﻿ON 
  THE 
  UPPER 
  COAL-FORMATION 
  OF 
  NOVA 
  SCOTIA. 
  209 
  

  

  22. 
  On 
  the 
  Upper 
  Coal-formation 
  of 
  Eastern 
  Nova 
  Scotia 
  and 
  

   Prince-Edward 
  Island 
  in 
  its 
  Relation 
  to 
  the 
  Permian. 
  By 
  J. 
  W. 
  

   Dawson, 
  LL.D., 
  F.R.S., 
  F.G.S., 
  McGill 
  College, 
  Montreal. 
  (Read 
  

   March 
  25, 
  1874.) 
  

  

  This 
  formation 
  was 
  first 
  distinguished 
  as 
  a 
  separate 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  

   Carboniferous 
  system 
  in 
  Eastern 
  Nova 
  Scotia 
  by 
  the 
  writer, 
  in 
  a 
  

   paper 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  volume 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  Journal 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  

   Society,' 
  in 
  1845 
  — 
  and 
  was 
  defined 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  upper 
  or 
  overlying 
  

   series 
  superimposed 
  on 
  the 
  productive 
  Coal-measures, 
  and 
  distin- 
  

   guished 
  by 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  thick 
  coal-seams, 
  by 
  the 
  prevalence 
  of 
  

   red 
  and 
  grey 
  sandstones 
  and 
  red 
  shales, 
  and 
  by 
  a 
  peculiar 
  group 
  of 
  

   vegetable 
  fossils. 
  

  

  Subsequently, 
  in 
  my 
  paper 
  on 
  the 
  South 
  Joggins* 
  and 
  in 
  my 
  'Aca- 
  

   dian 
  Geology,' 
  this 
  formation 
  was 
  identified 
  Avith 
  the 
  upper 
  series 
  of 
  

   the 
  Joggins 
  section, 
  Divisions 
  1 
  & 
  2 
  of 
  Sir 
  William 
  Logan's 
  sectional 
  

   list, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  Upper 
  Barren 
  Measures 
  of 
  the 
  English 
  Coal-fields 
  

   and 
  the 
  third 
  or 
  upper 
  zone 
  of 
  Geinitz 
  in 
  the 
  Coal-formation 
  of 
  

   Saxony 
  f. 
  

  

  Still 
  more 
  recently, 
  in 
  a 
  ' 
  Report 
  on 
  the 
  Geology 
  of 
  Prince 
  Edward 
  

   Island,' 
  1871, 
  I 
  have 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  forma- 
  

   tion 
  the 
  lower 
  series 
  of 
  sandstones 
  in 
  Prince-Edward 
  Island, 
  not 
  

   previously 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  overlying 
  Trias 
  J. 
  

  

  In 
  Prince-Edward 
  Island, 
  however, 
  where 
  the 
  highest 
  beds 
  of 
  this 
  

   series 
  occur, 
  they 
  become 
  nearly 
  horizontal, 
  and 
  are 
  overlain 
  appa- 
  

   rently 
  in 
  a 
  conformable 
  manner 
  by 
  the 
  Red 
  Sandstones 
  of 
  the 
  Trias, 
  

   which 
  differ 
  very 
  little 
  from 
  them 
  in 
  mineral 
  character. 
  It 
  thus 
  

   happens 
  that, 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  characteristic 
  

   Carboniferous 
  plants 
  in 
  the 
  Lower 
  series 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  equally 
  cha- 
  

   racteristic 
  Triassic 
  forms 
  in 
  the 
  Upper, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  difficult 
  to 
  affirm 
  

   that 
  we 
  have 
  to 
  deal 
  with 
  two 
  formations 
  so 
  different 
  in 
  age. 
  

  

  In 
  connexion 
  with 
  this, 
  the 
  entire 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  Permian 
  system, 
  

   not 
  only 
  here 
  but 
  throughout 
  Eastern 
  America, 
  raises 
  the 
  question 
  

   which 
  I 
  have 
  already 
  suggested 
  in 
  ' 
  Acadian 
  Geology,' 
  whether 
  the 
  

   conditions 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Coal-formation 
  may 
  not 
  have 
  continued 
  

   longer 
  here 
  than 
  in 
  Europe, 
  so 
  that 
  rocks 
  in 
  the 
  former 
  region 
  con- 
  

   stituting 
  an 
  upward 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  Carboniferous 
  may 
  synchronize 
  

   with 
  part 
  at 
  least 
  of 
  the 
  Permian. 
  On 
  the 
  one 
  hand, 
  there 
  seems 
  

   to 
  be 
  no 
  stratigraphical 
  break 
  to 
  separate 
  these 
  rocks 
  from 
  the 
  

   Middle 
  Coal-formation 
  of 
  Nova 
  Scotia 
  ; 
  and 
  their 
  fossils 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  

   main 
  identical. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  where 
  the 
  beds 
  are 
  so 
  slightly 
  

   inclined 
  that 
  the 
  Trias 
  seems 
  conformable 
  to 
  the 
  Carboniferous, 
  no 
  

   very 
  marked 
  break 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  expected 
  ; 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  fossils, 
  as 
  the 
  

   conifers 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Walchia, 
  and 
  Catamites 
  gigas, 
  have 
  a 
  decided 
  

   Permian 
  tendency. 
  

  

  * 
  Quart. 
  Journ. 
  Geo!. 
  Soc. 
  vol. 
  x. 
  t 
  Acadian 
  Geology, 
  p. 
  149. 
  

  

  X 
  ' 
  Report 
  on 
  the 
  Geological 
  Structure 
  of 
  Prince- 
  Edward 
  Island,' 
  by 
  J. 
  W. 
  

   Dawson, 
  LL.D.&c, 
  and 
  B. 
  I. 
  Harrington, 
  B.A., 
  Ph.D. 
  

  

  