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extreme. Bold mountain tops rise here and there. Serrated 

 ridges, with precipitous and over-hanging escarpments, form 

 impassable barriers for miles. The rough boulder-bestrewn creek 

 channels, full of teatree thickets, are about the only possible 

 ways of entrance into this wilderness of hills. Of such is the 

 district where perhaps the grandest developments of this interest- 

 ing rock formation may be seen. 



Fortunately, for the investigation of these beds, fairly acces- 

 sible places exist. One is in the Balcanoona Creek, two or three 

 miles S.E. of the Stone Hut. The bridle-track from Balcanoona 

 Station to Stone Hut runs right across the outcrop, as does also 

 the creek, in which is a permanent running stream of fresh water. 

 The strata stand vertically, and near to that, at this place, which 

 is one of the best exposures I saw. The outcropping edges would 

 be — speaking from memory — one to two miles across. The strike 

 of the beds is N.E. to N.N.E., and the till, or conglomerate, 

 bands of rock form the core of this range, which we may, for 

 distinctive purposes, call the Mt. McTaggart Range, as a moun- 

 tain so designated is a conspicuous landmark in it a few miles 

 farther north. I should say that the beds rise eight, ten, and 

 fifteen hundred feet above the plain. On the S.E. side of the 

 beds, the erratics — which in places would weigh many tons — 

 decrease in numbers, and graduate off until the rock is sand- 

 stone, quartzite, and farther afield, limestone and mudstone. On 

 the N.W. side the beds are backed up by slate and massive mag- 

 nesian-limestone bands. In this direction a great development 

 of crystalline limestone occurs of several square miles in extent. 

 This limestone appears as a local and distinctive feature. Away 

 to the south, banded and blue limestone of considerable extent 

 is seen in the south branch of the John Creek, but it bears slight 

 resemblance to the Worturpa white crystalline limestone. I may 

 here state that cupriferous veins occur in all the rocks men- 

 tioned. Ironstone blows, with crystals of magnetite, are also 

 seen ; and extensive areas of rock are stained black with 

 manganese. 



This latter is particularly the case in another place, where the 

 beds have a very extensive development, viz., going north and 

 following the Italowie Creek from the Italowie Gap towards 

 Worturpa. The bridle-track leads over miles of this rock, here 

 composed for the most part of red sandstone and quartzite, filled 

 with erratics. Many of the erratics have been sheared through 

 by earth movements as clean as has the matrix in which they are 

 embedded. The "till" is first seen close to the gorge entrance, and 

 continues for three or four miles. The high hills on either side, 

 and the gorge, are wholly of the same rock formation. From 

 Balcanoona Creek to this exposure is seven or eight miles, and 



