﻿326 
  Verrill 
  — 
  Notes 
  on 
  the 
  Geology 
  of 
  the 
  Bermudas. 
  

  

  depth 
  and 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  enclosed 
  bays, 
  

   sounds 
  and 
  harbors, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  channels 
  leading 
  out 
  from 
  

   them. 
  It 
  is 
  considered 
  highly 
  probable 
  that 
  these 
  depressions 
  

   represent 
  valleys 
  of 
  erosion 
  that 
  were 
  excavated 
  on 
  dry 
  land 
  

   at 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  elevation 
  of 
  the 
  Greater 
  Bermuda. 
  

   At 
  that 
  time 
  the 
  extent 
  and 
  elevation 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  must 
  have 
  

   been 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  have 
  given 
  rise 
  to 
  violent 
  torrents 
  of 
  water 
  

   among 
  the 
  hills 
  during 
  the 
  rainy 
  seasons 
  ; 
  such 
  torrents 
  would 
  

   have 
  acted 
  in 
  the 
  usual 
  way, 
  but 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  may 
  have 
  dis- 
  

   appeared 
  in 
  " 
  sinks 
  " 
  in 
  the 
  valleys, 
  before 
  reaching 
  the 
  sea, 
  as 
  

   many 
  large 
  streams 
  do 
  in 
  the 
  limestone 
  regions 
  of 
  our 
  southern 
  

  

  Figure 
  6. 
  — 
  Chasm 
  and 
  natural 
  bridge 
  on 
  Cooper's 
  Island. 
  This 
  appears 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  an 
  ancient 
  underground 
  water-way, 
  now 
  partly 
  submerged, 
  from 
  which 
  

   a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  roof 
  has 
  fallen. 
  

  

  states 
  (West 
  Virginia, 
  etc.). 
  In 
  that 
  case 
  they 
  would 
  have 
  

   eroded 
  subterranean 
  channels 
  and 
  caverns 
  which 
  eventually 
  

   would 
  have 
  collapsed 
  producing 
  larger 
  and 
  deeper 
  sinks, 
  until 
  

   finally 
  their 
  deepest 
  channels 
  would 
  have 
  cut 
  down 
  nearly 
  to 
  

   sea 
  level, 
  and 
  the 
  depressions 
  or 
  valleys 
  of 
  erosion 
  would 
  in 
  

   some 
  cases 
  have 
  become 
  nearly 
  as 
  deep. 
  At 
  present 
  the 
  land- 
  

   locked 
  Harrington 
  Sound, 
  in 
  its 
  deepest 
  parts, 
  is 
  80 
  to 
  95 
  feet 
  

   deep. 
  There 
  are 
  many 
  places 
  in 
  Great 
  Sound, 
  Murray 
  Anchor- 
  

   age, 
  and 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  bay 
  within 
  the 
  reefs, 
  where 
  the 
  

  

  