766 E. C. ANDREWS 



David's conclusion is: 



In regard to the broad tectonic features of Papua it may be suggested, 

 very tentatively, that the mainland of Australia has functioned as a "foreland 

 massif," Torres Straits, the Gulf of Carpentaria, the Arafura Sea, and the deep 

 Mesozoic and Tertiary basins with their thick strata as a Senkungsfeld. Pos- 

 sibly the crystalline schists forming a great part of the backbone of the island 

 have played the part of an inner, or ruck-land massif which has helped to roll 

 up the Mesozoic and Tertiary sediments. 1 



In passing, it may be mentioned that this simply raises the 

 question again as to the origin of the forces of crumpling. Do they 

 act from the land as suggested by Suess in his discussion of the 

 Asiatic framework, or do they act from the oceans ? If the move- 

 ments be assumed to act as from Central Australia toward the 

 oceans, then it is difficult to understand the stability and rigidity of 

 such central area of force. If the source of energy is suboceanic and 

 directed toward the continents, then it is difficult to explain the 

 growth of Australia north and east, while that of New Guinea 

 appears to be south and west, unless, indeed, it be assumed gratui- 

 tously that the later foldings in Northeastern Australia are simply 

 the expressions of orogenic movements dying away in a south- 

 westerly direction from the Pacific. Even so the intense contor- 

 tions evidenced in the Miocene and Pliocene beds might be expected 

 on the northeastern aspect of New Guinea rather than on the 

 south and southwestern. It would seem, indeed, as though each 

 negative or heavy area had played a part in the movements. 



New Caledonia. — In New Caledonia the Mesozoic sediments 

 have been intensely folded, especially on the western and south- 

 western aspects, and the overfolding appears to have been directed 

 toward Australia, according to Peletan, Depiet, Piroutet, and 

 others as quoted by Suess. 2 



New Zealand. — In turning to a consideration of New Zealand we 

 meet with a certain amount of disappointment, inasmuch as there 

 is no consensus of opinion among the workers on certain funda- 

 mental points. Thus a glance at Dr. J. W. Gregory's map in the 

 article on New Zealand in the eleventh edition of the Encyclopaedia 



1 T. W. E. David, "Geology of Papua," op. tit., pp. 324-25. 



2 Die Antlitze der Erde (Eng. tr.), IV, 314-15. 



