52 Smithsonian Exploration in Alaska in 1904 



varying amount of gas or air content in different kinds of ice, for 

 he considers ice the most important geological feature of the place 

 where the mammoth was found. He made a microscopical exam- 

 ination of the ice from the Beresowka River and considered the 

 specimens of rock and soil only in order to understand the way of 

 formation of the layers of clay, loam, and Quaternary detritus of 

 the district. 



" The samples of ice from the Beresowka were taken by Herz 

 from two different places. Two small pieces (A) come from a 

 little ditch excavated under the mammoth, 1.9 meters deep; the 

 third piece, a larger one, (B) was taken from. the lower part of the 

 ice wall which is situated on the upper edge of the terrace on the 

 bank of the river 55 meters above its level. As the two kinds of 

 samples show some differences in their properties they are described 

 separately. 



"A. Comparatively pure transparent ice of a yellow color, a 

 little dirty with a great quantity of cylindrical or oval bubbles of 

 air (more properly of gas) disposed in parallel lines in a very regu- 

 lar way.'" The bubbles are 1.5 mm. broad and 3-5-6 mm. long. 

 The clayish parts which make the ice dirty, sometimes form layers 

 as thin as paper. The action of heat breaks the ice into an agglome- 

 ration of rounded-off polyhedral grains from 5 to 7 mm. in diame- 

 ter. The same grains, or better speaking their sections, are ob- 

 tained at the surface of the ice, if it is rubbed on a hot plate of 

 iron. Under the microscope we see in these specimens (especially 

 when obliquely illuminated) thin scratches at the extremities of the 

 single grains, and between crossed Nicols we notice also, that each 

 grain is an independent crystal of ice, which lies amongst other 

 crystals without any common crystallographic orientation. When 

 one grain appears colored, the next remains dark when the speci- 

 men is turned, and tmder convergent light we see the cross of a 

 mineral with one axis 



" By endo-metrical calculation I have found that one kilo of ice 

 contains 180 cu. cm. of air When the ice melts a small quan- 

 tity of clay is obtained, which has been highly calcined and weighed. 

 One kilo of ice contains up to 3 grams of clay, i. e., 0.3%. The 

 specific weight is calculated 0.795. 



" B. This ice is apparently dirtier than the first (A) probably 

 because the particles of clay do not form as in (A) thin layers, 

 but instead are uniformly distributed within the whole piece. The 



'"Op. cit. pi. V. f. I. 



