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XL, VIII. Analysis of Professor Hausmann's Essay* on the 

 Geology of the Apennines^. 



r PHE first section contains an account of the general ap- 

 -*• pearance of the Apennines. The most elevated point of 

 the range is 8934 feet above the level of the sea. The second 

 section, entitled Apcnninorum constructio interna, embraces the 

 geological description. From this it appears that the struc- 

 ture of this mountain chain is peculiarly simple, containing no 

 rock of any consequence, except a white limestone of uniform 

 aspect, rarely containing foreign substances or petrifactions. 

 In the immediate neighbourhood of the Alps, however, and 

 in the southern part of the chain in Calabria, there are rocks 

 of older formation. In the lateral chains there is considerable 

 variety, and transverse sections of these mountains often pre- 

 sent alternations of various rocks. 



The Apennines differ from many other mountains in this, 

 that in man)' places where strata of different formations are 

 observed, the more ancient are found neither in the centre of 

 the transverse chains, nor in the more elevated parts, but on 

 the sides and at inferior elevations. 



From analogy we should expect primitive rocks in these 

 mountains; but from the observations of Professor Hausmann 

 they appear to be wanting, except towards Calabria. The 

 observations of Viviani, Spadoni, Santi, and others, are no- 

 ticed ; but they do not appear to be confirmed by those of our 

 author, who however offers no decided opinion of his own, in 

 regard to the formations of Giglio, Elba, &c, which these 

 writers have considered granite and gneiss. 



The transition formations are the most extensive and im- 

 portant; comprising the Apennines of Genoa, Lucca, Mo- 

 dina, a part of Tuscany, and various other places, always re- 

 posing on primitive rocks. The rock named macigno and 

 pietra serena, which is extensively used in Florence for archi- 

 tectural and ornamental purposes, appears to be a variety of 

 grey wacke, and occurs in all parts of Italy where the transi- 

 tion rocks are found. The grey wacke in different parts of 

 Italy, observes Prof. H., is not so varied in its grain, and in 

 other respects is more simple than that of Germany. Quartz 

 is the predominating ingredient, together with particles of 



* De Apenninorum constitutione geognostica commentatio, in consessu 

 Soc. Reg. Scient. D. XVI. Novembr. An. MDCCCXII. ad anniversarium 

 solenine celebrandum habito, recitata a 10. Frid. Lud. Hausmann. Got- 

 tings MDCCCXXIII. 



f From the Boston Journal of Philosophy and the Arts, Nov. 1823. 



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