Abstracts, 



PAPERS READ AT THE WASHINGTON MEETING OF THE 

 GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. 



Glacial Observations in tJic Ihnatmk District, Greoiland. By Geo. H. 

 Barton. 



A part}' consisting of six persons under the direction of Professor 

 Alfred E. Burton, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was 

 landed by the Sixth Peary Expedition at the village of Umanak, Lat. 

 70° 30', on an island in Umanak fiord, August 5, 1896. On Septem- 

 ber 9 the party was again taken on board for the return home. 

 Between these dates observations were carried on upon the marginal 

 area of the continental ice-cap to a distance of fifteen miles inland, 

 and upon the glacial tongues passing down from the ice-cap by the 

 various valleys leading into the Karajak and Itivdliarsuk fiords. 



The region of the Umanak District was selected for investigation 

 because of the facilities offered for much to be seen in the short time 

 at the disposal of the party. Easy access to the edge of the inland 

 ice by means of the larger fiords, the many glaciers large and small 

 descending near or into the waters of the fiords, the great number of 

 icebergs constantly passing out into the open waters of Baffin's Bay, 

 and finally the fact that this region had not been visited by Ameri- 

 cans, caused the selection. 



Access to the surface of the inland ice was obtained from the 

 nunatak lying between the Greater and Smaller Karajak glaciers. 

 Considerable difficulty was encountered in getting upon the surface 

 owing to the precipitous, generally vertical, sometimes overhanging 

 character of the edge, rising from ten to forty feet. In only three 

 places for a distance of over twenty miles did the edge present an 

 inclined surface sufficiently gentle in slope to allow of ascent or 

 descent. 



In attempting to pass inland upon the ice the crevassing of the 

 Greater Karajak glacier was found to extend far backward so that our 

 course had to be deflected for several miles and finally to pass along 

 the neutral ground between the two Karajaks. The elevation of the 



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