﻿1864] 
  

  

  HIND 
  GLACIAL 
  DRIFT. 
  

  

  12: 
  

  

  § 
  4. 
  Beaches 
  and 
  Terraces. 
  

  

  In 
  connexion 
  with 
  this 
  driftless 
  area, 
  

   the 
  beaches 
  and 
  terraces 
  which 
  form 
  so 
  

   distinguishing 
  a 
  feature 
  in 
  North 
  Ame- 
  

   rica 
  acquire 
  particular 
  interest. 
  

  

  Confining 
  myself 
  to 
  those 
  terraces 
  

   which 
  have 
  come 
  under 
  my 
  own 
  obser- 
  

   vation, 
  I 
  shall 
  notice 
  first 
  the 
  vast 
  bank 
  

   of 
  sand, 
  55 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  Lake 
  Superior, 
  

   commonly 
  called 
  the 
  Great 
  Dog 
  Por- 
  

   tage*. 
  The 
  altitude 
  of 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  

   this 
  terrace 
  is 
  835 
  feet 
  above 
  Lake 
  Su- 
  

   perior, 
  more 
  than 
  800 
  feet 
  above 
  Lake 
  

   Michigan, 
  and 
  1435 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea. 
  

  

  120 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  Lake 
  Winnipeg 
  the 
  

   successive 
  steps 
  or 
  terraces 
  of 
  the 
  

   Riding 
  and 
  Duck 
  Mountains 
  rise 
  in 
  

   well-defined 
  succession 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  

   and 
  south-western 
  slopes 
  ; 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  

   north-east 
  and 
  north 
  sides 
  they 
  pre- 
  

   sent 
  a 
  precipitous 
  escarpment 
  more 
  

   than 
  900 
  feet 
  in 
  altitude, 
  or 
  1000 
  feet 
  

   above 
  Lake 
  Winnipeg, 
  or 
  1600 
  feet 
  

   above 
  the 
  sea 
  ; 
  while 
  Lake 
  Traverse, 
  

   which 
  sends 
  water 
  during 
  floods 
  to 
  the 
  

   Red 
  River 
  of 
  the 
  north 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  

   the 
  Mississippi, 
  is 
  only 
  966 
  feet 
  above 
  

   the 
  same 
  level; 
  and 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  15 
  miles 
  

   west 
  of 
  Lake 
  Traverse 
  and 
  Big 
  Stone 
  

   Lake 
  (966 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea) 
  is 
  the 
  

   abrupt 
  escarpment 
  of 
  the 
  Coteaux 
  des 
  

   Prairies, 
  whose 
  summit 
  is 
  1000 
  feet 
  

   above 
  them. 
  

  

  Illustrations 
  of 
  a 
  precipitous 
  escarp- 
  

   ment 
  on 
  one 
  face, 
  with 
  gentle 
  sloping- 
  

   plateaux 
  separated 
  by 
  terraces 
  on 
  the 
  

   other 
  side, 
  might 
  be 
  greatly 
  multiplied; 
  

   they 
  are 
  indeed 
  the 
  common 
  feature 
  in 
  

   the 
  scenery 
  of 
  the 
  basin 
  of 
  Lake 
  Win- 
  

   nipeg, 
  west 
  of 
  that 
  lake 
  ; 
  and, 
  with 
  a 
  

   single 
  known 
  exception, 
  mentioned 
  by 
  

   Dr. 
  Hector 
  f 
  , 
  the 
  precipitous 
  escarp- 
  

   ment 
  faces 
  the 
  north-east 
  or 
  the 
  north, 
  

   and 
  the 
  terraces 
  and 
  plateaux 
  the 
  

  

  "« 
  v 
  

  

  ^ 
  'O 
  w 
  

  

  * 
  For 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Dog 
  Portage, 
  see 
  'Narrative 
  of 
  Canadian 
  

   Exploring 
  Expeditions 
  of 
  1857 
  and 
  1858.' 
  Also 
  Reports 
  on 
  the 
  North-west 
  Ter- 
  

   ritory, 
  1859. 
  By 
  the 
  Author. 
  

  

  t 
  The 
  Cypres 
  Hills, 
  Quart. 
  Journ. 
  Geol. 
  Soc. 
  vol. 
  xvii. 
  p. 
  399. 
  

  

  