HUD LEST ON. : GEOLOGY OF PALESTINE. 
203 
during* the reign of the Caliph Omar, and this is the last sign of 
activity of which we have historical notice. 
As we travel northwards, small basaltic flows are noticed in 
Moab, and these prepare us for the great lava-covered districts 
which lie to the east and north east of Galilee, whilst many smaller 
ones are noted in Galilee itself. The upland plain of Damascus seems 
at one time to have been enveloped in a semicircle of fire, of 
which remains are to be seen in the three huge fire districts of 
the Safah, the Ledja (including the Hauran), and the Jaulan. 
Jebel Kuleib (5,600 ft.) is the Hill of Bashan, and the country 
thence to the Jordan contains some barren scoriaceous districts, 
and other of extreme fertility, where, the basalt in decomposing, 
mixes with a peculiar loam. This probably nourished the vegetation 
on which the bulls of Bashan waxed fat. Enormous quantities of 
magnetic iron ore occur in the hill of Bashan, in fact, no part of the 
country calls for exploration more than this does. 
Many of the basaltic blocks are covered with inscriptions and 
figures of beasts, &c. Basalt, in fact, seems to have been much in 
favour as a medium for inscriptions. Take the case of the Moabite 
stone for instance. Canon Tristram says that it was much in favour 
with the old Cyclopean builders. Most of the specimens from 
Moab and Galilee brought for analysis are olivine dolerites, extremely 
rich in iron, and rather poor in silica. 
It might be asked, what is the age of these masses of Basalt ? 
When did the eruptions begin, and when were they brought to a 
close ? As a partial answer to the first question, M. Lartet observes 
that no basaltic fragments have been found in the older deposits of 
the Dead Sea basin, and, as these include pebbles towards their 
margin, it would seem as if the basalt had not reached the surface 
when the oldest Dead Sea deposits were made. On the other hand, 
there is no tradition which can plainly be identified with volcanic 
activity, in those regions where volcanic matter is now found. It 
is plain that the fate of the cities of the plain was in no way con- 
nected with volcanic eruptions, as this is just that portion of Palestine 
which is most free from anything of the sort. The age of the 
volcanic eruptions awaits further investigation. 
