174 Revieivs — The Arctic Manual, 



Thus underlying the entire area, and forming apparently the 

 mountain ranges, as well as the whole of the interior of Greenland, 

 are, as far as conjectured, a series of metamorphosed rocks, of prob- 

 ably more than one geological date. 



Examining the rock-specimens more closely, the existence of 

 Laurentian and Cambrian rocks among these is apparently indisput- 

 able. Thus at Upernavik, at Elwyn Inlet, at Navy-Board Inlet, and 

 Port Leopold, in the Arctic American Archipelago, syenite occurs 

 resembling the Laurentian series of Cape Wrath ; whilst in South 

 Greenland the syenite of the Kifctisut Islands seems also to point to 

 the presence of the Laurentian formation. The green felspar of the 

 neighbourhood of Godthaab, the green compact felspar of Possession 

 Bay and Cape Byam-Martin on the west side of Baffin's Bay, also 

 indicate the presence of the Laurentian series. The Labrador felspar 

 and graphite in the granite of South Greenland point probably to the 

 same conclusion. 



The Igalliko quartzite of West Greenland and some of the quartz- 

 rocks of Upernavik, and of Elwyn Inlet, and other places in Boothia 

 and the Arctic American Archipelago, " may be of the succeeding 

 Cambrian age." This red compact quartzose sandstone of Igalliko 

 Ejord, though '' sometimes called Old Ked Sandstone," has not yet 

 been determined with confidence. 



Some of the altered rocks, again, may prove to be referable to the 

 Jurassics ; for, on the west side of Baffin's Bay, " the jasper, siliceous 

 schist, and chert resemble exactly those specimens which are found 

 in the Isle of Skye among the beds of shale, sandstone, and limestone, 

 which are known to belong to this geological era." Unaltered Juras- 

 sics have been identified in East Greenland, as brownish micaceous 

 sandstones, with " a seam of bituminous fissile coal, associated with 

 indistinct and indeterminable fragments of plants ; " and further 

 research may yet prove this series to be represented among the 

 altered rocks of other parts of the region. 



The Arctic Archipelago lying directly between North America and 

 the Pole is the only locality in this region at present known where 

 the Silurian rocks undoubtedly exist. Thus Melville Island, Beechey 

 Island, and the shores of Wellington Strait, abound in fossiliferous 

 limestone, in which Encrinites, Favosites Gotlandica, and Saly sites, 

 and other coralline forms are plentiful. " We may now then defi- 

 nitely colour the shores of Wellington Channel and Barrow Strait, 

 except the eastern entrance of the latter (which is occupied by 

 igneous or crystalline rocks), as Upper Silurian " (Salter). Boothia 

 Felix also and the neighbouring localities have large areas covered 

 by '' dolomite or magnesian limestone in almost horizontal beds " 

 (Haughton), and the numerous fossils these have furnished supply 

 ample proof of their identity, and of the presence of Silurian rocks. 



Here, however, occurs a marked gap in the chain of geological se- 

 quence ; of the Devonian rocks " no clear evidence has been afforded, 

 though we have heard of red and brownish sandstone, as observed in 

 very many localities by various explorers, and which possibly may 

 belong to that formation " (Murchison). This is, however, doubtful. 



