94 
THE TANGANYIKA PROBLEM. 
presents itself, in the shape of the massive ranges of the 
Mountains of the Moon (see diagram facing p. 106). These 
ranges, which rival the Alps in magnitude and in the 
sublimity of their scenery, lie along the eastern edge of the 
depression, and appear, in fact, to stand out into it 
beyond what was originally its eastern face. That these 
Mountains of the Moon are not older than this portion of 
the eurycolpic fold seems to be supported by many con- 
siderations. The undulating Victoria Nyanza plateau, which 
terminates abruptly in the eastern wall of the valley to 
the south of the range, and to the north of it in the abrupt 
east coasts of the Albert Edward and Albert Nyanzas, 
is generally composed of schists and gneiss ; but between 
the Albert and Albert Edward Nyanzas the plateau 
terminates abruptly upon the steep eastern slopes of the 
Mountains of the Moon themselves. Here, however, 
the layers of schist, of which the plateau is composed, 
instead of being broken, as they are along the course 
of the depression to the north and south of the range, 
are bent and piled up upon the steep flanks of the 
mountains themselves ; and it is only, as we found 
at a great height, 12,000 ft. and more, that the layers 
of steeply uptilted schist come to an end upon the 
eastern slopes of the massive old amphibolites, which 
form the central cores of the range, and appear to 
have been bodily thrust through them. That this ap- 
pearance of intrusion of the cores of the mountains 
through what was originally a horizontal mass of gneissic 
material, is a reality, appears to me to be supported by 
numerous facts relating to the structure of the range. Thus, 
although the schists come to an end at a height of about 
11,000 ft. on the eastern flanks of the mountains, they 
reappear on the western slopes, pitching at a very high 
