Thus in traversing Europe from north to south the snow-line may be
said to rise from 3000 feet to 11,000 feet in round numbers. It is
possible from such data to draw across the map a series of isochional
lines, or lines of equal perennial snow, and this has been done by my
friend, Professor Penck of Vienna.[BA] It will be understood that each
isochional line traverses those regions above which the line of névé
is estimated to occur at the same height. Thus the isochional line of
1000 metres (3280 feet) runs from the north of Norway down to lat. 64°
on the west coast, whence it must pass west to the south of Iceland.
The line of 1500 metres (4920 ft.) is traced from the north end of the
Urals in a westerly direction. It then follows the back-bone of the
Scandinavian peninsula, passes over to Scotland, and thence strikes
west along lat. 55°. For each of these lines good data are obtainable.
The line of 2000 metres (6560 ft.) is, however, hypothetical. It is
estimated to extend from the Ural Mountains, about the lat. of 57°,
over the mountains of middle Germany and above the north of France. The
line of 2500 metres (8200 ft.) passes from the southern termination of
the Urals, in lat. 51°, to the east Carpathians, thence along the north
face of the Alps, thereafter south-west across the Cevennes to the
north-west end of the Pyrenees; and thence above the Cantabrian and the
Portuguese Highlands to the coast in lat. 39°. The line of 3000 metres
(9840 ft.) is estimated to occur above the Caspian Sea, near lat. 44°,
and extends west through the north end of the Caucasus to the Balkans.
Thence it is traced north-west to the Alps, south-west to the Pyrenees,
which range it follows to the west, and thereafter sweeps south above
the coast at Cadiz. The line of 3500 metres (11,480 ft.) runs from
the Caucasus south-west across Asia Minor to the Lebanon Mountains;
thence it follows the direction of the Mediterranean, and traverses
Morocco above the north face of the Atlas range. Finally the line of
4000 metres (13,120 feet) is estimated to trend in the same general
direction as the last-mentioned line, but, of course, further to the
south. Although these isochional lines are to some extent conjectural,
yet the data upon which they are based are sufficiently numerous and
well-known to prevent any great error, and we may admit that the lines
represent with tolerable accuracy the general position of the snow-line
over our Continent. So greatly has our knowledge of the glaciation of
Europe increased during recent years, that the height of the snow-line
of the Glacial period has been determined by MM. Simony, Partsch,
Penck, and Höfer. Their method is simple enough. They first ascertain
the lowest parts of a glaciated region from which independent glaciers
have flowed. This gives the maximum height of the old snow-line. Next
they determine the lowest point reached by such glaciers. It is obvious
that the snow-line would occur higher up than that, but at a lower
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