178 
NATURE 
| Kune 25, 1885 
Mountain, which, like an arm of the Maartin peaks, 
gradually slopes down to the Balsfjord. 
The line of depression from the spot by the frontier 
where the Divi River rises, to the bottom of the Balsfjord 
which we have thus followed, is about 50 geographical 
miles in length. The course of the Balsfjord is north- 
westerly, but very crooked, between mountains upwards 
of 4000 feet (1255 m.) inheight. The latter are, however, 
not continuous, but separated into island-like parts by 
deep depressions, which, in a recent geological period, 
when the level of the sea was 300 to 400 feet (91 to 
126 m.) higher than at present, must have been sub- 
merged, thus making each part an island. In spite, 
therefore, of the typical fjord character of the Balsfjord, 
it was originally only a number of sounds, by which 
it was once connected with the Malangen Fjord on the 
western, and the Sorfjord, Ulfsfjord, and Lygenfjord 
on the eastern side. This is a circumstance of great 
orographical importance, and which deserves every atten- 
tion, particularly because it does not apply to the Bals- 
fjord alone, but is a characteristic of the formation of 
every fjord in the north of Norway from Salten (Bodé6) in 
the south to Lyngen in the north—z.z. from 67° to 70° N. lat. 
From the bottom to the mouth, in a sound between the 
mainland and the south-eastern side of the great island, 
Kval6, the length of the Balsfjord is about 30 miles. At 
the Troms Island, which lies about five miles to the north 
of the mouth of the Balsfjord, this sound is divided into 
two narrow sounds, about five miles long, on each side of 
the Troms Island. From the northern point of this 
island these sounds reunite, and the sound becomes the 
broad Gr6ét Sound on one side, which, running in a north- 
erly direction, joins the Ulfsfjord at its mouth by the 
Fugle Sound—a broad arm of the sea cutting into the 
land. On the other side, the sound is also connected with 
the open sea by the Kval Sound, 10 to 15 miles long, 
which runs in a westerly direction, between the two great 
islands Kvalé and Ringvadsé. The length from the 
mouth of the Balsfjord to the end of the Kval Sound by the 
ocean is about 30 miles, or about the same as the length 
to the end of the Grét Sound. Thus, from the bottom of 
the Balsfjord to the sea the distance described is about 
60 miles. 
As regards the depth of the Balsfjord and the adjacent 
sounds, it may be mentioned that that of the former 
varies from 80 to 100 fathoms (480 to 600 feet = 151 to 
188 metres), but from the mouth of the fjord towards the 
Troms Island the depth steadily decreases, being, in the 
sounds on both sides of it, not more than 20 to 30 fathoms 
(120 to 180 feet = 38 to 56m.). To the north of this 
island, in the Grot Sound, on the other hand, the depth 
increases to 100 or 120 fathoms. In the eastern half of 
the Kval Sound the depth is from 20 to 30 fathoms, while 
in the western half it reaches, at the mouth, 120 fathoms. 
It will therefore be seen that the depth of this channel 
in the main increases seawards, if we except the two 
places by the Troms Jsland and in the Kval Sound, the 
shallowness of which may be caused by narrowness of 
the sounds, and the consequent opportunity for the deposit 
of marine déris. 
Thus, the entire length of the line of depression we 
have examined from the sources of the Divi River to the 
ocean is 96 geographical miles, while the bottom of the 
same falls from 2000 feet above the level of the sea to 
720 feet below it—ze. a total fall of 2720 feet. 
The geological structure of the mountains here is very 
remarkable. A large mass of granite which appears at 
each end extends inland far into Sweden, and, on the 
Norwegian side, reaches the upper Divi Valley. The 
rock is composed of orthoclase, microlin, plagioclase, a 
great deal of quartz, but very little mica. The colour is 
reddish, the structure granulated. At the other end of 
the line we have followed, on the Kvalé and Ringvads6 
Islands, there are several masses of a grayish, streaky 
gneiss-granite, rich in mica, closely allied to the gneiss- 
masses found here. Petrographically, the Divi Valley 
and the coast granites are so different, that it seems at 
first sight very easy to distinguish them, but this is not so 
easy with the variations of the two kinds. 
The mountains which project into these granite-masses 
are built of layers of crystalline slate, and travelled blocks 
of this material may be found everywhere; but as it would 
be a matter of great difficulty to refer these to their 
original birthplace, I shall not take them into account 
here. We will, therefore, only follow the course of the 
granite blocks travelling from the Swedish frontier to the 
coast. 
There are two roads by which they might have moved, 
viz., one from the southern part of the granite-mass along 
the Alt Lake to Bard6, and so on ; the other more north- 
erly, along the Divi Valley. It is the latter which I intend 
to discuss here. 
The above-mentioned alpine plateaux are strewn with 
travelled granite blocks, and that the same have travelled 
westwards from the granite masses by the frontier cannot 
be doubted. The same applies to all the blocks strewn 
along the Divi Valley. At the spot where the Divi River 
joins the Maals River the travelled blocks have followed 
two courses—viz. one through the Maals Valley, along the 
mountain Mauken—which we shall not follow—and the 
other in a north-westerly direction across the Overbygd 
to the Tag Lake, the lower parts of the Overbygd being 
thickly strewn with granite blocks which, judging by their 
petrographical composition, I am sure belong to the Divi 
Valley granite. Hence the course of the blocks can be 
traced along the depression in the mountain by the Tag 
Lake, not only at the bottom, but high up on the moun- 
tain sides. Thus, the northern slope of the Mauken is 
everywhere, up to a height of 2500 feet (784 m.), strewn 
with travelled granite blocks ; indeed the brink of every 
terrace looks—seen from below—as if it were faced with 
travelled blocks, which everywhere seem to belong to the 
Divi Valley granite. Travelled granite blocks were found, 
too, strewn up the slopes of the Omasvarre Mountain to a 
| height of 1200 feet (376 m.)—viz. as far as I was able to 
carry my researches. I believe they would be found 
right up to the top. 
From the western end of the Tag Lake the blocks have 
moved along the Sag Valley, and then to the bottom of 
the Balsfjord. The flat stretch of shore, 210 feet broad, 
high, and covered with loose déd77s, is strewn with blocks 
which without doubt belong to the Divi Valley granite. 
From what I have thus explained we may safely 
assume that an enormous mass of inland ice has once 
moved from the frontier through the above-described 
channels, down to the Balsfjord, and that it must, along 
the Mauken, a distance of 10 miles from the fjord, still 
have maintained a height of at least 2500 feet (784m.) 
above the then sea-level. 
Before we follow the course of the blocks further, I 
will refer to certain circumstances connected with it thus 
far. About five miles to the westward of the mountain 
plateau near the frontier rises the isolated mountain Store 
Jerta to a height of 4500 feet (471 m.)—viz. about 1000 feet 
(314m.) higher than any of the surrounding mountains. 
The Store Jerta is throughout built of hard crystalline 
slate. On the very summit of this peak I found a large 
block of granite which I feel confident is a travelled 
block from the granite mass to the east of it. 
Its birthplace must in that case have been at least 
tooo feet (314 m.) Jower, and, as the Store Jerta has 
been situated right in the track of the ice-stream from the 
east, I am of the opinion that the ice has been screwed 
up here to a very great height ; but I confess it seems 
hardly possible to understand that it could be to such an 
enormous height. 
I have stated above that the Tag Lake lies 42 feet 
higher than the spot where the Divi River enters the 
lil 
