Miss M. M. Ogilvie — Coral in the '^ Dolomites." 57 



V. — Complete Harmony of the Geology of Enneberg in South Tyrol, 

 with recognized methods of Alpine Mountain-making. 



Since the main folding and overthrusting and East- West faulting 

 took place, these planes of fault and the strata through which they 

 passed have continued to suffer from movements of a vertical nature 

 and usually in transverse direction (c/. Vacek's observations on 

 North-South faults in the Etsch basin). For example, I have already 

 referred to an important thrust-plane in the Buchenstein Valley. 

 It may really be better called an east and west direction of over- 

 thrust faulting, for the main thrust is made up by the coincidence of 

 several minor overthrusts, and it breaks eastwards into a number 

 of diverging overthrusts. The whole series of faulting is cut off 

 just west of the Arabba stream by a vertical fault of considerable 

 throw, extending north and south, and letting down the Sella 

 block in the west. This fault passes through the western limits of 

 the Prelongei and Stuores meadows, while the Buchenstein over-thrust 

 lies on the southern. Another important North-South fault occurs 

 between Cherz and Varda, in the Buchenstein Valley, again letting 

 down the western flank. What do we find now on the northern 

 and eastern limits of Prelongei? Northward, the squeezed and 

 shattered anticline of Groden Joch passes across the meadows and 

 is cut off by the north-south vertical fault traced southward from 

 Heilig-Kreuz.^ The mountains of Kreuzkofl and La Verella are 

 let down to the east of this fault until Dachstein dolomite reaches 

 almost the same low contours as it does at the Sella massif 

 (eastern side), and at Sett Sass. We see, therefore, that the Cassian 

 strata of Prelongei are pressed like a pliable plug into the midst of 

 an ancient arena of cross-movements. And in this light the theory 

 that the fossiliferous Cassian deposits collected in a basin more or 

 less surrounded by high Coral cliffs of Sett Sass, Sella, Lagazuoi 

 and Gardenazza, sinks into insignificance, for here we have some- 

 thing much grander ! These are the processes of ages which have 

 given us our grand Alpine Chains. The meadows of Enneberg have 

 in this history one which will bear comparison with the proudest 

 tales of Switzerland. They give us their trophy of miniature forms 

 of mid-Triassic life ; they give us also an insight into Nature's 

 methods of mountain-making, on a miniature scale it is true, but 

 following natural law as inevitably as did the spirals of their 

 thousand Gasteropods, or the delicate intricacies within their myriad 

 Brachiopods. 



I must for one moment refer to the latest volcanic eruptions which 

 took place, presumably also in Triassic time, in the districts of 

 Predazzo and Monzoni (Fleims and Fassa Valleys). The innumer- 

 able dykes of the district often penetrate Wengen lavas and Schlern 

 dolomite, and are said to be limited to a certain radial distance 

 from the chief centres of eruption. The northern limit given, viz. 

 Eodella, Canazei, and Marmolata, for the occurrence of intrusive 

 porphyry in rocks younger than Lower Wengen, must, however, 



1 Vide Q.J.G.S. 1893, " General Map," p. 70, where the important faults in the 

 Prelongei district are drawn. 



