﻿286 Canadian Record of Science. 



succeeded by new foldings from the south, and that each 

 time tlie new folds abutted against or were hemmed in by 

 the horsts, that is, the projecting remains of the preceding 

 folds. 



The systems of folds, or scales, into which Europe may 

 be divided are therefore : — 



1. The Caledonian system, inside the gneisses of the 

 Hebrides and Lofotens : 



2. The Armorican and Variscian curves ; 



3. The curve of the Pyrenees and that of the Alps and 

 Carpathians. What the relations of these are to the 

 systems of folds innnediately following and directed 

 towards the south, namely, those of the Western Mediter- 

 ranean and the Dinarian-Taurian curves, which, indeed, 

 form only a continuation of the great series of the 

 Eurasian limit curve, we are to-day not in a position 

 to give any information. 



We see how in this way our conceptions with regard to 

 the surface of the earth gradually change. Lines which 

 formerly had almost no significance seem to us now of 

 great importance. In many cases the relief gives us a 

 true picture of the structure, in others we must entirely 

 ignore the relief. To-day the Alps rise to the greatest 

 heights in Europe and present to us all their charms 

 of landscape,, but there can be almost no doubt that from 

 the whole structure of the folds there once lay to the 

 north of them on the Armorican and Variscian series 

 of folds eminences of equal importance, and in a still 

 earlier time similar heights probably existed in the 

 Caledonian region. Now we distinguish table-land and 

 folded-land more sharply from one another, and we learn 

 to recognize the significance of subsided areas. The most 

 striking of these are the oceanic depths, and although 

 time will not allow me to go into details with regard 

 to their formation and their probable origin, the following 

 facts may be presented : — 



