I92I. No. II. THE STRANDFLAT AND ISOSTASY. I79 



Hoel States that, in the region between the southern end of Prince 

 Charles Foreland and Cross Bay, the inner margin of the strandfiat, at 

 the foot of the steep mountain-slopes, is about 25 and 30 metres above 

 sea-level. 



He thinks that this strandfiat is a plane of marine abrasion, formed 

 by wave erosion in the manner suggested by Richthofen. It is a plane 

 of perfect regular it}-, much more level than the Norwegian strandfiat is 

 generally. 



He agrees with my views [1904] as to the age and formation of 

 similar strandfiats, and does not consider it possible that this strandfiat 

 can be of preglacial age, but assumes it to be "more recent than the time 

 of maximum development of the ice covering: it seems impossible that 

 a plain could preserve so perfect an evenness as it has here, if it had been 

 traversed by inland-ice". He also considers it to have been formed after 

 the excavation of the fjords by the glaciers; and gives several convincing 

 pieces of evidence [19 14. p. 2~'\ to prove that such has been the case. 



On the other hand, he thinks that, "after the development of the 

 strandfiat there has been a period wlien the glaciation was more con- 

 siderable than at present. At that time erratic blocks and moraines were 

 left in several places, c. g. on the south-east extremity of Danes Island." 



"The geological conditions as regards this coastal plain prove that 

 the glacial covering has varied considerably on Spitsbergen, and that the 

 plain has been formed by marine abrasion at a time when the glaciation 

 was relatively less considerable." 



Adolf Hoel maintains that the sea must have remained at its present 

 level for .a long time along the coast of Spitsbergen, for the wave erosion 

 has had time to form typical shore cliffs in numerous places along the 

 open coast and in the great fjords. At the foot of these cliffs there is 

 generally a sandy beach, dry at low water. This beach, is often continued 

 in a narrow submerged platform sloping gently seawards, till the bottom 

 suddenly descends by a steep escarpment to depths of 200 and 300 metres. 

 This submerged platform must be a plane of marine abrasion, which he 

 has especially observed in Cross Bay. 



Gerard de Geer has also discussed the strandfiat of Spits- 

 bergen! but tries to explain its formation by his theory of dislocations 

 (faults), and considers it to be thus preserved remnants of a peneplain, 

 an explanation which, according to my view, is especially improbable on 

 Spitsbergen, for several weighty reasons. First there arc strandfiats 

 backed by steep mountain sides in many places where there are no traces 

 whatever of any faults or dislocations, as proved by the investigations 

 of Hoel and Holtedahl. 



Secondly the surface of the strandfiat of Spitsbergen is decidedly 

 not that of a regidar peneplain. As Hoel has pointed out, it is often 



