THE PHYSICAL HISTOHY OF THE NORWEGIAN FJORDS. 135 



as of glacial erosion to which we have ah'eady referred ; 

 and I sliall now consider this evidence a Httle further. 



2. Former submergence ; Formation of Marine lerraces. 



The existence of raised beaches, or marine terraces, at 

 intervals along the margin of the land, whether of the 

 interior fjords, the outer margin, or the islands off the coast 

 has long been recognized, and indicates the extent to which 

 the Scandinavian peninsula was at one time depressed below 

 the present level. 



According to Reusch and Hansen these terraces rise to a 

 level of about 200 metres, about 615 feet, in the Christiania and 

 Trondhjera districts, in front of the lakes in the east country, 

 forming large plains, but to a lower level elsewhere. During 

 my visit I took the level of two well-marked terraces : one at 

 the head of the Geiranger Fjord (Fig. 2), the surface of which is 

 250 feet above the sea-level, the other at Naes at the entrance 

 to the Romsdal Valley, where it is extensively developed and 

 passes into old terraces of the river itself for many miles 

 inland ; here the level was found to be about 220 feet. Some- 

 times two or three terraces were distinctly observable from 

 the deck of the ship, rising in succession above each other as 

 at Otero Island; but I Avas unable to determine their levels. 

 According to the observations of local geologists these 

 •' strand-lines " or raised beaches slope distinctly from a 

 higher level along the inner portions of the fjords to a lov/er 

 level along the outer coast. This is particularly observable 

 in the Tromsi region where there are two raised terraces,* 

 These terraces are composed of sand and gravel mixed with 

 reconstructed moraine matter and boulders. Their relations 

 to the glaciated rock surfaces show that they belong to a 

 later period than that of the great glaciation of Norway ; 

 though " the marine shells found in the clays show a 

 transition from the cold Arctic climate prevailing during the 

 deposition of the older clays to the mild climate of the 

 present day." Considering, however, that the waters of 

 the sea must have penetrated much further inland towards 



* Geikie states that according to Ei'draann the terraces are found at 

 a level up to 800 feet and more above the surface of the sea. Great Ice 

 Age, page 388. 



