THE GEOLOGY OF THE FAROE ISLANDS. 223 
about 4 miles long, by half a mile in breadth. These, however, we did not 
visit. None of those we saw exceeded half a square mile in extent, and most 
were much smaller. At Sand in Sandée, there is a narrow lake-like expanse 
of water about 14 mile in length, which appears to be almost on the level of 
the sea, from which it is separated by low flats and sand dunes. But nearly 
all the lakes occupy rock-basins. 
Streams are very abundant, but none is of much importance. Owing to the 
excessive rainfall,* however, they must occasionally discharge very considerable 
bodies of water, and as we shall see in the sequel they are potent agents of 
geological change. 
III. GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF THE ISLANDS. 
1. General Dip of the Strata—The geological structure of the islands is very 
simple. The principal rocks are bedded basalts, with intercalated partings and 
layers of tuff, and in Myggenes and Suderde of clay, shale, and coal. The 
prevalent dip of the strata in the northern islands is south-easterly, at a low 
angle, as was first pointed out by Mackenzie. In the north part of Osterée, 
however, the dip is towards north-east, according to ForRCHHAMMER, whose 
observations we were able to confirm, and the same geologist states that the 
dip in Myggenees is easterly. In Suderée, again, the strata incline uniformly to 
N.N.E. Nowhere is there any trace of a westerly inclination, and the steepest 
dips are found in Myggenzes, Waagoe, and Suderée. In the former, TREVELYAN 
says it is near 45°, while ForcHHAMMER, who is probably nearest the truth, gives 
itas 10°. Judging from the view we had of the cliffs of Waagoe, the dip 
appeared to be 10° or 12° in the west of that island, but it decreased towards 
the east. In Suderée the dip varies from 2° or 3° to 15° or thereabout. The 
south-easterly dip of the strata in the northern islands is certainly less than 
MAcKENZIE makes it, and cannot be greater than 2° or 3° on the average. 
FuRCHHAMMER is unquestionably correct in his view, that the rocks of Suderée 
and Myggenes are the oldest of the series, and it will be most convenient 
therefore to treat of these rocks first. 
2. Contemporaneous ov Bedded Basalt-rocks of Suderoée.—The basalt-rocks 
of Suderée do not show much variety. The most common rock is a dark blue, 
almost black, and sometimes brown, fine-grained crypto-crystalline anamesite, 
which is usually scoriaceous and slaggy above and below, and not infrequently 
* On an average of several years, there are only forty days in the year on which it does not rain. 
The annual fall is 78 inches. It is a common belief out of Ferde that-the islands are shrouded in fogs 
during the greater part of the year. This, it seems, is a mistake. We were told by Danes who had 
resided for some years in the islands, that they had not experienced more mist and fog than in Denmark ; 
and the meteorological records which are kept show that fogs occur on only thirty-nine days in the year. 
They are worst in the beginning of summer. ‘The best time to visit the islands is from about the end 
of July to the end of August or middle of September. 
