Geology of the Austrian Alps, 33 



Sedgwick and Murchison, and we hope it has been shewn that 

 no tertiary dcposites (at least as they are understood at present) 

 exist in the northern Austrian Alps, and that the tertiary rocks 

 of the Austrian flat land do not ascend into the transverse val- 

 leys of the Alps. Besides, we think we have shewn that the Ju- 

 ra limestone, composing the alpine calcareous chain, is covered in 

 difi'erent places, as in the French and Swiss Jura and in the Ger- 

 man Alps, by isolated patches of rocks belonging to the green- 

 sand and the chalk. If these last deposites do exist on the bor- 

 ders of the Alps, we positively deny tliat there is a transition 

 from that formation to the tertiary one, and we defy any one to 

 prove this, if we admit the total absence of tertiary rocks in the 

 middle of the Alps. We might conclude here, and await the 

 answer of our opponents ; but we feel it right, as some ob- 

 servers, not aware of the extent of our investigations, might sup- 

 pose that our statements were founded on few facts, to state 

 the extent of our travels, which were continued for several years 

 in the Alps. Messrs Sedgwick and Murchison also felt it ne- 

 cessary to enumerate on how many excursions and sections their 

 ideas were based. 



Since 1821, we have visited in our various journeys, first the 

 whole of the northern calcareous and primary chains of the Alps 

 from Feldkirch in the Voralberg to Eisenerz and Somering ia 

 Styria ; the country south of the Lofer in the Tyrol alone remain- 

 ed unexplored by us. On the other hand, we made a journey for 

 the sole purpose of following step by step the northern foot of 

 the calcareous secondary chain, in order to study thoroughly the 

 range of the secondary sandstone, and its contact with the alpine 

 limestone and the molasse. That journey was performed with- 

 out interruption from Sonthhofen in Bavaria to Vienna in Aus- 

 tria, and during it we entered in succession a great number of 

 the valleys. Since that time, we have added to this survey a 

 fortnight's stay at two different times in the Allgau, an excur- 

 sion in the Voralberg, and we have been so circumstanced as to 

 continue similar observations in various places in Savoy and 

 Switzerland. In order to become well acquainted with the al- 

 pine structure, sections throughout the whole chain were neces- 

 sary ; and hence we made it our business to examine, at various 

 times, nearly the whole of the passes that cross the range. Be- 



OCTOBER — DECEMBER 1830. C 



