consists of fluviatile sands and clays and huge alluvial fan systems (conglomerates and breccias) originating from the Alps to the south. By 22 million years ago, the Alpine foreland was flooded again due to tectonic subsidence. A shallow (intertidal) marine environment formed from Lyon to Vienna. In this environment the third formation, the Upper Marine Molasse (German: Obere Meeresmolasse), was formed. It consists of marine sands, clays and marls and new fan conglomerates and is of Burdigalian to Langhian age (early Miocene, 22 to 16 million years old). More tectonic uplift caused the sea to retreat one final time and during the Serravallian, Tortonian and Messinian/Pontian ages (late Miocene, 16 to 5 million years ago), the basin was in a continental facies again. The fluviatile sands and clays and fan conglomerates of this time form the Upper Freshwater Molasse (German: Obere Süsswassermolasse), the topmost molasse formation. Around 5 million years ago a phase of uplift occurred in the Alps. During this phase the Molasse basin ceased to be an area of net sedimentation. References Literature ; 2005: Geologie der Schweiz, Ott Verlag, . Structural geology Sedimentology Geology of the Alps Geology of Switzerland Geology of Austria Geology of Germany