Mr. 8. V. Wood on the Cretaceous Period. 319 
4. “On the Probable Events which succeeded the Close of the 
Cretaceous Period.” By S. V. Wood, jun., Esq. 
The object of this paper was to show that the close of the Secon- 
dary period was followed by the formation of a continent having 
a great extent from east to west, and at that time chiefly occu- 
pying low latitudes; that this direction of continent prevailed 
throughout the Tertiary pericd ; and that in certain portions of the 
southern hemisphere, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, 
there have been preserved portions of the Secondary continent with 
isolated remnants of the Secondary Mammalia and Gigantic Birds. 
These conclusions were arrived at by a consideration of the direction 
of the principal volcanic axes in the Secondary and Tertiary periods. 
The Secondary continent was (the author considered) mainly influ- 
enced in the northern hemisphere by volcanic axes which came into 
action at the close of the Carboniferous, and continued through the 
Secondary Period. ‘These axes were that of the Oural, that of the 
north of England prolonged into Portugal, and that of the Alleghanies, 
having all a north and south direction, supervening upon volcanic 
axes having a direction at right angles to them, which had prevailed 
during the Newer Paleozoic period. From this circumstance an 
inference was drawn that the Secondary continents had generally a 
trend from north to south, governed by volcanic bands having 
this direction ; while, as the Secondary formations indicate a great 
extent of sea over the northern hemisphere, the bulk of the Secon- 
dary continent lay in the southern hemisphere. 
The elevation of the bed of the Cretaceous sea, it was inferred, 
was due to volcanic forces acting from east to west; and the author 
adduced evidence of this action having become perceptible during 
the later part of the Cretaceous period. He considered that the 
direction of all the Post-cretaceous lines of volcanic action governed 
the direction of the continent during the Post-cretaceous period, 
and pointed out that these were all in an easterly and westerly 
direction, coincident with the existing volcanic band which extends 
from the Azores to the Caspian, and thence (with an interval of 
intense earthquake-action between the Caspian and Bengal) extends 
to the Society Isles. He concluded that they gave rise to a continent 
extending from the Caribbean Sea to the Society Isles—manyreasons 
uniting to show a land-connexion between America and Europe at 
the dawn of the Tertiary period, the submerged continent of Oceanica 
also indicating the easterly extension of Southern Asia; and that, 
since this continent receded to the north at the dawn of the Tertiary 
period before the inroad of the Nummulitic Sea (which stretched 
from the south-east through Western Asia and Southern Europe, 
and was, as the author conceives, the oceanic equivalent of the 
Eocene basins of Europe), the greater portion of the deposits formed 
in the interval between Cretaceous and Eocene times must be now 
under the Southern Oceans. 
The author then adverted to the circumstance that the recent 
great wingless Birds and the nearest living affinities of all the 
Secondary Mammalia yet known occur only in the Southern hemi- 
sphere. From this, and from some considerations as to the 
