632 J. C. Branner — Estancia Beds of Bahia, etc. 



in the state of Sergipe, where the beds were first observed, has 

 lately been found to contain fossil ferns and other land plant 

 remains. 



A small collection of these fossils, made on fazenda Jacii 

 near the village of Aracy, has been examined by David White 

 and pronounced to be of Permian age. 



This is the first recognition of beds of Permian age in north- 

 eastern Brazil. 



The rocks of the series are sedimentary beds consisting of 

 coarse basal conglomerates, coarse red false-bedded sandstones, 

 and red and gray shales, pink and other limestones ; some of 

 the upper limestones contain much chert. 



The Estancia beds cover large areas in the states of Bahia 

 and Sergipe and in the southern corner of the state of Alagoas. 



In some places the series rests upon the old crystalline com- 

 plex of northeastern Brazil ; in others it rests unconformable 

 upon or against the Lavras beds which are probably of Carbon- 

 iferous age, or against the Caboclo shales, which are supposed 

 to be of Devonian age. 



Besides the fossil plants from the shales near Aracy described 

 by David White in the accompanying paper, some of the lime- 

 stone members of the series contain fossil remains of minute 

 algse. The fossil algae have been found at many places over 

 the plateau country in the America Dourada region northwest 

 of Morro do Chapeo, state of Bahia.* 



The Estancia series includes both marine and land or fresh- 

 water deposits. 



If the determination of the Estancia beds as Permian is cor- 

 rect, there is an enormous break, representing a long land 

 period, between the Carboniferous and the Permian in north- 

 east Brazil. 



*J. C. Branner : Aggraded limestone plains of the interior of Bahia, etc., 

 Bull. Geol. Soc. Amer., xx, 189-191, 1911. 



