GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 



this, the lee side, of Erebus. The glacier was consider- 

 ably crevassed at its seaward extremity, and passed up 

 gradually, at a distance of some four or five miles inland, 

 into the neve field. This glacier was not moving actively, 

 as we never observed any trace of buckling or crushing 

 of the sea ice, where it abutted against the foot of the 

 glacier cliff. PI ad there been any appreciable forward 

 movement it could not have failed to ridge up or crush the 

 opposing sheets of continuous sea ice. At the same time 

 the crevassed state of this glacier ice proved that move- 

 ment was still in progress. 



A glacier of a Greenland type, also on a large scale, 

 is the Mount Nansen Glacier, occupying the wide de- 

 pression between Mounts Nansen and Larsen. This 

 great glacier is from 12 to 20 miles in width, and 60 to 

 70 miles in length. It is very heavily crevassed, and its 

 surface is extremely irregular towards its seaward end. 

 Where the surface falls steeply, it has raised immense 

 pressure ridges in the sea ice along the shore, and bristles 

 with hummocks and seracs. So difficult was this surface 

 for sledging that we were forced to abandon it, after 

 attempting to take our sledge by way of this glacier on 

 to the Magnetic Pole plateau. 



On striking the upper end of this glacier, some 60 

 miles inland, we found that there was still a little ice 

 present here and there underneath the wide neve field. 

 This neve field spread out into a wide plain, and for a 

 considerable distance before reaching the Magnetic Pole, 

 the latter being over 220 miles inland at right angles to 

 the coast-Kne — our horizon on all sides was bounded by 

 these same vast neve fields. It is obvious that the Mount 

 Nansen Glacier is moving steadily seawards, as shown 

 by the great pressure ridges which it has raised in the 

 sea ice opposing its advance. It must, therefore, stiU 

 form an outlet for the neve-formed ice of the inland 

 plateau. 



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