On Muschelkalk and Quadersandstein. 

 By A. Boue'. 



(Extracted from M. Boue's Memoir on Germany, inserted in the Joui^nal 

 de Physique for May, 1822.) 



Second Secondary Limestone or Muschelkalk. 



THE second secondary limestone or muschelkalk of the 

 Germans is the least variable of all the German limestone 

 deposites, and nearly always occurs in the same manner; 

 from this great uniformity of character, and the extent of 

 this formation it would appear surprising that so few foreign 

 geologists should have a clear idea of it, or that they should 

 not have recognised it in their own countries. But the 

 explanation of this fact is simple as it respects England, the 

 deposite not existing there, they have vainly endeavoured to 

 recognise it. In France and Switzerland, this limestone 

 being of little extent compared with the oolite formation, it 

 has until now been considered, that the French muschelkalk 

 formed only a part of the latter, whilst in the north of 

 Germany, where the muschelkalk occupies, comparatively 

 with the respective extent of both countries, nearly as mnch 

 space as the oolite formation in France, it has been con- 

 lidered that the very circumscribed oolite deposites of nor- 

 thern Germany were only accidents in the great formation 

 of muschelkalk. 



The superposition of formations above each other being 

 the fundamental base of sound geology, I shall commence 

 by mentioning some localities where the muschelkalk rests 



