HUDLESTON: GEOLOGY OF PALESTINE. 
199 
it seems to me not unlikely that the putrifactive decomposition of 
the animal matter of the fish bed, has yielded the principal part of 
the bitumen. I may here add, by way of parenthesis, that all 
fossiliferous limestones are more or less bituminous. When a hot 
sun falls upon certain portions of the Coralline Oolite of Weymouth, 
the odour of bitumen is strong, just as in the Wady Mohamet, for 
example, where, according to Lartet and Tristram,' the bitumen 
actually exudes. The only circumstance which causes me to doubt 
the animal origin of the Nebi Musa bituminous limestone, is that its 
odour is described as fragrant, which rather points to a vegetable 
origin. No doubt most of the Lebanon bitumem is due to destructive 
distillation of vegetable remains in the Nubian sandstone, and much 
of the bitumen in former times found floating in the Dead Sea, may 
arise from bituminized wood in Nubian sandstone on the east side 
dislodged perhaps, by earthquakes. From this source also, M. Lartet 
would derive the bitumen of Nebi Musa, volatilized by heat through 
several thousand feet of beds. 
As the subject of sulphur, of which we hear so much in con- 
nection with the history of the Dead Sea, is closely related to that 
of asphalt, reference may be made to a short paper by Dr. Fraas 
respecting some deposits of sulphur recently observed near Jericho.* 
Everybody remembers Lot’s wife, and all travellers to the Dead 
Sea have remarked upon the singular salt deposit in the neighbour- 
hood of which the city of Sodom is supposed to have been located. 
Fig. 6 is a pictorial section, borrowed from M. Lartet, which 
may serve to give us some idea of the geological structure of 
the place. First let me say a few words as to its position. It is a 
hill, about 5 miles long from N. to S., and a mile broad, which 
occurs at the S.W. corner of the Dead Sea. This is the shallow south 
bay of the Dead Sea with the “ Segor” sailing on it; immediately 
over that vessel is seen the narrow channel between the cliffs of the 
west coast and the low promontory of the Lisan. These cliffs form 
part of the great Cretaceous escarpment 2,000 feet high, on which 
Masada is situated. Perspective causes them to appear so low in 
the section. On the left of the section is seen the north end of 
* Quarterly Statement , Palestine Exploration Fund, October, 1880, p. 240. 
