GEOLOGY. 137 



then thrown down at the end of this period of precipi- 

 tation, as Primary limestone. 



620. The calcareous mass may be viewed as corrosive 

 earth, from which a certain quantity of carbon has been set 

 free. As such, and combined with the oxygen developed 

 out of the water by the influence of light to form car- 

 bonic acid, the lime was insoluble and was precipitated. 



621. The primary lime-stone has also not been mecha- 

 nically deposited. It has a crystalline texture, is a cal- 

 careous granite, and generally succeeds the mica-schist 

 formation. 



a. Water -Formation Transition-Rocks. 



METAMORPHOSIS OF THE PRIMARY PRECIPITATIONS. 



622. The metamorphosis of the granite did not ter- 

 minate with these precipitations. They are only the 

 starting points for the metamorphosis, in which the 

 effort was first manifested to free themselves from the 

 primary combination. In the metamorphosis of earths, 

 the fundamental earths, or the constituent parts of 

 granite, strove to become each for itself a particular rock. 

 They were all identified in quartz ; in granite they for 

 the first time parted company with each other, yet still 

 formed a common sphere ; lastly, in gneiss and mica- 

 schist they all separated into three spheres, but which still 

 did not differ in mass from granite. 



623. Individualization had not yet been attained. 

 The gneiss had still all the constituent parts of the gra- 

 nite, as well as the mica-schist ; both are only a more 

 peripheric, slaty granite, the one having a preponderance 

 of the Argillaceous, the other of the Talcose. With these 

 formations, however, Geogeny cannot remain stationary ; 

 for verily the law of the development of the world is 

 individualization. Instead of granite, simply quartz, 

 instead of gneiss simply clay, instead of mica-schist simply 

 talc must be separated ; and then the termination of this 

 period is attained, the trinity of the simple earths has been 

 completely represented. 



