702 G. M. MURGOCI 



lower strata of -the Pontic stage? Balenescu at Targu Jiu, and 

 Daniilescu at Barzesti, have made two borings (250 111 and 8o m ) into 

 the Lower Pontic; strong emanations of hydrocarbons were observed, 

 but no petroleum. 



(2) This petroleum may be in relation to the repeated underlying 

 seams of lignite and the beds which are very rich in molluscan fauna. 

 The lignite often burns spontaneously; at Turcesti, Rosia (Valcea), 

 Rosia Amaradia (Jiu), Negoesti, etc., it is continually burning. Some 

 seams of this lignite are very bituminous; when they burn, they 

 increase from seven to ten times in volume, and they smell of bitu- 

 men from afar; through their heat the adjoining shale and sandy 

 marls, etc., are burned and metamorphosed. 



In general, the phenomena are similar to those described from 

 the Californian oil region (Santa Barbara), but the metamorphism of 

 the red shales, brown and black stones (like basalt or jasper), etc., 

 of Oltenia is obviously due to the burning of lignite. 



I hope that the vegetable theory accepted and developed by Zuber 1 

 for the north Carpathian oil regions will receive a contribution by 

 means of these facts of Oltenia. The gaseous hydrocarbon from the 

 Lower Pontic could have their origins in the large quantity of algae, 

 plant, and fish remains which are abundant in the Valcticiennesia 

 strata. The oil from the upper strata arose, very probably, from the 

 distillation of organic substance of the molluscan beds and lignite 

 seams, by the burning of lignite. 



H. THE LEVANTINE STAGE 



The Levantine formations which occur to the south of the Sub- 

 carpathian region have been studied exhaustively by Fontannes, 

 Fuchs, Tournoueri, Porumbaru, Sabba Stefanescu, 2 etc.; accord- 

 ingly I did not presume to repeat their observations. L. Mrazec 3 

 has described a Levantine terrace along the skirt of the mountains 

 westward from Jiu ; east of this valley it is not well marked. Accord- 

 ing to the orography (terraces and peneplanes) in the high mountains 



1 R. Zuber, "Kritische Bemerkungen iiber die modernen Petroleum-Entstehungs- 

 Hypothesen," Zeitsch. f. firakt. Geologic, 1897, 6. 



2 See the discussion of this stage by Sabba Stefanescu (loc. cit.). 



3 L. Mrazec, "Les schistes cristallines des Carpathes meridionales," Comptes 

 Rendus du Congres geol., IX, Vienne, 1903. 



