﻿516 
  MESSES. 
  E. 
  T. 
  NEWTON 
  AND 
  J. 
  J. 
  H. 
  TEALL 
  ON 
  [Dec. 
  1897, 
  

  

  Josef 
  Land 
  as 
  the 
  North-west 
  of 
  Scotland 
  ! 
  and 
  Abyssinia. 
  2 
  We 
  

   have 
  already 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  Dr. 
  Nansen 
  refers 
  the 
  basalt 
  in 
  part 
  

   to 
  the 
  Jurassic 
  period 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  basalts 
  of 
  

   the 
  West 
  of 
  Scotland 
  were 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   age, 
  for 
  reasons 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  relied 
  upon 
  by 
  him, 
  this 
  conclusion 
  

   cannot 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  definitely 
  established. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  it 
  

   is 
  important 
  to 
  notice 
  that, 
  if 
  we 
  except 
  the 
  North 
  of 
  Ireland, 
  the 
  

   Upper 
  Cretaceous 
  period 
  is 
  unrepresented, 
  or 
  but 
  feebly 
  represented, 
  

   by 
  sedimentary 
  deposits 
  in 
  regions 
  like 
  the 
  Deccan 
  of 
  India 
  and 
  the 
  

   high 
  plateaux 
  of 
  Abyssinia, 
  where 
  basalts 
  are 
  extensively 
  developed. 
  

   It 
  is 
  therefore 
  quite 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  vast 
  outpourings 
  of 
  basic 
  lavas 
  

   which 
  have 
  given 
  a 
  special 
  character 
  to 
  extensive 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  

   earth's 
  surface 
  3 
  may 
  have 
  commenced 
  in 
  pre-Tertiary 
  times. 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  configuration 
  of 
  the 
  archipelago 
  of 
  Franz 
  Josef 
  Land 
  

   (see 
  fig. 
  3, 
  facing 
  p. 
  512) 
  conclusively 
  proves 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  formed 
  of 
  the 
  

   fragments 
  of 
  an 
  old 
  plateau. 
  The 
  land 
  frequently 
  ends 
  off 
  in 
  high 
  

   cliffs, 
  capped 
  with 
  sheets 
  of 
  basalt 
  which 
  must 
  have 
  extended 
  far 
  

   beyond 
  their 
  present 
  limits. 
  When 
  one 
  compares 
  the 
  topography 
  of 
  

   this 
  district 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Faeroes 
  and 
  the 
  West 
  of 
  Scotland, 
  one 
  

   is 
  inclined, 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  immense 
  tracts 
  of 
  water 
  which 
  now 
  

   separate 
  these 
  localities, 
  to 
  ask 
  whether 
  they 
  may 
  not 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  

   have 
  been 
  continuous, 
  and 
  whether 
  the 
  northern 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   North 
  Atlantic, 
  as 
  suggested 
  by 
  Suess, 
  4 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  of 
  comparatively 
  

   recent 
  origin. 
  

  

  But 
  whatever 
  answer 
  may 
  be 
  given 
  to 
  this 
  question, 
  it 
  is 
  clear 
  

   that 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  volcanic 
  period 
  the 
  various 
  islands 
  of 
  Franz 
  

   Josef 
  Land 
  were 
  united 
  and 
  formed 
  part 
  of 
  an 
  extensive 
  tract 
  

   of 
  land. 
  This 
  land 
  was 
  subsequently 
  broken 
  up, 
  partly, 
  in 
  all 
  

   probability, 
  by 
  the 
  sinking 
  of 
  certain 
  areas 
  along 
  lines 
  of 
  fault, 
  and 
  

   partly 
  by 
  denudation. 
  

  

  The 
  final 
  stages 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  are 
  represented 
  by 
  

   the 
  raised 
  beaches, 
  which 
  prove 
  that 
  this 
  region, 
  like 
  so 
  many 
  other 
  

   portions 
  of 
  the 
  extreme 
  north, 
  has 
  quite 
  recently 
  been 
  under 
  the 
  

   influence 
  of 
  a 
  geocratic 
  movement. 
  

  

  EXPLANATION 
  OF 
  PLATES 
  XXXVIL-XLI. 
  

  

  Plate 
  XXXVII. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  1. 
  Basalt 
  from 
  talus, 
  Cape 
  Flora. 
  X 
  20. 
  The 
  figure 
  shows 
  labradorite, 
  

   ophitic 
  augite, 
  and 
  interstitial 
  matter, 
  with 
  which 
  some 
  magnetite 
  is 
  

  

  1 
  J. 
  W. 
  Judd, 
  ' 
  The 
  Secondary 
  Bocks 
  of 
  Scotland,' 
  Second 
  Paper, 
  Quart. 
  

   Journ. 
  Geol. 
  Soc. 
  vol. 
  xxx. 
  (1874) 
  p. 
  220. 
  

  

  2 
  Aubry, 
  ' 
  Observations 
  geologiques 
  sur 
  les 
  Pays 
  Danakils, 
  etc.,' 
  Bull. 
  Soc. 
  

   geol. 
  France, 
  ser. 
  3, 
  vol. 
  xiv. 
  (1880) 
  p. 
  201. 
  

  

  3 
  The 
  Deccan 
  traps 
  cover 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  about 
  200,000 
  square 
  miles, 
  ' 
  Geology 
  

   of 
  India,* 
  2nd 
  ed. 
  1893, 
  p. 
  256. 
  

  

  4 
  ' 
  Are 
  Great 
  Ocean-Depths 
  Permanent 
  ? 
  ' 
  Natural 
  Science, 
  vol. 
  ii. 
  (1893) 
  

   p. 
  185. 
  

  

  