ON THE METAMORPHIC AND OVERLYINO ROCKS OF LOCH MAREE. 811 



48. On the Metamorphic and Overlying Rocks in the Neighbourhood 

 of Loch Maree, Ross-shire. By Henry Hicks, M.D., F.G.S. 

 (Read May 22, 1878.) 



In a paper communicated to the Geological Society on December 

 5th, 1860 (and published in vol. xvii. p. 85 of the Quarterly Journal), 

 by Professor Nicol, a section on the north side of Loch Maree is given, 

 with the order of succession of the rocks and their supposed relations 

 to the underlying metamorphic series. This section is there referred 

 to by him, with others, as offering evidence in the support of views 

 which he had previously communicated to the Society, and as opposed 

 to the idea of a conformable upward succession from the limestone 

 series to the so-called Upper Gneiss of Sir Roderick Murchison. The 

 section is taken in a direction from "W. to E., and the following is the 

 order in which the rocks are described : — a, gneiss ; b, red sand- 

 stones unconformable on a; c, quartzite conformable on b ; d, lime- 

 stone conformable one; s, diorite (intrusive) ; then a fault ; and 

 beyond this the western gneiss, a, again brought up by the fault. 



On February 6th, 1861, Sir R. Murchison and Mr. A. (now 

 Professor) Geikie communicated a paper also to the Geological So- 

 ciety (Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. xvii. p. 171), in which the same 

 section along the north side of Loch Maree is given, but with a very 

 different interpretation in some important points from that previously 

 given by Professor Nicol. They give the following as the order of 

 succession from W. to E : — a, gneiss ; b, Cambrian sandstones un- 

 conformable to a ; c 1 , quartz rock unconformable to b ; c 2 , limestone ; 

 s, syenite, intrusive along the bedding ; d, gneissose schists conform- 

 able to and hence higher in the succession than c 2 , and with no 

 fault between ; the ascending order being " here, as everywhere to 

 the north, quartz-rock, limestone, and upper flaggy or schistose 

 beds » (I. c. p. 192). 



It will be seen at once how entirely at variance the views above 

 given are, and hence how important all information which may in 

 any way tend to elucidate the matter must be. As I have recently 

 had a favourable opportunity of examining this section, and as the 

 results have been such as to lead me to a different interpretation 

 from that given in either of the above views, I now venture to 

 lay them before the Society. 



Sir R. Murchison and Mr. Geikie, in speaking of this neighbour- 

 hood in the paper referred to, say: — "Loch Maree, one of the 

 wildest of Scottish lakes, presents a series of sections of singular 

 clearness. "With Kinloch Ewe as his head-quarters, the geologist 

 has a wide sweep of interesting ground around ; him and we know 

 of no locality where ho may better acquaint himself with the order 

 of superposition of the ancient crystalline rocks of tic Highlands, 

 or with the dislocations and metamorphism which they have 

 undergone." Hence it is evident that this section, in their opinion, 



