136 
SCENERY OF SWITZERLAND. 
mainly in Schists, the exact age of which is still 
undetermined, but there is also much Serpentine. 
The strata at Zermatt itself are considered by some 
Swiss geologists to be Triassic, but the evidence is 
not conclusive. The gorges of the Corner resemble 
those of Ragatz or of the Trient. 
The rock forming the upper part of the Matter- 
horn is nearly horizontal, inclined slightly down- 
wards towards Monte Rosa. Heim regards it as an 
overlying fold of gneiss. It is a ridge like those 
of the Corner Crat and the Rumpfischhorn, pro- 
bably preserved by its position, and perhaps by 
being specially hard. The base is of Crystalline 
schists lying on Trias. On the west side is a wedge 
of granitic Euphotide. 
The village of Randa has been several times 
overwhelmed by avalanches. 
The Saasthal, which joins that of Zermatt at 
Stalden, is also wonderfully beautiful. Saas and 
Zermatt are, however, so different that they can 
hardly be compared. 
The inhabitants of the upper Italian valleys to 
the south of Monte Rosa have a wide-spread tradi- 
tion of an enchanted valley, beautiful and rich, which 
once existed in the heart of the mountain, and has 
now disappeared. It is probable that the view of 
