The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume XII, No. 2 [‎278r] (58/154)

AN EXPLORATION IN 1897 OF SOME OF THE GLACIERS OF SPITSBERGEN. U9
hills, and relatively small glaciers. Originally it was one large plateau,
formed of soft, almost horizontally bedded rock, except along its west
margin. It has therefore been penetrated by wide valleys radiating in
all directions and cut down almost to sea-level. A range of rather fine
peaks lies along the west coast, and behind that are some large glaciers
descending north into Green harbour and south to the mouth of Low
sound. Then the undulating country begins. Several valleys lead
inland from Coles bay, whilst from Advent bay starts the Advent dale
with its many branches. From Low sound a series of boggy valleys
strike in to north and south. At the north angle of its head opens the
deep valley of the Shallow river (after the Sassendal the largest valley
in Spitsbergen), whose upper part has never been explored. The east
ward prolongation of Low sound, which was known to the Dutch as
Michiel Einders bay, is very poorly charted, but we know that at its
north angle there is a secluded inner harbour, with a big ramifying
valley leading back from it, whilst at its extreme east corner three large
glaciers debouch together, one of which probably connects by a high
snow-field with the head of Strong glacier descending to Whales
bay.
Last comes the south division of the island, over which we had a
panoramic view in 1897 from the summit of Mount Hedgehog, one of
the Hornsunds Tinder. Unfortunately a roof of cloud covered the
glaciers, and we could only see the tops of the mountains rising clear
above it. The north-west angle of this region was explored in 1897 by
Mr. Victor Gatty, who found it to consist of a ring of snowy mountains
surrounding the neve of the Fox glacier, which discharges into the
so-called Eecherche bay. A gap or col, south-east of Dunder bay,
separates this group from a range of hills running for some distance
south along the coast, and called Eoebuck Land. The extremity of these
hills abut against the right foot of Torell glacier, one upper bay of
which rests against the hills immediately south of Recherche bay, whilst
another si retches inland to the east, as far as the main watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. of
the island. There are one or two other approximately north and south
ranges of bills lying west of this watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. . East of it the plateau-
character resumes its predominance. The southernmost part of the
island, south of Horn sound, is dignified by the boldest mountain range
in the country, that of the Hornsunds Tinder, which lie west of the
watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. , and run almost due north and south. East of them are at
least two lower parallel ranges, beyond which the ice-covered country
seems to dip to the sea.
Of the other islands in the Spitsbergen group, North-East Land is
the largest. It is known, from Baron Nordenskiold's exploration, to be
covered with a true ice-sheet, the edge of which descends to the sea all
along the south-east coast. The north coast and the small islands off it
altogether resemble the northern belt of the west island. The west belt