﻿Vol. 
  53.] 
  EOCKS 
  AND 
  FOSSILS 
  PROM 
  FRANZ 
  JOSEF 
  LAND. 
  479 
  

  

  to 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Isle 
  of 
  Skye, 
  where 
  basaltic 
  lavas 
  and 
  

   intrusive 
  sills 
  are 
  associated 
  with 
  nearly 
  horizontal 
  strata 
  of 
  

   Jurassic 
  age. 
  1 
  

  

  The 
  geological 
  observations 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Austro- 
  

   Hungarian 
  Polar 
  Expedition 
  under 
  the 
  command 
  of 
  Lieuts. 
  Payer 
  

   and 
  Weyprecht 
  were 
  necessarily 
  of 
  a 
  limited 
  character. 
  Payer 
  

   calls 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  plateau-like 
  aspect 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  in 
  the 
  

   neighbourhood 
  of 
  Cape 
  TegethofT, 
  the 
  southern 
  promontory 
  of 
  Hall 
  

   Island, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  plateau 
  terminates 
  with 
  steep 
  

   precipitous 
  rocks. 
  2 
  He 
  refers 
  also 
  to 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  dolerite 
  

   (the 
  general 
  term 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  rocks 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Tschermak) 
  on 
  

   Koldewey 
  and 
  Schonau 
  Islands, 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  being 
  remarkable 
  

   for 
  its 
  beautiful 
  columnar 
  structure. 
  He 
  states 
  generally 
  that 
  

   dolerite 
  is 
  the 
  prevailing 
  rock, 
  but 
  refers 
  also 
  to 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  

   sandstones 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  shale 
  containing 
  white 
  mica 
  and 
  plant-remains. 
  

   There 
  is 
  no 
  means 
  of 
  correlating 
  the 
  latter 
  rocks 
  with 
  the 
  beds 
  

   discovered 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Koettlitz, 
  of 
  the 
  Jackson-Harms 
  worth 
  Expedition. 
  

   The 
  common 
  occurrence 
  of 
  silicirled 
  wood 
  is 
  also 
  noticed 
  by 
  Payer, 
  

   and 
  wood 
  of 
  this 
  character 
  is 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  collection. 
  

   The 
  ship 
  Tegethoff 
  was 
  abandoned, 
  and 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  specimens 
  

   appear 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  brought 
  back. 
  In 
  his 
  general 
  remarks 
  on 
  the 
  

   geology 
  of 
  Franz 
  Josef 
  Land, 
  Payer 
  clearly 
  recognizes 
  that 
  it 
  forms 
  

   a 
  part 
  of 
  an 
  extensive 
  volcanic 
  province, 
  stretching 
  westward 
  

   through 
  Spitsbergen, 
  Jan 
  Mayen, 
  and 
  Iceland 
  to 
  Greenland. 
  

  

  The 
  voyages 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Leigh 
  Smith 
  in 
  the 
  Eira 
  furnish 
  additional 
  

   information 
  of 
  importance 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  Franz 
  Josef 
  Land. 
  

   From 
  the 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  voyage 
  in 
  1880 
  given 
  by 
  Mr. 
  (now 
  

   Sir) 
  Clements 
  E. 
  Markham 
  3 
  we 
  learn 
  that 
  May 
  Island, 
  the 
  first 
  

   land 
  reached, 
  is 
  200 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  and 
  formed 
  of 
  basalt. 
  Cape 
  

   Barents, 
  the 
  south-eastern 
  promontory 
  of 
  Northbrook 
  Island, 
  is 
  

   formed 
  of 
  ' 
  columnar 
  basalt 
  like 
  the 
  Giants' 
  Causeway.' 
  It 
  is 
  stated 
  

   that 
  while 
  the 
  ship 
  was 
  in 
  Eira 
  Harbour 
  Mr. 
  Grant 
  walked 
  along 
  

   the 
  shore 
  to 
  the 
  eastward, 
  presumably 
  on 
  Mabel 
  Island, 
  and 
  after- 
  

   wards 
  ascended 
  with 
  a 
  party 
  to 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  hill 
  overhanging 
  

   the 
  harbour 
  (Bell 
  Island?), 
  which 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  1040 
  feet 
  above 
  

   the 
  sea. 
  ' 
  On 
  the 
  slope 
  of 
  this 
  hill 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  petrified 
  wood 
  

   was 
  collected, 
  and 
  some 
  other 
  fossils.' 
  It 
  is 
  further 
  stated 
  that 
  

   ' 
  the 
  lowest 
  rocks 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  Oxford 
  Clay, 
  and 
  are 
  represented 
  

   in 
  the 
  collection 
  brought 
  home 
  in 
  the 
  Eira 
  by 
  two 
  belemnites. 
  

   Above 
  the 
  Oxford 
  Clay 
  the 
  rock 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  period 
  to 
  

   which 
  the 
  fossil 
  coniferous 
  wood 
  belongs, 
  including 
  one 
  very 
  

   perfect 
  cone. 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  slabs 
  with 
  impressions 
  of 
  plants. 
  

   Over 
  all 
  these 
  has 
  been 
  an 
  overflow 
  of 
  basalt 
  and 
  lava, 
  forming 
  a 
  

   cap, 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Disco.' 
  In 
  the 
  discussion 
  which 
  followed 
  

  

  1 
  See 
  ' 
  The 
  Tertiary 
  Basalt-plateaux 
  of 
  North-western 
  Europe,' 
  by 
  Sir 
  A. 
  

   Geikie, 
  Quart. 
  Journ/Geol. 
  Soe. 
  vol. 
  lii. 
  (1896) 
  p. 
  331. 
  

  

  2 
  ' 
  New 
  Lands 
  within 
  the 
  Arctic 
  Circle.' 
  See 
  also 
  Proc. 
  Roy. 
  Geogr. 
  Soc. 
  

   vol. 
  xix. 
  (1874) 
  p. 
  17. 
  

  

  3 
  Proc. 
  Roy. 
  Geogr. 
  Soc. 
  n. 
  s. 
  vol. 
  iii. 
  (1881) 
  p. 
  129. 
  

  

  