346 



MINERALS 



tions ; (2), Fossiliferous Palaeozoic formations ; (3), Granites, 

 chytes, and Trappean masses ; and (4), Superficial Post-Cainozoic 

 deposits. 



Crystalline and Sub-crystalline formations : These as described 

 above, form the main axis of the Appalachian District, extending in 

 a belt of mountainous country from the Dominion boundary, a little 

 east of Lake Champlain, through the Eastern Townships, and north- 

 easterly, beyond the Chaudiere River to the border of Kamouraska. 

 Sutton Mountain, the Owl's Head in Lake Memphramagog, Victoria, 

 Mountain in Oxford, Pinnacle Mountain in Shipton, Ham 

 Mountain, the Stoke Mountains, and other elevated points, lie 

 within this area, and are composed essentially of crystalline 

 schists or related feldspathic and quartzoze rocks. Still farther 

 towards the north-east, these rocks re-appear in the Shickshock 

 Mountains of the Gaspe peninsula. Good exposures are seen at 

 numerous spots in Sutton, Potton, Brome, Bolton, Shefford, Stukely, 

 Orford, Melbourne, Acton, Shipton, Stoke, Ham, Cleveland, and 

 throughout the Townships generally. Also around Mt. Albert in 

 Gaspe, and at many other spots along the Shickshock Range, 

 where serpentines especially predominate. Almost everywhere, 

 these crystalline strata are greatly tilted, folded, and otherwise 

 disturbed. They consist essentially of gneissoid and micaceous beds, 

 talcose and chloritic schists and potstones, serpentines, amphibolites 

 and epidosites, crystalline limestones and dolomites, giaphitic 

 argillites, quartzites, specular-iron schists, and other rocks of related 

 character, holding in many places large masses or " stocks" of copper 

 ore or magnetite, or containing these ores in veins or in dissemi- 

 nated grains, together with chromic iron ore, gold (in quartz veins,) 

 .galena, antimony ores and nickel sulphide. Many of the crystalline 

 dolomites are intermixed with serpentine, forming green, chocolate- 

 brown and other coloured " serpentine marbles." 



These crystalline schists and their associated quartzites, serpentines, 

 dolomites, etc., are now regarded as mainly of Pre-Cambrian, pro- 

 bably Huronian, age ; but it may be inferred that portions of Trenton 

 and higher palaeozoic strata are enclosed here and there in a 

 metamorphosed condition, among their foldings.* 



* Until recently, these metamorphic or crystalline formations were regarded as consisting 

 essentially of altered portions of Sir William Logan's " Quebec Group." The latter represents 

 a series of strata of about the age of the Calciferous formation, but holding peculiar graptolites 



