FOREWORD. 



The autbf)r much regrets the late appearance ri this treatise. It 

 has been written and printed with many interruptions due to various 

 circumstances over which he had no control. The greater part of the 

 manuscript was ready for the press more than eighteen months ago. 



He wishes to express his sincere gratitude especially to the Norwegian 

 geologists Professor Jacob Schetelig, Professor \ . M. Goldschmidt, and 

 Mr. Adolf Hoel, Uni\-ersity Reader in geology, also to the Swedish geo- 

 logist Professor A. G. Högbom. for much valuable information and advice. 



A special word of thanks is also due to the publisher Jacob Dyl)wafl 

 by whose courtesy a number of illustrations from the author's book 

 "En Ferd til Spitsbergen" are reproduced here. 



The letter o used in Norwegian names is e(iuivalent to oe and is 

 pronounced somewhat similarly to the letter o in the English words 

 "son" or "work". 



Lysaker, December 1922. 



