M. Boue' on the Muschelkalk, Sj-c. 319 



on the new red sandstone. These citations might be very' 

 nnmerous, from the greater part of the large rivers of the 

 N. and N.VY. of Germany having hollowed their beds 

 in the new red sandstone across the muschelkalk. It some- 

 times happens that this hollowing out takes place in a con- 

 vexity of the inferior sandstone, as near Gottingen and 

 Coburg. The surface of the new red sandstone is often 

 uneven, and we then frequently see the muschelkalk mould 

 its beds into inequalities, as near Detmold in Westphalia, 

 near Stedfeld, near Eisenach, at Fachdorf, along the Werra, 

 between Hoheneiche and Fatterode in Hesse ; whilst else- 

 where the horizontal limestone beds rest on a nearly evieil 

 surface, as near Uerrenhauseu, near Pjrmont, between 

 Merauugen and Hilburghausen, and between Eislenben and 

 Nordhausen ; in France the band of muschelkalk which 

 surrounds all the Vosges, with the exception of the northern 

 part, reposes on the more or less irregular surfaces of the 

 new red sandstone or variegated marls and gypsum, as near 

 Bishmosheim, near Treves, &c. 



The muschelkalk constitutes, in the north and west of 

 Germany, a formation many hundred feet thick, whilst the 

 zechstein or first secondary limestone never attains there 

 more than a few fathoms in thickness. 



This limestone is in rather thin beds, and very rarely 

 afi'ords sufficiently large blocks to be made use of as marble. 

 Its horizontal or curved beds generally appear to contribute 

 considerably to the form of the mountains composed of it ; 

 thus we sometimes see the rounded summits of this deposite 

 or its platforms arise, the former from the convexities of the 

 contorted beds (Stedtfeld, Detmold), and the latter from 

 their horizontal position. These mountains sometimes pre- 

 sent a steep slope, affording occasionally considerable escarp- 

 ments by the side of the rivers, as near Fachdorf, in Memun- 

 gen; these rocky escarpments are essentially distinguished 

 from those of the oolitic heights, and an exact observer 

 could not confound them with the cleft and indented pre- 

 cipices of the lattex; It sometimes contains caverns, as in 

 the Memungen, near Kl^oster-Fesser. This limestone is 



