165 



i. The great development of Cambrian sediments; their 

 extraordinary richness in fossiliferous horizons and in new 

 species and genera; the perfection with which some of this 

 fauna has been preserved. 



2. The unusually complete exposures and vast thickness 

 of the Beltian system of rocks conformably underlying the 

 Lower Cambrian. 



3. Illustration of geosynclinal prisms of various ages. 



4. The large area of pre-Beltian ("Archean") forma- 

 tions, including sediments, volcanics and orthogneisses. 



5. Specially clear illustration of the efficiency of static 

 metamorphism (Shuswap terrane and Beltian system). 



6. The wide extent and great thickness of basic vol- 

 canics referred to the Triassic and to the mid-Tertiary. 



7. The section through the Coast Range batholith, 

 probably the most widely exposed intrusive mass of post- 

 " Archean" date. 



8. The evidences of a chemical origin for limestones and 

 dolomites thousands of metres in thickness. 



9. The opportunity of passing through the Rocky 

 Mountain Geosynclinal into the terrane which furnished 

 most of its clastic materials. 



10. A view of the important unconformity at the base 

 of the Rocky Mountain Geosynclinal. 



11. The sections through the Rocky Mountain and 

 Purcell trenches, two of the more remarkable depressions 

 in the North American Cordillera. 



12. The nature of the railway section as favourable to 

 the discovery of field facts showing the relative shallow- 

 ness of the earth-shell involved in orogenic folding. 



BIBLIOGRAPHIC NOTE. 



The most comprehensive guides to the geological litera- 

 ture dealing with the railway section of the Cordillera 

 are: — 



General Index to the Reports of Progress, 1863 to 

 1884, Geological Survey of Canada; compiled by D. B. 

 Dowling, Ottawa, 1900. 



General Index to Reports, 1 885-1 906, Geological 

 Survey of Canada ; compiled by F. J. Nicolas, Ottawa, 1901. 



Summary Reports of the Director, Geological Survey 

 of Canada, 1907 to 1912, inclusive. 



