Ch. XV.] STYRTA VIENNA HUNGARY. 213 



Vienna, and described by him in 1820 *, were alone sufficient 

 to identify a great part of the formations of that country with 

 the Miocene beds of the Loire, Gironde, and Piedmont. The 

 fossil remains subsequently procured by that indefatigable 

 observer M. Boue have served to show the still greater range 

 of the same beds through Hungary and Transylvania. 



It appears from the recently published memoirs of Professor 

 Sedgwick and Mr. Murchisonf , that the formations in Styria 

 may be divided into groups corresponding to those adopted by 

 M. Partsch for the Vienna beds ; the basin of Vienna exhibiting 

 nearly the same phenomena as that of Styria. These regions 

 have evidently formed, during the Miocene period, two deep 

 bays of the same sea, separated from each other by a great 

 promontory connected with the central ridge of the eastern 

 Alps. 



The English geologists, above mentioned, describe a long 

 succession of marine strata intervening between the Alps and 

 the plains of Hungary, which are divisible into three natural 

 groups, each of vast thickness, and affording a great variety of 

 rocks. All these groups are of marine origin, and lie in nearly 

 horizontal strata, but have a slight prevailing easterly dip, so 

 that, in traversing them from west to east, we commence with 

 the oldest and end with the youngest beds. At their western 

 extremity they fill an irregular trough-shaped depression, 

 through which the waters of the Mur, the Raab, and the 

 Drave, make their way to the lower Danube J. They here 

 consist of conglomerate, sandstone, and marls, some of the 

 marls containing marine shells. Beds also of lignite occur, 

 showing that wood was drifted down in large quantities 

 into the sea. In parts of the series there are masses of rounded 

 siliceous pebbles resembling the shingle banks which are form- 

 ing on some of our coasts. 



The second principal group is characterized by coralline 



* Journal de Physique, Novembre, 1820. 

 t Geol. Trans., Second Series, vol. iii. p, 301. J Ibid., p. 382. 



