J. G. ANDERSSON, 
. (Schwed. Südpolar-Exp. 
in the inner part of a bay a single figure exceeding those of the mouth (see Port 
Philomel). But only in one place, the shallow Christmas Harbour in W. Falkland, 
a veritable threshold is noticed, a barrier of only half a fathom in depth and divid- 
ing the bay in an inner and an outer part, both of about the same depth, 6 — 7 
fathoms. This barrier as well as the less perceptible irregularities in the depths of 
other bays may possibly be due to sedimentation connected with the tidal currents, 
and thus much later than the carving out of the submarine valleys. 
A single glance at the outlines of Port Salvador or some typical creeks such as 
Bodie Inlet and Chaffers Gullet suggests at once the idea of river-systems. In fact 
most of the creeks are continued landward by small valleys in which streamlets 
purl down to the sea. 
When all circumstances are taken into consideration it cannot be doubted that 
the creeks are drowned river-valleys and that the broad bays such as Adventure 
Sound and Bay of Harbours are submerged areas of land which were once affected 
be subaerial denudation. The maximum depth of the bays is 25 — 27 fathoms, which 
may be considered as a certain minimum figüre for the earlier higher level of the 
island group. On the map plate i I have drawn the 25-fathom line that was once 
the coast-line. At that time the two large islands were joined across the present 
Falkland Sound, and most of the smaller islands formed parts of the main island; 
this was especially the case with the whole vast archipelago on the north side of 
\\\ Falkland. 
In the configuration of the 25-fathom line there are some features which are of 
special interest as indicating that the islands were once emerged at a considerably 
higher level. So in the broad bays. Low Baj^ and Bay of Harbours, as well as in 
Port Richards, we find comparatively narrow channels which may be supposed 
to indicate the valleys of rivers which drained these parts of the former large 
island. 
Especially interesting is the course of the 25-fathom line in the northern part 
of Falkland Sound where it seems to form a narrow channel. As in some parts of 
the sound the soundings are rather scarce, I am not sure that it is right to join the 
scattered figures exceeding 25 fathoms as I have done. In order to give the reader 
an easy chance of examining my interpretation I have reproduced in Plate 2 this 
part of the Admiralty chart. If my combination is right, there runs on the bottom 
of the sound a riverlike channel branching in the south and getting deeper towards 
the north. Outside the northern mouth of the sound no continuation of the chan- 
nel can be traced with certainty, but here it possibly has been filled by sediment 
transported by the tidal currents. If this is really a submerged river-valley, it 
proves that the islands were once emerged at least 40 fathoms above their present 
level. 
