10 



throughout and is practically a portion of the Coast range, 

 but is separated from it by a continuous deep channel. 

 It is built mostly of greyish, gneissoid granites or 

 granodiorites. Large gold bearing quartz veins occur in 

 places near its west coast. 



Grenville Channel. This channel separates Pitt 

 island from the mainland. It is a typical fiord, and is 

 remarkable for the straight course it follows. It has 

 been excavated along a narrow band of schists, widening 

 to the north, included in the batholithic rocks. Pitt 

 island, like Princess Royal island, is monotonously rough 

 and mountainous along its whole length of 50 miles (80 

 km.) Some of the triangular granite peaks reach elevations 

 of 5,000 feet (1,524 m.) 



Chatham Sound. From Grenville channel the 

 southern part of Chatham sound is crossed to Prince 

 Rupert, situated on Kaien island north of the mouth of 

 the Skeena. A large inclusion or bay of sedimentary 

 rocks lies in the batholith at this point, and exposures of 

 schists and altered limestones occur in most of the low 

 islands scattered along the sound. 



GENERAL PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE SKEENA 

 RIVER DISTRICT. 



The region traversed in the excursion from Prince 

 Rupert to Telkwa, now made accessible by the construc- 

 tion of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, was practically 

 unknown until recent years except to the furtrader, pros- 

 pector and an occasional explorer, and even at present 

 surveys are practically limited to the main waterways, 

 and only the general geological features have been ascer- 

 tained. The district includes the Coast range and a 

 portion of the mountainous Interior region bordering it 

 on the east, and bold relief is the dominant feature every- 

 where. 



The Coast range, where crossed, has a width of about 

 60 miles (96 km) and, with the exception of some included 

 schists, is everywhere carved out of coarse granitoid rocks. 

 The mountains in the immediate vicinity of the Skeena 

 valley are not high, seldom exceeding 5,000 feet (1524m). 

 They are as a rule densely forested below, and steep and 



