Eocene Strata of the Bellarine Peninsula. 3 



ash to be exposed liere. At the place marked Ad 12 on the \ 

 Sheet, which is the most prominent point between Clifton and 

 Point Henry, a dyke of fine, dense basalt occurs in the ash. The 

 included frao-ments in the ash beds here are of larger size, some 

 being upwards of two feet in diameter, and consist pi'incipally of 

 masses of basalt, though a few embedded blocks of brownish sand- 

 stone, and of an altered yellow argillaceous rock were visible. 

 The latter are probably derived from the underlying mesozoic 

 rocks, though considerably altered in appearance and hardness, 

 they at any rate do not resemble any of our Silurian rocks. 

 From the size of the ejected masses, and from the presence of the 

 dyke, it is probable that we are here close to a vent of the 

 Older Volcanic rock, the greater part of the core having been 

 removed by denudation. Overlying the ash at this point and on 

 its eroded surface occurs a sheet of polyzoal rock. That it does 

 not consist of ejected fragments is clear from its well bedded 

 structure and from its constant dip. It occurs in large tabular 

 masses and is nowhere seen overlain by the volcanic rock. It 

 has for the most part been removed on the higher parts of the 

 beach, where loose blocks of it occur ; but at low-tide it may be 

 seen to form a fairly continuous sheet passing out under water to 

 the north. In most places it is altered to a crystalline reddish 

 rock, the weathered surfaces of which are crowded with fossils 

 standing up in i-elief, and the usual cream colour, which charac- 

 terises the rock in other localities, prevails. The fossils are 

 principally polyzoa though brachiopods, lamellibranchs and gastro- 

 pods occur. Similar rock occurs at Sutherland's Creek, near 

 Maude, and again in the Moorabool Valley,* and is at the latter 

 place not associated with igneous rock. At the parish boundary, 

 (Locality 1) where we first noted the eocene beds, the dip of the 

 ash beds and of the former is approximately to the north-west 

 .and the volcanic series can be seen passing benea»th the fossiliferous 

 strata. So that in these two places we have evidence, that here, 

 the older volcanic rocks are antecedent to the eocene series, and 

 not overlying them as indicated in Daintree's report on the 

 districtf and by the colouring and lettering on \ sheets 23 S.E. 

 and 23 S.W. 



Proc. Roy. Soc. Vic, vol. iv , N.S., p. 11. f Pari. Report, 1861-62, A 43. 



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