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It is very remarkable that in 

 the Province of l^elson, where 

 there are several exposures of 

 granite in connection with this 

 system, and where the rocks are, 

 in places, violently disturbed, 

 metamorphic action has been 

 much less than in Otago, where 

 the rocks lie nearly flat and no 

 gTanitic areas occur. This mili- 

 tates much against Mr, Mallet's 

 idea that the heat of metamor- 

 phism is due to crushing. On the 

 other hand, the enormous thick- 

 ness of the system in Otago and 

 the gradual decrease of metamor- 

 phic action upward make it pro- 

 bable that, in this case, the meta- 

 morphism is due to the internal 

 heat of the earth. 



Maitai System. 



This system is found in the 

 South Island^ flanking the Takaka 

 System on both sides of the main 

 anticlinal (a, fig. 1), except in 

 Westland, where it has been almost 

 entirely removed. In the Korth 

 Island it forms the chief part of the 

 main range fromWellington to East 

 Cape (Eimutaka Series), as well as 

 most of the outcrops of old sedi- 

 mentary rocks in the Province of 

 Auckland. The rocks are chiefly 

 argillites, red and black slates, and 

 grey and green sandstones, with 

 occasional beds of limestone in the 

 South Island. Thick masses of 

 greenstone-ash are found interbed- 

 ded with the slates and sandstones 

 in many places in New Zealand, 

 but these rocks appear to be 

 local. 



The thickness is estimated by 

 Dr. Hector at from 7,000 to 10,000 

 feet; but it is very difficult to 

 form an opinion, as the stratifica- 

 tion is often obscure. 



That an unconformity exists be- 

 tween this and the Takaka System 



