68 NOTES ON MINERAL FUELS OF CANADA. — ELLS. 



Some of the seams contain coal of very good quality, and in the 

 White Horse district coals of fine quality have been reported. 



The northern portion of the Dominion, as along the valley 

 of the Mackenzie river, and even on several islands off the 

 mouth of that great stream, are known to contain coal beds, 

 mostly of the lignite variety, which, however, have not yet been 

 utilized. 



Petroleum and Natural Gas. 



In addition to the coals so briefly sketched, other sources of 

 supply for heating and lighting are found in the i)resence of 

 petroleum, natural gas, bituminous shales, anthraxolite, alber- 

 tite and peat. These, with the possible exception of the last 

 named, have a different origin from the ordinary coals. They, 

 however, constitute a very important factor in the development 

 of the various interests of the Dominion. 



Among these, petroleum a'nd natural gas may be regarded 

 as the most important. In Ontario, where these occur in tlu.' 

 greatest abundance, the petroleum has hitherto been regarded as 

 derived from rocks of Devonian age, though that these are the 

 original source of the gas and oil has never been conclusively 

 established. In the oil fields of the United States, more 

 especially in the Appalachian area, the source of the oil is as 

 low as the Trenton limestone, while in the western or Pacific 

 states it is found in great abundance in formations as high in the 

 geological scale as the Cretaceous and Tertiary, so that petrol- 

 eum has even a wider range than coal itself. As for that peculiar 

 form of carbon known as anthraxolite, its range is still lower 

 since it is found in roclcs generally styled Laurentian, as well 

 as in the Huronian a'nd Lower Cambrian. 



In the Atlantic provinces and in Gaspe, borings for oil have 

 been carried on for mon; than half a century in rocks chiefly of 

 Devonian age. Owing largely to the fact that these rocks are 

 much broken and tilted, and often inclined at high angles, no 

 important economic results have as yet been obtained from any 



