COAh OF alpnaCh. 



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Careous formations of the Alps, the upper "secondary strata lose the 

 soft and earthy character which distinguish the oolites and chalk in 

 England, and are converted into marble. The coal also, which is 

 very imperfectly formed in the English oolite, has, in the same lime^ 

 stone formation in the Alps, the character of true mineral coal. 



A still more remarkable coal formation occurs at Alpnach, near the 

 lake of Lucerne in Switzerland, where a bed of coal is found at the 

 depth of two hundred and eighty feet, from the surface. Over the 

 coal, there is a stratum of bituminous limestone containing fluviatile 

 shells, and bones and teeth of the large mammalia, particularly the 

 teeth of a species of mastodon. The specimens which were shown 

 me by Professor Meissner of Berne, on my return from the Swiss 

 Alps, made me regret exceedingly not having visited Alpnach. 

 Notwithstanding the occurrence of the bones of large land quadru- 

 peds in the stratum over the coal, the coal approaches in character 

 nearly to mineral coal, and the strata of micaceous sandstone and 

 shale above it, have a close resemblance to those in our English 

 coal-tields. Thongh, from the organic remains, we are compelled 

 to place the coal of Alpnach among the tertiary strata, or to admit 

 the occurrence of an anomalous formation like the one at Stonesfield, 

 still I believe the true geological position of the coal of Alpnach is 

 problematical ; and it deserves the particular attention of some Eng- 

 lish geologist, well acquainted with the different coal-fields in his own 

 country, and the lignite formations in various parts of Europe. 



It will be seen by a reference to the Geological Map and the 

 Chapter containing an Oudine of the Geology of England, that there 

 is a considerable part of South Britain where coal has not been 

 found. Two important questions may be asked;— -Do the coal stra- 

 ta extend under the parts where coal has not yet been discovered? 

 And if they do extend beyond their present known limits, — what 

 practicable means can be employed to obtain the coal ? With respect 

 to the first question — 'it is well ascertained by boring, that the coal 

 strata do, in some places, extend under the magnesian limestone, by 

 which they are in some of the northern counties immediately cover- 

 ed, though it was formerly supposed that the coal terminated before 

 it reached the magnesian limestone, or was there cut off by a fault. 

 In a considerable part of England, the coal-fields are immediately 

 covered by what is called the red marie or new red sandstone; but 

 there are but few situations where the red marie and sandstone have 

 been sunk through for coal. I am, however, decidedly of opinion, 

 that under the red marie adjacent to the coal districts in my native 

 county, Nottinghamshire, the regular coal strata will be found ; and 

 that there is a high degree of probability that rock salt or brine 

 springs will be found in the red marie itself, particularly in those parts 

 of the county where beds of massive gypsum occur. The same re- 

 mark might be extended to the red marie and sandstone districts ad- 



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