THE JURASSIC COAL OF SPITZENBERGEN 85 



collections on Bear island in 1898 and still later additional col- 

 lections were made by Doctor J. G. Anderson, all of which 

 were described by Nathorst in 1902/ The study of these 

 plants led him to refer the beds to the upper Devonian. The 

 shallow water between Spitzbergen and Bear island suggests a 

 land connection between the two areas until comparatively re- 

 cent times. The Bear island coal field must have extended 

 much further south and west, for even since the glacial period 

 the island has lost much on those sides, the glacial trough now 

 on the westerly side of the island having lost the greater part 

 of its west wall and the cirque on the southerly side has been 

 removed. 



The coal beds on the east side of Advent bay are placed by 

 Nathorst in the upper Jurassic. During the last decade spas- 

 modic attempts at mining have been made, chiefly to supply the 

 whalers who ply their trade by means of steam launches. The 

 whole region was explored in 1903 by an English-Norwegian 

 company and in 1904 that company began systematic develop- 

 ment on the east side of Advent bay. At the time of the 

 writer's visit, the work in charge of Mr. G. A. Fangen, M.E., 

 of Bergen, was advanced sufficiently to exhibit the coal and the 

 conditions of its occurrence. 



The opening is at perhaps a mile and a half from the mouth 

 of the bay and at 330 feet above the water. Mining was begun 

 early in June with the expectation that it could be continued 

 until late in September, when a shipment of about 1,000 tons 

 might be made to Tromsoe in order to make a thorough com- 

 parative test with the English coal used there. The main head- 

 ing had been driven sixty yards from the crop and a room had 

 been opened, extending perhaps twenty yards northward to 

 another heading, which has been abandoned. The section of 

 the bed is 



Feet. Inches. 



1. Coal o 4 



2. Parting 



3. Coal o 5 



^A. G. Nathorst, " Zur Ober-Devonian Devonischen flora der Baren Insel,' 

 T7'ans. K, Sven. Vetcns. Akad., Band 36, No. 3. 



