be GEOLOGY OF TASMANIA. 



The sandstone near Tinderbox Bay is on the same horizon 

 as the Knocklofty beds, and contains remains of a fish de-- 

 scribed by Messrs. Johnston and Morton, under the name 

 of Acrolepis tasmanicus. This sandstone overlies conform- 

 ably the uppermost beds of the Permo-Carboniferous mud- 

 stones. 



This series of sandstones and shales contains the plant 

 remains called V ertehraria australis (McCoy). Recently, 

 Vertebraria has been regarded as the rhizome of glossopteris. 

 In Tasmania, it is confined to the Lower Mesozoic, and the 

 passage beds at Southport, which are just the strata in 

 which glossopteris has not been found. 



3. The sandstones which enclose the Mesozoic coal seam.s 

 are readily recognised by their soft, felspathic nature; they 

 Are generally greenish-grey to yellowish brown, sometimes 

 white. They are widely spread throughout East and 

 South-East Tasmania, and occur also in the South. The 

 maximuin development observed is about 1000 feet. They 

 are largely interrupted by intrusions of diabase, virhich- 

 breaks through, and, to all appearances, locally overspreads, 

 them. Whether this overspreading is real, or only apparent, 

 is still a matter of dispute. They flank the Central, 

 Western, and Eastern Tiers, and fringe isolated mountain 

 caps of diabase at Mount Nicholas, Mount Victoria, Mount 

 Saddleback, Ben Nevis, Mount Elephant, Mount Dundas, 

 Cradle Mountain, Ben Lomond, Tov>fer Hill, &c. 



From Fingal and Mount Nicholas they extend on the 

 outskirts of the diabase ranges southwards to Seym.our, 

 Douglas, and Denison rivers, LlandafF, Spring Bay, and 

 thence all over South-East and a good deal of South Tas- 

 mania, besides encircling the whole of the elevated central 

 part of the Island with a narrow girdle. In the South-East 

 they are cut up very much by intrusive diabase. In this 

 brief description detailed mention of localities is impossible. 

 Well-known occurrences are those on Ben Lomond, Schouten 

 Island, Triabunna, Okehampton, New Town, Sandfly 

 Rivulet, Tasman Peninsula, Upper Derwent, Campania, 

 York Plains, Norwich, &c. The fossil flora from these beds 

 must be regarded as characteristic for the Upper Mesozoic. 

 The plants have been scheduled by Mr. R. M. Johnston, as 

 follow : — 



Filices — "^^S^^ 



Alethopteris Australis , (Morris) 



„ serratifolia (R. M. Johnston) 



Cardiopteris Tasinanica „ 



Cyclopteris ? Australis (possibly a 



Salisburia) , ,, 



Danaea Morrisiana 



