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PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [Apr. 10, 



from the lignite upwards was such as might he expected in a gradual 

 passage from freshwater to marine deposits. I did not, however, 

 remark the layer of silicified wood or brown coal that I expected to 

 occur above the " banded clays" that overlie the lignite. 



On Battle River similar beds were observed in lat. 52° 28' N. 

 long. Ill 29' "W., having the same order. The high part of the 

 section was composed of the " banded clays" along with concretionary 

 masses of sandy limestone, containing Ostrea, Avicida, and other 

 shells. Over the "banded clays" is the layer of silicified wood, 

 while at the base of the section and under the water of the river 

 the beds of lignite crop out. 



For sixty miles above the Hand Hills I had no opportunity of ex- 

 amining the banks of Red Deer River, but at the mouth of Bull 

 Creek the strata were found to present much the same appearance 

 as at that place ; the higher banks consisting of the " banded 

 clays," while along the river are exposed the beds of lignite overlain 

 by the silicified wood. Beneath the lignite, and what must be the 

 lowest bed of the section at this place, occurs a hard grey sandstone 

 with large concretions, that contain a slight admixture of lime, and 

 in these I obtained several leaves of deciduous dicotyledonous trees. 

 The exact spot where these were obtained is just below the mouth of 

 Deadinan's Creek. A little above this place the coal forms beds 

 of great thickness, one group of seams measuring 20 feet in thickness, 

 of which 12 feet consist of pure compact coal, and the remainder 

 of carbonaceous clays. At one point the seam was on fire, the bed 

 exposed in a cliff of about 300 yards in length being at many places 

 in a didl glow, the constant sliding of the bank continuing to supply 

 a fresh surface to the atmosphere. For miles around the air is loaded 

 by a heavy sulphurous and limey smell, and the Indians say that for 

 as long as they can remember the fire at this place has never been 

 extinguished summer or winter. For ten miles above this place the 

 coal-beds were traced as we ascended Red Deer River. They are 

 then succeeded by cliffs of sandstone apparently formed by beds over- 

 lying the coal-group, but the dip is very slight. The Nick Hills 

 where this sandstone forms a high ridge run to the north-west, 

 and above this point the banks of the river are composed of finely 

 laminated marly clays, often containing concretionary masses of lime- 

 stone filled with freshwater shells, such as Paktflina, Planorbis, &c. 



Fig. 8. — Section on the Saskatchewan River, 20 miles above 

 Rocky Mountain House. 



a. Buff calciferous sandstone resting on the lignite-group (&) unconformably. 

 These marly clays overlie the sandstone of the Nick Hills, and 



