CHAP. XII.] BERMUDA 



of the North Atlantic is reached, where soundings of 3,825 and 

 3,875 fathoms have been obtained. It is clear therefore that 

 these islands are typically oceanic. 



Soundings were taken by the ClialUnger in four different 

 directions around Bermuda, and always showed a rapid deepen- 

 ing of the sea to about 2,500 fathoms. This was so remarkable, 

 that in his reports to the Admiralty, Captain Nares spoke of 

 Bermuda as " a solitary peak rising abruptly from a base only 

 120 miles in diameter;" and in another place as ''an isolated 

 peak rising abruptly from a very small base." These expressions 

 show that Bermuda is looked upon as a typical example of an 

 ''oceanic peak" ; and on examining the series of official reports 

 of the Challenger soundings, I can find no similar case, although 

 some coasts, both of continents and islands, descend more 

 abruptly. In order to show, therefore, what is the real char- 

 acter of this peak^ I have dravvm a section of it on a true scale 



BERMUDA 



■55 MILES ~?^<~[D ' . - 46 MILES, 



SECTION OF BERMUDA AND ADJACENT SEA-BOTTOM. 



The figures show the depth in fathoms at fifty-five miles north and forty-six miles south or 

 the islands respectively. 



from the soundings taken in a north and south direction where 

 the descent is steepest. It will be seen that the slope is on 

 both sides very easy, being 1 in 16 on the south, and 1 in 19 

 on the north. The portion nearest the islands will slope more 

 rapidly, perhaps reaching in places 1 in 10; but even this is 

 not steeper than many country roads in hilly countries, while 

 the remainder would be a hardly perceptible slope. Although 

 generally very low, some parts of these islands rise to 250 feet 

 above the sea-level, consisting of various kinds of limestone 

 rock, sometimes soft and friable, but often very hard and even 

 crystalline. It consists of beds which sometimes dip as much 

 as 30°, and exhibit besides great contortions, so that at first 

 sight the islands appear to exhibit on a small scale the pheno- 

 mena of a disturbed Palaeozoic district. It has however long 



255 



