287 



Kii le mttres ^° ^ e eas ^ as ^ e steamer sails south in the 

 Strait of Georgia. The present delta of the 

 Fraser forms an extensive lowland, only a few 

 feet above sea level, that extends southwest 

 from the older, uplifted delta. 



To the west is Vancouver island, a good 

 general view of which may be had in clear 

 weather. The dark mass of the Vancouver 

 range, composed largely of metamorphic and 

 crystalline rocks, steeply surmounts the coast 

 lowland, underlain by the less resistant sedi- 

 ments of the Nanaimo series. Most of the 

 summits of the Vancouver range are rounded 

 or ridge-like, but a few snow capped and 

 serrated peaks are seen crowning the whole. 

 44 m. Active Pass — Leaving the open Strait of 



71 km. Georgia the steamer enters Active Pass and 

 for the next 25 miles (40 km.) sails through the 

 relatively narrow, but deep, channels between 

 the small islands off the southeast coast of 

 Vancouver island. Active pass affords a sec- 

 tion across the northeastward dipping upper 

 members of the Nanaimo series, and is doubtless 

 the result of the mature glaciation of a trans- 

 verse pre -Glacial valley by one of the rapidly 

 moving tongues of ice forced southward across 

 the valley by the large southward-flowing Strait 

 of Georgia glacier (8) . An example of the rapid 

 lateral gradation of the Nanaimo sediments, 

 Northumberland formation [5], is here seen. 

 To the northwest of the central part of the pass, 

 on Galiano island, the sediments are chiefly 

 conglomerates with some sandstones, while to 

 the southeast along the line of strike on the 

 shores of Mayne island in Miners bay, the 

 same horizon consists chiefly of sandy shales, 

 although there is no offset in the Pass. Since the 

 dip of the sediments is about 20 degrees to the 

 northeast, the northeast or back slopes of the 

 islands have a cuesta form and are com- 

 paratively gentle, while the southwest or front 

 slopes are steep 



Crossing Trincomali channel, which is a 

 drowned longitudinal anticlinal valley, the 



