NO. a.] GEOLOGICAL SKETCH BY NANSEN. 7 



and is here almost entirely covered with ice and snow (see fig. 4). This 

 glacial covering extends over the whole of its central and northern part (see 

 fig. 1), leaving the rocks uncovered only along the south-eastern, southern, 

 and south-western margins of the cape, and also more or less isolated rocks 

 (nunataks) protruding through the ice-sheet. 



On these southern sides, the glacier ends at or near the upper edge of 

 the basaltic cliffs, at an altitude of from 300 to 340 metres (1000 to 1100 

 feet). From this edge, the surface of the glacier rises inwards towards the 

 summit of the hill, arching in a regularly shaped dome over the highest 

 plateau of the basaltic cliffs. From the summit of this dome, the glacier 

 slopes more or less gently in a north-westerly and northerly direction to the 

 shore, the gradients being, according to Koettlitz, from 5 to 16. 



The fact that the northern side of Cape Flora, like that of the nearest 

 hills farther east, is lower than the southern, may perhaps to some extent be 

 explained by a possible dip of the basaltic beds in a northerly direction, which 

 may have been caused by dislocations (see later). 



On the south-western, southern, and south-eastern faces of the hill, the 

 basalt cap ends abruptly in steep walls, and is 150 to 165 metres (500 540 

 feet) thick. On the southern face near Elmwood it is composed of 6 or 

 7 successive tiers, placed nearly horizontally, perhaps with a very slight 

 northerly dip for some distance, which may be seen in fig. 3 1 . The number 

 of tiers is less to the north-west, as the uppermost ones gradually disappear 

 in this direction, in several shallow terraces, sloping gently one below another. 

 The height of the basalt, therefore, is lower here. One kilometre (Va mile) 

 northwest of Elmwood (at fig. \,k; and fig. 3, fc.) there are, according to 

 Koettlitz, not more than 3 or 4 tiers, and the upper edge of the basalt is 

 about 900 feet (275 m.) above the sea. If this is right, it indicates a slight 

 dip of the basalt tiers in this direction, for above Elmwood, the height of the 

 third tier from below is 950 feet (290 m.) above sea-level, according to my 

 photographs, and that of the fourth tier is 1000 feet (300 m.). 



The tiers can be seen even at a distance, having well marked lines 

 between them, their faces rising one above another, in nearly vertical 



1 A little farther east, at Cape Gertrude, and also at Gully Rocks, the northerly dip 

 of the basalt layers is more conspicuous (see later). 



