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No. t. Paineiras, Minas Geraes. 
No. 2. Mangabeira, Minas Geraes, 
No. 8. S80 Paulo dos Agudos. 
These upper sediments are very imperfectly consolidated, the 
sandstones, and conglomerates being very friable, while the finer 
sediments are mere clays. Noanimal or plant remains were observed 
in them, so that their age can only be conjectured. 
The bituminous shale of Taubaté. 
Along Rio Parahybain its upper course through the state of S. 
Paulo, several kilometers below it makes its wonderful detour from 
a south-west course to a north-east one, there occurs a vast sedi- 
mentary deposit of comparatively recent date. This consist mostly of 
clays, interstratified with which near Taubaté there occur bituminous 
shales which have been mined to some extent and used in the manu- 
facture of illminating gas, oil, etc. These bituminous shales hold the 
remains of fossil fishes at some localities in great numbers, of a type 
believed by Dr. H. von Ihering, director of the Museu Paulista, of S. 
Paulo, to: be identical with a species of catfish still living in Brazi- 
lian waters. The specimens are poorly preserved, howover. and the 
indentity is rather uncertain, so that Dr. Derby thinks the age of 
the deposits is not certainly known, in fact that they may be Ter- 
tiary or even older. 
The deposits extend to 50 meters or more above the present 
river level and go down to an unknown depth, since a boring re- 
ported to be over 150 meters in depth made near Taubate, failed to 
reach their bottom. They stretch along both banks of rio Parahyba 
for 60 kilometers or more, and have a width of 4 to 5 kilo- 
meters. 
The bituminous shale is of a dirty gray color and splits in 
thin elastic laminae, lt is mined by stripping of the superficial 
deposits. A thickness of 2 metrs is visible in one of the old strip- 
pings. 
The following analysis represents the chemical composition of 
a specimen of the shale as determined under the supervision of 
Prof. B, H. Hite: 
