Oscillations of Land in Scandinavia. 215 



this, however, it may be replied that these smaller peripheral glacial 

 areas wex-e perhaps directly due to the general sinking of temperature 

 produced by the North European ice-sheet during its maximum 

 extension. 



That such a fall in temperature really took place may be considered 

 as proved by the fact that so boreal an animal as the reindeer, 

 during a part of the Glacial Period, had a wide distribution in 

 southern Europe. And, as regards the cause of the smaller peripheral 

 glaciated districts, it may once more be recalled that if a mountain 

 chain be sufficiently raised, no matter by what cause, a glaciated 

 area may be produced when and where you please. 



But there is another objection, which, at first glance, seems more 

 weighty. Besides the oscillations of Glacial age, there have in 

 Sweden also been some of Post-Glacial age, partly during the Ancylus 

 period, partly during that of Litorina. Now, if the pressure of the 

 land-ice and the removal of that pressure afibrd a valid explanation 

 of the former — and it can hardly be denied that such is the case — 

 still it seems quite impossible that they can explain the latter. 

 Surely the ice-sheet cannot produce oscillations of level some ten 

 thousands of years after its disappearance. So no doubt it seems ; 

 and yet this is exactly what the ice has done. 



Nowadays it is well known that the Glacial and Post-Glacial areas 

 of depression almost entirely coincide. Not only do the zero curves 

 on the periphery of these areas follow the same course, but the 

 maxima or centres themselves are on the whole the same.^ It is 

 only the amount of the depression that was different, the Glacial 

 sinking reaching 280 metres, the Ancylus sinking exceeding 200 

 metres (?), and that of the Litorina period being about 100 metres.^ 



The conformity now demonstrated between the Glacial and 

 Post-Glacial changes of level points to a common cause. This has 

 long since been perceived, and A. G. Hcigbom, who remarked the 

 fact, expressed it as follows : " The same factors have governed the 

 oscillations of the land continuously from the Ice Age to the present 

 day."^ But what can the common cause or common factor have 

 been ? To this I reply : Nothing else than the removal of the 

 ice-pressure. When this ceased the Scandinavian area of depression 

 was set in a swinging motion, like a pendulum set free. This area, 

 depressed somewhat lower than the highest Glacial coastline, rises 

 for the first time as the land-ice disappears. This is the late Glacial 

 elevation. It sinks afresh in the Ancylus period, and during this 

 depression the highest Ancylus beach is formed.^ But again the 

 area rises, and finally sinks for the third time to the level marked 



^ Gerard De Geer : " Om Skandinaviens geografiska utveckling," 2. Kartor, 

 pis. 4, 5, and 6 ; Stockliolm, 1896. 



^ The arithmetical progression from 100 to 200 and 280 is not regular. May not 

 this indicate that the last figure is too low, and that the Glacial depression was 

 greater than is shown by the highest Glacial marine coastline ? 



' " Om hogsta marina griinsen i uorra Sverige" : Geol. Foren. Stockholm 

 Forhandl., 1896, xviii. See p. 487. 



* There is no reference here to the undulatory motion of the land-oscillations, but 

 only to their final result. 



