436 THE PROGRESS OF GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION 



and distribution of some of the leading economic minerals. Ir* 

 this connection the iron ores of the South Mountain range which- 

 are seen at Mictaux and Bear River are regarded as probabljr 

 continuous throughout the entire mountain range, passing to 

 the rear of the village of Horton, and possibly continuing further 

 east to connect with theiron deposits found in Pictou county. 



Considerable information is also given as to the coal and 

 copper deposits in Cumberland, Colchester and Pictou counties,, 

 in the latter of which the coal mines, now of so much importance,, 

 were then just being opened. 



Probably the most important of the early writings on the 

 subject of Nova Scotian geology are from the pen of Dr. Abraham 

 Gesner. The first of his publications to appear has the date- 

 1836, and is entitled, " Remarks on the Geology and Mineralogy 

 of Nova Scotia." The volume contains the results of his obser- 

 vations throughout the province during several preceding years,, 

 and is the first attempt made to place the geological formations, 

 there found in regular order. Gesner arranged the several rock 

 groups into districts, and placed the granites, which he found so- 

 persistent along the Atlantic coast, in the Primary district, 

 regarding these as his oldest division. A second belt which he- 

 outlined throughout a great part of the central area of the prov- 

 ince, and which consisted largely of slates, he styled the Slate- 

 district, and regarded them as more recent in age than the 

 granite. 



These were succeeded northward by a great series of reddish 

 sandstones, shales, and some slaty beds, which now include for* 

 mations from the Silurian to the Trias, both inclusive, which he 

 termed the Red Sandstone district. This division embraced also- 

 what is now known as the Coal formation, while to the great 

 ridge of volcanic rocks, including basalts, diabase and amygda- 

 loids, which are found chiefly in the North Mountain range, he 

 gave the name of the Trap district. 



This classification, it will be observed, was based largely on 

 physical and lithological characters and upon the predominant 

 rock masses in each. 



