69 



MgHy absorbent properties, constitute no actual subterranean 

 lodgment within the area named. ISTevertheless, tbe bed» 

 still remaining to tbe east and nortb-east of the town aid 

 in an indirect way most powerfully the production of the 

 water supply found in the subaerial Drifts of the low-lying 

 tracts throughout the Concordia district, as also the water 

 supply to wells in the fundamental rocks. And, as already 

 noticed, the surface drainage of Spring Grully and Cockatoo 

 Creek is traceable to the same indirect source. 



Fundamental Rooks. — On the southern side of Section 307G 

 passable fair water was struck in the clay slate at a depth of 

 95 feet from the surface. A section of the strata penetrated 

 is as follows : — 

 Surface and subsoil ... ... ... ... 12 feet 



Limestone rubble (?) ... ... ... ... 45 " 



(From a description given of the nature of this rubble by 

 Mr. T. Barrett, digger, and owner of the well, I am 

 inclined to set this 45 feet of so-called limestone rubble 

 down as being Miocene.) 



Clay slate ... ... ... ... ... 50 " 



Total ... ... ... ... 107 " 



Also in Section 3077 a good supply of very passable water 

 was found in the slate rock in "Whitlaw Gully at a depth of not 

 more than 15 feet below the bed of the ravine. 



Economics. 



Gold. — Though the precious metal was known to be sparingly 

 distributed throughout the sands and gravels in the bed of the 

 South Para Eiver as early as 1851, it was not until its 

 discovery in the Pliocene alluvial deposits of Spike Gully in 

 1868 that much attention was directed to its presence in these 

 regions. Soon after this the auriferous Miocene cements 

 of Victoria Hill attracted special notice, and though they could 

 be considered neither highly productive nor of great superficial 

 area, yet ardent hopes were entertained that better results 

 would be obtained at greater depths in the neighbouring quartz 

 reefs ; hence a desire arose to test the auriferous properties of 

 the quartz veins. 



The most probably auriferous quartz veins of Barossa are 

 chiefly confined to the eastern, or Spike Gully side of the quart- 

 zite series laid down in the map accompanying this geological 

 sketch. As to the probability of gold or other metals being 

 diffused throughout the quartz veins situated on the western 

 side of that quartzite band, I will offer a few remarks. 

 About eight years ago a mine was started — since known as 

 *' Malcolm's Barossa" — on the reef or reefs situated in Mineral 



