﻿OF 
  THE 
  VALLEY 
  OF 
  THE 
  EHEN'E. 
  SO 
  

  

  continent 
  in 
  a 
  remarkable 
  manner. 
  The 
  Alps 
  received 
  a 
  new 
  eleva- 
  

   tion 
  along 
  with 
  the 
  adjacent 
  Miocene 
  rocks, 
  which, 
  previously 
  not 
  

   much 
  above 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  sea, 
  now, 
  in 
  the 
  heart 
  of 
  Switzerland, 
  

   vary 
  from 
  about 
  1200 
  to 
  5800 
  feet 
  in 
  height. 
  In 
  like 
  manner, 
  

   though 
  elevated 
  in 
  less 
  degree, 
  and 
  much 
  less 
  disturbed 
  as 
  

   regards 
  curvature 
  of 
  the 
  strata, 
  the 
  Miocene 
  beds 
  that 
  lie 
  between 
  

   Basel 
  and 
  Mainz 
  were 
  also 
  upheaved 
  ; 
  so 
  that 
  now 
  those 
  strata 
  attain 
  

   elevations 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  1000 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea 
  near 
  Basel, 
  and 
  

   probably 
  of 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  from 
  700 
  to 
  800 
  feet 
  near 
  Mainz. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  result 
  was, 
  that 
  in 
  all 
  those 
  parts 
  of 
  Central 
  and 
  

   Northern 
  Europe 
  with 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  now 
  to 
  deal 
  the 
  systems 
  of 
  

   drainage 
  were 
  wonderfully 
  altered, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  almost 
  entirely 
  

   remodelled. 
  

  

  In 
  (Switzerland 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  disturbance 
  and 
  elevation 
  of 
  the 
  

   Miocene 
  strata 
  having 
  been 
  greater 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Miocene 
  beds 
  

   in 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Rhine, 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  watery 
  erosion 
  in 
  the 
  Alps 
  

   must 
  have 
  been 
  proportionate 
  during 
  all 
  the 
  time 
  that 
  the 
  Crag 
  

   formations 
  of 
  England 
  and 
  Belgium 
  were 
  being 
  deposited; 
  and 
  during 
  

   this 
  period 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  rudiments 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  those 
  valleys 
  were 
  

   formed 
  that 
  afterwards 
  were 
  filled 
  by 
  and, 
  over 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  lowlands, 
  

   entirely 
  buried 
  beneath 
  the 
  great 
  glaciers 
  of 
  Switzerland, 
  when 
  the 
  

   cold 
  of 
  the 
  glacial 
  epoch 
  attained 
  its 
  maximum. 
  

  

  Along 
  the 
  lines 
  of 
  these 
  early 
  valleys, 
  between, 
  the 
  Oberland 
  and 
  

   the 
  Jura, 
  such 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Aar, 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  

   glacier 
  sheets 
  lay 
  thickest, 
  and 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  glacial 
  erosion 
  must 
  

   therefore 
  have 
  been 
  greatest 
  ; 
  and 
  very 
  important 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  

   outlines 
  of 
  hill 
  and 
  valley 
  were 
  the 
  result. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  I 
  have 
  

   long 
  ago 
  discussed, 
  and 
  I 
  will 
  not 
  renew 
  the 
  subject 
  ; 
  but 
  this 
  seems 
  

   certain, 
  that, 
  after 
  the 
  post-Miocene 
  upheaval 
  of 
  the 
  Alps, 
  the 
  

   present 
  main 
  drainage 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  began 
  before 
  the 
  glacial 
  episode, 
  

   and 
  was 
  in 
  many 
  important 
  respects 
  only 
  established 
  by 
  the 
  influence 
  

   of 
  glaciers. 
  The 
  upper 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Rhine 
  was 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  filled 
  

   by 
  a 
  river 
  of 
  ice 
  which, 
  joined 
  with 
  others, 
  covered 
  the 
  valley 
  more 
  

   than 
  halfway 
  from 
  Schaffhausen 
  to 
  Basel, 
  while 
  from 
  its 
  western 
  

   edge 
  and 
  end 
  the 
  liquid 
  river 
  followed 
  its 
  present 
  general 
  direction, 
  

   hemmed 
  in 
  between 
  the 
  Jura 
  on 
  the 
  south* 
  and 
  the 
  lower 
  hills 
  of 
  the 
  

   Schwarzwald 
  that 
  bounded 
  the 
  river 
  on 
  the 
  north. 
  Its 
  level 
  must 
  

   then 
  have 
  been 
  higher 
  than 
  now 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  channel. 
  

  

  "While 
  these 
  were 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  post-Miocene 
  upheaval 
  

   of 
  the 
  Alps 
  and 
  the 
  lowlands 
  of 
  Switzerland, 
  including 
  the 
  Jura, 
  it 
  

   is 
  also 
  my 
  opinion 
  that 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  upheaval 
  the 
  contiguous 
  area 
  of 
  

   the 
  Rhine 
  between 
  Basel 
  and 
  Mainz 
  was 
  tilted, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  main 
  

   drainage 
  in 
  what 
  is 
  now 
  the 
  basin 
  of 
  Basel 
  and 
  Mainz 
  flowed 
  in 
  a 
  di- 
  

   rection 
  opposite 
  to 
  that 
  which 
  it 
  followed 
  during 
  the 
  Miocene 
  epoch 
  ; 
  

   that 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  the 
  new 
  tilting 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  (fig. 
  1) 
  ended 
  in 
  pro- 
  

   ducing 
  a 
  thorough 
  drainage 
  that 
  flowed 
  from 
  south 
  to 
  north 
  instead 
  

   of 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south. 
  

  

  About 
  a 
  hundred 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  Basel, 
  following 
  the 
  windings 
  of 
  

   the 
  Rhine, 
  the 
  Lake 
  of 
  Constance 
  is 
  1305 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea, 
  and 
  

   * 
  Or, 
  rather, 
  the 
  northern 
  continuation 
  of 
  the 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  Jura. 
  

  

  