CHURCHILL AND NELSON RIVERS. 1!) 



evenly bedded and of a lighter grey or buff color. The last observed Buff-eoiored 

 exposure of the dolomite occurs about five miles further down. No 

 fossils were found in this vicinity. 



Beginning at thirty miles from the mouth and extending downward 

 for ten miles, the river spreads out among a great number of islands, islands in the 

 and below this, as far as the tidal lagoon, it is broad, shallow and much 

 intei'rupted with gravelly and bouldery rapids, the last of which is 

 opposite to Mosquito Point, between seven and eight miles from the 

 mouth. The flat-lying limestones or dolomites do not extend to the The limestone3 

 sea-coast on the Churchill, as they evidently do on the Hayes and ifi™*™* ch 

 Nelson Eivers. Westward of the lagoon, and on both sides of the 

 mouth of the river, a different formation makes its appearance. This 

 consists of a massive dark grey quartzite, which seems to contain more Q uar tzite 

 or less felspar or argillaceous matter, and weathers to a lighter grey on 

 old surfaces. It is easily broken in any direction, and seldom shows 

 distinct traces of bedding. It holds a good many straggling, irregular 

 and short veins of white and grey quartz, with others of a tolerably 

 regular character. Nearly all these contain scales of specular iron. 

 Specks of iron pyrites were found in some of them, and traces of green 

 carbonate of copper in one. In another of these veins, about two 

 miles east of the mouth of the river, I found small specimens of a blue 

 mineral which appears to be lazulite. Specimens from a number of Lazulite> 

 these veins were brought home to be assayed for the precious metals, 

 and are reported on by Mr. Hoffmann. 



On the west side of the river the strike of the quartzite formation Attitude ot - 

 appears to be to the south-westward, and on the east side to the south- f^^ti^n 

 eastward, as if the strata were forming the opposite sides of an anti- 

 clinal axis, running down the lagoon and tending to terminate north- 

 ward of the mouth of the river. At Fort Churchill the quartzite is 

 very massive, and the strike is apparently S. 25° W. On the coast, 

 about a mile and a half eastward of the river, it appears to be S. 45° E 

 (mag). At a mile still further east it is quite distinct, and runs S. 

 75° E. Here the quartzite holds an occasional rounded quartz pebble. 

 On Eagle Nest Point, about seven miles eastward of the mouth of the 

 river, the strike, as shown by a bed containing small rounded pebbles 

 of white quartz, is N. 75° E. 



The geological age of these rocks cannot be accurately determined A „ e of the 

 from present data. Tney contain no fossils, and are a considerable ^^^ 

 distance from the limestones already described as occurring further up 

 the river, and which, no doubt, belong to the Lower Silurian system. 

 They resemble the gold-bearing quartzites or "whin-rocks " of Nova 

 Scotia (which are apparently Lower Cambrian) more closely than any 



