NOTES ON THE GEOLOGY OF NEWFOUNDLAND WESTON. 157 



The limestones of this formation are often prolific in fossil 

 shells; one of these bands is 26 feet thick, and is composed 

 chiefly of a species of Terebratula ; others hold Stigmaria root- 

 lets, Sigillaria and beautifully preserved ferns. The carbonifer- 

 ous rocks of Nova Scotia are more than 14,570 feet in thickness. 

 One of the bands of conglomerate is 1,400 feet thick. The car- 

 boniferous formation is probably the most important group of 

 rocks in the 28 miles of strata which once formed, what we only 

 have a portion of now, the crust of the earth. 



Superficial Deposits. The superficial deposits of Newfound- 

 land are represented by stratified clays containing modern shells. 

 Some of these clays are from 50 to 60 feet thick. Erratic 

 boulders fill many of the valleys and cover large portions of the 

 island. 



Ottawa, April, 1895. 



