﻿CEYSTALLINE 
  EOCKS 
  OF 
  THE 
  ALPS. 
  by 
  

  

  of 
  transport 
  ; 
  but 
  we 
  were 
  careful 
  to 
  bring 
  away 
  examples 
  of 
  all 
  

   important 
  types, 
  many 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  since 
  examined 
  micro- 
  

   scopically, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  was 
  necessary 
  for 
  my 
  purpose. 
  In 
  regard 
  to 
  

   the 
  latter 
  I 
  have 
  only 
  entered 
  into 
  details 
  where 
  they 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  

   interest 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  rock, 
  and 
  these, 
  in 
  order 
  

   not 
  to 
  interrupt 
  the 
  continuity 
  of 
  the 
  text, 
  are 
  given, 
  if 
  brief, 
  in 
  a 
  

   footnote, 
  if 
  more 
  lengthy 
  in 
  an 
  appendix 
  *. 
  

  

  I. 
  The 
  Westeen 
  Alps 
  ekom 
  Geenoble 
  to 
  Tuein. 
  

   A. 
  Grenoble 
  to 
  Briangon. 
  

  

  If 
  we 
  take 
  a 
  geological 
  map 
  of 
  the 
  Western 
  Alps, 
  that 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  

   region 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Rhone, 
  restricted 
  for 
  our 
  present 
  

   purpose 
  by 
  prolonging 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  that 
  valley 
  between 
  Martigny 
  

   and 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Lake 
  of 
  Geneva 
  to 
  the 
  plain 
  of 
  Piedmont 
  in 
  a 
  

   S.S.E. 
  direction, 
  and 
  by 
  a 
  line 
  drawn 
  roughly 
  from 
  Saluzzo 
  to 
  Gap, 
  we 
  

   see 
  that 
  a 
  broad 
  belt 
  of 
  crystalline 
  rock 
  runs, 
  almost 
  without 
  inter- 
  

   ruption, 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  direction 
  rather 
  W. 
  of 
  S.S.W. 
  from 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  

   the 
  Rhone 
  until, 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  Vizille 
  (a 
  few 
  miles 
  from 
  

   Grenoble), 
  it 
  curves 
  towards 
  the 
  S.E. 
  to 
  form 
  the 
  crystalline 
  massif 
  

   of 
  the 
  High 
  Alps 
  of 
  Dauphine. 
  The 
  outline 
  of 
  this 
  crystalline 
  mass 
  

   (something 
  like 
  a 
  pistol, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  eastward 
  massif 
  is 
  the 
  butt) 
  

   is 
  interrupted 
  in 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  part 
  by 
  patches 
  of 
  Mesozoic 
  or 
  late 
  

   Palaeozoic 
  rock, 
  which 
  usually 
  occur 
  in 
  long 
  strips, 
  running 
  parallel 
  

   to 
  the 
  general 
  trend 
  of 
  the 
  crystalline 
  rocks. 
  Thus 
  the 
  last 
  really 
  

   consist 
  of 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  parallel 
  ridges, 
  between 
  which 
  non-crystal- 
  

   line 
  and 
  indubitably 
  sedimentary 
  rocks 
  are 
  infolded. 
  These 
  also 
  

   fringe 
  the 
  crystalline 
  mass 
  to 
  the 
  west, 
  east, 
  and 
  south 
  (where 
  also 
  

   some 
  Tertiary 
  rocks 
  occur). 
  The 
  Palaeozoic 
  strata 
  (Carboniferous) 
  

  

  * 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  attempted, 
  though 
  it 
  is 
  becoming 
  customary, 
  to 
  devote 
  a 
  section 
  

   to 
  the 
  literature 
  of 
  the 
  subject. 
  This 
  omission 
  {■ 
  due 
  to 
  two 
  reasons 
  : 
  the 
  one, 
  

   that 
  the 
  list 
  would 
  be 
  of 
  formidable 
  length 
  ; 
  the 
  other, 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  include 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  papers 
  which, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  special 
  end 
  in 
  view, 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  found 
  

   it 
  needful 
  to 
  consult. 
  Indeed 
  I 
  have 
  referred 
  sparingly 
  even 
  to 
  papers 
  re- 
  

   lating 
  to 
  the 
  crystalline 
  series, 
  because, 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  subject, 
  one 
  

   must 
  know 
  what 
  may 
  be 
  called 
  " 
  the 
  personal 
  equation 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  writers 
  before 
  

   one 
  can 
  make 
  use 
  of 
  their 
  statements 
  or 
  form 
  any 
  idea, 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  at 
  issue, 
  

   which 
  of 
  two 
  contradictory 
  conclusions 
  one 
  would 
  be 
  likely 
  to 
  accept 
  if 
  one 
  

   could 
  personally 
  examine 
  the 
  evidence. 
  But, 
  once 
  for 
  all, 
  I 
  may 
  express 
  my 
  

   great 
  indebtedness 
  to 
  Prof. 
  Lory, 
  whose 
  classic 
  work, 
  ' 
  Description 
  Geologique 
  

   du 
  Dauphine,' 
  has 
  for 
  years 
  past 
  been 
  a 
  valued 
  possession, 
  though 
  occasionally 
  

   I 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  to 
  differ 
  from 
  his 
  conclusions 
  ; 
  to 
  Prof. 
  Favre 
  for 
  his 
  ' 
  Re- 
  

   cherches 
  Greologiques 
  dans 
  les 
  Parties 
  de 
  la 
  Savoie, 
  du 
  Piemont 
  et 
  de 
  la 
  Suisse 
  

   voisines 
  du 
  Mont 
  Diane 
  ; 
  ' 
  to 
  the 
  geologists 
  of 
  Switzerland 
  for 
  their 
  admirable 
  

   map 
  and 
  the 
  associated 
  memoirs 
  ; 
  and 
  to 
  Kitter 
  von 
  Hauer 
  for 
  his 
  geological 
  

   maps 
  of 
  the 
  Tyrol, 
  the 
  merits 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  noticed 
  hereafter. 
  My 
  plan 
  of 
  work, 
  

   however, 
  has 
  been 
  to 
  consult 
  books 
  only 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  to 
  ascertain 
  their 
  general 
  

   conclusions 
  and 
  the 
  best 
  localities 
  for 
  work, 
  and 
  then 
  to 
  provide 
  myself 
  with 
  

   maps 
  rather 
  than 
  with 
  literature. 
  This 
  paper 
  very 
  likely 
  contains 
  few 
  obser- 
  

   vations 
  which 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  already 
  made 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  aware 
  of 
  any 
  one 
  

   which 
  has 
  been 
  written 
  with 
  quite 
  the 
  same 
  end 
  in 
  view, 
  viz. 
  the 
  attempt 
  to 
  

   apply 
  a 
  rather 
  wide 
  experience 
  to 
  the 
  interpretation 
  of 
  a 
  somewhat 
  extensive 
  

   series 
  of 
  sections. 
  

  

  