172 



FRIDTJOF NANSFN. 



M.-N. Kl. 



Fig. 130. The vertical cliff and the older, undulating mountain surface, on the west side of 

 .South Harbour („Sorhavn"). July 10, 1912. [From Nansen 1920]. 



The efficacy of the shore erosion on Bear Island is clearly demon- 

 strated by the vertical cliffs, often some hundred metres high, along the 

 southern coast. Tn most places they bound the older undulating mountain 

 surface of the island with sharply defined edges (Fig. 130). This mountain 

 surface has probably been developed partly by the subaërial denudation 

 in the length of time and partly by glacial erosion. Although the sub- 

 aerial denudation is obviously very effective in this region where the 

 rocks have so little power of resistance, and where the disintegration by 

 frost is so very active, it has not been able to keep pace with the shore 

 erosion and round off the edges of the cliff to any appreciable degree, 

 along the exposed parts of the coast. 



Traces of a strandfiat at the same lieight as the outer parts of the 

 northern plain of the island may also be found along its southern coast, 

 where it forms parts of a horizontal platform at the foot of the steep 

 mountain slope (see Fig. 131). Along this part of the coast it has. how- 

 ever, to a great extent been cut away by the effective marine denudation 

 of more modern time. 



It is a striking fact that there are very few traces to be found of a 

 submerged part of the strandfiat near present sea-level round the coasts 

 of Bear Island. In some few places there are narrow submerged ledges, 

 with depths less than 20 metres and with some few rocks emerging above 

 water here and there, but they are hardly more than a few hundred metres 

 broad, and as a rule the sea-bottom near the shore sinks steeplv down 

 to depths of 30 and 40 metres. At about this level there is, however, a 



