1897.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 409 



has been elevated. In the depression of the river Syzran the depos- 

 its of the Caspian have been laid down. Following the Syzran River 

 down stream over its easterly course to join the Volga, one sees to the 

 south of the fault the successive appearance of ever older measures, 

 from the upper through the lower Cretacic, the Volgian, the Callo- 

 vian, and, finally, near the town of Syzran, the upper Carbonic. 

 The railway runs along the heights commanding the town of Syzran, 

 which consist of Jurassic and Volgian, but as soon as it has passed 

 that town it descends and runs along the right bank of the Volga, 

 on the terrace of these formations resting on the Carbonic limestone, 

 to the village of Batraki, south of the Samarskaia Louka. Thence 

 a short distance down the Volga ( + 15 km.) one reaches Kasbpour. 

 On the hill of this name one sees in succession downward from the 

 top various horizons of the Cretacic, the Volgian, and finally the 

 river deposits. Above Batraki, a less distance, one comes to the 

 great bridge of the trans-Siberian railway across the Volga, 1,485 

 meters long, on twelve piers, and estimated at 150 ft. above the 

 river. At the abutments the Carbonic deposits are compact lime-' 

 stones more or less dolomitic, containing Fusulina and saturated 

 with asphalt as at Syzran. 



The orographic feature of the approach to Syzran is the eleva- 

 tion caused by the fault passing north of the Samarskaia Louka, 

 at the great bend of the Volga. The part of this elevation 

 at and west of Syzran is called the Syzran Mountains, that of 

 the nucleus of the peninsula the Jegouli, and on the opposite or 

 left bank of the river, the Mountains of Sok. The main mass of 

 these mountains is composed of Permian-measures ; but in the neigh- 

 borhood of Samara, as at Samarskaia Louka, deposits with shells of 

 Cardium, Corbieula and Hydrobia give the impression that these 

 are the remains of the the Caspian basin. The terrace clays are 

 distinctly laid on the Permian, but the Caspian sediments which are 

 only of insignificant thickness, are found in detached islands, and 

 may be seen far up on the heights of the Volga throughout the 

 whole course from Kashpour. The upper beds of the Permian at 

 Samara are compact limestones with intercalations and masses of 

 gypsum and silex, which have made the construction of the railroad 

 bed very difficult in places on account of the tendency to landslides. 

 The lower Permian beds, oolitic in places, are rich in lamellibranchs, 

 gasteropods and brachyopods characteristic of the Permian. 



