390 Transactions. 



dip more steeply than the lower strata of the grey marl which are in contact 

 with it. At the entrance to the Okariki Stream there is, however, a strong 

 suggestion of an vmconformity which apparently was not noticed by Hutton. 

 Here the Amuri limestone is locally puckered in an extraordinary manner, 

 while the Grrey Marls are stratified simply. A phenomenon of a precisely 

 similar nature is to be seen at Kaikoura, and, judging by Haast and Hutton's 

 descriptions, in the valley of the Conway as well. At Kaikoura Hutton 

 describes this as an unconformity.* McKay, whose opinion is indorsed by 

 Hector, is strongly in favour of conformity. f (See fig. 6, section 1.) 

 Boehm, who has also visited this locality, refuses to give an opinion on 

 this matter : '' Ich gestehe, dass ich nicht daruber in's Klare gekommen 

 bin, ob der grey marl concordant oder discordant liber dem Amuri 

 limestone liegt."J Our opinion is that the two series are perfectly 

 conformable, but during the folding movements to which they have 

 been subject the plasticity of the grey marl allowed this rock to 

 yield to the force without its whole mass becoming deformed. The 

 hard and unyielding nature of the Amuri limestone, however, prevented 

 anything of this nature taking place, and finally adjustment by folding was 

 necessary. It is only locally in the most restricted sense that the Amuri 

 limestone has been affected in this way, as is clearly seen at the Amuri 

 Bluff, where at the north head this rock and the grey marls are displayed 

 in perfect clearness, and are absolutely conformable. The section at the 

 Bluff is also of extreme importance, because there the Black Grit is well 

 developed, and this is the lowest bed of Hector's Cretaceo-tertiary. There 

 is here certainly no unconformity separating this bed from the rocks 

 accepted as Cretaceous by all the authors cited ; and this is admitted by 

 Hector, who states that " the further work of the Survey tended to show 

 that the Lower Greensand formation (Cretaceous) was almost universally 

 followed conformably by the Cretaceo-tertiary series, and that, too, in a 

 manner which but little supported the idea of any unconformity separating 

 the lower beds and higher beds of the two formations. "§ 



In other respects the section at the Amuri Bluff calls for no further 

 mention at the present time. We only wish to emphasize our opinion that 

 here, as at the Waipara and the Weka Pass, there is a perfect conformity 

 from the youngest to the oldest of those members of this yomiger series of 

 rocks which are present. 



We have also been unable to find any unconformity between any 

 members of the series of younger rocks at the mouth of the Jed River. 



(c.) Other '-Cretaceous'' Localities. 



There are many other localities where Cretaceous rocks have been 

 described by one or more authors, and the existence of unconformities 

 between them and the Cainozoic rocks has been asserted. These localities 

 we have not visited in company, and but brief mention of them will be made 

 here, as they have not been taken as typical. 



Castle Hill {Trelissick) Basin. — ^This has been described by Hector, 

 Hutton, and McKay, and unconformities have been noted by all three. 



* Hutton : Q.J.U.S., 1885, p. 273. 



t GJeol. Rep., 188(5-87, p. 74 ; also Hector, loc. cit., p. x. 



J: Boehm : Zeit. d. Deutscli. Geolg. Gesellschaft Jahry., 1900, p. 173. 



§ Hector : Rep. Geol. Sur\ ., 1890-01, p. li. 



