(See a Memoir on the
Lavas and Mode of Origin of Mount Etna by the Author in Philosophical
Transactions 1858.)
It appears that while Etna was increasing in bulk by a series of eruptions, its
whole mass, comprising the foundations of subaqueous origin above alluded to,
was undergoing a slow upheaval, by which those marine strata were raised to the
height of 1200 feet above the sea, as seen at Catera, and perhaps to greater
heights, for we can not trace their extension westward, owing to the dense and
continuous covering of modern lava under which they are buried. During the
gradual rise of these Newer Pliocene formations (consisting of clays, sands, and
basalts) other strata of Post-pliocene date, marine as well as fluviatile,
accumulated round the base of the mountain, and these, in their turn, partook of
the upward movement, so that several inland cliffs and terraces at low levels,
due partly to the action of the sea and partly to the river Simeto, originated
in succession. Fossil remains of the elephant, and other extinct quadrupeds,
have been found in these Post-Pliocene strata, associated with recent shells.
Pages:
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394