330 Transactions. 



In 1887 Hutton (1888) examined the sections made in the construction 

 of the railway through Weka Pass, and distinguished five series of beds — 

 viz., (1) the Amuri limestone and underlying greensandstones, (2) the Weka 

 Pass stone and the overlying "grey marls " and sandstones, (3) the Mount 

 Brown beds, (4) the Greta beds, (5) horizontal silts and gravels. Besides 

 the unconformity between the Amuri limestone and Weka Pass stone, he 

 admitted another between the Mount Brown beds and the " grey marls." 

 Lists of fossils of the Mount Brown and the Greta beds were given, the 

 latter being placed in the Pareora system. 



Park (1888) records a visit of nine days to the district, and gives an 

 excellent general summary of the geology, accompanied by a map and 

 section. His conclusion as to the presence of unconformities is stated as 

 follows : " As a result of the examination of many of the magnificent 

 sections between the Weka Pass and Waipara, I am strongly of the opinion 

 that a complete sequence of beds exists from the base of the Cretaceo- 

 Tertiary to the close of the Pareora formation, although the varying 

 character of the deposits and their fossil remains show that the sea-bottom 

 on which they were deposited was subject to frequent oscillations." He 

 accepted the concretionary nature of the pebbles at the base of the Weka 

 Pass stone, but apparently admitted that the surface of the Amuri lime- 

 stone was water-worn, due to " a sudden arrestment of the downward move- 

 ment and a return to shallow-water conditions." The " grey marls " were 

 considered to pass insensibly into the Mount Brown beds: "indeed, it 

 would be difficult to accurately fix or define their boundaries." 



Hector (1888) was obviously embarrassed by this conclusion of an officer 

 of his survey as to the conformity between the "grey marls" and the 

 Mount Brown beds, but contented himself with recording anew his belief 

 in a marked discordance, with great denudation of the " grey marls." 



McKay (1892) re-examined sections in the Weka Creek, and more particu- 

 larly in the Middle Waipara, paying particular attention to the " saurian 

 beds." Concerning the contact between the Amuri limestone and the 

 Weka Pass stone, he noted that in the Waipara limestone gorge the green- 

 sand conglomerate and parting-beds of greensand with phosphatic nodules 

 were absent, and that there was no sign of unconformity. He also recorded 

 a stratigraphical unconformity between the " grey marls " and the Mount 

 Brown beds near the mouth" of Boby's Creek, evidently the same as that 

 later recorded by Thomson in 1912 (i912B). 



For a period of about twelve years no further examination of the district 

 appears to have been made, and Hector and McKay on the one hand, and 

 Hutton on the other, to the end adhered to the positions they had taken up. 

 In 1905 Park abandoned the Cretaceo-Tertiary classification and accepted 

 a modification of that of Hutton, in reality reverting practically to the 

 position always taken by von Haast. He supposed that the Tertiary 

 (Oamaruian) fossils reported from the Weka Pass stone were in reality 

 obtained from tumbled masses of the Mount Brown limestones, and that 

 the Weka Pass stone itself was unfossiUferous ; consequently he included it 

 in the AVaipara (Upper Cretaceous) series. The " grey marls," he included 

 with the Mount Brown beds in the Oamaru (Miocene) series, which rested 

 unconformably on the Waipara system, " the Weka Pass stone and the 

 Amuri limestone being thrown into folds in which the Tertiaries take no 

 part whatever." The Tertiary beds were described in detail, and fresh 

 lists of fossils were given, including a new fossil-locality for the Mount 

 Brown beds near Mount Donald. Somewhat anomalously. Park rejected 

 Hutton 's name of "Greta beds" for the uppermost marine series, and 

 accepted that of " Motunau beds " instead, although Greta is much nearer 

 to the district than Motunau. These beds had latterly been accepted as 



