MOVEMENTS OF THE EAHTH's CRU8T AT ST. JOHN. 41 



As the liade of those faults have more or less inclina- 

 tion to the south-east, the tendency of a force acting from 

 the south-east (by lateral pressure) Avould be to elevate 

 the mass on the south-west side of the fault and depress 

 it on the opposite side. By continuous action of tliis 

 kind a series of faults with an u})-throw on the south side 

 would be produced, which, in the width of this hillside, 

 must amount to several feet.^ Looked at in this view 

 this whole liillside is a mass of shattered slate, seamed 

 Avith joints, and read}' to yield to pressure when applied; 

 and when Ave consider that these post-glacial faults have 

 been seen at other points, we realize that a stupendous 

 power is still at work crushing and squeezing the rocks 

 along this Atlantic coast, and ready to inaugurate afresh 

 the process of mountain building when opportunity is 

 alForded. 



That this region is not jDerfectly stable and at I'cst 

 may be inferred from the slight earthquake shocks felt 

 here from time to time. Some of these shocks have had 

 their area of greatest intensity at the mouth of the St. 

 Lawrence river, and appear to have Ijeen propagated from 

 there. The earlier records mention shocks of consideral)le 

 violence, but the later ones have been slight. 



The most complete list and description of these earth- 

 quakes which the writer has seen is that compiled many 

 years ago b}^ Sir William Dawson for the Canadian 

 IN'atu ralist, and is a record of about eightA'-eight occur- 

 rences of this kind AA'hich have effected Eastern Canada 

 and ISTcAv England.! Of these at least tAventy Avere 

 probably felt at St. John, TT. B., but only four are re- 

 corded in this list as having actually been felt here. 



* A further test of the source of this movement might be obtained by examining 

 •steep hillsides sloping to the north-west, and noting if the faults are more prevalen t 

 there than in other situations. 



tCan. Nat. and Geol., October, 1860, Montreal. 



