The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 13, No. 80, June, 1864: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and PoliticsVarious
General
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 13, No. 80, June, 1864: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics
Various
American periodicals
across the valleys, showing, that, as the general ice-sheet broke up and
contracted into local glaciers, every cluster or chain of hills became a
centre of glacial dispersion, such as the Alps are now, such as the
Jura, the Highlands of Scotland, the mountains of Wales and Ireland, the
Alps of Scandinavia, the Hartz, the Black Forest, the Vosges, and many
others have been in ancient times.
* * * * *
In the next article we shall consider the glacial phenomena as they
exist in America.
FOOTNOTES:
[A] See January No., p. 61.
[B] Having enumerated the characteristic features of the glacial
phenomena in the preceding pages, I throw into this note some
explanation which may render my views of the parallel roads more
intelligible, not to interrupt again the exposition with details. It
would be desirable, however, that the reader should first make himself
thoroughly familiar with the localities concerned, before proceeding any
farther. I would therefore state here, that, in the wood-cut opposite,
G. R. indicates the valley of Glen Roy, with the three parallel roads
marked 1, 2, 3. Glen Spean is designated by G. S., and the river flowing
at its bottom by S. Loch Laggan, out of which the River Spean rises, is
marked L. G. indicates Glen Gloy, a little valley to the northwest of
Glen Roy, with a single terrace. Loch Treig is designated by T., Loch
Lochy by L. O., Loch Arkeig by A., and Moeldhu Hill by M., while E.
indicates Loch Eil. The Great Glen of Scotland, through which the
Caledonian Canal runs, extends in the direction of L. O. and E. The
position of Ben Nevis is designated by N. The dotted area between N. and
M. marks the place occupied by the great glacier of Ben Nevis, when it
extended as far as Moeldhu; while the close continuous lines in front of
Loch Treig indicate the direction of the glacial scratches left across
Glen Spean by the glacier of Loch Treig, when it extended as far as the
eastern termination of the two upper terraces. It ought to be
remembered, in this connection, that the bottom of the valley of the
Spean, as well as that of Glen Roy, is occupied by loose materials,
partly drift, that is, materials acted upon by glaciers, and partly
decomposed fragments of rocks brought down by the torrents, greatly
impeding the observation of the polished surfaces. The river-bed is cut
through this deposit, and here and there through the underlying rock.
Besides the parallel roads, there are also peculiar accumulations of
loose materials in Glen Roy and Glen Spean, more particularly connected
with the lowest terrace, which Mr. Darwin and Professor Jamieson have
shown to be little deltas formed during the existence of the lake of
Glen Roy at the bottom of the gullies intersecting the shelves of the
upper roads. The outlet for the water at the period during which the
second terrace was formed, not known when I visited Glen Roy, has been
discovered by Mr. Milne-Holme, and also observed by Professor Jamieson.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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