Age of the gaspe sandstone 689 



In speaking of the age of these deposits Doctor Clarke says : 



"The Hamilton species indicate the introduction and the prevalence of a fauna and a 

 geologic stage much later than the Oriskany" . . . and "the prevalence of the Ham- 

 ilton fauna" . . . "indicates a northeast passage at this date from the Appalachian 

 gulf through which the fauna departed eastward along the continental border." 



Paleontologists were already familiar with a similar association of Hamil- 

 tonian types with Oriskany or Helderbergian types in the Saint Helens Island 

 breccias, regarding which Dr H. M. Ami, 2 Mr Charles Schuchert, 3 and Dr J. F. 

 Whiteaves 4 have each expressed similar views as to age. 



In reporting to Dr F. D. Adams on the age of certain fossils from Saint 

 Helens island and Cote Saint Paul, I also called the Upper Saint Helens fauna 

 Oriskany 5 and the Cote Saint Paul fauna Hamilton, 6 though the Cote Saint 

 Paul fauna contains species also found in the Upper Saint Helens beds. 



Reasons for Reviewing former Interpretations 



In the light of recent investigations regarding the geographic conditions of 

 the areas concerned, made by Messrs Ulrich, Schuchert, Willis, Grabau, J. M. 

 Clarke, Weller, and others, as well as my own, I have reviewed the whole body 

 of evidence bearing on the age of the formations containing the mixed faunas, 

 reaching the conclusion that all of us may have given too much weight to the 

 Hamiltonian aspect of the fossils. 



As a correct interpretation of the facts involves the right use of funda- 

 mental principles of correlation and has an important bearing on the origin of 

 the faunas concerned, I will state briefly the reasons for the conclusions I have 

 reached. 



The Gaspe sandstones are a series of sandstones and conglomerates of about 

 7,000 feet thickness, overlying the 2,000 feet of limestones called the Saint 

 Albans, Cape Bon Ami, and Grande Greve limestones cropping out on the 

 Gaspe peninsula of New Brunswick. 



In this Acadian province there is evidence of open marine seas at the close 

 of the Silurian and early part of the Devonian periods, including the Niagaran 

 and Helderbergian epochs. The outcrops lie northeast of Gaspe, extending at 

 least to Anticosti island; extending south of Gaspe over Nova Scotia, as at 

 Arisaig; to the southwest seen in the Cobscook and Ames Knob regions of 

 Maine ; west as seen in the Square Lake and Chapman formations of Aroostook 

 county, and Temiscouata and other sections to the northwest along the south 

 side of the Saint Lawrence in Quebec and at Littleton, yerniont. 



2 Annual Report of the Geological Survey of Canada, n. s., vol. vli, 1896, pp. 155/- 

 156;. 



3 American Geologist, vol. xxvii, April, 1901, p. 253. 



* Vice-Presidential address, American Academy for the Advancement of Science, 1899, 

 p. 16. 



6 Canadian Record of Science, vol. ix, 1903, pp. 56-57, based upon letter written by 

 H. S. Williams to Dr F. D. Adams, dated May 16, 1902. 



6 Letter of H. S. Williams to Dr F. D. Adams, dated February 23, 1906, reporting on 

 the fossils collected from Cote Saint Paul : the letter states that the fossils there found 

 were "characteristic of the Hamilton formation as seen in Schoharie and Albany counties, 

 New York state," adding that the fossils suggested "a sea opening for this region as late 

 as the time of deposition of the Hamilton formation," and, further, "This discovery at 

 Cote" Saint Paul, if its origin upon the spot is certain, gives positive proof of the exist- 

 ence of marine conditions up to the time of living of the typical Hamilton fauna." 



