﻿T. 
  BELT 
  ON 
  THE 
  STEPPES 
  OE 
  SIBERIA. 
  

  

  493 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  neighbourhood 
  ; 
  the 
  

   fragments 
  distributed 
  over 
  the 
  plains 
  

   were 
  entirely 
  unworn. 
  Where 
  ex- 
  

   cavations 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  they 
  were 
  

   seen 
  to 
  be 
  much 
  more 
  numerous 
  on 
  

   the 
  surface 
  than 
  below. 
  The 
  ridges 
  

   and 
  hills 
  were 
  covered 
  with 
  shattered 
  

   fragments 
  of 
  the 
  rocks 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  

   were 
  composed 
  ; 
  nowhere 
  were 
  there 
  

   any 
  signs 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  ever 
  suppor- 
  

   ted 
  glaciers, 
  though 
  probably 
  they 
  

   had 
  been 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  

   intense 
  frost. 
  If 
  we 
  suppose 
  that 
  the 
  

   plains 
  had 
  been 
  covered 
  with 
  water 
  

   forming 
  shallow 
  lakes, 
  the 
  distribu- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  angular 
  fragments 
  over 
  

   their 
  surface 
  can 
  be 
  easily 
  accounted 
  

   for, 
  as 
  these 
  lakes 
  would 
  be 
  frozen 
  

   over 
  in 
  winter, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  ice 
  break- 
  

   ing 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  it 
  would 
  carry 
  

   away 
  fragments 
  of 
  rocks 
  from 
  the 
  

   surrounding 
  ridges 
  and 
  drop 
  them 
  in 
  

   various 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  lakes. 
  I 
  have 
  

   reason 
  to 
  believe 
  this 
  cause 
  sufficient, 
  

   as 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  it 
  in 
  operation 
  in 
  the 
  

   lakes 
  of 
  North 
  America, 
  and 
  described 
  

   it 
  in 
  a 
  paper 
  read 
  before 
  this 
  Society 
  

   in 
  1864. 
  

  

  The 
  country 
  beyond 
  this 
  to 
  the 
  

   southward, 
  although 
  still 
  called 
  the 
  

   Kirghese 
  steppes, 
  had 
  lost 
  its 
  level 
  

   character, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  ridges 
  of 
  

   crystalline 
  rocks 
  rose 
  to 
  heights 
  of 
  at 
  

   least 
  2000 
  feet, 
  none 
  of 
  which 
  showed 
  

   any 
  signs 
  of 
  glaciation, 
  excepting 
  that 
  

   the 
  surface 
  had 
  been 
  shattered 
  by 
  

   intense 
  frost. 
  The 
  true 
  plains 
  may 
  

   be 
  said 
  to 
  end 
  on 
  this 
  meridian 
  about 
  

   lat. 
  51° 
  N. 
  ; 
  whilst 
  to 
  the 
  north-east 
  

   they 
  extend 
  diagonally 
  across 
  Siberia 
  

   for 
  3000 
  miles. 
  Over 
  this 
  enormous 
  

   range 
  of 
  country 
  their 
  internal 
  con- 
  

   stitution 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  plains 
  I 
  traversed 
  ; 
  at 
  Sama- 
  

   rova, 
  however, 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  meridian 
  

   as 
  Ischim,but 
  345 
  miles 
  further 
  north, 
  

   Erman 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  yellow 
  talcose 
  

   clay 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  plains 
  consist 
  rests 
  

   on 
  another 
  filled 
  with 
  large 
  fragments 
  

   of 
  rock, 
  and 
  says 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  assumed 
  

  

  Ol 
  *■ 
  

  

  Aj 
  

  

  — 
  e. 
  

  

  :'■';;-;. 
  v 
  

  

  