222 
The American Geologist, 
April, 1896 - 
It is a logical deduction from the view developed here that 
there can exist in the ground moraine, in general, no real or 
definite distinction between subglacial and englacial till, be¬ 
cause, broadly speaking, it has all been englacial. 
Probably no feature'of the Greenland glaciers revealed to 
us by Chamberlin’s studies will be regarded by glacialists 
with greater interest and astonishment than the beautiful 
stratification and lamination of the ice. He states, and his 
photographic illustrations show, that the stratification is most 
perfect in the lower, drift-laden portion of the ice, being only 
obscurely seen in the upper white ice. It is especially inter¬ 
esting to note in this connection that in the drift-laden ice 
the stratification is due chiefly to the mode of distribution of 
the drift or rock debris, which forms numerous relatively thin 
and continuous layers approximately parallel with the bottom 
of the glacier and often exhibiting flexures and faults where 
the ground over which the glacier moves is sufficiently un¬ 
even. Chamberlin refers all this englacial drift to one source. 
It is ground moraine which has been absorbed by the ice 
through flexing and shearing movements; and it proves that 
this process of absorption is essentially continuous. The thin¬ 
ness and persistence of the layers of debris also prove that the 
planes of shearing extend forward indefinitely into the body 
of the ice, and do not tend to die out, as they would if the ice 
were a viscous or plastic substance. This differential move¬ 
ment along an inset layer of debris must drag it out and tend 
to give it persistence, even if the process of absorption in that 
plane is intermittent. 
Furthermore, we find here a most striking confirmation of 
the conclusion previously stated, that, under certain condi¬ 
tions at least, the debris in the ice is an element of weakness 
and tends to give rise to shearing and gliding planes. This 
whole process of lamination by shearing is beautifully attested 
by the marked projection of the upper layers on the precipi¬ 
tous margin of the ice due to ablation. The under surfaces 
of the projecting layers are fluted by the fragments of rock 
lying in the plane of shearing. But in spite of this indication 
that the ice moves over the enclosed detritus, it is obvious 
that the movement must also drag it along; and when we 
consider how intimate this process of lamination shearing is,. 
