112 HONEYMAN GEOLOGY OF ANTIGOMISH COU^-TY. 



onward to the to\vii of Antigonish for a distance of about five miles, 

 — which furnish a section of the sedimentary rocks of this side of 

 these mountains. In the first mile the order is descending, as in 

 the next outcrop we have only a. Abont a mile nearer the town 

 we have a large outcrop of quartzite, which I regard as Devonian. 

 One mile nearer we have outcrops of lower carboniferous con- 

 glomerate, succeeded by limestone, and then six miles from Anti- 

 gonish we pass between gypsum pits. The Devonian quartzite 

 Avhich is of greenish hue, appears to be of considerable thickness. 

 It is exposed in various places on the flanks of the Antigonish 

 mountains. There is a grand exposure at the falls of James' river. 

 These rocks form an elevated peak which rises abruptly above the 

 falls. The water flows in great volume over precipitous rocks, and 

 from a height of about one hundred feet into a capacious basin, the 

 whole presenting a scene of impressive grandeur. These strata 

 appear also to constitute, to a great extent, " the mountain," at the 

 south-east angle of the range, and after a break of about two miles 

 they appear outcropping near the top of the Sugar Loaf mountain. 

 I have thus directed attention to the earlier sedimentary forma- 

 tions existing in this county — the Silurian and Devonian. It will 

 have been observed that there has been considerable irregularity in 

 the deposition of the strata that have passed imder review. Com- 

 paring as I have done, the respective localities with the Arisaig type, 

 we find that B and b' are missing at Lochabar, and that b, b' and c 

 are missing at the Marshy Hope, while in both of these localities 

 there is a greater development of the Devonian than we find at 

 Arisaig, so that it is impossible to lay down any trustworthy rule 

 in regard to the occurrence of any member of the series, where we 

 have no outcrop or other superficial indications ; in other words we 

 may have Silurian, and no Devonian underlying more recent forma- 

 tions, and vice versa. As to origin, the strata are marine — A, the 

 lowest of the series having been deposited in comparatively shallow 

 water, possibly about seventy fathoms, while b, b' manifest deposi- 

 tion at a greater depth, and the aggregate thickness of the Silurian 

 and Devonian would appear to recj[uiro still greater depth of water 

 for their deposition. This shows that in the process of their formation 

 there was subsidence as well as deposition. Their present superficial 

 pcsition, their great elevation, especially at Lochabcr, above the sea 



