﻿212 
  J. 
  W. 
  DAWSON 
  ON 
  THE 
  UPPER 
  COAL-FORMATION 
  OF 
  

  

  the 
  first 
  synclinal, 
  which 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  Pictou 
  coal-beds, 
  has 
  

   recently 
  been 
  worked 
  out 
  in 
  much 
  detail 
  by 
  Sir 
  W. 
  E. 
  Logan 
  and 
  

   the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  Hartley. 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  or 
  middle 
  synclinal 
  (No. 
  2 
  in 
  the 
  Section) 
  extends 
  

   from 
  New 
  Glasgow 
  to 
  Carribou 
  Harbour, 
  and 
  centres 
  in 
  the 
  deep 
  

   indentation 
  of 
  Pictou 
  Harbour. 
  On 
  its 
  southern 
  side 
  it 
  contains, 
  

   north 
  of 
  New 
  Glasgow, 
  the 
  depauperated 
  equivalent 
  of 
  the 
  Middle 
  

   Coal-formation 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  Newer 
  

   Coal-formation, 
  whose 
  newest 
  beds, 
  however, 
  are 
  not 
  represented 
  in 
  

   this 
  trough. 
  The 
  low 
  anticlinal 
  which 
  separates 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  third 
  

   trough 
  brings 
  lip 
  nothing 
  older 
  than 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Newer 
  

   Coal-formation. 
  

  

  The 
  third 
  synclinal 
  (No. 
  3 
  in 
  the 
  Section) 
  extends 
  from 
  Carribou 
  

   Harbour 
  to 
  Cape 
  John, 
  and, 
  stretching 
  westward 
  through 
  the 
  Cum- 
  

   berland 
  Coal-field, 
  shows 
  in 
  its 
  centre 
  the 
  newest 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  

   Coal-formation. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  observed 
  that 
  in 
  these 
  synclinals 
  the 
  north-west 
  sides 
  

   have 
  steeper 
  dips 
  than 
  the 
  south-east 
  sides, 
  and 
  consequently 
  occupy 
  

   a 
  less 
  breadth 
  on 
  the 
  map. 
  The 
  south-east 
  sides 
  also 
  show 
  the 
  best 
  

   and 
  most 
  continuous 
  sections 
  ; 
  and 
  for 
  this 
  reason 
  I 
  shall 
  select 
  the 
  

   section 
  from 
  New 
  Glasgow 
  to 
  Pictou 
  Harbour, 
  and 
  that 
  from 
  Carribou 
  

   Harbour 
  towards 
  Cape 
  John, 
  as 
  typical 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  and 
  upper 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Coal-formation. 
  

  

  1. 
  Section 
  on 
  the 
  East 
  River 
  of 
  Pictou. 
  

  

  1. 
  On 
  the 
  river-section, 
  below 
  New-Glasgow 
  bridge, 
  the 
  conglo- 
  

   merate 
  is 
  succeeded 
  in 
  ascending 
  order 
  by 
  a 
  grey 
  concretionary 
  

   limestone 
  20 
  feet 
  thick, 
  associated 
  with 
  sandstone 
  and 
  shale, 
  and 
  

   containing 
  in 
  some 
  layers 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  Spirorbis 
  which 
  I 
  

   have 
  described 
  as 
  S. 
  arietinus*, 
  and 
  whose 
  habits 
  of 
  life 
  were 
  pro- 
  

   bably 
  not 
  dissimilar 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  S. 
  carbonarius, 
  so 
  abundant 
  in 
  

   the 
  Coal-measures. 
  This 
  limestone 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  

   river- 
  section, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  flank 
  of 
  the 
  conglomerate 
  east 
  of 
  New 
  

   Glasgow. 
  

  

  2. 
  Above 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  black 
  shales 
  and 
  underclays 
  with 
  

   grey 
  sandstones 
  and 
  some 
  reddish 
  and 
  purple 
  shales, 
  and 
  thin 
  seams 
  

   of 
  bituminous 
  shale 
  and 
  coal. 
  These 
  beds 
  contain 
  Stigmarice, 
  Lepi- 
  

   dodendra, 
  Entomostracans 
  and 
  fish-remains, 
  the 
  fossils 
  and 
  the 
  

   mineral 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  alike 
  corresponding 
  with 
  those 
  seen 
  in 
  

   the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Coal-measures 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  conglomerate. 
  

   The 
  thickness 
  of 
  these 
  beds 
  is 
  about 
  400 
  feet. 
  

  

  3. 
  This 
  series 
  is 
  succeeded 
  by 
  a 
  thick 
  grey 
  sandstone 
  holding 
  

   Catamites, 
  Calamodendron, 
  trunks 
  with 
  aerial 
  roots 
  (Psaronius), 
  &c, 
  

   30 
  to 
  50 
  feet 
  thick. 
  This 
  appears 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Smelt 
  Brook 
  and 
  

   in 
  several 
  quarries 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  of 
  that 
  place. 
  

  

  4. 
  Above 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  second 
  series 
  of 
  dark 
  shales 
  and 
  under-clays, 
  

  

  * 
  ' 
  Report 
  of 
  Greol. 
  Survey 
  of 
  Canada.' 
  This 
  limestone 
  may 
  be 
  compared 
  

   with 
  the 
  " 
  Spircrbis-hmestone 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  Shrewsbury, 
  Lancashire, 
  and 
  Warwick- 
  

   shire 
  Coal-fields 
  in 
  England. 
  See 
  Hull 
  ' 
  Coal-fields 
  of 
  Great 
  Britain.' 
  

  

  