426 Correspondence—Mr. F. W. W. Howell. 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
Srr,—I have read with much interest the references made by 
Sir Henry H. Howorth to Glacial action in Iceland, in the course 
of his article in your July Number, pp. 302-309. 
Having travelled through the country twice (1890 and 1891), 
mainly in quest of the summit of its highest peak, which was 
reached during the latter journey, I have had good and numerous 
opportunities of observing the peculiarities of its mountain structure. 
On the whole, there can be no doubt as to the general result 
being decidedly in favour of Sir Henry’s view. The instances he 
refers to are, however, of varying value. The gnarled points of 
such ridges as those of Almannagja can hardly be regarded as 
offering conclusive proof, since these are lava splits, and of too 
recent (geological) date to found an extensive inference upon; nor 
will Mr. Baring Gould’s remarks as to the aqueous origin of ap- 
parently glacial striations apply to the marks which are plentiful 
at certain intermediate levels upon the mountains. These may be 
found, especially among the valleys leading to the Hastern fjords, 
in positions too high above flood courses to permit of such an 
explanation. Nor will Mr. Watts’ remarks as to the extension 
of the southern glaciers command universal acceptance now. On 
the other hand, however, it is of the utmost importance to notice 
that among the hard basalt masses of the east and south-east, the 
lower ridges up to the height of about 1000 to 1500 feet are often 
rounded, and striations are not uncommon ; but above that height, 
at elevations which increase as one travels inland, these rounded 
hill-tops disappear, and sharp pinnacles form the rule. So sharp 
are these pinnacles that it takes a stranger some time to realize that 
they are not columns built upon the mountain summits. In point 
of fact each is the nucleus of the uppermost layer of the Trap beds, 
from which the rest of that bed has split away. Here is a far 
older and safer guide, telling of a time when many of these valleys, 
up to a certain level, had their glaciers; which, however, never 
formed part of an ice-cap to the island. So marked is the dis- 
tinction between these peaks, rounded and pinnacled, that the 
conviction I have stated fairly forces itself upon one. 
Further west along the south coast evidence of another kind is 
forthcoming from the volcanic masses which there replace the basalt 
_of the south-east and north-west. So soft are many of the ridges 
that, on the hypothesis of a huge grinding ice-cap, they ought to 
have disappeared altogether. Yet there they remain, loose, shaly- 
laminated ridges, between which, in the valleys, lie enormous snow- 
fields with drainage glaciers coming down to sea-level now and 
overtopping lower hills, just as the most easterly ones used to do. 
On every hand signs abound, both of advance and of retreat, on the 
part of glaciers accommodating themselves to the inequalities of their 
beds, but none whatever of ice above a definite ascending level, nor 
of excavations beneath that level. 
It is true large quantities of mud are brought down by such 
