
CRETACEOUS AND TERTIARY—GREAT VALLEY. 93 
those to the east and west. At the water’s edge, about eighteen inches of a 
bed of lignite appears, the bottom of the bed being concealed. It is 
overlaid by several feet of greyish sandy clay, of rather fine texture. The 
lignite exactly resembles those described as occurring at Wood End, 
and in some places shows spots of amber. 
222. Between Wood End and Wood Mountain—(Long. 103° 10’ to 
106° 30°)—the country was examined on two lines; the first nearly 
coinciding with the forty-ninth parallel, the second following the Traders’ 
Road above mentioned, and at its furthest northerly point being thirty- 
eight miles from the Line. In describing the geology of this region, the 
general plan of taking localities in succession westward, will be in so far 
departed from as to allow the description of these in the immediate 
vicinity of the Line, before mention of those further to the north. 
Lignite Tertiary Rocks of the Great Valley, and Pyramid Creek. 
223. In the gorge already referred to as the Great Valley, the beds 
exposed are at an elevation of about seven hundred feet greater than that 
of those last seen on the Souris, near Wood End ; and probably at least six 
hundred feet above those of the northern locality (§ 221.) Their exact 
relation to either of these stratigraphically, it is, however, impossible 
to determine. The lowest beds seen are curiously banded clays and 
shales ; clay beds charged with plant remains and carbonaceous matter, 
and having quite a purple tint when viewed from a little distance, 
alternating with clays nearly white, and yellowish sandstones. Above 
these is a sandstone layer which though of no great thickness, has 
in several places produced remarkable conical mounds by acting as a pro- 
tecting capping for the softer strata below, the latter forming slopes 
or nearly perpendicular steps, according to their relative hardness, 
which, taken together with the distinctive colouring of the beds, 
gives a very striking aspect to the scenery. Plate 6, which is 
accurately copied from a photograph, gives an idea of the peculiar 
weathering of these beds. Above the sandstone capping of this lower 
part of the section, is a great deposit of sandy clays and concretionary 
sandstones, among which three beds of lignite of various thicknesses 
are intercalated. The beds are almost horizontal, but undulate at low 
angles, and the valley of the stream appears to occupy, in the main, the 
centre of a shallow synclinal fold. 
224. The upper part of the section in this valley consists of at least 
100, and probably 150 feet of clays and argillaceous fine sands of greyish 
