O INTRODUCTION 



had visited various parts of Popof and Unga islands, and 

 spent a week on Alaska Peninsula in the vicinity of Chich- 

 agof Cove, Stepovak Bay. After a brief landing on the 

 northwest coast of Kadiak Island, we reached Kadiak 

 village on the morning of July 20, and the following day 

 made an excursion by launch to Long Island. On the 

 twenty-first of July we reached Homer, whence the main 

 party made an excursion up Cook Inlet, while Dall, Gil- 

 bert, and Palache visited Halibut Cove and Grewingk 

 Glacier. On the twenty-third we touched at Yakutat, on 

 the twenty-fifth at Juneau. Our last halt (July 26-27) 

 was made at Cape Fox, near the southern boundary of 

 Alaska, and we reached Seattle early on the morning of 

 the thirtieth. 



Results. The geologic field work of the Expedition 

 may properly be characterized as a reconnaissance; and 

 in this respect it resembles the greater part of the work 

 which had previously been accomplished in the same 

 region. While it was in progress there was much active 

 exploration in the interior of the Territory, chiefly by 

 members of the United States Geological Survey, and that 

 work has continued in later years. The Geological Survey 

 has also done a certain amount of systematic surveying, so 

 that a beginning has been made in the definite mapping 

 of Alaska geology. The area of the Territory is so vast 

 and the workers are so few, that for many years broad 

 generalizations can be reached only by the patching to- 

 gether of widely scattered items of local information; 

 and to the body of this local information the work of the 

 Expedition makes a number of contributions. 



The results in glacial geology have already been pub- 

 lished, partly by Muir, in volume I, partly by Gilbert, in 

 volume in. Muir's paper is a general statement of the ex- 

 tent and distribution of Alaska glaciers, brought down to 

 date by the inclusion of the observations of the Expedi- 



