l8o SCENERY OF SWITZERLAND. 
in parallel folds, trending roughly in the above 
direction.” 
He adopts the third hypothesis. He considers 
that the transverse wrinkles were perhaps Triassic, 
“not improbably post-Carboniferous,” and therefore 
far older than the main longitudinal folds. “Still,” 
he continues, “though I incline to this view, the 
question is so complicated that I do not feel justified 
in expressing a strong opinion, and rather throw out 
the idea for consideration than press it for accept- 
ance. All that I will say is that I find it impossible 
to explain the existing structure of the Alps by a 
single connected series of earth movements.” 
Under these circumstances I have ventured* to 
make the following suggestion. If the elevation of 
the Swiss mountains be due to cooling and contrac- 
tion leading to subsidence as suggested in page 58, 
it is evident, though, so far as I am aware, this has 
not hitherto been pointed out, that, as already sug- 
gested, the compression and consequent folding of 
the strata (Fig. 43) would not be in the direction of 
A B only, but also at right angles to it, in the 
direction A C, though the amount of folding might 
be much greater in one direction than in the other. 
Thus in the case of Switzerland, as the main folds 
* Beauties of Nattire. 
