Olaf Holtedahl — Geology of N. W. Spitsbergen. 415 



Art. XXXV. — New Features in the Geology of Northwestern 

 Spitsbergen ; by Olaf Holtedahl. 



Foe its high latitude, Spitzbergen has long been a singularly 

 well-studied country geologically. Forty years ago the well- 

 known Swedish geologist and explorer, A. E. Nordenskiold, 

 was able to describe no less than nine formations known from 

 the islands, and since that time a great number of geologists, 

 and above all Nathorst, De Geer and others of Sweden, have 

 added much to our knowledge. .Nevertheless, the more detailed 

 investigations have been carried on chiefly in but one part of 

 Spitzbergen, viz., the central part of West Spitzbergen, the 

 region of the Ice Fjord and Bell Sound. 



During the past four years, Norwegian expeditions have 

 worked in the previously very little known northwestern corner 

 of West Spitzbergen and in the Prince Charles Foreland. The 

 expeditions of 1909-1910 were in charge of Captain Gr. Isach- 

 sen, those of 1911-1912 in charge of Captain A. Staxrud and 

 cand. real. A. Hoel. As geologists Hoel has worked each 

 summer, Holtedahl during the three summers of 1909-11. 

 During these four summers we have mapped geologically 

 almost the whole northwest corner and have determined the 

 chief features of the geological structure and the essential 

 stratigraphy of the area studied. It is the purpose of this 

 paper to describe some of the results attained. 



Nathorst, in his valuable book of 1910, " Beitrage zur 

 Geologie der Baren-Insel, Spitzbergens und des Konig-Karl- 

 Landes,"* has recognized the following systems : 



Quaternary 



Tertiary 



Jurassic with Neocomian 



Triassic 



Permian 



Carboniferous 



Devonian 



Heclahook 



Archean 



Of younger igneous rocks were known sheets and dykes of 

 diabases, probably of Cretaceous age. 



One of our important results is the determination that there 

 is no Archean at all in the northwest corner of Spitzbergen, 

 as was previously held to be the case. As early as 1909, dur- 

 ing a sledge trip across the country from Cross Bay to Red 



* Bull. Geol. Inst. Upsala, vol. x. 



Am. Jour. Sci.— Fourth Series, Vol. XXXVII, No. 221.— Mat, 1914. 

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