Recent Sinking of Ocean-level. 255 



and states that they are persistent on the north, east, and south-west 

 shores.' 



South America. — According to Branner, the Brazilian coast shows 

 features indicating recent emergence, the amount of which is 

 variously described as " a few meters " to 8 meters.^ Halle foimd 

 a " very distinct terrace at 6 meters above sea-level on Gable Island ", 

 Patagonia, and another at 6 meters at the mouth of the Eio Grande 

 River, 48 kilometres from Gable Island. The sands of the former 

 terrace bear fossils showing that the contemporary sea had a 

 temperature higher than that now reigning offshore. Halle adds : 

 " These low terraces do not afford any unquestionable evidence of 

 an unequal upheaval."^ Andersson describes a sea-cut terrace 

 at 3' 5 meters on Beagle Channel, Tierra del Fuego, and says that 

 it is the " same beach " as those on Gable Island and Navarin 

 Island. He quotes Nordenskj old's discovery of a very marked 

 terrace at " about 10 meters above sea-level " on Usuaia Peninsula, 

 Straits of Magellan.* 



Graham Land, Antarctica. — Andersson also discovered a terrace 

 at 7 meters "above sea -level" on Graham Land, Antarctica, 

 indicating " upheaval " which " does not exceed a few meters ".* 



New Zealand. — Considerable attention has been given by the 

 Government Geological Survey to proofs of recent emergence in 

 New Zealand, with results which may be tabulated as follows :^ — 



District. Elevation of " raised beaches " or benches. 



Thames subdivision . . . Maximum " over 25 feet " (datum ?). 



Miranda, across Firth of Thames 10 to 12 feet above high-water mark. 

 Waihi-Tairua subdivision . . Benches "several feet above high-water 



mark". 

 Aroha subdivision . . . Correlated with the last. 



Oamaru subdivision . . .12 ft. bench ; accompanj'ing beach with 



Recent fossils ; Papakaio coastal ]ilain 

 at " 15 to 25 feet above sea-level ". 



Australia. — According to Andrews, the numerous coastal plains, 

 emerged beaches, and rock-benches of New South Wales " suggest 

 an apparent elevation of the shoreline to the extent of a few feet 

 in very recent time". The heights of the beaches vary from 1 to 

 15 feet above high-water mark. " Similar indications of the apparent 

 elevation of the shoreline for a few feet are to be found along the 

 whole eastern side of Australia." The cause is attributed to " either 

 an apparent rise of the land, or a retreat of the sea, to the extent 

 of a few feet".^ Siissmilch believes that the New South Wales 



1 R. T. Hill, Amer. Journ. Science, vol. xlviii, 1894, p. 203 ; Bull. 34, Museum 

 Compar, Zoology, Cambridge, Mass., 1899, p. 99. Systematic discussion of 

 the Atlantic Islands would include Bermuda, where R. S. Tarr (Amer. Geol. 

 vol. xix, 1897, p. 293) found a recent terrace reaching 15 or more feet above sea. 



2 J. C. Branner, Bull. 44, Museum Compar. Zoology, Cambridge, Mass.,. 

 1904, p. 170 et ante. 



3 T. G. Halle, Bull. Geol. Inst. Univ. Upsala, vol. ix, 1910, pp. 99, 117. 

 * J. G. Andersson, Bull. Geol. Inst. Univ. Upsala, vol. viii, 1908, p. 182. 



5 Ibid., p. 57. 



6 Bulletin No. 10, 1910, p. 29; No. 15, 1912, p. 50; No. 16, 1913, p. 77; 

 No. 20, 1918, pp. 112-13 and p. 4. 



