428 Reviews — Mojskovics Dolomite Reefs of South Tyrol. 



II. — The Dolomite Eeefs op the South Tyrol and Venetia. 

 Contributions to the History of the Formation of the Alps. (Die 

 Dolornit - Riffe von Sud-Tyrol und Venetia. Beitrage zur 

 Bildungsgeschichte der Alpen. Yon Edmond Mojsisovics von 

 Mojsvar.) With a Map, in 6 Sheets, of the Tyrolese Venetian 

 Alps, 30 Photographs, and 110 Woodcuts; pp. 552. 



THOUGH the title of this work might lead one to suppose that 

 it merely treated of the geological history of the remai'kable 

 mountains of dolomite which are so wonderfully displayed in this 

 portion of the Tyrolese Alps, an inspection of the book itself shows 

 that the author by no means confines himself to a single portion of 

 the geology, but traces out with great minuteness of detail the 

 complete history of the different series of rocks, from the Archaic to 

 the Tertiary, as well as the various glacial deposits and the physio- 

 graphy of the district. 



As stated in the preface, the portion of the Southern Alps described 

 in this book lies between the Pusterthal on the north, the Etsch on 

 the west, the Piave to the east, and the neighbourhood of Belluno 

 and the Sugana Valley on the south, and contains the well-known 

 Alpine districts of Amperro, Landro, Sexten, Cadore, Zoldo, Agordo, 

 Primiero, Fassa, Groden. Enneberg, and Brags ; the ancient 

 volcanic tracts of Fleims and Fassa, the eastern portion of the great 

 porphyry plateau of Botzen, the granitic island-mountain of the 

 Cima d'Asta, as well as the fruitful valley lands of Sugana and the 

 rich Tertiary basin of Belluno. 



The first part of the book consists of a general introduction to the 

 geological history of the Alps, in which are sketched the various 

 formations, the localities in which they occur, their petrological 

 constituents, and their principal fossils. The probable extension of 

 the land and water areas at the different periods, and the relationship 

 of these rocks to those of corresponding age in other parts of Europe, 

 are also given. It is shown that whilst rocks of Archaic, Palaeozoic, 

 Mesozoic, and Tertiary age are represented in this region, the 

 principal mountain masses belong to rocks of Permian and Triassic age. 



In the second part, which embraces the fifth to the fifteenth 

 chapters, detailed descriptions are given of the sections exposed in 

 the most noted localities of the region, and numerous woodcuts 

 facilitate the explanations of the more complex sections. Dr. Doelter 

 has investigated and described the volcanic districts of Fassa and 

 Fleims, the quartz-porphyry districts and the granites of the Cima 

 d'Asta. 



The 16th chapter is devoted to a consideration of the age, struc- 

 ture, and extension of the vast masses of dolomite, of which this 

 Alpine region is largely formed. The author endeavours to prove 

 that these vast ranges of Triassic dolomite were formed as reefs 

 round the crystalline middle-zone of the Alps during a period of 

 depression, and that they may be compared to the great wall-reefs 

 which now border the Australian continent. On the land bordering 

 these reefs volcanos burst out, and to the eruptions from these and 

 submarine volcanos are largely due the beds of tuff and breccia 



