i86 



i KIUI |OF NANSEN. 



M.-N. Kl. 



\"\ii. 137. Kast coast of Prince Charles Fonrland northwards from the Foreland Plain 



formerly, when the shore-line stood hii^iur 'lurin,^- the plaiiiiif^ of the 

 strandflat, even broader. 



Tt is, however, strikini,'' that the hi,L;hest mountain ridf,a' of the nor- 

 thern part of the island is much nearer its west coast than its east coast 

 and is steeper and less dissected by valleys along its west side than along 

 its east side (cf. Fig. 132), where there is als(j a greater accumulation of 

 glaciers. These are features somewhat similar to those previously men- 

 tioned on Aloskenesoi, and also on \'æroi and Rost, in Lofoten (see p. 160). 

 This similarity may be accidental, anrl may be more or less due to the 

 geological structure of the lanrl. l'ut it is also possible that the greater 

 accumulation of glaciers on the eastern side of Prince Charles Foreland 

 is due to the meteorological conditions, and that, therefore, there has been 

 a more active local erosion by glaciers (cirque glaciers) on the eastern side 

 of the island than on the western side, cutting back the mountain slope. 



It might seem most natural to explain the difference in steepness 

 between the eastern and western sides of the mountains as an effect of a 

 more vigorous marine erosion along the more exposed west coast. But 

 in that case there should be a broader strandflat along the west coast. 

 As will be mentioned later, there is a submerged platform along this 

 coast, but not very broad, and the width of the submerged and emerged 

 strandflat is not broader along the west coast than along the east coast 

 of the island. 



In its southern part the strandflat extends across the island, forming 

 the Foreland Plain (or Foreland Laich), 4.5 to 9 kilometres Inroad from 

 coast to coast, and 15 kilometres long between the slopes of Alcunt Methuen 

 to the north (Fig. 137) and of Persis Crest (Fig. 140) of the Saddle 

 Mountain to the south (Fig. 136). 



According to Hoel [1914, pp. 25 f.] Mr. Koller of the Isachsen Ex- 

 pedition took the levels of this plain in 1909. It rises very gently land- 

 wards from both shores, but the highest point along his line of levelling. 

 16.3 metres above the sea, was 4.6 kilometres from the west coast and 

 only 1.95 kilometres from the east coast, which may indicate that the 

 western part of this plain has been slightlv more denuded bv the wave 

 erosion. The width of the strandflat mav otherwise varv between i and 



