AND ASSOCIATED EOCKS OP THE SOUTHEEIT TEANSVAAL. 433 



To the west of Lindequisfontein the strata consist of quartzites 

 and thick congioraerates, the latter being poorly auriferous, and 

 some of them being immediately underlain by a thin shale ; these 

 conglomerates and quartzites strike across the Yaal River near 

 Schoeman's Drift ; but they soon become covered up westwards by 

 igneous rocks of a basic type. The series comes to the surface 

 again a few miles west of Potchefstroom, and both easterly and 

 westerly dips are frequent, showing that the beds are thrown into 

 small folds. The country is again very much flooded with igneous 

 rocks until the Buffelsdoorn Estate is reached, when quartzites and 

 thin conglomerates with red shales come in, dipping at about 45° E. 



The diagram-section (PL X. fig. 3) shows the probable structure 

 of the couutry from Vredefort to Buffelsdoorn. That it is very 

 much faulted and folded is unquestionable ; but the actual details of 

 the movements and disturbances can only be surmised. 



3. The Klerhsdorp and Kroonstad Districts. 



South of Buffelsdoorn the country is again flooded with igneous 

 rocks ; but about 9 miles to the S.S.W. the conglomerate series 

 comes to the surface around the town of Klerksdorp. The diagram- 

 section (PI. X. fig. 2) will afford a rough idea of the disposition of 

 the rocks here exposed. The folding of the beds is unmistakable. 



Erom Klerksdorp the conglomerates are seen to strike across 

 the Vaal in a S.S.E. direction ; but they are soon buried beneath 

 horizontal white sandstones and coal-beds. 



Exposures of conglomerates are found on the farms Damspruit, 

 Er-is-geluk, and Welt-de-vreden, about 18 miles west of Xroonstad. 

 The conglomerates are associated with yellow sandstones ; they are 

 said to be slightly auriferous, though from a few ' pannings ' made 

 by the writer no gold was obtained. The strata are thrown into a 

 series of very sharp folds; but few outcrops are visible, and the 

 beds are covered up on the west by igneous rocks and on the east 

 by Coal-measures. 



The same conglomerates, associated with similar yellowish sand- 

 stones, are exposed on the roadside, about 6 miles south of ' Kopje- 

 AUeen.' The pebbles in these conglomerates are sometimes very 

 large. 



That the conglomerates around Klerksdorp are portions of the 

 Witwatersrandt series the writer has no doubt, as the beds occur in 

 the same order, and are associated with strata of the same kind. 

 With reference to the conglomerates west of Kroonstad there is no 

 proof of age, and they may possibly belong to a newer series than 

 the Witwatersrandt beds. Erom a consideration of the facts, 

 however, especially that the conglomerates seem identical in com- 

 position with some of those of the Witwatersrandt, and that the 

 beds near Klerksdorp strike across the Yaal Eiver towards Kroonstad, 

 it seems far more likely that they belong to the same series. 



