﻿OF 
  THE 
  VALLEY 
  OF 
  THE 
  RHINE. 
  83 
  

  

  Nagelfluh 
  of 
  the 
  Righi, 
  the 
  Rossberg, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  subalpine 
  hills 
  

   that 
  flank 
  the 
  older 
  mountains, 
  continuously 
  over 
  great 
  spaces, 
  and 
  

   at 
  intervals 
  elsewhere, 
  all 
  the 
  way 
  from 
  the 
  Rhine 
  near 
  its 
  entrance 
  

   into 
  the 
  Lake 
  of 
  Constance 
  to 
  the 
  Lake 
  of 
  Thun, 
  and 
  which 
  again 
  

   appear 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Lake 
  of 
  Geneva, 
  near 
  Yevey 
  

   (Map, 
  PL 
  TILL). 
  Nor 
  are 
  these 
  conglomerates 
  confined 
  to 
  one 
  precise 
  

   geological 
  horizon. 
  

  

  The 
  statement 
  also 
  is 
  often 
  made 
  that, 
  during 
  the 
  deposition 
  of 
  

   the 
  Miocene 
  strata, 
  the 
  Jura 
  as 
  a 
  mountain-range 
  had 
  no 
  existence. 
  

   This 
  is 
  a 
  slight 
  overstatement 
  of 
  the 
  case 
  ; 
  but, 
  without 
  going 
  

   into 
  details, 
  it 
  is 
  sufficient 
  for 
  my 
  present 
  purpose 
  to 
  mention 
  

   that 
  in 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Merian, 
  of 
  Basel, 
  and, 
  I 
  believe, 
  of 
  other 
  

   Swiss 
  geologists, 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  Jura 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  rudimentary 
  stage 
  

   preceded 
  the 
  deposition 
  of 
  the 
  Miocene 
  strata 
  — 
  so 
  far, 
  that 
  the 
  pre- 
  

   Miocene 
  formations 
  had 
  been 
  somewhat 
  disturbed 
  and 
  considerably 
  

   denuded, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  low 
  undulating 
  plain, 
  afterwards 
  

   entirely 
  buried 
  in 
  the 
  Miocene 
  waters. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  deposition 
  of 
  the 
  Miocene 
  strata 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  

   now 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  Jura, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  that 
  lies 
  between 
  that 
  

   range 
  and 
  the 
  Oberland, 
  and 
  far 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  into 
  Bavaria 
  and 
  the 
  

   dominions 
  of 
  Austria, 
  was 
  generally 
  but 
  little 
  raised 
  above 
  the 
  level 
  

   of 
  the 
  sea 
  and 
  frequently 
  depressed 
  below 
  it, 
  as 
  witnessed 
  by 
  the 
  

   occurrence 
  of 
  marine 
  beds 
  among 
  the 
  Miocene 
  freshwater 
  strata, 
  

   not 
  in 
  one 
  middle 
  band 
  or 
  subformation, 
  as 
  is 
  sometimes 
  stated, 
  but 
  

   in 
  several 
  occasional 
  interstratifications, 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  universally 
  

   spread 
  throughout 
  all 
  the 
  Swiss 
  area 
  (Map, 
  fig. 
  2). 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  also 
  every 
  reason 
  for 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  the 
  patches 
  of 
  

   Miocene 
  rocks 
  in 
  the 
  Jura 
  (Map, 
  PI. 
  VIII), 
  both 
  freshwater 
  and 
  

   marine, 
  were 
  originally 
  united 
  to 
  the 
  larger 
  mass 
  that 
  forms 
  the 
  low- 
  

   lands 
  of 
  Switzerland. 
  On 
  the 
  elevation 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  territory, 
  and 
  the 
  

   more 
  special 
  disturbance 
  and 
  denudations 
  consequent 
  on 
  the 
  uprising 
  

   of 
  the 
  Jura, 
  the 
  Molasse 
  that 
  lay 
  on 
  the 
  Mesozoic 
  formations 
  of 
  that 
  

   range 
  was 
  converted 
  into 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  outliers 
  still 
  existing 
  in 
  the 
  

   large 
  synclinal 
  basin-shaped 
  hollows, 
  which, 
  as 
  broad 
  mosses 
  and 
  

   green 
  meadows, 
  so 
  frequently 
  form 
  the 
  upper 
  valleys 
  of 
  the 
  hilly 
  

   land 
  of 
  the 
  area, 
  and 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  so 
  well 
  described 
  by 
  Professor 
  

   Desor. 
  These 
  outliers 
  of 
  one 
  original 
  stretch 
  of 
  Molasse 
  thus 
  easily 
  

   carry 
  us 
  to 
  the 
  confines 
  of 
  Basel. 
  If 
  this 
  be 
  true, 
  it 
  establishes 
  

   a 
  direct 
  original 
  continuation 
  of 
  the 
  Miocene 
  strata 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  

   the 
  basin 
  of 
  Mainz, 
  between 
  Basel 
  and 
  Mainz, 
  including 
  in 
  the 
  

   word 
  Miocene 
  (for 
  the 
  sake 
  of 
  brevity) 
  all 
  the 
  subformations 
  classed 
  

   by 
  some 
  geologists, 
  both 
  in 
  Switzerland 
  and 
  Germany, 
  under 
  the 
  

   terms 
  Oligocene 
  and 
  Miocene 
  (Map, 
  PL 
  VIIL). 
  

  

  These 
  Miocene 
  strata 
  form 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  bordering 
  the 
  

   plain 
  of 
  the 
  Rhine, 
  near 
  Basel 
  and 
  thence 
  to 
  Mulhausen 
  and 
  

   still 
  further 
  west, 
  rising 
  in 
  high 
  tabular 
  masses 
  of 
  flat-lying 
  strata 
  

   which 
  overlook 
  the 
  broad 
  fiats 
  of 
  alluvial 
  gravel 
  that 
  lie 
  between 
  

   the 
  Schwarzwald 
  and 
  the 
  southern 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  Vosges. 
  Thence 
  

   they 
  skirt 
  the 
  plain 
  on 
  the 
  right 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  

   Freiburg 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  left 
  they 
  appear 
  at 
  intervals 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  

  

  