293 



of the region is an upland transitional in character between 

 the lowland and the upland of the Vancouver range, formed, 

 as described, only by the mature dissection of the previously 

 uplifted Tertiary peneplain. In the upland portion of the 

 region around Victoria, the dissection of the Tertiary 

 peneplain reached a further stage, one of late maturity, 

 in which virtually, all of the uplifted peneplain was 

 destroyed, although the region retains considerable relief. 

 The monadnocks do not correspond with the outlines of the 

 various rock formations, but have survived where the rocks 

 were less fractured and sheared or less altered. Most 

 of the monadnocks are roughly conical, but some are 

 elongate, corresponding with the trend of their component 

 rocks. 



It was upon the lowland that the stratified drift was 

 deposited during the inter-glacial period, the lowland having 

 been previously scoured off by the southward flowing, pied- 

 mont, Strait of Georgia glacier, so that the elevations 

 are now knob-like, with relatively smooth, rounded 

 outlines. During the second period of glaciation, the 

 stratified drift was partially eroded. This left long, 

 esker-like ridges in the lea of some of the monadnocks, 

 and in some of the eroded hollows in the drift mantle 

 small lakes such as Swan and Lost lakes. In the upland 

 portion the scouring action of the glaciers is more evident, 

 especially of those valley glaciers that were confined between 

 the sides of deep valleys, and here there are small lakes in 

 deepened rock basins. Since the recent uplift the drift 

 deposits have suffered little erosion, although in the 

 western part of the region they have been terraced. In 

 this locality the drift forms a wide, flat plain, from 200 

 to 250 feet (60 to 75 m.) above sea-level, known as 

 Colwood plain. 



It was apparently the depression of the glaciated and 

 drift-covered lowland with numerous monadnocks, fol- 

 lowed by a partial recovery, that formed the present 

 irregular shore line and the numerous islands of the region. 

 The initial shore line must have been rather simple, with 

 smooth flowing outlines where the crystalline rocks were 

 drift covered, but with many small, rounded and smoothed 

 irregularities where the glaciated rock surfaces were not 

 drift covered. During the present marine cycle, the shore 

 has been subjected to moderately strong erosion, and the 

 uplifted drift deposits have been rapidly retrograded to 

 35069— 2|b 



