450 DR. W. FLIGHT, GREENLAND METEORITES. 



paper. The Expedition of that year, 1870, having no means of 

 bringing such vast masses to Europe, a new expedition was equipped 

 by the Swedish Government in the following spring, consisting 

 of the gunboat " Ingegerd," Capt. F. W. von Otter, and the brig 

 *' Gladan," under the command of M. von Krusenstern, who 

 brought the meteorites to Denmark in September, 1871. 



NauckhofF in his paper draws attention to one remarkable block, 

 about 200 lbs. in weight, which lay three feet below high- water. 

 On the under-side it was covered with basalt grains, cemented to- 

 gether with hydrated oxide of iron, and consisted of coarsely- 

 crystalline iron, containing much carbon, and which readily 

 weathered. 



Sixty-five feet N.E. of the spot where the largest block lay, a 

 ridge of dark-brown basalt-like rock comes to the surface. 

 Through its superior hardness it has withstood the denudation 

 better than the loose basalt-wacke on either side of it. It is soon 

 lost to sight, but reappears to take a direction towards the spot 

 where the large iron lay. The rock forming this ridge resembles 

 ordinary compact basalt. It is of finely granular texture. Near 

 the margin it becomes crypto- crystalline, and is seen, under the 

 microscope, to consists of labradorite, greenish-brown augite, and 

 black grains of magnetite. It will be found, when we come to 

 speak of the analysis of the rocks accompanying this iron, to accord 

 in composition with the basalt itself. It differs from it, liowever, 

 in the presence of two accessory constituents which are dis- 

 seminated through the parts forming the edge of the ridge, and 

 are : — a greenish hydrated ferrous silicate, resembling hisingerite, 

 and a yellowish-brown iron-sulphide. The analyses of the former 

 mineral, it will be seen in the sequel, show that it is not identical 

 with the chlorophEeite so often occurring in basalt ; the sulphide 

 completely accords in composition with the troilite of meteorites. 

 The columnar structure, so often found in basalt, was not noticed, 

 the cracks occurring near the sides appearing to be all parallel to 

 the margin. The surface of a freshly broken fragment displays 

 peculiar smoothness and lustre. On the east side of this ridge, 

 and in the solid rock, a piece of much-weathered iron was found 

 inclosed by Nauckhoff ; while another member of the expedition, 

 Mr. J. Steenstrup, detected metallic iron on the west side of the 

 ridge. The analysis of this iron, apparently that which was an- 

 alysed by Lindstrom, will be referred to later on. While blasting 

 this basalt, a rock was hit upon which was at once seen to differ 

 considerably from the matrix. It consists of a greenish ground- 

 mass, inclosing spangles and grains of iron, and occurs in rounded 

 masses that are separated from the basalt by a coarsely crystalline 

 greenish shell, about 20 mm. thick, as well as by an outer rusted 

 brown crust. The boundaries of these masses were well defined ; 

 in no instance were they detected passing over into the basalt. 



The masses of iron lying in the basalt ridge usually had an 

 ellipsoid form and a rusted crust, that allowed of their being 

 easily detached from the basalt. Nauckhoff" succeeded in remov- 

 ing six lumps, the aggregate weight whereof was 150 lbs. This 

 iron is hard and crystalline, exhibits Widmannstattian figures, 



