16 TOPOGRAPHY 



of similar deposits being found in other parts of the 

 Mediterranean and Adriatic. The late origin of this 

 formation, and the peculiar fact of most of the fossil 

 hones found here belonging to animals of the herbivo- 

 rous kind which are still extant, lends also an interest 

 to it which has been much increased from the attention 

 paid to it by recent geologists. The rocks in the 

 neighbourhood of Gibraltar are composed of sand- 

 stone and limestone. " The Queen of Spain's Chair," 

 the nearest mountain to Gibraltar, is composed of a 

 yellowish red-coloured sandstone, regularly stratified, 

 " the rare strata running from north-east to south- 

 west, and inclining in many different angles to the 

 south-east." No trace of breccia formation has been 

 discovered in this range of mountains. 



Beds of clay are found below the elevated plateau 

 called Buena Vista ; this clay is in different stages of 

 progress, frequently approaching to a slaty nature. 

 Near the Jew's burial-ground and new mole, beds of 

 dark brown-coloured shale are found. 



The next formations worthy of notice are the sand- 

 stone deposits : they are of two kinds ; one appears to 

 be of modern date, and to consist of the sand and 

 debris to be found in the surrounding coast ; the other 

 parts like those near Martin's Cave and Governor's 

 Cottage, are evidently of much older date. " And 

 most likely," says Mr. Smith, " they correspond 

 with the period of the first elevation of the 

 rock." 



The sand deposits are also very extensive; the 

 most remarkable one is that near the Alameda. This 



