370 CEOLUCN' OF FAI KI.AND ISLAXDS. 



Geological Correlation between South 

 Africa and the Falkland Islands. — In volume xi 

 of the Bulletin of the Geological Institution of the University 

 of LIpsala there appears the fourth of a series of geological 

 pulilications of the Swedish expedition to Patagonia and Tierra 

 del Fuego during the years 1907 to 1909. under the direction 

 of Dr. C. Skorttsberg. The present i)aper. by Thore G. Halle, 

 deals with the geological structure and history of the Falkland 

 Islands. The marine invertebrates collected on the islands by 

 Darwin in i8-|6 were described, at the time by Aforrisand Sharpe, 

 who did not attempt to determine the age oi the formation 

 wherein they were found, although it has since been generally 

 regarded as belonging to the lower Devonian. The fossils 

 collected as a result of the Swedish expecHtions were submitted 

 to Dr. J. M. Clarke, of Albany. \ew >'ork, whose report is 

 included in Mr. Halle's ])ai)er. The material indicates, Dr. 

 Clarke says, a highly uniform arenaceous sedimentary facies, 

 barely differentiated in any degree, and in this regard in har- 

 mony with the succession of sediments both in the Bokkeveld 

 beds of Cape Colony, and the various expressions of the 

 Devonian in Southern South America. The agreement with 

 the former is perhaps the more striking on account of the pre- 

 eminent sandy character of the beds. There is a distinctly 

 closer relation between the* F^'alkland fauna and that of the 

 Cape than of the former with the fauna of the Devonian areas 

 in South America. The lowest group of the Falkland Devonian 

 formation seems to i^-esent all the characteri.stic features of the 

 Table Mountain series. In both cases, too, the position is below 

 the fossiliferous series. The I'okkeveld .shales and sandstones 

 corvespond to the middle fossiliferous division of the Falklands. 

 The upper series of sandstones and ([uartzites in the Falkland 

 Islands corresponds to the uppermost part of the Bokkeveld. 

 ;md perha])s also to part of the Wittenberg group. To a forma- 

 tion occurring above the Devonian in tlie Falklands Halle gives 

 the name of tlie Lafonian series. At the bottom of this series 

 a tillite (Occurs, whose description, with very slight modifica- 

 tions, agrees with that of the iJwyka. A striated floor has not 

 yet been foimd underneath the Lafonian l)oulder-l)eds. l)ut the 

 author has no doubt that such a glaciated floor may be discovered 

 if looked for in favourable localities. It is pointed out repeatedly 

 in the course of the ])aper that tlie T-'alkland Islands show a 

 striking agreement with South Africa as regards the organic 

 remains and the stratigraphical features of both tlie Devonian 

 and the (lOndwanas, and the intrusions whicli characterise 

 South Africa include rocks of the same comix^sition a< the 

 Falkland diabases. Halle considers the general striking resem- 

 blances between the geology of the two regions as worthy of 

 note in regard to a possible direct connection of the Falklands 

 with South Africa. 



