328 GTESECK^ ON THE GEOLOGY OF GREENLAND. 



huck and Kakasoeitsiak, Alliick, and Cape Discord, to a distance 

 of more than 400 miles. Gneiss and mica-slate lie upon it at 

 Kippingajak, both rocks containing garnets. Talc-slate forms a 

 large bed in it at Akajarosanik, along with actynolitc, which occurs 

 in large masses. Near the coast of Akajarosanik is the small 

 island of Kakasoeitsiak. It consists of one hill formed of a granite 

 rock, mixed with some hornblende, slender crystals of zirkon, and 

 the new mineral called allanite {see Trans. Edin. Soc, vol. vi., p. 

 371). The rock here assumes the character of the Norwegian zirkon- 

 syenite ; but its constituent parts are of a finer grain. All the granitic 

 mountains of the islands of Staaten-huck and Cape Farewell are sur- 

 rounded by numerous very small islands, presenting round-backed or 

 flat conical hills of primitive syenite. To the west of Cape Farewell, 

 at a place called Niakornak, is a very extensive bed of yellowish- 

 white felspar, crystallised in large flat six-sided prisms, the crystals 

 being only separated by black mica, which gives to the rock a 

 porphyritic appearance. The place is very difficultly accessible, it 

 being harassed perpetually by the most boisterous sea, and washed 

 by the tide at high water. Not far from this, at an elevation of 

 about 1,000 feet, the granite is divided into immense columnar 

 or quadrangular pieces, which, seen from a distance, present an 

 appearance similar to the ruins of a town. The Greenlanders 

 state that the masses were carried thither by some giants, Avho 

 inhabited the country in the oldest times, and, having been sor- 

 cerers, disappeared from the earth. 



As granite is the principal rock which constitutes the moun- 

 tains of this vast coast, to enumerate all the places where it is 

 found would exceed the limits of such an article as the present. 

 Its most common colour is greyish-white, flesh-red, and tile-red ; 

 the latter colours are characteristic of the coarse-granular felspar. 

 Magnetic iron-ore is generally found either disseminated or im- 

 bedded in the red variety. In some places, molybdena occurs, 

 and in others graphite, imbedded in the rock. At Baal's River 

 and at Disko Island, iron-pyrites is found ; but, excepting there, 

 the rock is not very metajliferous. Precious garnet occurs very 

 frequently ; also common schorl, tourmaline, common hornblende, 

 jade, rock-crystal, moroxite, calcareous spar, fluor-spar, and the 

 above-mentioned substances, llock-crystal is only found in veins 

 traversing the red coarse-granular variety, and appears to be con- 

 temporaneous ; the vein being intimately mingled with the rock, 

 and presenting no walls. Beds of hornblende-slate, mica-slate, 

 felspar, and quartz rest upon it, and on the red coarse-granuhu- 

 granite at Kogneckpamiedluoek there is an extensive ])ed of red 

 ironstone mingled with massive iron-flint (" Eisenkiesel " of Wer- 

 ner). At the end of the north-eastern arm of Baal's River, in the 

 vicinity of the great continental ice, the traveller, ascending from 

 a narrow cliff', suddenly beholds a dreadful chaos of immense 

 columnar granitic blocks detached from each other, and heaped to- 

 gether in the most fantastic groups, the planes of fracture being so 

 fresh that the points from which they are broken are distinctly 

 observable. Places of desolation and devastation of this kind are 



