1824.] Older Red Sandstone Formation, §c. 15 



Hocherberg, near Waldmohr, and which divides the coal 

 measures into two basins very different from each other." 



" The southern coal basin, which sheds its waters into the 

 Sarre, belongs to the best characterized and richest coal 

 measures. The general direction of its beds is SW and NE. 

 On the N and E it would appear that this formation rests upon 

 the red sandstone that surrounds it, and whose beds appear in 

 some places on the banks of the Blies, near Neunkirchen, to the 

 SE of Ottweiler, to dip beneath the coal measures. These are 

 principally composed of alternating beds of argillaceous schist, 

 slaty clay, and schistose sandstone, in which are observed nume- 

 rous impressions of ferns and other plants common to this 

 formation ; of micaceous sandstone, or coal measure sandstone ; 

 and of argillaceous and quartzose conglomerates. The formation 

 contains good and numerous beds of coal worked in the envi- 

 rons of Sarrebruck, and also beds and abundant masses of earthy 

 carbonate of iron ore, in the nodules of which are sometimes 

 remarked impressions of fish, particularly in the upper part of 

 the coal measures, as in the environs of Lebach. This forma- 

 tion also contains, but only between its upper strata, beds of 

 compact limestone, grey or black, with a splintery fracture, and 

 sometimes a schistose structure. On the SW the coal measures 

 dip beneath the red sandstone, and are found by traversing the 

 sandstone ; " being overlaid, as it would appear, by the new red 

 or saliferous sandstone. 



" The northern or Glane coal basin, which principally com- 

 prises the banks of the Glane and its confluents, sheds its 

 waters into the Nahe. No general direction can be observed in 

 the stratification of its beds. The most southern coal beds, 

 which are the best of the whole basin, incline to the N, and thus 

 appear to rest on the band of red sandstone which separates them 

 from the Sarre coal basin : but more on the N, the beds of coal 

 worked often incline nearly parallel to the slope of the moun- 

 tains that contain them, and the general disposition of the beds 

 appears to be determined by the inequalities in the surface of an 

 inferior rock situated at a slight depth. In this basin, beds of 

 compact limestone, of a dark colour, occur very frequently in 

 the midst of the schists and conglomerates, and even in many 

 places appear (near Wolfstein, Rothseelberg, Sec.) beneath the 

 whole coal formation. They resemble those met with in the 

 western part of the basin of the Sarre, placed there between the 

 upper strata of the coal measures. But the principal mass of 

 the Glane coal formation is often formed of argillaceous schists, 

 with little or no impressions, and commonly alternating with 

 schistose sandstone; but the variety of sandstone especially 

 known by the name of the coal measure sandstone, is rather 

 rare. A coal almost always dry and of bad quality often occurs 

 in these rocks, forming in each mountain one, or at most two 



