﻿•^°]L 
  53.] 
  PALiEOZOIC 
  AGE 
  IN 
  THE 
  VARANGER 
  FIORD. 
  '141 
  

  

  of 
  all 
  degrees 
  of 
  coarseness, 
  and 
  containing 
  boulders 
  ranging 
  up 
  to 
  

   2 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  scattered 
  through, 
  it. 
  Though 
  quite 
  unstratified, 
  it 
  

   shows 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  a 
  slight 
  schistose 
  l 
  structure. 
  The 
  included 
  

   boulders, 
  which 
  are 
  of 
  all 
  shapes 
  and 
  lie 
  at 
  all 
  angles, 
  consist 
  

   principally 
  of 
  red 
  and 
  grey 
  granites, 
  and 
  of 
  quartz-grits 
  resembling 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  Gaisa 
  formation. 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  succeed 
  in 
  finding 
  any 
  

   striated 
  blocks, 
  but 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  matrix 
  has 
  been 
  hardened 
  and 
  

   adheres 
  closely 
  to 
  the 
  boulders 
  prevented 
  me 
  from 
  examining 
  more 
  

   than 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  in 
  the 
  limited 
  time 
  at 
  my 
  disposal. 
  From 
  a 
  similar 
  

   boulder-rock 
  at 
  Mortensnes, 
  however, 
  which 
  I 
  unfortunately 
  missed 
  

   seeing, 
  Dr. 
  B.eusch 
  describes 
  and 
  figures 
  well-glaciated 
  blocks 
  of 
  

   -dolomite. 
  2 
  

  

  Before 
  quitting 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  I 
  would 
  point 
  out 
  that 
  

   the 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  intercalated 
  mass 
  of 
  boulder-rock, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  fragments 
  of 
  it 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  overlying 
  strata, 
  

   indicate 
  that 
  it 
  underwent 
  denudation 
  before 
  it 
  was 
  buried. 
  Not 
  

   improbably 
  it 
  extended 
  considerably 
  farther 
  west 
  than 
  the 
  present 
  

   limit, 
  as 
  indeed 
  is 
  suggested 
  by 
  the 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  striated 
  

   pavement 
  in 
  that 
  direction. 
  It 
  is 
  easy 
  to 
  conceive 
  that 
  the 
  whole 
  

   mass 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  washed 
  away, 
  excepting 
  only 
  the 
  larger 
  

   boulders, 
  in 
  which 
  case 
  the 
  glacial 
  episode 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  recorded 
  

   only 
  by 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  large 
  erratic 
  blocks 
  embedded 
  in 
  Gaisa 
  

   ■quartzites. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  erratic-bearing 
  beds 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   world, 
  subsequently 
  alluded 
  to, 
  possibly 
  originated 
  in 
  this 
  way. 
  

  

  The 
  boulder-rock 
  rests 
  on 
  a 
  regularly-bedded 
  sandstone 
  of 
  the 
  

   usual 
  type, 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  weathered 
  back 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  expose 
  several 
  ■ 
  

   square 
  yards 
  of 
  the 
  remarkably 
  even 
  surface 
  of 
  that 
  rock. 
  The 
  

   platform 
  thus 
  exposed 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  smoothed, 
  but 
  conspicuously 
  and 
  

   characteristically 
  striated 
  (PI. 
  X). 
  The 
  scratches 
  can 
  be 
  followed 
  

   in 
  some 
  cases 
  for 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  yards, 
  not 
  only 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  little 
  

   cliff 
  of 
  boulder-rock, 
  but 
  under 
  it, 
  a 
  fact 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  made 
  certain 
  by 
  

   wedging 
  out 
  some 
  masses 
  of 
  that 
  material, 
  and 
  exposing 
  a 
  fresh 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  platform. 
  This 
  striated 
  pavement 
  is 
  visible 
  for 
  a 
  

   short 
  distance 
  beyond 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  the 
  boulder-rock 
  thins 
  out, 
  as 
  

   already 
  mentioned. 
  Three 
  sets 
  of 
  striae 
  can 
  be 
  detected, 
  the 
  strongest 
  

   running 
  1ST. 
  30° 
  W., 
  a 
  second, 
  less 
  marked, 
  ranging 
  1ST. 
  70° 
  W., 
  while 
  

   a 
  few 
  occur 
  with 
  the 
  direction 
  N. 
  10° 
  W. 
  Though 
  strongly 
  scored, 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  smoothed, 
  the 
  sandstone 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  suffered 
  much 
  

   .erosion, 
  for 
  the 
  boulder-rock 
  rests 
  upon 
  the 
  same 
  bed 
  throughout 
  

   the 
  section. 
  The 
  sandstone 
  is 
  traversed 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  irregular 
  joints, 
  

  

  1 
  [By 
  the 
  word 
  ' 
  schistose 
  ' 
  reference 
  is 
  made 
  merely 
  to 
  an 
  obscure 
  fissile 
  struc- 
  

   ture 
  developed 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  in 
  the 
  rock, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  which 
  it 
  splits 
  more 
  

   readily 
  along 
  certain 
  curving, 
  nearly 
  horizontal 
  planes 
  than 
  in 
  other 
  directions. 
  

   The 
  microscope 
  shows, 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  informed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Teall, 
  that 
  the 
  rock 
  is 
  quite 
  

   uncrushed, 
  and 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  subjected 
  to 
  such 
  movements 
  as 
  would 
  have 
  taken 
  

   j)lace 
  if 
  the 
  striated 
  surface 
  had 
  been 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  thrust-plane. 
  — 
  Jan. 
  29th, 
  1897.] 
  

  

  2 
  ' 
  Geology 
  of 
  Northern 
  Norway,' 
  1891, 
  pp. 
  30 
  et 
  seqq. 
  It 
  is 
  worth 
  noting 
  

   that 
  stones 
  in 
  a 
  conglomerate 
  have 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  acquire 
  scratches 
  by 
  sub- 
  

   sequent 
  movements 
  in 
  the 
  rock, 
  whether 
  by 
  squeezing 
  in 
  a 
  gritty 
  matrix 
  or 
  by 
  

   grinding 
  against 
  one 
  another. 
  Dr. 
  Eeusch's 
  figures, 
  which 
  are 
  reproduced 
  

   from 
  photographs, 
  in 
  no 
  way 
  recall 
  such 
  markings, 
  but 
  represent 
  boulders 
  with 
  

   ihe 
  shape 
  and 
  striation 
  characteristic 
  of 
  ice-action. 
  

  

  