266 THE PICTOU COAL FIELD — POOLE. 



of New Glasgow conglomerate at Alma. On the left bank of" 

 the river 5 chains above French's tunnel is the lowest of the 

 black fireclays with a little coal}^ matter, the probable equi- 

 valent of the second seam of the Westville series. A marked 

 band of brown fireclay, however, occurs at the great sweep of 

 the river half a mile higher up, and a coal seam of an inch or two 

 still higher near the base of the section. 



The exposures of red rocks duplicate the series on McLeod's 

 brook and are in many places continuous for hundreds of feet,, 

 but shew no dislocations. The dip is uniforudy eastward of north 

 and consecutive until the conglomerate-beds and sandstones con- 

 taining, as at McDonald's mill dam on McLeod's brook, remains 

 of plants and roots in situ are met at the mouth of the brook 

 (Duncan McDona'd's ) that joins the river 65 chains below the 

 bridge at Union Centre. 



On this horizon there is probably .<ome disturbance and the- 

 probata lit}^ is that the-e conglomerates rest on altered rocks not 

 brought to the surface and exposed. 



On the river the rocks are not again seen until at the sharp 

 turn, 18 chains below the Union Centre bridge, thin bedded 

 compact grey sandstones dipping N. 45'' E. 85°, are immediately 

 preceded by vertical red argillites and rocks of the Carbonifer- 

 ous Limestone. 



Across the Gairloch road beyond the l)ase of Hartley's section 

 on McLeod's brook the high dips seen at Oliver's abandoned mill 

 dam would indicate the passage there of an east and west fault 

 and that the beds higher up McLeod's brook cannot be placed 

 below the base of Hartley's section.(^) 



If it is assumed that N. 40° E. is an average dip of the rocks 

 of the lower part of McLeod's brook this direction is some 30° 

 more to the northward than that of the overlying coal measures 

 and certainly suggests an intervening fault, as supposed by Mr. 

 Hartley in his West fault, but the change it is now contended is 

 associated by minor dislocations only as the beds pass over the 

 northward extension of the altered rocks of Highfield farm 

 range. 



(1) Report 1869, p. 62. 



