Volume 14 Australasia - dana ward's homepage

OCEANIC SOUNDINGS. 17from the shore, and in the vicinity of the most actiye volcanic area in the SundaIslands. Along nearly the whole coastline of the Antarctic lands south of theIndian and Pacific Oceans the waters appear to be much shallower, judging atleast from the results of the few soundings that have hitherto been taken. Itwould almost seem as if the greater cavities had been gradually filled in by theice-borne debris from the austral regions. Nevertheless, an enormous abyss doesapparentlj' occur under the Antarctic polar circle to the south-east of the SouthernFig. 8. Depths of the Austkai. Seas.Scale 1 : 100,000,000.Orkneys, where James Eoss failed to touch the bottom with a sounding lineover 4,200 fathoms long. This solitary record, however, will have to be verifiedby fresh observations.Compared witb the Indian Ocean, which is destitute of islands in its morecentral parts, the Pacific, everywhere studded with archipelagoes, presents anextremely irregular bed. In many places occur elevated submarine banks, whichwould be transformed to islands or peninsulas were the sea-level to be lowered avo].. XIV. c