SOME NEW FEATURES IN THE PHYSIOGRAPHY 

 AND GEOLOGY OF GREENLAND 



LAUGE KOCH 

 Inglefield Gulf 



I. THE OROGRAPHY OF GREENLAND 



Since 191 6 I have been occupied with investigations in northwest 

 Greenland. Though my work is still unfinished, I feel impelled, 

 before starting upon a voyage around the north coast of Greenland, 

 to lay before the public some aspects of the geology of Greenland 

 which have recently come to my notice. 



During my travels in extreme northern Greenland, partly along 

 the coast and partly across the inland ice cap, I was struck by the 

 fact that the Archean formations had here developed in a manner 

 quite unknown in the south of Greenland. The gneiss everjrwhere 

 forms low level plains, which toward the north are gradually 

 covered by sediments, and as the surface of the ice cap everywhere 

 in the north of Greenland is remarkably low, the obvious conjecture 

 seems to be that the gneiss plains extend right across the country 

 to the east coast. Having made this supposition, it was only natural 

 that I should direct my attention to the development of the 

 gneiss surface in other parts of Greenland. It soon appeared that 

 no attempt had previously been made to arrive at any complete 

 survey of the surface elevation of Greenland. Whoever has 

 traveled in Greenland knows that Alpine peaks of 2,000 meters alter- 

 nate with lower rounded hills, and that in some places the surface 

 is so low and level as to form true plains. To get a comprehensive 

 view of this varied topography, I made a relief map of the whole of 

 Greenland on a small map on a scale of i : 400,000, marking in the 

 altitudes in seven colors from green for lowland and red for the 

 highest peaks. The material at my disposal was partly the altitudes 

 marked on the maps, partly topographical descriptions and pictures, 

 and partly my own observations along the west and north coasts. 



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