542 Scientific Intelligence. 



II. Geology. 



1. New Zealand Geological Survey. — The first New Zealand 

 Geological Survey was inaugurated in 1867 and up to 1905 had 

 published a number of Bulletins dealing largely with economic 

 problems. In February, 1905, Dr. James Mackintosh Bell 

 was made director, the Survey was reorganized, and the follow- 

 ing staff appointed : Mr. Alexander McKay, Geologist and Pale- 

 ontologist ; Mr. Percy Gates Morgan, General Geologist; Mr. 

 Colin Fraser, Mining Geologist; Mr. Ernest John Webb, Assist- 

 ant Geologist ; Mr. Edward Clarke, Assistant Geologist ; Mr. 

 Reginald Palmer Greville, Topographer ; Mr. Robert James 

 Crawford, Draughtsman ; Mr. John Thompson, Secretary. 



A scheme has been outlined for the preparation of a detailed 

 topographical and geological map of New Zealand, together with 

 reports on ten chief districts. 



Bulletin No. 1 (New Series) is entitled "The Geology of the 

 Hokitika Sheet, North Westland Quadrangle" ; by James Mack- 

 intosh Bell and Colin Frazer. 101 pp., 13 maps, 42 plates. 

 Ten formations are described in the present bulletin, ranging in 

 age from " Early Mesozoic (?) and earlier " to Pleistocene and 

 Recent. The Arahura series consists of a group of schists, grau- 

 wackes, argillites, and arkoses, parts of which have been assigned 

 to different ages from Archean to Carboniferous by various 

 authors. The Kanieri series consists largely of conglomerate 

 and argillite. Both the Arahura and the Kanieri series are inter- 

 sected by auriferous quartz reefs. The Tuhua formation con- 

 sists of an extensive group of granites and syenites forming 

 mountain bosses. The Pounamu formation is of particular petro- 

 graphic interest. Static metamorphism and the alteration of 

 sediments by the intrusion of the basic Pounamu rocks have pro- 

 duced such a variety of minerals as to give the formation the 

 name of " mineral belt." The parent intrusive was dunite or 

 olivinite, and the secondary rocks include many varieties of ser- 

 pentine, talc, steatite, nephrite, tremolite-serpentine, muscovite- 

 serpentine, etc. It is from this formation that the masses of 

 nephrite are derived which appear in the glacial deposits as the 

 famous "greenstone" bowlders. 



The Koiterangi series is the remnant of former widespread 

 sedimentary deposits which contain seams of coal. Dikes of 

 camptonite, hornblende and pyroxene porphyrite, diabase, augite 

 diorite, olivine basalt, cut all the bed-rock formations. Glacial 

 debris is widely distributed over Westland, and is of great thick- 

 ness. It is uncertain whether the period of maximum advance of 

 the ice sheet was in Upper Pliocene or early Pleistocene time. 

 " One thing is certain, and that is that the glaciation started in 

 Miocene time and is still continuing." 



The chief physiographic features are the Alpine Chain, re- 

 cently uplifted but " submaturely dissected," the Wainihinihi 



