340 REACTION OF THE INTERIOR OF THE EARTH 



The two once lava-erupting conical mountains, the 

 volcano Peschan and the Hotscheu of Turfan, were long 

 erroneously regarded as forming one isolated volcanic 

 group. They are almost 420 geographical miles apart, 

 and are separated by a considerable mountain mass, 

 Bogdo-Oola, covered by perpetual ice and snow. I 

 think I have shown that, as in the Caucasus, the vol- 

 canic activity north and south of the long chain of the 

 Thian-schan is in close geological connection with the 

 limits of the circle of earthquake commotion, the hot 

 springs, solfataras, fissures emitting sal-ammoniac, and 

 beds of rock-salt. 



As, according to my often expressed view, now fully 

 participated in by the observer who is so thoroughly 

 acquainted with the Caucasian mountain-system, Abich, 

 the Caucasus itself is only to be regarded as belonging 

 to the continuation of the fissure of the volcanic Thian- 

 schan and Asferah, beyond the great Aralo-Caspian 

 depression ( 481 ), we should here mention, by the side of 

 the phenomena of the Thian-schan, as belonging to pre- 

 historic epochs, the four extinct volcanoes; Elburuz 

 18,493 feet high, Ararat 17,112 feet, Kasbegk 16,532 

 feet, and Savalan 15,759 feet. ( 482 ) In elevation these 

 volcanoes are intermediate between Cotopaxi and Mont 

 Blanc. The Great Ararat (Agri-dagh), first ascended 

 on the 27th September 1829 by Friedrich von Parrot, 

 repeatedly in 1844 and 1845 by Abich, and lastly in 

 1850 by Colonel Chodzko, is dome-shaped like Chimbo- 

 razo, and has two small elevations at the edge of the 

 summit, but no summit-crater. The greatest, and pro- 

 bably the most recent, prehistoric lava eruptions of 

 Ararat have all broken forth below the limit of per- 



