852 T. BELT ON THE STEPPES OF SOUTHERN RUSSIA. 



the interior of Wallaehia. On approaching the Carpathians the 

 deposits became more gravelly. The lower part of the Dobrudscha 

 is also covered with the same clay ; and at Kustenjah it is 100 feet 

 thick *. 



Continuing westward, and still passing over the same diluvial 

 deposits, we reach the great plains of Hungary, which stretch 

 from the Danube to the flanks of the Carpathians, and are every- 

 where covered with the " diluvium " of the Austro-Hungarian 

 geologists. Dr. Peters, of Gratz, correlates the drift-deposits of 

 Hungary with those of Bessarabia f. 



In Hungary the diluvial clay is sometimes termed the " loess," 

 and is so known westward. In the Vienna Basin it covers the 

 Congerian or Ingersdorf strata, exactly as the diluvial clay does in 

 South Russia, and contains the bones of the Mammoth accom- 

 panied by those of the "Woolly Rhinoceros, and the implements of 

 palaeolithic man at its base. Dr. Edward Suess, of Vienna, informed 

 me that it extended to heights of 1300 feet above the sea in the 

 upper parts of the valley of the Danube. 



The parallel relations of the strata of the Danube and the south 

 of Russia are shown in the following tabular statement : — 



Valley of the Danube. Southern Russia. 



(I. Loess of the Vienna basin and di- 1. Diluvial clay with land-shells 



luvium of the plains of Hungary in upper part, and freshwater 



and Wallachia. Bones of Mam- shells and bones of Mammoth 



moth at base. at base. 



2. Fluviatile beds ofValpuk, in Bes- 2. Fluviatile beds with freshwater 

 s irabia, with freshwater shells. shells and bones of Mam- 

 moth. 



3. Clays with Hydrobia, BitJiinia, &c, 3. Freshwater beds 300 feet below 

 180 feet below the beds of the the surface at Astrakhan on 

 Danube and the Theiss. the Volga. 



(4:. Freshwater beds with Paludina and 4. Possibly the Cyclas beds of 

 Melanopsis, "Paludinen- und Me- Murchison. 



lanopsis-Schichten' of theAustro- 

 Hungarian geologists. 



8 15. Brackish- water beds. " Congerien 5. Brackish- water beds, Congerian 

 ;2 J Schichten " of Austro-Hungarian strata, Older Steppe Lime 



^ J geologists. stone of Murchison. 



6. Sarmatic beds. 6. Sarmatic beds, Passage-beds of 



Murchison. 



^ 7. Marine Miocene. 7. Marine Miocene. 



I shall refer very briefly to the Miocene strata, and only so far as 

 their study throws light upon the conditions under which the 

 Quaternary beds were deposited. When the marine Miocene beds 

 were forming, the water of the Vienna basin was connected with 

 the Mediterranean, and extended eastward over the present Black 

 Sea, Caspian, and Aral areas, probably as far as Khiva. The cha- 

 racteristic mammals of this stage are Mastodon angustidens and 



* Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. xiv. p. 203, and vol. xvi. p. 281. 

 t Geol. Mag. 1868, p. 03. 



a 



