92 p. A. ØYEN. 



ever, the lower end of this glacier has retired at least one hund- 

 red metres from the lake. 



To the south of the Jostedalsbrae, and only separated from 

 it by a strip of bare rock of from 200 to 500 meti'es in breadth 

 is situated the Jostefon; but we have good reason to believe that 

 this strip of bare rock was not to be found sixty years ago. In 

 the northern part of the Jostedalsbrae we meet with another 

 offshoot, the Glacier of the Raudal, which is also said to have 

 decreased rapidly during the last sixty years. About sixty years 

 ago this glacier projected right across the valley, having at that 

 time a thickness of about two hundred metres above the bottom 

 of the valley. Now it scarcely reaches the bottom of the valley, 

 having a thickness of only about 50 or 60 metres. 



Having passed the middle of the nineteenth century, leaving 

 a period of rather severe climate behind, and taking a last look 

 at advancing glaciers, we now enter new decades of a more 

 favourable condition of climate. It is extremely difficult to point 

 to one particular year for the beginning of the decrease of gla- 

 ciers, and a date such as this must inevitably be quite incer- 

 tain. If, however, we were to mention one particular year, we 

 would say 1855. 



The first indication on record of the beginning decrease of 

 glaciei's is a rather violent discharge of the Upper Lake of 

 Mjölkedal (Övre Mjölkedalsvand). This overflow took place in 

 the year 1855 or 1856, according to different traditions. As is 

 roughly shown in the sketch, the Uranaasbrae (U), or the Snow- 

 field of the Uranaas, has four principal offshoots, or actual gla- 

 ciers, spreading in different directions. In the first place we have 

 the Glacier of the Uranaas (u) protruding towards the Lake of 

 Uradalsmulen to the south, and to the north we meet with the 

 Glacier of the Skogadal (s) projecting into the Valley of Skoga- 

 dalen and with a couple of closely-allied glacier branches (m) 

 projecting into the Upper Valley of Mjölkedalen; but the princi- 

 pal offshoot is to be met with towards the south-east, namely 



