﻿OF 
  THE 
  VALLEY 
  OF 
  THE 
  RHINE. 
  93 
  

  

  EXPLANATION 
  OF 
  PLATE 
  VIII. 
  

  

  Map 
  showing 
  the 
  present 
  distribution 
  of 
  Miocene 
  strata 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  post- 
  

   Miocene 
  Alps, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  basin 
  of 
  Basel 
  and 
  Mainz. 
  

  

  the 
  contrary 
  there 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  agreement, 
  a 
  circumstance 
  on 
  which 
  I 
  may 
  be 
  

   permitted 
  to 
  congratulate 
  myself. 
  With 
  Professor 
  Sandberger's 
  permission 
  I 
  

   trust 
  soon 
  to 
  publish 
  a 
  translation 
  of 
  his 
  memoir. 
  

  

  From 
  M. 
  Merian, 
  of 
  Basel, 
  and 
  Professor 
  Studer, 
  of 
  Berne, 
  I 
  received 
  much 
  

   valuable 
  collateral 
  information, 
  which 
  helped 
  me 
  to 
  work 
  out 
  the 
  theory 
  pro- 
  

   pounded 
  in 
  this 
  memoir. 
  

  

  MM. 
  Dufrenoy 
  and 
  Elie 
  de 
  Beaumont 
  attribute 
  the 
  original 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  

   plain 
  of 
  the 
  Rhine, 
  between 
  the 
  Vosges 
  and 
  the 
  Schwarzwald, 
  to 
  the 
  sinking 
  of 
  

   the 
  highest 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  long, 
  gently 
  curved 
  arch 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  ancient 
  junction 
  of 
  

   the 
  rocks 
  of 
  these 
  mountains 
  above 
  the 
  space 
  now 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  valley. 
  This 
  

   space, 
  according 
  to 
  these 
  distinguished 
  authors, 
  was 
  let 
  down 
  by 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  

   faults, 
  which 
  produced 
  the 
  scarped 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   great 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Bhine 
  (Explication 
  de 
  la 
  Carte 
  Geologique 
  de 
  la 
  France, 
  

   vol. 
  i. 
  p. 
  437). 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Hibbert, 
  in 
  his 
  celebrated 
  ' 
  History 
  of 
  the 
  Extinct 
  Volcanos 
  of 
  the 
  Basin 
  

   of 
  Neuwied 
  on 
  the 
  Lower 
  Rhine,' 
  1832, 
  states 
  the 
  theory 
  propounded 
  by 
  M. 
  Elie 
  

   de 
  Beaumont, 
  and 
  seems 
  partly 
  to 
  consider 
  that, 
  previous 
  to 
  the 
  deposition 
  of 
  

   the 
  Tertiary 
  deposits, 
  the 
  solid 
  strata 
  of 
  the 
  Rhine 
  gorge 
  " 
  would 
  be 
  shaken 
  to 
  

   their 
  very 
  foundation 
  ; 
  while 
  during 
  their 
  very 
  forcible 
  elevation 
  deep 
  fissures 
  

   or, 
  according 
  to 
  a 
  late 
  phraseology, 
  deep 
  valleys 
  of 
  disruption 
  (vallees 
  d'ecarte- 
  

   ment) 
  would 
  ensue, 
  .... 
  in 
  which 
  case, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  attriting 
  power 
  of 
  torrents 
  

   contained 
  in 
  such 
  fissures 
  during 
  an 
  incalculable 
  period 
  of 
  time, 
  it 
  would 
  not 
  

   be 
  always 
  easy 
  to 
  distinguish 
  such 
  appearances 
  as 
  have 
  originated 
  amidst 
  the 
  

   convulsive 
  effects 
  of 
  uplifting 
  causes, 
  from 
  those 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  caused 
  during 
  

   an 
  incalculable 
  lapse 
  of 
  ages 
  by 
  the 
  persistent 
  degradation 
  of 
  meteoric 
  agents." 
  

