I92I. No. II. THE STRANDFLAT AND ISOSTASY. 4I 



B ] y 1 1 [1881] considered the elevated shore-lines to have been formed 

 by the freezing of the sea-water in regions with a great range of the tide. 



H. K n u t s e n [1889, p. 249] thought that the shore-lines were chiefly 

 formed by the transport of the ice-foot (see above), and J. H. L. Vogt 

 joins this view [1900, pp. 75 f.; 1907, p. 25], he also thinks that the dis- 

 integration by frost in the shore is of great importance. 



O. E. S c h i o t z [1894] maintained that the raised shore-lines have 

 been formed by the disintegrating effect of the frost, and also by the 

 transport of mineral material by the ice formed on the shore-ledge. He 

 pointed out that sea-ice must have less erosive effect than fresh-water ice, 

 because the sea-water does not expand so suddenly when freezing as fresh- 

 water. 



P. Sehe i [1904, p. \'IIIj strongly maintained that the ice-foot, in 

 Ellesmere Land up to 100 metres broad, was of the greatest importance 

 for the formation of shore-lines. 



T h o u 1 e t has mentioned the erosive effect of the freezing sea-water 

 on the shore-line in Newfoundland. 



J. Re k s tad [igoy, 1916] maintains that the elevated shore-lines 

 have been formed by frost and the ice-foot, and by the transport of stones 

 with this ice-foot when loosened. 



He also points out that there are often small cirque-like depressions 

 in the mountain slope, above the raised shore-lines, and the thinks they 

 have been formed by small cirque glaciers [19 16, p. 16]. 



Some writers have held the opinion that the raised beaches should 

 have been formed chiefly by the erosion of drifting ice. Judging from 

 my observations of the effect of the drifting ice on Arctic shores, I hold 

 it for impossible that shore-ledges can be formed in this manner. The 

 drifting ice has in fact an insignificant erosive effect. During ice pres- 

 sures the ice-floes may be piled up against the shore, and may push up 

 stones and gravel on to the beach, but will have very little effect upon the 

 solid rock. The transporting effect of this drifting ice is also insignificant, 

 except that it may transport detritus and gravel carried down on it bv 

 w^ater or small snow-slips from the shores, or it may occasionallv carry 

 stones enclosed by freezing. 



It has also been maintained that the raised beaches have been formed 

 by wave erosion; but we have already seen that the waves work extremely 

 slowly on the shore, compared wåth the frost. The wave action is, however, 

 of much importance for the formation of the shore-ledges, bv washing 

 away the débris formed by the frost erosion. But in some places where 

 the coast is open and tlie surface water of the sea is salt, the wave action 

 may have been a hinderance to the development of the shore-ledges by 

 washing away the ice and snow on them. This may especially have been 

 the case in postglacial time when the climate w^as less severe. 



