Hill, — Oeology of Scinde Island. 441 



Art. LVII. — Geology of Scinde Island, and the Relation of the 

 Napier Limestones to others in the surrounding District. 



By H. Hill, B.A. 



[Read before the Hawke's Bay Philosophical Institute, 11th October, 1886.] 



Plate XXVn. 



In the last volume of the " Transactions," two very interesting 

 and, so far as they relate to the geology of this district, two 

 important papers, appear on the geological structure of the 

 Napier hills. One of the papers is by Captain F. W. Hutton, 

 F.G.S., Professor of Geology at the Canterbury College, and it 

 is headed " On the Geology of Scinde Island." The other paper 

 is by Mr. A. McKay, of the Government Geological Department, 

 and bears the title " On the Geology of the Napier Limestones." 



Napier, or, more properly, that portion of it which is known 

 as Scmde Island, has formed for years past a kind of battle- 

 ground for the geologists ; and, if we may judge from the two 

 papers referred to, it is likely to remain so for some time to come. 

 The questions to be decided are : 1st, As to the age and con- 

 formity of the Napier limestones; and, 2nd, As to the relation 

 they bear to the other limestones in the surrounding district. 



I cannot do better than state in their own words the con- 

 clusions arrived at by the authors of the above-named papers, 

 after paying special visits to this district to prosecute their 

 inquiries. 



Captain Hutton says (" Transactions," vol. xviii., p. 329) : 

 " The result of my examination is to show that the northern end 

 of the island is formed by the Petane series. This series rests 

 unconformably on the Scinde Island limestone, which forms, 

 with the underlying sandstone, all the southern part of the 

 island." On page 371 of the same volume, Mr, McKay, after 

 an examination of the Napier beds extending over three days, 

 concludes that " there is an upper and a lower limestone in 

 Scinde Island," but he sees no reason to suppose that these are 

 unconformable to each other. " To me," continues Mr. McKay, 

 " the evidence was quite clear that the lower limestones and 

 overlying sands are connected by passage-beds, and shade into 

 one another ;" and, further, " that not the northern, but the 

 western side of Scinde Island shows the presence of the younger 

 series." Nor could Mr. McKay " arrive at the conclusion that 

 the lower beds [of Scinde Island] are the equivalents of the Te 

 Aute limestones, nor of any formation containing no more than 

 35 per cent of recent species," I am informed that Dr. Hector 

 agrees entirely with the conclusions arrived at by Mr. McKay, 

 as here quoted. 



