6 



looking the Murray Plains, due to its "having been faulted up- 

 ^vard from that side. This last fault is a very long one, and 

 runs in a general direction of N.N.W. and S.IS.E. from Eoberts- 

 town to Leake's Lookout, a distance of over 20 miles. 



I'rom Eudunda, which stands nearly on the line of fault,, 

 the surface of the country falls rapidly towards the Murray. 

 A few swells, mostly of sandstone, appear, and in the railway" 

 cutting at ]\[ount Mary the last of the Primary slates are seen,. 

 After this the fossiliferous beds of the Murray basin occupy 

 the country further eastward. 



Loioer Group. — What I have termed the "lower group " of 

 rocks forms the base of the western ranges, and consist of beds^ 

 of slates, crystalline limestones, and quartzites. Xowhere, as- 

 far as my observations have extended, are they exposed in full 

 succession except so far as the lower beds are concerned. The- 

 whole series is much faulted and disturbed, and the strike and 

 dip very variable, but the latter is always at a high angle. As 

 the results of numerous observations I have been led to accept 

 the following as the sequence of the different beds in descend- 

 ing order : — 



Grey talcose slate. 



Grey quartzite. 



Hard blue shale. 



Crystalline thin bedded limestone with talc partings. 



Siliceous thin bedded marbles. 



Olive-green slate. 



Brownish-white sandstone. 



Green and grey sandy slates. 



Thick bedded grey quartzite. 



Yellowish clay slate. 



Massive quartzite breccia. 

 Although, as previously stated, the strike of particular beds 

 is never constant, the series as a whole has a general direction 

 of N.N.Ar. and S.S.E. It forms the base of the Alma Eange 

 from Stockport to the Eiver Wakefield, and of the Skilly 

 ranges from the Wakefield to Clare. The road which runs 

 west of the Clare hospital has a goodly proportion of marble 

 in the metalling. The watercourses of the Skilly ranges have^ 

 eroded channels through the softer slates and limestone?, and 

 in consequence the harder quartzites and sandstones remain 

 standing in a series of narrow high parallel ridges which 

 effectually shut out any direct traffic from Watervale or- 

 Leasingham to the plains on the westward. 



Between the Skilly ranges and the mam Xorth Eailway the- 

 ground is formed by rocks of the '' upper group." The up- 

 heaval of the Skilly ranges from the westward has subjected. 



