[Annals X. V. Acad. Sci., Vol. XVI, No. 4, pp. 82-95, March 17, 1905.] 



THE JURASSIC COAL OF SPITZBERGEN. 

 John J. Stevenson. 



(Read January 14, 1905.) 



The Spitzbergen archipelago, consisting of five large and many 

 small islands, extends from N. Lat. 76° 30' to 80° 30' and lies 

 about midway between Nova Zembla and Greenland, while the 

 southern point of the principal island, West Spitzbergen, is 

 about three hundred miles north from the North Cape. The 

 greater part of the archipelago is inaccessible for shipping except 

 in rare seasons, as a cold current brings down the ice along the 

 northern and eastern portions ; but the w^estern coast of the main 

 island is accessible ordinarily during about three months each 

 year. Until less than a century ago, little was known respect- 

 ing Spitzbergen beyond the information brought by whalers, of 

 whom William Scoresby was easily chief. The first systematic 

 exploration was by the Norwegian geologist, Keilhau, who, in 

 1827, studied West Spitzbergen as well as the lonely Bear 

 island, one hundred and fifty miles southward, and made col- 

 lections, described in part by von Buch in 1846. A French 

 expedition of 1839 g^ve notes upon the islands, some of which 

 are of interest. The most important contributions, however, are 

 those of the Swedish geologists, whose studies began before 

 1 860 and have continued at frequent intervals until within ten 

 years, their results being published for the most part by the 

 Stockholm Academy of Sciences, Prof. Franz Toula of Vienna 

 visited West Spitzbergen in 1873 and made important observa- 

 tions upon the Carboniferous. 



West Spitzbergen extends from N. Lat. 76° 30' to 79° 55^ 

 and is indented deeply by bays, of which the most conspicuous 

 are Kings and Cross, with common outlet at 79°, the long Ice- 



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