FRIDTJOF NANSEN. M.-X. Kl. 



Yenisei, Lena, ^c, it seems innltaMc lliat it is to some ^reat extent fillef] 

 up witli ri\(T sediment, l-ul on the oiIki- lianrl, as small rocky skerries 

 rise ab(j\e the sea in many |)laces aUm^ the coast, and as I also ol^served 

 sunken rocks near or in the water-surface, it is obvicjus that the sea- 

 l)(^tt(jm consists of solid rock to a j4"reat extent, and it seems probaljle that 

 there is a siih)iicr^^i'ü rocky straiulflat which is very widely extended in 

 some places, and the plane of which \\c> at levels less than 30 metres 

 below the sea-surface. 



In the region of Yiigor Strait anrl l^ii^^arh the land is low and flat. 

 The plain is to a great extent cut in solid rock as is especially clearly seen 

 along the shores of the strait and on X'aigach [cf. Nansen, 1904, p. 22]. 



Along the coasts of Novaya Zemlya tliere is in many places an un- 

 usually well-developed strandfiat forming a flat foreland in front of the 

 steep mountain sides ascending al)ruptly above its plane. The low anrl 

 flat Goose Land seems, for instance, to be a broarl stranrlflat. On the 

 Holtedahl Expedition to Novaya Zemlya in 192 1 the emerged strandfiat 

 was studied and its levels taken in several places, and we may look for- 

 ward to an interesting report on these investigations. 



The soundings taken along the coasts of Novaya Zemlya indicate 

 that there is a submerged straiulflat. but they are too few to tell much 

 about its topography and extent. 



On the whole it is striking that along all these Arctic coasts, we 

 find a well developed strandfiat, which often, especially along the north 

 coast of Siberia, forms extensive plains. It indicates that in these regions 

 there has been a verv vigorous shore erosion, obviously due to the cold 

 climate in these northern latitudes, which has caused an active dis- 

 integration by frost of the rocks of the shores even during the warm 

 interglacial periods. 



Well developed strandfiats obviously also occur along other coasts 

 of the Arctic region. 



Along the west coast of (ircoiland there is a strand flat very similar 

 to the Norwegian one, with a belt outside the coast of numerous low 

 islands and skerries [cf. Nansen, 1904, pp. 90 f.j. It does not seem, 

 however, to be as well developed as along the coast of Norway. 



Along the east coast of (Greenland I have found no certain evidence 

 of the existence of a strand flat near present sea-level. This is what 

 might be expected, as Greenland is still covered by an ice-cap which 

 extends to the outer coast along most part of the east coast south of 

 68" N. Lat. The jirobability is. therefore, that this coast is still much 

 submerged by the weight of this ice-cap. If there is a strandfiat it may 

 be at some depth below sea-level. 



Along the west coast of Greenland south of 68** N. Lat. the conditions 

 are different. The margin of the inland ice is a great distance from the 

 outer coast, and there is a broad coast land which is not covered bv the 



