292 THE DESBRT SANDSTONE. 



age ; and all that can be asserted is that its horizon is above and 

 unconformable to the Cretaceous series of the Flinders. 



" Without doubt it is the most recent, widely spread stratified 

 deposit developed in Queensland. The denudation of the Desert 

 Sandstone since it became dry land has been excessive ; but as will 

 be seen by the geological map (pi. ix.), there still remains a large 

 tract in situ, whilst outliers and isolated ridges are to be met with 

 in the most unexpected localities. A view of a cliff section of 

 Desert Sandstone with outlier, is represented in the accompanying 

 wood-cut (Fig. 3). 



"All the available evidence tends to show that this Desert 

 Sandstone did at one time cover nearly, if not quite, the whole of 

 Australia, with the probable exception of the south-eastern corner 

 of the Continent from the Cordillera to the ocean. The journals 

 of the two Messrs. Gregory in their expedition on the north-west 

 and north, and Goyder's description of the new settlement of 

 Port Darwin, all bear evidence to the continuity of this so-called 

 "Desert Sandstone" over all the extended areas investigated by 

 them, where denudation has been resisted by local peculiarity of 

 structure, or other special causes. Frank Gregory, in his 

 description of the geological peculiarities of that portion of the 

 Nichol Bay country that came under his observation during his 

 exploring expedition of 1861, observes that 'it consists of a series 

 of terraces rising inland for nearly 200 miles, more or less broken 

 up by volcanic hills towards the coast. 



" 'The first belt averages from 10 to 40 miles in width from 

 the sea, and is a nearly level plain, slightly ascending to the 

 southward, with an elevation of from 40 to 100 feet, the soil 

 being generally either light loam or strong clay, according as it is 

 the result of the granite rocks that occasionally protrude above 

 its surface, or of volcanic rocks of black scoria that frequently 

 interrupt the general level. 



" 'Proceeding inland for the next 50 or 60 miles is a granite 

 country that has been originally capped with horizontal sandstones, 

 and has an elevation of about 1000 feet. This range terminates 

 to the southward in level plains of good soil, the produce of the 

 next series or more elevated country ; whilst towards the 

 northern edges the granites and sandstones have undergone great 

 changes, through the action of numerous trap-dykes, that have 

 greatly disturbed the surface, producing metamorphic rocks, some 

 resembling jasper, and others highly cellular and scoriaceous.' 



"In about Lat. 22° on the meridian of Nichol Bay, he came 

 upon another and more elevated range, trending away to the S.E., 

 having an altitude of 2,500 feet above the sea. 



" This, unlike the last section, has a southern escarpment of 

 500 or 600 feet, and an average breadth of eight or ten miles ; it 



