Ill 



THE PROGRESS OF GEOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN 



TASMANIA SINCE 1902. 



By 



LoFTUS Hills, M.B.E., M.Sc, 



Government Geologist of Tasmania. 



[Originally written for the Hobart-Melbourne Meeting of 

 the Australasian Association for the Advancement of 

 Science, January, 1921.]* 



(Read before the Royal Society of Tasmania, 8th 

 August, 1921.) 



L INTRODUCTION. 



On the occasion of the last meeting of this Association 

 in Hobart the late W. H. Twelvetrees presented a paper en- 

 titled "The Outlines of the Geology of Tasmania." A period 

 of eighteen years has elapsed since that paper was prepared, 

 and a great advance has been made in our knowledge of the 

 geology of Tasmania during that interval. It, therefore, 

 seems desirable to take the opportunity afforded by the re- 

 assembly of the Association in Tasmania of summarising 

 our progress — to take stock of our knowledge and to see what 

 problems still await solution. 



It must be stated at once, however, that in spite of the 

 great amount of work accomplished during tiie period under 

 review, the result, when viewed in relation to the complete 

 geological survey of Tasmania, is to some extent dishearten- 

 ing. This was particularly apparent wJien the preparation 

 of the Geological Sketch Map of Tasmania was undertaken 

 in 1914 by the Geological Survey of Tasmania. When there 

 had been plotted on the base map the geology of the areas of 

 which geological surveys had been completed, the greater por- 

 tion of the State still remained blank, and to produce the 

 map as ultimately published, the information contained in 

 R. M. Johnston's original geological map was utilised with 

 sundry modifications. The reason for this is easy to see, for 

 the conditions under which the Geological Survey carries out 



*Owing to the Shipping Strike the meeting of the A.A.A.S., 

 which was to have been held in Hobart in January, had to be held 

 in Melbourne. As a consequence, numerous difficulties had to be 

 overcome. It was found impossible to bring out the usual Report 

 of the A.A.A.S. meeting, and print all papers. Arrangements were, 

 therefore, made for certain papers to be read before the Society and 

 published in the Papers and Proceedings for 1921. 



