest 

 length lies in a north-west and south-east direction, and the 

 coast line, though much broken, trends on either side in the 

 same direction, the north-east side is the sheltered one, and 

 that, consequently, where are the safest anchorages, whilst the 

 south-west is the weather side. 



The island is throughout mountainous, made up of a series 

 of steep-sided valleys separated by ridges and mountain masses, 

 which rise to very considerable heights. Mount Ross, the 

 highest, is 6,120 feet in altitude. Mount Richards 4,000 feet, 

 Mount Crozier 3,250, Mount Wyville Thomson 3,160, Mount 

 Hooker 2,600, Mount Moseley 2,400. 



Thus the island, when viewed from the sea at a distance, 

 presents a remarkable jagged outline of sharp peaks, which is 

 most striking when it is observed from the south. The valleys 

 run down everywhere to the sea, broadening out as they 

 approach it. The coast is broken up everywhere by deep 

 sounds or fjords, which resemble closely in form the fjords of 

 Norway, and of all other parts of the world where fjords exist. 

 They are long channel-like excavations of the coast-line, occupied 

 by arms of the sea, often shallower at the mouths * than at the 

 upper extremities, and bounded on either hand by perpen- 

 dicular cliffs. 



Kerguelen's land is of volcanic formation as far as it has yet 

 been investigated, and there is no doubt that it is entirely so 

 formed, the beds of coal alone excepted, and certain beds of 

 red earth, which are of the same origin as the coal, but merely 

 different in that they have been subjected to a more intense 

 heating. 



The surface has undergone immense denudation, and on its 

 whole north-eastern and southern regions there is no trace of 

 any volcanic cone or signs of comparatively modern volcanic 

 action, as at Marion Island. Every appearance bespeaks con- 

 siderable antiquity. 



Nevertheless it seems to be certain that there exists, towards 

 the south-west of the island, a still active volcano with hot 

 springs in its neighbourhood. We fell in with an American 

 whaling captain. Captain Fuller, who has been often on the 



* The shallowness of the mouths of the fjords is well marked in the 

 case of Royal Sound and Rhodes Bay. 



