Morgan. — Records of Unconformities in New Zealand. 13 



taining boulders from an underlying lithographic limestone, Cox suspected 

 a stratigraphical break, but was not certain (4, p. 83). Von Haast spent 

 some time in the locality (21, pp. 160 et seq., 299-300), but made no de- 

 finite statement regarding the conglomerate or other evidence of uncon- 

 formity. The Paringa section is complicated by the presence of volcanic 

 lavas and tuffs. For this reason it is not Ukely to furnish clear evidence 

 of the presence or absence of unconformity in the purely sedimentary strata 

 of the district. 



Summary. — 'The stratigraphical evidence for a hiatus between the 

 Miocene and Eocene (bituminous-coal measures) rocks of the Westport 

 and Greymouth districts appears conclusive to the writer. The palaeonto- 

 logical data (see 46, 62), though not strongly in favour of imconformity, 

 do not oppose it. The diff'erence between the somewhat scanty Eocene 

 fauna and the Miocene fauna is probably quite as great as that between 

 the latter and the present-day faima. 



IX. Otago. 



1. Oamaru District. — The presence of stratigraphical breaks in the 

 Tertiary rocks of the Oamaru district has been affirmed at various times. 

 Hector and McKay believe that an unconformity separates the Hutchinson 

 Quarry beds from the underlying Oamaru limestone (5, pp. ix, 57-58). 

 In 1885 Hutton discusses the matter, and reaches the conclusion that no 

 definite discontinuity exists (25, pp. 560-64). With this view most other 

 observers are practically in accord. In the writer's opinion, slight local 

 unconformities connected with the volcanic eruptions during Miocene 

 times at Oamaru Cape and elsewhere may be present, as indicated by 

 Park (41, p. 502) and again by Marshall and his colleagues (47, p. 405), 

 but these cannot invalidate the substantial imity of the Tertiary rocks of 

 the district. 



2. Shag Point. — In 1872 and 1877 von Haast reports that between 

 the boat-harbour and the mouth of Shag River are sections showing dis- 

 cordance between the coal-bearing rocks and a Tertiary series (2, p. 150 ; 

 3, p. 25). From later reports, especially one by McKay (13, p. 11), it 

 would appear that von Haast was mistaken with regard to the existence 

 of a break in these sections. Hutton in 1875 states that in the Shag Point 

 district there is a complete unconformity between the Waipara coal- 

 measures and the Tertiary rocks (20, pp. 50, 103), and in various later 

 papers retains this view {e.g., 30, p. 379, &c.). Cox, in his report of 1883, 

 does not mention any stratigraphical break, and maps von Haast's Tertiary 

 rocks with the Cretaceo-tertiary Series. He describes a fault which ob- 

 viates the necessity of assuming an erosional unconformity (10, pp. 55-56). 

 In various reports McKay consistently supports Cox's view (11, pp. 58, 63 ; 

 13, pp. 10 et seq.). In 1904 Park is positive that the Miocene rocks of 

 the Shag Point district are unconformable to the underlying coal-bearing 

 series (39, p. 414), and reaffirms this statement in 1910, 1911, and 1912 

 (45, p. 116 ; 48, pp. 541-45 ; 50, pp. 493-95). Marshall, Speight, and 

 Cotton, however, can find no evidence of discontinuity, and accordingly 

 support McKay (47, p. 393). On the other hand, according to A. Gr. Mac- 

 donald, there is " no room for doubt as to the unconformity of the beds " 

 (53, p. 1037). Unquestionably, at Shag Point both Cretaceous and Miocene 

 rocks are present, apparently in unconformable relations ; but, since no 

 actual contact has been observed, it is possible that, as suggested by Cox. 



