344 Transactions. — Geology. 



conglomerates appear, just as they appear at the mouth of the 

 Wairoa Eiver in this district. They pass underneath the 

 sands, as no other shingle is met with along the coast in a 

 westerly direction. Two miles or so beyond the mouth of the 

 river cliffs of blue fossiliferous clays make their appearance, 

 topped by light-brown sands and shingle-conglomerates ; and 

 these continue along the coast in an unbroken line nearly as 

 far as the Kai-iwi Stream, at a varying height from 15ft. to 

 40ft. The clays have a general dip to the south-east at a low 

 angle — of not more than 4° or 5°. Proceeding up the Wanga- 

 nui Eiver from its mouth, the following points of interest claim 

 attention : (a) Landguard, (b) Putiki, (c) Shakespeare Cliff, 

 (d) Kaimatera, (e) Upokongoro and Kaiwaiki. 



Landguard is on the left bank of the river, almost due east 

 from the freezing- works at Castle Cliff. The rock-sections are 

 well exposed, and they provide a key to the distribution of 

 rocks over the whole of the Wanganui district. Freed, or 

 exclusive, of the blown and moving sands which cover the flats 

 and the hills from Putiki to the sea, the following sequence of 

 rocks in descending order is met with : 1. Pumiceous swamp- 

 clays of a brown or fawn colour. 2. Shingle-conglomerates. 

 3. Sand and clay interbedded. 4. Fine sands. 5. Pumiceous 

 brown sands and clay. 6. Strong conglomerates. 7. Fossili- 

 ferous calcareous sands (many fossils). 8. Thin blue clay- 

 sand bands. This bed is characterized by what may be 

 termed a black - oyster deposit. Mr. Park, in his report, 

 draws attention to the existence of a fault about 5 chains 

 from the extreme west end of Landguard Bluff. This may 

 help to account for the conglomerates exposed at Castle Cliff, 

 as the displacement which took place would bring these beds, 

 which dip at a low angle, to near the sea-level at this place. 

 The Putiki sections, as far as exposed, agree with those seen 

 at Landguard, near the shooting-target, (c.) Shakespeare 

 Cliff : This important section is situated a few chains above 

 the bridge leading from Victoria Avenue. The section pre- 

 sents the following sequence, read from above : (1.) Pumiceous 

 swamp-clays of a brown and fawn colour. (2.) Pale-yellow 

 sands and clays. (3.) Shingle-conglomerates. (4.) Fine cal- 

 careous sands, crowded with fossils, and passing into indu- 

 rated shell-bands and lenticular limestone-bands in places. 

 (5.) Blue sandy clays, with many fossils in places. Beds corre- 

 sponding to 4 are finely exposed in a recently-opened quarry 

 between the cliff and the bridge. Beds 1, 2, 3, are not con- 

 formable to 4 and 5 ; nor, indeed, does there appear to be any 

 conformability between the pumiceous swamp-clays and the 

 two beds immediately succeeding. Proceeding up the Eiver 

 Kaimatera, about eight miles above the bridge, Upokongoro, 

 ten miles, and Kaiwaiki, eighteen miles, are the only other 



