Tertiaries in the Neighbourhood of Melbourne. 225 



The Newer Volcanic Rock. 



This is mapped as " Upper Newer Volcanic " and is younger 

 than miocene. Its junction with the underlying ferruginous 

 sands and gravels of probably Miocene age may be seen clearly 

 in a quarry behind the old Flemington Meat Preserving Works 

 on the Saltwater River at Maribyrnong, and in several other 

 escarpments along the Saltwater from here up. 



Post Tertiary. 



Near the Williamstown Racecourse is a large area covered 

 with marine beds, reaching about 20ft. above sea-level. Mollusca 

 are abundant and seem, as far as we have examined them, to be 

 all living species. The fossiliferous beds of the Yarra Estuary, 

 and the Elwood Swamp, the silt beds of Albert Park, marking an 

 old course of the Yarra towards St. Kilda, and the shell-bearing 

 beds of the Carrum Swamp may be referred to the same epoch. 



Capping the Miocene from Elsternwick to Mordialloc recent 

 shells are to be found in places. These have frequently been 

 referred to as indicating a recent subsidence and subsequent 

 upheaval. As far as our observations go the shells are confined 

 to the present coast line, and Mr. T. S. Hart tells us that he is 

 of the same opinion. Their present position is due we think to 

 two causes : the lighter shells have been blown up the slopes by the 

 wind, while the heavier ones may have been carried there by the 

 natives. At Picnic Point, on its northern side, these shells can 

 be traced from sea-level, where the deposit is daily being added 

 to, up the slope to a height considerably above the level of even 

 a "storm beach." If a cliff were cut back here now we should 

 have a similar state of affairs to that which we find commonly 

 along the coast. 



Origin of the Sediments. 



Silurian rocks have probably yielded the greater part of the 

 Tertiary sediments. In places, however, the sand grains are 

 large and roughened so that the presence of granite in the 

 neighbourhood is probable. Such sands occur south-east of Black 

 Rock. The quarter-sheet states that the Tertiary rocks, near the 

 Toorak Railway Station, rest on "decomposed granite." The 



