240 THE PICTOU COAL FIELD — POOLE. 



comparison with the several formations in the district, and are 

 the faults of the Coal Measures confined to that period or are 

 they still younger and subsequent to the Permian ] 



So far as is known the rocks now classed as Permian do not any- 

 where overlie the Coal Measi'res.* Where they approximate most 

 closely, as near New Glasgow, the Permian is seen to rest di- 

 rectly on unconformable brecciated beds of sandstone of dispu- 

 ted age, possibly Lower Carl)onii'erous. Contact is again seen 

 at Alma but here the Permian — New Glasg^ow conMomerate — 

 rests on metamorphic rocks and dips towards the Coal Meas- 

 ures. It would seem then that the North fault which separates 

 the two formations is later than both. 



On yjage 324 of Acadian Geology a quotation is given from a 

 communication from Mr. H. Poole, touching the finding of faults 

 in a seam of coal that are not to be seen in the main seam over- 

 lying it at 157 feet, as perhaps "a proof of the contemporaneous 

 disturbances and changes of level connected with the orie;inal 

 formation of this conglomerate." This was in 1853. The ai'ea of 

 W'Orkings then open to oljservation was very small and in two seams 

 only ; it has since been extended by operations in four superim- 

 posed seams. The accompanying sketch shew^s the irregularity 

 referred to, the vertical position of the main fault as it is found 

 in each seam being shewn by distinguishing lines. The plan is 

 necessarily incomplete, being limited by the present extent of the 

 workings and by the fault passing beyond the crop of the highest 

 seams. It further shews that wdiile the fault dips to the north, 

 it does not do so imiformly, but must in places jump back and 

 consequently find relief along planes of bedding. The irregu- 

 larity in the position of the secondary north and south cross 

 faults also laid down on the sketch is still greater, and taken to- 

 gether these observations hardly bear out the above quoted sup- 

 position. 



*Mr. Halibiirton states in his paper in the Transactions of 1867 that the Richardson seam had 

 its underlying strata resting- on the eonglomerate. " The conjj-lonierate itself near New Glasgow 

 dipped to the southward." This evidently was the current belief of the day which iniinediatcl3' pre- 

 ceded the publication by Dr. Dawson of the second edition of Acadian Geology wherein page 322 

 mention is made of a southerly dip having largely induced him to put the New Glasgow conglom- 

 erate at the base of the coal measures. Now there is no knowledge that the conglomerate " crops 

 out from beneath them (the productive coal measures^ on an anticlinal line." 



