IIG 



liad been presented to the 8outli Australian public, but, as 

 migbt be expected, the boundaries of the formations are only 

 approximately sketched in, and are not from actual survey. 



In 1872, Mr. Ulrich examined and reported on the mineral 

 resources of the country north of Port Augusta. As lie was 

 required to do nothing more than to examine as many mines 

 and mineral discoveries as the time at his disposal permitted, 

 and to give their descriptions, it is pleasing to find his report 

 is more than a mining engineer's account of the mines 

 examined, as it contains records of geological observations 

 which will be useful to those who may have to re-examine the 

 country. 



Significant evidence of the importance of a geological survey 

 is afforded by the fact that nearly every civilised country has 

 been geologically surveyed or is in process of survey. Even 

 Japan has a survey and a large geological department, con- 

 sisting of several Americans and a number of specially trained 

 Japanese. Among the Australasian colonies, South and West 

 Australia are the only ones that have not undergone some kind 

 of systematic examination. The stafB of a G-eological Survey 

 Department would be incomplete without the services of a 

 chemist as public analyst, whose independent position would 

 guarantee his conscientiousness. Too often a chemist is forced 

 to untrue results, or by a concatenation of circumstances 

 becomes careless in his professional habits, and learns the 

 dishonest method of making up his results commonly called 

 " cooking" by the profession. A great useless expenditure in 

 mineral prospecting, which is a loss to the State, might be 

 saved by the appointment of an analyst. Indeed the benefits 

 to be derived from an analytical supervision in this and other 

 directions are too obvious to need recounting at my hands. 



PEOSPECTIXG AXI) MIXINQ FOR GOLD. 



The geological distribution of gold in South Australia is 

 restricted to the Pre-Silurian rocks, certain gravels of the 

 Miocene period, and to drifts of later age. In the first, it 

 occurs disseminated in veins of quartz ; in the second and 

 third cases as alluvial gold. The auriferous veius are confined 

 for the most part to the middle portions of the Pre-Silurian 

 strata. The commonly occurring rock which encloses the 

 auriferous veins is a mica slate, as in the Blumberg, A\^illiams- 

 town, and Waukaringa areas ; but on the east slope of the 

 Mount Lofty Eange gold-bearing quartz veins are included in 

 talcose slates, and in the Echunga district in gneiss. Xo gold 

 has been found in the numerous granite veins intruded among 

 the metamorphic rocks just referred to, nor do I know of any 



