36 A SUMMER IN GREENLAND 



causing portions of the berg to burst with a loud 

 report. 



A doubtful throne is ice on summer seas. 



On a still night the booming of breaking icebergs 

 is often the only sound that disturbs the silence. 

 If the ice is not too far away, the effect of the loss 

 of a part of the mass as the detached pieces fall 

 with a roar into the water is seen in the heaving 

 of the iceberg which slowly and majestically rises 

 and sinks, and may turn completely over, eventu- 

 ally coming to rest in a new position and with an 

 entirely different aspect. The words of the Ancient 

 Mariner, 



The ice did split with a thunder-fit. . . 



It cracked and growl'd, and roar'd and howl'd, 



aptly describe the rending of a large berg. The 

 smooth grooves and ridges on the side of the ice- 

 berg above the water-level seen in Fig. 13 were 

 formed by wave-action and indicate the shifting 

 of the equilibrium of the ice since they were pro- 

 duced. The upper part of the berg consists of 

 angular pieces of ice embedded in a dirty matrix, 

 a fairly common type of structure which may have 

 its origin in the debris filling a large crevasse in 

 the parent glacier. 



There are few more superb sights in nature than 

 a sheet of water with floating icebergs. The scene 

 over Umanak Fjord (Fig. 14), with some of the 

 highest mountains in Greenland on its northern 

 and eastern shores, comes to my memory. It was a 

 perfect night : a clear sky, and the sun not far above 



