CHURCHILL AND NELSON HI VERS. ll> C 



evenly IkhMoiI and of a liijjhtor i;ivy or ImtV color. The last observed Buff-ooiored 

 exposure of Iho dolomite occurs about tivc miles further down. No 

 fossils were found in this vicinity. 



Beginnini;- at thirty miles trom the mouth and extending down \v a id 

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

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

 interrupted with gravelly and b(mldery rapids, the last of which is 

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

 mouth. The tlat-lying limestones or dohmiites do riot extend to the -pj^^ jj^^g^j^^j^^g 

 sea-coast on the Churchill, as they evidently do on the Hayes and ^^^"^"^i^^^^^^b 

 Nelson Rivers. 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 ^ quartzite. 

 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 



^^ -^ ^ ' -^ Quartz veins. 



regular charactei*. j^ early 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 La^uiite. 

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

 and are reported on by Mr. llotfmann. 



On the west side of the river the strike of the (juartzite formation ^j^j^^j^^j. 

 appears to be to the south-westward, and on the east side to the ^^oiith- ^^JIJ^J^^^'j^^^^^ 

 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 eastwai*d 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 hohis 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 w^hite quaru, is N. 75° E. 



The geological age of these rocks cannot be accurately determined ^g^^jj-^jj^ 

 from present data. Tney contain no fossils, and are a considerable 9"^'"^^A*® 

 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 " (►f Nova 

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



