T. Davidson — On the Geology of Nice. 311 



The upper stages are very rich in Gasteropoda and Khizopoda, 

 but in the neighbourhood of Nice they are rarely found lying 

 conformably on the lower beds, but are more often seen resting 

 unconformably on the Cretaceous and Jurassic strata that lie 

 beneath. 



The stages or deposits referable to the present period (Quaternary) 

 generally repose on Lower Tertiary deposits, as well as upon the 

 most ancient of those belonging to the Upper Jurassic period. I 

 have likewise been able to notice in some of these deposits along our 

 shores, that deep sea beds have been frequently thrown up, together 

 with the mollusca they contained, the thickness of their shells much 

 exceeding that of the same species inhabiting the Mediterranean at 

 the present day. 



Section. 



I. "OONTEMPORANEOUS PbRIOD (QuATERNART). 



a. Actual or Recent ; alluvium and concretions. '0'2}per hed : land increased 

 by sea shore, fluviatile and marine deposits, limestones, marls, etc. ; hori- 

 zontal ; thickness, five metres ; discordance with the Tertiary, Cretaceous, 

 and Jurassic formations. Heterogeneous composition. Recent fauna and 

 flora. In many places Glacial drift ; Breccias. Lower bed : arenaceous 

 ' and pebbly deposits. Inclin. 15 deg. N.S. ; two metres; discordance with 

 the Coralline Limestones : heterogeneous deposit, fragments of undeter- 

 minable shells. Loc. Mt. Boron, St. Philippe, St. Hospice, near Nice. 



h. Anthopo-Lithosien, Geny — Stone age. Tljjper hed : deposit of Osseous 

 breccia in caves. Inc. 17 deg. N.S. ; one metre fifty centimetres in thick- 

 ness; discordance with the dolomites. Heterogeneous composition, a. with 

 cut flints ; b. with polished flints and serpentine. Loc. Antibes, Castle of 

 Nice, Menton, etc. 



— Marine diluvian ; lower bed, deposit of white marls with sub-fossils, situated 

 at from three to five metres above the level of the sea. Inc. 20 deg. N.E. ; 

 thick. 70 centimetres. Discordance with the deposits of Parisian marl; 

 bed composed of agglutinations of fragments of shells, white limestones and 

 siliceous sands. Recent fauna, deep sea fauna. Loc. Beaulieu and Monaco. 



II. Tertiary Period. 



a. SuBAPENNiNE Or Older Pliocene (Lyell). Upper hed sandy and pebbly; 

 conglomerate, etc. Inc. from 20 to 30 deg. N.W. ; 60 metres. Discord- 

 ance with the Tertiary, Cretaceous, and Jurassic. Contains several rolled 

 and transported fossils — Turritella communis, Natica glaueina, etc. Loc. 

 Hills of Bellet, Magnan. 



-— Median hed — Sands and yellowish plastic clays, etc. Inc. 20 to 30 deg. N.W. ; 

 10 metres. Discordance as above ; tolerably rich in Gasteropoda and 

 Bryozoa. Bulla spirata, Vermetus arficulatus, D'Orb. Loc. St. Jean, 

 St. Etienne, Trinite, Nice. 



— lower bed — Bluish plastic marls, etc. Inc. 20 to 30 N. W. ; 30 metres. Dis- 



cordance as above. Less rich in Gasteropoda and Bryozoa. Biiccitium 

 maculosum, D'Orb. Loc. Mantega and Fontaine du Temple, near Nice. 



b. Faltjnien, D'Orb. (Molasse), Upper Miocene (Lyell) ; ferruginous arena- 



ceous marls, etc. Inc. 25 to 35 deg. E. ; 15 metres. Discordance with the 

 Lower Tertiaries ; poor in fossils. Rhync, bipartita, Ter. pedemontana. 

 Loc. Baumettes and Lazaret, Nice. 



— Lower 6ei^— Ferruginous, tufl'aceous marls, etc. Inc. as above ; 50 metres. 



Discordance as above ; few fossils ; undeterminable Zoophytes. Loc. Fossan, 

 Bordighera, etc. 



c. ToNGRiEN, D'Orb. Lower Miocene (Lyell). Z7jBj!?er 5e«f, bay coloured sand- 



stones and grits, etc. Inc. 30 to 40 deg. E. ; 20 metres. Discordance as 

 above ; poor in Gasteropoda, but rich in Foraminifera. Clypeaster truncata, 

 Agas. scutella. Loc. Calvaire, a Vence, Fossan at Menton. 



