256 Trof. A. E. Nordenskiold — Geology of Spitzbergen. 



lono-ed to the Cretaceous series, tliougli occupying a position more 

 recent than the Kome strata in Greenland. 



The outermost part of the peninsula, which in our more recent 

 maps of Spitzbergen is named Cape Staratschin, is known among 

 the whalers by the name of "the Fastness" (Fastningen), on account 

 of a high sandstone ridge, which here, like a wall built by human 

 hands, runs for some distance over the low flat close to the shore, 

 and then projects into the sea, forming a rocky island with precipitous 

 sides shaped like a parallelepiped separated from the main land by a 

 small sound. This " wall " is formed of a vertical stratum of a very 

 hard quartzite-like sandstone, which has withstood better than the 

 surrounding strata the disintegrating action of the atmosphere, the 

 ice and the frost. It forms there the boundary between the Jurassic 

 and the Cretaceous strata. Close to the outer side of this sandstone 

 rido-e are to be found schistose strata with Jurassic fossils {Aucella 

 mosquensis, Belemnites, Ammonites triplicatus ?) , and close to the inner 

 side a grey sandy schist with chalk fossils. At the outermost point, 

 there is to be seen, on the inner side of the vertical sandstone stratum, 

 the impression of a tree-stem 5 metres high and 0-3 metre broad, which, 

 to judge from the way in which it has been pressed together, 

 belonged to some hollow-stemmed plant, or some plant with a soft 

 woody tissue, and the same sandstone bed is strewn over with 

 laro-e but indistinguishable vegetable remains. On a closer exami- 

 nation of the surrounding strata, I had the good fortune to find in 

 addition impressions of plants which could be determined. These 

 occur most abundantly in a greyish black, moderately hard sandy 

 schist, whicli forms vertical strata immediately within the quartzite 

 or sandstone stratum just mentioned. The number of the species 

 which Heer could determine is sixteen, namely : — 



8. Araucarites Nordenshioldii^'H.ee.x.^ 



9. Sequoia Reiclietibachi, Gein., sp. 



10. Sequoia rigida, Heer. 



11. Sequoia fastigiata, S. 



12. Finns Feterseni, Heer. 



A. Ferns. 



1. Asplenium Johnstrupi, Heer. 



2. Asjjlenium Boyeanum, Heer. 



3. Sphenopteris hyperborea, Heer. 



4. ThinfekUa arctica, Heer. 



5. Sclerophyllina cretosa, S. 



B. EaUISETACEA. 



6. Equisetum sp. 



C. Conifers. 



7. Fhyllocladites rotundifolius, Heer. 



13. Finns Quenstedti, Heer. 



14. Finns Staratschini, Heer. 



15. Finns sp. 



D. Monocotyledons. 



16. Hppoglossidinm antiquum, Heer. 

 2 iudeterminable species. 



Of these species, six occur in the Lower Cretaceous strata of Green- 

 land (Kome strata), and seven in the Upper Cretaceous strata (Atane 

 strata), whence Heer comes to the conclusion that the Cretaceous 

 strata at Cape Staratschin have been deposited during the middle 

 of the Cretaceous Period. The most common fossil consists of 

 branches, cT -flowers, and cones of Sequoia BeicJienhachi. 



Among the Conifers enumerated by Heer, there is a very large 

 cone of Araucarites. This, however, was not found at '' tlie Fast- 

 ness," but four to five kilometres further east, at the entrance to 

 Green Harbour, and likewise in the neighbourhood of a hard sand- 

 1 This species is from another locality. See below. 



