THE GEOLOGY OF LIMEKILNS, BATHUKST DISTKICT. 299 



It is often said that the limestones of the colony exist for the 

 most part in lenticular masses. The Limekilns beds may have 

 that character, but it is doubtful. The cave stone (No. 1) and 

 that on the Palmer's Oakey Road (No. 2), can be followed for 

 several miles, and the outcrop seems to vary little in breadth, so 

 that, if they are lens shaped, they must have a very large radius 

 of curvature. All the beds seem to terminate rather abruptly to 

 the south, but their limits to the north are uncertain, since the 

 colours on the map only indicate the extent to which they have 

 been followed up by the writer. Bed No. 3, which exists as a 

 massive escarpment two hundred feet in height, gives the impres- 

 sion of being possibly lenticular, but this also is uncertain. 



Another point of interest at the Limekilns is the capping of 

 Devonian rocks which is found on the highest part of the limestone 

 and which appears to be the termination of those beds to the 

 north, for at any rate a long distance, since the hills beyond 

 Cheshire Creek are of no great height, and the junction line of the 

 Devonian and Silurian rocks seldom falls much below one thousand 

 feet above Bathurst all along the hills which bound the Bathurst 

 plains to the east. If one is not aware of this, the Devonians 

 may be missed altogether in examining the country, as they have 

 generally been denuded away from the valleys and lower hills. 

 This is especially observable on the Sydney road on which one 

 has to travel a long way before meeting Devonian rocks, although 

 they cap the hills at the side. 



Limekilns may become the centre of an important industry, 

 when the arrangements now being made to work the quarries on 

 a large scale are completed. We may all wish success to this 

 new colonial industry, but whether commercially prosperous or 

 or not there are certain to be many interesting geological facts 

 brought to light which will well repay investigation. 



In conclusion, I desire to acknowledge my indebtedness to Mr. 

 W. Roberts for the polished slab of Fernbrook marble, as well as 

 for several other valuable specimens. Also to Mr. W. Pascoe 

 for grinding and polishing many of the specimens now exhibited. 



