158 M. Stnder on the Greological Structvrf of the Alp9, 



son, the Dent cTOche and the Mole, belong to middle Jura, 

 iind partly to the lower Jura formation. The middle Jura and 

 the lias likewise appear on the northern side of the Alpine 

 macigno chain, on the Gurnigel, at the Beira, on Mont Pleyau, 

 and in the Voirons. 



In western Switzerland and in the Chablais, the molasse is 

 in contact with these arenaceous and calcareous chains of the 

 Alpine macigno and the middle Jura ; and, as in the rest of 

 Switzerland, it touches the cretaceous chain of limestone 

 containing spatangi and hippurites. Similar to this latter, 

 the chain of Alpine macigno, together with the limestone 

 masses (middle jura of the Stockhorn), dips abruptly to the 

 south and south-east towards the high Alps. But wherever an 

 opportunity occurs of examining the junction of the tertiary 

 formation with the secondary deposits, between Vevey and the 

 valley of the Rhine, we can assure ourselves that the molasse 

 extends in conformable stratification under the latter, so that 

 the more recent deposits are here inferior to the more ancient ; 

 or rather the two are in such proximity, that one would say 

 that the masses of limestone and of macigno have been violently 

 pushed against the masses of the molasse. This supposition 

 may explain the singular relations of contact where an up- 

 turning cannot be admitted, for a fault without lateral pres- 

 sure is not sufficient to account for them. 



The southern inclination of the tertiary deposits continues 

 nearly to the distance of a league from the external chain of 

 the limestone or macigno, where it is replaced by a northern 

 inclination, which becomes more and more gentle the farther 

 we remove from the Alps, until the stratification forms only 

 a very acute angle with the horizon. At the same time the 

 relief of the country presents a series of terraces more and 

 more soft in their outline, till at last they pass into an undu- 

 lating plain, and the valleys of elevation are replaced by 

 valleys of erosion. In the immediate vicinity of the Alps the 

 tertiary deposits rise to the height of 5000 or 6000 feet and 

 more, as in the Bseuchlen, the Entlibuch, the Rigi, and the 

 Speer ; but gradually hills of more than 300 feet become 

 rarer, and begin to fix the attention ; still farther on it would 

 be difficult to find, between the Uetliberg near Zurich, and 



