534 THE WONDERS OF GEOLOGY. Lect. V. 



separated from the former, and regarded as the first, or 

 terminal group, of the Paleozoic or ancient secondary ; 

 while the Upper New Red is ranked as the lower- 

 most of the medial secondary formations.* The name of 

 Trias, or Triassic System, by which the Upper New Red 

 is now distinguished, relates to the well-marked triple 

 subdivision of this series in Germany, and has been adopted 

 to avoid confusion from the restricted application of the 

 old term. The synonyme of saliferous, refers to the immense 

 beds of rock-salt which alternate with the red marls in 

 Cheshire, and other parts of England. The following 

 table shows the characters and order of succession of the 

 principal deposits : 



The Triassic or New Red Formation. 



(Comprising the Keuper, Muschelkalk, and Upper Bunter, of th 

 German geologists.) 



1. Variegated red, bluish, and white marls, with gypsum, and 



immense beds of rock-salt. 

 2 Variegated red and white sandstone. 

 3*. Conglomerates formed of the detritus of the older sedimentary 



rocks. 

 4 Red mottled sandstones, and marls. 



Total thickness, about 300 yards. 



The Permian or Magnesian Limestone Formation. 



(Comprising the Lower Bunter, Zechstein, and Roth-todt-Jiegemles,] 



of the Germans.) 



1. Red and white marls. ■ . 



2 Magnesian limestone {Zechstein)-, white, red, or yellowish lime- 

 stone, with a large proportion of magnesia, in thick beds, with 

 marine organic remains. 



* See the " Synoptical Arrangement," p. 203. 



t Roth-todt-liegendes, signifying, red-dead Iyer, is a German mining 

 term, denoting that the copper of the upper beds has died out, tins 

 layer not being metalliferous. 



