l8 GUNNAR ISACHSEN. M.-N. Kl. 



The ice in Foreland Sound has, as a rule, broken up by the middle 

 of Jul}', often even by the end of June. 



Prince Charles Foreland consists for the most part of clay-slates 

 (phyllites), impure limestones, sandstones and quartzites belonging to the 

 Hecla Hoek S3^stem with strike in the main NNW- — SSE. The direc- 

 tion of the strike has a great influence upon the configuration of 

 the island, as the south and north extremities exhibit a number of 

 narrow bays running in the direction of the strike, while the east 

 and west coasts have as a rule shallow, crescent-shaped indentations. 

 In addition to the above-mentioned species of rock, which are much folded, 

 there is along the east coast from \'ogel Hoek in the north to Dawes 

 Point in the south, a strip of more recent (tertiary) rocks — sandstones, 

 conglomerates and argillaceous slate with fossil plants. A fault running 

 NNW divides the tertiary formation from the older formation occurring 

 farther west. On the east side of Foreland Sound, from Ice Fjord to a 

 litde north of the mouth of St. Johns Bay, occurs a rich alternation of 

 clay-slates, quartzites and slaty limestones. The strike is NNW — SSE. 

 On the northernmost part of the east side, on the flat land, are found 

 slates, sandstones and conglomerates, belonging to the tertiary formation 

 and often rich in fossil plants. Thin layers of coal also occur. In the 

 mountains in the east occur rocks of the Hecla Hoek series. The two 

 formations are bounded by a fault-line running from the north in between 

 the Reef and English Bay, and coming out in the south, north of Her- 

 mansen Island. This island itself consists of clay-slate. 



A lofty chain of mountains extends like a backbone all down the 

 Foreland. It is broken by Foreland Plain, and on both sides flanked by 

 a belt of low land, which as a rule does not attain a greater height than 

 between 20 and 30 metres. The width of this low land is up to 5 kilo- 

 metres. Its surface consists of solid rock much fissured, and partly covered 

 with terraces of gravel and gravelly clay. On the east side it is covered 

 to a very large extent with glaciers (Geikie Glaciers and Buchanan Glaciers). 

 As a rule the coast ends abruptly in a perpendicular wall from i to 5 

 metres, sometimes 15 to 20 metres, in height. Elsewhere there are low 

 sandy spits, as for instance at Poole Point and on both sides of the Reef. 

 On the east side of the sound there is low-lying land between the sea 

 and the high mountains on the east, similar to that on the west side of 

 the sound, the coast also exhibiting the same characteristics. 



Kings Bay and Cross Bay have a common opening, lô^/^) kilometres 

 wide and 9 kilometres long, between Cape Mitra and Ouade Hoek. At 



