480 H. M. AMI — THE GEOLOGY OF QUEBEC. 



profound dislocations exist, intricate foldings of strata occur, and several ter- 

 raues are met along a comparatively short section, faulted and folded together 

 in anything but a simple manner, which require exceedingly detailed and 

 careful examination before satisfactory conclusions are arrived at. 



The rocks forming the Citadel hill or promontory of Quebec (Cape Dia- 

 mond) have been assigned to different positions in the geological scale by 

 different writers at different times. An interesting review of their views is 

 given in Dr. Ells' last report to Dr. Selwyn (1888), and published by the 

 Geological Survey of Canada, which extends from Dr. Bigsby's paper (1827), 

 down to Professor Lapworth's report, etc., published in the " Transactions of 

 the Royal Society of Canada" (1887). These Quebec rocks have been re- 

 ferred by Logan to the age of the Quebec group (Levis division), by others 

 to " Utica-Trenton," " Trenton-Utica," " Utica-Hudson " and "Lorraine" 

 age, while still others, and the majority at present, regard them as newer 

 than the Trenton limestone, i. e., as of " Hudson River " age, or newer than 

 the Utica terrane, and forming part and parcel of an extensive series of sedi- 

 mentary strata classed under the term " Hudson terrane." 



I shall not attempt to enter into a discussion of the views held by geolo- 

 gists, both in Canada and in the United States, in this matter. Such a task 

 I had to undertake and accomplish for myself previous to this, and I will 

 not burden the Society with it on this occasion. I wish merely to call at- 

 tention to a number of plain facts obtained in the field and from an examina- 

 tion of extensive collections of fossils. When series of strata are found lying 

 between dislocations and faults, presenting no clear stratigraphical relations 

 to the adjoining strata, the lithological character of the beds along with 

 paleontological evidence must necessarily come in to assist us in ascertaining 

 the definite horizon to which they belong. With the aid of these criteria 

 some interesting notes have been obtained. 



The Terranes exposed about Quebec. 



The rocks about Quebec city and within the scope of this paper (leaving 

 out of consideration the "glacial" and "marine" clays of post-Tertiary 

 times) include the following series of well-marked natural divisions : 



I. 11. IIL 



i I Laurentian ^ j Quebec massif. § j Lorraine. 



-< ^ or '^ -^ Levis. • "^ \ Utica. 



^ I Archean. (5^ Sillery. ^ j Trenton. 



These seven terranes are clearly seen in a section from Lorette or Charles- 

 bourg southward through the city of Quebec and across the St. Lawrence 



