CHURCHILL AND NELSON RIVERS. 27 C 



tioii lioiiii;- Fox Hill (a part ot'tlie v'nly^c nnmiiiLC |»as( the soiitli t'lid oI'ko.x ii,ii. 

 Was kai-o\v-a-Ua Lake), which is visiljjo to tlic noilli-wostward IVom 

 the lower pari of Split Jjake. Tlio Assoaii River eiilei-s tlie noi-tli side a.«so}ui Hivor. 

 near the outlet, and at a narrow ])la('0, just west of il. thert^ is a per- 

 eeptihle current in tl»e lake. 



Troni the termination of the fossiliferous dolomites to the outlet of 

 Split Jjake, the ro(d<s ah)ni; tho Nelson Rivor consist of Ijaurentian L;,urpn(ian. 

 i,nieiss and scliists, with the exception of a ymall aiva oi" wliat appear 

 to i>e lluronian strata at the foot of the lowest (ndl I\a|)id. At an„r(.nianat 

 point on liie north side, al>out one mile below this rapid, a coarse i-iH^y *'"" *^'^'"*^'''' 

 mica-schist, with strinij^s and bunches of white (juartz alor)i; the bed- 

 ding, dips N. 15° E. < 80°. C'rossing the foot of the rapid itself is a 

 band of fine-grained massive mica-Bohist, ]>assing into dai'k grey 

 quartzite, ribboned with sti-eaks of white ([uarts and red felspar. The 

 dip is N. 10° E. < 8(»°. A dark tinely-crystallized diorite, prol)ably 

 forming part of a dyke, was observed at the sides of the rapid. 



The Laurentian i»-neiss, in the section which has been indicated,, 



^- ' ' Lauren tiii II 



j)resents some variety in composition, cohjr, texture, and in the char-f?"***^^"- 

 acter of its stratification, which it is unnecessary to describe minutely in 

 the present report. Sometimes the gneiss passes into hornblende or 

 mica schist. In a few places the latter is studded with garnets, and itcjarnet*. 

 generally contains veins of coarse, light-colored granite. The strike, sSke? ^ *''"''" 

 which was recorded in many places, was nowhere found to preserve a 

 general uniformity of direction for any considerable distance, but in 

 the majority of all the cases noted it had a northwesterly tendency. 



On the first island above the narrows near the outlet of Split Lake, a^ i* t i 

 green hornblende rock, which may be Huronian, runs S. 15° W., ver- 

 tical, and on the east side of the point forming the narrows there is a 

 peculiar light reddish-grey gneiss, containing a soft chloritic mineral. 

 The weathered surfjices are very thickly pitted, and have a rough, 

 spongy a}>pearance. Split Lake and the geology of its shores have 

 been already referred to in describing my route from Lake Winnipeg 

 to the mouth of the (Miurchill River. 



Gnuis River. 



Having already surveyed the section of the Nelson River between 

 the "jog " at the foot of the Grand Rapid and Sipi-wesk Lake, I fol- 

 lowed the Grass River between these points, in returning to Norway 

 House, after completing the exploration of the river below Split Lake. 

 The upward course of the Grass River from its junction with the Li;>wiini rourso 

 Nelson bears southwestward, nine miles to the outlet of AVitchai 

 (" Stinking ") Lake, from which it runs southward, oi* parallel t(j tho 



