CARBONIFEROUS AND PERMO-CARB0NIFER0US ROCKS, N.S.W. 299 



approximately on the horizon of the Pottsville Conglomerate 

 aud therefore to be of Middle (Lower Middle) Carboniferous 

 age. They are described as being some 6000 feet in thick- 

 ness, and are said to contain boulders up to 50 feet in 

 diameter. The author is not aware that any striated blocks 

 have as yet been identified in this wonderful series of con- 

 glomerates, but the occurrence of blocks of the above 

 enormous size suggests the strong probability that ice was 

 concerned in their transport. A careful search for possible 

 glaciated pebbles in that series might well lead to useful 

 results. 



3. France. — Possible Glacial Origin of the coarse Car- 

 boniferous breccias of Central France. 1 



In the St. Etienne coal basin M. Julien believes that 

 large masses of angular breccia, such as those of Mont 

 Crepon, 250 metres thick, are of glacial origin. He states 

 that striae are extremely rare, but that the blocks of por- 

 phyry at Cellieu, and of hornblende schist at Dargoire, and 

 mica-schist at Fouillouse are smoothed and striated. Ver- 

 tical roots of Calamites are seen in the sandstones under- 

 lying the breccias, while their stems, as they pass upwards 

 into the breccia, are crushed, a phenomenon very sugges- 

 tive of glacial action. As regards their geological age 

 Julien places it between Grand 'Eury's zone of Sigillarise 

 and that of the Cordaitese, which would make the age 

 approximately near the top of the Middle Carboniferous. 

 He considers that these "morainic breccias" were deposited 

 by glaciers having their origin in the great early formed 

 folds of the Hercynian ranges which were already rising 

 to the north. 



1 Coinpt. rend, des Seances de l'Academie des Sciences, cxvn, (1893), 

 pp. 255 - 257 and 344. A. JulieD. 



