BY W. F. PETTERD, C.M.Z.S. 175 



An analysis by Professor Penny (Pro. Roy. Soc. Tas., 



1855) gave the following results: — Percent. 



Volatile matters = 20-43 



pi^i ^ S Fixed carbon = 5*50 



^""^^ } Ash = 71-20 



Sulphur = -73 



Water = 2-16 



100-00 



Collins, in his " Mineralogy," gives the following 

 analysis: — "'Carbon, 79-34; hydrogen, 10*41; oxygen, 

 4'93; sulphur, 4'93; after rejecting 8'14 per cent, of ash, 

 or agreeing closely with succinite, in which part of the 

 oxygen is replaced by sulphur. Burns readily, with a 

 smoky flame and disagreeable odour; fuses partially, yield- 

 ing oily and solid products ; not dissolved by ether, alcohol, 

 benzine, oil of turpentine, or bisulphide of carbon; not 

 acted on by H CI ; slowly oxidised by HXCg ; readily 

 carbonised by H2SO4 with evolution of HgS." 



The tasmanite oil shale which occurs over a consider- 

 able area in the basin of the Mersey River, near the town- 

 ship of Latrobe, has from its unique features received 

 considerable attention from the scientific aspect of its 

 probable origin, as well as from its oil-producing pro- 

 perties, although it has not so far become of any economic 

 importance. The seams of tasmanite occur just below the 

 upper marine Permo-Carboniferous beds associated with 

 the sandstone of the area, and thus approximately corre- 

 spond with the Mersey coal measures, although the precise 

 relation with the coal seam has not yet been exactly corre- 

 lated. Many species of marine Permo-Carboniferous 

 fossils are recorded from the beds, such as productus, 

 sperifers, cardiamorpha, pachydomus, and pleurotomaria. 

 The shale bearing area is approximately about 6 miles 

 long by 2 miles in width, and lies east of the railway-line 

 between the townships of Latrobe on the north and Rail- 

 ton to the south. The seams, of which there are appar- 

 ently several, vary in thickness up t'o as much as 9 feet. 

 The shale itself presents a pale-brown coloured, fine- 

 grained sandstone, occasionally with irregularly scattered 

 larger particles, and more rarely casts and impressions of 

 pleurotomaria and other fossils, the whole being closely 

 packed with very minute flat discs, which are evidently 

 charged with the oily substance. It readily ignites from 

 the flame of a match, burning with a yellow flame, giving 

 off much dark-coloured smoke, and emitting a strong 

 pungent odour. 



In 1902 a syndicate originating in South Australia car- 

 ried out some exhaustive experiments under the direction 



