560 MR. W. H. MERRITT ON^ THE CASCADE 



46. The Cascade Anthracitic Coal-eield of the Rocky Mountains, 

 Canada. By Wm. Hamilton Merritt, Esq., F.G.S., Assoc. 

 E.S.M., Memb. American Inst, of Mining Engineers, &c. (Read 

 June 23, 1886.) 



This Coal-field occurs in the most eastern valley of the Rocky 

 Mountains, the Bow-River valley. 



The Cretaceous rocks, which underlie a large area of foot-hills and 

 prairie to the east, have here been caught up and crop out in the 

 bottom of a trough between two parallel rows of mountains, com- 

 posed of Palaeozoic rocks, which rise to a height of about 3000 feet 

 above the river on either side, or some 7000 feet above the sea. 

 The softer shales and sandstones of the Cretaceous rocks have been 

 worn away and form the valley-bottom, and are for the most part 

 covered with gravel from 100 to 200 feet in thickness. The height 

 of the valley above the sea is some 4300 feet. 



Both the rocks of the mountains on either side and those of the 

 valley are tilted up and show a dip of between 30° and 40° to the 

 west of south (magnetic) and a strike of from 25° to 30° north of 

 west (magnetic). 



Though there are minor local disturbances of the rocks, this dip 

 and strike may be said to be constant throughout the Coal-field. 



From palaeontological evidence, the age of the Palseozoic rocks is 

 thought by Mr. Whiteaves, Palseontologist to the Geological Survey 

 of Canada, to be of Lower or Sub-Carboniferous, or possibly De- 

 vonian age, though probably the former. 



The fossils which I collected from these rocks were chiefly 

 Crinoids, Zaphrentis, Sj)irifera, and long-winged Spirifera. 



The rocks are massive Limestones and Dolomites. 



The Cretaceous rocks consist of clay shales, black shales, argil- 

 laceous sandstone rock, and sandstone. Several Coal-seams have 

 been found about the centre of the trough. 



The general section (fig. 1), though not accurately to scale, wiU 

 sufiice to illustrate the occurrence of this trough of Cretaceous 

 Coal-bearing deposits *. 



The accompanying sections of the Coal-seams, drawn to scale 

 (fig. 2), were made by me from three exposures of the Coal, which 

 are at some distance from one another. 



At the upper exposure "A," there are two seams a quarter of a 

 mile apart, 5 feet and 3 feet thick respectively. 



At the centre exposure " B " seven seams are seen, varying from 



* At the best exposure of the Coal-seams, where this general section was taken, 

 the unconformity of these Cretaceous rocks is not visible, nor can the faults, 

 which we know must occur, be located, owing to the rocks being, in places, much 

 hidden by overlying gravel. The unconformity of the Cretaceous rocks in the 

 trough is shown at other places at some distance from the section in question, and 

 to attempt to draw in the true folding of the Cretaceous rocks in this part of the 

 trough, or to indicate the exact position of faults I suspect, other than on the 

 east side of the trough, would be entire guess-work. 



