Park. — Age and Belations of New Zealand Coalfields. 413 



that the Weka Pass stone was unconformable to the Amuri 

 hmestone and its associated saurian beds."^' 



After his first examination of Weka Pass district, in 1867, 

 Sir James Hector referred the Amuri limestone and saurian 

 grseusands to the younger Secondary period,! but since about 

 1872 he has referred the Weka Pass stone, and all the beds 

 below it down to the base of the Waipara saurian series, to 

 the Cretaceo-tertiary series. 



Thus, according to the Geological Survey the Weka Pass 

 stone in North Canterbury is underlain conformably by beds 

 containing a purely Secondary fauna, and in South Canter- 

 bury by beds containing only a Tertiary fauna. Placed side 

 by side the sequence at each place is as follows : — 



Cretaceo-tertiary Series of Geological Survey. 



North Canterbury, 

 (a.) Oamaru (Weka Pass) stone. 

 (b.) Amuri limestone, 

 (c.) Greensands, &c., with saurians. 



{d.) Quartz grits and lignite. 



South Canterbury. I 

 (a.) Oamaru stone. 

 (b.) Marly, sandy clays, 

 (c.) Marly greensands, with Tertiary 



fauna. 

 (d.) Quartz grits and coal. 



The apparent stratigraphical continuity of the sequence at 

 Weka Pass and Waipara has been a puzzle and stumbling- 

 block to all geologists who have examined these places, ex- 

 cepting, perhaps. Captain Hutton. It is well known, how- 

 ever, that in many sections in the south-east of England 

 Eocene beds appear to rest conformably on the chalk — that 

 is, the bedding-planes of the younger beds are conformable 

 to the surface of the chalk, which in many places presents 

 an even or gently undulating plane. 



The palaeontological evidence of unconformity at Waipara 

 between the Weka Pass stone and the Amuri series is con- 

 clusive, and I am of the opinion that the absence of the 

 usual Tertiary members below the Weka Pass stone is due 

 to diffei'ential movements of the land as between North and 

 South Canterbury after the close of the Cretaceous period. 

 The Geological Survey, still adhering to the belief that the 

 Oamaru series contains in some places a Tertiary fauna and 

 in others a Secondary fauna, includes all the valuable coal- 

 fields of New Zealand in oue formation — namely, the Cre- 

 taceo-tertiary series. 



Up till the beginning of the present year I had not ex- 

 amined the Shag Point coalfield, and, in deference to the 

 opinion of the Geological Survey, had always referred the 



* Reps. Geol. ExpL, 1873-74, p. 30. 



t Reps. Geol. ExpL, 1868-69, pp. xi. and xii. 



+ As at Kakahu and Waiho, or Ngapara, in North Otago. 



