644 DR. E. KCEIILIIZ OX THE [Xov. 1 898, 



The general condition of the land-surface beneath the ice has 

 to some extent been noticed when remarking upon the raised 

 beaches, ice-cap, and * glaciers/ Its terraced appearance is very 

 obvious, especially on the lower parts : and, judging from the 

 depressions and irregularities of the ice-slopes, I am of opinion that 

 the upper basaltic rocks are very much broken up and denuded. 

 This condition is well seen on the upper part of "Windward Island 

 (fig. 6, p. 628), where the effects of denudation are strikingly 

 shown on a smaD. scale ; isolated rocky masses, more or less terraced 

 by the unequal degradation of the harder and softer layers, stand 

 up in bold relief and are separated by deep gorges or valleys. 1 am 

 convinced, from the contours of the larger and higher islands, that 

 their upper parts are in a very similar condition of denudation, but 

 they are masked by the ice and snow. 



That marine action combined with the ice has had a large share in 

 the work of denudation I cannot but believe, and to it I should 

 attribute much of the terracing : pauses in upheaval and varying 

 hardness of the rock combining to produce the present condition. 

 The greater exposure of the southern and north-eastern shores 

 has caused their more rapid denudation, and thus originated the 

 more precipitous cliffs and fine headlands. 



Wherever the sedimentary rocks have been observed they were 

 found to be nearly horizontal, with a slight dip of only 2" or 3° X.E., 

 but the base of the basaltic rocks, although usually at a considerable 

 elevation, is in some cases low down or even at the sea-level. This 

 at once suggests the possibility of faults having let down certain 

 areas ; and it may be that this will prove to be the case; but at present 

 we have really no evidence whatever of the existence of such faults, and 

 further the breaking up of what must have been a widely extending 

 plateau into a number of islands may have been due to a similar 

 cause; the lines of weakness and depressed areas, being more readily 

 attacked by subaerial and marine agencies, have become widened into 

 the channels as they now exist. 



We have very little evidence as to the depth of the sea around 

 these islands, but the following soundings may be mentioned : — 

 between Windward and Bruce Islands, 57 fathoms; between the 

 latter island and Camp Point there was no bottom at 100 fathoms ; 

 I mile north of Cape Flora, 18 fathoms; close under the glacier 

 at this place, 3 fathoms ; between Bell Island and Cape Flora, 

 2d fathoms; | mile south of Elmwood, as much as 15 fathoms, 

 but more to the westward 50 fathoms ; within | mile of Cape 

 Ludlow, 158 fathoms ; 1| mile south-east of Cape Mary Harmsworth, 

 93 fathoms ; and 30 miles west of the same point, 230 fathoms. 



I trust that the few notes that are here brought together on the 

 geolog}' of Franz Josef Land will not be without value nor altogether 

 devoid of interest, and that the shortcomings, of which I am only 

 too conscious, will be pardoned when it is remembered that it was 



