THE GEOLOGY OF THE FZROE ISLANDS, aya k 
2. Configuration and Height of the Land.—-The islands are for the most part 
high and steep, many of them being mere narrow mountain-ridges that sink 
abruptly on one or both sides into the sea. The larger ones, such as Stromée, 
Osterée, and Suderée, show more diversity of surface, but they possess very 
little level land. All the islands have a mountainous character—the hills, 
owing to the similarity of their geological structure, exhibiting little variety of 
feature. These high grounds form as a rule straggling, irregular, flat-topped 
masses, and sharper ridges which are notched or broken here and there into a 
series of more or less isolated peaks and truncated pyramids. Sometimes the 
mountains rise in gentle acclivities, but more generally they show steep and 
abrupt slopes, which in several instances are found to have inclinations of 25° 
to 27°, and even 30°. In many places they are still steeper, their upper 
portions especially becoming quite precipitous. They everywhere exhibit the 
well-known terraced character which is so common a feature of trappean masses, 
Precipices and long cliffs or walls of bare rock rise one above another, like the 
tiers of some cyclopean masonry, and are separated by usually short intervening 
slopes, which are sparsely clothed with grass and moss, and sprinkled with 
tumbled blocks and débris. The greatest elevations are reached in the two 
largest islands, Osterde and Stromée, Slattaretind in the former attaining an 
elevation of 2852 feet, and Skiellinge Field in the latter of 2502 feet.* Many 
other hills in these two islands are over 2000 feet in height, and some approach 
within 200 or 300 feet of the dominating point. Indeed, the average elevation 
of Osterée and Stromée can hardly be less, and is probably more than 1000 feet. 
The other islands are equally steep and mountainous, but in none do the hills 
seem to attain a greater elevation than 2000 feet. Thus Stoiatind in Waagiée 
is probably not over 2000 feet in height; Kalsée in the north-east is 1817 
English feet, Kunde 2000 feet, and NaalsGe opposite Thorshavn 1276 feet. In 
SuderGde some of the hills are more than 1700 feet high—one of them, Kvanna- 
field, we found to be 5389 metres=1786 feet. The mean elevation of all the 
islands (exclusive of Stromée and Osterde) must exceed 800 feet, and is 
probably not less than 900 feet. 
The coasts are usually precipitous, many of the islands having only a very 
few places where a landing can be effected. Store Dimon, for example, 
possesses but one landing-place, and even that is accessible only in calm weather. 
The west coasts that face the open sea are as a rule the most precipitous—the 
* The height of Slattaretind is given in some Danish geographies which I consulted in the islands, 
as 2710 feet (Danish) =2789 feet English; Forcnuammer makes it 2816 French feet; and another 
authority gives it at 882 metres = 2894 English feet. The height adopted in the text is that obtained 
by Mackenziz and Auuan. There is a similar uncertainty as to the exact height of Skiellinge Field ; 
some Danish geographies and gazetteers giving it as 2350 feet = 2418 English feet. The height 
mentioned above is taken from the Danish Chart, which in Danish feet is 2431 feet or 2502 English 
feet. This corresponds with the height of 763 métres given by some writers. 
