1 9? I. No. 1 1. 



THE STRAXDFLAT AND ISOSTASY 



187 



and Mount Methuen, seen from Poole Point on July 23rd, 1912 [from Nansen 1920] 



5 kilometres along the east coast, while along- the west coast it is as a 

 rule less than 2 kilometres and often less than i kilometre. 



The strandflat of Prince Charles Foreland is cut in shales and lime- 

 stones of the Hecla Hook system, which are easily disintegrated bv the 

 frost. In some places there arc lenses and layers of quartzites forming 

 quite low ridges, as pointed out bv Hoel. 



The bare rock is seen everywhere in the surface of this strandflat, 

 or is covered by a thin layer of débris evidently disintegrated bv frost, 

 and in many places transformed into an argilaceous or muddy soil, with 

 tlie characteristic network of stone-rings, which, according to mv view, 

 is due to the effect of the frost and thaw causing expansion and con- 

 traction of the water in the wet soil and in the patches of snow when 

 freezing and melting [cf. Xansen, 1920 and 1921, Chap. \'ni]. 



Wherever the rock is bare near the shore, there is a vertical shore 

 cliff 4 to 8 metres high. At many places there is, however, a flat shore 

 of sand, gravel, or pebbles, evidently to some extent consisting of water- 

 worn moraine material (Fig. 138). In some places in the shore I noticed 

 that this drift was stratified. It lies nearly at the same height as the real 

 strandflat cut in solid rock, and rises to a few metres above high water 

 level. 



The wave-action, and perhaps also the sea-ice, have built up ridges 

 which may often extend considerable distances along the shore, forming 

 lagoons, which are common along the east coast of this island. 



On July 25th, 1912, I observed that on the north side of Poole Point 

 the storm of the previous day and night had entirely filled up and ob- 

 literated the entrance to the lagoon. Only two days earlier this entrance 

 had been so deep that I could not easily wade across it. 



The strandflat rises gently from the shore, or the shore cliff, to a 

 general level, the altitude of which I estimated to be about 6. to 10 metres 

 in the region of "Sandbukta". near the northern part of Saddle Mountain, 

 south of the Foreland Plain. 



Further inland there are a good many ridges rising to a higher and 

 fairly uniform level extending to the foot of the mountain, which rises 

 abruptly frc^m the plane (cf. Figs. 139 and 140). I estimated the height 



