I92I. No. II. THE STRAXDFLAT AND ISOSTASY. I77 



Static movements during and after the formation of the strandfiat. We 

 do not know yet within how small areas the isostacy may produce more 

 or less local uplifts; but the gradient of lateglacial and postglacial upheaval 

 sometime^ seem to vary appreciabl\' within comparatively short distances. 

 Besides the rigidity of the crust has not prevented the formation by 

 mountain folding of ridges no broader than these islands. 



On Bear Island as well as on Hitteren, and probably also on Alsten, 

 considerable quantities of rock have been removed, which originally 

 covered the areas of the plains. The mountains on the sides of the plains 

 may give some indication of the initial height of the land. Where the 

 rocks are so extremely weak as those forming the top of Mount Misery 

 (539 metres above the sea) it is also obvious that a great thickness of 

 rock has been removed from the top of the mountains during the long 

 time that has elapsed since the development of the present strandfiat 

 commenced. 



The removal of the weight of hundreds of metres of rock from above 

 the present plains has caused a slow elevation of the crust in the region 

 of the islands. During this continuous elevation of the original strandfiat 

 its outer parts have been gradually lowered by the shore erosion, and 

 thus a gentle outward slope from the inner parts of the plains has been 

 formed. As the elevation was much slower during its latest stage, the 

 outer part of the plain became most horizontal. 



It might be objected that, if this explanation be correct, the extremely 

 level plain of Smolen (cf. pp. 120 f.) ought to have been elevated in a similar 

 manner. The probability is, however, that the initial land of Smolen was 

 much lower, the isostatic elevation was therefore much smaller and much 

 slower, and while the shore erosion was still most vigorous, it had time 

 to plane down the whole plain, and make it almost horizontal. 



This might seem a rather bold hypothesis, and it has to be admitted 

 that weighty objections may be raised. If the isostatic compensation 

 can assert itself, to some extent, within such small areas, it might be 

 difficult to understand why the strandfiat now stands at levels which are 

 very similar over extensive regions although the quantities of rock re- 

 moved may differ greatly. These problems will be discussed m a later 

 chapter. 



Vid.-Selsk. Skrifter. I. M.-N. Kl. 1921. No. 11. 12 



