Greinar (Vísindafélag Íslendinga) - 01.01.1935, Page 80

A FOSSILIFEROUS INTERGLA-
CIAL LAYER AT ELLIÐAAR-
VOGUR, REYKJAVÍK.
BY
THORKELL THORKELSSON.
The doleritic lava round Reykjavík is striated and
therefore undoubtedly not younger than the last glaci-
ation which occurred here. About 5 kilometres east of
Reykjavík on the west side of the inlet Elliðaárvogur
there is a cliff called Háubakkar which is built up of
sedimentary strata. Dr. Helgi Pjeturss has shown that
these strata are older than at least some of the doleritic
lava, because he found here striated dolerite overlying
an old morainal deposit, but below the moraine there
were marine strata, and at some places in these there
were shells.
The topmost strata beneath the moraine are alternate
layers of sand and fine gravel, and they must have been
formed in shallow water. The lower strata are of finer
composition and have been formed in deeper water. The
shells occur only in these strata (F,ig. 1). There are few
different species of shells, mostly Macoma calcaria, on
the whole small specimens and many of them closed,
1) Dr. Helgi Pjeturss, Úber marines Interglazial in der Umge-
bung von Reykjavík, Island, Monatsber. der Deutschen Geol. Gesell-
schaft, 1909, Bd. 61, No. 5.