50 ALASKA GEOLOGY 



containing pebbles of shale, sandstone, white marble, 

 granite, vein quartz, and a green porphyrite. The strike 

 of these beds is N. 10 E., 1 dip 45 to 80 W. 



Several vertical beds of white limestone appear in the 

 distance like waterfalls coming down the steep face of 

 the high cliffs along the north side of Russell Fiord. One 

 of these, just west of the Indian camp near Point Latouche, 

 was examined, and found to be very coarse white crystal- 

 line limestone, reaching thirty feet in width, occupying a 

 fault fissure in the black slate. 



The characteristics and distribution of the Vancouver 

 or Yakutat Series are very fully given by Professor Rus- 

 sell. 2 All the region around Yakutat Bay and its depen- 

 dencies, except the northern slope of Mount Cook, seems 

 to be underlain by rocks of this age, partly covered by the 

 newer Pinnacle system. 



PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND 



In Prince William Sound the same sandstones and slates 

 to a large extent form the country rock. Hinchinbrook 

 (or Nuchek) and Hawkins islands appeared to be made 

 up of them, showing beautifully stratified and contorted 

 exposures. At the bay on the north side of Hawkins 

 Island the sandstone beds are numerous and the dip is 

 high. Where we stopped at Orca they stand on edge, and 

 are composed of black slate with much dark quartzite. 

 The slate contains obscure fossils. 



The sandstone weathers to a peculiar greenish color, 

 giving the surface appearance of serpentine. Many veins 

 and veinlets of quartz cut the formation in all directions. 

 At the Columbia Glacier, studied by Gilbert and Palache, 

 the rocks are the same and the moraines are wholly filled 



1 All bearings are corrected for magnetic declination. 



2 Expedition to Mt. St. Elias, National Geographic Magazine, vol. in, p. 167. 

 1891. 



