Messrs. Chalmers Sf Hatch — Mashonalancl ^ Mataheleland. 195 



in like manner the scenery and physical characters are strikingly 

 persistent. Sedimentary deposits are of rare occurrence. The great 

 bulk of the country is granite, the remainder being formed chiefly 

 of metamorphic rocks ; the whole doubtless constituting a portion 

 of that ancient floor of granite and metamorphic rocks that else- 

 where underlie the subsequent sedimentary or igneous accumula- 

 tions. It is of course possible that this vast area of granite and 

 metamorphic rocks was at one time wholly or partially covered 

 by detrital deposits ; but if so, they have been subsequently denuded 

 and only in isolated instances do any traces of them still remain. 

 Sandstone deposits with workable beds of coal are said to occur near 

 the Zambesi, north of Buluwayo. Sandstones, grits, and conglo- 

 merates are also reported to occur in the Victoria district, but under 

 what geological conditions we are unable to say. In any case, 

 however, we can state that the major portion of the surface of the 

 country is underlaid by granite rock forming broad expanses of flat 

 or rolling veldt, from which rise occasionally huge agglomerations 

 of immense boulders and fantastically shaped kopjes, the home 

 of the despised Makalakas and Mashonas, where tliey were used 

 to seek refuge from the raids of the Matabele. At intervals, too, 

 the granite rises into rugged mountain ranges with rude broken 

 outlines, and scored and scarped bosses of bare rock, as for instance 

 in the Matoppo Hills, south of Buluwayo. 



Turning now to the metamorphic rocks or schists which constitute 

 the gold belts of the country, we find them occurring as broad 

 bands and patches in the granite. In passing from an area of 

 granite to one of schist the traveller is struck by the contrast 

 presented by the two types of scenery. The country loses its bare 

 and rugged aspect ; the contours become soft and more undulating 

 or even hilly ; the soil, hitherto sandy and sterile, becomes clayey 

 and fertile; the hills are covered with trees, and give rise to 

 numerous streams ; and in some of the districts (the Seleukwe and 

 Victoria) the alternation of thickly wooded hills with fertile valleys 

 forms scenery that would be noted for its beauty in any country. 

 To what geological conditions may these differences in scenic or 

 physical features be ascribed ? We think the more broken character 

 of the schist country is due to the variable nature of the component 

 rocks, and to the fact that they are turned up on edge, rendering 

 them more susceptible to the attacking forces of atmospheric 

 disintegration. 



The Origin of the Gold Belts. 



In discussing the origin of the auriferous rocks, a series of 

 interesting questions present themselves for solution. 



1. What is the geological relation of the schist to the granite ? 



2. Why are the auriferous veins chiefly confined to the schist 

 belts and their immediate neighbourhood ? 



3. Is there any community in origin between the veins and the 

 schists ? 



We will endeavour to find answers to these questions. The rocks 



