Febeuaey 19, 1897.] 



SCIENCE. 



309 



of the TJmanak, Great and Little Karajak and 

 Itivdliarsuk fiords. A brief statement of a por- 

 tion of tlie work accomplished has been pub- 

 lished by the writer*. Papers by Professor 

 Tarr and the writers were presented at the 

 Washington meeting of the Geological Society 

 of America. The results of the summer's work 

 will be published in detail at a later date. Be- 

 side the main work in glaciology, each party 

 paid some attention to the general geology and 

 to the fauna and flora. In addition, one mem- 

 ber of the Boston party, Mr. G. R. Putnam, of 

 the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, 

 made a valuable series of magnetic and pendu- 

 lum observations. 



On the voyage home the members of the 

 various parties discussed the results of the 

 summer's work, and all agreed with Lieutenant 

 Peary that exceptional opportunities are oflered 

 for the study of glacial geology on the coast of 

 Greenland, and also that this coast is easily ac- 

 cessible from the United States or Canada. 

 The inland ice covers the entire continent of 

 Greenland, except a narrow marginal area along 

 the coast line. Its depth, according to the 

 reports of Nansen and Peary, is sufficient to 

 cover the highest peaks that may rise in the 

 interior, but is so far undeterminable. The 

 marginal uncovered area has a width varying 

 from that of a few miles in southern Greenland 

 and in Melville Bay to sixty or more miles in 

 the vicinity of Disko Island and the greater 

 Nugsuak Peninsula. 



It presents a bold face of cliffs to the waters 

 of Davis Strait and Baffin's Bay seldom below 

 2,000 feet in general elevation, with summits 

 often reaching to 6,000 feet and above. Through 

 this plateau margin numerous fiords cut back- 

 ward from the sea, many of them reaching the 

 ice front and nearly all furnishing accessible 

 routes to it. So numerous are the fiords just 

 south of Melville Bay that the marginal area 

 consists almost entirely of detached islands. 

 Those that reach the ice front are occupied by 

 glaciers that descend from it, presenting the 

 general features of Alpine glaciers, except that 

 they are fed from the inland ice instead of a 

 n^ve region, and presenting in addition a water 

 front with the discharge of bergs. 



* American Geologist, XVIII., 1896, 379-384. 



Here, then, is presented an interesting field for 

 study, extending over hundreds of miles, of 

 the phenomena of the ice front as it lies upon 

 the plateau surface between the fiords ; of the 

 marginal area of the ice itself upon which 

 journeys of a week or ten days inland can 

 easily be made, and of the glaciers descending 

 from the ice margin. These latter present a 

 multiplicity of form and variety. 



The Danish government has made a general 

 survey of the coast southward from Melville 

 Bay, but very much remains to be done, and 

 the whole coast is but slightly known to the 

 English or American geologist and glacialist. 



If several parties could visit Greenland next 

 summer and carry on synchronous work a great 

 deal might be accomplished that would be of 

 very great value. As Cornell University and 

 the Institute of Technology sent parties last 

 summer, so might other universities, colleges 

 and scientific organizations send parties in the 

 summer of 1897. Each party could select its 

 own location and carry on its own work entirely 

 independent of the others. The correlation of 

 the data obtained by the various parties would 

 make a valuable addition to our knowledge of 

 living ice phenomena. 



Lieutenant Peary's ship will probably ap- 

 proach the Greenland coast near Cape Desola- 

 tion, between latitude 60° and 61°. In this 

 immediate vicinity is the Julianshaab glacier, 

 easy of access and an interesting field for one 

 party. Other places that can be chosen for 

 parties are Frederickshaab, Godhaab, Sukker- 

 toppen, Disko Bay, with the Jacobshaven and 

 Torsukatak glaciers, Umanak Fiord, Swarten- 

 kuk Peninsula, Uppernavik Fiord, etc. Parties 

 landed at these various places would have from 

 at least four to six weeks for investigation during 

 the absence of the ship farther north, those at 

 the more southern points having a longer time. 

 At all of these places Eskimo boats can be ob- 

 tained to furnish means of transportation in the 

 fiords, and their crews can be utilized to carry 

 packs of provisions, clothing or camping gear 

 when on land. Could each party be furnished 

 with a steam or naptha launch, travel would be 

 much more rapid and a larger extent of coast 

 could be visited. 



The important work of each party should be 



