1 92 1. No. 1 1. 



THE STRANDFLAT AND ISOSTASY. 



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Fig. 123. Norwegian Harbour (Norske-havn) and Mount Misery, seen from the south. 

 July II, 1912. [From Nansen 1920]. 



XI. THE STRANDFLAT OF BEAR ISLAND. 



The northern part of Bear Island, comprising nearly two thirds of 

 its whole surface, forms a very flat and low plain (cf. Fig. 124, "Lavt, 

 flatt slettelann"). cutting horizontally through the various geological 

 formation and rocks, and through several faults (cf. Fig. 125), without 

 any appreciable difference in height. Its flat surface is composed of 

 sandstones, shales, limestones, and conglomerates of the Carboniferous 

 and Devonian systems [cf. J. G. Andersson, 1900 a, and Olaf Holtedahl, 

 1919]. 



This plain is about 13 kilometres broad, and about 9 kilometres 

 wide from the north coast to the foot of the mountains which rise steeply 

 from the plain in the southern part of the island (cf. Figs. 124 and 125). 



Seen from the sea. this plain gives the impression of being perfectly 

 level (cf. Fig. 127). It is bounded along the shore on all sides by a vertical 

 cliff (Figs. II and 128"), which, according to Joh. Gunnar Andersson, is be- 

 tween 25 and 30 metres high above the sea. Only at some few isolated 

 places is there a gentler slope from the plain down to the shore. 



Professor Holtedahl informs me that according to his observations 

 the height of the shore cliff mav exceed 30 metres and even approach 

 40 metres on the north-west coast of the island, while it may be but little 

 more than 20 metres above sea-level on the north-east coast in Coal Bay 

 ( "Kulbukten"') near the Norwegian coal station (see Fig. 124). Perso- 

 nally I have not been ashore in this northern part of the island. 



Joh. Gunnar Andersson [1900 a. p. 248] says that "from the said 

 height of the cliff (25 — 30 m.) at the shore the plain rises uniformly 

 by almost imperceptible degrees landwards to the region between the 



