The shores of Southern Chile, from latitude 40 deg. to
Cape Horn, show convincing evidence of having been overrun by heavy
glaciers, which scoured out the numerous deep channels that separate
the Patagonian coast from its islands. The Falkland Islands and South
Georgia abound with deep friths; New Zealand and Kerguelen Land also
exhibit the same evidence of having been ice-laden regions; and it is
said that the southern lands of Africa and Australia show that ice
accumulated at one time to a considerable extent on their shores. At
this date we find the southern ice sheets mostly confined to regions
within the antarctic circle; still the lands of Chile, South Georgia,
and New Zealand possess glaciers reaching the low lands, which are
probably growing in bulk; for it appears that the antarctic cold is
slowly on the increase, and the reasons for its increase are the same
as the causes which brought about the frigid period which overran with
ice all lands situated in the high southern latitudes.
Why there should be a slow increase of cold on this portion of the
globe is because of the independent circulation of the waters of the
Southern Ocean. The strong westerly winds of the southern latitudes
are constantly blowing the surface waters of the sea from west to east
around the globe.
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