GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 



formerly filled by a branch of the Great Ice Barrier, 

 whose surface rose fully 1000 ft. above sea-level, and the 

 Barrier ice in this sound, in areas from which the ice has 

 retreated, was formerly about 4000 ft. in thickness. 



(6) The snowfall at Cape Royds from February 1908 

 to February 1909 was equal to about 9>^ in. of rain. 



(7) The neve-fields of Antarctica are probably of no 

 great thickness. 



(8) The southern and western sides of the sector of 

 Antarctica south of Australia is a plateau from 7000 

 to 10,000 ft. high, which may possibly extend across the 

 South Pole to Coat's Land and Graham Land. 



(9) Ross Sea is probably a great subsidence area. 



(10) The Beacon sandstone formation which extends 

 for at least 1100 miles from north to south in Antarctica 

 contains coniferous wood associated with coal seams. It 

 is probably of palaeozoic age. 



(11) Limestones, pisolitic in places, in 85° 15' South, 

 and 7000 ft. above sea-level contain obscure casts of 

 radiolaria. 



Radiolaria, in a fair state of preservation, occur in 

 black cherts amongst the erratics at Cape Royds. They 

 appear to belong to the same formation as the limestone. 

 These radiolaria appear to be of older palaeozoic age. 



(12) The succession of lavas at Erebus appears to 

 have been first trachytes, then kenytes, then olivine basalts. 

 Erebus is, however, still erupting kenyte. 



(13) Peat deposits, formed of fungus, are now form- 

 ing on the bottoms of some of the Antarctic glacial lakes 

 near 77° and 78° South. 



(14) Raised beaches of recent origin extend at Ross 

 Island to a height of at least 160 ft. above sea-level. 



323 



