

81 &, 



NOTES ON THE " QUEBEC GROUP." 



.By T. C. Weston, Esq., F.G.S.A., of the Geological Survey of Canada. 



Out of the 12,000 feet or more of strata which form the much dis- 

 cussed " Quebec Group," there are several interesting escarpments and 

 sections which have hitherto not received the attention they deserve. 

 One of these escarpments is the Mountain Hill cliff, * which forms a 

 portion of the heights over which the ramparts of the City of Quebec 

 are bu ; lt. 



The only reference I can find, at the present time, to this special 

 locality, is Dr. Ami's paper on " the Geology of Quebec and environs," 

 published in the " Bulletin of the Geological Society of America," Vol. 

 II., pp. 477-502, 1891, from which I quote the following. "Alongside 

 and up the Mountain street, a bold cliff of conglomerate occurs, con- 

 taining large boulders, imbedded in a shaly and calcareo-argillaceous 

 paste, with an admixture of quartz grains. This deposit, as well as 

 most of the exposures in Quebec city, deserves very special attention, 

 and will no doubt afford interesting notes and material." 



A close examination of the cliff immediately facing Mountain Hill 

 House, on the lower part of the hill, shows it to be composed of a coarse 

 grey nodular limestone ; in places, bedded structure may be seen, while 

 the principal portion, (which is the matrix of the conglomerate), is com- 

 pact, and sometimes flinty, with seams of carbonaceous or bituminous 

 matter. 



This portion of the cliff is prolific in fossils, but they are chiefly 

 fragmentary, and might readily be overlooked. This is probably the 

 reason why in the early study of the geologic structure of the city 

 portion of the ' Quebec Group,' these were included in the Levis 

 division of the same. 



No fossil remains had been found or observed in the Mountain 

 Hill cliff until the summer of 1877, at which time the writer discovered 

 a number of interesting species. In 1892, another opportunity was 

 afforded me to examine that portion of the exposure immediately back 

 of the Express office and adjoining the book-binding establishment. On 

 that occasion there were found some remarkably well-preserved fossils, 



*See Plate accompanying this and next paper. 



