BY FRITZ NOETLING, M.A., PH.D. l03 



1913. 



Pleistocene, and the Basalt would be cf Post-Pleistocene 

 age. This view would much better agree with observa- 

 tions made along the north coast of Tasmania. I have 

 repeatedly expressed the opinion that the view of the 

 Eocene age of the fossiliferous beds near Wynyard is 

 erroneous. In a, subsequent paper I will show that these 

 beds are most probably contemporaneous with the stan- 

 nifei-ous dnfts. Considering that Mr. R. M. Johnston 

 identified one cf the leaves found in the Wynyard series 

 with one of the most common ones of One Tree Point, viz., 

 Sapofacifes oiigonevrif^, the synchronism of the leaf beds in 

 the Derwent valley with the Wynyard beds can be taken as 

 an established fact. Granting this, the leaf beds are of 

 Pleistocene age, and another objection against the glacial 

 origin of the Breccia would disappear. 



On tlie other hand, if it could be proved that the 

 genera indicating a cooler climate were wrongly deter- 

 mined, and the flora were really one indicating a wai-mer 

 climate, the glacial origin of the Breccia would not be 

 quite disposed of, because it would be quite possible that 

 instead of one glaciation only there were several alternat- 

 ing with warmer periods, as in Europe and Northern 

 America. This is a view that must not be entirely over- 

 IcK>keci. For the present this question must be held in 

 abeyance till a revision of the determination of the flora 

 has been made, but on the whole I am inclined to think 

 that the final verdict will be to consider the leaf bed series 

 as of Pleistocene but net of Eocene age. 



C. Thf^ BasaJt. 



(PI. vii., viii., and ix.). 



The Basalt overlying the sedimentaiy rocks shows 

 some peculiar features. In the first instance it must 

 have had a rather low t-emperature when erupted. This 

 is conclusively proved by the small alteration or meta- 

 morj^hism the leaf beds sustained. Nowhere has any evi- 

 dence of fritting been observed ; all the alterations pro- 

 duced ai"e a change of colour from white into yellow, and 

 even this is not always maintained. The low temperature 

 of the Basalt is further proved by the small alteration of 

 the included fragments of rocks through which the magma 

 broke. This frequency cf inclusions is another peculiar 

 feature ; some of these are of large size, but unfortunat-ely 

 they have so fai' not been examined. Mr. Johnston in- 

 csidentally mentions that they consist of fragments of the 



