373 



northern limb of an open synclinal fold. The strata dip 

 in a southeasterly direction at angles ranging from 65° 

 in the north to 20 ° in the south towards the centre of the 

 syncline. The beds are exposed at intervals only. Their 

 thickness is approximately 4,000 feet (1,220 m.). In 

 the lower portion of the series, at the faulted contact with 

 the Cambrian, the beds for a few hundred feet in thickness 

 are largely reddish conglomerates and sandstones with 

 beds of greenish shale; these measures compose the Blooms- 

 bury formation. They are succeeded by greyish and green- 

 ish sandstones and shales forming the Dadoxylon formation. 

 Above them lie dark green shales and arenaceous shales with 

 fewer sandy measures: these belong to the Cordaite form- 

 ation. Towards the base of this general series, occurs a 

 band of igneous rocks, largely diabase. These igneous 

 rocks are probably, for the most part, contemporaneous 

 extrusives though there is some evidence that they are in 

 part at least, intrusives. 



The lower divisions, including the igneous member, 

 of the above general assemblage, occur also in the southern 

 part of St. John city and along the shore to the west on 

 the western side of St. John harbour. In the western 

 extension at a locality known as the Fern Ledges and a 

 short distance farther west at Duck Cove, the sedimentary 

 beds have yielded to collectors a large number of plant 

 species. First systematically described by J. W. Dawson, 

 the plants were then considered to be Devonian. In 

 more recent years. Dr. Matthew has contended that the 

 containing beds are of Silurian age, while amongst others, 

 Dr. White and Dr. Kidston have stated that the plants 

 are of mid-Carboniferous, Pennsylvanian age. The stra- 

 tigraphical evidence regarding the age of the Little River 

 group is discussed in the immediately succeeding para- 

 graphs. 



The Mispeck formation consists largely of red conglo- 

 merates, sandstones and shales. They overlie the measures 

 of the Little River group on the northern limb of the 

 synclinal on Courtenay bay [1], and are repeated in a similar 

 position on the southern limb of the same fold. The 

 Mispeck beds in the Courtenay Bay district, appear to 

 conformably succeed the strata of the Little River group 

 but Dr. Matthew believes that the Mispeck is unconform- 

 able to the Little River group. This belief is founded on 

 the phenomena exhibited at a locality a few miles to the 



