Professor E. Hull — On the Noriveglan Fjords. 555 



dolomite, whilst some of the oolitic grains have patches of poly- 

 synthetic quartz, as a mosaic, near their centres. The concentric 

 layers of the oolite granules seem to be marked out by a thin 

 coating of graphite. 



VI. On the Olifant Klip from Lydenhurg and Zady smith ; by 

 F. EuTLEY, F.G.S. — I do not see any ground to doubt that the 

 rock from the Lydenburg district (see above) is other than what 

 the label on the section states, namely, a dolomitic limestone. The 

 prevalent rhombohedral forms, and the absorption of light when the 

 polarizer alone is turned, suffice, I think, to show that the opinion is 

 a correct one. The section of the rock (Olifant Klip) from Ladysmith 

 is labelled " Crushed calcareous and siliceous rock." Probably if 

 you have immersed a chip of the rock in H CI you found a certain, 

 but I suppose not very large, residue of insoluble matter. The 

 section looks like limestone and sandstone crushed together, or very 

 fine grit. The sand-grains are very small, and cemented by what 

 I take to be limonite. 



The sand-grains do not give satisfactory interference figures, but 

 in one or two cases they appeared to be positive. 



I find that I can make out nothing satisfactory from the small 

 grains in the darker patches in the Olifant Klip. They do not 

 give any trustworthy figures in convergent light. I suppose they 

 are fragments of a fine grit. 



VI. — On the Physical History of the Norwegian Fjords.' 

 By Prof. Edward Hull, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S., F.G.S. 

 rriHAT the Norwegian fjords were originally river valleys is a 

 X statement which scarcely admits of controversy. In their form, 

 outline, and topographical position they are simply prolongations of 

 the valleys which descend into the sea partly submerged ; and if the 

 land were still further submerged, as it once was to the extent of 

 200 metres according to Andr. M. Hansen, the fjords would be 

 prolonged beyond their present inland limits without much variation 

 of form. 



The process of valley erosion by rain and river action is nowhere 

 in Europe more admirably exemplified than in Western Norway, 

 and the process may be supposed to have been in operation in the 

 early formation of the fjord channels themselves before the epoch of 

 submergence. But when we come to examine the form of the 

 channels, as shown by the soundings marked on the Admiralty 

 charts, we find ourselves confronted by the remarkable fact that the 

 beds of the channels descend to very great depths, far exceeding 

 those of the outlets where the fjords open out upon the floor of the 

 North Sea. Now as river valleys must necessarily increase in depth 

 (in reference to the surface of the sea) from their sources to their 

 outlets, we are here brought face to face with a physical problem 

 which apparently is inconsistent with our view of the original 

 character of these channels as stated above. To the solution of this 

 problem we must now shortly apply ourselves. 



' Read before the British Associatiou, Section C (Geology), Glasgow, Sept., 1901, 



