G. F. Harris — Journey through Russia, 115 



we climbed a hill to examine an outcrop of granite. We also 

 got out to look at some diorite whicli has broken its way through 

 the granite. The outcrop of the diorite is very small, not more 

 than a few yards across ; but the granite extends for hundreds of 

 miles over this part of Finland. It is the typical Post-Bothnian 

 granite alluded to ante, pp. 14, 15. Thin sections show the diorite to 

 be a rather formidable compound ; for it is a quartz-mica-hornblende 

 diorite, the whole being much decomposed. There is a considerable 

 quantity of opaque iron disseminated throughout, and my slide shows 

 both black and white micas, though the latter is very rare. 



In a little time we arrived at the house of the hospitable 

 proprietress of Teiskola, the most northerly point of our journey ; 

 and later on the little tugs took us back down the lake some 

 20 miles to Tammerfors, sending myriads of sparks from the 

 wood fires flying out of the funnels on the way, the display 

 resembling " fireworks " in the cold night air. 



Up early the next morning, we trained to the station of Suinula, 

 a mile and a half from which place we visited an exposure of gneiss. 

 Farther on, along the railway line, near Orihvesi, we carae to some 

 large railway cuttings exhibiting the contact between the Tammerfors 

 schists and the porphyroid granite. There seemed to be much 

 difference of opinion as to the precise nature of this junction, 

 which latter, however, was most clearly shown. Our Director, 

 Mr. Sederholm, said that the junction was " mechanical." In the 

 same section is a whiter granite, younger than the schists, which 

 often contains tourmaline. 



The porphyritic granite contains many fragments of schist which 

 have been to some extent absorbed by it. The micro-structure 

 of such a fragment shows it to be a typical biotite schist, but having 

 a little white mica ; the quartz is in small angular grains and 

 exhibits the usual cataclastic phenomena. Many of the larger 

 quartz crystals have been crushed in situ, the original boundaries 

 of each of these little groups being clearly definable. 



Eetracing our steps from Orihvesi to Halimaa, we went for a long 

 drive to Kangasala, where we made our first personal acquaintance 

 with asar. This gives me an opportunity for saying a few words 

 concerning the superficial deposits of Finland. The greater part 

 of the solid rocks of the country are covered by morainic deposits. 

 These are specially well developed, and form one continuous sheet 

 in the north, central, and eastern portions of the land. In the 

 south-central parts this sheet is much interrupted by innumerable 

 lakes, along the shores of which some of the best sections are exposed. 

 The country along the eastern boundary of Finland from near the north 

 of Sweden to the shores of Lake Ladoga is all mapped as " morainic 

 deposits." They are a monotonous series of mixed gravels and 

 sands. On the other hand, in that portion of the country bordering 

 the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland, Glacial and Post- 

 Glacial clays are well developed, and crop out in every little river 

 valley for many miles inland. The greatest expanse of this 

 clay is to the south of Uleaborg, and in the immense tract of 



