448 EF. Suess— Origin of the Alps. 
detailed description. To the north of Genoa the long lines of the 
Molasse and Flysch rise gradually from the Piedmontese plain, 
and extend southward in great curves. In the neighborhood 
region oO ria, and it stretches on in an unbroken course 
through the peninsula to the Gulf of Tarentum. Within this 
limit the limestone mountains extend uninterrupted from 
Spezia southward, embracing the Abruzzen, the Gran Sasso and 
the elevations of the Basilicata. Still within the line, on the 
western coast of Italy, are found the isolated fragments of the 
older crystalline rocks. As traces of the action of the mighty 
forces which caused this great horizontal shove, we may point to 
the wide areas of depression of the Tyrrhenian and eastern part 
of the Ligurian seas, while between the ruins of the ancient 
rocks the fissures are to this day in part open, on which are sit- 
uated a long series of volcanoes, and along which earthquake 
differing essentially from each other—one the side of shoving 
and folding, the other of fracture and voleanic phenomena; the 
ormer is convex and continuous, the latter is interrupted by 
areas of depression. 
The western Alps repeat the same contrast of a folded onter 
side, and an inner side of fracture, though here the volcanic 
mountains are wanting. At no point on the southern side of 
these western Alps can an equivalent of the long anticlinal ot 
the Molasse be found; in no case can a profile be given whic 
shall show an older middle zone flanked by symmetrical side 
zones. The Juras, too, are a model of a true one-sided move- 
ment, caused by pressure against an immovable foreign mass of 
bia rocks. The fracture line is in this case turned toward the 
3 
he eastern Alps alone show a great series of Mesozoic and 
Tertiary rocks on their southern side, which might be regarded 
as belonging to the hypothetical southern zone. If we attempt, 
however, to compare the long series of regular folds, which are s0 
conspicuous in the northern zone, with the rocks on the other 
side, we find that nowhere in the latter is there the slightest cor- 
respondence. The careful consideration of the relations here 
exhibited shows that the strata do not conform in strike with 
those of the northern zone. On the contrary, we are justi 
in concluding that this broad mountain girdle separates toward 
the east into several one-sided chains. : 
same one-sided structure belongs to the Carpathians and 
the other branches of the Alpine system to the east and south 
This — established, it becomes clear that we must aban 
don the idea of a symmetrical structure—a middle zone with 
