Prof. Nordensldold — Expedition to Greenland. 519 



• therefore consider it as probable that the material of ii. also was 

 from the basalt ridge, although it had afterwards crumbled apart. 

 IV. Analysis of the silicate that remained undissolved in Analysis ii. by Dr. Th. 



JSTordstrbm. v. Analysis of a piece of basalt firmly rusted on to the surface of 



the largest meteorite, by Dr. Th. Nordstrom. 



IV. V. 



Silicic Acid 61-79 ... 44-01 



Alumina 23-31 ... ' 14-27 



Sesquioxide of Iron 1-45 ... 3-89 



Protoxide of Iron — ... 14-75 



Magnesia 2-83 ... 8-11 



Lime 8-33 ... 10-91 



^°t^^^^^}(loss included)... 2-29 ... { ^l^J 



100-00 ... 99-52 



VI. and VII. Analyses of the carbonaceous matter in the iron of 

 II. by Nordstrom, 33-04:79 gr., gave after first treating with chloride 

 of copper, and afterwards with chloride of iron, 4-79 per cent, of a 

 carbonaceous matter, containing 4.2-58 per cent. ash. An elementary 

 analysis of this carbonaceous matter, deducting the ash, gave — 



VI. VII. 



Carbon 63-59 ... 63-64 



Hydrogen 3-26 ... 3-55 



Oxygen (loss included).. 33-15 ... 32-81 



100-00 ... 100-00 



The substance is not soluble in either alcohol, ammonia, or potash, 

 and evidently consists of a mixture of organic matter, water and 

 carbon. 



The discovery at Ovifak is remarkable, not only as the largest dis- 

 covery of meteoric iron hitherto known to have been made, but also 

 as that which is richest in carbon, excepting the carbon powder that 

 fell at Hessle. Add to this, the remarkable circumstance, partly that 

 lenticular and discoidal pieces of native iron occur at the same place 

 in the underlying basalt, partly that basalt pieces of considerable 

 size, in numerous spots, form a crust on the larger meteorites, and 

 are even som-etimes met with driven through the surface into the iron. 

 Nevertheless, in spite of this, it appears to me that there cannot be a 

 doubt of the really meteoric origin of the large masses. Their form, 

 their composition, their appearance, sufficiently indicate this. To ex- 

 plain the occurrence of meteoric iron together with basalt we must 

 then assume : 



(1) Either that the ridges fg and gh (see map^) are only apparently 

 in solid connexion with the rock, but are really only fragments of one 

 large meteorite of 20 to 40 feet in diameter, formed principally of a 

 mass of basalt-like matter, with balls of iron disseminated through it, 

 that has fallen at this spot. This assumption would, however, be too 

 hazardous, and is rendered improbable by the circumstance that the 

 basalt that surrounds the meteoric iron is perfectly similar to the 

 exact variety of the G-reenland basalt, which forms the rocks of the 



^ Published with Part II. in the August number, p. 355. 



