RAMSAY AND EVANS. — OBSERVATIONS IN GEOLOGY. 7S 



In connexion with fractures, faults, and Avide joints in the ^'s, 

 mineral lodes may be looked for, such as lead, copper, tin, gold, 

 Cryolite, phosphate of lime, and other minerals; and, if the 

 observer is in doubt as to their nature, if possible, let him bring 

 away specimens. 



There are also some special points that ought to be attended to 

 which may occur in these northern regions, such as : — 



To gather additional information respecting the Oolitic fauna 

 in any newly discovered area similar to those already known at 

 Cook's Inlet in latitude 60° N. (M'Clintock), and of the Liassic 

 fauna found by Sir Edward Belcher, and in another by the 

 Swedish Expedition in latitude 78° 30'. Also to ascertain if the 

 Carboniferous flora occurs in any continental lands or islands 

 resembling that found in Bear Island, lat. 70° 30', or possibly in 

 Discoe Island, where loose blocks were found containing Sigillaria 

 and Stigmaria, or again similar to the Carboniferous strata of 

 Melville Island. 



Also special attention should be paid to new areas containing 

 a Miocene flora, such as has been collected by Nordenskiold, 

 Sir R. M'Clintock, Sir R. Maclure, Colomb, Inglefield, Dr. Brown, 

 and Whymper at Atanakerdluk in the Waigat, and at other places 

 near and in the island of Disco, in Greenland. A similar flora is 

 also known in the Miocene rocks of Spitzbergen. 



In connexion with this latter subject, the explorers in the late 

 Austrian Expedition mention that many great sheets of basaltic 

 lavas were seen, in the new archipelago which they discovered, to 

 overlie, un conformably, masses of gneiss, in a manner that conveys 

 the idea that the overlying igneous rocks consist of vast masses 

 of horizontal sheets of lava. The description reminds the writer 

 of the manner of occurrence of the Miocene igneous rocks in and 

 near Disco in Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and of some of the Inner 

 Hebrides. Should these or other islands be visited which are 

 more or less composed of such like sheets of lava, it is important 

 to notice if terrestrial surfaces occasionally occur between them, 

 showing signs of terrestrial soils and the remains of land plants, 

 or if freshwater beds occur between the igneous rocks bearing 

 relics of land plants and of freshwater or terrestrial animals, such 

 as Crustacea of the genus Cypris (found in Mull along with leaves 

 of land plants by the Duke of Argyll), Insects, and Mammalia, 

 and, if so, specimens should if possible be preserved, j^ ny notes 

 of this kind will be of great value, as throwing much light, not 

 only on changes of climate, but also on the subject of a great 

 continental extension of land during the Miocene ej)Och into far 

 northern regions, as suggested by Dr. Robert Brown, much of 

 which still remains — as is also indicated by Iceland, the Faroe 

 Islands, the Inner Hebrides, the North of Ireland, the Madeira 

 Islands, and other Atlantic isles — as surmised by Mr. Judd. 



As, in some places, it may be impossible to obtain access to rocks 



in situ, it will be well to examine any pebbles on the beach, and 



any moraine boulders for organic remains, noting in each case the 



direction from which the pebbles or boulders appear to have 



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