108 COLEMAN ON THE GEOGEAPHY AND GEOLOGY, ETC. 



it should become interesting-, not ouly to the sportsman, botanist and geologist, but to 

 every one who loves wild alpine scenery, glaciers and torrents, beautiful valleys and 

 rugged mountain tops. 



In regard to the geological features of the region, the extent to which metamorphism 

 has gone on becomes important. Are the slates southwest of the Spillimichene and those 

 of Beaver older than the Palœozoic slates of the Eockies ? Or are they of the same age 

 but modified by more intense compression and more complete recrystallization of the 

 sedimentary materials ? A certain answer to this would demand a large amount of 

 stratigraphical work or the finding of fossils. 



The slates near Beaver are associated with greenish, highly schistose rocks that seem 

 connecting links to the mica schists ; and also with what appear to be greatly metamor- 

 phosed conglomerates. All the thin sections examined from Beaver appear to contain 

 considerable quantities of clastic material. The sericite schists of Surprise Rapids are 

 much more crystalline, but yet contain grains of quartz apparently of allogenous origin ; 

 and one associated rock much resembles the metamorphosed conglomerate of Beaver. 

 The schists of Lake Timbaskis seem still more thoroiighly crystalline than those just 

 mentioned, but yet show traces of clastic materials. It is possible that all these rocks 

 may be of Cambrian age, though they are more probably Huronian, at least those that are 

 more highly crystalline. The Timbaskis sericite schists are interesting for the number 

 and size of the included crystals of garnet, staurolite and disthene. 



The mica and hornblende schists of Surprise Mountain appear thoroughly autoge- 

 nous and crystalline, and without evidence to the contrary, must be looked on as Archceau, 

 perhaps equivalents of the eastern Laurentian. 



On the other side of the Selkirks the green schists of French Creek are perhaps to be 

 ranked with the sericite schists of Suri:)rise Rapids, though rather more crystalline and 

 devoid of evidently allogenovis substances. 



The black schist of Albert Canyon, again, appears to be largely of clastic, perhaps 

 partly of organic, origin, since the quartz looks fragmentary and the carbonaceous matters 

 can hardly be accounted for without life. From the ease with which the coaly matter 

 burns we may conclude that metamorphism has not goue so far as to form the allotropie- 

 form, graphite, as has been the case in the Laurentian of Ontario. It is probable then 

 that the rock of Albert Canyon, twenty miles east of the second crossing of the Columbia, 

 is not Archœan, but of cousiderabl)^ later age. 



The gneisses from the central parts of the range are not, so far as examined b)^ the 

 writer, typical, when compared with those of eastern Ontario. On the other hand the 

 granites are quite characteristic, containing the minerals found in the same rock from 

 eastern localities, especially the microcline so common in most Ontario granites. In 

 habitus, the granites of the Selkirks differ much from those of the eastern Laurentian, 

 being light grey, instead of red, in color, and much more apt to be porphyritic. 



