During a month from 28 June till 27 July 1987 measurements were made of variations in the chemical composition of shallow water basins occurring on the north side of the Ebbaelva gap section at the southwestern foot of Lovehovden. The waters have variable mineral contents and ion composition. The resulting data indicate a marked effect of various kinds of water feeding the basin, including water derived from the melting of snow and that released due to permafrost degradation, depending on bedrock and the intensity of biogenic processes which operate in areas of basin occurrence.

Mineralogical and chemical analysis of the glacial deposits of the Petuniabukta region, laid down due to glacial advances occurring from the Billefjorden Stage to the Little Ice Age has been made. The deposits have substantial carbonate contents which, however, vary depending on rock types of which the bedrock is built up. The calcium ion is the main component of the sorption complex of the deposits under investigation. A proportion of other ions, including magnesium, sodium and potassium, is markedly lower. An increase in the magnesium, sodium and potassium ion contents of the sorption complex with age and a concurrent decline in calcium ions have been reported from glacial tills. The illite clay minerals prevail in glacial deposits occurring around Petuniabukta. Apart from them, there are large quantities of the chlorite and kaolinite clay minerals. The glacial deposits of Spitsbergen remain markedly richer in the chlorite group than glacial tills of Poland. Simultaneously, they contain markedly smaller amounts of minerals of the- smectite group and illite/smectite mixed-layer minerals. This is due to a fainter effect of the weathering processes on the glacial deposits of Spitsbergen, compared with the glacial tills of Poland.

The Hoglandvatnet and Ålandvatnet are genetically associated with the action of a large ice stream issuing from Mittag-Lefflerbreen towards Lomonosovfonna as far nortwards as Austfjorden. The accomplished investigations permit water properties to be described for Hoglandvatnet and Ålandvatnet, as well as the chemical composition of the basin waters to be correlated with lithologic diversity of the surrounding massifs and the composition of glacier water feeding them. Water of Hoglandvatnet has a rather uniform ion composition. It is sulphate-calcium water. Low mineral contents of glacier water and that flowing through crystalline rocks of Framstaken and feeding the basin result in its less marked effect on the Hoglandvatnet water, compared with highly mineralized water of streams issuing from Trikolorfjellet and Tarantellen. Water of Ålandvatnet has a somewhat different quantitative ion composition than that of Hoglandvatnet. It is calcium-sulphate-bicarbonate water which is richer in the bicarbonate ion than the Hoglandvatnet waters. This is most likely due to the influence of bicarbonate water of Ålandelva and glacier water feeding the basin. It can also be the result of a smaller contribution from highly mineralized calcium-sulphate water issuing from Trikolorfjellet.