KUNOL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS H.ANDLINGAR BAND 50. N:0 3. 



71 



Scandinavia. But the existence of a postglacial warmer period in subantarctic Ame- 

 rica has of course by no means been proved. During postglacial times a sub- 

 mergence of the land took place, the extension of which has not been determined 

 (see above). 



Let US now turn to the Falkland Islands. J. G. Andersson pointed ont that 

 the numerous creeks which form such a striking feature in the Falkland landscape, 

 are drowne driver-valleys (21). He comes to the conclusion that in preglacial time 

 the Islands were situated 46 or possibly 73 m. higher than now. The figure 73 by 

 no means indicates the maximum of upheaval possible, for a maximum cannot be 

 fixed in this case, but only a minimum. One cannot know if the Islands remained 

 on the higher level also during the Ice Age. 



'F.ilkland 



^un.d4,^«cl Hnt/H/A 



co-Crepnw. 



Fig. 9. Batliymetrical map of subantartie America. 



200 m. 

 100 in. 



Geographically, the Falklands belong to South America and rest on the Con- 

 tinental socle. The early development of the Islands was different from that of the 

 continent, for they are buill up by devonian and permo-carboniferous sediments resting 

 directly upon on archsean (?) basement, beds that are not represented in Patagonia 

 or Fuegia, where, on the contrary, jurassic, cretaceous and tertiary formations occur. 

 But it is probable, though, of course, not certain, that the changes of level in the 

 late Tertiary and Quaternary did not take place in the Falklands independantly of 

 the movements of the continent. It is thus possible that both the Magellan terri- 

 tories and the Falklands were situated at a higher level contemporaneously. The 

 distance from West Falklands to the opposite coast is c. 500 km. An upheaval of 

 100 m. would diminish this distance to c. 300 km. If the bottom of the ocean rose 



