MESOZOIC AXD KALXOZOIC GEOLOGY IN EUROPE. 333 



V 



o 



7Z 



(Pecten occurs and the deposits are clearly marine, but fossils are 

 not common. Does not extend farther north than the valley of 

 the Drome. 



III. Marly and calcareous molasse with Pecten praescabrinscu- 

 l us% — Extends from the coast up the valley nearly as far as Monte- 

 limart ; and there leaves the river altogether, running up as a 

 narrow band towards the north-east into Savoy. 



IV. Sandy molasse. — Marine sands and sandstones. Clovers 

 the whole region occupied by III. and extends also farther to the 

 west. Its western boundary closely follows the borders of the 

 Central Plateau. Beds like the Austrian " Schlier " occur near 

 the base. 



V. Upper molasse with Cardita Jouanneti. — In the centre of 

 the Rhone Valley IV. is succeeded by a return of marly and 

 calcareous deposits ; but these are less extensive and are absent 

 to the north of Lyon and in Switzerland. 



VI. Upper brackish, fresh-water and fiuviatile Miocene. — The 

 last mentioned series (V.) forms the close of the marine Miocene 

 and it is succeeded by brackish and fresh-water beds. These are 

 absent in the greater part of Provence and do not extend farther 

 south than Aix. 



VII. Beds with Conger ia sub-Basteroti. — Occur only locally. 

 None of the species agree with those found in the Congeria beds 



^of Austria and the author places them at a higher horizon. 



Thus it appears that at the close of Oligocene times the 

 sea washed the shores of Provence : but it did not extend 

 farther inland than at present. The valley of the Rhone 

 was occupied by a series of lagoons lying along the foot of 

 the sub-Alpine chains. During the progress of the Miocene 

 period the sea spread up the valley, and the gulf so formed 

 continued to increase in size up to the time of the deposition 

 of the beds of Stage IV. After this it again retreated, and 

 during the later stages we have a return of the lagunary con- 

 ditions which prevailed during the earlier part of the period. 



In Austria the lower part of the Miocene was long ago 

 divided by Suess into a first and a second Mediterranean 

 stage. But later observers (Tietze, Bittner) have con- 

 sidered that these are merely lateral facies of the same 

 stage. Deperet, however, agrees with Suess and groups 

 the beds as follows : — 



First Mediterranean Stage. — Except the uppermost bed, exists only 

 outside the Alpine zone north of Vienna, and not within the Vienna basin 

 proper. Rests directly upon the crystalline rocks of Bohemia and Moravia. 



