74 STUDIES IN GEOLOGY,, No. 4 



ably Sparnacian age of the Coals, and Russell's statement 3 

 that they are to be correlated with the Chico-Tejon beds of 

 California, a similar mistake that we owe originally to Gabb. 



Within the last decade much detailed and reliable informa- 

 tion upon this, as well as other regions in Chile, has been 

 published by Dr. J. Briiggen, Professor in the University at 

 Santiago and geologist to the Ministry of Industries and 

 Public Works. 4 There is much information still lacking be- 

 cause of lack of detailed geologic work and the secretive- 

 ness of some of the native coal companies. One is especially 

 anxious to know the exact position of the coals of Concepcion 

 and Arauco with relation to the lignites farther south between 

 Temuco and Puerto Montt, on the Island Chiloe and at 

 Punta Arenas on the Straits of Magellan. I am convinced 

 that the coals of Concepcion and Arauco are different in age 

 from the lignites of Punta Arenas, but until the age of the 

 latter is conclusively determined the larger questions of 

 former plant distribution and Antarctic relations cannot be 

 settled. 



The sole previous contributor to the paleobotany of the 

 district is Hermann Engelhardt who in an elaborate paper 

 published in 1891 and a shorter one in 1905, described over 

 loo species of fossil plants, chiefly from Lota and Coronel. 5 

 He emphasizes the resemblance of the fossil flora to the 

 existing flora of eastern Peru, Brazil and the Antilles, and is 

 inclined to consider it insular, pre Miocene and pre Andean. 



3 Russell, A., Trans. Inst. of Mining Engineers, vol. 38, pp. 29-82, 

 1909. 



4 Briiggen, J., Bol. Soc. Nacional de Mineria, ser. 3, vol. 25, pp. 

 6-29, 49-84, 1913. (Also published separately.) 



Idem., pp. 459-512. (Also published separately.) 



Bruggen, J., La Formacion de los Carbones de Piedra i especial- 

 mente de los Chilenos. 39 pp. Santiago, 1916. 



"Engelhardt, H., Abh. Senck. Naturf. Gesell., Bd. 16, pp. 629-692, 

 pi. 1-14, 1891 : Abh. Naturw. Gesell. Isis in Dresden, 1905, pp. 69-82, 

 PL i. , 



