﻿H. 
  R. 
  Mill 
  — 
  Glacial 
  Land-Forms 
  of 
  the 
  Alps. 
  121 
  

  

  Art. 
  XII. 
  — 
  The 
  Glacial 
  Land-Forms 
  of 
  the 
  Margins 
  of 
  

   the 
  Alps 
  ; 
  by 
  Hugh 
  Robert 
  Mill. 
  

  

  [From 
  the 
  Geographical 
  Journal, 
  January, 
  1895.] 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  sixth 
  meeting 
  of 
  the 
  International 
  Geo- 
  

   logical 
  Congress, 
  which 
  was 
  held 
  at 
  Zurich 
  during 
  August 
  and 
  

   September, 
  an 
  excursion 
  occupying 
  a 
  week 
  was 
  arranged 
  in 
  

   order 
  to 
  afford 
  an 
  opportunity 
  of 
  examining 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  

   ancient 
  ice-action 
  far 
  beyond 
  the 
  reach 
  of 
  actual 
  glaciers 
  on 
  

   both 
  the 
  southern 
  and 
  northern 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  Alps. 
  This 
  trip 
  

   was 
  planned 
  and 
  directed 
  by 
  Professors 
  Penck 
  and 
  Bruckner 
  

   and 
  Dr. 
  Du 
  Pasquier, 
  who, 
  from 
  their 
  previous 
  knowledge 
  of 
  

   the 
  localities 
  to 
  be 
  visited, 
  had 
  drawn 
  up 
  a 
  guide 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  

   of 
  a 
  pamphlet 
  of 
  86 
  pages, 
  entitled 
  " 
  Le 
  Systeme 
  glaciaire 
  des 
  

   Alpes," 
  which 
  is 
  published 
  in 
  vol. 
  xxii 
  of 
  the 
  Bulletin 
  of 
  the 
  

   Xeuchatel 
  Society 
  of 
  Xatural 
  Sciences. 
  

  

  The 
  special 
  object 
  was 
  to 
  exhibit 
  the 
  part 
  played 
  in 
  the 
  

   formation 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  surfaces 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Alps 
  by 
  the 
  

   moraines 
  or 
  glacial 
  formations, 
  strictly 
  so 
  called, 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  

   Ice 
  Ages, 
  and 
  also 
  of 
  the 
  intermediate 
  fluvio-glacial 
  deposits 
  of 
  

   moraine 
  material 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  rearranged 
  by 
  water 
  on 
  the 
  

   retreat 
  of 
  the 
  ice. 
  To 
  these 
  was 
  added 
  involuntarily, 
  rather 
  

   too 
  much 
  experience 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  pluvio-glacial 
  " 
  conditions 
  which 
  

   several 
  days 
  of 
  steady 
  rain 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   the 
  excursion 
  induced 
  on 
  the 
  steep 
  surfaqes 
  of 
  the 
  clay 
  slopes 
  

   over 
  which 
  Professor 
  Penck 
  led 
  his 
  followers. 
  

  

  The 
  main 
  point 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  the 
  glacial 
  geologist 
  was 
  the 
  

   proof 
  afforded 
  by 
  the 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  

   three 
  successive 
  periods 
  of 
  great 
  glaciation 
  separated 
  by 
  rela- 
  

   tively 
  long 
  intervals, 
  during 
  which 
  the 
  vast 
  volumes 
  of 
  water 
  

   liberated 
  by 
  the 
  • 
  melting 
  ice 
  dispersed 
  and 
  rearranged 
  the 
  

   moraine 
  material. 
  To 
  a 
  geographer 
  the 
  interest 
  centered 
  rather 
  

   in 
  seeing 
  how 
  the 
  scenery 
  and 
  structure 
  of 
  great 
  stretches 
  of 
  

   country 
  were 
  determined 
  by 
  the 
  heaping 
  up 
  upon 
  the 
  plains 
  

   of 
  extensive 
  systems 
  of 
  low 
  hills 
  — 
  low, 
  that 
  is, 
  when 
  compared 
  

   with 
  the 
  Alps, 
  for 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  exceed 
  a 
  thousand 
  feet 
  in 
  

   height 
  — 
  differing 
  entirely 
  from 
  the 
  mountains 
  of 
  elevation 
  

   lying 
  beyond 
  them. 
  These 
  hills 
  and 
  fluvio-glacial 
  plateaus 
  

   represent 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  glacial 
  erosion 
  and 
  transport 
  ; 
  they 
  

   are 
  the 
  rubbish 
  heaps 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  sculpture. 
  Their 
  effect 
  

   on 
  the 
  broad 
  geographical 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  alpine 
  border 
  is 
  very 
  

   clear 
  in 
  determining 
  the 
  lines 
  of 
  communication. 
  The 
  amount 
  

   of 
  weathering 
  they 
  have 
  undergone, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  different 
  

   ages 
  of 
  the 
  deposits, 
  decides 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  soil, 
  which 
  in 
  

   turn 
  reacts 
  on 
  the 
  vegetation 
  and 
  appeals 
  directly 
  to 
  the 
  eye, 
  

   the 
  general 
  aspect 
  of 
  the 
  landscapes 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  glaciation 
  dif- 
  

  

  