634 GEOLOGY. 



mania to 20° 30' in Queensland), and about 35° in longitude (west 

 from 137° 30'), though it is not known, nor perhaps probable, that 

 all the area within these limits was glaciated. On the other hand, it 

 is not to be understood that the phenomena here described are restricted 

 to high altitudes; rather are they known chiefly at low levels, descend- 

 ing in some places nearly to the sea. The altitude of this region is 

 not only low now, but it was probably low during glaciation, as shown 

 by the relation of the glacial deposits to the marine beds. Whatever 

 the difficulties in the way of its explanation, therefore, the fact of a 

 long period, during which glacial conditions recurred many times 

 must be accepted. 



The marine beds associated with the glacial deposits seem to match 

 approximately those of the Carboniferous period elsewhere, but the 

 plants of the associated coal show none of the most characteristic 

 types of the Carboniferous beds as developed in Europe and America. 

 Rather do they present the general facies of the Triassic flora. On 

 the other hand, Permian fish remains are found above all the bowlder 

 beds, suggesting that the glacial conditions were over before the end 

 of the Permian, though in the same beds which contain fish remains, 

 some have thought to see evidence of ice action. The glacial character 

 of these later beds has, however, not been proven. In any case they 

 are younger than the certainly glacial beds below. The testimony 

 of the plant fossils is therefore that the period of glaciation was late 

 Permian or early Triassic; that of the marine fossils that it was late 

 Carboniferous or early Permian. The better view, probably, is to 

 regard the glacial beds as the base of the Permian. 



In some parts of Victoria, the Permian rests unconformably on 

 the Lower Carboniferous. The glacial series is succeeded by coal- 

 bearing beds, and these by the Triassic system. The upper part of 

 the system is coal-bearing also in New South Wales. The thickness 

 of the Permian in this region is some 13,000 feet. 1 



India. — Overlying crystalline schists of great age, there is in the 

 central part of the peninsula of India a system of rocks known as the 

 Gondwana system. This system is made up of several divisions, 

 the lowest of which (the Talchir) is formed in considerable part of 

 glacial conglomerate, the bowlders of which are sometimes as much 



1 Kayser Geologische Formationskunde, p. 265. 



