LAKE MAGGIORE 371 



Some of the larger old torrent deltas show flattening toward their 

 outer edges quite clearly, giving them the appearance of flat-topped 

 terraces, when seen from the lake, but closer inspection shows the top 

 to be a gentle slope steepening rapidly back toward the ravine. These 

 old delta terraces now stand with bluff fronts facing the lake. The top 

 of the bluff in such a delta is the outer edge of the original flat border- 

 ing the shore, and the presence at that place of a layer of sand and gravel 

 may be taken as reliable evidence that the lake stood at that level when 

 the delta was made. These related characters of form and composition 

 were used as the principal criteria for the determination of the former 

 attitude of the lake surfaces. 



Lake Maggiore 



On lake Maggiore very little evidence of a higher lake level was found 

 in its southern third, south of Pallanza. On the opposite shore of the 

 bay, south and southwest of Pallanza a narrow terrace, mostly very 

 faint but fairly well developed at Baveno and Stresa, stands about 30 

 feet above the lake, and might suggest wave action, but no certain evi- 

 dence of such work was seen. It is formed by a lateral blending of 

 small torrent deltas. At Meina and Arona, farther south, there are sim- 

 ilar faint forms about 25 feet above the lake. North of Meina a number 

 of sharp gullies descend the drift-covered slope and end at the faint ter- 

 race level, 25 to 30 feet above the present shore. On the level plain south 

 of Arona and from there to Sesto Calende, at the outlet of the lake, noth- 

 ing definite was seen. The east shore, south of Laveno, was not exam- 

 ined. The country on that side and also on the west side below Arona 

 is relatively low, and no streams of any size enter. The cut of the 

 Ticino through the great moraine between Borgo Ticino and Somma 

 was seen from a distance to be deep and narrow. A fine series of ter- 

 races, which form an amphitheater around the south end of the lake, are 

 cut on the back slope of the great moraine, and are probably due to ice- 

 border drainage. 



Just south of Lesa, which is about half way between Arona and Pal- 

 lanza, there is a quite extensive deposit of gravel. It has the form of a 

 delta terrace, but from its greater horizontal extent was probably built in 

 shallower water than those farther north. Its flatter part, where the sedi- 

 ments are finest, is now 30 feet above the lake. This part was presum- 

 ably at or perhaps a little above the old lake surface when the delta was 

 formed. The pebbly gravels composing this terrace are well displayed 

 in the bluffs on the shore back of the old castle, a mile south of Lesa. 

 The lanes which lead down to the castle are on the flat delta surface. 

 Southwest of this is the modern delta and stream bed at a lower level. 



Between Pallanza and Intra there is a beautiful level plain. At its 



