Nansen's Continental Oscillations — Spencer. 229 
The Sognefjord and others are not here discussed, but 
the barriers are analysed in a masterly way, so as to leave 
no other conclusion but that they are the result of glacial 
filling with coast-wise drift, thus agreeing with Hull and 
others. So strong a case does he make out that those who 
would have them rock basins must assume the burden of 
the proof of such a proposition. 
On the floor of the North sea Xansen finds five distinct 
terraces; namely, at 30-50, 66-80, 115-130, 155-217, and 384- 
439 metres. 
Leaving Norway for Faeroe and Iceland.* which are 
on the incised ridge extending from Scotland to Norway 
(Wyville-Thomson), Nansen finds remains of the continen- 
tal shelves from 40 to 100 kilometres broad, with the pre- 
cipitous coast descending abruptly to 50-80 metres below 
sea level to the shelves, the greater portions of which lie be- 
tween 100 and 170 metres. Consequently there is an ab- 
sence of the coast platform and its skerries. The many 
fjords incising the shelf are less barred than in Normay 
and are known to a depth of 350 metres, where informa- 
tion ceases. A sub-oceanic terrace at 1105-1175 occurs 
north of Faeroe, and one at 1177-1215 to the westward and 
between here and Rockall bank at 11 34-1 189. (p. "/T,). On 
what/ corresponds to the continental slope, even the limited 
soundings show submarine channels to more than 500 me- 
tres. One southeast of Iceland, almost with a canyon 
shape, reaches to 1 174-1246 metres, forming an incision in 
the floor to at least 600 metres, and probably to 800-1,000. 
A little beyond appears a platform at 640 metres. The ap- 
parently submarine base level so often found near Norway 
at 400-500 metres is repeated here. Indeed, the Scotland- 
Greenland ridge, with its shelf and lower base level, decid- 
edly resembles a mountainous plateau, denuded by atmos- 
pheric agents. The submarine peneplain, bounded by the 
500-isobath, extends with two narrow interruptions all the 
way between the two continents and separates the Norwe- 
gian sea from the Atlantic basin. It is however incised by 
a channel between Scotland and Faeroe reaching to 1015- 
1088 metres below the surface of the sea. It opens south- 
* Also orii!f1y stiidie*! by the reviewer and others whom Dr. Nansen 
{<!w,iys C'lTilits in lull. 
