Ch. XIV. J 



VOLCANOS OF CATALONIA. 



187 



very regular form, and has a circular depression or crater at 

 the summit. It is chiefly made up of red scoriae, undistinguish- 

 able from that of the minor cones of Etna. The neighbouring 

 hills of Olivet and Garrinada, also figured in the frontispiece, 

 are of similar composition and shape. The largest crater of 

 the whole district occurs farther to the east of Olot, and is called 

 Santa Margarita. It is 455 feet deep, and about a mile in 

 circumference. Like Astroni, near Naples, it is richly covered 

 with wood, wherein game of various kinds abound. 



Although the volcanos of Catalonia have broken out through 

 sandstone, shale, and limestone, as have those of the Eifel, in 

 Germany, to be described in the sequel, there is a remarkable 

 difference in the nature of the ejections composing the cones in 

 these two regions. In the Eifel, the quantity of pieces of sand- 

 stone and shale thrown out from the vents, is often so immense 

 as far to exceed in volume the scoriae, pumice, and lava ; but I 

 sought in vain in the cones near Olot for a single fragment of 

 any extraneous rock, and Don Francisco Bolos informs me 

 that he has never been able to detect any. Volcanic sand and 

 ashes are not confined to the cones, but have been sometimes 

 scattered by the wind over the country, and drifted into narrow 

 valleys, as is seen between Olot and Cellent, where the annexed 

 section is exposed. The light cindery volcanic matter rests in 

 thin regular layers, just as it alighted on the slope formed by 

 the solid conglomerate. No flood could have passed through 



i No. 44. 



a, Secondary conglomerate. b, Thin seams of volcanic sand and scoriae. 



the valley since the scoriae fell, or these would have been for 

 the most part removed. 



The currents of lava in Catalonia, like those of Auvergne, 

 the Vivarais, Iceland, and all mountainous countries, are of 

 considerable depth in narrow denies, but spread out into com- 



