Post-Glacial Terraces of Anticosti Island. 2()9 



of the sea and there are a few places where it is within a 

 mile. The greater width of the terraces on the south 

 slope lessens the impression they make and, except where 

 a high headland reaches the sea, not more than three or 

 four may be seen in most localities ; on the north side, on 

 the other hand, the terraces can not fail to attract the 

 attention of even the most casual observer and there are 

 many places where more than a half-dozen may be seen. 



At the time of the senior writer's first visit to Anticosti 

 in 1908, the terraces were noted — it would have been im- 

 possible not to have seen them — and a few estimates were 

 made as to their number and heights. On the second visit 

 in 1919, a consistent effort Avas made to obtain exact data 

 relating to them and Mr. Conine was instructed to give all 

 the time at his disposal to this end. In addition, measure- 

 ments were made at many places by the senior writer and 

 other members of his party. The result is that elevations 

 and width of terraces have been obtained at several dozen 

 localities of which only a few are shown in the diagrams. 

 Measurements were ordinarily made by hand leveling and 

 pacing, but in a very few instances heights and widths 

 w^ere estimated. Wlierever possible, the nature of the 

 materials on the surfaces of the terraces was determined. 

 This could only be done, however, on the edges of cliffs 

 and about the roots of upturned trees, neither of which is 

 everywhere present. 



Collection of data relating to the terraces is simple, but 

 not always easy; nor are the results obtained altogether 

 accurate. As soon as one leaves the beach, he finds him- 

 self in an almost impenetrable forest through which he 

 rarely can see more than a couple of hundred feet at most. 

 The problem for most of the terraces was confined to the 

 obtaining of their heights and widths at localities which 

 appeared likely to give the most accurate results. Ex- 

 cept for the lowest terrace, little effort was made toward 

 correlation, as this is impossible except by the actual 

 walking out on each terrace entirely around the island, 

 and to do this for each one, or for any one, was out of 

 the question. 



Detailed Description of the Terraces. 



The sea-level terraces. — The lowest exposed terrace of 

 Anticosti is the one whose width is at present being ex- 



