372 NOTES ON THE GEOLOGY 



the sea ; of which the Arabs brought about six thousand pounds 

 to market. A mass lilce an island, or a house, rose to the surface 

 after the earthquake of 1837 ; of which the inhabitants sold to 

 the amount of about three thousand dollars. These were the 

 only instances known to the Sheikh of the Jehalin, resident in 

 that vicinity, a man fifty years old : nor did his fathers hand 

 down to him the tradition of any other mass having been found 

 in the sea. There is, indeed, a prevailing tradition among the 

 Arabs, that the asphaltum exudes from the rocks on the eastern 

 shore of the sea : but there is good reason to doubt whether such 

 be the fact. 



The character of the valley of the Jordan is an important ele- 

 ment in our reasonings concerning volcanic action in Wady 

 Arabah. This valley is broader in many parts than the Dead 

 Sea ; in some places as much as ten or t^^elve miles. It is ter- 

 raced, as we find almost all the valleys in the mountainous parts 

 of our country. In all the upper part of the valley, the terraces 

 are two on each side of the river ; that is, w^e ascend the imme- 

 diate banks of the river and come upon the first terrace, which is 

 frequently overflowed and covered with vegetation. We ascend 

 a second terrace, which brings us upon a plain fifty or sixty feet 

 above the river, and exceedingly barren. Towards the mouth of 

 the river, is a third teiTace, a few feet lower than the first above 

 described ; and both these lower terraces are covered by vege- 

 tation. 



Such are the leading facts respecting the topography and geolo- 

 gy of the Arabah. Now for the inferences. 



1. There is every reason to believe that a fault runs through 

 thfe entire length of this valley, from Alcabah to Anti-Lebanon ; 

 and probal)ly to the Mediterranean near Aleppo. This was the 

 opinion of Von Buch, in reply to the inquiries of Dr. Robinson, 

 and it will doubtless be adopted by every geologist. Along such 

 a fault we should expect that volcanic agency would be active 

 at various epochs. And such appears to have been the case. 



2. There is no evidence that any volcanic eruption has occur- 

 red along the Arabah, or in any part of Palestine or Sjrria, within 

 historic times. Lava appears to have been ejected most recently, 



