42 Mccieivs — Geology of South AusfraUa. 



only as yet resulted in a line from Adelaide to Hergott Springs, 

 a length of about 350 miles. The success which has attended the 

 deep Artesian well-boring at Hergott Springs (carried down to 

 a depth of about 1200 feet, and which yields about 3000 gallons of 

 water per diem, rising with an elevatory force of some 60 feet above 

 the surface), renders it probable that other wells sunk along the 

 same synclinal trough will yield an equally abundant supply of this 

 indispensable necessary for railway locomotion through an otherwise 

 almost waterless region. Another proposed railway is being sur- 

 veyed, which will connect Adelaide with Melbourne. 



From the Map it will be seen that between 135° and 141° East 

 long, and from South lat. 26° to 32°, the entire area is occupied by 

 Cretaceous and Oolitic rocks (with or without overlying Tertiary 

 beds) ; save one great mass of Palasozoic rocks, which stretclies 

 from Encounter Bay and Kangaroo Island in the South to Mount 

 Distance and Mount Nor- West in the North, occupying the region 

 between Lake Torrens on the West and Lake Frome on the East. 

 The Nullarbor Plain, at the head of the Great Australian Bight, and 

 the district of the Murray Kiver, between Adelaide and Victoria, 

 is coloured Lower Tertiary. Granite, Syenite, Porphyry, "etc., is 

 largely developed along the 26th parallel of latitude from 129° to 

 133° of East Longitude, and sporadically in all the metamorphic 

 areas, near Fowler's Bay, at the head of the Bight ; on the Murray 

 Eiver near Murray Bridge, and in the highly metamorphic area 

 running parallel to the Paljeozoic series from Encounter Bay to 

 Thackaringa (lat. 32° S.). 



In the Keport will be found a careful account of the Woodside 

 Gold-mines, accompanied by a geologically coloured plan, giving 

 the position of the principal reefs of the District. 



Next follow Eeports of favourable places for well-sinking, and 

 Examinations of well-borings in numerous parts of the Colony, with 

 the probable prospects of water-supply, as at Wilmington, Wallaroo, 

 Dublin, Peroyton, Waukaringa, Gawler, between Wellington, and 

 across the Ninety-Mile Desert, etc. 



In most of these places the formation of the country and the lie of 

 the rocks is favourable to water-supply by means of Artesian-borings, 

 and, after covering the first expense, it is probable that water for the 

 Colony will in the future be secure, even in the ' so-called ' Desert 

 regions. 



In the Palasozoic and Metamorphic region, stretching from 

 Thackaringa to Beltana, there is a prospect of workable gold-wash- 

 ings in the alluvium and also of quartz-crushing at a paying rate, if 

 only the difiQculty of water can be overcome. 



A considerable portion of this country is underlain by a lime- 

 stone formation which is always found to be favourable to the natural 

 storage of water underground. Seventeen wells are enumerated on 

 one route from a few feet to one of 377 feet (a tubed bore) at Curna- 

 luoona Station. 



The following is a list of the rocks referred to in this Keport in 

 descending order, with their ages provisionally given : — 



