8 Sketch of the Geology of the Arctic Regions. 



tinues to Carp Lake, in smooth round backed hills, with precipitous 

 sides and narrow vallies between, producing spruce-pines, Banksiana 

 and aspen. On Point Lake, in lat. 65°, the prevailing rocks are 

 greywacke and gre}avacke slate ; greywacke with small imbedded 

 crystals of hornblende ; dark greenish transition clay slate ; compact 

 earthy greenstone, containing disseminated iron pyrites. This rock 

 is strongly magnetic, and its surface is variegated with streaks of iron 

 brown. In the sheltered vallies spruce firs are seen, but farther east 

 where gneiss crosses the river there is no wood. NortJh west of Cop- 

 permine River, which passes through an arm of Point Lake, the 

 strata belong to the transition series, alternating with primitive rocks. 

 Reddish grey slate, greenish grey and clove brown slates, are among 

 the varieties. 



In lat. 66°, high peaks of red granite and sienite, large beds of 

 greenstone, and purplish red felspar rock, rest upon old red sand- 

 stone. In the beds of torrents, intersecting the plains, are found 

 fragments of reddish grey granular foliated limestone, of deep red 

 sandstone, and of grey sandstone composed of grey quartz and fel- 

 spar, members of the old red sandstone formation, which lies under 

 coal, occasionally alternating with transition rocks. Fragments are 

 seen of pale red sandstone, with circular concretions of quartz im- 

 bedded ; also of dark green felspathose trap, colored by hornblende ; 

 of dark flesh red felspar in granular concretions, with imbedded 

 patches of hornblende, and of red felspar associated with hornblende, 

 containing am5^gdaloidal portions of prehnite. Masses occur of com- 

 pact wine-yellow limestone, resembling conchoidal hornstone, alter- 

 nating with thin layers of flinty slate. The plains are variegated with 

 a few small conical sand hills, ornamented by clumps of spruce trees. 



The famous Copper Mountains consist principally of trap rocks, 

 imposed upon new red sandstone, or floetz limestone. The rocks 

 are sometimes of felspar, colored by hornblende, approaching to 

 greenstone, but generally of a dark reddish brown amygdaloid. 

 Scales of native copper are disseminated through this rock. The 

 mountains are interrupted by narrow vallies traversed by small 

 streams. In the vallies are found native copper, trap rock associated 

 with copper, green malachite, copper glance, greenish grey prehnite, 

 copper crystallized in rhomboidal dodecahedrons, and prehnite asso- 

 ciated with calcareous spar and native copper. Nortli of tlie Copper 

 Mountains, trap hills occur. The intermediate country consists of a 

 deep sandy soil, and some of the eminences are clothed with grass, 



