﻿90 
  G. 
  F. 
  Wright 
  — 
  Glacial 
  Phenomena 
  of 
  

  

  Nothing 
  in 
  the 
  Alps 
  or 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains 
  is 
  more 
  charac- 
  

   teristic 
  of 
  the 
  forms 
  assumed 
  by 
  such 
  rocks 
  under 
  subaerial 
  

   erosion 
  than 
  the 
  numerous 
  sharp 
  peaks 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  all 
  along 
  

   this 
  part 
  of 
  Southern 
  Greenland. 
  One 
  has 
  not 
  far 
  to 
  go 
  in 
  

   the 
  interior, 
  however, 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  same 
  subdued 
  topography 
  

   already 
  noticed 
  in 
  Labrador. 
  Upon 
  penetrating 
  Isortok 
  Fiord 
  

   25 
  miles, 
  the 
  peak 
  of 
  Nukagpiak 
  rises 
  4180 
  feet. 
  From 
  its 
  

   flanks 
  a 
  projection 
  of 
  the 
  inland 
  ice-sheet 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  15 
  or 
  20 
  

   miles 
  to 
  the 
  north. 
  This 
  ice-field 
  is 
  penetrated 
  by 
  two 
  or 
  

   three 
  nunataks 
  of 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  height 
  with 
  this 
  mountain. 
  

   But 
  the 
  elevated 
  region 
  intervening 
  between 
  this 
  point 
  and 
  

   the 
  eastern 
  ice 
  is 
  characterized 
  not 
  by 
  sharp 
  peaks, 
  but 
  by 
  

   truncated 
  masses 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  rounded 
  and 
  smoothed 
  by 
  

   glacial, 
  rather 
  than 
  by 
  subaerial 
  erosion. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  contrary, 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Sukkertoppen, 
  which 
  is 
  about 
  

   five 
  miles 
  in 
  diameter, 
  and 
  still 
  farther 
  north 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  

   Sermersut, 
  which 
  is 
  about 
  ten 
  miles 
  in 
  diameter 
  and 
  rises 
  to 
  

   an 
  elevation 
  of 
  3300 
  feet, 
  present 
  on 
  every 
  side 
  a 
  continuous 
  

   line 
  of 
  conical 
  peaks 
  which 
  show 
  every 
  characteristic 
  mark 
  of 
  

   having 
  been 
  sculptured 
  mainly 
  by 
  water 
  and 
  subaerial 
  agencies. 
  

   As 
  seen 
  from 
  the 
  channels 
  to 
  the 
  southeast, 
  their 
  outline, 
  

   when 
  thrown 
  against 
  the 
  glowing 
  sky 
  of 
  the 
  north 
  at 
  mid- 
  

   night, 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  picturesque 
  I 
  have 
  ever 
  witnessed, 
  — 
  to 
  be 
  

   compared 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Teton 
  Mountains 
  when 
  seen 
  from 
  

   the 
  east 
  or 
  the 
  west, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  Aiguilles 
  around 
  the 
  upper 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  Mer 
  de 
  Glace 
  ; 
  while 
  the 
  view 
  is 
  scarcely 
  less 
  im- 
  

   pressive 
  when 
  seen 
  from 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  adjoining 
  heights. 
  They 
  

   present 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  characteristics 
  of 
  a 
  region 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  

   completely 
  covered 
  with 
  glacial 
  ice. 
  If 
  they 
  have 
  ever 
  been 
  

   so 
  covered, 
  an 
  enormous 
  time 
  must 
  have 
  elapsed 
  since 
  the 
  

   recession 
  of 
  the 
  ice-sheet 
  on 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  coast. 
  

  

  But 
  while 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  ice 
  ever 
  covered 
  these 
  

   marginal 
  peaks, 
  it 
  is 
  clear 
  that 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  glaciers 
  extended 
  

   through 
  all 
  the 
  fiords 
  and 
  filled 
  all 
  the 
  channels 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  

   border 
  of 
  the 
  sea. 
  This 
  is 
  indicated 
  both 
  by 
  glacial 
  striae 
  and 
  

   by 
  transported 
  bowlders. 
  In 
  Isortok 
  Fiord, 
  which 
  is 
  now 
  

   open 
  back 
  into 
  the 
  interior 
  for 
  50 
  or 
  60 
  miles, 
  and 
  is 
  bordered 
  

   all 
  the 
  way 
  by 
  mountains 
  2000 
  or 
  3000 
  feet 
  high 
  containing 
  

   local 
  glaciers, 
  glacial 
  groovings 
  are 
  magnificently 
  displayed 
  

   near 
  its 
  mouth, 
  where 
  I 
  had 
  opportunity 
  to 
  observe 
  them 
  upon 
  

   a 
  scale 
  scarcely 
  inferior 
  to 
  that 
  witnessed 
  on 
  Kelley 
  Island, 
  in 
  

   the 
  western 
  end 
  of 
  Lake 
  Erie, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Victoria 
  on 
  

   the 
  Island 
  of 
  Vancouver. 
  (See 
  illustrations 
  in 
  the 
  Ice 
  Age 
  of 
  

   North 
  America, 
  pp. 
  156, 
  237-245.) 
  So 
  powerful 
  was 
  the 
  

   movement 
  of 
  ice 
  at 
  this 
  point 
  that 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  confine 
  itself 
  to 
  

   the 
  direct 
  axis 
  of 
  the 
  fiord, 
  but 
  pushed 
  obliquely 
  upwards 
  

   toward 
  a 
  low 
  promontory 
  several 
  hundred 
  feet 
  above 
  sea-level, 
  

  

  