VOLCAXIC ROCKS OF THE MARITIME PROVINCES. 77 



three hundred feet in height, fronting on the Gnlf of St. 

 Lawrence. ISTorth-west of this, and separated by a broad 

 band of metamorphic and intrusive rocks, lies the great 

 Sihirian area, mostly high, rolHng country, underlain by 

 slaty rocks which are much u}»turned, but not excessively 

 altered. The division of the province into Southern, 

 Central, and Northern or North-Avestern, is hence a very 

 •convenient one. 



The formations represented range from pre-Cambrian 

 to Triassic. The pre-Cambrian consists of the highly 

 metamorphic gneissic series, which has been compared to 

 the Laurentian ; and the largely volcanic series compared 

 to the Huronian. The Cambrian slates occupy parts of 

 some of the valleys of southern New Brunswick, but are 

 not important areally. The Ordovician or Cambrosilurian 

 consists of much altered slates and sandstones flanking 

 the granitic and pre-Cambrian areas. The Silurian 

 occupies the north-west part of the province, and is less 

 altered than the Ordovician, and very generally fossilifer- 

 ous. The Devonian consists of slates and sandstones, 

 occupying various small areas both in northern and south- 

 ern New Brunswick. Along with all the previously 

 formed rocks these have been much folded and upturned 

 and considerably metamorphosed by the mountain-making 

 processes which occurred at its close, and which were far 

 more important in the Maritime Provinces than further 

 to the south-west. The red sub-carboniferous rocks are 

 never much metamorpliosed and very generally little 

 upturned, while the grey carboniferous sandstones are 

 usually almost flat-lying. Two or three ver}^ small areas 

 of red Triassic sandstone occur along the northern shore 

 of the Bay of Fundy, and are the youngest consolidated 

 strata found in the province. 



