﻿"^l* 
  53-] 
  PALEOZOIC 
  AGE 
  IN 
  THE 
  VARANGER 
  FIORD. 
  143 
  

  

  Under 
  these 
  circumstances 
  I 
  accept 
  without 
  hesitation 
  Dr. 
  Eeusch's 
  

   conclusion 
  that 
  the 
  phenomena 
  are 
  due 
  to 
  glacial 
  action, 
  and 
  that 
  

   thej 
  were 
  produced 
  contemporaneously 
  in 
  the 
  Gaisa 
  formation. 
  

  

  The 
  determination 
  of 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  Gaisa 
  rocks 
  now 
  became 
  an 
  

   object 
  of 
  importance, 
  and 
  a 
  diligent 
  search 
  for 
  fossils 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  

   myself 
  and 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  expedition, 
  but 
  unfortunately 
  

   without 
  result. 
  Up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  no 
  fossils 
  have 
  been 
  recorded 
  

   from 
  these 
  rocks, 
  and 
  in 
  their 
  absence 
  we 
  have 
  to 
  fall 
  back 
  upon 
  the 
  

   stratigraphical 
  relations 
  of 
  the 
  system 
  to 
  other 
  groups 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  

   of 
  Norway. 
  Of 
  these 
  I 
  had 
  no 
  opportunity 
  of 
  judging, 
  and 
  therefore 
  

   abstract 
  all 
  that 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  known 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  from 
  the 
  publi- 
  

   cations 
  of 
  the 
  Norwegian 
  geologists. 
  According 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Dahll, 
  the 
  

   Gaisa 
  rests 
  un 
  conformably 
  upon 
  an 
  older 
  system 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  

   Raipas, 
  which 
  also 
  is 
  later 
  than 
  the 
  metamorphism 
  of 
  the 
  crystalline 
  

   rocks, 
  and, 
  like 
  the 
  Gaisa, 
  unfossiliferous. 
  The 
  Raipas 
  is 
  regarded 
  

   by 
  Dr. 
  Dahll 
  as 
  representing 
  Devonian, 
  and 
  the 
  Gaisa 
  as 
  being 
  either 
  

   Trias, 
  Dyas, 
  or 
  Carboniferous. 
  1 
  Dr. 
  Reusch, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  

   throws 
  doubts 
  on 
  the 
  supposed 
  unconformity 
  between 
  the 
  Eaipas 
  

   and 
  Gaisa, 
  and 
  compares 
  the 
  whole 
  sedimentary 
  group 
  with 
  the 
  

   Sparagmite 
  formation 
  of 
  Southern 
  Norway. 
  2 
  This 
  formation, 
  which 
  

   is 
  described 
  as 
  consisting 
  largely 
  of 
  felspathic 
  sandstones 
  and 
  quartz- 
  

   ites, 
  also 
  rests 
  upon 
  a 
  denuded 
  surface 
  of 
  highly-metamorphosed 
  

   rocks, 
  and 
  is 
  overlain 
  by 
  strata 
  containing 
  the 
  Olenellus-f&\mai,, 
  a 
  

   fact 
  which 
  proves 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  of 
  Cambrian 
  or 
  earlier 
  age. 
  Dr. 
  Nathorst 
  

   expresses 
  an 
  opinion 
  that 
  Dr. 
  Reusch's 
  view 
  that 
  the 
  Gaisa 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  age 
  as 
  the 
  Sparagmite 
  is 
  more 
  probable 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Dahll. 
  3 
  

   So 
  far, 
  therefore, 
  as 
  our 
  information 
  goes 
  at 
  present, 
  the 
  Gaisa 
  

   Beds 
  maybe 
  of 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  age 
  as 
  the 
  basal 
  Cambrian 
  quartzite, 
  

   or 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  even 
  as 
  old 
  as 
  the 
  Torridon 
  Sandstone. 
  

  

  In 
  general 
  lithological 
  characters 
  the 
  Gaisa 
  Beds 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  

   type 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  continental 
  formations 
  ; 
  the 
  scarps 
  of 
  quartz-grit 
  

   with 
  intervening 
  red 
  sandstones 
  or 
  red 
  shales 
  reproduce 
  the 
  appear- 
  

   ance 
  and 
  scenery 
  of 
  much 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  Torridon 
  Sandstone 
  and 
  the 
  

   Old 
  Bed 
  Sandstone, 
  while 
  the 
  irregularly-bedded 
  sandstones 
  and 
  

   shales 
  of 
  the 
  cliff 
  near 
  Yadso 
  so 
  strongly 
  recalled 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  Coal 
  

   Measures 
  that 
  I 
  was 
  in 
  constant 
  expectation 
  of 
  finding 
  plant- 
  

   remains. 
  4 
  The 
  red 
  sandstones 
  could 
  no 
  less 
  appropriately 
  be 
  matched 
  

   by 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  Bunter. 
  They 
  all 
  belong, 
  in 
  fact, 
  to 
  the 
  type 
  pre- 
  

   vailing 
  in 
  those 
  formations 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  be 
  deposited 
  

   at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  a 
  great 
  continental 
  epoch. 
  Among 
  the 
  characteristics 
  

   common 
  to 
  such 
  formations 
  maybe 
  mentioned, 
  firstly, 
  that 
  they 
  rest 
  

   upon 
  a 
  deeply-denuded 
  surface 
  of 
  much 
  older 
  rocks 
  ; 
  secondly, 
  that 
  

   they 
  originated 
  in 
  a 
  copious 
  supply 
  of 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  raw 
  detritus 
  — 
  that 
  

   is, 
  of 
  detritus 
  which 
  had 
  neither 
  been 
  completely 
  decomposed 
  nor 
  

   ground 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  last 
  stage 
  of 
  fineness, 
  and 
  which 
  may 
  even 
  

  

  1 
  ' 
  Geology 
  of 
  Northern 
  Norway,' 
  1891, 
  p. 
  197. 
  2 
  Ibid. 
  p. 
  199. 
  

  

  3 
  ' 
  Geology 
  of 
  Sweden,' 
  by 
  A. 
  G. 
  Nathorst, 
  1894, 
  p. 
  153. 
  

  

  4 
  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  note 
  here 
  that 
  upwards 
  of 
  230 
  feet 
  of 
  productive 
  Coal 
  

   Measures 
  intervene 
  between 
  two 
  erratic-bearing 
  series 
  in 
  New 
  South 
  Wales. 
  

  

  