134 GEOLOGY MAITLAND-BRANXTON DISTRICT, 



The upper split contains a small amount of pyrites; in the top 

 part of the lower split, no trace of this mineral has been observed; 

 in the sandstone and " black-stone " associated with the bottom 

 part of the lower split, there is a small percentage of pyrites. 



The dips are in directions N.47°W. to N.60°W., and increase 

 in amount as they get further south, i.e., as they approach nearer 

 to the eastern branch of the Elderslee fault. The baud of con- 

 glomerate, between the two splits, appears to thicken very con- 

 siderably towards the south. 



The amount of perishing of the seams near the surface does 

 not appear to be so great here as in the eastern and southern 

 portions of the Greta Coal- Measures outcrop. 



Upper Marine Series. 



The Upper Marine Series, in the Hunter River District, 

 occupies a much larger and more widely scattered area than the 

 Lower Marine Series, and, for that reason, could not be studied 

 in as much detail as the latter, in a comparatively short time. 

 Examination of a number of the most typical exposures, how- 

 ever, enables one to form a fairly accurate estimate of the 

 succession. 



Whereas sedimentation in Lower Marine time was inter- 

 rupted at frequent intervals by outbreaks of volcanic activity, in 

 the Upper Marine of this district there were no such volcanic 

 outbursts, and the sedimentation was uninterrupted. It must 

 be remembered, however, that this is not true for other areas of 

 Upper Marine sedimentation, e.g. in the South Coast District, 

 there is abundant evidence of volcanic activity in Upper Marine 

 time,* 



The Upper Marine Series has been divided into three stages, 

 namely, the Branxton, Muree, and Crinoidal Stages, by Professor 

 David, f 



* Jaquet, Card and Harper, Rec. Geol. Surv. N. S. Wales, 1905, viii., 

 Pt.l.— (Jard and Jaquet, Rec. Geol. Surv. N. S. Wales, 1903, vii., Pt.3. 

 iOp. cit., p. 3 19. 



