_ with massive or 
GREENLAND. 
ied by tremolite, age an actynolite, 
ahlite, and seldom with rock-cork. Thus situated, it 
~  oceurs at the island Akudlek, at the island Manetsok, 
at Kakarsoit and Kangerluluk, mountains in the vici- 
nity of Jakobs-havn and Christians-haab, in Disko bay. 
It is very surprising, that.no vestige of floetz-limestone 
‘is found on this vast coast, nor does any ipetsitietion 
occur there... Very distinct impressions of the salmo 
arcticus, with its bones very little altered, occur in de- 
tached pieces on the alluvial land,;which are forming 
daily.. In the u ost sand-stone, which belongs to 
the brown coal of the fletz trap formation, fragments of 
‘en Islandicus are found, which have undergone but 
ittle alteration. 
» The fleetz trap formation of Greenland, is perhaps 
- the most extensive that has yet been discovered. It 
begins at the 69° 14’ of latitude, occupies the large 
island Disko, and the eastern coast of the Waygat, from 
Niakornak, on the northern cape of Arve-prinz island, 
round the Cape.Noursoak, as far as the end of the 
southern coast of Cornelius Bay, where it reaches the 
t continental, glacier. _ Hare island in the north of 
isko island, Unknown island in the mouth of Corne- 
lius bay, the. islands Kakiliseit in the north of the lat- 
ter, and many other northern islands, consist entirely 
of fletz trap. From thence it extends over a part of the 
continental coast of Greenland, viz. London-coast, Svar- 
tenhuk, Ekalluit, Kangersoeitsiak, Karsorsoak, and dis- 
appears in the 76th degree under the most northern 
continental ice, or glacier, which precludes all further 
Investigation, 
The whole flcetz trap formation of Greenland, as far 
as it has been examined, rests on gneiss or on mica 
slate, these rocks alternating continually. The under- 
lying primitive rocks, as, well as the superincumbent 
cetz trap, are always somewhat decomposed, where 
they come in contact. Trap-tuff generally rests imme- 
diately upon the primitive rock ; it consists of balls and 
nodules of basalt and wacke, joined together by a ce- 
ment of the same substance; the centre of the balls 
and nodules is very often filled with mesotype, blended 
crystallized apophyllite, the crystals 
of which are sometimes penetrated by acicular meso- 
type. This trap-tuff scarcely presents another mine- 
, and the apophyllite, or ichthyophthalmite, does not 
occur there in any other rock. The underlying primi- 
tive rock is very variable in its elevations, sometimes it 
does not surpass the level of the sea, sometimes, (for in- 
stance, at Godhavn,) it reaches a height of from. 500 to» 
600 feet, which can be observed very exactly in the cliffs 
there. Columnar basalt lies upon trap-tuff; it presents 
four, five, and seven-sided columnar distinct concretions; 
the columns very seldom exceed a foot in diameter. 
This basalt does not include any mineral except some- 
times very, minute spots of greyish white glassy felspar. 
Wacke generally rests upon it, forming an amy. 
with different minerals, viz. chabasite, stilbite, analcime, 
chalcedony, opal, heliotrope, quartz, zeolite, miemite, 
and basillar arragonite, At Hare island the chalcedo- 
ny is found crystallized. in cubes. At Kannioak, in 
Omenaks-fiord, miemite occurs in kidneys, along with 
chalcedony, opal, wavellite, ite, and some quartz 
in. grey decom wacke. wacke of the fletz 
| __ trap formation of this arer is generally intersected 
_ + by small veins of iron-clay a bole. Lithomarge and 
A n earth occur in nodules, Olivine and augite are 
ut seldom met with in the fletz trap of Greenland. 
Laumonite, in a friable state, is found in very small 
veins, traversing wacke at Sergvarsoit, on the northern. 
goast of Disko island. Most, of the Greenlandish ba- 
id 
493 
salt affects the needle very powerfully, There are ge» Greenland. 
nerally two, and sometimes three strata of columnar ~Y—~" 
basalt, and one of them forms the summit, ar at 
Hare island, where the summit consists of porphyry 
slate resting upon wacke. The shape of the moun- 
tains is very various, some of them present he 
some conical forms, and some are entirely flat: Their 
stratification is very nearly horizontal, and the valleys 
between the mountains are generally narrow. There 
is no doubt that some of the mountains have been se- 
parated by very recent eruptions of rapid torrents. 
On some parts of Disko island beds of brown coal 
occur in flcetz trap: they rest upon yellowish-white Cod. 
coarse-grained sandstone, which is very friable ;—large 
balls of iron pyrites are imbedded in it. The beds of 
coal are generally divided from each other by strata of 
fine-grained sandstone, and are of very unequal thick« 
ness. In some places of the east coast of Disko island, 
in the Waygat, the sandstone becomes harder, and car~ 
bonized impressions of leaves are found in it, which are 
similar to slice of sorbus and angelica. 
The coal of Disko island is common brown coal, of 
slaty texture ; it burns very easily, but it leaves a great. 
residuum in the form of white ashes,.which have a 
slaty texture, and somewhat resemble the polishing 
slate from Bilin in Bohemia. A very remarkable va- 
riety of brown coal, passing into bituminous wood, oc- 
curs in a small bed at Hare island. It is of slaty tex- 
ture; and honey-yellow amber, in numerous grains of 
various sizes, is disseminated parallel to the cleavage of 
the coal. It rests upon ash-grey coarse-grained sand« 
stone, is covered with grey common clay, arid belon 
undoubtedly to the newest brown coal formation. At 
Koome, in Omenaks-fiord, native capillary and fibrous 
sulphate of iron, of a beautiful green colour, is found 
in the cliffs of the brown coal. All the Greenland coal 
is subordinate to floetz trap. 
Alluvial land has been formed at the end of every Alluviat 
bay and firth of the coast, and, in addition to grey and 
greyish-white sandy clay, it contains fragments of the 
neighbouring mountains. This formation is daily in< 
creasing, and contains no metallic substance, except 
ng te iron sand, with which it generally abounds. 
tC) 
rany.—Although Greenland affords a great variety Botayy. 
of objects to the mineralogist, yet it offers but few to the 
botanist, when compared with other countries, the first 
efforts towards vegetation being repressed by the bar- 
renness of the soil, and the want of the sun’s genial 
influence. Those shrubs and trees, therefore, which in 
milder climates afford a comfortable shade to the wan~ 
derer, creep in this forlorn land under scattered rocks, 
to find sh from their destroying enemies,—storm, 
snow, and ice. This land, however, presents a series 
of plants, which probably could not subsist in a milder 
climate ; and in the interior of the inlets and firths may 
be found many species hitherto unknown in other coun- 
tries. Some of the new species are published in the last 
number of the Flora Danica. There are.also other spots. 
which boast the most luxuriant verdure, but they are on« 
ly places in the neighbourhod of the Greenland houses, 
which have been improved for many years by the blood 
and fat of seals a other animals, There are also 
small hills on the uninhabited islands, where the birds 
build their nests, and manuring the decom rocks, 
extort vegetation to their abode from the unfertile soil. 
These places, however, are but, of rare occurrence, in 
proportion to the immense extent of the country. In- 
numerable cryptogamic plants, growing with great ra~ 
pidity under snow and ice, supply the want of flourish« 
ing vegetation on the rocks and cliffs.. 
