90 Ernrst IT. Sknifs 



Pkkviohs LiTKKATrm:. 



Tho fir.<l published account of the geolo.uy of the district 

 is included in u report made by Selwyn, entitled : — " Report on 

 the Geology, Pal;foiitology and Mineralogy of the country 

 situated between Melbourne, Western Port Bay, Cape Schank 

 and Point Nepean, accompanied by a geological map and sec- 

 tions." This was published in the Votes and Proceedings of 

 the Legislative Council of Victoria, 1854-5, vol. I. 



Two years later Selwyn published a fuller report on the dis- 

 trict, which was accompanied by a more detailed map. 



Two stateanents in the earlier paper have reference to the 

 rocks of the Moorooduc district. On, page 7 he describes the 

 oldest rocks of the area^ and in the absence of foi^sils ascribes 

 them on lithological grounds to the Older Palaeozoic series. 

 He recognised four lithologicajl types among these rocks. One 

 type, ■■ seen only on the flanks of Mt. Eliza, Mt. Martlia and 

 Arthur'* Seat," he described as " very hard crystalline felspathic 

 grey-brown and red micaceous sandstones, and beds of hard, 

 dark-blue indurated slates amd shales . . . and their cry- 

 stalline character is probably due to alteration caused Ijy the 

 intru>^ion of the gra.nite forming these hills." 



The granites of the district he referred to on page 8 as 

 " presenting no peculiar features, being composed of quartz, 

 reddish-coloured, felspar and black mica; the two latter, how- 

 ever, occasionally vary in colour, the mica, being yellow and 

 the felspar white." On his second map, printed in 1856, Sel- 

 ^^yn records the ca«t of an encrinite stem from Sandstone 

 Island in Western Port, and the rocks are referred to the 

 Silurian period. 



The next paper bearing on the area was by Mr. A. K. Kitson, 

 F.G.S., entitled, "Report on the coast line and adjacent coun- 

 try between Fraiikston, Mornington, and Droniana," and was pub- 

 lished in March, 1900, in Monthly Progress Report Xo. 12 of 

 the Department of Mines, Victoria. Mr. Kit>on gives an in- 

 teresting and somewhat detiMled account of the geology of the 

 district, and the report is accomi)anied by sections and a geolo- 

 gical sketch map of the area described. Mr. Kitson docs not 

 describe the plutonic mas> of Mt. Kliza, but refers to the 



