297 



Zirphaea crispata is thus a typical boreal form. The bed 

 at Orpigsuit in which its sheUs occur, must have been deposited 

 during a chmate at least as mild as that which we find at present 

 in the sea at the eastern Canada and at the West-Finmark. 



In West-Greenland in three localities situated rather distant 

 from one another (65° 50', 66° 45', and 68° 37. 5' N.) we are 

 now acquainted with raised beaches containing a mollusc-fauna 

 in which a few species suggest a more genial marine climate than 

 the present. I do not believe this period to be very far back. 



A quite similar view is set forth by the Iceland-geologist 

 Helgi Pjetursson. He expresses himself in the following wayM : 



«K. J. V. Steenstrup mentions from several places in North- 

 Greenland «dead glaciers», that means masses of ice covered 

 with gravel which formerly moved but now according to strong 

 melting have partly or completely become separated from their 

 snow-field and which now so to speak have become overpowered 

 by their own moraine. But the ice-formation has again in- 

 creased, and Steenstrup mentions several places where a 

 new glacier has been formed or is forming and slides down 

 over the dead glacier ^j. 



If we now compare the quantity of sediments accumulated 

 in the fjords in shape of terraces with these statements and 

 consider that according to all probability such terraces would 

 be far from occurring to the same extent even if an upheaval 

 took place now, we arrive at the following result: 



In a geologically spoken very late time the climate of 

 Greenland has been somewhat more genial ith&n now, and the 

 ice consequently retired. The broad ice-crust which formerly 

 covered the border of the coast melted away, and later on great 

 glaciers decreased so considerably that they were unable of 

 transporting their moraines. They ceased moving and became 

 «dead glaciers». On account of this strong melting the border 



Medd. om Grønland, XIV, 1898. p. 339-40. 



Medd. om Grønland, IV, 1883, p. 80—81 and PI. V. 



