NO. 2.] GEOLOGICAL SKETCH BY NANSEN. 21 



In any case I feel convinced that the strata here must be considerably 

 lower than near Elmwood, for if the fossils found here really have been 

 carried down in some way or other some 120 m. (400 feet), this would 

 be a case without a parallel, as far as we know on the whole of Gape Flora, 

 even where there is a very steep talus behind. Even though single fossils 

 from higher horizons may be found very low on the steep talus, especially 

 along the watercourses, they are never found in such quantities, and spread 

 over such an area as they were here. 



7. Inter-basaltic, fossiliferous horizon (with plant-remains). Fig. 1, i, k. I. 



In' my diary for Friday, July 17th, 1896, I find the following entry referring 

 to my, visit to the locality (fig. 1, i) for this horizon: „In company with 

 Dr. Koettlitz, I visited today a basaltic rock, or nunatak, protruding through 

 the glacier on the north-west side of Cape Flora, about 600 or 700 feet 

 (180 — 210 m.) above sea-level, and where he and Mr. Jackson had found 

 numerous fossil plants a few days ago. 



„A quantity of fragments of shale were here lying spread over the sur- 

 face within two small, distinctly defined areas. Nearly every fragment showed 

 impressions of pine-needles (chiefly) and less frequently ginkgo, fern and 

 other leaves. 



„These fragments formed a layer one or two feet thick, only a few feet 

 broad, and perhaps 12 or 15 feet long, passing across the basalt ridge, which 

 was bounded on both sides by the glacier; but the layer ended, as far as 

 we could make out, before it reached the glacier on either side (the surface 

 of the glacier was lower than that of the basalt ridge). 



„It was my opinion that the existence of this shale here could only be 

 explained by its being a fragment of an originally lower bed, and having been 

 broken off by the formation of a dyke, and thus enclosed in the basalt. I 

 could not, however, detect any unquestionable alteration by heat, though pos- 

 sibly some small amount in fragments from the deepest part of the layer ^ 

 Here the fragments were larger and fitted together, evidently in situ 



1 This was evidently a mistake, arising from the difference of colour, which, however, 

 was not caused by heat. The shale from the deeper parts was darkei blue-grey or 

 brownish grey, simply because it had not been exposed to weathering like the fragments 

 on the surface, which had turned a pale yellow. 



