QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS. 63 B 



Patches of the flaggy argillites also occur on the south side of Maude 

 Island, and on the south-east shore of South Bay. 



Cretaceous Coal-bearinu Bocks. 



Skidegate Inlet. 



In 1872, Mr. James Eichardson, of the Geological Survey, visited Surveys by Mr. 

 Skidegate Inlet at the request of gentlemen interested in the Cowgitz 1C ar ft0r 

 Coal Mines. Mr. Eichardson's time was limited to a few days, and 

 much of it was necessarily devoted to the immediate vicinity of the 

 mine, but he nevertheless sketched the geological structure of a con- 

 siderable portion of Skidegate Inlet, and collected a large number of 

 fossils. In connection with the description of these,* a map indicating 

 the fossiliferous localities, with the position of the rocks so far as that 

 had been determined, was printed. 



In my examination of the region in the summer of 1878 I had the 

 advantage of being able to refer to Mr. Eichardson's printed report and 

 map, and have availed myself largely of these in drawing up the 

 following account of the locality and in the construction of the geolo- 

 gical map of Skidegate. 



The occurrence of a bed of true anthracite in rocks of Cretaceous Cretaceous 

 age is a matter of considerable geological interest, while the proved an raci e " 

 existence of a really workable bed of this material on the Pacific coast 

 would be of very great economic value. The study of the Cretaceous 

 rocks of this district is in consequence invested with a peculiar 

 importance. 



Mr. Eichardson grouped the coal-bearing rocks of this region under 

 the following names, in descending order. — 



A. Upper Shales and Sandstones. 



B. Coarse Conglomerates. 



C. Lower Shales with Coal and Iron Ore. 



B. Coarse Conglomerates. Kerilf 1 ° f 



It was supposed that the last-mentioned subdivision rested uncon- 

 formably on certain crystalline rocks, which have now, I believe, 

 however, been distinctly proved to be a part of the series, and to 

 represent an important intercalation of contemporaneous volcanic 

 matter. These are again followed in descending order by a series of 

 beds chiefly composed of ordinary sediments, and the whole rests 

 unconformably on older rocks, probably for the most part Triassic, like 

 those of other parts of the island, and consisting of argillites, limestones, 



* Mesozoic Fossils. Vol. I. Part 1. 1876. 



