202 



Common Rocks of the Brk'ish Provinces, 



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latter cross the river St. Clair and support the coal 

 field in Michigan These formations here shew all 

 their subdivisions, such as the Trenton Limestone, Utica 

 Slates, Hudson River Groups, &e., mentioned in the 

 first article of this journal. They are not indicated in 

 the section, only the relative positions of the larger 

 groups being shewTi. 



The section explains the meaning of the expression 

 frequently used, " that Canada is too low for coal." In 

 the Laurentian formation indicated by the letters L L L, 

 or in rocks of equivalent age in other countries, no coal 

 has ever been found. It will be seen in the section that 

 these rocks, as well as the Silurian and Devonian, run 

 under the true coal measures, and although they occupy 

 the surface in some of the most ciavated portions of the 

 earth ; upon the Himalaya Mountains for instance, yet 

 geologically they are below the Carboniferous series of 

 rocks. 



The black band 2 in the section is intended to 

 represent that portion of the Lower Silurian in which 

 the dark coloured or black bituminous shales of the 

 Utica Slate and Hudson River Groups prevail. These 

 substances, on account of their being inflammable to a 

 small extent, have often been mistaken for coal. They 

 abound in the country lying east and north of Toronto, 

 and it is not long since their fitness for the purposes of 

 fuel was brought prom-inently before the public. The 

 formation 2, however, as may be seeai in the section, 

 runs under the coal measures of Michigan, and is so well 

 known that it may be safely affirmed that no coal will 

 ever be found in it, although some of the beds, on account 

 of their containing small quantities of bitumen, an 

 inflammable substance, v.ill, when placed upon a hot 

 fire, give forth flame. 



The rocks at Quebec in which coal has been stated 

 to exist, are exactlv the same as this formation Ko. 2, 

 the Utica Slate and Hudson River group, and if a section 

 similar to the above were to be carried south easterly to 

 Nova Scotia, the same series of formations v/ould be 

 indicated. Where the section would cross New Bruns- 

 wick, the coal would be found lying above the Quebec 

 z ocks in the same manner that the coal of Michigan is 

 seen in the figure lying above the shale, which crops out 

 in the countiy lying noi'th of Toronto. In another 

 article we shall pursue this subject fm'ther, and give 

 some additional illustrations. 



