376 



THE AZOIC SYSTEM AND ITS SUBDIVISIONS. 



Dr. Hunt thinks that the supposed Huronian of Prof. Hind belongs 

 to the White Mountain series ; but this conclusion, like most of his geo- 

 logical work, is purely theoretical, based on litholugical resemblances. 

 (Am. Jour. Sci., 1870, (2) L. p. 87.) 



Dr. Honeyman's papers on the Laurentian age of certain rocks of 

 INTova Scotia, in the Transactions of the Nova Scotia Institute of Natural 

 Science, the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, and the Amer- 

 ican Journal of Science, appear likewise to be valueless, as his conclu- 

 sions depend chiefly on lithological characters, aided by the distribution 

 of a supposed Eozom. His conclusions are, furthermore, objected to by 

 Dr. Dawson, who states that there is neither stratigraphical, lithologi- 

 cal, nor palajontological evidence to sustain them. The rocks in question 

 Dr. Dawson regards as probably Lower Silurian, Cambrian, or Huronian. 

 (Canadian Naturalist, 1879, (2) IX. pp. 1-1 G.) 



According to Mr. Edward Hartley, the Coal Measures near New Camp- 

 belltown, Cape Breton, stand vertical, or nearly so, within one hundred 

 feet of syenite and ''limestone highly altered serpentinous and crystal- 

 line." The dip of the Coal Measures diminishes on receding from the 

 syenite, until they assume a nearly horizontal position (dip 5 or 10 

 degrees). Since the syenite and limestone resemble the Laurentian, Mr. 

 Selwyn writes : " From the foregoing facts it appears that the Coal 

 Measures in Cape Breton are in direct contact with rocks of Laurentian 

 Age," 



The present writers, however, think that nothing of the kind has been 

 proved. It has been simply shown by Mr. Hartley that the Coal Meas- 

 ures are seen highly tilted within fifty or one hundred feet of limestones 

 and syenite of unknown age. (GeoL of Canada, Eeport of Progress, 

 1870-71, pp. 4, 5.) 



Later, Mr. Charles Eobb, in an ezamination of the same region, 

 states : — 



" The existence of a fault or complication of faults here seems to be proved 

 beyond a doubt, and the occurrence of a band of calcareous and mai^nesian 

 rocks of varying thickness, between the Lower Carboniferous and Productive 

 Coal-measures on the one hand, and the syenite on the other, is also clearly 

 established." 



No cozoonal characters were found in the limestone on microscopic 

 examination. (Report of Progress, 1873-74, p. 174.) 



Mr. Pbobb later gave a much fuller account of the district, with a map 

 of the same. He found a conglomerate containing pebbles of syenite in 

 the Lower Carboniferous rocks, and some of the strata appeared to have 

 been inverted. (Eeport of Progress, 1874-75, pp. 251-2G2.) 



