156 SCENERY OF SWITZERLAND. 
times due to the greater hardness of the rock; some- 
times, and perhaps even more, to the accident of 
their position which has exposed them less to the 
action of erosion. 
The Aar massif, as Baltzer says,* is in fact a 
gigantic torso. 
Indeed, anyone who carefully considers the great 
wall of the Gemmi, or of the Bliimlisalp, towering 
over the valley of Leuk and the Kander Firn, will be 
convinced that the Jurassic strata form the north limb 
of a great arch extending southwards. 
These remarkable folds throw some light on the 
magnificent scenery and grand proportions of the 
Bernese Oberland. The Jungfrau and Monch owe 
much of their beauty to the combination of gneiss 
and Calcareous rock. These, indeed, are exceptional 
instances, but the height is probably in great measure 
due to the extreme amount of compression and fold- 
ing which has taken place. The enormous depth of 
the comparatively narrow valleys is another remark- 
able feature of the district. The steep precipices of 
the Wetterhorn have a height of 2000 metres. This 
also is greatly due to the same cause. The Cal- 
careous rock (Hochgebirgskalk) which forms the lower 
part of the mountains is very inflexible. Folding 
* Beitr. z. Geol. K. d. Schw., L. xx. 
