ROCKS AND SCENERY 95 



ridges of intruded basaltic rock ascend the higher 

 slopes, one of them dipping steeply down into 

 the ravine in front of a light yellow face of rock 

 which reflects the light: a continuation of the 

 same dyke rises as a lofty curtain wall on the right- 

 hand slope of the valley. Fig. 46 represents an 

 attempt to convey something of the impression 

 made by the weathered and towering masses of 

 the rust-coloured basalt dyke penetrating the 

 eroded slopes of the sandstone above the stream. 



The light yellow tones of the sandstones and 

 the darker tones of the basalts are relieved by 

 clumps of bright yellow Dandelions and Arnicas, 

 purple Willowherbs, and clusters of the tall russet- 

 brown Oxyria> a plant allied to the common Dock. 



From Atanikerdluk we went to the small Settle- 

 ment of Sarkak on the mainland, where the 

 gneissic rocks replace the sedimentary strata and 

 basalts of the Nugssuaq Peninsula. From Sarkak 

 a short excursion in search of fossils was made in 

 an umyak to a place affording a good view of the 

 Sarkak valley in which flows the largest river we 

 saw. On one side of the broad valley are hills of 

 gneiss with the much more modern flat-topped 

 basaltic hills beyond; on the opposite side the hills 

 consist of the sandstones and other sedimentary 

 rocks we had seen at Atanikerdluk. In the valley 

 itself dark masses of intruded igneous rocks form 

 conspicuous bosses and dykes which lie above the 

 river plain as huge serpentine ridges. At a height 

 of 1400 ft. on the sandstone hill-side the familiar 

 and hardy Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia\ which 



