﻿Trof. Milne — Across Europe and Asia. 401 



reasonably infer that, since the time of the accumulation of these 

 strata, little or no disturbance has taken place, and that the eleva- 

 tion of these mountains, as before stated, was at least antecedent 

 to the deposition of the Trias. 



If the Permian strata are also undisturbed, which I doubt, it 

 would make the date of elevation of these mountains somewhat 

 earlier (see Eamsay on " The Geological History of some of the 

 Mountain Chains and Groups of Europe," Mining Journal, January 

 23rd, 1875). 



Carhoniferous Formation. — Of all the formations which help to 

 build our Continents, the one perhaps most sought for is that which 

 yields us Coal. These formations in Eussia, as in Britain, show 

 differences in stratjgraphical character, and also in some other points, 

 when examined over districts which are distant from each other. 

 Therefore, for purposes of comparison, before 1 commence with the 

 Carboniferous strata which flank the Urals, I will state the general 

 conditions under which coal exists farther to the west, near Moscow. 

 Commencing with the upper beds, we get three great zones, the 

 lowest of which contains the coal, and overlies the Devonian. The 

 first of these zones is a limestone holding Fusulina cylindrica, the 

 second is a limestone with Productiis gigas as its characteristic fossil, 

 and the third, which I have said holds the coal, consists mainly of 

 clay-slate, with Stigmaria ficoides. Comjoaring this general arrange- 

 ment with one that may be observed upon the westei'n or Russian 

 side of the Urals, we find that the three zones of the Moscow district 

 are now represented by five zones, which also overlie the Devonian. 

 The upper one of these, which was called by Murchison Millstone- 

 grit, on account of its lithological and stratigraphical resemblance to 

 similar rocks in Britain, forms, I believe, the Etage d'Artinsk of M. 

 Karpensky. It contains three bands of limestone, which in one 

 direction thin out. Beneath this upper zone is a Fusulina cylindrica 

 limestone, and, still lower, a sandstone and clay-slate rock carrying 

 coal. These last two zones, inasmuch as they overlie a limestone 

 containing Prod,uctiis gigas, may be looked upon as being the equiva- 

 lent of the Fasulina-\\m.e&ione of Moscow, both of them occupying 

 somewhat similar positions. Beneath this last limestone, which in 

 the West Ural series will form zone number 4, come more sandstones 

 and coal, which overlie the Devonian. Judging from a series of rock 

 specimens which I saw taken from zone number 1, they appeared 

 to represent a quartziferous sandstone much finer-grained than 

 the generality of rocks from our Millstone-grit. The limestone 

 bands, which are intercalated in this zone, may probably be con- 

 nected together, and also with the Fm%dina-\\m.e^tone below, their 

 position being an intercalated overlap indicating that some phj'sical 

 change, such as oscillation, had taken place during their deposition. 

 The accompanying figure will illustrate my meaning, and perhaps 

 suggest an explanation for similar occurrences which have been 

 observed in other parts of the world. At the end of the section, 

 marked W, we get a series of limestones which may correspond to 

 the Fusidina-Wme&ioue^ near Moscow. At the opposite end of the 



DECADE II. VOL. IV. — NO. IX. 26 



