280 GEOLOGY. 



sidcrable disturbances occurred in the later part of the Miocene period, 

 and at its close. Before the end of the period the Alps had had a 

 period of growth, usually placed at the close of the Lower Miocene. 

 This date is fixed by the fact that the Lower Miocene beds on the 

 Alpine side of the Vienna basin are upturned, while the Upper Mio- 

 cene beds remain nearly horizontal. This is hardly to be regarded 

 as conclusive evidence that other mountains which were in process 

 of development during the Miocene had their principal growth at 

 the same time, for about other parts of the Vienna basin the Upper 

 Miocene and even later beds are deformed. The Apennines and other 

 mountains of southern Europe were also in development during the 

 later Miocene. In the Caucasus mountains, Miocene beds occur up 

 to heights of 2000 meters. It will be seen, therefore, that deformative 

 movements, resulting in the formation of great mountain systems, 

 were in progress in southern Europe, as well as in the western 

 part of America, during the later part of the Miocene period. Moun- 

 tain-making movements were apparently in progress in the Hima- 

 layan region also, and perhaps in other parts of Asia. As in America, 

 too, wide-spread movements which were not notably deformative 

 attended the growth of the mountains, with the result that the sea 

 which had overspread southern Europe was greatly restricted, though 

 not reduced to its present size. Igneous activity appears to have 

 attended the movements of the time, but not on so great a scale as 

 in North America. 



Other continents. — The Miocene of Asia has not been generally 

 separated from the other Tertiary formations, but it is known to exist 

 in India 1 (Sind), Burma, 2 and Japan, 3 where the Tertiary (Miocene?) 

 contains petroleum and metaliferous veins, and in some other parts 

 of northeastern Asia. It is also found in Java, where it has a rich 

 fauna. 4 The beds commonly referred to this system contain both 

 marine and terrestrial formations. 



Australia is rich in Miocene beds, some of which are of marine, 

 some of lacustrine, and some of fluvial origin. Toward the end of 



1 Oldham, Geol. of India. 



2 Pal. India, New Series, I, 1901. 



3 Geology of Japan, Imp. Geol. Surv., 1902. 



4 Martin, Die Tertiarschichten auf Java, 1879-80. See also Zeitschr. d. d. geol. 

 Gesell., 1900. 



