422 Olaf Holtedahl—New Features in the 



Fjord, a thickness of 1200 in. was measured, without attaining 

 the base of the system. 



After the deposition of this sandstone, great movements 

 took place. At one locality we find that not only had the 

 Carboniferous sandstone been eroded away, but nearly all of 

 the Devonian as well, since only 200 m. of the Wood Bay 

 Series was left. The Wood Bay Series rests directly upon 

 Heclahook schist, as the Red Bay Series was probably eroded 

 away in still older time. These occurrences are very similar to 

 those on Bear Island to the south, and tell of continental con- 

 ditions and of enormous denudation in Devonian and early Car- 

 boniferous time. 



As to the time of the first invasion of the sea after this long 

 continental period, we have been able to fix it very definitely 

 by the discovery at one place of a rich fauna at the base of the 

 elsewhere very poorly fossiliferous " Cyathophyllum lime- 

 stone." The fossils proved to be older than any of those 

 previously known in the marine Carboniferous of Spitsbergen, 

 and indicate the Moscow horizon, of Middle Carboniferous 

 age, according to the Russian classification. The basal lime- 

 stone beds are often developed as compact coral masses several 

 meters thick, resting upon a conglomerate of small quartz 

 pebbles that in turn conformably overlies the Lower Carbon- 

 iferous sandstone. The average thickness of the whole marine 

 Carboniferous and Permo-Carboniferous series is 1000 m. 



Permian beds are found in a few localities in northwest 

 Spitzbergen, but show no new features. If we accept the 

 thickness of the Permian as given by the Swedish geologists, 

 namely, 300 m., the whole thickness of the Palaeozoic sediments 

 younger than the Heclahook is as follows : 



Permian 300 m. 



Carboniferous 2,200 m. 



Devonian, about 10,000 m. 



Total 12,500 m. ( = 12 '5 km.) 



The Mesozoic formations are not represented in the north- 

 west corner, except near the Ice Fjord, where they have been 

 studied by the Swedes. 



As for the Tertiary beds, we have discovered a new area on 

 the west coast, between Kings Bay and the Ice Fjord, and 

 fixed the distribution and mode of occurrence of the previously 

 known areas. 



The Quaternary deposits and the glaciers have been studied 

 very thoroughly by Mr. Hoel, and the height of numerous 

 marine post-glacial terraces has been measured, showing the 

 highest level of the sea to have been 130 m. Each year the 



