436 THE PROGRESS OF GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION 
and distribution of some of the leading economic minerals. In 
this connection the iron ores of the South Mountain range which 
are seen at Nictaux and Bear River are regarded as probably 
continuous throughout the entire mountain range, passing to 
the rear of the village of Horton, and possibly continuing further 
east to connect with theiron deposits found in Pictou county. 
Considerable information is also given as to the coal and 
copper deposits in Cumberland, Colchester and Pictou counties, 
in the latter of which the coal mines, now of so much importance, 
were then just being opened. 
Probably the most important of the early writings on the 
subject of Nova Scotian geolugy are from the pen of Dr. Abraham 
Gesner.. The first of his publications to appear has the date 
1836, and is entitled, “ Remarks on the Geology and Mineralogy 
of Nova Scotia.” The volume contains the results of his obser- 
vations throughout the province during several preceding years, 
and is the first attempt made to place the geological formations 
there found in regular order. Gesner arranged the several rock 
groups into districts, and placed the granites, which he found so 
persistent along the Atlantic coast, in the Primary district, 
regarding these as his oldest division. A second belt which he 
outlined throughout a great part of the central area of the prov- 
ince, and which consisted largely of slates, he styled the Slate 
district, and regarded them as more recent in age than the 
granite. 
These were succeeded northward by a great series of reddish 
sandstones, shales, and some slaty beds, which now include for- 
mations from the Silurian to the Trias, both inclusive, which he 
termed the Red Sandstone district. This division embraced also 
what is now known as the Coal formation, while to the great 
ridge of voleanic rocks, including basalts, diabase and amygda- . 
loids, which are found chiefly in the North Mountain range, he 
gave the name of the Trap district. 
This classification, it will be observed, was based largely on 
physical and lithological characters and upon the predominant 
rock masses in each. | 
