rence at Kingston, and those west of the same 

 axis to HamillioQ, 



THE ROSENFKLD BOKING. 



Perhaps the most useful operation we have 

 had for obtaining an accurate knowledge of 

 our Red River valley rocks was the boring 

 conducted by the Canadian Pacific railway in 

 1885 at Rosenfeld Station, 60 miles southwest 

 of Winnipeg. By the use of a percussion drill, 

 after boring a little more than a thousand feet, 

 the Laurentijan foundation was reached. The 

 logbook kept by the drilling party has enabled 

 the geologists to make out a complete section of 

 the linoeatone and sandstone rocks, such as we 

 have from no other source. It is true that 

 these rocks at this point are thicker than had 

 been supposed, and there are grounds for 



the higher rocks extended over the whole val 

 ley and basin, and that some mighty agency 

 hollawed out this vast Silurian and Cambrian 

 trough. Undoubtedly this powerful agent 

 was the great glacier or ice sheet of Lake 

 Agassiz. The whole valley shows signs of 

 this denuding and crushing power in the 

 striae which are observed The fine drift dO' 

 posit or soil which covers the rocks on 

 our Red River prairies, if examined with 

 the microscope willbeseentobelargelyoflime 

 stone rocks ground down to powder, as well as 

 crushed rocks from the Laurentian area. The 

 erratics or boulders found in this drift are sim- 

 ply larger fragments of these same rocks. 

 Much of the material which was dug up and 

 hurried along, nodoubb, went down the glacial 

 lake, and was carried away by the Mississippi, 



Fig. 2.— Silurian and Cambrian Rocks of Red River. 



thinking that as we come northward to Win 

 nipeg they will not be so thick. The revela 

 tions made by the drill quite fit in with the 

 geological observations made of the Stony 

 Mountain, Red River, and Lake Winnipeg 

 exposures. It is now possible to make out a 

 general view tif the rock formatiors from the 

 boundary line to the basin of L'ike Win- 

 nipeg. Figure 2 is an attempt at this, 

 showing the rocks of the various ages, and 

 their localities as observed in this valley and 

 basin. It is based chiefly on Df. G. M. Diw 

 son's article (Transactions Royal society, 

 1886). 



ODE INFERENCE. 



From the facts indicated in the above dia- 

 gram, it may be inferred, that at one time 



into which the Red River then flowed. What 

 the surface of the Laurentian, on which the 

 'ater rocks rest, may be, is uaknown to us. 

 Probably it is not fl*t like our prairies, but is 

 diversified by what were once great granite 

 ridges which had lakes lying between them. 



CHAKACTEE OF THE EOCKS. 



We ought all to be familiar with the char- 

 acter of the rocks from the several exposures 

 mentioned, for the limestones are largely used 

 as building stones in oar better building-'. 

 The stone is rather pretty with its raottUd 

 varieties of yellow and white, and is at places 

 very hard, being rather Dolomitic in composi 

 tion. No doubt its greatest defect is the pre- 

 sence in it of fossils which prevent it chiselling 



