Reviews 



SUMMARY OF THE LITERATURE OF NORTH AMERICAN 

 PLEISTOCENE GEOLOGY 1901 AND 1902. II. 



Frank Leveret t. 



CENTRAL AND EASTERN CANADA. 



Bell, Robert. Report of an Exploration on the Northern Side of Hudson 



Strait. Geol. Survey Canada, Ann. Report, Vol. XI, Part M, 38 pp., 1901. 



Baffin Land, which forms the northern side of Hudson Strait, was until 1875 sup- 

 posed to consist of a group of islands, but now it appears to be one great island with 

 an area of about 300,000 square miles. There are, however, numerous small islands 

 along the south coast. Three prominent mountain ranges trend north-northwest to 

 south-southeast parallel with the eastern coast, the highest of which borders that 

 coast. The high interior north of Cumberland Sound is reported by Boas to be ice- 

 capped like Greenland. Around the margins of the ice-cap the general elevation is 

 about 5,000 feet, and it reaches about 8,000 feet in the central part. Another area of 

 smaller extent, but apparently equally high, lies a short distance farther northwest. 

 The mountainous region between Cumberland Sound and Frobisher Bay stands 

 apparently between 2,000 and 3,000 feet. The tract between Hudson Strait and 

 Frobisher Bay is largely covered by the Grinnell glacier, which is 70 to 100 miles in 

 length and about 20 miles in breadth. It was reported (but not verified) that one 

 narrow tongue of ice extends down to the water of the strait. The mountains are 

 apparently interspersed with lakes, two of which are of great size. Lake Netelling 

 being 60 by 140 miles, and Lake Amadjuak at least 40 by 120 miles. Their greatest 

 diameter runs parallel with the mountain ranges north-northwest to south-southeast. 



Hudson Strait, as pointed out in 1895^ was probably occupied by a river that 

 drained the Hudson Bay basin at a time of high altitude when the basin was dr}' land. 

 Soundings show the strait to have a channel 200 to 300 fathoms in depth. The ice- 

 sheets of the glacial period moved down from the high land on both sides, and then 

 down the valley itself, as shown by the striation and the materials of the drift. 



On the part of Baffin Land examined, bowlders are a conspicuous feature, and a 

 sandy or gravelly till is abundant. Osars were noted southwest of Amadjuak Lake- 

 The general glaciation seems likely to have been rather remote, for the surface of the 

 drift is much oxidized, and the limestoiie surfaces show considerable decay. Striae are 

 conspicuous only at low levels along the coast. A table containing observations of 

 twenty-two striae is given. Giant potholes 8 to 20 feet in diameter were noted on the 

 border of the entrance to Canon Inlet. 



The sea has stood at various levels, above the present, long enough to form well- 

 defined beaches. Beaches were noted at several points at elevations of 360 to 400 

 feet, as well as at various lower altitudes. On a mountain side west of Akuling Inlet 



'In a paper by Dr. Bell in the Scottish Geographical Magazine. 



498 



