BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCES OF UPLIFT 43 



to determine their age, it is notable that none showed more than five 

 annual rings, and most of them had but three or four, which of itself is 

 fairly clear proof of the association of the uplift with the earthquake of 

 September, 1899, six years before. 



One willow tree, growing on one of the most perfect of the elevated 

 beaches (hoisted 42 feet), near Black glacier, threatened to prove an ex- 

 ception, for it was 10 feet high and fully 3 inches in diameter. Cutting 

 it down, we found its heart made of dead wood, with four new rings out- 

 side. Evidently it was an uprooted tree, thrown there by the earthquake 

 wave, and sprouted in its new location. 



PARALLEL LINES OF DRIFTWOOD 



On certain of the elevated beaches driftwood had accumulated previous 

 to the uplift ; and lower bands have been piled up at the new stand of the 

 land, so that parallel lines of driftwood mark the amount of uplift. These 

 are particularly clear near the head of Eussell fiord, where driftwood is 

 abundant. Vertical measurements between these lines, with the Locke 

 level, form part of our quantitative determination of the deformation. 

 In most cases these measurements correspond with dead barnacle levels 

 on the adjacent rock shores, thus checking the determination and proving 

 the validity of the driftwood evidence of uplift. In two or three cases, 

 however, where no barnacles could be found in place, our measurements 

 are based solely upon the parallel lines of driftwood. 



DESTRUCTION OF LIFE 



That the violent earthquake shocks destroyed much marine life is prob- 

 able, and the natives assert that after the shocks the shores were lined 

 with dead fishes. The water wave also did much destruction on the land 

 bordering the shore, as will be shown later; but the most widespread de- 

 struction now visible is that of the life on the strip of coastline between 

 the old and new sealevels. Here, of course, the destruction was prac- 

 tically absolute. Nearly everywhere the old forms are again developing 

 in their normal habitat, newly located for them; but on all the jcoasts 

 that were uplifted 10 feet or more the evidence is clear that many 

 forms of life have been forced to begin anew in a zone which they 

 did not previously occupy. This is proved by their small size 

 and relative scarcity. The difficulty of starting anew is in some places 

 increased by the smoothness of the glaciated rock surfaces at present sea- 

 level. On numerous points, notably near Haenke island, seaweed has 

 been able to take hold only along joint planes, and it grows therefore in 

 short, narrow lines of small individuals. 



