285 



THE GEOLOGY AND PETROLOGY OF THE GREAT SERPENTINE 

 BELT OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 



Part IX. — The Geology, Palaeontology axd Petrography of the 



CURRABUBtTLA DISTRICT, WITH NOTES ON ADJACENT REGIONS. 



By Professor W. N. Benson, B.A., D.Sc, F.G.S., W. S. Dun, and 

 W. R. Browne, B.Sc. 



Section A. — General Geology. 



By W. N. Benson, B.A., D.Sc, F.G.S. Professor of Geology, The University 

 of Otago. N.Z • formerly Linnean Maeleay Fellow of the Society in Geology. 



(Plates xvii.-xvii(/; Text-figures 1-9.) 



CONTENTS. 



Page 



Introduction and Acknowledgments 285 



General Geology of the Western Zone of the Great Serpentine Belt, especially 



the Somerton-CarroU District 286 



The Geology of the Currabubula District 292 



Tectonics ■ 307 



The Age of the Werrie Volcanic Series and its relation to the crust-movements 308 



The Physiography of the Peel River Valley and its bordering Ranges 309 



Summary of Geological History 315 



Introduction and Acknowledgments. 



It has been the endeavour in previous parts of this series to present in each 

 part a fairly detailed account of some area or problem investigated in the Great 

 Serpentine Belt. The preliminary survey of the whole belt, described in Parts 

 i. and vi. (1-2),* and other studies (3) have indicated the significance of the 

 Carboniferous crust-movements and ^'rilcanicity in the general tectonic and petro- 

 logic evolution of the Serpentine Belt, and it is therefore desirable that there 

 should be made a detailed investigation of the Carboniferous history of the Ser- 

 pentine Belt, in addition to the Devonian history to which attention has chiefly 

 been directed hitlicrt(i. For this reason the Currabubula disti'ict was selected as 

 most suitable for study, being easy of access, and hang midway between the 

 Burindi and Rocky Creek regions already examined (though but rapidly ), and the 

 more fully-known extensive development of Carboniferous rocks in the region 

 north of Newcastle. Some four weeks were spent by the writer in surveying iu 

 1915, but he was unable to visit the region again until January, 1917, when, 

 accompanied by Browne, he spent a week in completing the mapping of about 



* The figures in brackets refer to the bibliography at the end of the paper. 



