762 E. C. ANDREWS 



has been indicated most clearly by Carne, 1 who calls attention to 

 the fact that massive conglomerates, coal seams, and abundant 

 fossil trees characterize the northern sediments as to their lower 

 members, while tuffs and sandstones without heavy conglomerates, 

 coal seams, or abundant tree stems characterized the southern and 

 western sedimentation (Triassic). Cross-bedded sandstones of 

 warm-brown color and intercalated black shales characterize 

 the southern, middle, or Hawkesbury series, while cross-bedded 

 sandstones are very common in the northern or Clarence series. In 

 both series the later stages of the Trias- Jura appear to be dark shales 

 in the main. 



It is possible that the great folding at the close of the Carbonifer- 

 ous in Northeastern New South Wales was responsible, in great 

 measure, for the heavy conglomerates of the Clarence series as well 

 as of the Triassic of the Upper Hunter valley, and it is probable that 

 very high land barriers separated the two sinking areas during a 

 moderate part, at least, of the period. This might be expected to 

 have caused variations in local floras. As an example, the Clarence 

 series contains a characteristic fossil, namely, Taeniopteris Dain- 

 treei, whereas it is absent from the Hawkesbury. On the other 

 hand, however, Taeniopteris Daintreei is found in the Victoria 

 Trias- Jura, so that Carne and others consider the Clarence to be 

 of different age from that of the Hawkesbury. 



The southern or Hawkesbury (Triassic) area does not appear 

 to have been dominated to the west and south by high land, inas- 

 much as the adjacent and subjacent Permo-Carboniferous in those 

 directions does not appear to have been disturbed except by a gentle 

 movement of sagging. The earlier period of the Trias- Jura appears 

 to have been one of moderate to fair precipitation, but the middle 

 period appears to have been subarid. In the Sydney district 

 massive cross-bedded sandstones predominate in these middle beds, 

 with relatively thin layers of dark-gray shales. In places layers of 

 grit and subangular pebbles are interspersed with large blocks of 

 these dark-gray shales, all mixed confusedly, apparently marking 



■J. E. Came, "Western Coal Field," Memoir No. 6, Geol. Survey, N.S. Wales, 

 1907, PP- 26-41 5 see also E. F. Pittman, Ann. Report N.S. Wales, 1880, p. 244. Quoted 

 by Came, op. cit., p. 26. 



