1855.] 



MURCHISON AND MORRIS — THE HARZ. 



445 



and associated strata are extensive deposits 

 which sometimes rest upon the Rothe- 

 todte-hegende as just mentioned, but are 

 often placed at once on the edges of the 

 older slaty rocks. At Osterode and to the 

 W.S.W., the Zechstein is characterized by 

 vast interlaminated bands of anhydrite, 

 which, on weathering, become gypsum. 



The fine laminee of sulphate of lime are 

 quite apparent, and as the beds both repose 

 upon and are surmounted by limestone, it 

 might be inferred by some geologists, that 

 the intermediate beds of anhydrite were 

 formerly carbonate of lime, which have 

 been altered by the transfusion of sul- 

 phuric acid. 



To the south of Sachswerfen, where the 

 Zechstein reposes on the Rothe-todte- 

 liegende, it is seen to be conformably sur- 

 mounted by beds of earthy red sandstone ; 

 and, although these have been hitherto 

 classed with the Bunter-Sandstein, or base 

 of the Trias, we have already assigned 

 reasons why this lower portion of that rock 

 should be considered as the natural roof 

 of the Zechstein, and therefore classed with 

 the Permian * . The accompanying section 

 (fig. 10), showing a succession from the 

 younger coal-beds, resting against highly- 

 inclined I^ower Carboniferous strata, and 

 followed by Permian rocks to the south of 

 the Ilarz, is taken from the Geol. Trans. 

 2 ser. vol. vi. p. 286. See also the Dia- 

 gram of the Permian succession on the 

 flanks of the Thiiringerwald, p. 424. 



In extensive portions of their range, the 

 chief limestones are dolomites. Near 

 Mansfeld, where the lower part only is 

 seen, the rock is a subconcretionary, flat- 

 bedded, impure, sandy limestone, of dark 

 brown colour, weathering into insulated 

 turrets, like some of the Sunderland beds. 



* We much regret not to have had time to 

 visit the remarkable insulated mass of Permian 

 rocks which lies a few miles to the S.E. of Nord- 

 hausen. There the conglomerates of the Rothe- 

 todte-liegende contain P*arom^e.9(Kyfhausen near 

 Kelbra). These rocks, associated with melaphyre 

 and surmounted by Zechstein, rise up through 

 the wide extent of Trias that lies between the 

 Thiiringerwald and the Harz. We hope to ex- 

 plore hereafter this insular Permian mass. 



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