Deposits in the Magellan Territories. — Nordenskjold. 307 
rivers that arose when they began to melt, great quantities 
of gravel and boulders right to the shore of the sea. 
Thereupon succeeded an intervening space. Whether we 
are to suppose it only a temporary retreat on the part of the 
ice or if it was really an inter-glacial period cannot be de- 
termined, since there are no fossiliferous deposits known left 
by it. The intimate connection that seems to exist between 
deposits belonging to the first and those belonging to the 
second glacial period argues in favour of the former suppo- 
sition. In any case the between-period was of considerable 
duration, for the majority of the great valleys of the district 
arose by the process of erosion while it was in progress. Thus 
the most important of those valleys, the Magellan straits (east- 
ern section) and the San Sebastian valley, date from this 
period, possibly also Gallegos valley. At the same time the 
great lowland districts, now partially covered with water, 
were formed ; they extend from the eastern base of the Cor- 
dilleras and now constitute : Broad Reach (a section of the 
Magellan straits). Disappointment bay, the plain that lies 
south of Bagnal mouiUains, etc. The moraines and other 
deposits of the first glacial period, that undoubtedly were to 
be found here previously, were thereby destroyed. 
Once more the ice advanced. It is probable that the 
blocks of ice were vaster than before ; at the same time it was 
now more possible for it to extend over the broad newly 
formed valleys. The southernmost of these, the San Sebas- 
tian valley, was occupied by a gigantic "mer de glace," that 
along with its outlying neve-lields had an area of 20,000 
scjuare kilometres at least, and probably was joined to the 
almost equally extensive glacier that existed in the eastern sec- 
tion of the present Magellan straits. Further north no such 
glaciers have been discovered. In their place on the great 
low^land, east of the Cordilleras, between 50° 50' and about 
52° south latitude, a body of water containing drift-ice ex- 
tended, probably a lake dammed up with ice, or possibly an 
arm of the sea. 
It is established that the sea, at a time when it was full 
of floating ice-bergs, stood at least sixty metres higher than 
at present. That time, however, need not necessarily be so 
very far removed from the present. Many reasons, indeed, 
