THE GEOLOGY OE THE AECTIC COASTS. 561 



B, volgensis, D'Orb. ?, B. absolutus, Fisch., and a Cyjprina near to 



C. syssollw, Keyserl. 



On the south coast of the island are coarse-grained, brownish 

 micaceous, and light-coloured calcareous sandstones and marls, 

 believed to be of the age of the coal-bearing Jurassics of Brora, 

 Skye, and Mull (Scotland), and the Middle Dogger of Yorkshire. 

 Amongst the fossils are : — Goniomya v-scrijpta, Sow. ; Avicula 

 Munsteri, Goldf. ?, a Bradford-clay form; Belemnites fusiformis, 

 Quenst. ?, and Merita hemispTicBrica, Rom.?, Great-Oolite forms; 

 and Rhynchonella Jissicostata, Suess. 



The Cretaceous rocks of North-western America, which in the 

 Missouri valley spread over an area of no less than 80,000 square 

 miles, have been shown by Messrs. Hayden and Meek to consist of 

 five subdivisions, the lowest being the Dakota group, which contains 

 dicotyledonous leaves and seams of lignite, and underlies the Fort- 

 Benton and Niobrara groups, containing marine fossils of the age of 

 the English Grey or Lower Chalk. 



Within the Arctic area beds of Cretaceous age have only been 

 observed on the northern coast of Disco Island and the southern 

 side of the Noursoak peninsula, the beds of the former locality being 

 the most ancient, and named by Prof. Nordenskj old the "Kome 

 Strata ;" they reach 1000 feet in thickness, occupying undulating 

 hollows in the underlying gneiss, and dip towards the Noursoak 

 peninsula at 20°, where the overlying " Atane Strata " come in. 



Both these series contain numerous plant-remains and seams of 

 lignite*, which have been collected by the Greenlanders for their 

 personal use ; and in neither occur the marine beds of the United 

 States. 



The presence of the leaves of dicotyledonous plants, as Magnolia 

 alternans, Heer, in the Atane strata links them with the Dakota of 

 the United States, with which they have several species in common. 



The underlying Kome beds do not appear to be present in the 

 American area ; they are characterized by the beautiful Cycads 

 (Zamites arcticus, Glossozamites Hohenegg&ri) stated by Prof. Heer to 

 occur in the Urgonian strata of Wernsdorrr. (See Table, p. 562.) 



* Three analyses of Disco-Island coal are recorded, but whether of Cretaceous 

 or Miocene age is doubtful, except the last, which is Miocene. 



No. 1 by Prof. Fyfe, of Aberdeen. 



No. 2 by Mr. Keates, of London. 



No. 3 by Prof. H. Wurtz, of a specimen brought by the U.-S. ship ' Juniata ' 

 in 1873, in 'American Chemist,' vol. iy. p. 401, and in Proc. of New 

 York Lyceum of Nat. Hist. 2nd ser. no. 4, p. 119. 



I. II. III. 



Gaseous or volatile matter 45-45 50*60 35-38 



Moisture -75 — 1400 



Sulphur '55 — trace 



Fixedcarbon 47'75 39-86 41-79 



Ash 5-50 9-54 8-83 



100-00 100-00 100-00 



Specific gravity 1 -369 1 '384 



2p2 



Cokej 



