94 



THE TANGANYIKA PROBLEM. 



presents itself, in the shape of the massive ranges of the 

 Mountains of the Moon (see diagram facing p. 106). These 

 ranges, which rival the Alps in magnitude and in the 

 sublimity of their scenery, lie along the eastern edge of the 

 depression, and appear, in fact, to stand out into it 

 beyond what was originally its eastern face. That these 

 Mountains of the Moon are not older than this portion of 

 the eurycolpic fold seems to be supported by many con- 

 siderations. The undulating Victoria Nyanza plateau, which 

 terminates abruptly in the eastern wall of the valley to 

 the south of the range, and to the north of it in the abrupt 

 east coasts of the Albert Edward and Albert Nyanzas, 

 is generally composed of schists and gneiss ; but between 

 the Albert and Albert Edward Nyanzas the plateau 

 terminates abruptly upon the steep eastern slopes of the 

 Mountains of the Moon themselves. Here, however, 

 the layers of schist, of which the plateau is composed, 

 instead of being broken, as they are along the course 

 of the depression to the north and south of the range, 

 are bent and piled up upon the steep flanks of the 

 mountains themselves ; and it is only, as we found 

 at a great height, 12,000 ft. and more, that the layers 

 of steeply uptilted schist come to an end upon the 

 eastern slopes of the massive old amphibolites, which 

 form the central cores of the range, and appear to 

 have been bodily thrust through them. That this ap- 

 pearance of intrusion of the cores of the mountains 

 through what was originally a horizontal mass of gneissic 

 material, is a reality, appears to me to be supported by 

 numerous facts relating to the structure of the range. Thus, 

 although the schists come to an end at a height of about 

 11,000 ft. on the eastern flanks of the mountains, they 

 reappear on the western slopes, pitching at a very high 



