372 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [April 4, 



They consist of a remarkably thick Ostrea, which Mr. Morris con- 

 siders to belong to the nummulitic rocks, and a portion of a Cerithium 

 resembling the small end of C. giganteutn. 



As M. Tchihatcheff has already observed, this red sandstone for- 

 mation is extensively developed in a particular zone of Asia Minor, 

 extending from north to south between 32° and 35° of latitude ; 

 I am not aware of its existing either to the east or west of this zone, 

 although the overlying and unconformable gypsum, sand and marl 

 formations, hereafter to be described, have a far greater extension both 

 to the north and south. In a paper published in the 5th vol. of the 

 Transactions of this Society, I have described the red sandstone forma- 

 tion as it occurs between Mount Argseus and the great salt lake of Koch 

 Hissar, and have there left the question open whether it should be 

 referred to the secondary or to the tertiary formation. In another 

 place *, alluding to its existence in the districts now under considera- 

 tion, I have stated that although in its general appearance it is the 

 counterpart of the red sandstone districts of England, it must, geolo- 

 gically speaking, be of a much more recent date, inasmuch as it con- 

 tains many pebbles of the scaglia limestone, considered to be the equi- 

 valent of our cretaceous beds, and must therefore be posterior rather 

 than anterior to the age of our chalk, — a conclusion which is con- 

 firmed by its connection with the nummulitic limestone, to which it 

 is evidently posterior. 



The section fig. 4, constructed from the notes of my journal, will 

 show the relative position of this formation where I crossed it, for 

 both to the north and to the south of that line it extends further to 

 the east. It is everywhere much contorted and disturbed, being in 

 some places vertical, thus showing the comparatively recent age of 

 many of the igneous outbursts of this region ; and consists of a great 

 variety of beds of different degrees of hardness and of different shades 

 of red and yellow, the yellow being generally harder than the red. 

 Independently of its connection with the nummulitic limestone, one 

 cause of the interest attached to it is owing to the numerous mines of 

 rock-salt which appear to be associated with it ; one of them I visited 

 near Soungourli; two others have been \dsited and described by 

 Mr. Ains worth. 



To the north of Soungourh, towards the salt-mine of Chayan Kieui, 

 the hills consist first of alternating red and grey marls dipping 

 W.S.W. 20°; some of them contain beds of gravel and pebbles of 

 secondary limestone, red jasper and trap ; proceeding to the north- 

 west are beds of hard red sandstone with an easterly dip, which gra- 

 dually increases until in the centre of the ridge it becomes almost ver- 

 tical. In the detritus in the valleys and plains are found many masses 

 of selenite ; and where the red sandstone rock becomes vertical, I ob- 

 served in the sides of the ravines many thick veins of selenite, with 

 smaller ones running in every direction and intersecting each other. 



Proceeding westward down the valley from Soungourli, the southern 

 prolongation of this line of vertical beds is seen on either side. A 

 wide plain then intervenes, beyond which the escarpment of another 



* See Researches in Asia Minor, vol. i. pp. 405-6. 



