THE GEOLOGY OE THE AECTIC COASTS. 



559 



The identity of genera and of some species in these beds, which 

 contain the first rich land-flora the earth ever saw, with those of the 

 European Carboniferous beds, points to an equable condition of 

 climate prevailing over a very large area of the earth's surface. 



Dana-Bay Beds. — A few Devonian forms m 



have been recorded from the Parry archipelago, 

 but this formation has never satisfactorily been 

 determined there. In South-west Greenland 

 certain unfossiliferous red sandstones have been 

 doubtfully referred to this formation, as have 

 the Russian -Island limestone and shales of 

 Spitzbergen and Bear Island, underlying the 

 " Ursa stage " of Prof. Heer ; but these lime- 

 stones contain no determinable fossils, and the 

 Devonian fauna had never yet been found 

 within the Polar area until the discovery of 

 what we have termed the Dana-Bay beds, 

 which contain fossils identified by Mr. Ethe- 

 ridge as Devonian forms. 



The exposure of the Devonian rocks was 

 observed in a small torrent- course, and could 

 not be traced over any considerable area, so 

 that their relation to the underlying rocks 

 unfortunately could not be determined; it is 

 therefore still an open question whether or J? |' 

 not these beds represent in part the Ursa 

 stage of Prof. Heer, and whether they consti- 

 tute the base of the Grinnell-Land Carboni- 

 ferous Limestone as it does that of the Parry 

 archipelago. 



In the Dana-Bay Devonian occurs a species 

 of Spirifera, and Productus mesolobus or cos- 

 tatus. 



If the rocks of the Ursa stage be absent in 

 Grinnell Land, it would appear probable that 

 they were deposited in isolated basins, occupy- 

 ing the archipelago area, and not extending so 

 far north as Grinnell Land. 



Green slates and metamorphic rocks belong- 

 ing to the Cape-Rawson beds are seen on the 

 hill-side below the Carboniferous Limestone in 

 the neck of Feilden Peninsula. Whether the 

 boundary is a natural or a faulted one is doubt- 

 ful ; but the latter is the most probable, from 

 the fact that the Dana-Bay beds on the south 

 side of the valley underlie the Carboniferous 

 Limestone, which is here repeated by a strike- 

 fault, while on the north side these beds are 

 not seen and the basement beds of the lime- 

 stone appear to be cut off by a fault. 



Q.J.G.S. No. 135. 2p 



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