6 9 

 BIG* 



(G. A. Young.) 



INTRODUCTION. 



Bic, like Riviere du Loup, is situated within the long 

 extended zone of the Quebec group, which borders the 

 south side of the St. Lawrence from opposite Quebec city 

 nearly to the extremity of Gaspe peninsula. A certain 

 amount of prominence in geological literature has been 

 given Bic and other neighbouring localities because of the 

 occurrence of conglomeratic strata containing, in places, 

 fossiliferous limestone pebbles. Somewhat similar con- 

 glomerate beds occur at various horizons in the Quebec 

 group and at intervals throughout the whole extent of 

 the group from Levis northeastward. These occurrences 

 of conglomerates differ amongst themselves in that in 

 some cases the fossils of the pebbles may represent an 

 assemblage of distinct faunas ranging in age from Lower 

 Ordovician to Lower Cambrian; or the fossils present 

 may all belong to one general fauna, as in the case of the 

 conglomerates at Bic where fossils of Lower Cambrian 

 age only, have been recovered. 



One general characteristic is common to all the known 

 fossiliferous conglomerate horizons, — the original source 

 of the fossiliferous strata has not been established and, 

 though the present borders of the Laurentian Pre-Cambrian 

 area lies so close, yet pebbles or boulders of typical Lau- 

 rentian rocks are exceedingly rare if not in most cases 

 entirely absent from the conglomerates. 



The following statements regarding the fauna occurring 

 in the conglomerate in the vicinity of Bic have been pre- 

 pared by Charles D. Walcott. 



'The fauna occurring in the boulders and limestone at 

 Bic harbour is that found in the later deposits of the 

 Lower Cambrian rocks both in Newfoundland and the 

 St. Lawrence valley, also in some of the older deposits of 

 the Lower Cambrian. It is marked by the presence of 

 Olenellus thompsoni, which occurs in the later deposits 



*See Map — Bic. 



