The River Smithford to Lyell 



matters in the hands of our prospector, who was reliable 

 and had had considerable experience in the handling of 

 men. 



Before settling down to the regular exploration of the 

 Lyell district there was one point which we wished to 

 clear up, and that was the relationship of the Permian 

 limestones to the rocks below them. 



With this object in view, we travelled eastward along 

 the foot of the escarpment, but for some distance, so 

 dense was the vegetation, no exposures of rock could be 

 seen. Eventually in a small rapid stream which flowed 

 down the face of the escarpment we encountered bare rock. 



In the lower part of the stream course there was a 

 section of dark-gray shales with very numerous impres- 

 sions of fern fronds, or the foliage of some fern-like 

 plant, and near the base^of the section was a seam of 

 coal about one inch in thickness. These rocks seemed 

 to dip to the south-west at an angle of 20, but as the 

 section was small and somewhat obscured by a small 

 land-slide, we could not determine either the direction or 

 amount with accuracy. 



Some twenty yards farther up the stream was another 

 section in yellow sandstone which had a southerly dip 

 of 11 and was succeeded by the Permian limestones 

 which were strictly conformable with it. 



Although the actual junction of the Permian sand- 

 stone, for, since it was conformable with the limestone 

 above, we decided it was of that age, with the coal- 

 bearing shales was not visible, we concluded that there 

 was an unconformity, since both the direction and 

 amount of dip of the former were different from those 

 of the latter. 



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