Eutton— Physical Geology of Malta. 149 



the faults where in process of formation. The upper part of the 

 Limestone being here hard, and not able to bend with the 

 other strata, has been very much crushed and broken up. The 

 Valley of St. Paul, of which St. Paul's Bay forms a part, runs 

 quite across the Island, and, on the south-west coast, is clearly 

 seen to be caused by a synclinal folding of the strata ; but at 

 St. Paul's Bay the bottom of the syncline seems to have fallen 

 through, forming two faults (Fig- HI.), which run half-way across 

 the Island, and can be seen on either side of the bay, at the Eock 

 of Selmone, and near Calatal-Ggazenin, respectively. The fault 

 on the north side of the bay has a throw of about 170 feet at 

 Selmone. The country between St. Paul's Bay and the main 

 fault has great similarity with the southern part of the Island ; 

 like that, an undulating plain rises from the sea-level on the north- 

 east coast until it reaches a line of flat-topped hills, similar in 

 all respects to those of Bengemma, but not rising to more than 

 450 feet. 



Most of the Maltese faults show, in places, remarkably well- 

 preserved specimens of slickenside, especially at Fomm-er-rih, at 

 Selmone, and at the Krendi fault, near Torre Hamra, 



Macluha. — One of the natural "lions" of Malta is Macluba, 

 which must not be passed over. It is a cylindrical hollow in the 

 upper part of the Lower Limestone, near Krendi, and is about 

 100 feet deep and 200 feet in diameter; the sides are perpendicular 

 and rough, without any trace of slickensides. It is situated in a 

 small valley, and is crossed by two fissures, the larger of which 

 is perpendicular and runs down the centre of the valley ; the 

 smaller one is inclined 60° to the horizon, and 45° to the larger 

 one. Evidently rain-water, charged with carbonic acid, obtained 

 from the decaying vegetable matter on the surface, percolated 

 through the fissures, dissolved the limestone-rock, and formed a 

 cave, the top of which has given way in the same manner as the 

 Brixham Cave, which was discovered by the falling in of the roof. 



Gozo. — The Island of Gozo is separated from Malta by a strait, 

 three miles wide. In composition and structure it is very similar 

 to Malta; and the geology of both should be studied together, 

 as in all probability they would throw mutual light on each other's 

 history; but, as my acquaintance with Grozo is not sufficient to 

 enable me to make any original observations on it, I have omitted 

 it in the present sketch. 



Geological History of Malta. — I will now make a few speculations 

 on the probable history of Malta, which the reader must take for 

 what they are worth, as a further knowledge of the geology of 

 the Island may perhaps require some of them to be modified. 



The Maltese beds were deposited at a time when, probably, the 

 Alps, Apennines, and the mountains of Turkey, Greece, and North 

 Africa, formed groups of islands in a shallow Miocene sea, which 

 extended over the valley of the Danube, the greater part of 

 Switzerland, and the valley of the Khine, as far as Mayence. 

 Central France we know to have been then land, with large 



