74 The Sedimentary, Metamorphic, 



phic group. Indeed, the phyllites stand between the 

 argillites and the mica schists, and pass over into each of 

 them. 



The Ensay schists are of a peculiar character, occurring 

 nowhere, so far as my investigations have shown me, at more 

 than perhaps a mile, or at the outside a mile and a half, 

 distant from the junction of Watts Creek with the Little 

 River. There are three marked varieties — quartzose-schist, 

 pinite-schist, and gneiss — to the latter being added some 

 examples which are, unless examined on the large scale, 

 apparently crystalline granular. The two former represent 

 the arenaceous and argillaceous sediments, and the latter 

 the same in a more completely metamorphosed condition. 



The first of these schists occurs on the line of section 

 about 20 chains before reaching the crossing of the Omeo- 

 road over the Little River, at a low cliff at the mouth of a small 

 rill from Ramrod Flat. They are bedded, and strike about 

 N. 45° W., being vertical in position. One set of joints 

 traverses them, dipping N. 60° W.; and a dyke of diabase 

 porphyrite, with accessory amphibol, scarcely distinguishable 

 from No. 37, described at page 100, about 3 feet in width, 

 crosses them, dipping in the same direction as the joints. 



This schist is porphyritic, by reason of orthoclase nodules 

 forming "eyes" within the foliations, and there are also 

 irregular veins of felspar and quartz. The main mass of 

 the bed which I selected as typical is composed mainly of 

 pinite, which is pearly or silvery on the face of the foliations, 

 thus resembling the lustre of the basal planes of some pinite 

 pseudomorphs. The cross fractures of the foliations are 

 pale olive-green in colour, with a serpentinous appear- 

 ance. In places there is a good deal of brown magnesia- 

 mica forming part of the foliations. 



To obtain a correct mental picture of this schist as a 

 whole, it would require a large number of thin slices to 

 average the composition. The sample which I selected 

 represented the mass fairly. Excluding the orthoclase 

 nodules and the veins of orthoclase and quartz, I found it to 

 be composed almost entirely of pinite material, together with 

 numerous divergent groups of colourless talc-plates. I also 

 observed that the felspars had been involved in the alteration, 

 for I found a portion of orthoclase of the micro-perthite 

 structure still remaining intact in the centre, whilst 

 externally the alteration to pinite was complete. In addition 

 to these constituents there is also a little magnesia-mica 



