4^ 



SOUTH CAKOUNA. 



479 



In 1878 Dr. Hunt referred part of the gneisses of North Carolina to 



the Laurentian, but found "indications of a belt of Huronian schists,** 



while the "thin bedded gneisses with highly micaceous and hornblendic 



schists," which Professor Kerr had regarded as Laurentian, he referred 

 to the Montalban. 



It results quite clearly from the study of what has been published 

 by Professors Kerr and Bradley, that there has been no satisfactory 

 reference of any of the rocks of North Carolina older than the Triassio 

 to their proper place in the geological scries. Professor Kerr's Lauren- 

 tian and Huronian include all the existing stratified formations in that 

 State below the Trias, and, judging from what is known of the geological 

 structure of the Appalachian belt farther north, it is highly probable 

 that Professor Bradley was right in referring a considerable portion of 

 the metamorphic rocks of North Carolina to the Paleeozoic. At all 

 events, it is safe to say that, with our present uncertainty in regard to 

 the geological age and structure of the region in question, there can be 

 no reason for dividing the older rocks into Laurentian and Huronian 

 other than on purely theoretical grounds. 



^1 



SOUTH CAROLINA. 



Bnt little is known in regard to the older crystalline rocks of South 

 Carolina. Mr. Licber, the former State Geologist, describes different 

 varieties of them ; but he gives no clue to their geological position, and 

 but little information is aiForded as to their order of succession. Dr. 

 Hunt, however, has endeavored, on the basis of Mr. Lieber's description, 

 to range the various rocks of this State within the systems described by 

 him as occurring farther north. He says (Proo. Am. Assoc. Adv. Sci., 

 1871, XX., pp. 10, 11): 



" It is easy, from the reports of Lieber on the geology of South Carolina, to 

 identify in this State the two types of the Green Mountain and White Moun- 

 tain scries. The fonuer, as described by him, consists of talcose, chloritic, and 



epidotic schists, with diorites, steatites, actinolite-rock, and serpentines 



The great gneiseic area of Andci-son and Abbeville districts is described by 

 Lieber as consisting of fine-grained gray gneisses, with micaceous and horn- 

 blendic schists, and is cut by numerous veins of pegmatite, holding garnet, 

 tourmaline, and beryl. These rocks, which have the character of the White 