   He 
  thinks 
  that 
  the 
  Moselle, 
  with 
  all 
  its 
  windings, 
  has 
  "the 
  close 
  resemblance 
  of 
  

   a 
  deep 
  fissure 
  or 
  split," 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  of 
  the 
  Briihl 
  and 
  the 
  Nette 
  — 
  that 
  the 
  gorge 
  

   of 
  the 
  Rhine 
  between 
  Andernach 
  and 
  Rheineck, 
  and 
  thence 
  towards 
  Cologne, 
  

   was 
  formed 
  "by 
  the 
  same 
  common 
  convulsion," 
  and, 
  indeed, 
  "that 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  

   the 
  Rhine, 
  as 
  far 
  even 
  as 
  from 
  Bingen 
  to 
  Bonn, 
  was 
  originally 
  an 
  immense 
  

   fissure, 
  suddenly 
  induced 
  by 
  causes 
  of 
  violence 
  ; 
  " 
  and 
  to 
  this 
  and 
  other 
  fissured 
  

   valleys 
  he 
  attributes 
  different 
  dates. 
  All 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  antecedent 
  to 
  the 
  Ter- 
  

   tiary 
  period, 
  or 
  probably 
  so 
  (pp. 
  10-14). 
  

  

  Again, 
  following 
  M. 
  Boue, 
  he 
  considers 
  " 
  the 
  valley 
  from 
  Mayence 
  to 
  Basel 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  marine 
  basins 
  of 
  Europe 
  during 
  the 
  Tertiary 
  period," 
  and 
  

   that 
  a 
  barrier 
  of 
  high 
  land 
  stretched 
  across 
  "the 
  present 
  site 
  of 
  the 
  Straits 
  of 
  

   Bingen," 
  so 
  that 
  " 
  this 
  marine 
  basin 
  had 
  no 
  connexion 
  with 
  the 
  present 
  channel 
  

   of 
  the 
  Rhine 
  from 
  Bingen 
  to 
  Cologne." 
  

  

  " 
  Its 
  waters 
  flowed 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  quite 
  opposite 
  to 
  that 
  which 
  they 
  now 
  main- 
  

   tain, 
  being 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south, 
  while 
  its 
  southern 
  extremity 
  [about 
  Basel, 
  I 
  

   presume] 
  was 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  other 
  marine 
  basins 
  of 
  Europe 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  

   narrow 
  channels." 
  The 
  more 
  modern 
  view 
  is 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  directly 
  and 
  broadly 
  

   connected 
  with 
  the 
  freshwater 
  and 
  occasional 
  marine 
  interstratifications 
  of 
  the 
  

   Swiss 
  Miocene 
  strata, 
  which, 
  quoting 
  from 
  M. 
  Boue, 
  he 
  states 
  to 
  consist 
  of 
  

   marine 
  and 
  freshwater 
  debris 
  of 
  shells 
  &c. 
  confusedly 
  intermingled 
  bv 
  frequent 
  

   debacles 
  (p. 
  17). 
  The 
  basin 
  of 
  Neuwied 
  Dr. 
  Hibbert 
  also 
  considers 
  tohave 
  been 
  

   a 
  lake 
  which 
  was 
  partly 
  drained 
  by 
  the 
  convulsively 
  disrupted 
  fissure 
  which 
  now 
  

   forms 
  the 
  gorge 
  of 
  the 
  Rhine 
  between 
  Andernach 
  and 
  Linz 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  drainage 
  

   of 
  the 
  lake 
  was 
  helped 
  by 
  " 
  the 
  fissured 
  channel 
  of 
  the 
  Briihl, 
  which 
  was 
  probably 
  

   a 
  remote 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  volcanic 
  eruptions 
  which 
  in 
  this 
  district 
  distinguished 
  the 
  

   commencement 
  of 
  the 
  Tertiary 
  epoch 
  " 
  (p. 
  19). 
  The 
  different 
  statements 
  seem 
  

   to 
  me 
  to 
  be 
  not 
  quite 
  consistent 
  with 
  each 
  other; 
  but 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  partly 
  under- 
  

   stood 
  as 
  rather 
  expressing 
  the 
  opinions 
  of 
  M. 
  de 
  Beaumont 
  and 
  M. 
  Boue 
  than 
  

   Dr. 
  Hibbert's 
  own 
  opinion. 
  Further 
  explanation 
  is 
  perhaps 
  wanted 
  in 
  my 
  

   memoir 
  respecting 
  the 
  basin 
  of 
  Neuwied 
  and 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Briihl 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  mav 
  

   return 
  to 
  this 
  subject 
  in 
  a 
  future 
  memoir. 
  

  

  a 
  J- 
  G. 
  S. 
  No. 
  118. 
  i 
  

  

  