﻿226 
  JR. 
  S. 
  Tarr 
  — 
  Arctic 
  Sea 
  Ice 
  as 
  a 
  Geological 
  Agent. 
  

  

  break 
  and 
  float 
  quietly 
  away, 
  but 
  actually 
  fall 
  forward 
  into 
  the 
  

   water. 
  Even 
  though 
  the 
  crack 
  started 
  from 
  the 
  bottom 
  there 
  

   is 
  no 
  other 
  way 
  for 
  the 
  bergs 
  to 
  fall 
  than 
  to 
  go 
  forward. 
  They 
  

   must 
  then 
  attain 
  a 
  stable 
  position 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  their 
  

   form, 
  and 
  this 
  often 
  causes 
  them 
  to 
  roll 
  over 
  completely, 
  and 
  

   float 
  away 
  bottom 
  side 
  upward. 
  So 
  a 
  newly-born 
  iceberg 
  may 
  

   move 
  off 
  from 
  the 
  ice 
  front 
  either 
  upon 
  its 
  side, 
  bottom 
  or 
  top. 
  

  

  Not 
  only 
  are 
  icebergs 
  of 
  massive 
  form 
  sent 
  off 
  from 
  the 
  glacier 
  

   front, 
  but 
  if 
  they 
  come 
  from 
  a 
  place 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  sufficiently 
  

   crevassed 
  and 
  melted 
  into 
  irregular 
  outline, 
  the 
  jarring 
  caused 
  

   by 
  the 
  falling 
  and 
  overturning 
  may 
  in 
  the 
  end 
  completely 
  

   destroy 
  the 
  berg 
  and 
  leave 
  in 
  its 
  place 
  only 
  a 
  multitude 
  of 
  

   fragments. 
  One 
  may 
  often 
  see 
  an 
  immense 
  mass 
  fall 
  off 
  from 
  

   the 
  ice 
  front, 
  and 
  as 
  it 
  turns 
  and 
  rocks, 
  may 
  observe 
  it 
  break,, 
  

   until 
  finally 
  the 
  original 
  berg 
  is 
  entirely 
  destroyed. 
  When 
  the 
  

   iceberg 
  is 
  more 
  solid, 
  although 
  numerous 
  fragments 
  continue 
  

   to 
  drop 
  from 
  its 
  surface 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  it 
  moves, 
  it 
  rocks 
  and 
  rolls 
  

   backward 
  and 
  forward, 
  perhaps 
  for 
  a 
  half 
  hour, 
  before 
  finally 
  

   becoming 
  quiet, 
  and 
  every 
  piece 
  that 
  breaks 
  off 
  from 
  this 
  

   mass 
  adds 
  to 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  rocking. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  ice 
  thus 
  cast 
  off 
  from 
  the 
  glacier 
  there 
  is 
  

   sent 
  outward 
  a 
  water 
  wave, 
  high 
  near 
  the 
  ice 
  front, 
  but 
  reduced 
  

   to 
  a 
  low, 
  almost 
  imperceptible 
  swell 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  yards. 
  Following 
  this 
  are 
  other 
  ring 
  waves 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  

   rocking 
  and 
  continued 
  breaking. 
  Though 
  low, 
  these 
  are 
  very 
  

   powerful, 
  for, 
  like 
  the 
  earthquake 
  wave, 
  they 
  are 
  deep-seated 
  

   disturbances, 
  not 
  superficial 
  like 
  the 
  wind 
  wave. 
  When 
  they 
  

   reach 
  the 
  shore 
  it 
  is 
  whitened 
  by 
  surf 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  waves- 
  

   continue 
  to 
  arrive. 
  Then, 
  although 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  fjord 
  

   rises 
  and 
  falls 
  only 
  very 
  gently, 
  the 
  shore 
  line 
  resembles 
  the 
  

   storm-bound 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  open 
  ocean 
  ; 
  and 
  during 
  a 
  stay 
  of 
  

   several 
  weeks 
  in 
  the 
  fjord 
  near 
  the 
  Cornell 
  Glacier, 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  

   of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Nugsuak 
  peninsula 
  (Lat. 
  73° 
  15'), 
  these 
  were 
  the 
  

   only 
  good-sized 
  waves 
  that 
  we 
  saw, 
  near 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  bay. 
  The 
  

   waves 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  bergs 
  furnishes 
  an 
  additional 
  

   instance 
  of 
  erosional 
  work 
  which 
  Arctic 
  ice 
  does. 
  Similar 
  

   though 
  smaller 
  waves 
  are 
  formed 
  when 
  an 
  iceberg 
  runs 
  

   aground 
  and 
  begins 
  to 
  break 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  jar. 
  

  

  When 
  a 
  berg 
  comes 
  off 
  from 
  the 
  glacier 
  it 
  falls 
  into 
  the 
  sea 
  

   and 
  rises 
  and 
  falls 
  as 
  it 
  rocks 
  backward 
  and 
  forward. 
  Possibly 
  

   as 
  it 
  moves 
  it 
  strikes 
  the 
  bottom 
  ; 
  and 
  certainly, 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  

   the 
  disturbance 
  which 
  it 
  produces 
  in 
  the 
  water, 
  it 
  stirs 
  up 
  the 
  

   materials 
  forming 
  the 
  bottom. 
  After 
  leaving 
  the 
  glacier 
  front, 
  

   in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  its 
  life 
  history, 
  the 
  berg 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  

   becomes 
  stranded 
  once 
  or 
  perhaps 
  several 
  times. 
  Each 
  time 
  it 
  

   touches 
  the 
  bottom 
  it 
  strikes 
  a 
  direct 
  and 
  heavy 
  blow, 
  and 
  

   then, 
  breaking 
  slightly 
  as 
  the 
  jar 
  passes 
  through 
  it, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  

  

  