Vol. 50.] GOSATJ BEDS OP THE GOSAU DISTRICT. 131 



"bach thai. "We have traced the beds in ascending sequence from the 

 northern portion of the district to the southern, and have noted 

 their variations in lithological characters and the principal organic 

 remains characterizing the different series. 



The average dip of the strata is south, varying from almost 

 horizontal up to an angle of ahout 50°. The beds of the Russbachthal 

 are more disturbed than those of the Gosauthal. The total thickness 

 of the group probably does not fall far short of 3000 feet, the 

 Hornspitze, which is about the highest mountain flanking the 

 western side of the valley, being a little over 2000 feet above the 

 level of Gosau village, and it consists chiefly of the massive upper 

 unfossiliferous series. 



Sedgwick and Murchison 1 divided up the series into six principal 

 systems, as follows, in ascending order : — ■ 



1. Coarse conglomerate-system ; maximum thickness 200 to 300 feet. 



2. Arenaceous limestone or calc-grit, here and there in strong bands, 



alternating with beds of pebbles and great masses of marl ; very 

 fossiliferous. Thickness about 150 feet. 



3. A great system of blue marls, here and there with bands of indurated 



marl, calc-grit, or sandstone, and abounding in well-preserved organic 

 \ remains. 



4. Alternations of marls, sandy marls, and sandstones, with obscure traces 



of plant-remains (best exposed on the sides of the Ressenberg). 



5. Greenish, grey, micaceous, thin-bedded sandstone. Portions well ex- 



posed near the top of the Ressenberg. Several hundred feet. 



6. Red, slaty, micaceous sandstone, alternating with greenish and reddish 



sandy marls. Partly on the same parallel with the preceding, and 

 partly higher. 500 feet. 



Eeuss's classification 2 is as follows : — 



11. Basement conglomerate. 

 2. Fossiliferous bluish-grey marls, interstratified with limestones 

 containing Hippurites, Actceonella, Nerincea, and corals, with 

 sandstones and conglomerates. 

 I 3. Grey and red, indurated, unfossiliferous marls, sometimes alter- 

 -r T J nating with sandstone and conglomerate. 



J 4. Calcareous fine-grained sandstones, with grey micaceous marls ; 

 [_ unfossiliferous. 



Zittel also divides the Gosau Beds into four main divisions, 3 in 

 ascending order, as follows : — 



{Conglomerate and Hippuritenkalk with Hipp, comu-vaccinum. 

 Acteeonellenkalk with gasteropods. 

 Nerineenkalk. 



2. Freshwater beds of the Neue Alp ; shales with coal. 



3. Soft grey marls with corals, bivalves, gasteropods, hippurites (H. or- 



ganisans), and Caprina. 



4. Grey and red, hard, unfossiliferous marls, alternating with sandstones and 



conglomerates, fine-grained sandstones, and grey micaceous marls. 



It will he noticed that both Sedgwick & Murchison and Reuss 



1 Op. supra cit. pp. 355-358. 



2 Op. supra cit. p. 35. 



3 Denkschrift. d. kaiserl. Akad. Wissensch. Wien, vol. xxv. (1866) pt. ii. 

 p. 173. 



