76 STEVENSON— FORMATION OF COAL BEDS. [April 21. 



the hesitation is due to imperfect exposition of the doctrine at the 

 outset, when Fayol dcchned to accept crustal movements as having 

 had any influence ; but that error was corrected afterward by Fayol. 

 De Lapparent considers that to deny all influence of orogenic move- 

 ments upon even the lacustrian areas would be excessive. Coal 

 basins are depressions, feeble lines of the earth's crust, are land- 

 marks of fractures whose equilibrium has been disturbed frequently. 

 Malherbe"* notes that, though the explicit statement is not made, 

 Fayol evidently regarded his doctrine as of universal application. 

 But Malherbe asserts that, while it may suffice for Commentry, it 

 cannot suffice for other basins. He utilizes the Liege basin as test- 

 ing ground. That basin has an area of 40 by 15 kilometers, with 50 

 coal beds and numerous petty scams. The northerly border is but 

 slightly disturbed ; away from that the disturbances become serious 

 and some of the faults extend through the formation, which is 1,200 

 to 1,500 meters thick. This is very different from Commentry, 

 which is small in surface and depth, enclosing an insignificant num- 

 ber of beds. If the Commentry strata arc in the original position, 

 those of the Liege basin must be the same ; but everything proves 

 the contrary — the enormous displacements of the beds, the presence 

 of Cardiiim in horizontal and inclined beds alike ; all show original 

 horizontal deposit. The waters from the Liege basin carry salt 

 and Roget-Laloy has proved the same for the coal formation of the 

 north of France, concluding therefrom that that is the sea water of 

 the coal time imprisoned in the rocks. The deposit is not lacustrian 

 but fluvio-marine. 



Fayol's capital objection to theories other than his own is the 

 apparent impossibility of periodicity in deluges due to terrestrial 

 oscillations. Malherbe thinks it equally difficult to explain by 

 Fayol's hypothesis the transport of a mineral formation, 1.500 meters 

 thick and enclosing 50 coal beds from 0.45 meter upwards on an 

 area comparable with that of modern seas — ^for the elevations break- 

 ing the area into basins came after the coal time. Oscillations are 

 known in the present time, they are probable for other times. If 

 one recognize tliat subsidences necessary for formation of beds 



" R. Mallicrbc, " Geologic de la houillc," Ann. Soc. Gcol. dc Bclgiquc. 

 T. XVII., 1890, ^ilcmoirs, pp. 25-40. 



76 



