G. M. Dawson — Geology of British Columbia. 223 



reddisli or greenish grey, holding also magnesian grits, and a "well- 

 marked zone of bright red beds. These may be equivalent to the 

 Nevada Devonian and Ogden quartzites of the same age, on the 40th 

 parallel. The Carboniferous is next represented by a massive bluish 

 limestone 1000 feet in thickness, above which lies an amygdaloidal 

 trap 50 to 100 feet thick, which maintains its place for at least 

 twenty-five miles along the mountains. Above this are flaggy beds of 

 magnesian limestone and sandstone with red sandstone, which become 

 especially abundant towards the top, the thickness of the series being 

 about 200 feet. The position of the upper line of the portion of the for- 

 mation which should be referred to the Carboniferous is uncertain, 

 but it is probable that a part at least of the beds last described belong 

 to it. Passing gradually upwards from this series is about 400 feet 

 of beds, characterized by a predominant red colour, and chiefly thin- 

 bedded red sandstones, often ripple-marked, and showing on some 

 surfaces impressions of salt crystals. Fawn-coloured magnesian 

 sandstones and limestones occur towards the top. These without 

 doubt represent the Triassic or Jura-Triassic red beds extensively 

 developed everywhere to the southward, in the eastern ranges of the 

 Cordillera region. 



North-westward, to the Athabasca Eiver, Dr. Hector's numerous 

 excursions in this mountain axis prove the great mass of the range 

 to be composed of Carboniferous and Devonian beds, which are pre- 

 dominantly limestones, but it is also probable that some of the older 

 rocks above described may occur. 



In the Peace River region, on the 55th and 56th parallels, the con- 

 ditions are somewhat changed. Massive limestones of Devonian and 

 probably also of Carboniferous age, associated with saccharoidal 

 quartzites, here form the axial mountains. On the west side these 

 are overlain by an extensive schistose series, in which micaceous 

 schists and argillites, more or less altered, predominate. These are 

 known to occupy a long trough east of the Parsnip River, and cross 

 the Misinchinka, with considei'able width. They are doubtless of 

 the same age as the gold-bearing schists of Cariboo, before referred 

 to, and while no fossils have here been found in them, a series of 

 dark argillites on the eastern slope of the mountain axis which con- 

 tain several Triassic forms — more particularly the characteristic 

 Monotis — may, it is supposed, represent the continuation of the same 

 series in a less altered state. These marine Monotis shales, it will be 

 observed, seem to represent in this section the red beds of the region 

 further south. Volcanic material appears to be entirely absent from 

 the limestone series. 



While in the Rocky Mountains on the 49th parallel, formations 

 extending downwards to the Cambrian have been identified with 

 some degree to certainty, it will be observed that none older than 

 Carboniferous or Devonian have so far been mentioned as occurring 

 in other parts of the region. It is quite possible, however, that rocks 

 of Silurian or even Cambrian age may exist, though the disturbed 

 nature of the country has so far prevented their discovery. It has 

 been attempted here merely to give a general sketch of the more 



