Tol. 50.] GOSAU BEDS OF THE GOSAU DISTRICT. 127 



whole forming by no means a pleasing prospect from the point of 

 view of the stratigraphical geologist. 



North and north-west of Gosau village there are a large number 

 of these ravines, no less than eight having been carved in the sides 

 of the mountain between the road going over the Gschiitt Pass to 

 Abtenau and the eastern boundary of the Gosau Beds. Of these, 

 going from east to west, the principal are the ravines of Barn Bach 

 (or Barengraben *), Ferbergraben, Kreuzgraben, Edelbachgraben,, 

 and Wegscheidgraben. Along the lower portion of the Barn Bach 

 steep slopes and perpendicular faces of Triassic limestone (Dachstein- 

 kalk) come abruptly down for some distance along the eastern side. 

 Along the western side I did not find any rock in silu, but the 

 steep and roughly-terraced banks consist of soil, gravel, and large 

 boulders, probably morainic material. Possibly, if time had allowed,, 

 exposures of the basement conglomerate-series might have been 

 found higher up the ravine. 



In the three next successive ravines to the west, including Ferber- 

 graben, nothing is seen except very coarse conglomerates. The 

 bedding is so massive that it is often extremely difficult to make out 

 the stratification. The dip, where seen, is in a general south-westerly 

 direction, and varies in inclination from about 30° to 50°. The 

 conglomerate consists chiefly of large pebbles, sometimes boulders 

 of about 1 foot in diameter, of different varieties of crystalline 

 limestone ; they are generally well-rounded, though more or less 

 angular, schistose-looking fragments sometimes occur. Quartz-pebbles 

 are not very common ; the matrix is calcareous, and generally very 

 hard and compact, of a greyish colour, or sometimes reddish from 

 the presence of iron oxide. This coarse conglomerate is found 

 almost right up to the head of the Ferbergraben, here and there 

 alternating with bands of reddish grit and sandstone.. Near the head 

 of the stream the conglomerate alternates with beds of bluish marl- 

 stone, sometimes containing a few badly-preserved fossils. Still 

 higher up the side of the hill, the beds appear to abut against a 

 steep wall of Dachsteinkalk running almost N.E. and S.W., and 

 forming the conspicuous scars of the Hohe Platten and the Russberg. 



Passing westwards to the Kreuzgraben, we find at the foot of the 

 ravine, close to a chalet, similar conglomerates alternating with 

 soft reddish marls ; but farther up the gully only conglomerate is 

 exposed. Probably we have here the passage from the coarse con- 

 glomerate-system to that of the fossiliferous marls, so well exposed 

 in the ravines farther west. The conglomerate-system is certainly 

 more massively developed in this neighbourhood than in any other 

 part of the Gosauthal or the Russbachthal, and its thickness 

 probably amounts to nearly 300 feet. 



In the Edelbachgraben, the next ravine of any importance to the 

 west, one is at once struck by the complete absence of conglomerate. 

 We find, however, a thick series of bluish-grey marls and shales, 

 with here and there a band of tough bluish-grey sandstone, dipping 



1 Eeuss, Denkschrift. d. kaiserl. Akad. Wissensch. Wien, vol. vii. (1854) p. 6. 



